Yusuf Karaan (also written as Yousuf Abdullah Karaan)[1] (15 November 1935 - 10 May 2015) was a South African Sunni Muslim scholar from Strand[2] who served as head mufti of Muslim Judicial Council.

[6] In 1957, he moved to India where he studied at Darul Uloom Deoband for five years and graduated in 1962.

Baderoen "The main catalyst in the formation of this new organization was Moulana Yusuf Karaan who was an outstanding speaker and impressed the local community with his sincerity, and enthusiasm to unite the community under a single governing body".

[7] He also played a key role in the foundation of United Ulema Council of South Africa in 1994.

[6] His son Taha Karaan was also an Islamic scholar who established Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand.