Biography of Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef

His family

The grandfather of Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef, Muhammad Isma’eel Khan Baloch was residing in “Kutti Balochan”, a village near Ferozpur, Eastern Punjab. Muhammad Ism’aeel Khan became Ahl e Hadith through the Da’wah of Mian Ali Muhammad who was from the same village. Muhammad Isma’eel Khan had a great fervour for religious knowledge hence he joined the Madrasah of the Lakhvi family in Lakhoki. This Madrasah, Jamiyah Muhammadiyah, after the partition moved to Okara.

After benefiting from the Lakhvi family, Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel Khan joined Dar Uloom Deoband, but when his teachers there came to know that he was Ahl e Hadith and was calling to pray Salah Jumu’ah in his village, which Hanafi Fiqh only allows for cities and not villages, then he was expelled from Dar Ulum Deoband.

Therefore, Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel Khan went to Delhi and studied from Shaykh Ahmadullah Partapgarhi, student of Mian Nazeer Husayn Dehlwi. Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel Khan studied Sahih Al-Bukhari from Shaykh Ahmadullah Partapgarhi and obtained Ijaza from him.

Afterwards Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel Khan returned to his village Kutti Balochan and spread Ahl e Hadith Maslak with his brother Mian Muhammad Ibrahim Khan and the whole village accepted Ahl e Hadith Maslak. Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel Khan passed away in 1968.

The father of Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef, Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Khan Baloch, was a student of Shaykh Sharfudin Dehlwi and a respected scholar. Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Khan also exerted great efforts for the spread of the Ahl e Hadith Maslak and he passed away in 1992.

Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef was born in 1939 in Kutti Balochan.

His studies

Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef studied in governmental school for 6 years, which was called at the time “Lower Middle”.

Afterwards, Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef studied in Madrasah Nazeeriyah in Mian Channu, Madrasah Khadim Al-Quran wal Hadith in Jhok Dadhu and Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad from which he graduated in 1960.

Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef did Fadhil Arabic from Punjab University and came first in the exam. Likewise he came first in the exams of Wafaq Al-Madaris As-Salafiyah.

His teachers:

1) His maternal grandfather Mian Muhammad Ibrahim Khan

2) His paternal grandfather Shaykh Muhammad Isma’eel Khan

3) His father Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Khan

4) Mian Hamzah ibn Mian Muhammad Baqir

5) Shaykh AbdulQadir Haleem Zerwi

6) Shaykh Muhammad Yahya (Mian Channu)

His teachers in Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad, with books studied:

7) Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Toor: Mishkat, Kafiyah, Mirqat, Sharh Tahzib, Talkhis Al-Miftah (Ma’ani)

8) Hafiz AbduLatif Samundari: Tirmizi, Sharh Wiqayah, Mukhtasar Al-Ma’ani, Al-Fiyah

9) Shaykh Ghulam Ahmad Hariri: Hamasah, Maqamat Hariri, Nur Al-Anwar, Sharh Nukhbatul Fikar

10) Shaykh AbdulGhaffar Hasan: Diwan Mutanabbi, Tarjamah Arabiyah, and some sections of muqaddimah ibn Khaldun

11) Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi: Abu Dawood, Muslim, Muwatta, Bukhari.

12) Shaykh Abdul Hai, student of Shaykh Husayn Ali (Hanafi): Nasai, Quduri, Bustan

13) Shaykh Muhammad Din (Mardan, Hanafi): Husami, Jami Al-Bayan

14) Shaykh Sharifullah Khan Sawati (Hanafi): Qatbi, Mutanabbi, Hidayah Awalin, Baydhawi, Sulam Al-Uloom, Shams Bazighah, Muhit Ad-Daairah, Mutawwal.

15) Shaykh Gohar Ar-Rahman: Hujjatullah Al-Balighah.

His teaching

From 9 April 1961 to 1968, Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef taught in Madrasah Dar Al-Quran in the village Chak N 80 GB, near Faisalabad.

In 1969 Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef was invited by Allamah Ihsan Elahi Zaheer and Shaykh AbduKhaliq Quddusi to become teacher in the Madrasah of Masjid Chiniyan Wali. Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef taught there for 2 years and had honour to complete Sahih Al-Bukhari in this historical Masjid.

In 1971, he joined Madrasah Dar Al-Hadith in Okara where he taught for a year.

In 1972, he joined again the Madrasah of Masjid Chiniyan Wali and taught there up to 1978.

At the end 1978, he joined Dar Al-Hadith Muhammadiyah Aam Khas Bagh in Multan. There on the 21 March 1979, after his lesson when he was returning home riding behind Professor AbulHameed on a motorbike, Pr AbdulHameed lost control of the motorcycle and Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef fell off and his right knee broke. He carried on afterwards teaching children sitting on a bed but could not walk and he was terminated from the Madrasah in June 1979 at the end of the teaching year. Upon the request of Shaykh AbduKhaliq Quddusi and Shaykh Muhammad Khan Najeeb, Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef came to Lahore and Allamah Ihsan Elahi Zaheer admitted him in a private hospital at his cost and Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef was thus cured.

After recovering from his injury, Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef for the third time taught in the Madrasah of Chiniyan Wali and taught there for 13 years up to 1993. At this time, Shaykh ibn Baz put Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef as employee of Dar Al-Ifta wa Da’wah as many other teachers in Pakistan as Mab’ooth.

Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan worked in Chiniyan Wali Masjid as Mab’ooth but in April 1994, upon the direction of the ministry of Awqaf wa Da’wah Wal Irshad, he was transferred to Jamiyah Quds Ahl e Hadith (Dalgran Chowk, the Madrasah established by Hafiz Abdullah Ropri which is ran nowadays by Shaykh AbdulGhaffar Ropri and Shaykh AbdulWahab Ropri) where he taught Sahih Al-Bukhari the rest of his life.

His determination in refuting innovations

In 1975, the government declared it forbidden to do a speech with loudspeaker in the first 10 days of Muharram but Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef still did speeches in Chiniyan Wali Masjid with loudspeaker mentioning the virtues of the Companions.

In 1981, his student Shaykh Muhammad Najeeb Khan sent him some questions regarding Eed Milad and Shaykh Muhammad Najeeb Khan published the answers in the form of a book published by Ahl e Hadith Youth Force, and sent it to many people of the highest class. A case was registered against Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef. Mufti Ubaydullah Khan was not arrested but the case continued for some time and he was declared innocent by the tribunal.

His Milli and political services

1) In 1974, Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef took part in the movement “Tahreek Khatme Nubuwwat” which was requesting to declare Qadianis as Non-Muslims and the government as a result of this movement declared Qadianis as Non-Muslims. Shaykh Ishaq Bhatti wrote: “This was purely a religious movement and it was necessary to take part in it. All the religious groups were active in it. Our honourable Mufti was very zealous in it and he went to different cities and villages and did speeches against Mirzaism”. End of Shaykh Bhatti quote.

Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef was arrested once and Allamah Ihsan Elahi Zaheer did a protesting rally outside Chiniyan Wali Masjid with Nawab Zadah Nasrullah Khan. Afterwards Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef was released on bail and was declared innocent in the trial which took 6 months. Afterwards the police tried to arrest him again for doing a speech and he managed to escape. He was declared innocent again by the judge in the trial that followed.

2) In 1977, Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef participated in the movement “Tahreek Nizam e Mustafa (saw)”, which was lead by opposition parties against Zulfiker Ali Bhutto who was accused of rigging the elections. Muslim League, Jamaat Islami, Jamiat Ullama Islam, PDP, Jamiat Ullama Pakistan and other parties joined this movement. Allamah Ihsan Elahi Zaheer, Shaykh AbdulQadir Ropri, Shaykh HabiburRahman yazdani alongside other Ahl e Hadith scholars also joined this movement. Mufti Ubaudullah Khan Afeef was also imprisoned in the movement.

His skills as a Mufti

Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi, Shaykh Ata’ullah Haneef Bhujiyani, Shaykh Abu Hafs Usmani, Shaykh Abul Barkat Ahmad, Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf (Rajanwal), Shaykh AbdulQadir Ropri, Hafiz Salahdin Yusuf, Allamah Ihsan Elahi Zaheer and many other scholars praised Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef’s style of writing Fatawa with great details. Some of his Fatawa were translated to Arabic and sent to Shaykh ibn Baz who also praised them.

His writings:

1) “Pyare Rasool ki Pyari Dua’een”: a 120 pages book on Prophetic invocations

2) “Farhang Qira’ah Rashidah”, fourth parth: A book on Qiraat taught in Madaris

3) “Murawwaj Jashan Milad Nabi (saw) ki Shar’i or Tarikhi Haythiyat”: A 60 pages book which has been published many times on Milad. It has been added to the first volume of his “Fatawa”, called Fatawa Muhammadiyah

4) “Safar Akhirat, Mayit or Janazah ke Ahkam wa Masail”: on funeral rites with refutation of innovations related to it. This book of 256 pages was introduced by Shaykh Ata’ullah Haneef Bhujiyani.

5) “Fatawa Alamgiri par Ek Tahqiqi Nazar”: a 130 pages book refuting some erroneous Fatawa in the Hanafi book “Fatawa Alamgiri”

6) “20 Rak’at Tarawih ki Asliyat”: An epistle on units in Salah Tarawih and the reality of 20 Rak’at.

7) “Al-Ajwibah As-Sahihah fi Tardid Mazhab Ash-Shi’ah”: A non-published epistle refuting Shi’ah.

8) “Fatawa Muhammadiyah”: This first volume in 871 pages has been published by Maktabah Quddusiyah and was compiled by Shaykh Mubashar Ahmad Rabbani, and the 2^nd and 3^rd volumes have been published in 2022 by Dar Abi Tayab, few weeks before the Shaykh’s death.

9) “Awaliyat wa Khususiyat Abu Bakr”: On the superiority of Abu Bakr Siddiq (rad)

10) “Rasoolullah (saw) ke Tarkah mein qanoon Wirathat kiyun nahih Chala” published by Jam’iat Ahl e Hadith Pakistan, on why the Prophet’s inheritance was not given to his heirs.

11) “Qurbani Ahkam wa Masail”: A 176 pages book on rulings of sacrifice published by Maktaba Islamia

12) Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef reviewed his teacher Shaykh AbdurRashid’s Tafsir “Tawdhih Al-Quran” published by Maktabah Quddusia, in 1008 pages.

With this Shaykh Ubaydullah Khan Afeef wrote many articles in different magazines, which can be compiled in the form of a book.

His famous students

1) Shaykh Muhammad Najeeb Khan Shaheed (insha Allah)

2) Shaykh Muhammad Hussain Zahiri

3) Shaykh Mubashar Rabbani

We count also among his foreign students:

1) Shaykh Sirajudin Bengali (Chattakang, Bangladesh)

2) Shaykh Fazl Ar-Rahman Bengali (Chattakang, Bangladesh)

3) Qari Rooh Al-Amin Bengali: Member of the national assembly in Bangladesh

4) Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Jeel (Malaysia)

5) Shaykh Abu Hanifah (Malaysia)

His death

Mufti Ubaydullah Khan Afeef passed away on the 9 February 2022 after teaching Hadith for 62 years, Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Rajiun. May Allah Ta’ala grant him Firdaws Ala.