August 5, 2009
Below is a page from the manuscript of Ma’arif al-Qur’an, Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ Usmani’s (may Allah sanctify his secret) ever-popular exegesis of the Qur’an. It is, of course, in the handwriting of Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ Usmani himself.
A Page From The Manuscript of Ma'arif al-Qur'an
Image taken from : Al-Balagh Monthly, Special Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ Issue (Karachi: Maktabah Ma’arif al-Qur’an, Jumada ‘l-Ula 1426 / July 2005), Vol 1
July 28, 2009
Below is a letter in the handwriting of the Hijazi scholar Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki (may Allah shower His mercy upon him), addressed to Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya (may Allah shower His mercy upon him). It was written after Shaykh al-Hadith had gifted the Shaykh a copy of Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri’s (may Allah anctify his secret) Badhl al-Majhud, commentary of Sunan Abi Dawud. This particular edition, published in 20 volumes, was the first of many al-Maktabah al-Imdadiyyah (Makkah) prints and included Shaykh al-Hadith’s beneficial ta’liqat (annotations). Shaykh al-Hadith gifted the work to various notable ‘ulama’ of al-Haramayn.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-Maliki's letter to Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya
Translation:
In the name of Allah, most Beneficent, most Merciful,
Possessor of Excellence, the learned hadith scholar, remnant of the predecessors and splendour of the successors, the embodiment of blessings, Imam, caller to Allah, my master and my teacher: Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya, may Allah protect him …
Al-Salam ‘alaykum wa Rahmat Allah
I congratulate you on the arrival of the New Year. May Allah make it one of prosperity, blessings, happiness and favour. Amin.
I thank you for kindly sending to me a copy of the great, renowned and praiseworthy commentary, Badhl al-Majhud, which is crowned with your blessed annotations. May Allah protect, aid and assist you, and may He lengthen your life in His obedience and the excellence of His servitude, and may He enable us to benefit from you. May you always remain [in prosperity].
Your lover and humble servant,
Muhammad ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki
Servant of the honourable students at the [Umm al-Qura] University and al-Masjid al-Haram
04/01/1394 (AH)
Image taken from: Fihrist Ta’lifat-e-Shaykh, Volume 1, p. 346 (Saharanpur: Maktabah Yadgar-e-Shaykh, Ramadhan 1417 AH / January 1997 CE ed. ) by Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Shahid Saharanpuri.
July 24, 2009
Mawlana Shams al-Haq Afghani (may Allah shower his mercy upon him) related:
Our teacher Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Muhammad Anwar Shah Kashmiri would say: ‘‘Mawlana ‘Abd al-Hayy Lucknowi is dependable in his opinions. However, the reverence for him in my heart is due to his piety (taqwa). One of his students informed me, ‘‘I remained in Mawlana Lucknowi’s company for seven years. In all that time – despite having many opponents – I did not hear him utter a word of ghibah.’’ (Our revered teacher, [‘Allamah Anwar Shah] Kashmiri would say), ‘‘this is a quality which is rare among scholars, let alone the masses.’’
Mawlana Anwar Shah Kashmiri Ke ‘Ulum wa Ma‘arif (Karachi: Dar al-Isha‘at, June 1980 ed.) p. 43-44 by Mawlana Muhammad Iqbal Qureshi, citing Sawanih Hadrat Mawlana Rasul Khan saheb, p8.
July 13, 2009
Hakim al-Ummat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) said about the women of Kandhla[1]:
‘‘Most of the women from the town of Kandhla have studied upto [the level of] Mishkat and Durr al-Mukhtar. There are very few women [there] who have not memorized the Qur’an and remain asleep the entire night during Ramadan.’’
Majalis-e-Hakim al-Ummat (Karachi: Dar al-Isha‘at, Dhu ‘l-Qa‘dah, 1366 AH ed.) p. 147 compiled by Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ Usmani.
[1] A town situated in the Indian state of U.P. It lies in between the city of Delhi and Saharanpur. It was the home town of many senior ‘ulama such as Mufti Ilahi Bakhsh Kandhlawi, Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn Kandhlawi, Mawlana Nur al-Hasan Kandhlawi, Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi and Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas kandhlawi (may Allah shower His mercy upon them all).
July 6, 2009
Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Sayyid Husayn Ahmad Madani (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) advised:
‘‘Recitation [of the Qur’an] in salat performed during the final portion of the night is most beneficial and effective for purification of the soul, especially when it is lengthy and with reflection and contemplation.’’
Shaykh al-‘Arab wa ‘l-‘Ajam Hadrat Mawlana Sayyid Husayn Ahmad Madani ki Iman Afroz Batein (Karachi: Majlis-e-Yadgar-e-Shaykh al-Islam, 1413/1993 ed.) p.30 Mawlana Abu ‘l-Hasan Barabankwi
June 28, 2009
Mawlana [Muhammad Yusuf] Binnori would relate, ‘‘Mawlana [Shafi‘ al-Din] Naginawi[1] instructed me that in India I should seek benefit from two pious elders: Mawlana [Husayn Ahmad] Madani and Mawlana [Ashraf ‘Ali] Thanawi. Thus, I attained spiritual blessings (fayd) from both. Mawlana Madani prescribed me with invocations and litanies, and I benefited from Mawlana Thanawi by corresponding with him and remaining in his company.’’
[1] Mawlana Shafi‘ al-Din Naginawi Muhajir Makki (may Allah sanctify his secret) was a senior khalifah of Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki and Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (may Allah shower His mercy upon them). He migrated to Makkah and lived in the blessed city for forty five years. His khalifahs included ‘Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Yusuf Binnori and Mawlana Shah ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Du‘a Ju (may Allah shower His mercy upon them). (translator)
Hadrat Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (quddisa sirruhu) Awr Unke Khulafa’ (Multan: Idarah-e-Ta’lifat-e-Ashrafiyah, date unknown) p. 46, by Dr. Hafiz Qari Fuyud al-Rahman
June 23, 2009
Hadrat Ji Mawlana Muhammad Yusuf Kandhlawi, the 2nd Amir of the Tablighi Jama‘at wrote regarding Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Husayn Ahmad Madani (may Allah shower His Mercy upon them):
‘‘In the chain of the great luminaries of Islam, Hadrat Shaykh al-‘Arab wa ‘l-‘Ajam (Shaykh of the Arabs and non-Arabs), the great warrior of Islam, lover of immigration and Jihad, adherent to the sunnah, flag-bearer of the knowledge of Islam, leader of the ‘ulama, Muhaddith of the time, jurist of the era, most abstinent from the world and desirous of the hereafter, most enduring and generous, and the least formal Hadrat Mawlana Husayn Ahmad Madani (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) also occupies a place. Whatever can be written regarding Hadrat is only the little which we had in front of us and could see. The true treasures of man are what lie hidden within. These treasures are hidden in the bosoms of man and shall only be made apparent in the next world. Only Almighty Allah knows what pleasures had filled the heart of this great personality, due to which he was able to bear the severest of difficulties during every juncture of his life for the revival of the spirit of Iman. Spending the last moments of his life in cries and du‘as in front of Almighty Allah, Hadrat handed his soul over to his beloved Master.’’
Biography of Shaikhul Islam Maulana Husain Ahmad Madani (Jointly published by Madrasah Arabia Islamia (Azadville) and Zam Zam Publishers (Pakistan), Jumada ‘l-Ula 1428 / May 2007 ed.) p.35, translated by Mawlana Ridwan Kajee.
Note: Spellings of some words have been edited when reproducing this translation.
June 18, 2009
Mawlana Wali al-Din Nadwi writes regarding Imam ‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Hayy Lucknowi’s (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) relationship with some of his contemporaries:
‘‘The Imam held an extremely affectionate and warm relationship with many of his eminent contemporaries, from whom were Shaykh Nadhir Husayn Dehlawi and Shaykh Fadl-e-Rahman Ganj Muradabadi, who both profusely praised the Imam. The Imam also held an extremely close friendship with the founder of Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband, ‘Allamah Muhammad Qasim Nanautwi to whom the Imam would often send gifts.’’
Bid‘ah And The Salaf’s Worship (London: Al-Hamra Publications, 1st edition 1999) p. xvii, translated by Shaykh Zahir Mahmood
Note: Spellings of names have been edited when reproducing this paragraph.
June 15, 2009
Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn Kandhlawi (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) has been mentioned several times on the blog. I recently came across some more biographical information about the mawlana which readers may find interesting.
The mawlana’s biographers write that he was of an extremely pious disposition from a young age and an ardent follower of the sunnah. His condition, later in life, became such that his body would not accept even a morsel of food procured from doubtful sources. Once, when mawlana was involved in the construction of a mosque in Kandhla, Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan — on account of close family ties — donated some money. Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn’s taqwa was such that he refused the cash saying, “Your income is haram and cannot be used for a mosque.’’
Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn Kandhlawi was among the trusted colleagues and students of Shah Muhammad Ishaq Dehlawi[1] and his brother Shah Muhammad Ya‘qub (may Allah shower His mercy upon them). He was among those who were named by these two savants as their successors in India when they migrated to the Hijaz.[2]
Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn was also from among the leaders of the 1857 War of Independence against Colonialism. The mawlana strove greatly and rendered remarkable services during the war. Mawlana Rashid al-Hasan Kandhlawi notes that it is regretful that much has not been written regarding the services of Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn and the zeal and fervour of the people of Kandhla and its surrounding areas during the 1857 jihad.
As a shaykh of the Naqshbandi tariqah, Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn had thousands of disciples, a number of whom received ijazah from him, including Mawlana Rafi‘ al-Din Deobandi (d. 1309 AH), Mawlana Isma‘il Kandhlawi (d. 1315 AH),[3] Mawlana Muhammad Husayn Faqir Dehlawi (d. 1324 AH) and Hafiz Tafaddul Husayn Baghrawi (may Allah shower His mercy upon them all).
It was Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn’s practice to visit and reside in the mosques of neighbouring towns and villages for three to four days at a time. During his stay he would explain the method of offering salah to the people, teach them the rulings of religion, and encourage them to bring them into practise. Mawlana Muhammad Isma‘il Kandhlawi (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) inherited this practise from Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn. This method of preaching was later popularised by his son Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) and is now prevalent throughout the world in the form of the Tablighi Jama‘ah movement.
Mawlana Muzaffar Husayn also authored a treatise — Radd-e-Rusum (Refutation of Customs) — in refutation of innovations and the practise of not marrying widows, something that was prevalent in India at that time.[4] Mawlana Rashid al-Hasan Kandhlawi writes that he is in possession of a manuscript of this treatise in Hafiz Damin Shahid’s (may Allah shower His mercy upon him)[5] handwriting.
Adapted from Makatib-e-Rashidiah (Lahore: Idara Islamiat, August 1996/Rabi‘ al-Awwal 1417 ed.) p.195-196[6]
[1] Grandson and successor of Shah ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Dehlawi (may Allah shower His mercy upon him)
[2] See Mawlana ‘Ubayd Allah Sindhi’s (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) ‘‘Shah Wali Allah Awr Unki Siyasi Tahrik’’.
[3] He was the father of Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi and Mawlana Muhammad Yahya Kandhlawi (may Allah shower His mercy upon them).
[4] The notion of considering the marrying of widows shameful is something that had become prominent in India owing to local Hindu culture. The practise was also strongly opposed by Sayyid Ahmad Shahid and his followers (may Allah shower His mercy upon them all).
[5] He was a senior khalifah of Shaykh Mianji Nur Muhammad Jhinjhanawi and a close companion of Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki. He was martyred in the Battle of Shamli in 1857. He left this temporal world in a mosque with his head resting in the lap of Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (may Allah shower His mercy upon them all).
[6] This section of the book comprises footnotes by Mawlana Rashid al-Hasan Kandhlawi. The book itself was compiled by Mawlana Mahmud Ashraf Usmani.
June 6, 2009
Introduction:
Below is a letter of condolence written by Shaykh al-‘Ulama’ Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki (d. 1317 AH) — in his own handwriting — to Mawlana Khalil al-Rahman Saharanpuri upon the death of his father Mawlana Ahmad ‘Ali, the hadith scholar of Saharanpur (d. 17th Rabi‘ al-Thani 1297 AH). The letter is unique in that Haji Imdad Allah also expresses his grief and pain at the death of his beloved disciple Qasim al-‘Ulum wa ‘l-Khayrat Mawlana Qasim Nanautwi (d. 4th Jumada ‘l-Ula 1297 AH). Reading the sorrowful words of Haji Imdad Allah, one cannot help but feel touched by his outpouring of grief and love for these two great savants, in particular Mawlana Qasim Nanautwi (may Allah shower His mercy upon them all).
The letter was published for the first time by Sayyid Nafis Shah al-Husayni (may Allah sanctify his secret) in the monthly periodical Anwar-e-Madinah (Lahore). Sayyid Shah Nafis Shah al-Husayni — a khalifah of Mawlana ‘Abd al-Qadir Raipuri — wrote: “This letter has remained unpublished for 120 years. This blessed letter remained in the possession of the descendants and grandchildren of Mawlana Ahmad ‘Ali Saharanpuri (may Allah sanctify his secret). One member of this family, our esteemed friend Muhammad Salim al-Rahman (ibn Muhammad ‘Aqil al-Rahman ibn Muhammad Khalil al-Rahman ibn Mawlana Ahmad ‘Ali) mentioned this letter to me a few years ago. He later graciously granted this rare letter to this worthless one personally. May Allah grant him the best of rewards.
“This blessed trust is being presented to the common Muslims with thanks to Janab Salim al-Rahman (resident of Lahore). It is being published for the very first time. (15th Dhu ‘l-Hijjah 1417 AH).”[1]
Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki’s Letter Of Condolence to Mawlana Khalil al-Rahman
Letter Of Condolence Written By Haji Imdadullah Upon The Deaths of Mawlana Ahmad 'Ali Saharanpuri And Mawlana Muhammad Qasim Nanautwi
Translation[2]:
‘‘From the lowly Imdad Allah (may Allah forgive him) to the blessed service of my dear Molwi Khalil al-Rahman (may his love for the sake of Allah remain forever.)
After the sunnah greeting and a prayer for goodness, I acknowledge receipt of your dear letter. It gave the heartbreaking news of the demise of Mawlana Ahmad Ali and my most beloved,[3] a portion of my heart, Molwi Muhammad Qasim (may Allah shower His mercy upon them). I had also received this news before. Indeed, to Allah do we belong and to him is our return.
Alas! What great sorrow!
My peers drank the wines and departed
They left the taverns empty and departed
Those who were radiant migrated towards the skies
And we, as shadows, were left behind on the earth
The courageous men sacrificed themselves for the King
Lowly ones such as us are enslaved in the clutches of souls
This lowly one no longer has any enjoyment in life. Pray Allah grants me a good death quickly and takes me away from this world of sorrow. I do not have the strength to write further. That is all.’’
[2] Translated by Mawlana Ibrahim Amin al-Kuwaiti
[3] When translated literally, the Persian idiom used here by Haji Imdad Allah means, ‘piece of my liver’. What love and affection for his esteemed disciple!
