Mufti Aasim Rashid
Islamic Scholar, Educator
Mufti Aasim Rashid is a Muslim scholar, educator, public speaker, author, and community leader. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and embarked on a lengthy journey to seek Islamic knowledge. He has since devoted his life to imparting knowledge, wisdom, and motivation to the masses. He has delivered lectures around the world and served numerous communities, making substantial contributions wherever he has served.
Upon graduation, Mufti Aasim Rashid was appointed as a teacher at Jaamiah Ajax, where he taught various levels of the Dars Niẓāmī syllabus including major books of fiqh, tafsīr and hadith.
He later shifted to Montreal as the imam of a major Islamic center, while continuing to teach hadith at Jaamia Ajax as a visiting professor. It was during this time that he laid the foundation for his own institution, now known as the Al Ihsan Educational Foundation. This Foundation operates a dār al-ʿulūm seminary program, as well as educational programs for all levels of learning. Some of Mufti Aasim’s students who studied at Al-Ihsan and are now active in spreading the deen of Allah include
- Shaykh Sheryar Bashir;
- Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed;
- Shaykh Oosman Mustoofa;
- Shaykh Adil Ahmad;
- Mufti Taha Masood;
- Mufti Ali Syed;
- Mufti Nabil Khan;
- Shaykh Sami El-Shaykh;
- Shaykh Usama Raja;
- Shaykh Numan Goraya
- Shaykh Owais Siddiqui;
- Shaykh Khalid Sidat;
- Hafiz Hammadullah Qazi;
- Shaykh Ali Hofioni;
- Aalima Hanna Meyer
- Aalima Hafsa Farooqui
- and more scholars and Huffāz.
Mufti Aasim held the position of Director of Religion and Islamic Education for the B.C. Muslim Association, a large Islamic organization operating a wide network of mosques and schools in Canada, from 2010 to 2015.
He then commenced work on create a new model for religious education in Islamic schools, a project that took him to Australia in 2018, where he completed, tested, and refined a new educational system for Islamic schools in the West. This new system, “Ihsan Quest,” significantly raises the standards and learning outcomes for what is known as ‘Islamic Education” today. It empowers students to understand modern applications of the teachings and solutions to contemporary issues.
Aside from this, he has designed and delivered a vast range of specialized courses and programs, full-time and part-time, many of which are available through Al Ihsan.
In 2016, Mufti Aasim launched a new initiative called Islam Unravelled under the umbrella of the Al Ihsan Educational Foundation. This is an outreach educational program for government-based and private organizations to help them better understand Islam and Muslims so they can have more effective and meaningful engagement with Muslim clients, colleagues, or partners. Islam Unravelled also conducts programs for the masses, has a strong anti-Islamophobia and anti-racism portfolio of programs. Click here for more information.
He continues to teach a wide range of subjects, with special focus on hadith compilations such as Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Sunan Abī Dāwūd, and Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ; as well as takhaṣṣuṣ fī’l fiqh to students at advanced levels of knowledge.
He conducts weekly lectures on hadith and tafsīr, as well as workshops and seminars on crucial contemporary issues. He is a well-known speaker at Islamic events and academic institutions, and spiritual mentor for many people.
Mufti Aasim advises and guides various Islamic organizations, institutions and schools. He also advises on matters of Islamic finance, and issues rulings (fatwā) to religious inquiries.
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
Islamic Sciences (Dars Niẓāmī)
- Jaamiah al-Uloom al-Islamiyyah Ajax, Ontario-Intensive studies in Islamic sciences.
- Jamia Islamiyya Dabhel, Gujarat India-further studies
- Jamia Taleem ul-Islam, Dewsbury, UK-completion of ʿālim course with distinctive honours
Specializations
Islamic Jurisprudence and Fatwā (al-fiqh al-islamī and iftāʾ)
- Jaamiah al-Uloom al-Islamiyyah Ajax, Ontario,
- Jaamiah al-Uloom al-Islamiyyah, Binnori Town Karachi Pakistan
Hadith
- Jaamiah al-Uloom al-Islamiyyah, Binnori Town Karachi Pakistan
Islamic Finance
- Darul Uloom Karachi (under the guidance of Mufti Taqi Uthmani)
Degrees
ʿĀlimiyya
- Jamia Taleem ul-Islam, Dewsbury, UK
Iftāʾ
- Jaamiah al-Uloom al-Islamiyyah, Binnori Town Karachi Pakistan
Masters
- Shah Abdul Latif University, Sindh Pakistan
Special Licences (ijāza)
Qurʾān-Qirāʾāt:
- Mufti Saiyed Muslihuddin
- Qari Bashir Ahmad Siddiq (Prophet’s Mosque at Madina)
Hadith:
- Mufti Saiyed Muslihuddin Barodawi
- Mufti Taqi Uthmani
- Maulana Sarfaraz Khan Safdar
- Abdul Haleem Nomani,
- Taqiuddin Nadwi
- Shaykh Yunus Jawnpuri
- Hazrat Maulana Yusuf Motala
Fatwā:
- Mufti Abdul Salam Chatgami
Spiritual Reform
- Hazrat Maulana Yusuf Motala
Other Education
Certifications in alternative medicine, naturopathy and homeopathy.
WRITINGS & PUBLICATIONS
Mufti Aasim has compiled several works in Arabic, English and Urdu. Many of them are currently used as textbooks at schools and learning institutions around the world.
Tafsir
- Glory of Yūsuf (Detailed commentary of Sura Yūsuf)
- Tafsīr of Sura al-Baqara
- Tafsīr of 30th Juz
- Integrated Encyclopedia of the Quran: Associate Editor, Author
Hadith
- Al-Mukhtār min hadith Sayyid al-Abrār (compilation, translation, and explanation of over 1000 hadiths pertaining to beliefs and conduct)
- The Best Conduct (hadith textbook for middle school students)
- Tajrīd Sharḥ Maʿānī al-āthār
- Tahqīq Amānī al-aḥbār
- Zubdat ʿilm al-athar (Condensed summary of Sharḥ Nukhbat al-fikar by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar)
Fiqh
- Majmūʿ al-fatāwā
- Mukhtaṣar Ibn ʿĀmir (English book on the fiqh of purification and worships)
- The Marriage Handbook
- The Money Handbook
- The Eid Sacrifice
Uṣūl (Principles of Islam)
- Al-ʿAqīda al-Ṭaḥāwiyya: Translation and Commentary
- Know the Qurʾān
- Know the Sunnah
- Islamic Creed & Ethics
Arabic Grammar:
- Khayr al-Taṣrīf Part 1, 2, 3
- Khayr al-Naḥw
General
- Obeying the Messenger (Translation and Annotation of Shaykh Yusuf Motala’s book)
- My Deen (Series of 5 textbooks and teacher’s guides for primary levels)
- Al-Wird al-Maymūn (Daily supplications)