Ulama ( '''' , singular: '''', "scholar"), also spelt ''ulema'', refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law. While the ulama are well versed in legal fiqh (jurisprudence) being Islamic lawyers, some of them also go on to specialize in other fields, such as hadith or tafseer.

In a broader sense, the term ''ulama'' is used to describe the body of Muslim clergy who have completed several years of training and study of Islamic sciences, such as a mufti, qadi, faqih, or muhaddith. Some Muslims include under this term the village mullahs and imams, who have attained only the lowest rungs on the ladder of Islamic scholarship; other Muslims would say that clerics must meet higher standards to be considered ulama. This is why it is claimed that in Western society there are for the most of the time no ulama present, with the outcome of Muslims in the West searching for qualified knowledge from Islamic countries, to attain some accepted qualification. The Internet gives some streams of ulama speaking on a video record, which is very rare.

The word ulama in English is plural, and indeclinable.

Role

Teaching

Ulama learned at Islamic religious schools, Madrasahs, where they teach students about Islam and other areas of study. It is believed in Islam that a well-rounded education is something every Muslim must acquire in order to understand God’s religion in its entirety. By the end of their education, they acquire an Ijazah, an academic degree in Islamic law and jurisprudence, a practice that dates back to the first several centuries of Islam. Ulama also hold seminars where they give lectures and speeches about the area of Islam in which they specialize.

Executive capacity

In contemporary times, the ulama are most powerful in the Shi'a tradition of Islam. Following the 1979 revolution in Iran, factions of the Iranian Shia clergy, under the leadership of Khomeini, took control of the country. This was justified by Khomeini's doctrine of "Guardianship of the Jurists" (''Wilayat-i Faqih'').

Afghanistan's Taliban regime was also headed by a mullah, Mullah Omar. However, in most countries, they are merely local power figures.

Judicature

In certain Muslim countries, like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, where there are sharia courts, Islamic clergy become judges. Therefore, one of the jobs of ulama is the interpretation and maintenance of Islamic law in such countries.

Advisory

In some countries like Saudi Arabia, Islamic clergy fulfill the role of a counsel for the king. There are also jobs for them in various governmental institutions.

Preaching

There are various jobs available for the Islamic clergy at mosques, such as leading public prayers, preaching, and delivering sermons, especially at Friday prayers and some have made missionary activities a lifelong activity.

Ummah

The ulama in most nations consider themselves to represent the ''ijma'' "consensus" of the Ummah "community of Muslims" (or to represent at least the scholarly or learned consensus). Many efforts to modernise Islam focus on the reintroduction of ''ijtihad'' and empowerment of the ''ummah'' to form their own ''ijma''.

Madhhab

The ulama usually work within a tradition (''madhhab'') that starts with one of five classic jurists. A Sunni Muslim jurist usually belongs to one of the four main schools:

Shafi'i (most common in Indonesia, Malaysia, Jordan, and Palestine)

Hanafi (most common in Turkey, the Balkans, Central Asia, Indian subcontinent, Egypt)

Maliki (most common in North Africa, West Africa, and several of the Persian Gulf states)

Hanbali (most common in Arabia)

Some ulama are not associated with any school. They believe that it is necessary to derive rulings directly from the Qur'an and the Hadith, such as the Salafi/Ahl-e-Hadith.

History

The formative period of Islamic jurisprudence stretches back to the time of the early Muslim communities. In this period, jurists were more concerned with pragmatic issues of authority and teaching than with theory. Progress in theory happened with the coming of the early Muslim jurist Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i (767–820), who codified the basic principles of Islamic jurisprudence in his book ''ar-Risālah''. The book details the four roots of law (Qur'an, Sunnah, ''ijma'', and ''qiyas'') while specifying that the primary Islamic texts (the Qur'an and the hadith) be understood according to objective rules of interpretation derived from scientific study of the Arabic language.

The 19th and 20th centuries were marked by a considerable loss of authority and influence of the ulama in most Islamic states. Many secular Arab governments attempted to break the influence of the ulama after their rise to power. Religious institutions were nationalized and the system of ''waqf'' "religious donations", which constituted the classical source of income for the ulama, was abolished.

In 1961, the Egyptian Nasser government put the Al-Azhar University, one of the highest Islamic intellectual authorities, under the direct control of the state. "The Azharis were even put in army uniforms and had to parade under the command of army officers" (G. Keppel, Jihad). In Turkey, the traditional dervish tekkes and Islamic schools were dissolved and replaced by state-controlled religious schools in the 1950s and 1960s. After the independence of Algeria, President Ahmed Ben Bella also deprived the Algerian ulama of their power.

Authors

Many ulama have left behind them only a lifetime of mediating disputes and giving sermons; their respectable contributions did not include authorship. Other ulama have been prolific authors, writing translations of the Qur'an or Quranic commentaries, studies of hadith, works of philosophy, religious admonition, etc. There are enormous bodies of religious literature that form not only the substance of the courses in Islamic seminaries, but inspirational reading for the ordinary Muslim. Most of this literature has not been translated into English, but remains in its original language (usually Arabic, Urdu, Persian, or Turkish). Some has been printed; some remains in manuscript form.

Ottoman ulama

In order to become one of the ulama in the Ottoman Empire, one had to have studied at a madraseh and be an expert in all the religious sciences, specializing in one or two specifics. In addition, the student had to have been tested and approved by higher ranking ulama. Such assessment by experts gave the ulama legitimacy in the eyes of the public, because it imitated the way the Caliphs after the death of the Prophet Muhammad were appointed. In 14th and 15th century Ottoman Empire, there were not many madrasehs, and so the ulama traveled to countries such as Persia and Egypt to further their education. Upon the conquering of Istanbul however, the sultan converted eight churches into madrasehs and placed eight of the best ulama as the heads. The ulama in the Ottoman Empire had a large influence over politics because it was believed that secular institutions were all subordinate to religion; the ulama were emblems of religious piety, therefore rendering them powerful over state affairs. Ulama worked as priest-like authorities who had the role of interpreting and enforcing Islamic shariah law. These jobs were distributed amongst two types of ulama: Muftis, who interpreted Shariah law and the Qadi, who enforced Shariah law. The Ottomans had a strict hierarchy of ulama, with the Sheikh ul-Islam holding the highest rank. A Sheikh ul-Islam was chosen by a royal warrant amongst the qadis of important cities. The Sheikh ul-Islam had the power to confirm new sultans, but once the sultan was affirmed, it was the sultan who retained a higher authority than the Sheik ul-Islam. The Sheikh ul-Islam issued fatwas, which were written interpretations of the Quran that had authority over the community. The Sheikh ul-Islam represented the law of shariah and in the 16th century its importance rose which led to increased power. Sultan Murad appointed a Sufi, Yayha, as his Sheikh ul-Islam during this time which lead to violent disapproval. The objection to this appointment made obvious the amount of power the Sheikh ul-Islam had, since people were afraid he would alter the traditions and norms they were living under by issuing new fatwas.

See also

Islam

Islamic jurisprudence

List of Islamic studies scholars

Mullah

Shi'a clergy

Notes

References

Further reading

Inalcik, Halil. 1973. "Learning, the Medrese, and the Ulema." In The Ottoman Empire: The Classical AGe 1300–1600. New YOrk: Praeger, pp. 165–178.

Heyd. Uriel. "Some Aspects of The Ottoman Fetva." School of Oriental and African Studies Bulletin; 32 (1969), p. 35–56.

Bein, Amit. ''Ottoman Ulema, Turkish Republic: Agents of Change and Guardians of Tradition'' (2011) Amazon.com

Guidelines to the Jurisprudence of Ottoman Ulema – Mehmet Ipsirli http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=416

Tasar, Murat. "The Ottoman Ulema: their understanding of knowledge and scholarly contribution." The Turks. 3: Ottomans. Editors: Hasan Celâl Güzel, C.Cem Oğuz, Osman Karatay. Ankara: Yeni Türkiye, 2002, pp. 841–850.

Zilfi, Madeline C. 1986. "The Kadizadelis: Discordant Revivalism in Seventeenth Century Istanbul." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 45 (4): 251–269.

Category:Arabic words and phrases Category:Islamic terms Category:Muslim theologians Category:Religious leadership roles Category:Sharia Category:Islamic legal occupations

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Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
region	Islamic scholar
era	Modern era
color	#B0C4DE
name	Muhammad Taqi Uthmani
birth place	Deoband
religion	Deobandi
citizenship	Pakistan
ethnicity	Muhajir
school tradition	Deobandi Hanafi
alma mater	Jamia Binoria, Karachi University, Punjab University
main interests	Shari'a, Hadith, Islamic finance, Tafsir, Sufism
website	Darul Uloom Karachi
notable ideas	Evolution of Islamic economics, Islamic banking }}

Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani(}}) (born in 1943) (also spelled Uthmani) is a Hanafi Islamic scholar from Pakistan. He served as a judge on the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan from 1980 to 1982 and the ''Shari'a Appellate Bench'' of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1982 to 2002. He is an expert in the fields of Islamic Jurisprudence (fiqh), economics and hadith. He also held a number of positions on the Shariah Boards of prestigious Islamic institutions, and is one of the most influential Islamic authors outside the Middle East. He is the brother of another notable Islamic scholar, Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani and Maulana Wali Razi.

Biography

Taqi Usmani was born in Deoband, a city in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1943. After completing the Alim course at Darul Uloom Karachi, he specialized in fiqh under the guidance of his eminent father, Grand Mufti of Deoband school Pakistan Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani. He received his ''Takhassus'' degree in Islamic education from Darul Uloom Karachi in 1961. He also holds a Master of Arts degree in Arabic literature from the University of Punjab and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Karachi. Mufti Sahab received ''ijaza'' to teach hadith from a number of scholars such as Sheikh Hasan Mashat, Mufti Muhammad Shafi Uthmani, Maulana Idris Kandhlawi, Mufti Rashid Ahmad Ludhianvi, and Shaikhul Hadith Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi. He pioneered the concept of Islamic banking in Pakistan when he established the Meezan Bank. Mufti Sahab has authored a number of books in Arabic, Urdu, and English on Islamic topics in addition to a large number of articles on Islamic banking and finance published in a number of journals and magazines.

In March 2004, United Arab Emirates Vice President and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented an award to Taqi Usmani in recognition of his lifetime service and achievement in Islamic finance during the annual International Islamic Finance Forum (IIFF) in Dubai.

In accordance with the tradition of the scholars of Deoband and recognizing the importance of ''tasawwuf'', Mufti Sahab's ''bay'ah'' was accepted by Shaikh Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi Abdul Hayy Arifi and Maseehullah Khan. Mufti Sahab is currently a mentor to numerous spiritual aspirants all over the world and delivers weekly lectures on self-improvement at Darul Uloom Karachi on Sundays between Asr Salaah and Maghrib Salaah.

He currently teaches Sahih al-Bukhari, fiqh, and Islamic economics at Darul Uloom Karachi and is known for his ''Islahi Khutbat''. He was a key member of a team of scholars which helped declare Ahmadis (Qadianis), as non-Muslims by Pakistan's National Assembly during the era of former Pakistani president, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in the 1970s. During the presidency of General Zia ul Haq, he was instrumental in drafting laws pertaining to ''Hudood'', ''Qisas'', and ''Dayiat''. He strongly opposed the Women's Protection Bill. According to him, it was designed to distract attention from issues such as flaws in the law enforcement system.

According to a comment piece in The Times, Usmani "believes that aggressive military jihad should be waged by Muslims 'to establish the supremacy of Islam' worldwide." and "Muslims should live peacefully in countries such as Britain, where they have the freedom to practise Islam, only until they gain enough power to engage in battle". On October 23, 2009, he published a response to alleged misrepresentations of his views on Jihad. To a question whether he had issued any fatwas saying “Muslims living in the West conduct violent jihad against the infidels at every opportunity.” he declared "...I never made any such statement either in writing or verbally nor issued any so-called fatwa. Nor is there any sentence to that effect in any of my writings, including “Islam and Modernism”. If this statement is attributed to me in Mr. Norfolk’s interview with me, it is not but a blatant lie, because I never said this during the interview." In Norfolk's piece in The Times this a quote was not made. Usmani did write in his book “Islam and Modernism” about aggressive jihad that: “The question is whether aggressive battle is by itself commendable or not. If it is, why should the Muslims stop simply because territorial expansion in these days is regarded as bad? And if it is not commendable, but deplorable, why did Islam not stop it in the past?” and that peace agreements with non-Muslims in power is acceptable if: "If Muslims do not possess the capability of "Jihad with power" agreement may be made till the power is attained."

Associations

Muhammad Taqi Uthmani is currently a member of the following organizations:

Islamic Fiqah Academy, Jeddah (Permanent Member)

Darul Uloom Karachi, Karachi (Vice Principal)

Accounting and Auditing Organization of Islamic Financial Institutions, Bahrain (Chairman of Shari'a Standard Council)

Central Bank of Bahrain, Bahrain (Chairman of Shariah Board)

Amana Investments Limited, Sri Lanka (Chairman of Shariah Board)

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, UAE. (Chairman of Shari'a Board)

Guidance Financial Group, USA (Chairman of Shari'a Supervisory Board)

Meezan Bank Ltd, Pakistan (Chairman of Shari'a Board)

BankIslami Pakistan Limited (Chairman of Shari'a Board),

Jamiatul Ulama USA, USA

Pak Qatar Takaful (Chairman of Shari'a Board)

Publications

''Takmila Fathul Mulhim''. An Arabic commentary on Sahih Muslim in six volumes.

''Ulum ul Qur'an''. An Urdu work on the sciences related to the revelation and exegesis of the Qur'an. It has been translated into English under the title ''An Approach to the Qur'anic Sciences''.

''Ma'ariful Qur'an''. An eight-volume English edition of the famous commentary of the Qur'an compiled in Urdu by his father Mufti Muhammad Shafi.

''The Meanings of the Noble Qur'an''. A two-volume English translation of the Qur'an with explanatory notes.

''Islamic Laws of Animal Slaughter''.

''An Introduction to Islamic Finance''.

''Islam and Modernism'', Adam Publishers & Distributors, India, May 4, 2005.

Books

English books

1. The Authority of Sunnah

2. The Rules of I'tikaf

3. What is Christianity?

4. Easy Good Deeds

5. Perform Salaah Correctly

6. The Language of the Friday Khutba

7. Discourse on the Islamic Way of Life

8. Sayings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

9. The Legal Status of Following a Madhhab

10. Spiritual Discourses

11. Islamic Months

12. Radiant Prayers

13. Qur'anic Sciences

14. Islam and Modernism

15. Contemporary Fatawa

Arabic books

1. ''Ma Hia An Nasraniyya?''

2. ''Nathrat Abarah Haul At Ta'limi Al Islamiyya''

3. ''Ahkamu Al Auraq An Naqdiyya''

4. ''Buhooth Fi Qadaya Fiqhiya Ma'asira''

5. ''Ahkam uz Zibai’h''

Urdu books

1. ''Tozeeh-ul-Quran'' (Aasan Tarjuma e Quran) (Urdu Tranlation of Quran e Majeed)

2. ''In'aamul Bari'' (Explanation/Commentary of Sahih ul Bukhari) (9 volumes, 3 published)

3. ''Asan Nakian'' (Easy Good Deeds)

4. ''Undulus Mein Chand Roz'' (A Few Days in Andalus)

5. ''Islam Aur Seasat-e-Hazra (Islam and Contemporary Politics)

6. ''Islam Aur Jidat Pasandi'' (Islam and Modernism)

7. ''Islahe Ma'ashara'' (Perfecting Society)

8. ''Islahi Mawa’iz'' (Discourses for Spiritual Perfection) (3 volumes)

9. ''Islahi Majalis'' (Discourses on Tasawwuf) (5 volumes)

10. ''Islahi Khutbat'' (Discourses on Individual Spiritual Perfection) (13 volumes)

11. ''Ihkami I'tikaf'' (The Rules of I'tikaf)

12. ''Islam Aur Jadeed Ma'eeshat Wa Tijarat'' (Islam and Modern Economics & Commerce)

13. ''Akabir Deoband Kya The?'' (The Significant Character of Scholars of Deoband)

14. ''Bible Se Qur'aan Tak'' (3 volumes)

15. ''Bible Kya Heh?'' (What is the Bible?)

16. ''Purnoor Dua'en'' (Radiant Prayers) (a collection of prayers for all occasions)

17. ''Tarashe'' (Excerpts from Islamic Works)

18. ''Taqleed Ki Shari'i Hasiat'' (The Legal Status of Following a Madhhab)

19. ''Jahan-e-Deda'' (Travelogue I)

20. ''Duniya Mere Aagaye'' (Travelogue II)

21. ''Hazrat Mu'awiyah (RA) Aur Tarikhi Haqa'iq'' (Hazrat Mu'awiyah (RA) and the Historical Facts)

22. ''Hujjiat Hadith'' (Authority of Hadith)

23. Huzur (SAW) Ne Farmaya (Sayings of Prophet (SAW)

24. ''Hakimul Ummat Ke Siasi Afkar'' (Political Thoughts of Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi)

25. ''Dars-e-Tirmidhi'' (an explanation of the famous hadith collection, Sunan At Tirmidhi)

26. ''Deeni Madaris Ka Nisab Wa Nitham''

27. ''Zikr-o-Fikr (a collection of articles written for ''Jang'', a daily newspaper)

28. ''Zabat-e-Wiladat'' (Birth Control: Islamic Rulings)

29. ''Isayat Kya Hai?'' (What is Christianity?)

30. ''Ulum ul Qur'an'' (Qur'anic Sciences)

31. ''Idalat-e-Faisle'' (Court Rulings)

32. ''Fard Ke Islah'' (Individual Reform)

33. ''Fiqhi Maqalaat'' (Collection of Articles on Islamic Jurisprudence)

34. ''Ma'aasir Hadhrat Arifi'' (Sayings and Memories of Hadhrat Arifi)

35. ''Mere Walid, Mere Shaikh'' (My Father, My Shaikh)

36. ''Milkiat-e-Zamion Aur Uske Tahdid'' (Land Ownership and Its Limitations)

37. ''Nashri Taqreerain'' (Speeches Aired on Radio Pakistan)

38. ''Nuqoosh-e-Raftigan (Obituaries of Islamic Scholars and Other Dignitaries)

39. ''Nifaz-e-Shari'a Aur Uske Masaa'il (Establishment of Shari'a and Its Problems)

40. ''Namazein Sunnah Ke Mutabiq Parhe'' (Pray Salaah According to the Sunnah)

41. ''Hamare A'eli Masaa'il'' (Our Family Issues)

42. ''Hamara Ta'limi Nizam'' (Our Educational System)

43. ''Hamara Ma'ashi Nizam'' (Our Economic System)

44. ''Dastoor ul A'maal Baer-e-Talibeen-e-Islah (Instructions for Aspirants of Spiritual Improvement)

45. ''Murawwaja islami bankari

46. ''Gher soodi bankari

See also

Darul Uloom Karachi

Muhammad Rafi Usmani

Islamic Banking

Meezan Bank

Islamic Scholars

Contemporary Islamic philosophy

‎External links

Official website Darul Uloom Karachi

Bio of Mufti Taqi Usmani

Mufti Taqi Usmani's Profile

English translation of Tafseer-e-Uthmani and tafseer(commentary) of the Holy Qur'an

An Introduction to Islamic Finance

References

Category:Islamic religious leaders Category:Living people Category:Pakistani scholars Category:Deobandis Category:Muslim scholars Category:Islamic studies scholars Category:Pakistani judges Category:Pakistani Sunni Muslims Category:Jurisprudence academics Category:Sharia judges Category:1943 births

bn:তাকী উসমানী de:Taqi Usmani fr:Muhammad Taqi Uthmani ur:محمد تقی عثمانی