Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah (AskImam)

Non-profit Institute of Islamic Jurisprudence founded by Mufti Ebrahim Desai, named by Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri after Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi. Services: fatawa, global Q&A, Islamic finance, dispute mediation, faskh (annulment), wills/inheritance, and a two-year Iftaa training course (c.100 Ulama trained in its first decade). AskImam.org (≈40,000 rulings, users in 123+ countries) began when a young Californian built Mufti Desai a website after a miswak question; a review panel has been revising the archive since 2017. Sister sites: daruliftaa.net, idealwoman.org, darulmahmood.net, one-humanity.net.

Founded: 2011 (Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah, Sherwood); AskImam website predates it

Answers before 2009 are signed only by Mufti Ebrahim Desai; some legacy text shows “?” in place of quotation marks, as on the source.

Scholars

• ED

  Mufti Ebrahim Desai (rahimahullah) (1963–2021)

  Founder & head, Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah / AskImam.org

  Born 16 Jan 1963 in Richmond, Natal; hifz at Waterval Islamic Institute (Mia's Farm), Alim course (7 years, distinction) and two years of Ifta under Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri at Jamia Islamia Dabhel, then a further year of Ifta under Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi, whose khalifa he became. Taught 10 years at Madrasah Ta'leemuddeen (Isipingo Beach), headed the Fatwa and Judicial departments of Jamiatul Ulama KZN, was senior Shaykh al-Hadith at Madrasah In'aamiyyah Camperdown for 10 years, then founded Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah (2011). Islamic-finance adviser (HBZ Bank, Al Mabroor), founder of the Shariah Compliant Business Campaign (2002); works include Al-Mahmood, Introduction to Hadith, Madkhal al-Buyoo', Contemporary Fatawa and a Qaseedah Burdah commentary. Died 15 July 2021.

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• ID

  Mufti Ismail Desai

  Eldest son and student of Mufti Ebrahim Desai; Islamic-finance scholar

  Studied Iftaa and Hadith under his father and counts Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri as his shaykh; described as a global Shariah expert on Islamic finance and co-author (second part) of 'Your Brief Guide to Islamic Finance'. He announced his father's death and has spoken publicly for the family about continuing his father's works. Whether he formally heads Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah today could not be confirmed (daruliftaa.net offline).

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• HK

  Mufti Husain Kadodia

  Former Iftaa lecturer, Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah (until July 2021); researcher and manuscript specialist

  Born 1978; graduated Alim from Darul Uloom Azaadville (2001) under Shaykh Fadhlur-Rahman Azmi (his spiritual guide), Mufti Muhammad Saeed Motara and others, then studied in Mauritania (Mahzarah of Tuwaymarat under Shaykh Murabit al-Hajj) and Syria. Completed Takhassus fil-Iftaa under Mufti Ebrahim Desai at Madrasah In'aamiyyah (2003–04), answering ~1,500 fatwas, and taught Iftaa students at Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah until July 2021. Teaches at Darul Uloom Hameediyyah, runs Maktab at-Tahqiq and Tahawi Books, and is a noted collector of Hanafi manuscripts cited by Lu'ayy al-Khalili.

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