Imām Aĥmed RiĎā Khān al-Barelwī [Imam Ahmed Raza Khan]was born in 1856 in Bareilly, a flourishing city in northern India and in a family of prominent Sunni hanafi scholars. He studied Islamic sciences mainly in the tutelage of his fatherMawlānā Naqī Áli Khān was a prominent Ahl as-Sunnah scholar of his time, though a few other scholars have also been mentioned.
He was a master of many sciences and particularly in Hanafi fiqh. Even his adversaries have acknowledged that he was peerless in this discipline.
He had among many an authorization of hadith by transmission from the great Meccan scholar, Malik al-úlamā , Sayyid Aĥmed Zaynī Daĥlān ash-Shāfiýī . He is widely known for his refutation of Wahabis, other innovators and libertarian religion-reformers (like Abu’l Kalam āzād etc) of the early 20th century.
He is the author of nearly 1000 books and monographs, of varying lengths, in Arabic, Persian and Urdu. Amongst the most well-known are the following:
1. Kanz ul Iman Fi Tarjamatu'l Qu'ran (The Treasure of Faith: A translation of the Koran): this is his Urdu translation of the Koran. It combines fluency of language with Koranic exegesis and is an explanatory translation as opposed to a literal one.
2. ‘Ĥadāyiq e Bakh’shish’ (Gardens of Salvation): this is his slim two-volume anthology of Urdu and Persian poetry eulogizing the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).
3. Al- Átāyā an-Nabawiyyah fi’l Fatāwā ar-RiĎawiyyah (also known as Fatāwa ar-RiDawiyyah or Fatāwā Razwiyah): his magnum opus, this is a collection of books, monographs and edicts on all aspects of Hanafi fiqh . The latest edition runs to 24 large volumes.
He took the Qadiri path in Tasawwuf and was initiated in that Sufi order by Sayyid Abu’l Ĥusayn Nûrī ofMārahra (a town in northern India). He was a great lover of the prophet Muhammad as is evident in his writings and endeavors. He wrote a lot of poetry in Arabic, Persian and Urdu.
He passed away in the year 1921 which corresponds to the year 1340 according to the Islamic Hijri calendar.
His Students
Prominent Scholars of Islam from the Indian sub-continent who were amongst the students of the Imam are as follows
1. Hadrat Allamah Mawlana Muhammad Haamid Raza Khan Noori Barakaati
2. Mufti-e-Azam-e-Hind Hadrat Mawlana Mustapha Raza Khan Noori Barakaati
3. Hadrat Allamah Mawlana Abdus Salaam Jabalpuri
4. Hadrat Allamah Mawlana Na'eemuddeen Muraadabadi
5. Hadrat Allamah Mawlana Sayyid Zafar'uddeen Bihaari
6. Hadrat Allamah Mawlana Abdul Aleem Siddique
7. Hadrat Allamah Mawlana Mufti Amjad Ali
8. Hadrat Allamah Sheikh Zia'uddeen Ahmed Al Madani
9. Hadrat Allamah Burhaanul Haq
10.Hadrat Allamah Mawlana Mukhtar Ahmad Siddiqi Meerati
11.Sheikh Muhammad Abd al-Hayy
12.Sheikh Ahmad Khalil
13.Sheikh Ahmad Khudravi
14.Sheikh Muhammad bin Abi Bakr
15.Sheikh Muhammad Sa'id
16.Hadrat Mawlana Sayyid Ahmad Ashraf
17.Hadrat Mawlana Shah Sulayman Ashraf
See also
Devotional Islam and Politics in British India: Ahmed RiDa Khan Barelwi and His Movement, 1870-1920 by Usha Sanyal . It is an academic work which provides a good introduction to the Imam's life and work and dismisses many myths which his opponents have attributed to the Imam.
External Links
Last updated: 08-23-2005 08:17:32
