Accounts of a Few Meetings with the Late Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī Ḥamīdī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه
The late Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī Ḥamīdīرَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was a distinguished scholar, Shaykh al-Hadith, Quranic exegete, Mufti and teacher. He was humble and modest, beloved to all, and an important preacher of Dawat-e-Islami. He had complete proficiency in lecturing in Urdu, Arabic, and English. The honourable Mufti was born on 1st August 1966 into a scholarly family in Purani Chishtian Sharif, Bahawalnagar District, Punjab, Pakistan, and he passed away on Wednesday, 2nd April 2025, corresponding to 3 Shawwāl 1446 AH, in South Africa. His funeral prayer was led on Thursday at 10:30 am by his student, the preacher of Dawat-e-Islami, Maulana Muhammad Usman Attari Madani of Malawi. It was attended by scholars, spiritual leaders, Imams, teachers and students of Jamia-tul-Madinah, and many Prophetic devotees from across the country. He was buried in Laudium Cemetery, Pretoria, South Africa.
First meeting:
I first heard about him from the Head of Dawat-e-Islami's Central Executive Committee, Maulana Haji Muhammad Imran Attari مد ظلہ العالی. After 2010, he travelled from South Africa to visit the International Headquarters of Dawat-e-Islami, Faizan-e-Madinah, Karachi, where I had my first meeting with him. In subsequent years, I met him many more times.
Impression from the meetings:
The impression I formed of him from these meetings was that:
(1) He was an excellent scholar and a preacher of Islam who had a global mindset.
(2) An important characteristic of his was his positive way of thinking; far from backbiting, he never even hinted at or complained about any negative actions or lack of cooperation from any organisational leader.
(3) He possessed an enthusiastic, yet dignified and composed personality.
(4) He did not have an emotional approach, which is the beauty of a scholar and preacher.
Summary of memorable meetings:
In the meetings with the honourable Mufti, the following three matters were generally discussed:
(1) Promotion and propagation of Islam among non-Muslims:
Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī Ḥamīdī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was a specialist in inviting non-Muslims to Islam. Through him, many non-Muslims entered the fold of Islam and were granted the treasure of faith. Regarding this, he had a complete plan on how to invite non-Muslims to Islam, what objections they might have to Islam, and what responses there were. He also planned how to write books to inform them about Islamic teachings and train them once they became Muslims.
Later, Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه authored the English book Welcome to Islam on these very matters. After some time, its Urdu translation was also released. Both were published by Dawat-e-Islami's publishing house, Maktaba-tul-Madinah.
He had also prepared a curriculum for the education of new Muslims. When this was mentioned, I informed Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه that a scholar of Dawat-e-Islami's Islamic Research Centre, al-Madina-tul-Ilmiyyah, Maulana Muhammad Tahir Sana Attari Madani, had also prepared a similar curriculum, to which he replied, "Send it to me; I will review his curriculum as well." I believe he praised it after reviewing it.
Eventually, with the permission of Amir Ahl al-Sunnah, Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ, and the approval of the Central Executive Committee, Dawat-e-Islami established a special department named Faizan-e-Islam for inviting non-Muslims to Islam. The purpose of this department was to inform non-Muslims about the correct teachings of Islam. Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was appointed its supervisor not only in Pakistan but across the world. Thus, the plan he had in mind for years finally had an opportunity to be put into practice. In this regard, he visited many countries, with his last journey being to Mauritius.
From the Central Executive Committee, I am responsible for the religious work and departments of Islamic sisters worldwide. The late Mufti was consulted regarding the promotion of religious activities under the Faizan-e-Islam department among Islamic sisters. I had formal consultations with him and other relevant individuals many times. Our last consultation in this regard was on 13 July 2024. Its points were recorded. Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه checked them and also made some corrections.
On 30th October 2024, I spoke to Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه, and he said, "I have cancer, and it is becoming difficult for me to do religious work. Please convey a message to the global consultative body of Islamic sisters that my children's mother (my wife), Umm Ubaid Raza Attariyyah, should be contacted so that the work of Faizan-e-Islam among women can continue."
(2) English translation of Kanz al-ꜤĪmān:
The second topic of discussion with him was regarding the English translation of Imam Aḥmad Razā Khan al-Qādiri’s Kanz al-Īmān fī Tarjamat al-Quran. He was of the opinion that the existing English translation of Kanz al-Īmān was quite old, and there was a need to cater to the current mentality of the new generation and present a translation in easy English. Then came a time when he, alongside this work, authored a five-volume English Quranic commentary titled Miftāḥ al-Iḥsān, two volumes of which have been published by Dawat-e-Islami's Maktaba-tul-Madinah, and the remaining three volumes are under publication.
(3) Global work of the rightful path of Ahl al-Sunnah:
Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was a scholar who had great concern for Islam and Ahl al-Sunnah. His discourse reflected a passion for protecting the faith of Muslims. He used to say, "I participated in religious activities under several organisations of Ahl al-Sunnah, but through the method that Amir Ahl al-Sunnah, Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ has given to those attached to Dawat-e-Islami, religious work can be done in a better and more effective manner across the world."
He then shared his experience, saying, "Before joining Dawat-e-Islami, I served as an Imam, public speaker, and teacher. After joining, I had the privilege of preaching Islam and engaging in many other religious works. I was also successful in building several masjids and madrasas."
An important quality of his was that he would assist and cooperate with others in religious work as much as possible. I never had a supervisor-subordinate relationship with him, but whenever I presented any matter to him, he would provide full cooperation. Here is an example: Approximately four months before his passing, on 25th November 2024, I expressed that the scholars of Dawat-e-Islami's Department of Prayer Times (now referred to as: Department of Astronomy), Ustadh at-Tawqīt Mawlana Waseem Ahmad Attari Madani and Mawlana Sayyid Rahmat Ali Shah Attari Madani, had completed writing a commentary on Malik al-ꜤUlamāˈ Shaykh Ẓafar al-Dīn Muḥaddith Bihārī’s book Tawḍīh al-Tawqīt, titled Sharḥ Kanz al-Tawqīt.I requested him to write an endorsement for it. Despite his severe illness, he replied "اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه". One month later, on 26th December, I sent an audio message following up on this, to which he replied, "My illness has worsened, and chemotherapy is ongoing. I tried several times but was unable to complete it. Nevertheless, I will try to write it with a pen in a day or two and send it; you can get it composed."
He further added: "The English translation of the Amir of Ahl al-Sunnah’s book Kufriyah Kalimat ke Baray mein Sawal Jawab (Words of Blasphemy) has begun, but as soon as I sit down to work on it, the pain increases. Please pray for my recovery."
Then, on 5th January 2025, he sent the words of endorsement for Kanz al-Tawqīt fī Sharḥ Tawḍīh al-Tawqīt and also granted permission for modifications therein. I had this text composed and sent it for review on 18th January 2025. He replied the same day and expressed happiness.
This was my last contact with the late Mufti. After this, he was admitted to hospital and passed away on Wednesday, 2nd April 2025, corresponding to 3rd Shawwāl 1446 AH.
May Allah Almighty accept Mufti ꜤAbd al-Nabī Ḥamīdī’s religious services, grant him complete forgiveness, and bless him with entry into Jannat al-Firdaws without accountability.
اٰمِیْنْ بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّٖن صلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہ ِوَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ
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