Shabir Ally

{{Short description|Guyanese-Canadian Islamic scholar (born 1953)}}

{{Infobox religious biography

| image = Dr._Shabir_Ally.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Shabir Ally in 2013

| name = Shabir Ally

| birth_date = {{circa|1953}}

| death_date =

| religion = Islam

| denomination = Sunni

| education = Laurentian University {{small|(BA)}}
University of Toronto {{small|(MA, PhD)}}

| main_interests = Da'wah

| notable_ideas =

| influences =

| signature =

| website = {{URL|shabirally.com}}

| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality|embed=yes

|channel_handle = QuranSpeaks

|channel_display_name = Let The Quran Speak

|genre = Islamic

|subscribers = 390 thousand

|views = 49 million

|years_active = 2008–present

|silver_button = yes

|gold_button =

|stats_update = 2 February 2024

}}

| jurisprudence = Hanafi

| birth_place = Guyana

}}

Shabir Ally (born 1953) is a Guyanese-Canadian Islamic scholar. As of 2020, he was President of the Islamic Information & Dawah Centre International in Toronto.{{Cite web|title=shabir ally - IslamiCity|url=https://www.islamicity.org/by/shabir-ally|access-date=2020-10-27|website=www.islamicity.org|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Silverstein|first=Barbara|date=2019-03-25|title=Rings of peace held outside Canadian mosques|url=https://www.cjnews.com/news/canada/rings-of-peace-held-outside-canadian-mosques|access-date=2021-06-19|website=The Canadian Jewish News|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2020-06-30|title=Prominent Islamic scholar says according to Imam Abu Hanifa prayers can be offered in native language|url=https://www.chitralnews.com/prominent-islamic-scholar-says-according-to-imam-abu-hanifa-prayers-can-be-offered-in-native-language/|access-date=2021-06-19|website=Chitral News|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Folkins|first=Tali|date=2019-01-21|title=Evolution of interfaith friendships led to powerful experience of 'trialogue'|url=https://www.anglicanjournal.com/evolution-of-interfaith-friendships-led-to-powerful-experience-of-trialogue/|access-date=2021-06-19|website=Anglican Journal|language=en-US}} He promotes a contextual interpretation of Qur'anic verse, and justification of them in similar expressions within the Christian Bible.https://www.islamicity.org/by/shabir-ally{{Cite journal|last=F.Y.|first=Mustaffa|date=2020-03-31|title=Needs and Preferences of Qur"anic Arabic Vocabulary Learners Regarding Learning through Qur"anic Arabic Mobile Applications|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.37200/ijpr/v24i5/pr201678|journal=International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation|volume=24|issue=5|pages=152–162|doi=10.37200/ijpr/v24i5/pr201678|s2cid=216471813 |issn=1475-7192|url-access=subscription}}

Ally performs dawah by adopting preaching methods targeted at both the Muslim population and the non-Muslim population.{{Cite journal|last=Abu Zarin|first=Zarinna|date=2019|title=Dr Shabir Ally and His Contribution to Da'wah.|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340644604|journal=Cluster of Education and Social Sciences}}

Biography

Shabir Ally was born in {{Circa|1953}} in Guyana, and moved to Canada with his family in 1978. He received his B.A. in Religious Studies from Laurentian University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto.{{Cite web|url=https://royalpurplenews.com/22898/carousel/the-new-testament-fact-or-fiction/|title=The New Testament: Fact or Fiction - Royal Purple News|last=Neurock|first=Gabriella|date=2018-04-03|website=Royalpurplenews.com|access-date=2019-02-10}} His PhD thesis was on the exegesis of the Qur'an (Tafsir).{{cite web|url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/35061/1/Ally_Shabir_201211_PhD_thesis.pdf.pdf|author=Shabir Ally|title=The Culmination of Tradition-based Tafsīr : The Qurʼān Exegesis al-Durr al-manthūr of al-Suyūṭī (d. 911/1505)|website=Tspace.library.utoronto.ca|access-date=24 February 2019}}

Views

Despite his conservative upbringing, many views of Shabir Ally differ significantly from the Traditional Conservative Mainstream Islamic scholars.

Hijab

Shabir Ally argues that covering the hair isn't mandatory for women in Islam. {{Cite web|title=Q&A: Can You Be Modest Without Wearing the Hijab?|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXWPmJVdbl0}}{{Cite web|title=“Q&A: Is It Sinful to Not Wear Hijab?|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4hnD8DBdOo}}{{Cite web|title=“The Evolution of Hijab: The Headscarf & Dress of Muslim Women”|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFgZuRzI2wM4wJb-v0CMKLVrYGVXo8uNr}}{{Cite web|title=“Hijab - Dr. Shabir Ally”|url=https://shabirally.com/answerdetails?qId=435}}

Stoning

Stoning adulterers is not a part of Islam according to Shabir Ally. {{Cite web|title=Q&A: Is Stoning Part of Islamic Sharia?|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x41Oz3PpeRs}}

Hadith

Shabir Ally questions the process of Hadith classification done by many traditional scholars and doubts the true authenticity of many Hadiths which have been classified as authentic by other traditional scholars.{{Cite web|title=A Balanced Approach to Hadith|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFgZuRzI2wM4F5XABc9botDjV_BJ6X17Q}}{{Cite web|title=Can We Trust Hadith?|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFgZuRzI2wM7lUU7yIyD7p6uPHt_KUYzz}}{{Cite web|title=How should Muslims view Hadith?|url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFgZuRzI2wM5WE_WFlWw2i9gd4OmuE2_4}}

Ijma/Consensus

Shabir Ally calls into question the idea of a scholarly consensus (ijma) as a source of Islamic law. He says there is no consensus on the definition of a scholarly consensus, there is disagreement about whose agreement matters, the time period and location of the consensus, the scope of matters covered, and even the source of the authority of this consensus. {{Cite web|title=Problems with the Scholarly Consensus (Ijma)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNWvFR6ZQGg&list=PLFgZuRzI2wM6TFDWq71GyryJp7PEOylwg}}

Celebrating Non Muslim Festivals

Celebrating Christmas{{Cite web|title=Navigating Christmas as a Muslim|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlZ1Z3TXHZA}}{{Cite web|title=Muslim Approaches to Christmas|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AgvOVuu1fQ}} and Halloween{{Cite web|title=Muslim Perspectives on Halloween|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AgvOVuu1fQ}} is not prohibited for Muslims according to Shabir Ally.

Evolution

Shabir Ally argues that the theory of evolution is not incompatible with Islam. {{Cite web|title=Q&A: Was Adam the First Man? Reconciling Creation with the Theory of Evolution|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OHorPTHyDA}}

Publications

Reply to Robert Morey's source of Islam theories, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia : Dar Al-Hadyan, 1997.
Is Jesus God? The Bible Says No!, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia : Dar Al-Hadyan, 1998.
101 questions to ask visiting Jehovah's Witnesses, Toronto, Canada : Islamic Information & Daʼwah Centre International, 1997. A second volume is entitled Another five questions to keep you going.
Yahweh, Jehovah or Allah : which is God's real name?, Toronto, Canada : Al-Attique, 1999.
101 clear contradictions in the Bible, Toronto, Canada : Al-Attique, 2001.
What God said about eating pork : & issue for Muslims / Christian dialogue, Toronto, Canada : Al-Attique, 2003.
Science in the Qur'an, Toronto, Canada : Al-Attique, 2003.
Common questions people ask about Islam, Toronto, Canada : Islamic Information & Da`wah Centre International, 2008.
Christianity Vs. Islam : A Muslim and a Christian Debate 8 Crucial Questions, Minnesota, United States : Bethany House Publishers, 2014. Co-authored with James R. White.