Akhtar Raza Khan

Akhtar Raza Khan (23 November 1943 – 20 July 2018), also known as Tajush Shari'ah, and Azhari Miyan, was an Indian Barelvi Muslim scholar, cleric and mufti. He was the great-grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi who was considered to be a Mujaddid by his followers and was the eponymous founder of the Barelvi movement.

He had served as the Grand Mufti of India succeeding Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri from 1982 to 2018 and Islamic Chief Justice of India from 2006 to 2018. He was ranked 25th on the list of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world in 2016 edition, 26th in 2010, 28th in 2011, 26th in 2012, 22nd in 2013-2014, 22nd in 2014-15 editions, compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. He had tens of millions of followers in India.

Early life and education
He was born on 23 November 1943 at Muhallah Saudagaran in Bareilly, British India, to Ibrahim Raza Khan as the grandson of Hamid Raza Khan and as a great-grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, who was considered to be a Mujaddid by his followers and founder of the Barelvi movement.

He went to school till graduation at the Madrasa Manzar-e-Islam of the Dargah Aala Hazrat, and then at Islamia Inter College, Bareilly. He post-graduated from the Al-Azhar University in Egypt in the Arabic literature and Islamic Studies with specialisation in Hadith and Tafseer from 1963 to 1966, where he was conferred with the Fakhr-e-Azhar (Pride of Azhar) award by Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Career
In 1967, at the age of 25, he became a teacher at the Madrasa Manzar-e-Islam at Bareilly Sharif Dargah.

Spiritual life
Khan was a spiritual follower and successor of his maternal grandfather Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri, the former Grand Mufti of India in the Qadriyya-Barkatiyya-Razviyya-Nooriya order of Sufism.

After retirement
He formally retired from teaching in 1980, but continued to issue fatwa, and holding seminars for students at Dar al-Ifta.

In 2000, he founded the Centre of Islamic Studies Jamiatur Raza based in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India.

He was considered by his followers as the Grand Mufti of India. He had been ranked 22nd on the list of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world (2014–15 edition), compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. He had tens of millions of followers in India.

He died following a long illness on 20 July 2018, aged 74.

After his death Mufti Mohammad Salim Noori, spokesperson of the Dargah Aala Hazrat, said Khan was "the lone cleric in India to get a title of Tajushariya and "one of the few prominent persons across the world to be allowed to visit the inside [of the] Kaaba in Mecca."

Fatwa against ISIS
In 2015, Khan along with 70000 Muftis issued Fatwa against terrorism including ISIS, Taliban, Al-Qaida,, which was supported by more than 15 Lacs Muslims in India on the eve of the Urs-e-Razvi at Bareilly Sharif Dargah.

Funeral
The estimated attendance at his funeral was just under one million. His funeral occurred on 22 July 2018 at Islamia Inter College, Bareilly. The prayer was led by his son and successor Asjad Raza Khan. His funeral was watched by at least 12,500,000 people across the world. A day of mourning was organised in Bareilly Sharif.

The funeral was organised by the Members of Bareilly Sharif 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.

Memorial events
The Urs of Akhtar Raza Khan Qadri or Urs-e-Tajush Shariah is organised annually at the Bareilly Sharif Dargah to commemorate the death. It is being organised since 2019.

Rulings
His Urdu-language fatwa collection was known as Majmu'ah Fatawa. His English collection is named Azharul Fatawa. One of his fatwas 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 safety of 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). He had issued fatwa against the sterilization in 1975 on the order of Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri when Indira Gandhi had made the sterilization compulsory.

In 2016, Khan wrote a book Tie Ka Mas'ala and he had issued Fatwa against wearing Ties, Khan had called Tie as the symbol of Christians, the non-Muslims.

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.

Poetry
His composition of Na`at was entitled Safina-e-Bakhshish, written in three languages.

Books
He was the author of "more than 50 books on Islamic theology and thought in Urdu and Arabic", including:
 * Hijrat-e-Rasool
 * Al-Mawahib al-Rizwiyyah Fi al-Fatawa al-Azhariyyah
 * Aasaar-e-Qiyamat
 * Al-Haq-ul-Mubeen (Arabic and Urdu)
 * Safeenah-e-Bakhshish (Na'at collection)
 * Fatawa Taj-us-Shari'ah