Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Azhari[a] (bornMuhammad Ismail Raza; 23 November 1943 – 20 July 2018),[1] also known asTajush Shari'a,[b] andAzhari Miyan,[3][4] was an Indian Islamic scholar. He was the great-grandson ofAhmed Raza Khan Barelvi who was the founder of theBarelvi movement.[5] He was considered the leading authority of the Barelvi school of thought in India, succeedingMustafa Raza Khan. After his death in 2018, Khan was succeeded by his sonAsjad Raza Khan.
He went to attended and graduated from theManzar-i Islam of the Bareilly Dargah,[10] and then Islamia Inter College,Bareilly.[10] He post-graduated from theAl-Azhar University in Egypt in the Arabic literature and Islamic Studies with specialisation in Hadith and Tafseer from 1963 to 1966,[1] where he was conferred with theFakhr-e-Azhar (Pride of Azhar) award byGamal Abdel Nasser.[10][12][13]
Khan was a spiritual follower and successor of his maternal grandfatherMustafa Raza Khan Qadri in the Qadriyya-Barkatiyya-Razviyya-Nooriya order of Sufism.[12]
Khan was known by several titles among Barelvis in India, such asTajush Sharia ("Crown of Sharia"),Mufti-e-Azam ("Supreme Mufti"),Qazi ul-Quzzat ("Islamic Chief Justice"), and others.[16][12] He had been ranked 22nd on the list ofThe 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world (2014–15 edition), compiled by theRoyal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre.[9][17] He had tens of millions of followers in India.[10]
He died following a long illness on 20 July 2018, aged 74.[18][19][20][21][22] After his death Mufti Mohammad Salim Noori, spokesperson of theBareilly Dargah, said Khan was "the lone cleric in India to get a title ofTajushariya and "one of the few prominent persons across the world to be allowed to visit the inside [of the]Kaaba in Mecca."[10]
Hundreds of thousands of people attended his funeral.[10][23][24] His funeral occurred on 22 July 2018 at Islamia Inter College, Bareilly. The prayer was led by his son and successorAsjad Raza Khan.[25] Hisfuneral was watched by at least 12,500,000 people across the world.[26][27][28][29] A day of mourning was organised in Bareilly.[30][31]
The funeral was organised by the Members ofBareilly Dargah and other organisations related to Dargah. The Namaz-e-Janaza was led by the son of Akhtar Raza Khan and head Mufti of Bareilly,Asjad Raza Khan at 10:00 AM on 22 July 2018.[20]
HisUrdu-language fatwa collection was known asMajmu'ah Fatawa. His English collection is namedAzharul Fatawa.[33][full citation needed] One of hisfatwas was his edict on the interest given to a Muslim by a non-Muslim:
When there is a dealing between a Muslim and a Muslim or a Muslim and a Zimmi Kaffir (a non-Muslim living in the safetyof an Islamic state), the taking more money than loaned is considered as interest and such a dealing will be unlawful. However, if this condition does not exist, this excess money will not be considered as interest and will be legitimate for a Muslim as it is unanimous that there is no interest applicable when there is dealing between a Muslim and a Harbi Kaafir (a non-Muslim who is not living in the safety of an Islamic State).[citation needed]
He had issued fatwa against thesterilisation in 1975 on the order of Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri whenIndira Gandhi had made the sterilisation compulsory.[34]
In 2016, Khan wrote a bookTie Ka Mas'ala and he had issued fatwa against wearing ties, Khan had called tie as the symbol of Christians, the non-Muslims.[35]
In October 2016, Khan under the letterhead of Shariat Council of India issued the Fatwa against the Uniform Civil Code in India and said it is made a law, it will be boycotted.[36]
Akhtar Raza Khan was known for some of his extreme views; he penned a pamphlet forbidding prayers behindDeobandi imams.[37] He was also sceptical of the Pakistani Barelvi organisationDawat-e-Islami and their leaderIlyas Qadri. He wrote a book named "Iblis Ka Raqs" in refutation of Qadri and his organisation.[38]
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