Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad
Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar
Sheikh Abubakr receiving an Award by OIC Today
Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad receiving an Award by OIC Today, Malaysia
Grand Mufti of India
In office
24 February 2019 -
Preceded byAkhtar Raza Khan
TitleSultanul Ulama, Qamarul Ulama, Abul Aytam
Official nameمفتي الديار الهندية، الشيخ أبوبكر أحمد
Personal
Born
Aboobacker

(1931-03-22) 22 March 1931 (age 93)[1]
ReligionIslam
NationalityIndian
Home townKanthapuram
SpouseZainab
ChildrenAbdul Hakeem Azhari
Parents
  • Mouthariyil Ahmad Haji (father)
  • Kunheema Hajjumma (mother)
JurisprudenceShafi‘i
Notable work(s)Established more than 500 educational and charitable institutions across India, Middle East and Malaysia.
Alma materBaqiyat Salihat Arabic College
Known forEducational leadership
ProfessionChancellor of Markaz
OccupationSecretary-General of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama
Organization
Founder ofMarkaz
Muslim leader
TeacherBahrul Ulum Ustad O.K. Zainuddin Kutty Musliyar, Hadrat Sheikh Hasan, Hadrat Aboobacker, Hadrat Abdul Jabbar, Hadrat Saeed, Hadrat Meeran, Abdulla Musliyar Puthoor
Literary worksSee the list
ProfessionChancellor of Markaz
Website
Grand Mufti styles of
Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleThe Honourable
Religious styleMufti Azam-e-Hind, and Mufti al-Diyar al-Hindiyyah and Shaykh al-Islām in Arabic
Alternative styleHadrat, Sheikh and Sahib-ul-Ma'ali
Informal styleMr. Grand Mufti

Abubakr Ahmad (born as A. P. Aboobacker at Kanthapuram on 22 March 1931)[2] is the Grand Mufti of India.[3][4][5][6][7] He is also the General Secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, (the Indian Muslim Scholars Association)[8] Chancellor of the Markaz located in Karanthur, Kozhikode, Kerala and president of Islamic Educational Board of India.[9][10][11][12] He is a Muslim scholar, Educational revivalist, Environmentalist, and peace and interfaith dialogue worker.

Early life

He born to Mouthariyil Ahmad Haji (father) and Kunheema Hajjumma (mother) on 22 March 1931 at Kanthapuram.

Grand Mufti of India

Main article: Grand Mufti of India

The Grand Mufti of India, is the most senior, most influential religious authority and spiritual leader of Muslims in India. Sheikh Abubakr is elected by Prominent Muslim organizations in India and appointed by the Electoral college.[13][14] (After the death of Grand Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan following illness on 20 July 2018,[15][16][17]) and sworn in as Grand Mufti of India in a programme conducted at Ramlila Maidan.[18][19][20] After his election conducted several receptions in various countries including UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Malaysia and Indonesia especially at him birthplace, Kozhikode. Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly Sri P. Sreeramakrishnan, Kerala Minister TP Ramakrishnan, Karnataka Ministers UT Khader and Rahim Khan, and A Pradeepkumar member of 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly, Kerala Haj Committee Chairman C Mohammed Faizi, Tamil Nadu Haj Committee Chairman Haji Abdul Jabbar, Mayor of Kozhikode Thottathil Raveendran, Zamorin K.C. Unniyanujan Raja and Dr. MGS Narayanan, politicians, religious and cultural leaders including from other Indian states participated in the civil reception.[21][22] In the function, Minister T. P. Ramakrishnan expressed appreciations to the Grand Mufti for the Government of Kerala.

Diplomatic relations

Peace and interfaith dialogue work

Sheikh Abubakr is peace and interfaith dialogue worker. He conducted and attended in many National and International conferences for Peace and Interfaith dialogue.[23][24][25] He is the Chairman of Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference[26][27][28][29] and one of the Speakers of First World Tolerance Summit.[30] conducted by International Institute for Tolerance Dubai, UAE.[31] The banner of second Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference was "Renaissance of the World Through Peace"[32]

Environmentalist

Sheikh Abubakr is a Environmentalist in India. He launched a campaign to plant 100,000 trees in different parts of India as part of preparations for the Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference, held in New Delhi.[33]

Educational revivalist

His many students come from all over India.[34][35] He is involved with Markaz Knowledge City, Unani Medical College, and with higher education and research.[36][37][36]

Views

Aboobacker has condemned Islamic extremism. He says that "Militant groups such as the Islamic State (IS) are trying to defame a religion that advocates peace and tolerance."[38][39] In November 2015, he commented on gender equality, saying: "Gender equality is something which is never going to be a reality. It is against Islam, humanity and was intellectually wrong."[40][41][42] and said "The obstinacy that boys and girls should study sitting on the same bench is an indirect attack aimed at destroying Islam and its culture. Gender equality is not Islamic, wise or humane."[43]

He said: "My speech referred to was to giving special support and care for women in a situation where they were kept apart from social sphere. This special care and support needed to be extended to women in public and professional life, and has been reiterated many a time by the judiciary. We live and abide by the Constitution of India which provides equal justice to all irrespective of caste, creed or sex.”"[44] Over the years he has expressed conservative views on women's liberties.[45][46]

Literary works

Arabic

English

Honours, awards and international recognition

He has received the Islamic Heritage Award for his service to protect Islamic culture and heritage by Jeddah-based Islamic Heritage. in January 2008.[48][49] He was awarded Jewels of World Muslim Biz Award by OIC Today in 2016.[50][51]He has consecutively been ranked for many years as an influential Muslim from India by the prestigious Directory, The 500 Most Influential Muslims published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan

See also

References

  1. ^ "About Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad". Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  2. ^ Also transcribed Kāntapuraṃ Ě.pi. Abūbakkar Musliyār
  3. ^ "Kanthapuram selected Grand Mufti of India - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Kanthapuram elected as new Grand Mufti". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  5. ^ "കാന്തപുരം എത്തപ്പെടുന്നത് സുന്നി-സൂഫി മുസ്ലിം സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ ഇന്ത്യയിലെ പരമോന്നത നേതാവ്..." www.marunadanmalayali.com. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  6. ^ "കാന്തപുരം എ.പി. അബൂബക്കർ മുസ്‌ലിയാർ ഗ്രാൻഡ് മുഫ്തി". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  7. ^ "കാന്തപുരം എ പി അബൂബക്കര്‍ മുസ്ലിയാരെ ഗ്രാന്റ് മുഫ്തിയായി പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു". Jaihind TV. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Muslim intellectuals denounce A P Aboobacker Musliyar's misogynistic remark".
  9. ^ "25 ألف طالب وأستاذ جامعي يشاركون في ختم القرآن الكريم على روح الشيخة حصة".
  10. ^ "The 500 Most Influential Muslims : 2011" (PDF). Gwu.edu. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  11. ^ "HRD panel to oversee RTE rollout". The Times Of India. 26 June 2010.
  12. ^ "Home | Muslim |". Manorama Online. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  13. ^ "Kanthapuram selected Grand Mufti of India". The Times of India. The Times Group. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  14. ^ "تعيين الشيخ أبوبكر أحمد مفتيا للهند" [Sheikh Abu Bakr Ahmed Elected as Grand Mufti of India]. العين الإخبارية (in Arabic). ISSN 2521-439X. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  15. ^ MuslimMirror (22 July 2018). "Renowned Barelvi cleric Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan passed away, lakhs attend final journey". Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  16. ^ "अजहरी मियां के जनाजे में दिखा जो जनसैलाब, आपने कभी नहीं देखा होगा, देखें तस्वीरें". Rajasthan Patrika. Retrieved 30 January 2019. ((cite web)): Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  17. ^ "Noted Barelvi cleric Azhari Miyan dies". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. ((cite web)): Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  18. ^ "Kanthapuram Grand Mufti of Sunnis in India". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 27 February 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 August 2019.((cite news)): CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference :03 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Kanthapuram elected as new Grand Mufti". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  21. ^ "Grand Mufti calls for talks, not war, to resolve Indo-Pak issues". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 2 March 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 August 2019.((cite news)): CS1 maint: others (link)
  22. ^ Mar 2, TNN | Updated:; 2019; Ist, 8:44. "Grant full membership to India: Kanthapuram to OIC | Kozhikode News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 August 2019. ((cite web)): |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Headline, Times (24 February 2019). "Muhammad bin Salman must be declared as war criminal: Ulema E Islam". The Times Headline. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  24. ^ Kumar, Ashwani. "Peace meet in Kerala to pay tributes to Sheikh Zayed". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  25. ^ "Hyderabad: Call for law against violence on minorities". Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  26. ^ Today, Almaghrib. "Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference begins". Almaghrib Today (in Arabic). Retrieved 2 September 2019. ((cite web)): Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  27. ^ MENAFN. "UAE at forefront of international charity action: Hamdan bin Zayed". menafn.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  28. ^ "World Needs to Take Inspiration from Sheikh Zayed | Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research". Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  29. ^ "Scholars call for embracing message of Islam for peace". Arab News. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Speakers - World Tolerance Summit". ((cite web)): Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  31. ^ "Bahrain News Agency". www.bna.bh. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  32. ^ "UAE-Indian relations have witnessed great development: Indian Ambassador". wam. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  33. ^ "Sheikh Zayed's peace initiatives remembered". wam. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  34. ^ "Kashmiri Bhavan to be opened today". 21 January 2008 – via www.thehindu.com.
  35. ^ "The Hindu : Kerala News : Children from Kashmir arrive to a warm welcome". www.thehindu.com.
  36. ^ a b "Jamia Markaz India: A saga of trust and tradition". 2 April 2016.
  37. ^ Reporter, Staff (10 October 2014). "Markaz Law college to be opened on Saturday" – via www.thehindu.com.
  38. ^ "Ruthless activities of IS 'against Islamic principles'". arabnews.com.
  39. ^ Staff Reporter. "Kanthapuram calls IS enemy of Islam". The Hindu.
  40. ^ "Sunni Cleric Says Women Are Only Fit To Deliver Children, Calls Gender Equality Un-Islamic". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  41. ^ "Women only fit to deliver children: Indian Muslim leader". The Express Tribune. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  42. ^ "Kerala Muslim leader calls gender equality 'un-Islamic'". Hindustan Times. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  43. ^ "Calls for Gender Equality, an Indirect Attack on Islam: Kanthapuram". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  44. ^ "My statement has been deliberately distorted, says Kanthapuram". The Hindu. 1 December 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  45. ^ "Education doesn't mean women should have more freedoms: Kerala Muslim leader".
  46. ^ Jose, Sachin. "Kerala Sunni leader Kanthapuram says gender equality is anti-Islamic, stirs row". International Business Times, India Edition. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  47. ^ a b Pi., Abūbakkar, Kāntapuraṃ E. (1995). Musliṃ lōkattint̲e vicāradhāra. [Kōl̲ikkōṭ]: Es. Vai. Es. Buks. p. 210. OCLC 37115589.((cite book)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  48. ^ "Award for Kanthapuram". The Hindu.
  49. ^ "First Islamic Heritage Award". Indian Express.
  50. ^ "Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar conferred with Jewel's of World Muslim Biz Award". Narada News.
  51. ^ "AP Ustad, 7 others conferred OIC Jewels of the Muslim World Award". Coastal Digest.

Further reading

He has consecutively been ranked for many years as an influential Muslim from India by the prestigious Directory, The 500 Most Influential Muslims published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan.

Religious titles Preceded byAkhtar Raza Khan Grand Mufti of India 2019–present Succeeded bynot elected yet Academic offices Preceded byE. K. Aboobacker Musliyar Chancellor of the Markazu Ssaqafathi Ssunniyya 1996–present Succeeded by