Ahmad Kutty

Early education and background

Shaikh Kutty graduated in the traditional Islamic sciences and received the Ijazah (title) of al-Faqih fi al-ddeen (first rank) from Islamiya College Santapuram, a leading Islamic institution in south India. He served as an editor for the Jamaat Kerala mouthpiece Probadhanam. During his tenure he also translated Sayyid Qutb's Social Justice (al-adalatul ijtimaiyyah fi al-Islam) into Malayalam (first published in 1969). (Note: i.p.h publications no:74, Islamic Publishing House, Calicut, Kerala, India).

Shaikh Kutty earned a scholarship to study at the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia, from where he obtained his Licentiate in Usul al-Ddeen (first rank passing at the top of his class in 1972).

In 1972, he arrived in Canada with a scholarship to pursue his M.A. in Islamic studies from the University of Toronto. He went on to further his doctoral studies at the McGill University Institute of Islamic Studies where he earned scholarships (from 1975-1980) to pursue his research under the supervision of Professor Charles Adams and Prof. A. Üner Turgay. The Institute, established in 1952 by Wilfred Cantwell Smith, is the first institute of Islamic studies in North America.

During a visit to India in 1976, an arrest warrant was issued for Shaikh Kutty under the The Emergency (India) declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s administration mainly (for his translation work with Islamic Publishing House and Probodhanam Weekly, the mouthpiece of Kerala Jamaate). In India, "the Emergency" refers to a 21-month period in 1975–77 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi unilaterally had a state of emergency declared across the country. Officially issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352(1) of the Constitution for "internal disturbance", the Emergency was in effect from 25 June 1975 until its withdrawal on 21 March 1977.

His son Faisal Kutty recounts as one of his earliest childhood memories as running from safe house to safe house, until the family was able to leave India.

In 2003, Shaikh Kutty made international headlines when he and Imam Abdul Hamid were detained and held in a Fort Lauderdale jail after disembarking from their flight on September 11. The two were travelling to Florida to speak at an Islamic conference. He is a well-known scholar, preacher and speaker on Islam and Muslims. Ironically, he was also one of the first and most vocal imams to condemn the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in the same day in a Friday sermon at the Islamic Center of Toronto.

Furthermore, among the topics to be discussed at the conference in Orlando was the dangers of extremism and fanaticism. After returning to Canada, Shaikh Kutty asked:

"But if the American immigration officials can go after me and Hamid who are well-known for preaching moderation, what happens to ordinary Muslims?"

Career

Shaikh Kutty served as an Imam in various mosques and Islamic centers in Montreal during his McGill days. He then held the following positions:

He has also been a khatib (preacher) at various centers/mosques in Toronto including the Islamic Center of Canada, Islamic Center of Toronto, Masjid Toronto, Tariq Mosque, etc.

Shaikh Kutty has served on the Fiqh Council of North America, the pre-eminent Islamic law body on the continent. He has served as Imam and resident scholar at various institutions in Montreal and Toronto, including Toronto's Jami Mosque and the Islamic Foundation of Toronto. He is currently resident scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto.

He is a prolific writer and has written a number of articles, books and journal articles. He was a regular scholar answering Islamic law questions on IslamOnline and OnIslam.net, and presently on AboutIslam.net and AsktheScholar.com. In addition to his participation in lectures, seminars and inter-faith dialogues in North America, Shaikh Kutty is invited as a guest speaker in functions all over the world. His Fatwas have been translated into a number of languages, including French, Bengali and Malayalam.

Initially a sympathizer of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Abul A'la Maududi and a proponent of the Salafi movement, he has become disillusioned by these movements and now calls for return to the spiritual message of Islam à la Imam Ghazali. He propounds a flexible approach to Islam in contemporary times. His speech to the Students Islamic Organisation of India Kerala annual conference in 2012 focusing on the crisis in the Muslim world is illustrative of his view and approach. Shaikh Kutty was one of the 120 imams across Canada who signed a statement condemning acts of terrorism. The statement coordinated by the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations read:

“Anyone who claims to be a Muslim and participates in any way in the taking of innocent life is betraying the very spirit and letter of Islam.”

Honors and awards

Shaikh Ahmad Kutty was considered one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World.