# How did Shaykh Atabek Shukurov become a scholar? *The guest's path: Soviet childhood, Binori Town, Saudi Arabia and eight years in Syria* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/rtwywca2-pq/s/3/ - Date: 2021-01-29 · Kind: discussion · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Shaykh Atabek Shukurov | Mortgages, Madhabs & Molvi-ism | MindTrap 48 | Mufti Abu Layth (6:17–13:06) - Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtwyWCa2-pQ&t=377s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/rtwywca2-pq/ **Topics:** How to study Islam; Guest conversations **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The guest traces his path from a Soviet childhood through Karachi and Saudi Arabia to eight years in Syria, where he learned to compare inherited cultures with the classical texts. ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth asks whether the guest's interest in becoming a scholar began in childhood. The guest says his mother was religious and, because religion was dangerous in the Soviet Union, told stories of the prophets without calling them prophets, and that he is very curious, adding that a student of knowledge without curiosity will not succeed. He says he studied for nearly three years at Binori Town in Karachi from 1995, then went to Saudi Arabia, where he received his biggest shock: each place he went practised its own culture as Islam, Uzbek culture at home and Pakistani culture in Pakistan, which did not match the classical texts. He then spent eight years in Syria, at an evening branch of an institute affiliated with al-Azhar [?], where he compared his experiences of different cultures with the classical texts and the texts with earlier opinions. Mufti notes that he too studied at Binori Town and was in Damascus from 1998, and the two recall Damascus in the late 1990s as a hub for students of knowledge, including students from the UK who later became well known. ## Sources and names cited - Shaykh Atabek Shukurov (guest) - Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, Binori Town (Karachi) - al-Azhar [?] - Ibrahim (Abraham) - Yusuf (Joseph) ## Transcript (machine tier, 6:17–13:06) [5:47] this day and age uh finding hafes who you know are non-dogmatic and they and like finding hannipes who truly represent the freethink thinking of Imam Abu Hanifh is very difficult unfortunately. Uh [laughter] sheh you have you you know this interest into learning about Islam and uh you know studying to become a scholar because you traveled as well you went to Pakistan as well. [6:17] Is this something you you know you've had since childhood? Your family's put you into it or what's happened? Is this because this we don't hear much about a person coming from Usbekistan all of a sudden and you know making so much of a stir. So what's the secret here? Um that is quite um interesting point you are raising uh shab um I I may not be um able to give the exact reason but one thing I know my mother is quite religious lady so um she used to tell us a lot of stories you know but she would because we used to live you know in the Soviet Union in which [6:54] religion was quite uh problematic so she used to tell us a lot of stories for example there used to be this his name is Ibraim. say and she was she would be referring to prophet Ibraim but she would never say prophet because you know um because of the problem because of the fear you know or there used to be this family with 12 sons and one of them the the youngest or second youngest his name was Ysef and you know and she would be referring to prophet Ysef you know that type of stories so maybe that was one main reason I'm not sure or another thing could be I'm very curious you know um so [7:32] I Think curiosity I think it is crucial for the student of knowledge. So the student of knowledge who is not curious I don't think he will succeed. Okay. So I don't think he will be successful scholar. Yeah. Um so I'm not really sure to be honest. What made me to travel all around the world until today? Till today um um um I do find quite a lot of things and um um uh disowning the culture. [8:02] Yeah. in which you get involved. I think that is the [clears throat] most hardest part. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you I was going to say you speaking of cultures, you spent uh a certain amount of time in Pakistan as well also. How long did you spend there? Uh nearly 3 years. 3 years. I used to study in Binori town. Look at this. See that connection [clears throat] the ilme connect. [8:26] I was in Jamia Benori. I was in Binori town. [laughter] Exactly. Right. Yeah. And in Binuri town I studied from uh 1995 actually. 199. Wow. 1995. From there we have traveled to Saudi. Yeah. Um uh and most of the time. Okay. So the main biggest punch which I have got it was in Saudi. [8:52] Okay. Because do you know the majority if not everyone? Okay. Muslims um they uh whatever do you know the culture that they practice they assume that to be Islam of course so that's why so that's why when you present the real Islam for for them you are misguided or heretic understand so that's how I I used to practice Islam which isani culture in Usbekistan but when I came to Pakistan I started practicing Pakistani culture assuming it to be Islam Okay. [9:27] But then it did not make sense when you would compare it to the classical texts. Of course. Of course. And then I said the the root of everything of entire Islam is Quran and Sunnah. And the people the country which is most known for Quran and Sunni is Saudi. But when I went there, they had their own games, their own culture presented again as Islam. Did not make any sense, you know. So um I took a time off and it was in Syria where I've spent eight years and that have helped me a lot. [9:59] Wow. Okay. So in Syria in Syria I would say it was just I just zoomed out to look back into my experiences of different cultures and comparing them with the classical texts and even comparing the classical texts to even earlier um opinions of the of the scholars. So, and uh I think uh Allah helped a lot in in Syria. Yeah. Where where were you studying in in Syria? [10:25] In Mah, do you know inus you know the um branch of Alzar University Mahhat but in the evening evening uh branch. Wow. You see there that's another crossover you know I I was in Damascus. What is is this is this a route? Is that is that what [laughter] that was? Wow. It's amazing, isn't it? [10:49] That how What years were you in? I was in Damascus in the years 98. Yeah, I was in 98. Yeah. No way. Wow. We were in Damascus 98. Yeah. 2006. No way. So So check this out. I I was there. That's so mad. I was there 98 99 then I went to Pakistan. Then I came back in 2001 for a brief a couple of months, 3 months. [11:16] And then I then I came back for another visit about 1 month in 2003. Wow. So you were there. That's amazing, isn't it? Just uh we could have probably been at the same restaurant or something. I I used to teach some British students, you know, in in Damascus. Ah right. Okay. I used to teach. Yeah. Yeah. And and actually a few of them now very famous, you know, with multi-million followers. [11:43] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I taught them. and some of quite a few of them. Okay. Like sheh Islam or I'm not I'm not going to I'm not going [laughter] to mention Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Fair enough. She is very humble. But you know at that time at that time she Damascus you know in the late '9s it was this kind of hub wasn't it? Everybody was going to Damascus. It was it was paradise for the students of knowledge you know. [12:11] It was paradise for student of it's exactly that period you know late 90 and early 2000. So you know unfortunately all of that is gone now. Yeah that all unfortunately I mean may Allah give its people peace. But at that time I remember there was you know there was this this kind of the road to Damascus phenomenon and everybody was anybody who was interested in learning the dean was heading there. [12:37] I mean sheh N used to be there. Imam Z Shakir was there. There was um just so many people that even from the UK whether you're going to have Shehak Shami went there, she went there, Sheh Aslam went there. There's um I mean it's amazing even though maybe people didn't know each other so well there. Some of them probably did, some didn't. But it's amazing that the paths kind of crossed, you know, how uh Wow. [13:05] It's it's just an amazing thought. SH uh out of curiosity I want to actually ask a minute ago uh random question here about you're in Pakistan you speak udu then or you understand ud yeah yeah I do bothh [laughter] so people if you're speaking in front of udu and you you try it just remember he's clocking you he's [laughter] like he's like a he's like in his mind he's like [laughter] right so yeah and you know here this ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment rtwyWCa2-pQ/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/rtwywca2-pq/s/3/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.