Ahmad Kutty

2020-12-02T12:22:39Z

99.237.197.118:

{{Like resume|date=November 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
{{short description|20th and 21st-century Indian Islamic scholar}}
{{Infobox scholar
| name = Ahmad Kutty
| image =
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| othernames =
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = 1946
| birth_place = Edayur, [[Valanchery]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]
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| alma_mater = Islamiya College Santapuram
Islamic University of Madinah
University of Toronto
| school_tradition =
| main_interests = Islam
| principal_ideas = Moderation
| major_works =
| awards = One of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World
| influences =
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}}

'''Shaikh Ahmad Kutty''' (born 1946 in [[Valanchery]], [[Kerala]], [[India]]), is a prominent North American [[Islam]]ic scholar. He is currently senior resident Islamic scholar at the [[Islamic Institute of Toronto]]<ref name="Kutty">[http://islamicinstitute.ca/Instructor-Bio.aspx?i=2/Ahmad Kutty]</ref> and has taught at Emanuel College of the University of Toronto as an adjunct instructor.<ref>[http://www.emmanuel.utoronto.ca/coned/muslimstudies/background/muslimcourses1014.htm/ "Fiqh of Muslim Minorities in Canada"]</ref> He is the father of [[Faisal Kutty]].

==Early education and background==
Shaikh Kutty graduated in the traditional Islamic sciences and received the [[Ijazah]] (title) of ''al-Faqih fi al-ddeen'' (first rank) from [[Islamiya College Santapuram]], a leading Islamic institution in south India.<ref>[http://www.mwlcanada.org/home/kutty.htm Sheikh Ahmad Kutty CV]</ref> He served as an editor for the Jamaat Kerala mouthpiece Probadhanam.<ref>[http://www.prabodhanam.net "Probodhanam"]</ref> During his tenure he also translated [[Sayyid Qutb]]'s Social Justice (al-adalatul ijtimaiyyah fi al-Islam) into Malayalam (first published in 1969). (Note: i.p.h publications no:74, Islamic Publishing House, Calicut, Kerala, India).<ref name="Kutty"/>

Shaikh Kutty earned a scholarship to study at the [[Islamic University of Madinah]], [[Saudi Arabia]], from where he obtained his Licentiate in ''Usul al-Ddeen'' (first rank passing at the top of his class in 1972).

In 1972, he arrived in [[Canada]] with a scholarship to pursue his M.A. in Islamic studies from the [[University of Toronto]]. He went on to further his doctoral studies at the [[McGill University Institute of Islamic Studies]] where he earned scholarships (from 1975 to 1980) to pursue his research under the supervision of Professor Charles Adams<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://reporter-archive.mcgill.ca/Rep/r2917/emeriti.html/ |title=Professor Charles Adams |access-date=2014-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304220455/http://reporter-archive.mcgill.ca/Rep/r2917/emeriti.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Prof. A. Üner Turgay.<ref>[https://www.mcgill.ca/islamicstudies/people/emeritus-and-retired-professors/uener-turgay/ "Professor A. Uner Turgay"]</ref> The Institute, established in 1952 by [[Wilfred Cantwell Smith]], is the first institute of Islamic studies in [[North America]].

During a visit to India in 1976, an arrest warrant was issued for Shaikh Kutty under [[The Emergency (India)]] declared by Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]]’s administration mainly (for his translation work with Islamic Publishing House and Probodhanam Weekly, the mouthpiece of Kerala Jamaate). In India, "the Emergency" refers to a 21-month period in 1975–77 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi unilaterally had a state of emergency declared across the country. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352(1) of the Constitution for "internal disturbance", the Emergency was in effect from 25 June 1975 until its withdrawal on 21 March 1977.<ref name="valpo.edu">{{cite web | url=https://www.valpo.edu/law/conversations-on-law-and-society | title=Conversations on Law and Society | publisher=Valparaiso University Law | accessdate=7 September 2019 }}</ref>

His son [[Faisal Kutty]] recounts as one of his earliest childhood memories as running from safe house to safe house, until the family was able to leave India.<ref name="valpo.edu"/>

In 2003, Shaikh Kutty made international headlines when he and [[Imam]] [[Abdul Hamid]] were detained and held in a Fort Lauderdale jail after disembarking from their flight on 11 September.<ref name="commondreams.org">{{Cite web |url=http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0916-09.htm |title=A Chilling Message to Muslims |access-date=2007-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121002210/http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0916-09.htm |archive-date=2006-11-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The two were travelling to Florida to speak at an Islamic conference. He is a well-known scholar, preacher and speaker on Islam and Muslims. He was also one of the first and most vocal imams to condemn the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in the same day in a [[Friday Sermon]] at the Islamic Center of Toronto.

Furthermore, among the topics to be discussed at the conference in Orlando was the dangers of extremism and fanaticism. After returning to Canada, Shaikh Kutty asked:{{quote|But if the American immigration officials can go after me and Hamid who are well-known for preaching moderation, what happens to ordinary Muslims?<ref name="commondreams.org"/>}}

==Career==

Shaikh Kutty served as an Imam in various mosques and Islamic centers in Montreal during his McGill days. He then held the following positions:<ref name="Kutty"/>

* 1973–1975: Assistant Director: Islamic Center of Toronto
* 1979–1982: Director/Imam: Islamic Center of Toronto
* 1984–1995: Director/Imam Islamic Foundation of Toronto
* 1996—Resident Scholar & Senior Lecturer, Islamic Institute of Toronto

He has also been a khatib (preacher) at various centers/mosques in Toronto including the Islamic Center of Canada, Islamic Center of Toronto, Masjid Toronto, Tariq Mosque, etc.

Shaikh Kutty has served on the [[Fiqh Council of North America]], the pre-eminent Islamic law body on the continent. He has served as Imam and resident scholar at various institutions in [[Montreal]] and [[Toronto]], including Toronto's Jami Mosque and the [[Islamic Foundation of Toronto]]. He is currently resident scholar at the [[Islamic Institute of Toronto]].

He is a prolific writer and has written a number of articles, books and journal articles. He was a regular scholar answering [[Sharia|Islamic law]] questions on [[IslamOnline]]<ref name="AL136">{{cite book |last1=André Leysen |title=Islam & Europe: Crises are Challenges |year=2010 |publisher=Lueven University Press |page=136 & 138 |isbn=9789058677396 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BXqrT0UJZekC&q=kutty&pg=PT138 |accessdate=8 April 2020}}</ref><ref name="GL66">{{cite book |last1=Göran Larsson |title=Muslims and the New Media: Historical and Contemporary Debates |date=22 April 2016 |publisher=Routledge |page=66, 130, 138, 141 & 152 |isbn=9781317091035 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W8QFDAAAQBAJ&q=sheikh+ahmad+kutty&pg=PA141 |accessdate=8 April 2020}}</ref> and OnIslam.net, and presently on AboutIslam.net and AsktheScholar.com. In addition to his participation in lectures, seminars and inter-faith dialogues in North America, Shaikh Kutty is invited as a guest speaker in functions all over the world. His Fatwas have been translated into a number of languages, including French, Bengali and Malayalam.

Initially a sympathizer of [[Jamaat-e-Islami Hind]] and [[Abul A'la Maududi]] and a proponent of the [[Salafi movement]], he has become disillusioned by these movements and now calls for return to the spiritual message of Islam à la [[Abu Hamid al-Ghazali|Imam Ghazali]]. He propounds a flexible approach to Islam in contemporary times. His speech to the [[Students Islamic Organisation of India]] Kerala annual conference in 2012 focusing on the crisis in the Muslim world is illustrative of his view and approach.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_jaM9E-O8s/ "ISLAMIC ACADEMIC CONFERENCE SIO KERALA (2012) – Shaikh Ahmad Kutty"]</ref> Shaikh Kutty was one of the 120 imams across Canada who signed a statement condemning acts of [[terrorism]]. The statement coordinated by the [[Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations]] read:
{{quote|Anyone who claims to be a Muslim and participates in any way in the taking of innocent life is betraying the very spirit and letter of Islam.<ref>[http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11764/canadian-imams-condemn-acts-of-terror Canadian imams condemn acts of terror]</ref>}}

== Bibliography ==
Shaikh Kutty is a prolific writer who has authored many books, papers, scholar courses etc.<ref name="Kutty" />

=== Scholarly papers/works/publications ===
# ''Living the Path: Lessons from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (2014) ''
# ''You Wanted to Know: Questions & Answers on Islam (2014) ''
# ''Ramadan and Fasting: A concise Guide (2014). ''
# ''Ali Mazrui: A Post-Modern Ibn Khaldun: Reflections on the legacy of Professor Mazrui (1933 – 2014 ''
# ''Dr. Zafar Ishaq Ansari (1932–2016): Humble Muslim, Brilliant Academic ''
# ''Ghazali’s method of Spiritual Therapy ''
# ''An analytical study of Ibn Taymiyyahs al-Aqidat al-Wasitiyyah (1978) ''
# ''An analytical study of Ibn Khalduns Shifa al-sail fi tahdhib al-masaail (1976) ''
# ''Al-Nass wa al-ikhtiyaar fi al-khilafah: A Comparative Study of the Sunni and the Shiah Theories of Khilafah/Imamah (1982) ''
# ''Kitab al-Tawhid of Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (d. 944): A report on his work with reference to his role in the development of Kalam (1978) ''
# ''Abolition of Khilafah and the reaction of the Muslim world (1976) ''
# ''Shah Waliullahs Concept of Shariah (1979) ''
# ''Ibn Taymiyyahs Attitude towards Sufism (1979) ''
# ''Islamic Funeral Rites (1991) ''
# ''Social Justice in Islam: A translation of Sayyid Qutbs al-adalatul ijtimaiyyah fi al-islam into Malayalam (4th edition, 1987)''
# ''Miscellaneous articles published in various newspapers/magazines''

=== Courses taught ===
# ''Evolution of Fiqh and Emergence of the Schools of Jurisprudence ''
# ''Fiqh al-Hadith: A Study of Muwatta of Imam Malik ''
# ''Readings in Sahih al-Bukhari ''
# ''Islamic Ethics: Readings in Riyad al-Saliheen ''
# ''Fiqh of Priorities ''
# ''Fiqh of Minorities ''
# ''Islamic Ethics and Morals in Light of the Qur’an ''
# ''Studies in Islamic Spirituality based on Imam Ghazzalis Ihya ulum al-Ddeen ''
# ''An analytical Study of Aqidah Tahawiyyah ''
# ''Marriage and Family in Islam ''
# ''Comparative Religions ''
# ''Fiqh al-Zakah ''
# ''Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (Usul al-Fiqh) ''
# ''A Thematic Study of Surah Yusuf ''

==Honors and awards==
Shaikh Ahmad Kutty was considered one of ''[[The 500 Most Influential Muslims|The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World]]''.<ref>[http://themuslim500.com/downloads/2009-low.pdf The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227214951/http://themuslim500.com/downloads/2009-low.pdf |date=2017-02-27 }}, ed. by Professor Exposito & Professor Ibrahim Kalin of Georgetown University</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.askthescholar.com/Default.aspx AskTheScholar.com] – Ask The Scholar is Ahmad Kutty's personal website
* [http://www.halaladvisory.ca/halal-101 "Halal 101 – Sharia Advisory Committee"] Web. August 2014

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutty}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Islamic University of Madinah alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]]
[[Category:Malayali people]]

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Ahmad Kutty