Claim: Mufti Taqi Usmani declared that anyone criticizing the Field Marshal Asim Munir following his ‘appointment as the protector of Haramain Shareefain’ [the two most holy sites for Muslims] is going against the rules of Islam.
Fact: The claim is false. Mufti Usmani did not make any such claims and said that any statements using his name that are not found on his X account or website should not be trusted as authentic. The quote attributed to him was not found on his X account or website.
Following Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signing a mutual defense pact on 17 September 2025, the social media news page ‘Daily Mashreq’ posted an image with an alleged quote from renowned Islamic juror and scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani. The quote states that now that the Field Marshal has been appointed as the protector of ‘Haramain Al-Shareefain’ (a common reference in Urdu to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina), anyone who criticises him is going against Islam.
The exact statement attributed to him in the post stated:
“فیلڈ اب محافظ الحرمین الشریفینبن چکے ہیں ، اب جو فیلڈ مارسل پر تنقید کرے گا، وہ دائرہ اسلام سے خارج ہوجائے گا”
[Translation: The Field Marshal has now become the protector of the Two Holy Mosques. Anyone who criticizes the Field Marshal will be considered outside the fold of Islam.]
Fact or Fiction?
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact on 17 September, following Israel’s attack on Qatar. While the pact is political in nature, under which an attack on one country would be treated as an attack on both, given Saudi Arabia’s religious significance, it is also being celebrated for its religious significance by citizens and leaders alike. The treaty does not directly assign any duties to Pakistan or its forces to protect religious sites in Saudi Arabia, only a mutual defense agreement in case of an attack from an external aggressor.
In a speech at a ceremony celebrating Saudi National Day in Islamabad, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gillani said, “Protecting the land of the Two Holy Mosques is not merely a duty, it is a sacred privilege and an honor”.
Similarly, speaking to the media in London, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that it was a “matter of great honour and pride that Pakistan has been granted sacred duty of safeguarding the Holy Mosques (Haramain Shareefain).”
مفتی تقی عثمانی
Posted by Daily Mashreq on Thursday, September 18, 2025
On 18 September 2025, social media news outlet Daily Mashreq posted an image containing the false quote by Mufti Taqi Usmani. The image also states in smaller text, “ طلاعات ہیں کہ حرمین شریفین کی سیکیورٹی پاکستان کو ملنے جارہی ہے براہ کچھ دیر بعد پاکستان اور سعودی عرب کا معاہدہ ہونے کا امکان ہے۔”
[Translation: “Reports suggest that the security of the Two Holy Mosques is about to be handed over to Pakistan. An agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is expected soon.”]
Usmani is an authoritative Islamic scholar and jurist. His verdicts (fatwas) are followed by many Muslims across the world. He took to his official X account account clarifying that he did not make any such verdicts or declarations. In an X post, he stated that:
“نہایت افسوس ہے کہ کچھ افتراپرداز سوشل میڈیا پر ایسی باتیں مجھ سے منسوب کرکے چلادیتے ہیں جو سراسر جھوٹ ھوتی ہیں واضح رہے کہ جو بیان میرے ٹویٹر x اکاؤنٹ پر یا میری ویب سائٹ پر نہ ہو اسکے میری طرف سے ہونے پر بھروسہ نہ
کیا جائے “
[Translation: “It is very unfortunate that some fabricators attribute to me statements on social media which are completely false. Let it be clear that if a statement is not on my Twitter/X account or on my website, then it should not be trusted as being from me.”]
نہایت افسوس ہے کہ کچھ افتراپرداز سوشل میڈیا پر ایسی باتیں مجھ سے منسوب کرکے چلادیتے ہیں جو سراسر جھوٹ ھوتی ہیں واضح رہے کہ جو بیان میرے ٹویٹر x اکاؤنٹ پر یا میری ویب سائٹ پر نہ ہو اسکے میری طرف سے ہونے پر بھروسہ نہ کیاجائے
— Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Official) (@muftitaqiusmani) September 18, 2025
Thus, Mufti Taqi Usmani did not declare that criticising Field Marshal Asim Munir goes against Islam. Additionally, it is also misleading to claim that the Field Marshal is the protector of Haramain Shareefain. Pakistan only signed a mutual defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, with no mention of duties to protect holy sites during peacetime or otherwise; it is for the protection of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in case of an act of war.
Mufti Taqi Usmani’s quote is entirely fabricated and has been spread widely across social media platforms.
Virality
Daily Mashreq has a large following on Facebook of 912k followers. The post gained 3.7k reactions, 2.1k comments, and 633 shares. It was also shared by Zhob Times using their own template, gaining a significant number of reactions.
A reverse image search and search using keywords from the text revealed that the post was also viral across platforms, including Instagram, X, TikTok and Threads. The false image was also shared over WhatsApp.
Posts containing the fabricated can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.