Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Banuri (RA)

Moulana Muhammad Yousuf Banuri R.A. was born on the 6th Rabiuth Thani 1326 in the village of 'Mahabatabad' near the railway station of Rashkay in the District of Mardan, West Pakistan.

He received his primary education and learnt the recital of the Quraan Kareem at home (Ghari Meer Ahmed Shah, Peshawar') from his father and matenal uncle Moulana Fadhl Hamdan Banuri. He learned the basics of Sarf, Nahw and Mantiq from Moulana Abdullah Peshawari. He then went to Kabul where he studied Fiqh, Usul Fiqh, Mantiq, and Ma’aani etc. from the Qudhi ul Qudhat, Moulana Abdulqadeer, Moulana Saieli Qaleeghawi and other well-versed Asaatiza. For higher education, he went to Darul Uloom, Deoband in 1345 and completed his education there in two years. He studied Dorah Hadith in Dabhel under the great Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri R.A., Moulana Shabbir Ahmed Utmani R.A. and other great-learned scholars.

After graduation, he stayed for quite some time in the company and service of the learned Shaykh Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri R.A. and was his special and close attendant. He benefited tremendously from Shah Saheb. At that time on the wish and insistence of his father, he participated in the Molvi Fadhil examinations at the Punjab University and attained first position, though he disliked this examination, in spite of having time to prepare for it. He then lived for a few years in his home town of Peshawar, and began diligently teaching in Madrasah Rafiul Islam, Baanah Maar'i (The principal of this Madrasah was his maternal uncle Moulana Fadhl Hamdan Banuri R.A.) I was at that time studying Dorah Hadith in Darul Uloom, Deoband. In 1352 (1934 A.D.) when Moulana Anwar Shah Saheb passed away, Moulana Yousuf Banuri came to pay his respects and after staying for a few days returned. Thereafter he was approached by the authorities of Dabhel to teach there, and he accepted the offer.

He was appointed to teach Kitaabs on Hadith. His acceptance amongst the students can be gauged from the following incident: Once there arose the question as to who should teach the Tirmizi Shareef. At that time, there were three great Asaatiza of Hadith at the Dabhel Madrasah: Moulana Abdurrahman Amrohi, Moulana Muhammad Badre Aalam, and Moulana Yousuf Banuri. It was decided that the students also be consulted in this matter. As a result, Moulana Yousuf Banuri received 27 votes and the other two Ustaad, 7 and 3 respectively. Marhum Moulana remained the Shaykhul Hadith at Dabhel until the creation of Pakistan and thereafter, at the invitation of the elders at Darul Uloom, Tando Allah Yar, went there. After remaining there for several years he came to Karachi and laid the foundation of' the Madrasah Arabiyyah lslamiyyah, Newtown. Karachi.