Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari

Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari

Full name	Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari
Born	England
Era	Modern era
Region	Islamic scholar
School	Hanafi
Main interests	Islamic law, Islamic finance, Lecturing

Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari is a public speaker and author of Islamic books and translator of several Arabic works to the English language.

Early Life and Education

Born in Leicester, UK, Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari started learning about Islam from a very young age and memorized the Qur’an at the age of nine.^{[citation needed]} He initially studied the Arabic language and various other traditional Islamic sciences including Qur’anic exegesis (tafsir), Hadith and Fiqh at Dar al-Uloom, Bury.^{[citation needed]} He received Ijazah in Hadith from the late Grand Mufti of India, Mahmud al-Hasan Gangohi, and underwent a one year course of specialization in the science of issuing religious verdicts (Fatwa). He also studied in the Arab world.^{[citation needed]}

Career

He is a teacher of various traditional Islamic sciences and Director and Researcher at the Institute of Islamic Jurisprudence. He is a Board Member of the Al-Qalam Shari’ah Scholars Panel, established for Muslim consumers and businesses for Shari’ah-based guidance. He is also an Advisory Member of the Islamic Medical Ethics Forum (IMEF)and a Shari’ah Advisor on Islamic Banking.

Works

His authored books include Islamic Guide to Sexual Relations, Birth Control & Abortion in Islam, and The Issue of Shares and Simplified Rules of Zakat. He has also published Shaykh Zakariyya Kandahlawi’s Wujub I’fa’ al-Lihya (the obligation of growing a beard) and Shaykh Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri’s Mabahith fi Aqa’id Ahl al-Sunna aka: Al-Muhannad ala‘l-Mufannad (Discussions in the beliefs of the Ahl al-Sunna), both with critical analysis and footnotes in Arabic.

Controversy

In February 2011, University of York student media reported on the controversy surrounding al-Kawthari's visit. Various campus groups launched an official complaint on the grounds of social cohesion, focusing on a recent report by Civitas. Key criticisms included allegations that al-Kawthari's views "legitimis[ed] rape," and accusations that his opposition to women traveling more than 48 miles without their husbands was inherently sexist. The Member of the UK Parliament for York Outer, Julian Sturdy also weighed in on the debate, stating, "I believe in the absolute importance of freedom of speech, but I am not happy that this vile speaker is using the university as a platform to create tension in the community."

Defenders of al-Kawthari, including the University of York Islamic Society, stated that his views were taken "bizarrely out of context" and accused the campaigners of hypocrisy in selectively defending free speech. A statement by al-Kawthari responding to the allegations was read on BBC York. Following the controversy, al-Kawthari delivered the talk entitled "Misconceptions of Islam" on February 16, 2011 without incident. The evening ended with a question and answer session, which raised some controversial and challenging questions about homophobia and honour killings. Al-Kawthari argued that honour killings are a result of culture, not religion, and ended by hoping Islamaphobia will reduce, not only here at York, but across the country.

References

• Muhammad ibn Adam's Biography
• http://www.whitethreadpress.com/authors/muhammad_adam.htm
• http://www.turath.co.uk/tp/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=69&Itemid=28
• http://www.sunnipath.com/about/shaykhmia.aspx
• http://www.lamppostproductions.com/node/189

External links

• Darul Iftaa
• * Sunni Path
• SeekersGuidance
• Islamic Manners