Shaykh Yusuf ibn Sulayman Motala

Shaykh Yusuf ibn Sulayman Motala, considered today by many as one of the greatest visionaries and preservers of the faith in the UK, was born 1366/1946 in Gujarat, India. He began his studies at Jamea Husainia in Rander, Gujarat and graduated from the renowned Mazahir Uloom in Saharanpur. He became one of the senior disciples of the late Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya
Kandhlawi. In 1387/1968, upon the instructions of his Shaykh, he immigrated to England to set up what has been heralded as the first Islamic seminary in the West, Darul Uloom Al-Arabiyyah Al-Islamiyyah in Holcombe, Bury, Lancashire. This seminary, established in 1392/1973, has succeeded in producing hundreds of scholars and alumni, who after studying under the Shaykh, are spread around the globe teaching and serving the religion of Allah. Shaykh Yusuf is also the founder and patron of numerous other Islamic institutions around the world, and is the author of several books. His Obedience to the Messenger (Ita’at al-Rasul) is particularly noteworthy in that his love and respect for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) can be seen deeply ingrained in every word in it. He currently holds the position as the rector and senior lecturer of hadith at the seminary, and has been teaching the Sahih al-Bukhari and other works for a number of years, along with fulfilling his position as a spiritual teacher to many.