Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri (born 1950) is a Pakistani Islamic scholar who is the leader of Dawat-e-Islami since it's foundation. He belongs to the Qadri–Razavi order of Sufism. A Kutchi Memon, Qadri was born in Karachi and studied under Muhammad Waqaruddin Qadri at Darul Uloom Amjadia. He was authorized in Sufism by Fazlur Rahman and Waqaruddin Qadri. His Dawat-e-Islami is a non-political global organization of Barelvi Sunnis spread over 195+ countries. He has around 30 million disciples all over the world.

Early life and education

His Kutchi Memon ancestors originated from the village of Kutyanah in Junagarh, Gujarat, India. His father held various positions at the Hanafi Memon Mosque in Pakistan for an extended period. Following the establishment of Pakistan, his parents relocated to the country, initially settling in Hyderabad, Sindh before eventually moving to Karachi. Ilyas Qadri was born on July 12, 1950, in Karachi. His father, Abdur Rahman Qadri, was commonly referred to with the title "Haji" due to his purported passing while undertaking the hajj pilgrimage. Qadri pursued his studies for approximately 22 years under the tutelage of the esteemed scholar Muhammad Waqaruddin Qadri at Darul Uloom Amjadia in Karachi.

Career

Dawat-e-Islami

Dawat-e-Islami has contributed towards the promotion of Islamic education. It has established madrasas where children and adults learn and memorize the Quran, and Jamia-tul-Madina where the Dars-e-Nizami curriculum is taught. Dawat-e-Islami has departments including Islamic Jurisprudence, Madani Channel, Madrasa tul Madinah, Jamia-tul-Madina, Departments of Mosque Service, Madani Inamat and Madani Qafila.

Sufism

Ilyas Qadri became a murid of Ziauddin Madani, himself a disciple of Ahmad Raza Khan. Fazlur Rahman and Waqar-ud Din authorized him in Sufism. Shariful Haq Amjadi authorized him in all the four major Sufi orders, Qadiriyyah, Chishtiyyah, Naqshbandiyyah, and Suhrawardiyya. Amjadi also gave him ijazah to transmit ahadith.

Books

The author of some 30 books, along with his major work Faizan-e-Sunnat in 2 volumes and more than 2000 pages, his other publications include:

Criticism