[BalaGire]

I have a superficial study of Imam Shah Wali Ullah Rahimahullah. To understand his stances and discourses , one has to keep in mind the situation in which Shah Wali Ullah Rahimahullah lived his life. His father Shah Abur Raheem was an orthodox Sufi and Shah Wali Ullah Rahimahullah saw Tasawwuf in his surroundings when he was born. His father was a Hanafi as well and those days Hanafi Madhab did not have any opposition in the Sub continent. Then the turning tide of the life of Shah Wali Ullah Rahimahullah was his visit to Hijjaz where he studied Hadeeth under some very noble Shayookh and then returned to the Indian Sub continent. His vast knowledge and vast experience started demanding him to shout for a change in the staleness that was prevalent in the Indian Subcontinent then. The political situation of Sub continent were asking him for some practical steps , he had to reconcile his Madhab with the knowledge of Hadeeth he had acquired and then he had to deal with the issues pertaining to Tasawwuf as well where he had to deal with the Ta'rudhaat of Wahdat ul Wujood and Wahdat Ul Shuhood. He had developed a great respect for Shaykh Ul Islam Rahimahullah but there was Ibn Arabi as well and if somehow he could do some Tatbeeq between these two , there was Mujadid Alif Thani as well. He had some oceans of fire to cross before reaching a reconciliation.I think Shah Wali Ullah had some clear options but taking any option was like negating the other and negating any meant the loss of the whole treasures of knowledge associated with the option being negated. Any such harsh negation could have resulted into a turmoil as well. Thats where Shah Wali Ullah Rahimahullah came up with some brilliant solutions.
He took them all and negated none. He drew some lines inbetween them very carefully and whenever necessary he trimmed the edges as well.He came up with a Tatbeeq between Wahdat ul Wujood and and Wahdat us shuhood. He expressed his love fo r Shaykh Ul Islam Rahimahullah through his practical efforts for the establishment of Shariah.His letters to Ahmad shah Abdali are evident of the fact. He is the founder of Ashaab ul Hadeeths in the Subcontinent , yet in his deep love for orthodoxy , he just got inclined towards Shafi Fiqh instead of negating the orthodoxy in his love for Hadeeths.What better evidence of his scholarship can be than the equal amount of respect and praise he receives form the Deobandis and Ahli Hadeeths till this days. If a single line could describe his Ijtihaadi efforts ,in my view it will be like "Both the religious nature and the intellectual gifts of Shah Wali Ullah were of such brilliant nature that is extinct in the Muslim world these days"