The Fatwas for cash scandal was a bribery scandal that erupted in some prominent Islamic institutions in India in September 2006 when a TV channel broadcast a Sting operation which showed a number of clerics indulging in or demanding bribery in return for issuing fatwas. The institutions involved included Darul Uloom Deoband, Islamic Fiqh Academy, Madrasa Aminia, Madrasa Khadimul Islam Hapur, Madrasa Mahmudiya Meerut and others. [1]
The clerics involved included the likes of Habibur Rahman Khairabadi, the chief of the fatwa department of India's most famous Islamic seminary, the Darul Uloom Deoband. [2] [3] The sting operation was carried out by the Star TV channel in association with Cobrapost over a period of six months by undercover reporters wearing hidden cameras and was broadcast on Star TV's 'Benaqaab' program. [4] It showed some of the clerics accepting bribes as low as $60, and handing out fatwas in Urdu on subjects requested by the reporters. The fatwas were of varied nature including disallowing Muslims from using credit cards, double beds, or camera-equipped cell phones, and acting in films, donating their organs, teaching their children English, against watching TV as well as another fatwa in support of watching TV. [2] [3] Darul Uloom Deoband set up a committee which concluded that the sting was a dishonest one and their Mufti did not take any money, and his fatwa was in accordance with the Shariah. [1]
The ulemas and muftis (senior scholars and clerics) described the act as "shameful" and "condemnable". Mufti Ahsan Qasmi of Darul Uloom Waqf, Deoband said taking money to issue Fatwas was 'illegal' and an offence in Shariayt. [5]
The scandal also led to a debate among the ulemas and muftis as well as the Muslim populace on questions like "what constitutes a fatwa" and "who has legitimate authority to issue a fatwa". [2] Students of one madrassa denounced the clerics and the congregation of a mosque whose Mufti had been caught on camera, refused to offer prayers until the Mufti came before them, admitted his misconduct, and apologized. [2]
Habibur Rahman Khairabadi of Darul Uloom Deoband was among the accused. [1] In his reaction, Islamic scholar Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi mentioned that that Habibur Rahman's "fatwa" about the permissibility of credit card was misquoted as his fatwa in the registry of the seminary's Dārul Ifta says that "in essence credit card is permissible" and it was quoted otherwise. [1] Mufti Mahmud Hussain who is a Mufti at the seminary and holds a chair near to Habibur Rahman, witnessed that the questioners offered Habibur Rahman some money, which he rejected strongly. [1] The Darul Uloom Deoband set up a committee to investigate this case and it was found that the Mufti did not take any money for issuing edicts. [1] Instead, the money that he was seen putting in his bag, was a profitable amount that he had received for the sale of his books. [1] The committee also noted that since the edict was Islamically correct; there was no sense in saying that "the edicts were issued according to someone's will". [1] The other institutes also rejected the accusations made in the sting. [1] Khalīli expressed that the program was dishonest and deceit, and it was Muslim hostility of media which was exposed. [1]
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic seminary in India at which the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement began. Uttar Pradesh-based Darul Uloom is one of the most important Islamic seminaries in India and the largest in the world. It is located in Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The seminary was established by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Fazlur Rahman Usmani, Sayyid Muhammad Abid and others in 1866. Mahmud Deobandi was the first teacher and Mahmud Hasan Deobandi was the first student.
Mahmood Hasan Gangohi was an Indian mufti, Islamic scholar and former Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband and Mazahir Uloom, Saharanpur. He was the most senior disciple of Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi.
Darul Uloom Mau is an Islamic Madrasa which was established in Mau in 1875.
Izaz Ali Amrohi was an Indian Islamic scholar who served as the second and ninth Grand Mufti of the Darul Uloom Deoband. His book Nafahtul Arab is taught in madrassas including the Darul Uloom Deoband.
Al-Jamia Al-Islamia Darul Uloom Waqf Deoband is an Islamic seminary situated in the Indian town of Deoband. It was established by scholars led by Muhammad Salim Qasmi and Anzar Shah Kashmiri in 1982 as a result of administration disputes in Darul Uloom Deoband during 1980–1982. As of 2021, Muhammad Sufyan Qasmi is its rector.
Rahmatullah Mir Qasmi is a Kashmiri Islamic scholar, founder and rector of Darul Uloom Raheemiyyah, one of the largest Islamic seminaries in Kashmir. He is a senior member of the managing committee of Darul Uloom Deoband, founding member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and a member of the working body of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind.
Zafeeruddin Miftāhi was an Indian Muslim scholar and jurist who served as a Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband and the second president of Islamic Fiqh Academy. He compiled the religious verdicts of Azizur Rahman Usmani, called the Fatāwa Darul Uloom Deoband in twelve volumes and wrote books including Islām Ka Nizām-e-Masājid, Islām Ka Nizām Iffat-o-Asmat and Tārīkh-e-Masājid.
Maulana Marghoobur Rahman, also written as Maulana Marghoobur Rehman and as Marghubur Rahman Bijnori, was an Indian Muslim scholar and Vice-Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband.
Muḥammad Usmān Mansoorpuri was an Indian Muslim scholar who served as the first National President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind's Mahmood faction. He taught hadith at the Darul Uloom Deoband and served the seminary as a working rector.
Habībur Rahmān Khairābadi is an Indian Muslim scholar and jurist who serves as a Mufti at the Darul Uloom Deoband. He is an alumnus of Darul Uloom Mau, Mazahir Uloom and the Aligarh Muslim University. He has authored books including The Rules of Slaughter and The Importance of Zakat. He signed the Darul Uloom Deoband's first ever religious edict against terrorism in 2008.
Ahmad Hasan Amrohi also known as Muhaddith Amrohi within the Deobandi movement; was an Indian Muslim scholar and freedom struggle activist who served as the first principal of Madrasa Shahi in Moradabad. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband and among the founding members of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi's Thamratut-Tarbiyat. He was an authorized disciple of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki.
Abdul Khaliq Sambhali was an Indian Muslim scholar and writer who served as the vice-rector of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was an alumnus of the Deoband seminary and had studied with scholars including Mahmood Hasan Gangohi, Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi and Syed Fakhruddin Ahmad. He translated Abdul Majeed al-Zindani's Al-Tawḥīd into Urdu and gave religious discourses criticizing the Maududism.
Deobandi fiqh is a school of Islamic jurisprudence that is based on the Hanafi school of Islamic law. It is associated with the Deobandi movement, which originated in India in the late 19th century and has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in South Asia. Deobandi fiqh emphasizes a strict adherence to the Quran and the Sunnah, and seeks to ensure that all aspects of daily life are guided by Islamic law. It places a strong emphasis on the principles of fiqh, or Islamic jurisprudence, and is known for its strict interpretation of Islamic law. It also emphasizes the importance of Islamic ethics and morality, and emphasizes the need for Muslims to lead a pious and virtuous life. Deobandi fiqh has had a significant influence on Islamic education and scholarship, particularly in South Asia and among the global South Asian diaspora. It plays a foundational role in the judiciary of Afghanistan. It has also been associated with various Islamic political movements and has been a subject of controversy and debate within the Muslim community.
Nizamuddin Azami was an Islamic scholar who served as the twelfth and last Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband. He made contributions in Islamic jurisprudence, and his works include Muntakhabat-e-Nizām al-Fatāwa, a collection of selected fatwas he wrote during his tenure at Deoband.
Ishtiaque Ahmad Qasmi is an Indian Islamic scholar, mufti, and writer. He has been serving as a teacher at Darul Uloom Deoband since 2008. He is an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband and Maulana Azad National Urdu University.
Naseer Ahmad Khan (1918–2010), also written as Maulana Naseer Ahmad Khan and Naseer Ahmad Khan Bulandshahri, was an Indian Islamic scholar and muhaddith. He served as a professor at Darul Uloom Deoband for approximately sixty-five years, during which he taught Sahih al-Bukhari for thirty-two years.
Muhammad Jabir Qasmi, also written as Muhammad Jabir Qasmi Binjharpuri and Maulana Muhammad Jabir, was an Indian Islamic scholar, Sufi sheikh, and Muslim leader. He was the first president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Odisha (M) and a member of the working committee of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (M).
Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi is an Indian Islamic scholar, mufti, writer, and trilingual translator of Urdu, Arabic, and English. He is an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband, Markazul Maarif, Jamia Millia Islamia, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, and Jamia Hamdard; and has written several books in English, Urdu, and Arabic.
Mahdi Hasan Shahjahanpuri (1882–1976), also known as Mufti Mehdi Hasan and Mahdi Hasan Gilani Qadri, was an Indian Islamic scholar and mufti. He served as grand mufti at Darul Uloom Deoband for twenty years. He was an alumnus of Madrasa Aminia and Darul Uloom Deoband. He was a student of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi and Kifayatullah Dehlawi. Along with jurisprudence, he also had access to hadith and biographical evaluation. His literary works include Rijāl-u-Kitāb al-Āthār, Sharh-u-Balāghāt-i-Muhammad Fī Kitāb al-Āthār, Al-la'ali al-Masnoo'ah fī al-Riwāyāti al-Marjoo'ah, and a critical commentary on certain ideas of Ibn Hazm in the Science of Hadith entitled As-Sayf al-mujalla 'ala al-Muḥalla. He has done research and commentary work on Muhammad al-Shaybani's two books, Kitab al-Hujjah Alā Ahl al-Madīnah and Kitab al-Āthār.
Habibur Rahman Azami, also written as Habibur Rahman Qasmi Azmi, was an Indian Islamic scholar, writer, and expert in the field of biographical evaluation of hadith narrators. He served as a professor of hadith at Darul Uloom Deoband. He served as the 6th editor-in-chief of Monthly Darul Uloom. He authored several books, including Shuyukh al-Imam Abi Dawud al-Sijistani fī Kitab al-Sunan, Tazkirah Ulama-e-Azamgarh, Ajodhya ke Islami Aathar, and Babri Masjid: Haqaiq aur Afsanay.