Sheikh

Habib Habib (; ; also romanized as Habeeb) is an Arabic masculine given name, occasional surname, and honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "my love", or "darling". It also forms the famous Arabic word ''"Habibi"'' which is used to refer to a friend ...

Muhammad bin Husayn Al-Jifri , also known as Syed Jifri Muthukoya Thangal is the current President, Samastha and he is an

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

Teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

, religious leader and

Qazi Qazi may refer to: * Qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History ...

. He is an Islamic scholar from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, India. He serves as President, Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, the body of

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Shafi'i The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...

scholars in northern Kerala. Thangal is the 11th president of the

Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama of EK Sunnis also known as Samastha, and EK Samastha, is a Sunni-Shafi'i Muslim scholarly body in Kerala. The body administers Shafi'ite mosques, institutes of higher religious learning (the equivalent of ...

Personal life

Muhammad Al-Jifri was born in March 1957 at Matrbhavanam in Irumpuchola, Malappuram district as the son of Habib Husain Al-Jifri and Fathima Biwi Al-Jamalullaili. His wife is Fathwima Biwi, daughter of S.K.K Thangal Jamalullaili, Chemmad Kariparamba. Children: Jafar Swadiq Thangal, Twaha Hussain, Najwa Jifri. He is notable as one of the leaders of the Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, one of the dominant Sunni scholars' organizations in Kerala. He is also known as the Principal of the Joint Muslim Jamaat Qasi and Arabic College. His hometown is now in Cherumukku village near Thirurangadi in Malappuram district, He is from the Jifry family, who are the descendants of Habib Husayn Al-Jifri,one of the descendants of Husayn bin Ali who arrived from

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

in AD 1823.

Education

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Jifri commenced his primary education in his native Cherumukku, attending Rūhul Islam Madrasah, Kundur Primary School, and Tirurangadi Government High School. Demonstrating a keen interest in religious studies, he pursued education at various institutions in Cherumukku, Tirurangadi, Thazhechena, and Thekkumpadam, gaining profound knowledge in diverse fields. For advanced studies, he enrolled in a three-year undergraduate program at Jamia Nooriya, Pattikkad, during the 1974-75 academic year, though he did not complete the course. Subsequently, in 1976, he joined Jamaliya Arabic College in Chennai but was compelled to withdraw after a month due to a severe illness. Upon returning home, he resumed his studies under the tutelage of Bapu Musliyar at Tirurangadi. In 1977, he furthered his education by joining Darul Uloom Deoband in Lucknow, where he successfully completed a one-year course in Dauratul Hadith. His primary mentors included Thirurangadi Bapu Musliyar, Abul Bushra P. Kunhin Musliyar, E.K. Abubakar Musliyar, Kotumala Abubakar Musliyar Kumaramputhur, A.P. Muhammad Musliyar, Kotumala Moitheen Kutty Musliyar, and M.T. Abdullah Musliyar Panangangara.

Career

He succeeded Kumaramputhur A. P. Muhammed Musliyar as the president of the Samastha in 2016. He is the disciple of famous Islamic scholars like Shams-ul-Ulama E.K Aboobacker Musliyar, Tirurangadi Bappu Musliyar and P Kunjeen Musliyar. He was one of the famous students of EK Aboobacker Musliyar.

References

20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Malayali people Indian Islamic religious leaders People from Malappuram district People from Kasaragod district Shafi'is Indian Sunni Muslims 1957 births Living people Kerala Sunni-Shafi'i scholars {{Islamic-scholar-stub