Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar, officially known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad (born 22 March 1931), is the tenth and current

Grand Mufti of India The Grand Mufti of India is the most senior and influential religious authority of the Sunni Muslim Community of India. The incumbent is Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, general secretary of All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, who was conferred the titl ...

. and General Secretary of the

All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, or All India Muslim Scholars Association, is an organisation of Islamic scholars in India. Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar currently serves as the general secretary of All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama. ...

(the Indian Muslim Scholars Association) and General Secretary of

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 ...

of AP Sunnis.

Grand Mufti of India

Musliyar was chosen as the

by the All India Tanzeem Ulamae Islam in a programme conducted at

Ramlila Maidan Ramlila Maidan is a large ground located in New Delhi, India, traditionally used for staging the annual Ramlila. It is used for religious festivals, major political rallies and meetings, and entertainment events. It is located near New Delhi R ...

after the death of Grand Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Qadri, following an illness on 20 July 2018. The inauguration took place on Sunday, 24 February 2019. It set a record attendance for any event held in

. After his election conducted several receptions in various countries including the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

especially at his birthplace in India,

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

. The then

Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly of the state of Kerala, the main law-making body for the Kerala. He is elected by the members of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The speaker is al ...

P. Sreeramakrishnan, Kerala Minister T. P. Ramakrishnan, Karnataka Ministers U. T. Khader and Rahim Khan, and A. Pradeepkumar member of

14th Kerala Legislative Assembly The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Niyamasabha (), is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 28 States in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 constitu ...

, Kerala Haj Committee chairman C. Mohammed Faizi, Tamil Nadu Haj Committee chairman Haji Abdul Jabbar, Mayor of Kozhikode Thottathil Raveendran, Zamorin K. C. Unniyanujan Raja and Dr. M. G. S. Narayanan, politicians, religious and cultural leaders including from other Indian states participated in the civil reception.

Peace and interfaith dialogue work

Musliyar has conducted and attended many national and international conferences for peace and interfaith dialogue. He is the Chairman of the Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference and was one of the speakers at the First World Tolerance Summit, conducted by the International Institute for Tolerance Dubai, UAE. The tagline of the second Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference was "Renaissance of the World Through Peace". In 2019 he attended Global Conference of Human Fraternity and met with

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

, head of the Catholic Church. In 2014 he launched a campaign to plant 100,000 trees throughout India as part of preparations for the Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference, held in New Delhi.

Educational revivalist

Musliyar educated several scholars from different parts of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He is involved with

Markaz Knowledge City Markaz Knowledge City is a private, planned city built near Kozhikode in Kerala. The foundation stone for the project was laid by ''Taj-ul Ulama'' Sayyid Abdurrahman Albukhari on 24 December 2012. Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad is the chairman of the city ...

, Markaz Unani Medical College & Hospital, and with higher education and research. He said in an interview with ''

Khaleej Times ''Khaleej Times'' is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched on 16 April 1978, ''Khaleej Times'' is the UAE's longest-running English daily newspaper. History and profile A partnership between the U ...

'' that the "Education is key to peace".

Views

Musliyar has condemned

Islamic extremism Islamic extremism refers to extremist beliefs, behaviors and ideologies adhered to by some Muslims within Islam. The term 'Islamic extremism' is contentious, encompassing a spectrum of definitions, ranging from academic interpretations of Is ...

. He says that "Militant groups such as the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

(IS) are trying to defame a religion that advocates peace and tolerance." In November 2015, he commented on gender equality, saying: "Gender equality is something which is never going to be a reality. It is against Islam, humanity and was intellectually wrong." He said, "only a woman can give birth", although some media outlets misquoted him as saying women are only capable of childbirth.

Fatwa against ISIS

Musliyar was the first to issue a

fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

against ISIS. Musliyar issued his ''Fatwa on ISIS'' on 27 August 2014 CE. This is the first

—a nonbinding legal opinion in

Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

—issued against

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

according to Ashwani Kumar writing in ''

''. The document, a copy of which is held in the United Arab Emirates National Archives, was a commission to all

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 ...

Jamiyyathul

Ulama 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 ...

to raise awareness against terrorism. At the time of the fatwa, Abubakr did not hold the title of

Grand Mufti A Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is a title for the leading Faqīh, Islamic jurist of a country, typically Sunni, who may oversee other muftis. Not all countries with large Sunni Muslim populations have Gra ...

since his election to the office came on 24 February 2019. He has also issued fatwas a second time against ISIS and against other

terrorist groups Several national governments and two international organizations have created lists of organizations that they designate as terrorist. The following list of designated terrorist groups lists groups designated as terrorist by current and former ...

On CAB and CAA

Musliyar opposed the

Citizenship Amendment Bill The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It amended the Indian nationality law, Citizenship Act, 1955 by providing an accelerated pathway to Indian citizenship for Religious persecut ...

and

Citizenship Amendment Act The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It amended the Citizenship Act, 1955 by providing an accelerated pathway to Indian citizenship for persecuted refugees of religious minoritie ...

, and he organised and attended in many protests against the act. Though he did not supported the

hartal Hartal () is a term in many Languages of India, Indian languages for a strike action that was first used during the Indian independence movement (also known as the nationalist movement) of the early 20th century. A hartal is a mass protest, often ...

organised by

SDPI Social Democratic Party of India, popularly known as SDPI, is an Indian political party founded on 21 June 2009 in New Delhi. History The organization was founded by Erappungal Abubacker from Kerala, who was arrested on charges of being ...

and said the hartal is needless. He visited the family members of protesters killed in police firing at

Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...

to express his condolences. He was widely criticized for his stand on protesting women against the CAA. He stated that "women shouldn’t hit streets against the CAA, and shouldn't raise slogans or clench fists."

On Babri Masjid Verdict

Musliyar appealed to the ''Islamic Community of India'' to welcome the Supreme Court verdict in the Babri Masjid dispute case before the verdict and accepted after. He said "We respect the Supreme Court. Everyone must strive for peace in India. The victory or defeat over the Babri Masjid incident may be significant to every party, but the protection of India and its sovereignty is much more important." "Babri Masjid is a place of worship for Muslims, but equally important is that all people live peacefully in India."

Citizenship Amendment Act

He met both the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

, and

Minister of Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Amit Shah Amitbhai Anilchandra Shah (born 22 October 1964) is an Indian politician who is currently serving as the 32nd Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Minister of Home Affairs since May 2019 and the 1st Ministry of Co-operation, Minister of Co-operat ...

, at their offices on 20 March 2020 and urged them to amend the

and

National Register of Citizens The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is meant to be a register of all Indian citizens whose creation was mandated by the 2003 amendment of the Citizenship Act, 1955. Its purpose is to document all the legal citizens of India so that the illeg ...

to remove religion from the list of eligibility criteria for citizenship.

Organisations

In the late 1980 Musliyar was a leader of the Samastha Kerala Jamiat-ul-Ulema together with E. K. Aboobacker Musliyar but due to personality differences chose to split off a group which came to be known as the ''AP Faction''; the residual group becoming referred to as the ''EK Faction''. Both factions, which are pre-dominately based in Kerala, have set up a set of broadly parallel organisations at both All India and state level, with Musliyar dominant in those of the AP Faction. In January 2018 committees were formed to re-unite the factions with the objective of re-uniting the groups to achieve an improved political influence. there has been no merger. At the time of his assumption of the title of Grand Mufti of India in February 2019 he was variously described as general secretary of the All-India Muslim Scholars Association for over 25 years, and as general secretary of the

Honours, awards and international recognition

* International Tokoh Maal Hijrah Award Malaysia honoured him with International Tokoh Maal Hijrah Award on the basis of his invaluable contribution to promoting the message of love in Islam on 20 July 2023 by the Malaysian King Al Sultan Abdulla Sultan Ahmad Shahat held at the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre. * Islamic Heritage Award for his service in the protection of Islamic culture and heritage from the Institute of Islamic Heritage, based in the

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. The award was given by the then Minister of Parliamentary Affairs,

Vayalar Ravi Vayalar Ravi (born 4 June 1937
) is an Indian politician, who served as the

in January 2008. * Jewels of World Muslim Biz Award by OIC Today in 2016 from then Malaysian Finance Minister,

Johari Abdul Ghani Johari bin Abdul Ghani (; ; born 6 March 1964), more commonly known as Dato' Jo, is a Malaysian politician and chartered accountant who has served as Minister of Plantation and Commodities in the Unity Government administration under Prime ...

. * Ras Al Khaimah Islamic Academy Award for the best Social Worker in 1992. * Indian Islamic Centre Award for outstanding services in the field of Education and Social Services. * Hamil Al Gaith International Holy Quran Award in 2005. * Best Indo-Arab Personality Award in 2006. * He has consecutively been ranked for many years as an influential

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

from

The 500 Most Influential Muslims ''The 500 Most Influential Muslims'' (also known as ''The Muslim 500'') is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world. The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies C ...

published by the

Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre is a research centre affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought. Its publications include: *''A Common Word Between Us and You'' *''Amman Message, The Amman Message'' *''Fort ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

Literary Works

* Muhammad: The Messenger * Religion, Polity and Nationalism * The Mind of Islam

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Musliyar, Aboobacker A. P. Kanthapuram 1931 births Living people People from Kozhikode district Grand muftis of India Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Indian imams Indian Sufis Indian spiritual teachers Indian Islamic religious leaders People in interfaith dialogue Markaz Leaders of Undivided Samastha Leaders of Samastha (AP Faction) 20th-century Indian Muslims 21st-century Indian Muslims 20th-century imams 21st-century imams Barelvis