After performing Isha Salah at Masjid Al-Fuqara in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, I inquired about Mufti Desai, as I didn’t know what he looked like. A brother pointed to an elderly man with a hunchback who was praying in a corner of the Masjid.
I prayed my Sunnah and Witr next to him, then greeted him. I introduced myself and requested if I could ask him a few questions and raise some concerns, to which he kindly agreed.
I asked why he had such a harsh approach in his writings, where he has accused several reputable scholars of this Ummah, such as Mufti Taqi Usmani, of “Kufr,” “Satanic,” and “bootlickers of atheists,” “losing their Iman”, among other slurs and ad hominem attacks. I expressed my concern that his approach contravenes the Prophetic ﷺ principles and the teachings of Dawa as elaborated in the Quran.
His initial response was, “I have a book on this topic where I have explained my approach.” We then walked to the section of the mosque where his writings were kept. After a short while, he couldn’t locate the book and remarked, “Do not look at my approach, but look at the disease.”
My follow-up question was, “Surely, your approach has to align with the Quran and Sunnah,” to which he replied, “Everything I write is in the Quran.”
Naturally, I asked for an example. He quoted an anecdote concerning a scholar and then cited a part of a verse from the Quran: “and be harsh upon them.” I pointed out that this verse refers to disbelievers [The full verse is: “O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.”]
He then mentioned the incident of Sayyiduna Musa (a.s) grabbing the beard of his brother, Sayyiduna Haroon (a.s). I responded that this incident, along with the anecdote he quoted, are specific occurrences. I questioned how particular incidents can be used when we have universal principles of Dawa. I added, “With all due respect, it seems your default position is to curse and be ad hominem.”
He insisted that he only accuses people like Mufti Taqi Usmani and others of kufr based on evidence. I replied, asking for this evidence, emphasising that for someone to be accused of kufr, definitive proof or complete rejection is necessary. It seems he accuses people based on matters where there is valid scope for difference.
He asserted, “No! There is no difference! The only people that disagree with me are Tablighis and the false scholars of this Ummah.” In addition, he emphasised that the Umma needs a person like him. Of course, this isn’t evidence at all.
While maintaining respect and dignity, I repeatedly asked Mufti Desai for evidence to support his volatile approach and the repugnant language he uses in nearly all his writings, especially when responding to others.
My final question was, “Don’t you think you are distancing people from Islam rather than bringing them closer?”
After this, he walked away, saying Salam without shaking my hand.
To be honest, I was disappointed and surprised that a person who is supposed to be a Mufti could not substantiate his approach, which includes regularly accusing others of disbelief and heresy. I sensed from him, with all due respect, that he believed he was some kind of saviour of this Umma who doesn’t care about anything except the ‘truth’, and that most people, including scholars, are upon clear falsehood.
After performing Isha Salah at Masjid Al-Fuqara in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, I inquired about Mufti Desai, as I didn’t know what he looked like. A brother pointed to an elderly man with a hunchback who was praying in a corner of the Masjid.
I prayed my Sunnah and Witr next to him, then greeted him. I introduced myself and requested if I could ask him a few questions and raise some concerns, to which he kindly agreed.
I asked why he had such a harsh approach in his writings, where he has accused several reputable scholars of this Ummah, such as Mufti Taqi Usmani, of “Kufr,” “Satanic,” and “bootlickers of atheists,” “losing their Iman”, among other slurs and ad hominem attacks. I expressed my concern that his approach contravenes the Prophetic ﷺ principles and the teachings of Dawa as elaborated in the Quran.
His initial response was, “I have a book on this topic where I have explained my approach.” We then walked to the section of the mosque where his writings were kept. After a short while, he couldn’t locate the book and remarked, “Do not look at my approach, but look at the disease.”
My follow-up question was, “Surely, your approach has to align with the Quran and Sunnah,” to which he replied, “Everything I write is in the Quran.”
Naturally, I asked for an example. He quoted an anecdote concerning a scholar and then cited a part of a verse from the Quran: “and be harsh upon them.” I pointed out that this verse refers to disbelievers [The full verse is: “O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them. And their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the destination.”]
He then mentioned the incident of Sayyiduna Musa (a.s) grabbing the beard of his brother, Sayyiduna Haroon (a.s). I responded that this incident, along with the anecdote he quoted, are specific occurrences. I questioned how particular incidents can be used when we have universal principles of Dawa. I added, “With all due respect, it seems your default position is to curse and be ad hominem.”
He insisted that he only accuses people like Mufti Taqi Usmani and others of kufr based on evidence. I replied, asking for this evidence, emphasising that for someone to be accused of kufr, definitive proof or complete rejection is necessary. It seems he accuses people based on matters where there is valid scope for difference.
He asserted, “No! There is no difference! The only people that disagree with me are Tablighis and the false scholars of this Ummah.” In addition, he emphasised that the Umma needs a person like him. Of course, this isn’t evidence at all.
While maintaining respect and dignity, I repeatedly asked Mufti Desai for evidence to support his volatile approach and the repugnant language he uses in nearly all his writings, especially when responding to others.
My final question was, “Don’t you think you are distancing people from Islam rather than bringing them closer?”
After this, he walked away, saying Salam without shaking my hand.
To be honest, I was disappointed and surprised that a person who is supposed to be a Mufti could not substantiate his approach, which includes regularly accusing others of disbelief and heresy. I sensed from him, with all due respect, that he believed he was some kind of saviour of this Umma who doesn’t care about anything except the ‘truth’, and that most people, including scholars, are upon clear falsehood.
Telegram channels enable users to broadcast messages to multiple users simultaneously. Like on social media, users need to subscribe to your channel to get access to your content published by one or more administrators. Joined by Telegram's representative in Brazil, Alan Campos, Perekopsky noted the platform was unable to cater to some of the TSE requests due to the company's operational setup. But Perekopsky added that these requests could be studied for future implementation. The imprisonment came as Telegram said it was "surprised" by claims that privacy commissioner Ada Chung Lai-ling is seeking to block the messaging app due to doxxing content targeting police and politicians. Deputy District Judge Peter Hui sentenced computer technician Ng Man-ho on Thursday, a month after the 27-year-old, who ran a Telegram group called SUCK Channel, was found guilty of seven charges of conspiring to incite others to commit illegal acts during the 2019 extradition bill protests and subsequent months. Telegram Android app: Open the chats list, click the menu icon and select “New Channel.”
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