Shaykh Muhammad Dawood Milanzi (b. 21 August 1979 CE /28 Ramadan 1300 AH) was born in the Tembisa Township in South Africa to Imam Hussein Dawood and Sayyidah Fatima Milanzi. His first Quran teacher was his mother who taught him the Arabic alphabet and instilled in him a lifelong passion for Islam. He also took a deep love of Islam from his Grandfather Abdullah Ali Milanzi, who kept the young Muhammad constantly occupied with Islamic learning and instilled in him a serious work ethic by keeping him busy working in his fruit and vegetable business in any spare time.

 

Along with his secular studies, Shaykh Muhammad attended the Maktabah madrasah system that is widespread in South Africa for 14 years beginning at age 5. He also began memorization of Quran at age 14. Following graduation from high school, he took a year off to complete his Quran Hifzh (Memorization, literally “Protection”) under the guidance of Moulana Abdul-Khaliq Moola in Bethal, South Africa. Thereafter he enrolled at the University of Cape Town (UCT) where he attained a BSc degree in Computer Science. While in Cape Town he made a point to always seek out local Shuyukh and ‘Ulamaa from whom he could continue his Islamic education. He also developed an interest in Islamic community affairs and the preservation of Islamic knowledge through his role as the Library Manager of the Islamic Society student organisation. He also served as Imam of the daily prayers and occasionally led Ju’mah at the on-campus Musalla (Place of Prayer).

 

After graduation from UCT, Shaykh Muhammad married in 2004 (now blessed with three children) and entered the working world full-time as a Software Solution Engineer. He has been in the industry for nearly 20 years and has developed software solutions for many leading companies and institutions including Microsoft, Standard Bank, State Information Technology Agency (SITA), the University of South Africa (UNISA), TransUnion, and Teraflow.ai. He also runs a private consulting company known as PRISM IT Solutions.

 

However, his passion for Islamic education never waned. He constantly sought to further his studies when and wherever the opportunity presented itself. Subjects he completed include: Aqa’eed and Tawhid, Ilmul Tajwid, Ulumul Quran, Tafsir, Mustalahul Hadith, Sihah Sittah with Muwatta, Hanafih Fiqh, Usulul Fiqh, Qawa’id Fiqhiyyah, Tasawwuf and Adab, Lughah (Nahw, Sarf, Insha’ and Balaghah), and Seerah (Qisasun Nabiyeen, Seeratun Nabawiyah, and Khulafa’i Rashideen). Through the Grace of Allah he holds a number of Ijazaat (authorization to transmit knowledge) in Ulumul Shariah and Tasawwuf from a variety of local and international Masha’ikh including: Fadhilatu Shaykh Ibrahim Ehaiba (Mauritania), Fadhilatu Shaykh Muhammad Mahy Cisse (Senegal), Mufti Dr. Shaykh Shoayb Ahmad (South Africa), Mufti Dr. Moulana Asadullah Abdul Karim (South Africa via Al Bukhara, Tajikistan), the late Shaykh Sulayman Ibn Muhammad Abdul Wahhab Al-Ahdal (Syria), Dr Shaykh Muhammad Akram An-Nadwi (UK via Pakistan), Shaykh Ali Muhammad Tawfiq An-Nahaas (Egypt), Shaykh Muhammad Abubakr Danial Ad-Dimishqi (Syria), Shaykh Abdul Hafiz Al Makki (Makkah), the late Dr. Shaykh Abu Mahmood Muhammad Shakoor Al Mayaadiniy (Jordan via Syria), Dr. Shaykh Muhammad Muti' Al Hafiz (Syria), and Shaykh Muhammad Al-Mishri (Mauritania). He has also taken knowledge from several illustrious Madaaris including Madrasah Taleemul Haaq, Minba-ul Hikmah, and Ma’hadul Noor Al-Islami.

 

Shaykh Muhammad has given lectures on a variety of topics to various audiences including on Tazkiyyyah An Nafs, on the Prophetic Model and Seerah, at Mawlid an Nabi commemorations, at inter-Tariqah unity programs, and at the United Muslim Anti-Xenophobia March that was held in the Atteridgeville township in South Africa, among others. He presented a paper and talk at the Harvard University Divinity School Islam in Africa Initiative Conference of 2021. He also lectures at the Kawthar Centre, an institute offering post-graduate Islamic Studies courses for graduates of Islamic institutions. 

 

Shaykh Muhammad is a member of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulema which strives to revive traditional Islamic interpretations and promote peace through the collaboration of Islamic scholars throughout Africa under the auspices of his majesty Amir-ul Mumineen Mohammed VI of Morocco. He has served as Secretary General and, currently, as Deputy President of the South Africa branch of the Foundation. In this role, he has been a delegate to several international Islamic conferences and has organized programmes supporting the aims of the Foundation in South Africa.

 

Islamic community development has remained the driving passion of his life and he currently serves as the Imam of the Falaq Islamic Community in Dawn Park, South Africa where he leads daily prayers and Dhikr; teaches Arabic, Tafsir, and Hadith; runs a Hifzh program and madrasah; and organizes a variety of community programmes including outreach to the broader Dawn Park community. He is a Muqaddam of the Tariqah Tijaniyyah and serves as the President of the Gauteng Fayda Tijani organization, in which capacity he leads weekly Dhikr and gives lectures in Pretoria under the guidance of Fadhilatul Shaykh Ibrahim Ehaibah (HU) of Mauritania. Shaykh Muhammad is also an authorized Marriage Officer of the South African Department of Home Affairs.

 

Shaykh Muhammad is a keen reader, an avid traveller, and occasionally enjoys a game of pick-up basketball with the youth in his neighbourhood. His most passionate desire is the development of healthy, sustainable, and model Islamic individual, family, and community life.