Ismail ibn Musa Menk, also known as Mufti Menk (born 27 June 1975), is a Muslim cleric born in a well-respected family from Zimbabwe, He is the 8th out of 9 children…His father, Sheikh Maulana Musa Menk is a well-known scholar and da’ee (caller to Islam) and an Imam in a masjid in Zimbabwe, On his own, Mufti Menk was able to memorize some verses of surah AT-TAWBAH (THE REPENTANCE) when he was about 3years old. This he picked from the recitation of some children who use to come to their house to learn the Qur’ an. This followed an encounter when Mufti Menk was about 3 years old, he was told by a family friend in the presence of his father and other scholars to recite the verses of the Qur’an. ( The man once heard Mufti reciting when he visited the house). One of them then said to Mufti Menk’s father: This little boy would be a Hafiz( one who has memorized the entire Qur’an ), Mufti Ismail Menk commenced hifz at the tender age of nine(9) years and completed at the age of twelve(12). He studied Arabic, Urdu, and the Hanafi Mazhab from a young age whilst studying Shariah under his father. He also attained a degree in Shariah from the University of Madinah and later specialized in Iftaa at Darul Uloom Kantharia in Gujarat, India. At the age of about 14 to 18, Mufti Menk was hot-tempered and you dare not provoke him. This was known even by his siblings. He believes Allah saved him from such an attitude by moving him to Madinah, he worked on it and today, Ma Sha Allah, he says by Allah’s grace it would be very very difficult to get him angry. Mufti Menk has been actively engaged in teaching, lecturing internationally, running of Islamic educational institutes for the underprivileged as well as the orphans. He is the Head of the Fatwa Department of The Council of Islamic Scholars of Zimbabwe known as Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, which caters to the educational needs of the Muslim population of Zimbabwe. He is also one of the Muaththins and an Imaam at Masjid Al Falaah, one of the largest Masjid in Harare. ..…. Head of the country's fatwa department, Menk has been identified as a Salafi.
We all know how rare it is for an African to receive an Islamic award with International recognition – but Muft Menk was honored with an Honorary Doctorate of Social Guidance by Aldersgate College and has been named one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world by the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Jordan in 2013, 2014, and 2017. Menk was born in Harare, where he undertook his initial studies with his father, memorizing the Quran and learning Arabic, Urdu, and Hanafi fiqh. He went to St. John's College (Harare) for senior school. He later specialized in Hanbali fiqh at the Islamic University of Madinah, Menk is known especially in eastern Africa and teaches internationally. Menk opposes terrorism and has pledged his aid in curbing religious extremism in the Maldives. On 31 March 2018, he urged Liberian Muslims to avoid Muslim-Christian violence, arguing that Muslims and Christians are brothers and sisters from one father, the prophet Adam. He blames Western media for misleading the world that Muslims are generally terrorists. According to Gulf News, Menk said that everyone on this earth is a part of a family and has one maker, therefore, no one has the right to force any belief or faith on another.
The Huffington Post has described Menk as an "openly homophobic Islamic preacher" who has denounced the act of homosexuality as "filthy".In 2013, he was due to visit six British universities – Oxford, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Cardiff, and Glasgow – but the speaking tour was canceled after student unions and university officials expressed concern about his views. Menk's controversial statement included these words: "How can you engage in acts of immorality with the same sex?... The Qur'an clearly says it is wrong what you are doing... Allah speaks about how filthy this is... With all due respect to the animals, [homosexuals] are worse than animals."
Even though his life has been a Blessing Muft Menk met couple Challenges and On 31 October 2017, Singapore banned Menk from its borders because it believes he expresses views incompatible with its multicultural laws and policies. According to the Straits Times, he has asserted that "it is blasphemous for Muslims to greet believers of other faiths during festivals such as Christmas or Deepavali". Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement that its decision to reject Menk's application for a short-term work pass stemmed from his "segregationist and divisive teachings".The Majlis Ulama Zimbabwe, Menk's own institution, released a statement to express "regret and dismay" regarding the ban. It said that Menk was an "asset to multi‐cultural, multi‐religious Zimbabwe" and that viewers should "listen to his sermons in full" and not "edited clips of a few minutes" to see the moderate path he has chosen.
In November 2018, the Danish government banned Menk from entering its borders and In 2018 he published a collection of his sayings as a book titled Motivational Moments and in 2019 published the second edition, titled Motivational Moments 2.
Menk was honored with an Honorary Doctorate of Social Guidance by Aldersgate College, the Philippines, and its collaborative partner Aldersgate College – Dublin, Ireland on 16 April 2016.KSBEA 2015 Awards – Global Leadership Award in Social Guidance was awarded by the Cochin Herald. He was listed as one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2014 and, 2017.