Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah’s ‘Athar al-Hadith al-Sharif’ & Deobandi Scholars

By Zameelur Rahman

This link is to the fourth edition of Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwama’s brilliant book Athar al-Hadith al-Sharif fi Khtilaf al-A’immat al-Fuqaha which describes how the science of hadith impacts on the disagreements between the Fuqaha. Muhammad ‘Awwama (b. 1940), a resident of Medina of a Halabi background, is a contemporary hadith scholar and one of the major students of two important Halabi scholars of the last century, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda and Shaykh ‘Abd Allah Siraj al-Din. In this book, he has some interesting discussions, particularly on the statement of the Imams “When a hadith is sahih that is my madhhab” and how it should be understood; that some hadiths despite being sahih is not fit for practice; how often weak hadiths can inform certain rulings if not actually establish them; how variations in wordings of hadith can influence differences in rulings; the superiority of understanding over narration of hadiths and Abu Hanifa’s excellence in this; the dangers of taking shadh (isolated) opinions; the important differences between the Imams in reconciling between conflicting reports (there is a useful summary of the book on pages 193-8).

In the substance of the book, he refers to several Deobandi authors and their works, in particular Habib Kiranawi’s al-Qawa‘id fi ‘Ulum al-Fiqh, Yusuf Binnori’s Ma‘arif al-Sunan (a commentary on Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi), Zafar Ahmad al-Uthmani’s I‘la al-Sunan, al-Qawa‘id fi ‘Ulum al-Hadith and Abu Hanifa wa Ashabuhu l-Muhaddithun (which Awwama says “includes transmissions not found together anywhere else”), Anwar Shah Kashmiri’s footnotes to Nasb al-Rayah and he refers to Habib al-Rahman al-A‘zami’s help in offering some examples for one of the principles he cites which he included in this later edition of his work. He regards all of these authors and the works he mentions in high regard, designating them with superlative titles (like “Imam al-‘Asr” – the Imam of the time – for Anwar Shah Kashmiri and “Shaykhu Shuyukhina” – teacher of our teachers – for Zafar Ahmad al-‘Uthmani) and describing their books as “nafisa” (valuable) or “mawsu‘i” (encyclopaedic). In fact it might be said, from modern scholars, these Deobandi authors are his major sources in this book, with the exceptions of Allama al-Kawthari whom he cites frequently, and al-Ghumari and Muhammad Bakhit al-Muti‘i.

In the foreword to his book, while discussing endorsements, he writes:

“These short pages have received acceptance and approval from the leaders of the people of knowledge and virtue. From the most prominent of these and one whose acceptance and approval I treasure is our teacher, the great scholar, an authority of the people of knowledge, virtue, opinion and nobility in the Indian subcontinent, in particular, and among all who know him, in general, the master of hadith, Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandehlewi (d. 1402), Allah Almighty have mercy on him. For he was so kind as to listen to its contents page from one of his students while I was sitting in his presence [in Medina] and he became delighted thereby and said to his student “it requires reading in its entirety”. He was then so kind as to hear it completely while on his sickbed (Allah substitute the Garden for him). He then graciously provided me a dictated statement, which the reader will find shortly.” (Athar al-Hadith al-Sharif fi Khtilaf al-A’immat al-Fuqaha, 4th Edition, Muhammad Awwama, pp. 6-7)

Shaykh al-Kandehlewi’s statement is as follows:

“In Allah’s Name, Most Merciful, the Beneficent

All praise to Allah who showered us with His blessings and connected us with His favours. And prayers and peace on the chief of His creation, Muhammad, whose beauty and splendour is perfect, and whose effort and struggles is enough to admonish creation, and (prayers and peace) on his family, his companions who derived light from his speech and obtained its rays, and on those who follow them in goodness to the Day of Recompense.

To proceed:

Indeed Allah Almighty has placed in this Umma memorisers of the Clear Book and of the traditions of the chief of the first and the last, and He elected by His special grace from them the people of Hadith and fiqh who distinguished between the strong and weak (narrations), deduced (evidence) from the hasan and sahih (hadiths) and extracted rulings on that which they did not find a clear text by selecting what is weightier (in evidence) according to them. (This they did) after following the reports, busying the minds and spending lifetimes in understanding the nasikh (canceller) and the mansukh (cancelled) reports, and delved into the depths of language and the understanding of meanings so they were adept (in formulating) chapters and subchapters and deriving peripheral (matters) from the principle (ones). May Allah Almighty rain upon them the showers of mercy and approval and let them live a life of ease in the Gardens (of Paradise).

They had an immense rank in the application of what (apparently) contradicted, assessing what (actually) conflicted, clarifying what was unclear and expanding on what was summarised, but despite their unity in purpose and conciliation of hearts, they differed in many of the issues and rulings due to the difference in the approaches to assessing (the conflicting reports) and the methods of deducing (evidence). This difference was a natural and necessary result devoid of any reprehensibility or repulsiveness; rather it is a mercy for the Umma, as was agreed by the notable ‘ulama’. And since men are enemies of what they don’t know, those who had no feel for knowledge and understanding began to criticise the juristic Imams and spoke against them with a sharp tongue. For this reason the early and late (scholars) of (this Umma) penned books and epistles on the (underlying) causes of (these) disagreements, like Raf‘ al-Malam ‘an A’immat al-A‘lam by the great Hafiz, the insightful and critical scholar Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyya al-Harrani, and like Bidayat al-Mujtahid by Abu Walid ibn Rushd al-Qurtubi, Allah Almighty have mercy on them. I have an epistle on this subject in Urdu which I authored at the prime of my youth and I called it Ikhtilaf al-A’imma[1] and people have attained great benefit from it, and praise is due to Allah for that.

The merit in this age (however) goes to our honourable brother the scholar Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah, for he delivered a valuable lecture on this subject three years ago at the Rawda University in Halab, then he made it into an independent epistle after editing (it) and concluding (it) and he called it Athar al-Hadith al-Sharif fi Khtilaf al-A’immat al-Fuqaha. And since I was unable to read it myself due to the weakness in my vision – and diseases betake humanity in old age – I heard it from one of my beloveds and found it to be very beneficial, and it, despite its brevity, contains lofty benefits and (coherently) arranges precious gems. I sought benefit in it (being read to me) and my soul was uplifted and my heart was delighted by it. It is worthy of being read by every teacher and student, for it is devoid of deviance and embellishment, and delivers (the Imams) from what (has been said) disparagingly about the rank of the Imams from the people of enmity and of deprivation.

I ask Allah Almighty to enable us and all Muslims to (do) all that He loves and pleases, and keep us alive on the religion of the one who came with light and guidance, and cause us to die on his religion which illuminates the darkness. And Allah Almighty bless the best of His creation Muhammad, his family and all his companions.

I am the needy servant,

Muhammad Zakariyya ibn Muhammad Yahya al-Kandehlewi

Medina, 1401 H”

(Athar al-Hadith al-Sharif fi Khtilaf al-A’immat al-Fuqaha, pp. 12-14)

---

[1]               The English rendering of this work, Differences of The Imams, has been published by White Thread Press. (blog administrator)

………………………………

Related entry:  Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah on Contemporary Scholars Of the Indian Subcontinent

 

Shaykh Muhammad Ibn ‘Alawi al-Maliki’s Letter To Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya

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.

 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah’s Letter To Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya

BismiLlah al-Rahman al-rahim

 

As-salamu ‘alaykum,

 

The image below is a copy of a letter in the hand writing of the renowned hadith and research scholar Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (may Allah shower His mercy upon him). It was addressed to Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya (may Allah shower His mercy upon him) and was sent after Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah had received Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya’s multi-voluminous commentary of Mu’atta Imam Malik, entitled Awjaz al-Masalik.

 

Shaykh 'Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah's Letter To Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya

Image taken from: Fihrist Ta’lifat-e-Shaykh, Volume 1, p. 82 (Saharanpur: Maktabah Yadgar-e-Shaykh, Ramadhan 1417 AH / January 1997 CE ed. ) by Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Shahid Saharanpuri.

 

Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah on Contemporary Scholars Of the Indian Subcontinent

Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah on Contemporary Scholars

Of the Indian Subcontinent

 

The renowned contemporary Hadith scholar, Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah, born in Aleppo, Syria and currently residing in the illuminated city of Madinah, was asked about scholars around the world whom he considered beacons of guidance. In reply, he mentioned some of those whom he was aware of and who came to mind at that time. Below is a translation of what he said about the scholars of the Indian Subcontinent.

 

In Karachi, Pakistan: [There is] the eminent Dr. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaq Iskandar, the director of Jami’ah [al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah in the Binnuri Town area], whose da‘wah efforts within and beyond Pakistan are huge. There is also the eminent Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abd al-Halim Chishti, who is the brother of our Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abd al-Rashid Nu‘mani, may Allah shower His mercy upon him. There is also the eminent Shaykh Muhammad Taqi ‘Uthmani whose academic endeavours within and beyond Pakistan are great, and his elder brother Shaykh Muhammad Rafi‘, the rector of Jami’ah Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi. There are others too. 

 

In India: [There are] senior exemplary scholars, who are known for their academic and da‘wah efforts, in particular, the scholars of the two great Islamic universities – Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband and Mazahir ‘Ulum Saharanpur. From the scholars of the first university is the eminent Shaykh Arshad Madani, son of Shaykh al-Islam Sayyid Husayn Ahmad Madani, who has until now published seven large volumes of Imam al-‘Ayni’s commentary of Imam al-Tahawi’s Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar, entitled Nukhab al-Afkar.

 

From the scholars of the second university is the eminent Shaykh Muhammad ‘Aqil, son of the ‘Allamah, the great research scholar (al-muhaqqiq, al-mudaqqiq) Shaykh Muhammad Ayyub Saharanpuri, author of Tarajim al-Ahbar, which contains biographies of the narrators in Sharh Ma‘ani al-Athar. From amongst the senior scholars of this university is the eminent Shaykh Habib Allah Qurban, who resides with us in the illuminated city of Madinah, and is from amongst the students of our master Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi, may Allah shower His mercy upon him. He is exclusively occupied with teaching and writing.

 

In Bangladesh: [There is] the eminent Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abd al-Malik, who is one of those people who were trained and became well versed in this science (hadith) at the hand of our Shaykh, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah and Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abd al-Rashid Nu‘mani, may Allah shower His mercy upon them, and whose efforts in teaching (ta‘lim) and authoring (ta’lif) are laudable.

 

http://manarahnet.net/subPage.aspx?Page=CyHIOOVTbNeDWcOXDJVTTw==&CatID=368&SubID=%201374&co=367

 

 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah’s Love For Mawlana Abu’l-Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi

Hadhrat Mawlana Qamr al-Zaman Ilahabadhi, the khalifah of Hadhrat Mawlana Shah Wasi-Allah Ilahabadi, may Allah shower him with mercy,  writes:

 

The four personalities for whom Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah [Abu Ghuddah], may Allah shower him with mercy, would habitually supplicate daily, included his teacher and Hadhrat Mawlana [Abu ‘l-Hasan ‘Ali al-Nadwi], may Allah shower him with mercy.

 

Nuqush wa Athar-e-Mufakkir-e-Islam, page 331, (Maktabah Dar al-Ma’arif, Ilahabad, 2004)

 

Inspirational Talk By Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

As-salamu ‘alaykum,

Below is a link to an inspirational talk given by one of our prominent and influential Masha’ikh of the UK, Hadhrat Mawlana Muhammad Saleem Dhorat sahib (may Allah protect him).

Although the lecture is about following the din in its entirety, a large part of it is dedicated to one of the great Hadith scholars and Sufis of the last century, Hadhrat Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya (may Allah shower him with mercy). Towards the end of the talk, the honourable Shaykh beautifully recounts the spiritually-charged majalis (gatherings) which took place at Dar al-‘Ulum Bury (UK), during one of Hadhrat Shaykh al-Hadith’s (may Allah shower him with mercy) two visits to the UK. 

The Shaykh also explains the amazing wisdom of spending time in the path of Allah, in the effort of tabligh.

A highly beneficial and inspirational talk!

http://www.idauk.org/audio/Shaykhs_Bayans/english%20lectures/e205.mp3

 

Mauritanian Shuyukh On The Deobandi ‘Ulama

Mauritanian Shuyukh on the Deobandi ‘Ulama

 

Introduction

 

Several months ago, Pearls of the Elders received an email from a Mauritanian student of the Sacred Sciences who expressed admiration and love for the ‘ulama of Deoband. In a subsequent email, he sent a fascinating account of how the erudite ‘ulama of Mauritania had come to know of the ‘ulama of Deoband and how they had benefited from them, especially their books.

 

The student, who asked his name not be published, became acquainted with the writings of the blessed scholars of India and Pakistan through the effort of tabligh. With his permission, Pearls would like to share this email with our readers and hope it will be a means of kindling the love of, and respect for, the ‘ulama of Deoband.

 

The email has been edited to make it suitable for a wider readership. Translations of Arabic words, relevant footnotes and subheadings have also been added.

 

He wrote:

 

Brother Abu Unaysah, wa ‘alaykum salaam wa rahmatullah,

 

I wanted to take some time out to write this because it is an important subject.

I was first introduced to the Deobandi ‘ulama through the effort of tabligh when I was in the USA. I lived there from 1996 to 2004. Obviously, I benefited greatly from the elders of tabligh. From an academic perspective though, it was from Hadhrat Shaykh Zakariyya Kandhlawi’s writings that I benefited the most. These include the books of fadha’il,[1] the English translation of his commentary of Shama’il al-Tirmidhi and his autobiography, Aap Beti, which I have read several times and greatly benefited from.

 

I often tell my close friends that people who have children — as well as people who wish to understand how important it is to be associated with the mashayikh of tasawwuf — must read Aap Beti.

 

Sometimes our brothers fail to realise how much Mawlana Ilyas Kandhlawi (rahimahullah) and Mawlana Yusuf Kandhlawi (rahimahullah) relied on Hadhrat Shaykh Zakariyya (rahimahullah) to advance the effort of tabligh.  Understanding this would help the brothers associate themselves more assiduously to the ‘ulama; our elders still insist on this in their lectures. We ask Allah for tawfeeq.

 

Studying in Mauritania

 

Mauritania is a very poor country and the ‘ulama here, for the most part, have remained in the country. A few have had the opportunity to travel and bring books back from countries such as Egypt and Morocco.

 

Of course, a couple of hundred years ago, printing did not exist so certain books were copied on manuscripts etc. The teaching style in Mauritania is very different from other parts of the world. Generally it is based on memorising a matn (text) on a subject in the form of a nadhm (rhyming verses). The explanations and details of the texts are taken from the shaykh and his competent students.

 

For example, in nahw (Arabic grammar), the Alfiyyah of Ibn Malik (rahimahullah) is taught. In usul (principles of fiqh) it is the Kawkab of Imam Al-Suyuti (rahimahullah), or the Maraqi al-Sud of the Mauritanian scholar, Al-’Alawi (rahimahullah). Classical books and their commentaries on different subjects were brought to the country by those ‘ulama who travelled abroad.

 

Deobandi Books in Mauritania

 

Books written by Deobandi ‘ulama were introduced to our native Mauritanian ‘ulama very recently; I would say, in the past 20 to 30 years. The ‘ulama who have travelled abroad during the period when the works of some prominent Deobandi ‘ulama had been published did get access to them and benefited from them, as is evident by some of them quoting from their works.

 

One example is Shaykh Muhammad Habibullah al-Mayyaba (rahimahullah) who passed away in 1944. He was a great ‘alim and hafidh of hadith. It is said that he had memorised the six mutun (texts) of hadith with their sanad (chains of narration). He also wrote a nadhm on the importance of the Mu’atta [of Imam Malik] and a short commentary on it in which he repeatedly quotes from Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (rahimahullah).

 

Another interesting point is that Mawlana Yusuf Binnori (rahimahullah) has taken from him and was greatly impressed by him. In his introduction to Awjaz al-Masaalik,[2] Mawlana Yusuf Binnori (rahimahullah), when quoting Shaykh Muhammad Habibullah (rahimahullah), writes:  قال شيخنا بالإجازة (“Our shaykh in ijazah said…”)

 

I intend to further question some of our ‘ulama on how our elders have benefited from Indo-Pak ‘ulama and vice versa.

 

As you know, Al-Haramayan al-Sharifayn used to be a place where ‘ulama would meet and take from each other. For instance, Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (rahimahullah) had an ijazah in hadith from Ibn Dahlan (rahimahullah), who resided in Makkah al-Mukarramah.

 

Awjaz al-Masalik in Mauritania

 

As far as contemporary Mauritanian ‘ulama are concerned, the ones I know here have benefited from Awjaz al-Masalik in ways that cannot be described. Hadhrat Shaykh’s (rahimahullah) work can be most greatly appreciated by one who has studied fiqh, usul and Arabic in-depth; and alhamdulillah, these subjects are studied and mastered by the Mauritanian ‘ulama, hence their appreciation of the book to its fullest.

 

I have, alhamdulillah, gifted the book to five different ‘ulama — two of whom are considered among the most qualified fuqaha (jurists) here — and the comments I have received have been the same each time: “The person who wrote this is a real ‘alim,” or, “The book is greatly beneficial.”

 

This book is more so beneficial given that writings on hadith from our ‘ulama are very rare. Shaykh Muhammad Habibullah (rahimahullah) has written a commentary of Bukhari and Muslim (Zad al-Muslim fi ma Ittafaqa ‘alayhi al-Bukhari wa Muslim). His brother has also written a commentary of Bukhari, and al-’Alawi (rahimahullah) has compiled a nadhm on the terminology of hadith (mustalah al-hadith), which is a summary of the Alfiyya al-’Iraqi.

 

Hadith is studied in Mauritania on an individual basis. After a student has studied fiqh, nahw, mustalah of hadith, and balaghah and bayan (rhetoric), they have enough knowledge to study hadith through their own reading of the commentaries.

 

An Interesting Note on Hadhrat Shaykh Zakariyya’s Awjaz al-Masalik

 

One interesting thing to note is that Hadhrat Shaykh (rahimahullah) has quoted from the mu’tamad (relied upon) books of the different madhhabs in Awjaz al-Masalik and relied on them for giving the mashhur (well-known) opinion on a given madhhab.

This means that when a Maliki ‘alim reads Awjaz al-Masalik, he sees the evidences for the Maliki madhhab as he knows it from his long years of study as well as being able to benefit from Hadhrat Shaykh’s (rahimahullah) commentary on other aspects of the hadith.

 

Hadhrat Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri’s (rahimahullah) Badhl al-Majhud.

 

Another more recent and more obvious example of the benefit derived from the mashayikh of Deoband is Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (rahimahullah)’s Badhl al-Majhud.[3]

 

I gifted the book to Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Ibn Ahmad al-Khadim[4] a year ago. He is an ‘allamah who has written on almost all subjects. The Shaykh is in his early 70s. He is without doubt among the five most knowledgeable ‘ulama in the country. Anyone who reads his writings can appreciate the depth of his knowledge. When I asked him a couple of months later if he had time to look into Badhl al-Majhud (he is busy teaching and writing all day; he teaches from 11am to Maghrib time with a break at Dhuhr time), he told me: “I have not had much time yet to look into it but I have benefited from it. There was a mas’alah (juristic problem) that had been unclear to me for a long while and I found the answer to it in there.”

 

For us who know Shaykh Muhammad Hassan, this means a thousand words. At the time when I gifted him the book and told him about Mawlana Khalil Ahmad, he said: “The ‘ulama of India are ‘ajeeb (wonderful), they are very strong Sunnis in their ‘aqidah (creed)”.

 

Sorry, I’m making this email long, but the subject deserves it. Insha-Allah I hope we can exchange correspondence in the future.

 

We have several books written by our ‘ulama here that may be of interest to your ‘ulama, and we’ll be happy to send copies. I can give you a list of the books and the subjects they deal with, or if there is a specific subject some are interested in you can send me that and I will tell you what we have available.

 

May Allah Almighty accept your efforts and please remember us in your du’a. Also, we’ll be happy to receive you as a guest for a short visit. There are three to four places here that are really worth visiting to meet the ‘ulama.

 

 

---

[1] Hadhrat Shaykh Zakariyya’s brilliant books of fadha’il — originally written in Urdu, and translated into several languages, including English, French, Persian, Gujarati and Bengali — consist of selected verses of the Qur’an, hadiths, their commentary and other material. The books are read globally and consist of: Stories of the Sahabah, Virtues of Salah, Virtues of the Qur’an, Virtues of Remembering Allah, Virtues of the Holy Month of Ramadan, Virtues of Invitation and Preaching, Virtues of Sending Salutations, Virtues of Charity and Virtues of Haj.

[2] Awjaz al-Masaalik is a multi-voluminous commentary of Imam Malik’s Mu’atta, authored by Hadhrat Shaykh. It has recently been researched under the supervision of Shaykh Taqiuddin Nadwi, a student of Hadhrat Shaykh, and republished in 18 large volumes by Dar al-Qalam in Damascus.

[3] Badhl al-Majhud is also a multi-voluminous commentary of Imam Abu Dawud’s Sunan; it was also recently researched and republished in 14 large volumes by Shaykh Taqiuddin and published by Dar al-Basha’ir al-Islamiyyah in Beirut.

[4]Shaykh Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Khadim is one of the most senior ‘ulama of Mauritania. Extremely pious and humble, the shaykh is a master in every field of the Islamic sciences, without exception. He is also the only Mauritanian scholar who has so many published works to his name (over 30), having written books on fiqh, usul al-fiqh, usul al-hadith and tasawwuf. Among his published works is a commentary on the Alfiyyah of Imam Suyuti (rahimahullah) in usul al-hadith, a commentary on the Nadhm of Jam’ al-Jawami’ of Imam Suyuti (rahimahullah) in usul al-fiqh, a commentary on the Nadhm of Imam al-Kafaf (rahimahullah) in Maliki fiqh and numerous books on tasawwuf.

He is also a senior Sufi shaykh of the Tijani tariqah and very strict in following the Sunnah and wary of bid’ah (innovation). The Shaykh also has great love for the ‘ulama of India and has great admiration for their service to hadith as can be noted from the above.

 

‘Allamah Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah On Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband

The renowned Hadith scholar of the last century, ‘Allamah Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (rahimahullah) wrote the following regarding Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband: 

“The great madrasah of Deoband is [like] a radiant sun that has illuminated various parts of India. It revived the Prophetic way (sunnah) academically, practically and in terms of suluk, and it removed the darkness of innovation (bid’ah), which had amassed in those lands for a lengthy time. It stripped the pools of knowledge and shari’ah from all that was alien to them in the same way that it stripped the suluk of the Sufis from new customs — such as sama’ and stringed instruments and their like from the gatherings of bid’ ah that were prevalent in India in those days. It replaced those innovations with clear and radiant sunnah — in terms of teaching and studying, suluk and propagation — until it (the madrasah) became a powerful, great and authentic source of light from which came droves of god-fearing (rabbaniyyin) ulama, who combined the excellence of knowledge and action (‘amal), while adhering to the sunnah and eliminating bid’ah.” 

Quoted in Tarajim Sittah min Fuqaha al-A’lam al-Islami (Six Biographies of Jurists of the Islamic World) by Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, page 15, published in Dirasah Hadithiyyah Fiqhiyyah ‘an Ma’arif al-Sunan Sharh Sunan al-Tirmidhi by Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Bilal Manyar.

 

True Legacy: Mawlana Muhammad Badr ‘Alam Miruthi’s love for books

True Legacy: Mawlana Muhammad Badr ‘Alam Miruthi’s love for books

 ‘Allamah Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah

 Translated by Abu ‘Asim Badrul Islam

‘Allamah Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (rahimahullah) writes:

‘When I was honoured and blessed with the opportunity to visit the illuminated city of Madinah (- may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon it’s inhabitant -) for the second time after Hajj toward the end of 1384 AH (1965 CE), I had completed the publication of the book al-Ajwibat al-Fadilah li’l As’ilat al-‘Asharat al-Kamilah by Imam ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Lucknowi al-Hindi that same year. I had edited and annotated the book before publication. I took a few copies of the book with me to Madinah so that I could present them as gifts to some of my eminent Shuyukh residing in the illuminated city. 

 At the forefront of these eminent Shuyukh was our Shaykh al-‘Allamah al-Muhaddith al-Faqih al-Shaykh Muhammad Badr ‘Alam al-Miruthi al-Hindi[1] who had chosen permanent residence in the abode of hijra [- the illuminated city of Madinah]. I went to visit him in his house. He had been, at the time, incapacitated by illness and was permanently confined to his bed. Due to this poor health he was unable to study, research and satiate himself with knowledge the way he desired.  

I presented a copy of al-Ajwibat al-Fadilah which he accepted with much joy and appreciation. He praised the book and said to me: “I had purchased the book as soon as it had arrived in the bookshops of the illuminated city of Madinah. As you can see, I do not have the strength or the health to be able to read and study the way I would have wished to. But my intention in purchasing this book was to leave books of knowledge for my children and family. This is better for them as inheritance than wealth.” These words were for me a priceless lesson. I learnt a lot from them and have benefited, therefore, I have related this incident regarding the Shaykh – may Allah have mercy on him. He passed away in the illuminated city of Madinah during 1385 AH.’

Safahat min Sabr al-‘Ulama ‘ala Shada’id al-‘Ilm wa al-Tahsil, 7^th edn, (Aleppo: Maktab al-Matbu’at al-Isamiyyah, 2003, p.325)   

[1] Born in 1316 AH (1898 CE), Mawlana Muhammad Badr ‘Alam Miruthi was one of the leading scholars of Hadith in India. Inspired by a lecture delivered by the Grand Shaykh Hakim al-Ummah Imam Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanwi (d.1362 AH/1943 CE), he enrolled at the prestigious Madrassah Mazahir-e-‘Ulum in Saharanpur (India) where he studied the sciences of Islam. After completing his formal study of the major books of Hadith and graduating in 1336 AH he was appointed lecturer at the same institution. However, his thirst for knowledge knew no bounds; he resigned from the post in order to enroll at the prestigious Dar al-‘Ulum in Deoband and study the books of Hadith for a second time. Here he studied under the phenomenal master of Hadith and Hanafi Fiqh, Imam al-‘Asr  Mawlana Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri (1292-1352 AH/1875-1933 CE), the Grand Mufti Mawlana ‘Azizur Rahman al-‘Uthmani, Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad al-‘Uthmani and Shaykh Mawlana Asghar Husayn Deobandi.  

In 1340 AH, in recognition of his proficiency in all the sciences of Islam, Mawlana Muhammad Badr ‘Alam Miruthi was appointed lecturer in the Dar al-‘Ulum of Deoband. Thereafter, in 1346 AH he moved with his beloved master Imam Mawlana Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri to the famous Jami’ah Islamiyyah in Dabhel (Gujarat) where, beside lecturing on Hadith, he attended the lectures of Imam Mawlana Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri on the Sahih of Imam al-Bukhari for five years. It was during this period that he transcribed in Arabic the invaluable lectures of Imam al-Kashmiri and, after the demise of the latter in 1352 AH, it was published with the title Fayd al-Bari ‘ala Sahih al-Bukhari. Since that time the book has seen several editions in various countries of the Islamic world, the most recent of which has been from Beirut in 6 large volumes (2005 CE). It is an extremely popular book in ‘ulama circles and has been described by the late Hadith master ‘Allamah ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah of Aleppo in several of his works as “a magnificent book”. 

After its formation in 1947 CE, Mawlana Muhammad Badr ‘Alam Miruthi immigrated to Pakistan and lectured at the Dar al-‘Ulum al-Islamiyyah founded by Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Shabbir Ahmad al-‘Uthmani in the Sindh province. He had an extraordinary yearning for the illuminated and blessed city of Madinah which he very passionately expressed in al-Badr al-Sari (the footnotes of Fayd al-Bari ‘ala Sahih al-Bukhari) and finally, in 1372 AH (1953 CE), he undertook a second hijra and settled in the blessed city. After residing there for  approximately 13 years he passed away to the mercy of his Lord on Friday 3 Rajab 1385 AH (29 October 1965 CE). May Allah ta’ala grant him and all the great masters whose names have been mentioned here the highest of Paradise. (translator)             

 

‘Allamah Zahid al-Kawthari’s Ijazah From Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi

Fakhr al-Muhaddithin Hadhrat ‘Allamah Zafar Ahmad ‘Uthmani, may Allah shower him with mercy, writes: 

‘Allamah Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari al-Misri, who is from among the senior research scholars and authors of Egypt, obtained a written ijazah (license) in hadith from Hadhrat [Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi] 

Maqalat-e-‘Uthmani, Volume 1, page 321 (Bayt al-‘Ilm)