Our Story
Khairabadi Institute was founded to bridge the gap between modern students and classical Islamic scholarship.
We believe the traditional intellectual heritage found especially in the late Mughal period & the Ottoman tradition is valuable but difficult to access due to lost teaching methods.
Khairabadi Institute aims to equip students with the skills to understand these classical works and contribute to more meaningful discussions within their communities and on contemporary issues.
Our instructors are directly linked to the scholarly tradition of the Farangī Mahall & Khairabadis through established chains of transmission. We aspire to play a pivotal role by creating a platform that assists students worldwide in accessing the rich discourses within the Islamic intellectual tradition.
We aim to:
Raise awareness of the real legacy of the Farangi Mahall scholars by promoting their literature and its potential to enrich modern discourse.
Make classical Islamic learning accessible by providing resources and facilitating understanding for both educators and students.
The Khairabadi Teaching Style
The traditional curricula of the Islamic world fostered some of the greatest minds. These scholars didn't merely repeat past arguments. Instead, they built upon them by contributing their insightful observations on various issues.
Therefore, access to the works from these earlier curricula is essential for aspiring scholars. These works will help students develop the skill sets necessary to navigate the vast body of Islamic scholarship and cultivate original thought.
While various teaching styles exist, each achieving specific outcomes, accessing the traditional works is best facilitated by a teaching style directly transmitted from the original authors or their esteemed followers who continued the tradition.
The Khairabadi teaching style is unique within Islamic scholarship. Its sanad culminates in the leading scholars of each generation, tracing back to Imam Abul al-Hasan al-Ash'ari and including luminaries such as Imam Ghazali, Imam Razi, Imam Baydawi, Imam Adud al-Din al-Iji, Mir Sayyid Sharif Jurjani, Allama Fath-Allah al-Shirazi, and Mulla Nizam al-Din Sihalwi.
Khairabadi Institute strives to eliminate the obstacles hindering students' access to the traditional works within Islamic scholarship. We achieve this by facilitating their engagement with these works through the unique Khairabadi teaching style, transmitted with an unbroken chain through generations.
Khairabadi Lecturers
The Founder - Mubashir Iqbal
Ustad Muhammad Mubashir Iqbal is the founder of Khairabadi Institute. Embarking on his sacred knowledge journey at the age of eleven, he spent a decade developing his understanding at Jamia Al-Karam. During his final years at the seminary, he not only deepened his own comprehension but also imparted knowledge by teaching Arabic.
Driven by a thirst for further development, he expanded his studies at Dārul Qurrā and Islamic Research Centre in the West Midlands, UK, delving into Persian texts and advanced works within the Dars-i-Niẓāmī curriculum.
In pursuit of broader horizons, Mubashir travelled to Istanbul. There, he engaged in studies and lessons with scholars from diverse backgrounds, including the scholars of Shām.
Continuing his quest for knowledge, Mubashir pursued Hadith Studies at Dār-ul-Ulūm Muhammadiyah Ghawthiyah in Bhera, Pakistan, also known as Al-Karam International Institute. He further enriched his scholarship at Jamia al-Qādiriyah in KPK, Pakistan, delving into the last books of the traditional Dars-i-Niẓāmī curriculum, including al-Hidāyah, Mīr Zāhid Umūr-e-Āmah, Mīr Qutbi, Shams-i-Bāzigah, and various commentaries on Sullam-ul-Ulūm, among others.
Throughout his educational voyage, Mubashir was honoured to receive special licences and ijāzas from esteemed teachers. Some of these licences trace back to luminaries such as Allāmma Faẓl-i-Haq Khairabādī, Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Sihālwi, Allāmma Adud-Dīn al-ījī, Imām Abū Hāmid al-Ghazāli, and the venerable Imām of the Ahl al-Sunnah, Abū al-Hasan Ashʻarī (may Allah have mercy upon them all). With extensive teaching experience, he excels in the classical Khairābādī/Farangī Mahali Curriculum. He has disseminated his knowledge in various seminaries across the UK, including Greengate Islamic College, Cambridge Muslim College, and Manchester Muslim College, leaving an indelible mark on his students.
Visiting Lecturer - Shams Tameez
Shaykh Shams Tameez, a guest instructor at Khairabadi Institute, graduated from the UK-based seminary Jamia al-Karam. He then completed the Diploma at the Cambridge Muslim College in Contextual Islamic Studies and Leadership. After this he worked as an Imam at Aylesbury Mosque in Buckinghamshire before embarking on further studies in Istanbul at the Abu Hanifa Institute.
He has also been fortunate to study with great scholars from Syria currently residing in Istanbul such as Shaykh Khalid al-Kharsa, Shaykh Adnan Darwesh, Shaykh Ridwan al-Kaheel, Shaykh Muhammad Shuqayr, and Turkish scholars such as Mulla Yavus. He then travelled to Tarim in Yemen where he was blessed to study at Dar al-Mustafa. He returned to the UK and completed a Master degree at SOAS University in Islamic studies.
Since then he has completed the four year IKAN programme in Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmet Madrasa specialising in the rational sciences (m’aqūlāt) with Dr. Hamza Bakri, Dr. Ali al-Omari, and others.
He is currently pursuing a PhD at Ibn Haldun University focusing on Islamic philosophy within the Farangi Mahall tradition.
Ustādh Shams Tameez has been honoured to receive special licences and ijāzahs from esteemed teachers. Some of these licences trace back to luminaries such as Allāmma Faẓl-i-Haq Khairabādī, Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Sihālwi, Allāma Adud-Dīn al-ījī, Imām Abū Hāmid al-Ghazāli, and the venerable Imām of the Ahl al-Sunnah, Abū al-Hasan Ashʻarī (may Allah have mercy upon them all).
Our Seal: A Tapestry of Meaning
Khairabadi Institutes logo is meticulously crafted, with each stroke of the calligrapher's quill imbued with profound meaning.
One of the last calligraphers of Old Delhi specialising in the Nastaliq style of Persian calligraphy, besides the majestic Grand Delhi Mosque, was entrusted with creating the logo. This mosque, built by the Mughals during an era of intellectual brilliance, still resonates with the echoes of Imam Fazl-i-Haq Khairabadi's wise counsel.
Nastaliq, a beautiful and artistic form of Islamic calligraphy with distinct Persian heritage, was chosen for the logo. Nastaliq was Initially developed in Iran, but its use soon transcended its origins. The Timurids introduced it to the Indian subcontinent, where it became a favoured script at the Mughal court.
A circular form, similar to that found on Mughal imperial seals, is used in the logo. During the Mughal period, subcontinental scholars creatively contributed to the intellectual legacy of their forebears. This wasn't solely due to the stability of rule, but also stemmed from the active encouragement of knowledge & and the honour granted to the holders of it. The Great Mughal Sultan Aurangzeb Alamgir is noteworthy in this regard, who gifted the Farangi Mahall to the descendants of Mulla Qutb al-Din al-Shahid, which later flourished as a centre for both knowledge and practice.
Within the circular form, lies the inscription ‘al-Madrasat al-Khairabadiya’, a reference to the Khairabadis and their unique intellectual tradition. This tradition emerged as the main branch of the Farangi Mahall and meticulously continued the intellectual legacy established there. The institute's name serves as a tribute particularly to the scholarly contributions of Imam Fazl-i-Haq Khairabadi.
The logo further bears the date 1278 AH in Persian script, marking the year of Imam Fazl-i-Haq Khairabadi's martyrdom. He was exiled to the harsh conditions of the Andaman Islands for refusing to accept British colonial rule in India and later passed away there. He was a towering figure in India whom even the emperors sought advice from. Imam Fazl-i-Haq, even as a child, enjoyed the privilege afforded to a prince – riding to class on the back of an elephant. Despite all this, he chose to defy colonial rule and bravely endured the consequences of his courageous decision.
By embodying these historical and intellectual elements, Khairabadi Institutes logo serves as a powerful symbol of reviving the intellectual legacy of our recent past for the benefit of the present age.
Original hand-written caligraphy
Our finished logo
