The Grand Muftiship in the Philippines is one of Southeast Asia’s key Islamic institutions uniting sacred knowledge, justice, and peace. Recognized in the 1996 Final Peace Agreement as the official Islamic advisory body, the Darul Iftah of Region IX and Palawan continues a legacy rooted in the classical Ashʿari–Shāfiʿi–Sufi tradition. From Grand Mufti ʿAbdulGani Yusop al-Azhari to Grand Mufti Walīd Abubakar al-Azhari, it has upheld moderation, unity, and interfaith harmony.

The Grand Muftiship in the Philippines represents one of the most significant Islamic institutions in Southeast Asia. Serving as the spiritual and juristic authority (Marjaʿ al-Iftāʾ) for Muslim communities in the south, the office of the Grand Mufti of Region IX and Palawan (Darul Iftah) symbolizes the enduring bond between ʿIlm (sacred knowledge), ʿAdl (justice), and Sulh (peace).

Recognized under the Final Peace Agreement of 1996 between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Darul Iftah was formally institutionalized as an Islamic advisory council to guide moral and religious affairs within the framework of governance and peacebuilding. The Agreement explicitly stated:

“The SPCPD shall be assisted by the Darul Iftah (Advisory Council), which shall be created by the Chairman of the SPCPD.”
(Final Peace Agreement, 1996, Article II, Section 5)

This clause marked the first official recognition of an Islamic advisory body within a national peace accord in the Philippines ,a milestone reflecting the unity of faith and governance envisioned by Muslim leaders.

Historical Foundations

Islam arrived in the Philippines centuries before the Spanish era, carried by traders, missionaries, and Sunni Sufi ʿUlamāʾ (scholars) from the Ba Alawi sada of Yemen, India, and the Malay world. By the 14th century, muftis and qadis already functioned under the Sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao, interpreting Islamic law (Shariʿah) and guiding local communities.

However, it was in 1989 that a formal regional Grand Muftiship was established for the modern state through a Mindanao-wide conference of ʿUlamāʾ in Zamboanga City. The assembly elected Grand Mufti AbdulGani L. Yusop Al-Azhari qaddasallahu sirrahu, an esteemed scholar of both Shariʿah,Tasawwuf (Sufism) and Ilmuh Kamaasan, as the first Grand Mufti of Region IX and Palawan.

The Pioneering Grand Muftis

1. Grand Mufti AbdulGani L. Yusop Al-Azhari rahimahullāhu taʿālā wa nawwara darīhahu

A saintly scholar (ʿĀrif Billāh) known for his humility and wisdom, Shaykh AbdulGani Yusop was educated at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, where he earned degrees in Usūl al-Dīn (Theology), Fiqh (Jurisprudence), and Falsafah (Philosophy). He was the only Asian student to receive the President Gamal Abdel Nasser Award in Theology in 1964.

Upon returning to Mindanao, he declined invitations to serve abroad, believing that the revival of Islam in the Philippines must begin at home. He founded the Zambasul Ulama Center, trained generations of imams and teachers, and became a leading figure in interfaith peace efforts.

At the height of the Mindanao conflict in 1974, he famously invited Archbishop Cruces to join him in Eid al-Fitr prayers at the Campo Muslim Mosque, declaring before both Muslims and Christians that “the war is not between faiths but between justice and injustice.”

For his lifetime of service, he was posthumously honored with the Golden Amazing Leader in Islam Award (2016), recognizing his unparalleled contributions to Islamic scholarship and peacebuilding in Southern Philippines.

2. Grand Mufti Abdulbaki Abubakar Al-Azhari rahimahullāhu taʿālā wa nawwara darīhahu

Succeeding Shaykh AbdulGani, Grand Mufti Abdulbaki Abubakar qaddasallahu sirrahu combined ʿIlm (knowledge) with Jihad al-Qalam (the struggle of the pen). A graduate of Al-Azhar University, he specialized in Arabic language, history, and Islamic civilization.

As Grand Mufti and as Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs of the MNLF Central Committee, he served as a bridge between Islamic scholarship and political diplomacy. He was instrumental in securing Al-Azhar scholarships for Bangsamoro students, paving the way for a new generation of Filipino scholars to study in Cairo.

Known for his moral clarity, he often reminded leaders:

“Love your people as the Prophet ﷺ loved his Ummah. Leadership is not power — it is Amānah (a trust from Allah).”

His passing in October 8 2025 was mourned across the region. Tributes hailed him as “a shepherd who bridged faith and liberation.” His life embodied the balance between scholarship and activism, spirituality and service.

3. Grand Mufti Walid Abubakar Ad-Dimashqi (2025-present) hafizahullāh wa nafaʿaAllāhu bihi al-ummah

The current Grand Mufti of Region IX and Palawan, Sheikh Walid Abubakar ḥafiẓahullāh wa bāraka fīh, continues this legacy of moderation and scholarship. A graduate of Damascus University (Syria) with a degree in Islamic Law (Shariʿah), he is respected for his firm grounding in traditional Sunni jurisprudence and his commitment to unity among scholars.

His appointment has received widespread recognition and support from:

• The Provincial Government of Tawi-Tawi (Governor Yshmael “Mang” Sali)

• The Ulama Supreme Council of Zamboanga Peninsula

• The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)

• Differents Madrasas(Sunni and Wahhabi institutions) in Region 9,Palawan,Basilan,Sulu and Tawi-Tawi

• The Sabiel al-Mohtadeen Foundation, under Sayyiduna Shaykh Khadraji “Guru Bata” Tapsi ḥafiẓahullāh wa nafaʿaAllāhu bihi al-ummah

• The Naqshbandi Ṭarīqa, under Sayyiduna Shaykh Khalid Ismael ḥafiẓahullāh wa nafaʿaAllāhu bihi al-ummah

• The Naqīb as-Sādāt al-Ashrāf, Dr. Calingalan Hussin Caluang

• The Palawan Muslim Consultative and Da’wah Council (PMCDC)

• The Royal Sultanate of Sulu, represented by Sultan Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram ḥafiẓahullāh wa nafaʿaAllāhu bihi al-ummah, one of the recognized claimants to the historic Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo.

His leadership, affirmed by both religious and civic institutions, continues to uphold the vision that Islamic guidance and social peace are inseparable.

Role and Significance of the Darul Iftah

The Darul Iftah (lit. “Council of Legal Opinion”) serves as the advisory and juristic institution guiding Islamic life in Western Mindanao and Palawan. It issues fatāwā (legal rulings), mediates social and familial disputes, and ensures that public policy and community life remain aligned with Islamic ethics and justice.

Unlike the Regional Darul Ifta of BARMM, which is now largely administered by Salafi-Wahhabi-oriented scholars, the Darul Iftah of Region IX and Palawan remains predominantly Azhari Sunni — rooted in the Ashʿarī creed, the Shāfiʿī school of law, and the Sufi spiritual tradition (Tasawwuf). This balance reflects the Philippines’ rich intellectual connection with Al-Azhar University, where many of its muftis and imams received their formation.

Legacy and Vision

From Sayyiduna Shaykh AbdulGani Al-Azhari’s call for peace,
to Sayyiduna Shaykh Abdulbaki Abubakar’s wisdom in leadership,
to Sayyiduna Shaykh Walid Abubakar’s steady guidance,
the Grand Muftiship in the Philippines stands as a beacon of moderation, unity, and learning.

It continues to awaken the hearts of the Muslims in these blessed islands to the truth that knowledge is the light by which faith beholds its Lord, that justice is the fruit by which faith manifests in society, and that peace is the crown of faith where the soul rests in the radiance of Divine harmony

Ang pagkakaroon ng Grand Mufti sa Pilipinas ay kumakatawan sa isa sa mga pinakamahalagang institusyong Islamiko sa Timog-Silangang Asya. Bilang espirituwal at hurisdiksiyong awtoridad (Marjaʿ al-Iftāʾ) para sa mga pamayanang Muslim sa katimugang bahagi ng bansa, ang tanggapan ng Grand Mufti ng Rehiyon IX at Palawan (Darul Iftah) ay sumasagisag sa matibay na ugnayan ng ʿIlm (banal na kaalaman), ʿAdl (katarungan), at Sulh (kapayapaan).

Kinilala ito sa ilalim ng Final Peace Agreement noong 1996 sa pagitan ng Pamahalaan ng Republika ng Pilipinas (GRP) at ng Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Ang Darul Iftah ay pormal na naitatag bilang isang Islamic advisory council upang gumabay sa mga usaping moral at relihiyoso sa loob ng balangkas ng pamamahala at pagtataguyod ng kapayapaan. Ayon sa Kasunduan:

“Ang SPCPD ay tutulungan ng Darul Iftah (Advisory Council),na siyang itatagalaga ng Chairman ng SPCPD.”
(Final Peace Agreement, 1996, Article II, Section 5)

Ang probisyong ito ang unang opisyal na pagkilala sa isang Islamic advisory body sa isang pambansang kasunduan sa kapayapaan sa Pilipinas — isang mahalagang tagumpay na sumasalamin sa pagkakaisa ng pananampalataya at pamahalaan na minimithi ng mga pinunong Muslim.

Batayan sa Kasaysayan

Dumating ang Islam sa Pilipinas bago pa man ang panahon ng mga Espanyol, sa pamamagitan ng mga mangangalakal, misyonero, at mga ʿUlamāʾ (iskolar) na Sunni Sufi mula sa Ba ʿAlawi sada ng Yemen, India, at Malayong Mundo. Pagsapit ng ika-14 na siglo, may mga mufti at qadi nang nagsasagawa ng tungkulin sa ilalim ng mga Sultanato ng Sulu at Maguindanao upang ipatupad ang batas Islamiko (Sharīʿah) at gabayan ang mga mamamayan.

Ngunit noong 1989, itinatag sa Zamboanga City sa pamamagitan ng isang Mindanao-wide conference ng mga ʿUlamāʾ ang isang pormal na rehiyonal na pagkaGrand Mufti para sa modernong estado. Sa pagpupulong na ito, napili si Grand Mufti AbdulGani L. Yusop Al-Azhari (qaddasallāhu sirrahu) na isang dakilang iskolar ng Sharīʿah, Tasawwuf (Sufismo), at Ilmuh Kamaasan bilang unang Grand Mufti ng Rehiyon IX at Palawan.

Ang mga naging Grand Mufti

1. Grand Mufti AbdulGani L. Yusop Al-Azhari (rahimahullāhu taʿālā wa nawwara darīhahu)

Isang banal na iskolar (ʿĀrif Billāh) na kilala sa kababaang-loob at karunungan. Nag-aral siya sa Al-Azhar University, Cairo, at nagtapos sa Usūl al-Dīn (Teolohiya), Fiqh (Batas Islamiko), at Falsafah (Pilosopiya). Siya lamang ang tanging Asyanong mag-aaral na ginawaran ng President Gamal Abdel Nasser Award in Theology noong 1964.

Pagbalik niya sa Mindanao, tinanggihan niya ang mga alok na maglingkod sa ibang bansa, naniniwalang ang pagbuhay sa Islam sa Pilipinas ay dapat magsimula sa sariling lupain. Itinatag niya ang Zambasul Ulama Center, nagsanay ng mga imam at guro, at naging pangunahing tagapagtaguyod ng kapayapaan sa pagitan ng mga pananampalataya.

Noong kasagsagan ng giyera sa Mindanao noong 1974, inimbitahan niya si Arsobispo Cruces na makiisa sa Eid al-Fitr sa Campo Muslim Mosque, at sinabi sa harap ng mga Muslim at Kristiyano:

“Ang digmaan ay hindi sa pagitan ng mga pananampalataya, kundi sa pagitan ng katarungan at kawalang-katarungan.”

Pinarangalan siya pagkamatay bilang Golden Amazing Leader in Islam Awardee (2016) dahil sa kanyang natatanging ambag sa karunungang Islamiko at kapayapaan sa Timog Pilipinas.

2. Grand Mufti Abdulbaki Abubakar Al-Azhari (rahimahullāhu taʿālā wa nawwara darīhahu)

Sumunod kay Shaykh AbdulGani, si Grand Mufti Abdulbaki Abubakar (qaddasallāhu sirrahu) ay nagtaglay ng ʿIlm (kaalaman) at Jihad al-Qalam (pakikibaka sa pamamagitan ng panulat). Nagtapos din siya sa Al-Azhar University, sa larangan ng wikang Arabe, kasaysayan, at kabihasnang Islamiko.

Bilang Grand Mufti at Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs ng MNLF Central Committee, siya ay nagsilbing tulay sa pagitan ng karunungang Islamiko at diplomasya. Siya ang nanguna sa pagbibigay ng mga Al-Azhar scholarships para sa mga kabataang Bangsamoro, na nagbukas ng daan para sa mga bagong henerasyon ng iskolar mula sa Pilipinas.

Madalas niyang paalala sa mga pinuno:

“Mahalin ninyo ang inyong mga mamamayan gaya ng pagmamahal ng Propeta ﷺ sa kanyang Ummah. Ang pamumuno ay hindi kapangyarihan — ito ay Amānah (tiwala mula kay Allah).”

Pumanaw siya noong Oktubre 8, 2025, at ipinagluksa ng buong rehiyon. Tinawag siyang “pastol na nagbuklod ng pananampalataya at paglaya.” Ang kanyang buhay ay sumalamin sa balanse ng karunungan at pagkilos, espirituwalidad at paglilingkod.

3. Grand Mufti Walid Abubakar Al-Azhari (2025–kasalukuyan) (ḥafiẓahullāh wa nafaʿaAllāhu bihi al-ummah)

Ang kasalukuyang Grand Mufti ng Rehiyon IX at Palawan, si Shaykh Walid Abubakar (ḥafiẓahullāh wa bāraka fīh), ay nagpatuloy sa pamana ng katamtamang pananaw at karunungan. Nagtapos siya sa Damascus University (Syria) sa larangan ng Islamic Law (Sharīʿah) at kilala sa kanyang matatag na paninindigan sa tradisyonal na Sunni fiqh at sa pagkakaisa ng mga ʿUlamāʾ.

Ang kanyang pamumuno ay kinikilala ng mga sumusunod:

• Pamahalaang Panlalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi (Gob. Yshmael “Mang” Sali)

• Ulama Supreme Council of Zamboanga Peninsula

• Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)

• Iba’t ibang madrasah sa Rehiyon IX, Palawan, Basilan, Sulu, at Tawi-Tawi

• Sabiel al-Mohtadeen Foundation sa ilalim ni Sayyiduna Shaykh Khadraji “Guru Bata” Tapsi (ḥafiẓahullāh wa nafaʿaAllāhu bihi al-ummah)

• Naqshbandi Ṭarīqa, sa ilalim ni Sayyiduna Shaykh Khalid Ismael (ḥafiẓahullāh wa nafaʿaAllāhu bihi al-ummah)

• Naqīb as-Sādāt al-Ashrāf, Dr. Calingalan Hussin Caluang

• Palawan Muslim Consultative and Da’wah Council (PMCDC)

• Royal Sultanate of Sulu, kinatawan ni Sultan Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram (ḥafiẓahullāh wa nafaʿaAllāhu bihi al-ummah)

Ang kanyang pamumuno, na kinikilala ng parehong relihiyoso at sibikong mga institusyon, ay nagpapatibay sa paniniwala na ang patnubay ng Islam at kapayapaan sa lipunan ay hindi mapaghihiwalay.

Gampanin at Kahalagahan ng Darul Iftah

Ang Darul Iftah (ibig sabihin: Konseho ng Legal na Opinyon) ay nagsisilbing tagapayo at hurisdiksiyong institusyon na gumagabay sa pamumuhay-Islamiko sa Kanlurang Mindanao at Palawan. Ito ay nagbibigay ng fatāwā (mga kautusang legal), namamagitan sa mga alitan, at tinitiyak na ang mga patakarang pampubliko at pamumuhay ng pamayanan ay naaayon sa etika at katarungan ng Islam.

Hindi tulad ng Regional Darul Ifta ng BARMM, na ngayon ay pinamumunuan ng mga Salafi-Wahhabi-oriented na iskolar, ang Darul Iftah ng Rehiyon IX at Palawan ay nananatiling Azhari Sunni o nakaugat sa ʿAqīdah Ashʿarīyah, Madhhab Shāfiʿī, at Tasawwuf. Ito ay sumasalamin sa malalim na ugnayang pang-intelektuwal ng Pilipinas sa Al-Azhar University, kung saan maraming mufti at imam ang hinubog.

Pamanang Espirituwal at Pananaw

Mula sa panawagan ni Sayyiduna Shaykh AbdulGani Al-Azhari para sa kapayapaan,
hanggang sa karunungan ni Sayyiduna Shaykh Abdulbaki Abubakar sa pamumuno,
at sa matatag na paggabay ni Sayyiduna Shaykh Walid Abubakar,
ang pagiging Grand Mufti ay nananatiling ilaw ng balanseng pananampalataya, pagkakaisa, at karunungan.

Patuloy nitong pinapaalalahanan ang mga Muslim sa mga pinagpalang pulo ng Pilipinas na ang kaalaman ang liwanag kung saan nakikilala ng pananampalataya ang kanyang Panginoon, ang katarungan ang bunga kung saan nakikita ang pananampalataya sa lipunan, at ang kapayapaan ang korona ng pananampalataya, kung saan ang kaluluwa ay sumasandal sa liwanag ng Banal na pagkakaisa.