A Biography of Mufti Fazl-i-Subhan al-Qadiri

𝗜𝗺𝗮̄𝗺 𝗮𝗹-𝗠𝘂𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶̄𝗻, 𝗠𝘂𝗳𝘁𝗶̄ 𝗙𝗮𝘇𝗹-𝗶-𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗵𝗮̄𝗻 𝗮𝗹-𝗤𝗮̄𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗶̄

We were honoured to welcome Shaykh Fazl-i-Subhān al-Qādirī to the United Kingdom, a distinguished inheritor and proponent of the Ghazālian and Nizāmī tradition. He comes from a lineage steeped in Islamic scholarship, being the son of the renowned jurist and saintly figure, Qādī Shāhista Gul, who in turn himself studied directly under Imām Ahmad Ridā’ al-Qādirī.

𝗔 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗴𝗲

Muftī Fazl-i-Subhān al-Qādirī is not only a product of his father's teachings but also a student of other great scholars and authorities in both rational and transmitted sciences. These include luminaries like Shaykh al-Kull Atā Muhammad Bandiyālwī, Ghazālī-i-Zamān Saīd Ahmad Kāzmī, Shaykh al-Qurʼan Abd al-Ghafūr Hazārwī, Shaykh al-Muhaddithīn Abd al-Mustafā al-Azharī and Muftī-i-Azam Abd al-Qayyūm Hazārwī, among other great scholars. 

He stands as a living embodiment of the Bandiyālwī-Khairabādī-Farangī Mahallī tradition. Muftī Fazl-i-Subhān al-Qādirī actively preserves and transmits a direct chain of scholarly lineage that stretches back to Imām Abul Hasan al-Ashʼarī through figures like Imām al-Ghazālī, Imām al-Rāzī, al-Sayyid Sharīf al-Jurjānī, Muhaqqiq al-Dawwānī, Mulla’ Nizām al-Dīn, and Allama Fazl-i-Haq Khairabādī.

𝗗𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽

For over 62 years, he has dedicated himself to teaching both rational and transmitted sciences. He is also the founder of the prestigious Jāmi’a Qādiria Institute in Pakistan.

𝗝𝗮̄𝗺𝗶’𝗮 𝗤𝗮̄𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗮: 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶̄ 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶̄ 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲𝗱

This institute can be likened to a finishing school for Muslim scholarship. Each year, talented scholars from across Pakistan who have already completed rigorous programmes, travel to learn from the Shaykh's mastery of the Farangī Mahallī curriculum and heritage. Graduates of this seminary are highly sought after by Madāris throughout the country, adding value to institutions wherever they go.

𝗠𝘂𝗳𝘁𝗶̄ 𝗙𝗮𝘇𝗹-𝗶-𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗵𝗮̄𝗻 𝗮𝗹-𝗤𝗮̄𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗶̄'𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 

Muftī Fazl-i-Subhān al-Qādirī's teaching schedule is unique. He offers alternating year-long programmes. One year focuses on delivering a masterclass on Ma'qūlāt and Funūn (advanced rational sciences & specialisations) for already trained scholars. The other year features a rigorous study of Hadīth, encompassing the six canonical collections and additional important Hadīth works. For a number of years now, the Shaykh's personal curriculum has focused on advanced texts only. While the Shaykh himself no longer teaches texts below the level of Sharh Risālah Shamsīyyah (Qutbī) with a gloss by Mīr Sayyid, they are still offered to students by other instructors at the Institute.

𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝘂𝗳𝘁𝗶̄ 𝗙𝗮𝘇𝗹-𝗶-𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗵𝗮̄𝗻 𝗮𝗹-𝗤𝗮̄𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗶̄

During my time studying with Imām al-Mudarrisīn, at one point in our studies, a typical day with the Shaykh involved delving into a deep study of Qutbī, Mīr Qutbī, Shams-i-Bāzighah, Mīr Zāhid Umūr Āmah, Mulla’ Hassan on Sullam al-‘Ulūm, al-Tawdīh wat-Talwīh li Matn al-Tanqīh, followed by Hidāyah in Hanafī Fiqh.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮̄𝗱𝗶̄ 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲

The Shaykh employs the unique Khairabādī teaching style, passed down through generations. This method is known for creating teachers of the highest calibre. The Khairabādī method is so unique and refined that its recipients develop exceptional skills. These skills allow them to not only grasp the vast library of Islamic scholarship accumulated over centuries but also to teach it effectively and contribute to the ongoing legacy of knowledge and learning.

Māshā’Allah wa lā Quwwata illā billah

We join in prayers to Allāh Almighty for Muftī Fazl-i-Subhān al-Qādirī’s continued health, strength, and protection. Amin.