Allama Mufti Muhammed Ayyub Ashrafi Shamsi is among those Ulama who have devoted their lives for preaching of Islam. After serving for religious institutions in various Indian cities and making valuable efforts for the promotion of Ahle-Sunnah school of thought there, he came to England a few years ago. Presently, he is servng Noorul Islam mosque at Bolton. He has been a student of Hazrat Allama Mufti Muhammad Moeenuddin Ashrafi and student of Hazrat Syed Muhammed Mukhtar Ashraf Jilani Katchhochhvi and Khalifa of Hazrat Shaikhul Islam Syed Muhammad Madani Miyan.
Allama Mufti Muhammed Ayyub Ashrafi was born at Kotwest area of the Indian city of Sambhal district Muradabad, U.P. on August 1st 1966. The area is famous for its learned individuals both in the religious and secular education. His father Janab Abdul Hafeez Khan Ashrafi belongs to a well-to-do landlord family. His grandfather, Alhaaj Abdur Rashid Khan Ashrafi was a big landlord of the area.
Mufti Muhammed Ayyub Ashrafi read the Holy Quran at his home and then took admission for contemporary education. When he was in ninth class, his father got him admitted at Madrassa, Ashrafia Shamsul Uloom at Sambhal, Muradabad. Hazrat Allama Mufti Moeenuddin Saheb Ashrafi Shamsi was the administrator and founder of this Madrassa, who is the student of Hazrat Shamsul Ulama Qazi Shamsud Deen Jonpuri and mureed/khalifa of Hazrat Shaikhul Islam Syed Madani Mian Saheb Katchhochhvi.
Mufti M. Ayyub Ashrafi Shamsi studied mognst others, the books of Philosophy and Logic, Mullah Hasan, Mir Zahid, Qazi Bezavi, Tauzih Talweeh, Sharhe Ma'ani Aasaar. Sharhe Aqaa'd with Khayalaee etc. He was taught with great devotion and attention for many years and admitted to the gran institution Darul Uloom Ahle Sunnah where he continued to receive religious education for two years.
On the 5th May 1985, he was bestowed upon the first certificate and Dastaar-Fazilat, from this institution. Mufti M. Ayyub Ashrafi returned to Sambhal, Muradabad and undertook the course of Faazil-e-Darsiyaat. He also continued the study of Iftaa. At the age of 24, in 1990, he was bestowed upon the certificate of Faazil-e-Darsiyaat and Iftaa in the presence of prominent Ulama. After the ceremony, the head of Darul Uloom Ahle Sunnah Javalpur, Hazrat Syed Tanvir Miyan expressed his desire to assign teaching responsibilities to Mufti Saheb. Thus at the behest of Shaikhul Islam, he went to Jabalpur. When he was appointed as vice Shaikhul Hadith at Darul Uloom Jabalpur, on 6th July 1991, he was just 25 years of age and some of his students were older than their teacher. After teaching there for six years Allama Mufti Saheb was appointed as head teacher at Darul Uloom Noor-e-Muhammadi at Dayadrah, Bharuch, Gujrat. He taught there for two years.
On September 17th 1997 Mufti Saheb came to England for more than a few weeks because he was of the view that his teachings and intellectual objectives could not be fulfilled here. However the administration of Noor-ul-Islam Mosque Bolton asked him to deliver an hour-long lecture on the Holy Quran after Taraveeh prayer. Although he accepted the offer with open heart, yet he did not expect that the audience would listen to him with that much eagerness, interest and appreciate him. At the end of Ramadan, people told him they would not let him go back to India.
May allah give him the blessing and the strength to serve his religion, and safeguard his knowledge..Ameen
