Maulana Fazlur Rahman Azmi is a well-known Islamic scholar, a “Shaykhul Hadith” (Professor of Hadith) and has spent his life teaching, writing, and serving the community in India and South Africa.
He is also the Khalifa of Shaykh Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar’s Sufi Tariqa (Note: He is NOT a Khalifa of Maulana Zakariyya Kandhlawi as many claim)
As of May 2026, Maulana Fazlur Rahman Azmi is 79 years old.
Recognition
- Respected across the Muslim world for his deep knowledge.
- One senior scholar described him as “Shaykhul kul fil kul”, meaning the Shaykh of all, in all fields.
- Known by other scholars for his wide knowledge of Hadith, Tafsir, Fiqh, Arabic, and Qira’at.
Early Life
- Born on 7 January 1947 (14 Safar 1366 AH) in Maunath Bhanjan (Mau), Uttar Pradesh, India.
- He memorised the Quran under his father, Hafiz al-Rahman Azmi.
Education
- Completed his foundational, Arabic, and Islamic education in Mau, mainly at Madrasah Miftahul Ulum.
- Graduated top of his class in the final year (Dawrat al-Hadith) in 1966.
- After graduating, he specialised in Hadith and Ifta (Islamic legal rulings) under the well-known scholar Shaykh Habibur Rahman Azmi.
- He also learned the seven and ten modes of Quranic recitation (Qira’at).
His Early Teaching
- Began teaching at Miftahul Ulum, Mau, UP.
- Served at Madrasah Mazharul Ulum, Varanasi for about 4 years.
- Moved to Jami’a Islamiyya, Dabhel, Gujarat (1975 to 1986), where scholars described his teaching as very good across all subjects.
His move to South Africa
- Maulana Fazlur Rahman arrived in Azaadville, South Africa in 1986, where he has taught at Madrasah Arabiyyah Islamiyyah.
- He started the final-year Hadith programme (Dawrat al-Hadith) there in 1988.
- He teaches Sahih al-Bukhari and Sunan al-Tirmidhi among other major texts.
His Students
Many of Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s students have become well-known scholars, including:
- Mufti Ebrahim Desai, founder of Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah and AskImam.org, Durban.
- Shaykh Ahmed Buzrug, Principal of Jami’a Islamiyya, Dabhel.
- Shaykh Saeed Patel, Principal of Darul Uloom Bradford, England.
- Shaykh Yusuf Darwan, Shaykh al-Hadith, Darul Uloom Bradford.
- Shaykh Sulayman Choksi, Darul Uloom Zakariyya, South Africa.
- Mufti Marghub Ahmed Lajpuri, Dewsbury, England.
- Mufti Muhammad Saeed Motara, Darul Uloom Azaadville, among others.
His writings
- Maulana Fazlur Rahman has written over forty books.
- His notable works include introductions (muqaddimas) to Sahih al-Bukhari and Sunan al-Tirmidhi.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman Da’wah and Tabligh
- Maulana Fazlur Rahman is active in the work of Da’wah and Tabligh.
- He has travelled widely across South Africa and abroad, including to the UK, USA, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine, and many other countries.
- Currently (as of 2026) he is involved in Da’wa under the Maulana Saad spliter group of Tablighi Jamaat
- In May 2026 Maulana Fazlur Rahman made a few statements in defense of Maulana Saad. We have kept the article here.
Institutions
- Maulana Fazlur Rahman is the founder and patron of several Islamic institutions, including Darul Ulum Nu’maniyya in Chatsworth, Durban.
- He is the patron of Madrasah Rahmaniyya in Laudium and other institutes across India, the UK, and Africa.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s Spiritual Chain
- Contradictory to many, Maulana Fazlur Rahman is NOT the Khalifa of Hazrat Sheikh Maulana Zakariyya Kandhlawi.
- He only has a bay’at with Shaykh al-Hadith Maulana Zakariyya Kandhlawi, who told him to keep his spiritual relationship (islahi ta’alluq) with Mufti Mahmud.
- After Mufti Mahmud passed away, he took bay’at with Shaykh Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar, who later gave him the Khilafat (permission to guide others on the spiritual path).
- Proof of his Khilafa (in Arabic):
- Translation: “All praise is to Allah, and peace be upon His righteous servants. As for what follows, this is a letter of commendation for the noble, virtuous son, Fadl al-Rahman, from his guardian al-Mawla, and it has been permitted for him to narrate what he has memorised and studied of the books approved among the people of knowledge, and I advise him to fear Allah in himself and in his religious duties, and to follow the Sunnah and avoid the people of innovation, and to hold to the narrations of the Salaf, to honour them, to have good opinion of them, and to take from the scholars and those who gather and we ask Allah in our supplication and our longing that He guide him and us to what He loves and is pleased with. May Allah grant him success and make him upright – 1393 H (1973 CE)
