Early Life and Family Background
Muhammad Taqi Usmani was born on October 5, 1943, in Deoband, British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India), into a family renowned for Islamic scholarship. His lineage includes:
- Father: Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani (1897–1976), the Grand Mufti of India and founding president of Darul Uloom Karachi.
- Brother: Mufti Rafi Usmani (1936–2022), former Grand Mufti of Pakistan.
The Usmani family migrated to Karachi, Pakistan, after the Partition of 1947, where his father established Darul Uloom Karachi, a leading Islamic seminary.
Education and Scholarly Training
Taqi Usmani’s education blended traditional Islamic learning with modern academia:
- Islamic Studies: Studied under his father and other luminaries at Darul Uloom Karachi, mastering:
- Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)
- Hadith (Prophetic traditions)
- Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)
- Usul al-Fiqh (principles of jurisprudence)
- Secular Education: Earned a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) and Master’s in Arabic Literature from the University of Karachi.
He received ijazah (authorization) in Hadith from scholars like Sheikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Idris Kandhlawi and ijazah in Sufism from Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi.
Key Roles and Contributions
1. Islamic Jurisprudence and Fatwa Authority
- Grand Mufti of Pakistan: Served as the leading mufti of Darul Uloom Karachi, issuing fatwas (legal opinions) on modern issues like banking, technology, and bioethics.
- Sharia Appellate Judge: Member of Pakistan’s Federal Shariat Court (1981–1982) and Supreme Court Shariat Appellate Bench (1982–2002). He played a pivotal role in Islamizing Pakistan’s financial laws.
- Founding Member: Key figure in establishing the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (Jeddah).
2. Islamic Finance Pioneer
Usmani is globally recognized as the architect of modern Islamic banking:
- Chairman: Served on the Sharia boards of Meezan Bank, HSBC Amanah, Dubai Islamic Bank, and the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI).
- Landmark Rulings: Declared conventional insurance (Takaful) and interest-based bonds (Sukuk) impermissible unless structured on Sharia-compliant models.
- Books: Authored seminal works like:
- An Introduction to Islamic Finance
- The Historical Judgment on Interest (1999)
- Islamic Finance: Innovation and Growth
- Causes and Remedies of the Present Financial Crisis from Islamic Perspective
3. Literary and Academic Work
- Quranic Translations:
- The Noble Quran: Meaning With Explanatory Notes (English).
- Aasan Tarjuma e Quran (Urdu), a simplified translation for broader accessibility.
- Tafsir: Authored Aasan Tafseer e Quran, a 6-volume Urdu exegesis blending linguistic clarity with practical insights.
- Hadith Scholarship:
- Takmilah Fath al-Mulhim: 6-volume commentary on Sahih Muslim.
- Al-Mudawwanah Al-Jāmi’ah: An ongoing project to assign universal reference numbers to Hadiths, akin to Quranic verses.
- Translations: Rendered classical texts like Al-Hidayah (Hanafi fiqh) into Urdu.
- Editorial Work: Chief Editor of Albalagh, a monthly Urdu/English Islamic magazine.
- Sufism: Authored Islam aur Siyasat-e-Hazira (Islam and Modern Politics), advocating spiritual ethics in governance.
- Overall, he has written more than 143 books in Arabic, English and Urdu.
4. Educational Leadership
- Vice President: Led Darul Uloom Karachi for decades, transforming it into a global hub for Islamic learning.
- Al-Balagh Academy: Founded this online platform to teach Islamic sciences globally.
- Students: Mentored thousands, including prominent scholars around the Globe.
5. Global Influence
- Lectures: Delivered keynote addresses at renowned Islamic Institutions.
- Advisor: Counselled governments in Malaysia, UAE, and Saudi Arabia on Sharia-compliance.
Awards and Recognition
- King Faisal International Prize (1999) for service to Islam.
- Sitara-i Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) (2019), Pakistan’s second-highest civilian honor.
- Honorary Doctorate (2022) in Islamic Law and Jurisprudence from American International Theism University.
- Consistently ranked among The 500 Most Influential Muslims (2009–present) by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.
Legacy
Mufti Taqi Usmani’s work bridges classical scholarship and modernity, making Islamic rulings accessible to 21st-century Muslims. His contributions to Islamic finance have shaped a $3 trillion global industry, while his writings on spirituality and ethics continue to inspire millions.
For further reading, consult his official website (muftitaqiusmani.com) or works like Uloom-e-Quran (Sciences of the Quran) and Islahi Mawa‘iz (Reformative Discourses).
