We feel that the earth is reduced from its edges with the loss of the Imam and the leader of leaders, the master of the celebrities, the jurist of the nation, the Sheikh of the preachers and the professor of the educators. He dedicated his time, money, thought and effort to serve his da'wah, religion and nation for nearly 9 decades. He did not relent, nor did he lose his resolve. He was a nation in a man and a continent in a homeland.
Allah Almighty singled out the Imam with a set of competencies in work, knowledge, sincerity and status. He combined useful knowledge and good deeds. The man was associated with both his origin and his era. He gathered his nation on the word of monotheism and the unification of the word. He left a great inheritance of thought, knowledge, jurisprudence and da'wah, and a legacy of example in his guidance, character, da'wah and behaviour.
It was a prodigy in his life, and a prodigy in his death, the body is gone and the legacy of honesty remains.
Sheikh Yusuf did not live only for his country but lived for his nation on all continents. He roamed the world with a word of warning, a word of judgment and a call to Allah.
He dealt with the nation's issues with broad insightful jurisprudence, in which he combined correct transmission and frank reasoning, the fixed and the changing. He returned the branches to the assets, facilitated the fatwa, and gave good tidings. He used to build, not to destroy, and to gather not to separate. He was broad-minded and thoughtful, pure in heart, familiar and beloved. His opponents swarmed against him, but he was fair with all, with his friends and his enemies, with the near and the far.
He was pure in secret and in public, pure in heart.
He has about 200 books on various Islamic knowledge.
He was the man who raised the slogan "Pay a dollar to save a Muslim." at the level of charitable work.
He brought together the nation's scholars of different stripes, affiliations and sects at the "International Union of Muslim Scholars".
For minorities, Al-Qaradawi established the “European Council for Fatwa and Research”.
Established Al-Balagh Foundation "Islam Online", to serve Islam through the Internet.
Established the "Friends and Pupils Forum" to graduate generation after generation bearing the middle spirit.
He fought on all fronts, fought against those who dilute religion, and those who exaggerate. He faced these and those with a wise approach based on centrism and moderation.
He was a strong defender of his nation's causes, especially the cause of Palestine, victorious for peoples' issues to attain freedom and dignity in the face of tyranny.
He blended knowledge with work and preaching with movement. He helped the peoples and did not surrender to the pressure of the rulers or the whims of the common people.
He was expressing the position of the divine scholar whose motto is, “Those who convey the Message of Allah and fear Him, and fear none save Allah”.
His right upon the Ummah is that we supplicate for him in the unseen... His right upon the nation is that we follow his path... His right to the nation is to follow his example... He was neither infallible nor a purifying angel, but if the water reaches the two jars, it does not carry malice. And if the beloved unintentionally made a mistake, his merits are equal to thousands of intercessors.
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*Dr. Issam El-Bashir is a former minister of religious affairs in Sudan and the former secretary general of the International Center for Moderation, based in Kuwait. From 2009 through 2016, he was included among the top 500 Muslims in the world according to influence