Imtiaz Yusuf: The First Samurai of the Muslim Community

Dr. Imtiaz Yusuf is perhaps the first Samurai of the Muslim community. Before reading about him and his ideas, take a look at the characteristics of a Samurai.

Samurai is a respectful name in Buddhist history. People identify him with the helmets, suits of armor, and weapons. Beyond their craftsmanship, they reveal the profound influence of Buddhism on the warrior class.

Buddhism reached Japan in the sixth century, swiftly becoming a powerful cultural and spiritual force among the ruling elite. Buddhist schools shaped the beliefs of the samurai. Pure Land Buddhism, as well as the esoteric Shingon and Tendai sects, left their mark. Yet it was Zen Buddhism that most closely aligned with the ideals of the samurai.

Zen’s emphasis on impermanence, self-discipline, and direct experience of enlightenment harmonized with bushidō—the “way of the warrior.” Dispensing with elaborate rituals and scripture, Zen taught that one must be prepared for death at any moment.  

Buddhist ideals served as both a spiritual guide and a source of strength for Japan’s legendary warriors.

His strength is not his weapons but his ideas, intellect, and vision for a peaceful world. His story is fascinating.

The local Imam in the Marathi town of Ratnagiri had pronounced the verdict: "He will never complete the reading or understanding of the Quran." His father was upset at his choice of political science as a subject in his bachelor's studies. His uncle was optimistic about the future. His brother was hopeless about his future. He thought that his younger brother might find a career in shoe shining. But destiny had different plans.

Even though he was born in a Muslim family, he had little interest in Islam and prayers. While studying in Pune, India, on a Friday, when he had nothing else to do, he decided to attend the Friday congregational prayers. It was a new face in the mosque. Mukarram Chowdhury, a Ph.D. in Chemistry, was more curious to know about his. The young man admitted that he knew little about Islam, and he attended the prayer because he had no other work to do. Mukarram gave him two books: The Fundamentals of Islam and Milestones.

Imtiaz Yusuf studied these books attentively and whispered to himself, : I too want to become a Muslim." Not many Muslim youths, born in families identifying with Islam, can make such a daring statement. That was a transformational moment in his life. It changed his focus and gave him a purpose in life, the purpose he had been searching for a long time.

However, it was the Muslim University of Aligarh that instilled in him greater zeal and enthusiasm. At the university, during his Master's program in Islamic Studies, he delved deeply into the history, theology, and philosophy of Islam and became involved in Muslim activism. He found answers to many of the questions that had been on his mind since childhood. He discovered the purpose of life and the challenges one goes through to live a meaningful life.

The boy, forewarned to be a shoe shiner and dumb in his reading of the Quran, studied Islam intensely, mastered political philosophies minutely, delved into comparative religions eagerly with a focus on Buddhism, learned about the modern Islamic movements and thoughts in the company of Dr. Ismail Faruqi and friends like Dr. Ahmadullah Siddiqi and Dr. Mumtaz is now a leading authority on Buddhism and a professor at the Islamic University in Malaysia after serving several institutions in Asia, Africa and North America.

Married to a Muslim woman from Thailand, Dr. Imtiaz is a champion of interfaith dialogue, especially with Buddhists. Deeply impressed by the life and teachings of the Buddha, which he finds in Islam, he considers Buddhism a unique ideology.

It was his love of his faith that brought him back to study at Aligarh Muslim University, despite having his parental home in Tanzania.

Muslims have coexisted with Buddhists for almost 1400 years. He believes that both must study each other to create a better world. He asserts that the Quan mentions Buddha.

With a keen eye for detail and a deep appreciation for both faiths, Dr. Imtiaz explores the shared principles of compassion and ethical conduct that underpin these ancient traditions. Moreover, he sheds light on the potential for peaceful coexistence and mutual respect among adherents of Buddhism and Islam, emphasizing the importance of dialogue and understanding in a world marked by diversity and complexity.

 For nearly 1,400 years, Muslims and Buddhists have shared a history of coexistence. Dr. Imtiyaz, a scholar of Islamic and Buddhist studies, believes the future depends on these two faiths learning from one another and engaging in honest, sustained dialogue.

Both traditions, he notes, share core values: compassion, justice, and the rejection of extremism. The Qur'anic principle of ummatan wasaṭan ("the middle people") mirrors the Buddha's majjhima-patipada ("middle way"), urging balance, tolerance, and ethical conduct.

Historically, early Muslim–Buddhist encounters were peaceful. In 8th-century Sindh, Muslim commanders were instructed to treat Buddhists as Ahl al-Kitāb ("People of the Book"), thereby protecting monks and temples. Over centuries, the two communities thrived together from Central Asia to Southeast Asia.

Dr. Imtiaz stresses that modern conflicts, such as those in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, are rooted more in ethnic nationalism than in religion. In Southeast Asia—home to 42% of the world's Muslims and 40% of its Buddhists—mutual ignorance remains a barrier. He urges Muslims to study Buddhism directly, just as they have long engaged with Christian and Jewish traditions.

He also points to intriguing Qur'anic references—such as Zul-Kifl and the "fig" in Chapter 95—that some scholars interpret as allusions to the Buddha. For him, both the Buddha and Muhammad were liberators of humanity, advocating equality and the end of exploitation.

"The Buddha wasn't Chinese, and Muhammad wasn't Arab in his values—they were universal," he says. "If we learn from each other, we can build a world rooted in compassion and mutual respect."

He is skeptical of symbolic interfaith events with no follow-up. Real understanding, he says, comes from sustained social engagement and grassroots education—especially among youth. He values initiatives like the Dalai Lama's visits to Muslim communities and is personally involved in Muslim–Buddhist academic exchanges in Japan and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Imtiaz points to Indonesia's protection of Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist monument, as a model of respect. Despite being the largest Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia has preserved this sacred site for centuries.

Although Buddhism largely disappeared from the Indian subcontinent by the 12th century, Dr. Yusuf rejects the idea that Islam was solely responsible. Regarding the destruction of Nalanda University by the Turkic warrior Bakhtiyar Khilji, Dr. Imtiaz emphasizes that such acts were political, rather than religious, in nature. Buddhism, he points out, persisted in India for centuries afterward.

The earliest encounters between Muslims and Buddhists, such as in 8th-century Sindh, were marked by mutual respect. When the Muslim commander Muhammad bin Qasim first met Buddhist monks, he sought guidance from scholars in Damascus. Their response was to treat Buddhists as Ahl al-Kitāb ("People of the Book")—a category usually reserved for Jews and Christians—prohibiting harm to monks or temples.

Dr. Imtiaz believes that this spirit of coexistence flourished in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia. The city of Bukhara, for instance, derives its name from the Buddhist word vihara ("monastery"), and the famous Hadith scholar Imam Bukhari may have had Buddhist ancestry.

Dr. Imtiaz highlights that both Islam and Buddhism stress promoting good and avoiding evil. The Qur'an teaches that evil comes from human choices, not from God—a view that mirrors Buddhist thought.

He recalls a story of the Prophet Muhammad, who once kissed his grandchildren in public. A passerby expressed surprise, admitting he had never kissed his children. Muhammad replied: "If you don't give love, you don't receive love." He notes that it reflects the same compassion that is central to Buddhist teachings.

Islam also teaches equality among all people, rejecting discrimination based on race or color. Muhammad respected followers of other faiths, once standing to honor a Jewish funeral procession and reminding his companions, "Was he not a human being?"

For Dr. Imtiaz, love and respect must extend to Buddhists as well. Ignorance—condemned by both the Buddha and Muhammad—leads to fear, then to evil, and ultimately to violence.

Dr. Imtiaz is one of the rare Muslim scholars specializing in Buddhism.