Allama Azmi in the United States of America
By Mohammad Ameen Marfani,
Founding Member & Trustee of Al-Noor Society of Greater Houston

I was in search of a Scholar to lead Ahle-Sunnah in the United States in general, and Houston,Texas in particular. Qari Raza-ul-Mustafa A'azmi of Maktaba-e-Rizviya of Karachi, Pakistan referred me to Allama Azmi. My first correspondence with this great personality was in 1974, when he began his work for Deen-e-Islam and Maslak-e-A'ala Hazrat in the United Kingdom with Allama Arshad-ul-Quadri.

Allama Azmi has the distinction of being the first person having a paramount impact in the American Muslim community since the early 1980s.

In Houston, Texas we had the honour and privilege of having Allama Azmi as a guest speaker at our annual Milaad programme. This was a turning point in Houston's history, in which the Milaad Programme was attended by approximately1,500 people.

In the following year in 1987 we established Al-Noor Society of Greater Houston upon Allama Azmi's recommendation, and administrative and organizational expertise. He served as an advisory board member and still serves as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Al-Noor Society of Greater Houston.

Alhamdolillah, with Allama Azmi's effort and guidance, Al-Noor Society of Greater Houston is now in its 24th year, and is the largest institution for Maslak-e-Ahle-Sunnat in Houston, the State of Texas and even in the USA. Al-Noor's new Mosque in Houston which cost $3.5 million dollars is state of the art with facility and capacity for 2,500 people.

In commemoration of his guidance and support in the pioneering of our institution and work, as well as strengthening our Maslak, Allama Azmi was guest of honour and host at the ground breaking ceremony to lay the foundation of Al-Noor Mosque in 2000.

Upon completion of this new state of the art building, he again was the guest of honour and host of the inauguration ceremony of the new Al-Noor Mosque, along with Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman in 2010.

Allama Azmi's dedication, support, encouragement, guidance, and enforcement of Deen-e-Islam and Maslak-e-Ahle-Sunnat in the past five decades is invaluable and comparable to none, locally and globally.