Introduction to the Amir of Ahl al-Sunna, Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ
A leader has:
- A lofty purpose.
- Words positively impact the heart
- A heart filled with passion and love
These three qualities are the traits of a perfect guide.
The heartbeat, spiritual guide, and mentor of millions, the founder of Dawat-e-Islami, Muhammad Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ is a renowned scholarly and spiritual personality of this era. He was born on the 26th of Ramaḍān 1369 AH, corresponding to the 12th of July 1950, in Karachi, Pakistan. His name is Muhammad, whilst Ilyas is the name he has for general usage. His teknonym is Abu Bilal and his pen name Attar (ꜤAṭṭār). He hails from the Memon community.
Two reasons behind the pen name Attar
There are two reasons why he is also known as Attar.
- This is to forge a connection with the author of Tadhkirat al-Awliyāˈ, Shaykh Farīd al-Dīn ꜤAṭṭār. Mawlana Ilyas al-Qadiri said, “I chose the pen name Attar die to its association with a saint of Allah.”
- He was a perfume seller in the past (and Attar means perfumer in Arabic).
Titles
- Devotee of the Prophet.
- Reminder of the Salaf.
- Preacher of Islam.
- Guide for the Umma.
- Lover of Madina.
- An embodiment of knowledge and wisdom.
- A guide upholding Islamic law.
- Murshid
- Protector of Islam and the Umma.
- A benefactor of Ahl al-Sunna.
- Amir of Ahl al-Sunna.
He is most referred to as the Amir of Ahl al-Sunna.
Brief Introduction to his Parents
The father of the shaykh was ꜤAbd al-Raḥmān b. ꜤAbd al-Raḥīm, born in 1908 in Katiana, in the Junagadh state of British India before partition.
He was a righteous and devout individual. He worked for a company that had a branch in Colombo, and after some time, relocated there entirely. He also served at the Hanafi Memon Masjid in Sri Lanka for many years.
During ḥajj season, an intense heatwave at Mina led to him falling unwell. He eventually passed away on the 14th of Dhū al-Ḥijja 1370 AH. اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَ اِنَّاۤ اِلَیْهِ رٰجِعُوْنَ
The mother of the shaykh was Amīna bt. Hāshim. She was also born in Katiana and was a woman of profound piety.
Migration
The shaykh’s parents were among the large number of Muslims who migrated after the advent of Pakistan. They stayed in Hyderabad (Sindh, Pakistan) for about three months, before moving to Bombay Bazar in the Kharadar area of Karachi (where the shaykh was born).
Family
He has two sons and one daughter. His eldest son is Ubayd Raza al-Madani, who was appointed the shaykh’s successor and spiritual representative.
Worldly education
He completed middle school education at Madrassa Islamiya No. 2 in Kharadar, a Gujarati medium school.
Religious education
He is a highly knowledgeable, loving, and action-oriented person. He spent his childhood enduring many difficulties, such as being an orphan and poverty. He engaged in hard work and labour from a young age. Despite these challenges, he travelled far and wide, sometimes by bus or foot, to seek Islamic knowledge.
He gained Islamic knowledge under the tutelage of Mufti Waqār al-Dīn Razawī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه over a period of 22 years. He also studied with other esteemed scholars.
Teachers
His teachers include renowned and distinguished personalities such as:
- Quṭb-i-Madīna, Ḍiyā al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Madanī.
- The former grand mufti of Pakistan, Waqār al-Dīn Qādirī.
- Qārī Muṣliḥ al-Dīn رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ
BayꜤa and khilāfa
The shaykh has had immense love for Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه since his childhood. To establish a spiritual connection with the latter, he pledged spiritual allegiance to the successor of the imam, Ḍiyā al-Dīn Aḥmad al-Madanī, from whom he attained ijāza and khilāfa.
In addition to this, he also received khilāfa from 15 other spiritual leaders:
- Commentator of Bukhari, Mufti Muḥammad Sharīf al-Ḥaq Amjadī.
- Mufti Waqār al-Dīn Qādirī.
- The qāḍi of Bareilly, Mufti ꜤAbd al-Raḥīm Bastawī.
- Mufti Muhammad AꜤẓam Razawī.
- The expert in Ꜥilm al-tawqīt, Khāja Muẓaffar Ḥusayn
- The compiler of unpublished volumes of Fātāwā Riḍawiyya, Mufti ꜤAbd al-Mannān al-AꜤẓamī.
- The scholar and saint of Tajpur, Sayyid Ḥusaynī Mīyān Shāh.
- The kind and compassionate Mufti ꜤAbd al-Ḥalīm from Tajpūr.
- The prolific author, Mufti Fayḍ Āhmad Uwaysī.
- The son of Quṭb-i-Madīna, Faḍl al-Raḥmān Madanī.
- Shaykh Allāhbaḵsh Nayyar.
- Qārī Amānat al-Rasūl (Pilibhit, India).
- Mujāhid al-Milla, Mawlana Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān.
- Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Salām Fatḥpūrī.
- Shaykh Manẓūr Aḥmad Fayḍī رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ.
اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه Almost all of these spiritual guides رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ granted him written khilāfa.
Murids
His murids are spread over the entire world, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, including millions of admirers.
Acts of worship
Since birth, his home environment was one of punctual salah and diligently fasting in Ramaḍan.
This is why he has the deeply-ingrained habit of praying five times a day, performing ishrāq, chāsht, awwābīn, and tahajjud salah, reciting the Qurān, sending an abundance of ṣalāt upon the Prophet, and remembering Allah frequently.
Asceticism and piety
The shaykh’s very nature has the qualities of asceticism, piety, adherence to Islamic law, steadfastness in virtuous deeds, dislike for sins, and consistently avoiding non-preferable actions. During his childhood, as he sold sweets on the street, a child came and paid for six sweets but left with three in haste. This left the shaykh deeply concerned. Despite the scorching heat, he kept searching for the child to return the rest, and only rested once he found him.
This is because his heart was restless at the thought of the Hereafter, thinking if he did not return the sweets now, he will be answerable to Allah on the Day of Judgement.
Compassion for a honeybee
Once, he accidently stepped on a honeybee. It stung him and he lifted his foot quickly, only to find the bee crawling away. Someone brought a spray to kill it, but he prevented this and lamented, “It is not the poor creature’s fault, it was my fault for stepping on it without looking. What else could it have done to save itself other than sting me?”
He added, “The sting of a honeybee reminded me of the grave and Hellfire. I am grateful it was a honeybee that stung me. Had it been a scorpion, what would I have done?”
Respect for the masjid
He shows great reverence for the masjids. He removes his shoes and thoroughly cleans his feet with a cloth before entering. The reason for this is to prevent dust on the feet from entering therein. (For detailed information about his piety, devotion, and abstinence, read the book Introduction to the Amir of Ahl al-Sunna)
Fear of Allah
History bears witness the saints of Allah fear Him from their childhood up to their passing. The shaykh is also among these blessed personalities. His life clearly shows he possessed fear of Allah from a very young age.
In his childhood, his sister became displeased with a matter and said to him, “Allah will punish you.” Despite his young age, he was struck with fear of Allah and became frightened. He pleaded with his sister, “Say Allah will not punish me! Say it!” He only calmed after she said these words.
Similarly, whilst engaged in writing endeavours in the Arab Emirates, he came across the research of Imām al-Ghazālī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, in which he explained death does not bring any change to the intellect. Only the body and its limbs undergo change. The deceased, like the living, remain intelligent, aware, and capable of perceiving pain and pleasure. Intellect is an inner, unseen reality. Even if a person’s body decays and disintegrates, the intellect remains intact.
The shaykh became immersed in thoughts of the Hereafter. After death, during the washing of the body, burial, and questioning of Munkar and Nakīr, these difficulties will be felt and experienced. What will become of a person? This thought overwhelmed him with intense emotion, and a strong sense of the fear of Allah that caused him to become completely silent and restless.
After some time, he said, “Due to that state, I came to realise how our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ trembled with fear of Allah. The comforts of eating and sleeping are gone. Nothing is enjoyable, and a deep sorrow has taken hold of me.”
This is why he remains overwhelmed with fear of Allah and love for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. It is part of his character to shed tears and make others weep intensely at these thoughts. It is part of his nature to fear Allah’s hidden plan, the Mīzān, the Ṣirāṭ, cry whilst praying to Allah, and embody humility and modesty.
Love for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
His life is filled with love for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. Whichever aspect of it one looks at, we can see this profound, deep-rooted, and sincere love. For example:
- Character and speech.
- Calling others towards goodness.
- Communicating and explaining.
- Sleeping and waking.
- Looking and listening.
- Standing and sitting.
- Eating and drinking.
- Speaking and interacting.
- Kindness towards family members.
- Preaching and advising.
- Relationships with others.
- Good conduct with relatives.
- Good treatment of neighbours.
- Forgiveness and overlooking faults.
- Respecting elders.
- Compassion for children.
In fact, every facet of his life is geared towards following the Sunna.
Religious services
The pious servants of Allah in every era have served Islam as per the needs of their time and societal circumstances. The scope of their religious efforts expanded over time, reaching many regions of the world and becoming a means of reform and guidance for mankind. This is why history remembers the unparalleled religious services of these righteous people as revolutionary achievements. Among these pious servants of Allah in the modern era is Mawlana Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri.
In his youth, he served as an imam at Nur Masjid (Kharadar, Karachi) for a significant period. Witnessing the widespread neglect of religious practise in society, he took steps to help people out from this state of heedlessness and become practising Muslims. He made it a regular practise to assist worshippers who came to the masjid, to call Muslims who were distant from the masjid to righteousness, and to be a part of their lives no matter what came. This is why his impactful call to righteousness gained immense acceptance and popularity.
In 1981, he founded Dawat-e-Islami with the aim, “I must strive to reform myself and the people of the entire world.”
اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه With this very objective, the message of Dawat-e-Islami has spread across the globe. Eighty departmental sectors were set up. His religious services are as bright as the Sun, and today, they are acknowledged worldwide. Here is a brief and approximated report as of 25th February 2025
- Number of masjids constructed: approx. 7200.
- Faizan Online Academy: approx. 59 branches.
- Madrassat al-Madina for boys and girls: approx. 15,000.
- Jamiat al-Madina for boys and girls: more than approx. 1500.
- Dar al-Ifta Ahl al-Sunna: 21 branches.
- Faizan-i-Madina Madani Centres: approx. 598.
- Madrassat al-Madina for adults: approx. 74,887.
- Number of Madani Channels: 6.
Welfare services
Under the shaykh’s guidance, members of Dawat-e-Islami’s Central Executive Committee established a department called FGRF (Faizan Global Relief Foundation), seeking to aid the Prophet’s grief-stricken Umma.
Driven by a spirit of humanitarian service, this department is actively engaged in a host of religious and societal endeavours.
- Houses were constructed and food rations distributed for those affected by the 2022 flooding in Pakistan.
- Blood bags were donated for thalassemia patients.
- Trees were planted to keep Pakistan green.
- FRC (Faizan Rehabilitation Centres) were established for mentally and physically disabled children.
The FGRF department is actively engaged across the globe in sharing the pain of the distressed, those suffering, deprived of education, afflicted with illness, and affected by natural disasters. Be it earthquakes, floods, or storms, this department seeks to help regardless.
Here is a brief and approximate report as of 25th February 2025:
- Number of plants planted: approx. 3,416,673.
- Individuals and households assisted: approx. 7,682,958.
- Number of houses built: approx. 5566.
- Number of blood bags donated: approx. 75,721.
- Number of patients who have visited a healthcare centre: approx. 61,667.
Publications
The works of the Amir of Ahl al-Sunna are profusely published, as he is an exceptional writer. He has written on various topics covering both apparent and inner sciences, such as:
- Islamic creed
- Islamic jurisprudence
- Rules of ḥajj and ʿumrah
- Laws of salah
- Loving Allah
- Fearing Allah
- Loving the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
- Obeying the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
- Following the Companions and Ahl al-Bayt
- Loving the Ahl al-Bayt
- Loving the Companions
- The Prophet’s sacred biography
- Ethics
- Self-reformation
- Remembrance of the Hereafter
- Invitations to goodness
- Social reformation
- Psychology
- Medicine
- Actions that enliven the heart
- Spiritual diseases.
He has authored approximately 127 booklets and 19 books on these topics. They have been translated into 26 languages.
Introduction to a few of the Shaykh’s Books
- Blessings of Sunna: an acclaimed, comprehensive, and famous work of the shaykh. It has been published 15 times, amounting to 313,000 copies. It has been translated into major languages like English, Hindi, Gujarati, Sindhi, and Bengali.
- Backbiting: It is a personal obligation (farḍ Ꜥayn) for every sane and mature Muslim to know essential rulings regarding backbiting.
The shaykh authored this work motivated by the aim of reforming the Umma. It has been translated into Hindi, Sindhi, English, and Gujarati.
- Call to Righteousness: This book explains the importance and virtues of inviting others to goodness, as well as the harms of neglecting to do so. Approximately 107,000 copies have been published. It has been translated into Sindhi, Hindi, Arabic, Roman Urdu, Gujarati, Bengali, English, Pashto, Tamil and Luganda.
- Laws of Salah: This book explains the rulings related to salah in a simple manner, derived from over 60 books of tafsīr, hadith, and fiqh. It is a compendium of 12 individual booklets. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه Around 485,000 copies have been published in English, Sindhi, Pashto, Hindi, Gujarati, and Bengali. The booklets included therein have been published 1,423,069 times. (The shaykh has also authored other books regarding salah, which are: Blessings of Salah and Salah for Islamic Sisters)
- Kufriya Kalimāt Kē Bārē Mēin Sawāl Jawāb: It is obligatory to learn about haram and blasphemous words, so one can avoid them. اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه While writing books on various other topics, the shaykh kept the protection of Muslims’ faith in mind and authored this work. In this, several hundred blasphemous statements and their rulings have been explained.
This book has also been translated into Hindi. Thus far, 272,000 total copies have been put to print.