Understanding Mufti Ismail Menk’s Methodology: A Critical Analysis

Is Mufti Ismail Menk Salafi or Hanafi? Clarifying His Beliefs and Teachings

Question: What is the ruling on listening to the statements of Mufti Ismail Menk?

Answer: Mufti Ismail Menk does not clarify his methodology in his statements, which leads the general public to doubt what his beliefs and methodology are. Some people even suspect that he is Salafi, while the reality is that despite studying in Madinah, he has no connection to Salafism. Research indicates that he belongs to the Hanafi school of thought.

He was born in Zimbabwe and graduated from Dar Al-Uloom Harare, after which he studied in Madinah. He then completed a course in fatwa at Dar Al-Uloom Arabiyyah Kantharia in Bharuch, Gujarat, which is why he is referred to as a mufti. Dar Al-Uloom Kantharia is a Hanafi institution.

Mufti Ismail Menk’s father, Maulana Musa Menk, is also a scholar and graduated from a Deobandi institution in Saharanpur. He is fluent in Urdu. There is an audio interview available on the internet where Maulana Musa Menk introduces his son and states that Ismail Menk is not Salafi but Hanafi, and that in Zimbabwe, there are only two groups of Muslims: Hanafi and Shafi’i, with no Salafi group present.

Since Mufti Ismail Menk is a Hanafi, and Hanafis typically hold Ash’ari or Maturidi beliefs and are often affiliated with some Sufi order, it is not correct to seek knowledge from him or listen to his statements.

It should be understood that Mufti Ismail Menk conceals his methodology; he has not mentioned his Hanafi affiliation or his course in fatwa from the Hanafi institution in Gujarat on his YouTube channel profile or website, so that people remain unaware of his beliefs and methodology. His name appears on Wikipedia, which mentions Dar Al-Uloom Kantharia and states that he is Ash’ari in his beliefs.

✍ Sheikh Maqbool Ahmad Salafi حفظہ اللہ

❪Jeddah Dawah Center – Al Salamah – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)