Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn. Indeed, to Allāh we belong, and to Him we will return.
It is with deep sadness that we inform our readers that Maulana Yusuf Motala Sahib, one of UK’s senior Muslim scholars has passed to meet his Lord (subḥānahu wa taʿālā).
The Sheikh was in hospital in a critical condition after he suffered a heart attack two weeks ago whilst travelling in Canada to attend a function. Maulana Yusuf experienced the heart attack at his residence, and then once again whilst in the hospital.
Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) declares:
Wherever you are, death will overtake you, even if you be in lofty towers. [1]
Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception. [2]
Death is a certainty of life. Indeed, life itself is teleological; man shall die and be questioned. It is in this sense that Allāh informs humans by way of counsel and encouragement that it is only the believers who are successful in avoiding the Fire and securing admittance into paradise. When a believer dies, it is a time of great tragedy and loss for the community, but those who submit to the will of Allāh pay heed to what has been revealed:
And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient; those who when afflicted with calamity, say: from Allāh do we come, and to Him we shall return.” [3]
The respected Sheikh was the founder of Darul Uloom in Bury, Lancashire. The institute is said to be the first Islamic seminary in Britain. The Sheikh has been titled as the ‘scholar’s scholar’, as many young Deobandi scholars in the United Kingdom and thousands of others worldwide have studied under his guidance.
Shaykh Dr. Haitham al-Haddad and the Islam21c team would like to extend their sincerest condolences to the family of Maulana Yusuf and the entire Ummah. The role and efforts of the Sheikh is well-known and we trust that it will be his legacy and among his many good deeds that will stand for him after his death.
Imām Muslim narrated in his Saḥīḥ that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
“When the son of Adam dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, knowledge from which others may benefit after he is gone, and a righteous son who will pray for him.” [4]
Jābir said:
“There was no one among the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) who had the means, but he set up a waqf.”
Indeed it is clear that Maulana Yusuf’s efforts left an impact on thousands, bringing them closer to Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) whilst also encouraging them to be at the service of Islam and calling people to the path of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā).
Upon hearing the sad news, many took to social media to share their condolences. Sheikh Dr. Uthman Lateef said:
In addition, Sheikh Abu Eesa said on his Facebook Page:
Dr Salman Butt stated:
Moreover, one brother messaged early in the morning, upon hearing the sad news he said:
“I learnt to read Qur’an with fluency and Tajweed in Darul Uloom Bolton, many of the teachers there had studied in Bury. I hadn’t realised that Moulana Yusuf had been one of the prominent people in making those who made the institution — that I had studied in — until Islam21c picked up this news and made people aware of it سبحان الله”
We beseech Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) to expand Maulana Yusuf’s grave, shower His infinite mercy upon him, forgive his sins, and grant his family and students patience. We also ask Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) to make this difficult time an expiation of sins and the raising of rank in the sight of our Lord.
Who was Maulana Yusuf Motala Sahib?
During his decades of service, the Sheikh has established an extensive network of students as well as educational institutions across the world. He is considered one of the main students of Sheikh al Ḥadith Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi, a prominent Sunni Hanafi Hadith scholar of the Deobandi school of Islamic thought in India.
Maulana Yusuf is the founder of numerous Islamic institutes across the world, as well as countless institutions in the UK, including:
* Darul Uloom Al Arabia Al Islamia, Bury
* Madinatul Ulum Al Islamia, Kidderminster
* Jamiatual Imam Muhammad Zakariya, Bradford
* Markazul Ulum, Blackburn
* Madrasatul Imam Muhammad Zakariya, Bolton
* Madrasatul Imam Muhammad Zakariya, Preston
The Sheikh completed the memorisation of the Qur’an and studied at Madrasa Targhib al-Qur’an. He later enrolled at Jamea Hussainia in 1961, where he completed the first five years of theʿĀlimiya programme.
After graduating, the Sheikh enrolled at Madhaahir al-Uloom in 1966, where he studied Mishkāt al-Masābīḥ under Sheikh al-Ḥadith Yunus Jaunpuri, Tafsīr al-Jalālayn under Shaikh Muhammad Aqil, the third volume of Al-Hidāyah under Mufti Yahya, and Mishkāt al-Masābīḥ for a second time under Sheikh al-Ḥadith Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi.
A year later the Sheikh studied Saḥīḥ al-Bukhāri under Sheikh al-Ḥadith Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi, Sunan Abu Dāwūd, Sunan al-Nasā’i, and Muwaṭa Imām Mālik under Sheikh Yunus Jaunpuri, Saḥīḥ Muslim and Sunan al-Tirmidhi under Shaikh Mudhaffar Husain, and Sharḥ Ma’āni al-Athar under Sheikh Asadullah.
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Source: www.islam21c.com
Notes:
[1] 4:78
[2] 3:185
[3] 2:155-156
[4] Muslim
