Shaykh Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada, born in 1946 in Jhang, Pakistan, is a graduate of DMG Bhera and the University of the Punjab (Pakistan). His qualifications include Adib, ‘Alim and Fadil ‘Arabi, BA (English), MA (Islamic Studies), MA (Arabic) and MOL.

Inspired by his teacher, mentor and spiritual guide, the late Diya’ al-Ummat, Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (ra), he founded the educational establishment, Jamia Al-Karam, in 1985 and the Al-Karam Secondary School in 1995. At present he is also Chairman of Muslim Charity; helping the needy worldwide, Executive Director of Al-Karam Trust (London), Founder of Al-Karam Publications and Patron of the Al-Karam Scholars Association (AKSA). He is also a Founder Member of the British Muslim Forum.

He is the author of numerous books relating to various topics - written in a number of different languages including Arabic, Urdu and English. Currently many of his books are being translated into the Indonesian and Norwegian languages.

His works include: Islamic way of Worship, Islam; the complete way of life, Islamic Beliefs, The beautiful life of Muhammad, Imdad-us-Sarf (Etymology), Imdad-un-Nahv (Syntax), Imdad al-Fiqh fi’l-Ibadat, Guldasta Aqa’id and Muslims in a Multicultural Society. At present he is writing Tafseer Imdad-ul-Karam; a modern exegesis of the Qur’an and the first to be written in the west.

His recent publications include: Reflections, a quest for answers to today's questions; Human Rights, in light of the Qur'an and Sunna; The Ideal Mother; In light of the Qur’an, Sunna and Tradition. He continuously writes articles on contemporary issues affecting the Muslims, nationally and internationally, that regularly appear in newspapers and journals as well as exclusives in the Al-Karam Journal.

Shaykh Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada is a shaykh in the Chishti Nizami Sufi Order given ijaza by his shaykh, spiritual mentor and teacher, Diya’ al-Ummat, Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (ra). He was also granted ijaza in the Qadiri Sufi Order and was awarded with the direct ijaza in the Chishti Sufi Order coming from the astana of Shaykh Mu’in ad-Din of Ajmayr. He has also been given the ijaza of narrating the prominent Dala’il al-Khayrat of Imam al-Jazuli (ra), a treatise recited in all Sufi orders. Dr. Ahmad ‘Umar Hashim of the Al-Azhar University awarded him with the sanad of hadith narration. Shaykh Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada comes from a very religious and spiritual family. His father, Shaykh Gul Muhammad al-Qadiri, and his elder brother, Shaykh Muhammad Karam Husayn al-Qadiri, were both shuyukh in the Qadiri Sufi Order.

Shaykh Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada has not only continuously served the Muslims in terms of setting up educational establishments in the form of schools and disseminating knowledge in the form of his several literary masterpieces, he has also continuously been preoccupied in serving humanity in general in terms of humanitarian aid to all the needy worldwide. The passion of helping the needy led him to establish Muslim Charity; a charity completely run by volunteers with no paid workers in the United Kingdom. His determination led him to travel to Banda Aceh, Indonesia, following the Asian Tsunami where he spent the days of Eid al-Adha helping and providing a shoulder of support to the victims of the disaster and he spent the nights sleeping on the floor of shattered mosques as everything in Banda Aceh was wiped out. He has established the Gyne Hospital Jhang in Pakistan, which went from an idea in his mind to a serving centre of remarkable repute within a short span of twenty months. The success of this hospital has led him to begin his second major project, Gyne Hospital Faisalabad, which will be completed close to the month of Ramadan 2006. Following the recent Asian earthquake, he with the support of Shaykh Muhammad Amin al-Hasanat Shah has provided over one hundred and fifteen steel-structured new homes for the homeless in Kashmir. Sixty of these new homes have been built in one village that has now been officially renamed ‘Al-Karam Village’ and was opened by the former president of Kashmir, Sardar Abdul Qayyum.

Despite his success in all these areas of service to humanity, his main aim and focus remains at Jamia Al-Karam of educating the Muslim youth and producing Islamic scholars. At the present moment, over a hundred of his students have graduated from Jamia Al-Karam and are serving the Muslims throughout the country. His Al-Karam Secondary School has produced a GCSE pass rate of 100% (A*-C grades) in 2005 and has acquired first position in the entire county of Nottinghamshire.

In July 2001, he was awarded the ad-Dir’ul Mumtaz (Shield of Excellence) by the former Chancellor, Dr Ahmad ‘Umar Hashim on behalf of the University of Al-Azhar (Cairo) and was also awarded the Diya’ al-Ummat Award of Excellence by Shaykh Muhammad Amin al-Hasanat Shah on behalf of DMG Bhera (Pakistan). Shaykh Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada remains a modest and humble individual; to whom Allah (most high) has granted much wisdom and knowledge. He is an inspiration and guide to many. May Allah (most high) grant him a long and healthy life and give him more strength to propagate the true message of Islam. Amin.

Shaykh Muhammad Amin al-Hasanat Shah al-Qurashi

He is Muhammad Amin al-Hasanat Shah al-Qurashi al-Hashimi, the son of Muhammad Karam Shah, the son of Muhammad Shah, the son of Amir Shah, the son of Shah, the son of Shams ad-Din Shah, the son of Abdullah Shah, the son of Muhammad Ghawth, the son of Ghulam Muhammad Husayn Shah, the son of Shaykh Muhammad, the son of Shaykh Mahmud, the son of Shaykh Ahmad, the son of Shaykh Nizam ad-Din, the son of Shaykh Shams ad-Din Lahuri, the son of Shaykh Sadr ad-Din, the son of Shaykh Shahrullah Sajjada, the son of Shaykh Yusuf, the son of Shaykh ‘Amad ad-Din, the son of Shaykh Rukn ad-Din Samarqandi, the son of Sadr ad-Din Haji, the son of Shaykh Isma’il Shahid, the son of Shaykh al-Islam Sadr ad-Din ‘Arif billah, the son of Shaykh al-Masha’ikh Baha’ ad-Din Zakariyya Multani (Allah have mercy upon them).

Shaykh al-Masha’ikh Baha’ ad-Din Zakariyya Multani (566 – 665 AH) was one of the greatest Gnostics and spiritual leaders of his time, who is well-known for writing with his own hands the literary masterpiece and treatise on tasawwuf  of ‘Ali ibn Uthman al-Hajwayri, the ‘Kashf al-Mahjub’ (the unveiling of the veiled). Shaykh al-Masha’ikh Baha’ ad-Din Zakariyya Multani is a direct descendant of the Prophet’s Companion, Habbar ibn al-Aswad, who is from the Prophet’s tribe of Quraysh and to whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated, “Cursed is he who curses you.”

Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat was born in Bhera, Punjab, on 25th Rajab 1369 AH (9th May 1950).  His father is the late Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (ra). Following family tradition, Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat began learning the holy Qur’an at the tender age of four and half years and completed the memorisation of the entire Qur’an at an early age.  After memorising the holy Qur’an, within one year he completed all the classes of primary school and in the next three months completed the three years of middle school.  After spending a year at Sadiqabad (district Bahawalpur), he returned and entered the ninth grade of Government High School Bhera.  He completed matriculation in 1968 gaining first division.  Following matriculation he completed the traditional Islamic sciences and disciplines of dars nizami (jurisprudence, Qur’anic exegesis, prophetic tradition, language and grammar, literature and rhetoric, logic, etc.) within six years at DMG Bhera.  He studied the intensive course on hadith literature with his noble father and also Shaykh al-Hadith Muhammad Mi’raj al-Islam.  For further expertise in usul al-fiqh and ‘ulum al-hadith, his father chose to have his keen and enthusiastic son study with Jami’ al-Ma’qul wa’l-Manqul ‘Allama Muntakhab al-Haqq al-Qadiri.  During 1978-79 he stayed in Karachi and studied contemporary Arabic with the two Azhari scholars, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Jawwad and Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ghani.  Upon returning from Karachi, he completed MA (Arabic) at the University of the Punjab.  After his marriage in 1979, within a year he travelled to the holy city of Makka (KSA) and enrolled in Umm al-Qura University and for the next five years gained expertise in Islamic Law.  He returned to his homeland in 1985.

In 1968, a national union by the name of ‘The Islamic Students’ Society’ was formed in Karachi. Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat during his student years became the head of its Bhera branch.  Shortly after, the mass movement of Tahrik Khatm Nubuwwat (finality of prophethood) of 1974 began.  The youthful and energetic Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat approached the leading shuyukh and ‘ulama and with their approval took responsibility for leading the young Muslims against the evil ideology of Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani who claimed to be a prophet and declared his followers Muslim.  A national movement was initiated and Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat led the Muslim youth in this campaign of truth against falsehood.  The fierce campaign to raise the banner of the final prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led by Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat was blessed with great success.  As a result, followers of the ahmadiyya community attacked Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat by night in an attempt to assassinate him; however, such an act was to no avail as Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat was destined to serve Islam much more in his life.  The national movement eventually led to the Pakistani government officially declaring the ahmadiyya community a non-Muslim minority in Pakistan. During the premiership of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, another national movement rose by the name of Nizam Mustafa (way of the Prophet) that came about as a result of Bhutto’s policies and open declaration of making Socialism the modus operandi of Pakistan.  The general populace could not accept a system based upon Marx and Lenin to be implemented in their homeland and, thus, this movement began being led by eminent shuyukh and ‘ulama.  During this time, Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat’s father was imprisoned by the regime.  Hence, in the absence of his father, Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat continued his noble father’s mission and led the people of Pakistan along with other shuyukh and ‘ulama under the banner of Nizam Mustafa.

Since the death of Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat’s beloved father, the service to Islam has excelled further due to his sincerity, commitment and determination.  At the present moment Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat is Principal of the educational institution of DMG Bhera in which over thirteen hundred students are continuously studying and are blessed to be under his watchful eye.  He is also the Principal of Ghawthiyya Girls College Bhera in which over nine hundred Muslim sisters are learning the beauties and sciences of Islam.  In addition, there are over one hundred and fifty smaller branches of these two central institutions throughout Pakistan and in other countries that are also being overlooked by Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat.  In the entire network of these centres of Islamic learning, over twenty five thousand male and female students are benefiting from the teachings of Islam taught by those who have mastered the sciences at the hands of Diya’ al-Ummat (ra) and are continuously being supervised by Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat.  He travels around the world extensively teaching and promoting the true message of Islam. He is also very active in the national affairs of his country and openly gives his support and advice where needed. Equally, he fearlessly makes the ruling elite aware of their mistakes and shortcomings in an attempt to better the lives of Muslims and to protect the dignity of their faith.

Allah (most high) has bestowed the honourable Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat with qualities that attract others towards the beauty of Islam.  His appealing and passionate speeches always strike a chord in the hearts of the audience.  They are immediately impressed, captivated and spiritually uplifted.  He is full of sincerity and relentlessly joins with others in times of difficulty and grief.  Hence, we see him helping, providing humanitarian aid and coordinating relief efforts for the needy around the world.  He is a very capable administrator and leader.  He is very patient and considerate and conceals the errors of others.  He respects greatly all those who are from the family of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).  A brave and understanding figure; he is an inspiration to many; young and old alike. He resembles the personality of his noble father in every way. Shaykh Amin al-Hasanat is the rightful torchbearer of truth and spirituality.  Just by seeing and being in his presence, eyes are cooled, hearts are solaced and souls are comforted.  Despair and hopelessness transform into joy and happiness.