Ilyas Qadri

Muhammad Ilyas Qadri
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Born	(1950-07-12) July 12, 1950Hijri date of 26th Ramadan 1369
Academic background
Influences	Prophet Muhammad, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan
Academic work
School or tradition	Sunni - Hanafi
Main interests	Islamic philosophy, Hadith, Tassawwuf, Dawah
Notable ideas	Dawat-e-Islami ad Madani Channel
Influenced	Haji Muhammad Imran Attari, Mufti Muhammad Akmal Qadri, Muhamamd Amar Shahzad Attari

Muhammad Ilyas Qadri (Arabic: محمد الياس قادرى) is a Pakistan born scholar of the Sunni and Sufi sect in Islam. He is the author of numerous books on Islamic topics, published by Dawat-e-Islami. Honorary titles bestowed upon him include Ameer e Ahle Sunnat (Urdu: امیر اہلسنت – "Leader of the People of the Sunnah").

Early life

Hazrat Allama Maulana Muhammad Abu Bilal Ilyas Qadri says he was born in 1950 in the Bombay Bazar area of Karachi, he was born in to the aqida of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaat (Barelwi) and his family in Pakistan were a middle class family of Memon background, but the family suffered immense poverty after his father died in 1951 whilst performing the Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj

Alongside various menial occupations to support his brother and in keeping the remaining members of his household, he states that he also studied the traditional sciences of Islam including the Dars e Nizami syllabus and beyond, under the tutelage of Mufti Waqar ud Deen - a prominent Islamic scholar of that time.

"Allah Kay Naam Se Shuroo, Jo Bara Meherbaan aur Rehum Farmaney Wala hai"!!! Aik koshish jo kae aik "Islami Bhai" naey Kie hai uss mein "Murshid" Damatbarakatuhum Aaliah Kie Buhut si kutub hain!!! Uss Ka link ya Reference Yeh hai!!! Faizan-e-Raza Books about Ameer-e- Ahl-e-Sunnat

He states that he was married on a Friday afternoon in 1977 shortly before the Ju'mma prayer, at the age of 28. His nikah was performed by his teacher and mentor, Mufti Waqar ud Deen. Shortly after this, his elder brother died, and the responsibility of keeping the entire household fell solely on his shoulders. Whilst by his own admission already of a religious inclination, he says that this incident made him yet more serious in his endeavors and lead ultimately to the founding of Dawat e Islami.

Founding of Dawat-e-Islami

Main article: Dawat-e-Islami

Ameer e Ahle Sunnat Sayyidi Muhammad Ilyas Qadri describes how the death of his older brother, and the burden of keeping his family intensified his religious sentiments, that he began to limit his circle of friends to those of a religious mindset. His close companions used to accompany him to recite Islamic litanies and naat at the graveside of his brother, which lead to a series of speeches delivered on various aspects of Islam. This grassroots movement took hold, through congregations consisting of speeches and du'a's, which eventually became the foundation of Dawat-e-Islami. An increase in the size of the crowd led for these congregations to be twice moved to larger mosques, before the purchase of a large, derelict piece of land in Karachi's old industrial district, where an international headquarters has been built by the name of Faizan e Madinah (Urdu: فیضان مدینہ - the Blessings of Madinah).