Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is a Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar and former politician. He serves as the founder and chief patron of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, an organization he established in 1980.

Early life and education

Qadri was born on 19 February 1951 in Jhang, West Punjab. He grew up in a Punjabi Muslim family that possessed a strong spiritual heritage. His father, Dr. Farid-ud-Din Qadri, was a physician and Sufi poet who encouraged both secular and religious studies. At age 10, Qadri began formal Islamic studies under his father to focus on classical texts.

He traveled to Medina, Saudi Arabia, at age 12 to enroll at Madrasa al-‘Ulum ash-Shar‘iyya. This institution offered rigorous training in Hadith and Arabic language. Throughout his youth, he studied under various scholars in Makkah, Syria, and Morocco. He eventually gained more than 500 ijazas and isnads in different branches of Islamic knowledge. One notable teacher was Mawlana Ziauddin Madani, who died in 1981 at age 107.

Qadri later pursued higher education at the University of the Punjab. He earned a Master of Arts in Islamic Studies in 1972 and received a Gold Medal for his academic excellence. After obtaining a Bachelor of Laws in 1974, he completed a PhD in Islamic Law in 1986. These studies focused on constitutional frameworks within the Islamic tradition.

Career

His professional journey began in the district courts of Jhang where he practiced law. His expertise in jurisprudence led to an appointment as a jurist consult for the Supreme Court and the Federal Shariat Court. During his academic career, he became the youngest professor in the history of the University of the Punjab. He taught subjects including British constitutional law and Islamic law.

In 1980, he founded Minhaj-ul-Quran International to promote religious moderation. He also established Minhaj University Lahore in 1986 and the Minhaj Welfare Foundation in 1989. His political career began in May 1989 when he founded the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). He successfully contested the 1990 Pakistani general election and served as a Member of the National Assembly until 2004. He resigned from this position in protest against the policies of President Pervez Musharraf.

Qadri relocated to Canada in 2005 to refocus on religious work. He returned to Pakistan in 2012 to lead a political campaign against government corruption. In January 2013, he led a Long March that resulted in the Islamabad Long March Declaration. This agreement promised electoral reforms and increased transparency. Following the Model Town incident in June 2014, he spearheaded the Inqilab March against Nawaz Sharif.

He announced his retirement from politics in 2019 due to health issues and academic commitments. He continues to deliver religious lectures while residing in Canada. As a writer, he has authored more than 1,000 books in English, Arabic, and Urdu.

Personal life

Qadri was born into a family with deep scholarly roots. His father, Dr. Farid-ud-Din Qadri, emphasized the importance of both secular and Islamic education. After his political activities caused conflicts with the Establishment, he moved to Toronto, Canada, in 2005.

Awards and recognition

Qadri has been featured in every edition of The 500 Most Influential Muslims since 2009. In 2012, he was one of the reported nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. This nomination followed his opposition to extremism and his promotion of inter-faith dialogue. Additionally, the United Nations Economic and Social Council granted special consultative status to Minhaj-ul-Quran International in March 2011.