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“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.” -

(The Renowned Hadith Scholar of the Last Century,
‘Allamah Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah on Dar al-’Ulum Deoband)



Evidence of the great scholarship of Deoband

I wanted to start a thread that contains proof of the widespread acceptance of the scholarship of Deoband. There has already some research done on this and I would like to gather them here. If brothers/sisters are privy to any information please could you mention them here with accurate references. Perhaps later, all the information contained here could be summarised into one coherent article.

I have made the following categories so far:

1)Scholarly works from Deoband that have had acceptance throughout the world

2)Quotes from non-deobandi sunni scholars regarding Deoband.

3)Ijazahs, teacher-student relationships between great scholars around the world and Deobandi scholars.


To start off:

Badhlul Majhud by Shaykh Khalil As-saharanpuri appears to be accepted as the standard commentary on Sunan Abu Daud around the world.

I’la as-Sunan of Maulana Zafar Ahmad Uthmani is regarded as a masterpiece by Hanafi scholars around the world

Awjazul Masalik commentary on Imam Malik (ra) Muwatta by Shaykh Zakariyya which has astounded Maliki scholars around the world

Fath al-Mulhim, commentary of Sahih Muslim, by Shaykh Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani - also used widely in the Arab world.

From http://zakariyya.wordpress.com/2008/...e2%80%98ulama/


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.
From an internet article (I’ve edited the article slightly and deleted anti-Barelwi statements which are not relevant to this thread):


SHAYKH ABDAL FATTAH ABU GHUDDAH'S ACCLAIMED DEOBANDI TEACHERS
In this article proof will be provided from the Shaykh's own words to list his Deobandi teachers. It will be seen shortly that his Deobandi teachers include:

1) Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf al-Banuri (d. 1977 CE)
2) Shaykh Zafar Ahmad al-Uthmani (d. 1974 CE)
3) Shaykh Muhammad Badr al-A'lam (d. 1965 CE)
4) Shaykh Muhammad Idris al-Kandhalawi (d. 1974)
5) Mufti Muhammad Ameem al-Ihsan al-Mujaddidi al-Barkati (d. 1970 CE)
6) Mufti al-A'zam of Pakistan, Shaykh Muhammad Shafi (d. 1976 CE, the father of Shaykh Taqi al-Uthmani)
7) Shaykh Abul Wafa al-Afghani (d. 1975 CE)
8) Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi (d. 1982 CE)
9) Shaykh Habibur Rahman al-A'zami (d. 1992 CE)
10) Shaykh Khayr Muhammad
11) Shaykh Arshad Kabeer

Looking now at the book by Shaykh Abdal Fattah's late teacher, the Shaykh and Imam who is also highly venerated on this forum, and he is Shaykh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari, we can notice the strong Deobandi affiliation that these two scholars had. The book in question is: Fiqh Ahl ul-Iraq wa Hadithahum, written in the year 1357 AH, and brought out into print with the footnotes of Shaykh Abdal Fattah in the year 1390 AH. The edition we will be giving reference to has been printed by Muassasa al-Rayan, Beirut, Lebanon, 1997/1418 AH. This edition has a preface by Shaykh Abdal Fattah's student, Shaykh Muhammad Awwamah (from Syria originally), based currently in Madinah al-Munawwara. Shaykh Awwamah also showed his love for the Ulama of Deoband in the prefaces.

SHAYKH ABDAL FATTAH PRAISES AL-MUHADDITH, SHAYKH HABIBUR RAHMAN AL-A'ZAMI
In the introduction to Imam al-Kawthari's book, page 22, footnote 1, Shaykh Abdal Fattah praises the great Muhaddith of the Deobandi's, Shaykh Habib al-Rahman al-Azami, rahimahullah (d. 1992 CE), with titles like: Al-Allamah, al-Muhaddith, al-Muhaqqiq al-jaleel. More later on this Shaykh below.

HIS PRAISE FOR AL-MUHADDITH, SHAYKH YUSUF AL-BANURI
On page 23 he mentions the name of one of his greatest Deobandi teachers by saying: "And our teacher, the greatly learned Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf al-Banuri, may Allah have mercy upon him has...." In the footnote he mentions that Shaykh al-Banuri died in the year 1397 AH (1977 CE). This is the same Shaykh al-Banuri, that Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Makki al-Maliki took Hadiths from as well.

On page 96, footnote 2 he also declares al-Banuri to be his Shaykh (Shaykhuna), and on page 109, footnote 1, he called him: "Our Shaykh, The Greatly learned, Muhammad Yusuf al-Banuri, may Allah have mercy upon him...."
Other places where he declares Shaykh Yusuf al-Banuri to be his teacher will be shown below.

HIS PRAISE FOR AL-MUHADDITH, SHAYKH ABUL WAFA AL-AFGHANI
On page 74, footnote 3 he mentioned another great Deobandi Muhaddith who wrote extensive notes to Imam Muhammad ibn Hasan al-Shaybani's (student of Imam Abu Hanifah) Kitab al-Athar; and he is Shaykh Abul Wafa al-Afghani. Shaykh Abdal Fattah said that he was his teacher (ustadhuna), al-Allamah (the greatly learned), al-Muhaqqiq al-Kabeer (the great verifying research scholar) al-Jaleel (the Sublime) al-Shaykh Abul Wafa al-Afghani, who later headed the institution known as Lajna Ihya al-Ma'arif al-Nu'maniyyah, in, Hyderabad Deccan, India.

HE DECLARED AL-MUHADDITH, AL-SHAYKH MUHAMMAD ANWAR SHAH AL-KASHMIRI TO BE THE IMAM OF THE TIME!
On page 85, footnote 2, he declared Imam al-Kashmiri to be the Imam al-Asr (The Imam of the Time). For him to say that he must have had great respect for that Imam, and hence a very strong link to Deoband. Shaykh Anwar Shah was a Muhaddith at Darul Ulum Deoband, and he authored commentaries to Sahih al-Bukhari and Jami al-Tirmidhi. Shaykh Abdal Fattah Abu Ghuddah's dislike for the Barelvi's is clearly shown when he mentioned explicitly that Shaykh Anwar Shah had written a book in Persian (Farsi) to refute the Barelvi excess's on the Ilm al-Ghayb (Knowledge of the unseen) possessed by the Holy Prophet, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Shaykh Abdal Fattah gave the title of this book by Shaykh Anwar as being: "Sahm al-Ghayb fi Kabd Ahl-ul-Rayb" (see p. 30 of Shaykh Anwar's: al-Tasreeh bima Tawatur fi nuzul al-Masih). This has already been mentioned above.

HIS PRAISE FOR ANOTHER DEOBANDI ON THIS SAME PAGE:
On the same page and footnote he praised a Deobandi Shaykh by saying: "Fadeelatul-Shaykh (The virtuous Shaykh) Ateeq Ahmad al-Bastawi al-Hindi al-Deobandi..."

HIS PRAISE FOR THE MUHADDITH OF THE SUBCONTINENT, AL-SHAYKH ZAFAR AHMAD AL-UTHMANI
He not only praised Shaykh Zafar but also declared him to be his teacher (Shaykhuna). This is the same Shaykh Zafar who authored the greatest Hadith collection available in print which specifically documents the proofs and arguments of the Hanafi Madhhab in 20 volumes (containing over 6000 Hadiths related to Ahkam al-Shari'ah: Hadiths used in the rulings of the Shari'ah). Most of the Hadiths have been graded for their authenticity and extensive replies have been provided to the opposing arguments used by other Madhhabs. This work is known as I'la al-Sunan. Shaykh Abdal Fattah also edited Shaykh Zafar's work: Qawaid fi Ulum al-Hadith.

He said on page 106, fn. 1: "Shaykhuna al-Allamah Zafar Ahmad al-Thanawi, rahimahullah fi kitabihi Injaa al-Watan...."

SHAYKH ABDAL FATTAH'S LIST OF THE GREATEST ULAMA OF HADITH IN THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
On pages 98-100, Shaykh Abdal Fattah Abu Ghuddah, rahimahullah, listed what he considered to be the greatest Ulama of Hadith (Muhaddithin) in the Subcontinent in the past 100 years. This list was a continuation of what Shaykh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari and Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf al-Banuri had compiled. Shaykh al-Kawthari listed 124 of the foremost of all Hanafi hadith scholars - in his estimation. Shaykh al-Banuri continued to list a further 34 Ulama from the Indian Subcontinent, and Shaykh Abdal Fattah added another 11 more names. Note that Shaykh Abdal Fattah did not criticise or malign anyone of the Ulama listed by his teacher, Shaykh Yusuf al-Banuri.

WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO NOTE AND CONSIDER IS THAT ALL OF SHAYKH ABDAL FATTAH'S LIST OF ULAMA CONTAIN THE NAMES OF PURE DEOBANDI ULAMA ONLY. The honorific titles before the names of the scholars have been included as found in the original list in Arabic, by Shaykh al-Banuri and his student, Shaykh Abdal Fattah.
Shaykh al-Banuri's list of the foremost Muhaddithin of the Indian Subcontinent:
1) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Muhammad Hayat al-Sindi (d. 1163 AH in Madinah)
2) al-Muhaddith al-Muhaqqiq al-Shaykh Hashim al-Sindi
3) al-Shaykh al-Muhaddith Abu'l Tayyib al-Sindi (d. 1140 AH)
4) al-Shaykh Muhammad Mu'een al-Sindi (d. 1180 AH)
5) al-Muhaddith al-Imam Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (d. 1176 AH)
6) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Muhammad Afdal al-Siyaalkoti al-Dehlawi
7) al-Muhaddith al-Hujjah al-Shah Abdal Aziz ibn Shah Waliullah al-Dehlawi
8) al-Muhaddith al-Kabeer al-Shaykh al-Qadi Thanaullah al-Mazhari al-Panipati (d. 1810 CE)
9) al-Shah Abdal Qadir ibn Shah Waliullah al-Dehlawi (d. 1230 AH)
10) al-Shah Rafi al-Deen ibn Shah Waliullah al-Dehlawi (d. 1233 AH)
11) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Abdal Hayy al-Dehlawi
12) al-Muhaddith, Musnid al-Hind, al-Shaykh Muhammad Ishaq (d. 1262 AH)
13) al-Shaykh Muhammad Yaqub al-Dehlawi (d. 1282 AH)
14) al-Shaykh Abdal Qayyum (d. 1299 AH)
15) al-Shaykh al-Muhaddith Muhammad Ismail al-Dehlawi (d. 1246 AH)
16) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Ahmad Ali al-Sahranpuri (d. 1297 AH)
17) al-Shaykh al-Arif al-Muhaddith Muhammad Qasim al-Nanautwi al-Deobandi (founder of Darul Ulum Deoband, d. 1297 AH)
18) al-Shaykh al-Muhaddith Rasheed Ahmad al-Gangohi al-Deobandi (d. 1323 AH)
19) al-Shaykh al-Muhaddith Muhammad Yaqub al-Nanautwi (d. 1300 AH)
20) al-Shaykh Fakhrul Hasan al-Gangohi al-Deobandi
21) al-Shaykh Ahmad Hasan al-Amruhawi al-Deobandi
22) al-Muhaddith Ustadh al-Alim, al-Shaykh Mahmud Hasan al-Deobandi (d. 1339 AH, he was known as Shaykh al-Hind)
23) al-Muhaddith Zaheer Ahsan al-Nimawi (d. 1322 AH)
24) al-Imam al-Muhaddith al-Faqeeh al-Arif billah Khalil Ahmad al-Sahranpuri (author of the 20 volume commentary on Sunan Abu Dawud, Badhlul majhud, d. 1346 AH and buried close to Hadrat Uthman, radiallahu anhu, in Jannatul Baqi, Madinah al-Munawwara)
25) al-Muhaddith al-Kabeer, Imam al-Asr, Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri al-Deobandi (d. 1352 AH)
26) al-Shaykh al-Muhaddith Muhammad Ashraf Ali Thanawi al-Deobandi, known as Hakim al-Ummah (d. 1362 AH)
27) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Husayn Ali al-Miyanwali
28) al-Muhaddith, Muhaqqiq al-Asr, al-Shaykh Shabir Ahmad al-Uthmani al-Deobandi (d. 1369 AH)
29) al-Muhaddith, Shaykh al-Asr, Husayn Ahmad al-Madani (d. 1377 AH)
30) al-Muhaddith al-Muhaqqiq al-Shaykh Muhammad Kifayatullah al-Dehlawi, Mufti of Hind (d. 1372 AH)
31) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Abdal Aziz al-Panjabi (d. 1359 AH)
32) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Mahdi Hasan al-Shahjanpuri (d. 1391 AH)
33) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Muhammad Idris al-Kandhalawi (d. 1394 AH)
34) al-Muhaddith al-Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi ( d. 1402 AH in Madinah)

SHAYKH ABDAL FATTAH AND HIS LIST OF DEOBANDI MUHADDITHIN:
35) Al-Allamah al-Shaykh Abul Mahasin Abdullah al-Hayderabadi (d. 1383 AH)
36) al-Allamah, al-Daa'eea al-Mawahab, al-Rabbani, al-Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf al-Kandhalawi, Ameer of the Tableeghi Jama'at in India and Pakistan (d. 1384 AH) - as mentioned by Shaykh Abdal Fattah himself.
37) al-Allamah al-Muhaddith al-Baari al-Shaykh Muhammad Badr A'lam al-Meeruthi (d. 1385 AH in Madinah)
38) Our Shaykh (Shaykhuna) al-Allamah al-Muhaddith al-Mufassir (expert in Qur'anic exegesis) al-Faqeeh (the jurisprudent) al-Usuli (an expert in the Fundamentals of jurisprudence), al-Mutafannin (the versatile expert), al-Mufti, Muhammad Ameem al-Ihsan al-Mujaddidi al-Barkati (d. 1390 AH)
39) al-Allamah al-Muhaddith al-Faqeeh al-Shaykh Zafar Ahmad al-Uthmani al-Thanawi (d. 1394 AH)
40) al-Allamah al-Muhaqqiq al-Muhaddith al-Faqeeh al-Usuli al-Muqri, Abul Wafa al-Afghani al-Qandahari, then al-Hindi al-Hayderabadi (d. 1395 AH) - Our teacher (Ustadhuna) and our Shaykh (Shaykhuna) - [as described by Shaykh Abdal Fattah in his own words]
41) al-Allamah al-Kabeer, wa'l Muhaddith al-Faqeeh al-Mufassir al-Nahreer, al-Ustadh al-Shaykh Muhammad Shafi Uthmani (d. 1396 AH), Shaykh Abdal Fattah also pointed out that he was Our Teacher (Ustadhuna) and our Shaykh (Shaykhuna). He was the father of Shaykh Taqi and Rafi al-Uthmani (both still alive in Karachi, Pakistan)
42) al-Allamah al-Muhaddith al-Faqeeh, Abul Mahasin Muhammad Yusuf al-Banuri, tilmidh Imam al-Asr (student of the Imam of the Time) Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri, author of Ma'arif al-Sunan in 10 volumes (an incomplete commentary on Jami al-Tirmidhi).
43) Al-Allamah al-Muhaddith al-Baari al-Faqeeh al-Shaykh Habibur Rahman al-A'zami (d. 1413 AH) [He has refuted al-Albani in his book: Al-Albani Akhthauhu wa Shudhudhahu: Al-Albani: His Mistakes and Irregularities)
44) al-Allamah al-Naaqid (the greatly knowledgeable critic), al-Dalee' (the knowledgeable), al-Shaykh Muhammad Abd al-Rasheed al-Nu'mani (He has also refuted al-Albani while defending Imam Abu Hanifah in his book: Makanah al-Imam Abi Hanifah fi'l Hadith, with the introduction by Shaykh Abdal Fattah himself)
45) al-Allamah al-Muhaddith al-Faqeeh al-Shaykh Ahmad Rida al-Bijnawari, the author of Anwar al-Bari ala Sahih al-Bukhari in 32 volumes. Shaykh Abdal Fattah's student, Muhammad Awwamah said in the preface (p. 5), that this Shaykh was also his Shaykh, in the following words: "Shaykhuna al-Allamah al-Muhaddith al-Faqeeh al-Shaykh Ahmad Rida al-Bijnawari, May Allah preserve him..."
Shaykh Abdal Fattah wanted to list more but he did not do so for brevity's sake. Indeed, there is a host of Ulama of the Deobandi's still alive and teaching Islam throughout the Indian Subcontinent. There are over 8,000 Deobandi Madrasah's in these lands alone, by Allah's grace. Just imagine if each of these institutions was to produce just 10 Ulama per year, then this would equate to 80,000 learned Deobandi/Tableeghi Ulama per year. Not to mention the Huffaz of the Qur'an, where in the Indian state of Gujarat we find the highest concentration of Huffaz in probably the whole subcontinent - and most of them are from Deobandi backgrounds. I feel there is no other territory besides the Indian subcontinent that produces so many Ulama in such a short period of time every year. Alhamdulillah

OTHER WORKS WHERE SHAYKH ABDAL FATTAH PRAISES AND CLARIFIES HIS DEOBANDI TEACHERS:
In the book: al-Tasreeh bima Tawatur fi-Nuzul al-Masih, by al-Shaykh al-Imam Muhammad Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri al-Deobandi, with the editing of Shaykh Abdal Fattah Abu Ghuddah (printed by Darus-Salam, 1982, Halab, Syria, in 373 pages), we find further evidence of the Shaykh's Deobandi affiliation. Shaykh Abdal Fattah's introduction to this book and the life and works of Shaykh Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri is in some 38 pages alone! On the cover of the book, Shaykh Abdal Fattah honoured Shaykh Anwar Shah with the titles: "Imam al-Asr, al-Muhaddith al-Kabeer: The Imam of the Age and the Great Muhaddith." He also called him the Imam al-Asr many times via out this work. Shaykh Abdal Fattah took knowledge from Shaykh Kashmiri's disciples like: Shaykh al-Banuri and Shaykh Badr A'lam and others.

SHAYKH MUHAMMAD SHAFI, MUFTI AL-A'ZAM OF PAKISTAN
On page 3: Shaykh Abdal Fattah declared him as "Ustadhuna al-Allamah al-Muhaqqiq al-Baari al-Jaleel al-Shaykh Muhammad Shafi, founder of Darul-Ulum al-Islamiyya in Karachi and its Mufti al-A'zam, may Allahu ta'ala preserve him.."
He also declared praise and acknowledged him as his teacher on page 24

SHAYKH YUSUF AL-BANURI:
On pages 4, 12 and 23 he again declared Shaykh Yusuf al-Banuri to be his teacher (Ustadhuna).

TWO MORE DEOBANDI ULAMA: Shaykh Lutfullah & Shaykh Nur Ahmad
On page 4, Shaykh Abdal Fattah honoured two more Deobandi Ulama by using titles like: al-Ustadh (The Teacher) and al-Allamah (The greatly learned); and they were: Shaykh Lutfullah Kabeer and Shaykh Nur Ahmad al-Ameen.

SHAYKH ARSHAD AL-KABEER:
On page 12 he also acknowledged that his Shaykh was also a pupil of Shaykh Anwar Shah, and he is Shaykh Arshad Kabeer. Shaykh Abdal Fattah honoured him with titles like: Ustadhuna, al-Allamah, al-Muhaqqiq.

SHAYKH KHAYR MUHAMMAD
On page 17 he acknowledged Shaykh Khayr Muhammad as his teacher (Shaykhuna) and asked Allah to preserve him.

SHAYKH IDRIS AL-KANDHALAWI
On page 23 he called Shaykh Muhammad Idris al-Kandhalawi his teacher and a greatly learned Muhaddith (Ustadhuna, al-Allamah, al-Muhaddith), who was the author of al-Ta'leeq al-Sabeeh Sharh Mishkatul-Masabih. He also asked Allah to preserve him. On page 29 and 212 he also declared him to be his Ustadh and his Shaykh (Shaykhuna) respectively.

SHAYKH BADR A'LAM
On page 25 he declared another pupil of Shaykh Anwar Shah to be his teacher, and he is Shaykh Badr A'lam. Shaykh Abdal Fattah honoured him by saying: "Shaykhuna, al-Allamah al-Kabeer..." He did the same on page 14 and page 52.

PRAISE FOR SHAYKH ASHRAF ALI THANAWI
On the same page (25), Shaykh Abdal Fattah called Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanawi (who was declared a kafir by Ahmad Rida Khan and his followers, but later cleared by 34 Ulama from Makkah, Madinah, al-Azhar and Syria, not to mention a lot of Indian Ulama) as being: Hakeem al-Ummah. The same was declared on page 52 and 212. He also said the same in his book: Qeematul-Zaman Indal-Ulama (p. 82) about Shaykh Thanawi, but also added the title: Shaykh al-Hind to his name. Shaykh Zahid al-Kawthari also honoured Maulana Thanawi in his Maqalat.

PRAISE FOR SHAYKH MANAZIR AHSAN
On page 29 he praised another Deobandi with titles like: al-Allamah al-Faadil, al-Shaykh... and he is: Shaykh Manazir Ahsan al-Jilani.

SHAYKH ZAKARIYYA AL-KANDHALAWI
On page 185 he declared Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhalawi (famous for his book: Tableeghi Nisab and his commentary to Muwatta Imam Malik in about 15 volumes), to be his teacher (Usdtadhuna). He said that Shaykh Zakariyya was:
"Ustadhuna, al-Allamah, al-Muhaddith al-Kabeer, al-Faqeeh, al-Sufi al-Baseer, al-Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya, Shaykhul-Hadith in the Madrasah Mazahir al-Ulum, in Sahranpur..."
Note how Shaykh Abdal Fattah declared his teacher to be a Sufi also. This disproves the Barelvi lie on this forum that Deobandi's are anti-Sufi! The Deobandi's are Sufi's who avoid innovations in their maslak.

HIS PRAISE FOR SHAYKH ZAKARIYYA'S FATHER: SHAYKH YAHYA
Shaykh Abdal Fattah praised Shaykh Zakariyya's father, Shaykh Muhammad Yahya al-Kandhalawi, by declaring him to be the: "Allamah Zamanihi wa Muhaddithu Awaanuhu: The greatly learned one of his Age and the Muhaddith of his time.."

PRAISE FOR SHAYKH SHABBIR AHMAD, FIRST APPOINTED MUFTI NAD SHAYKH AL-ISLAM OF PAKISTAN
Shaykh Abdal Fattah praised the first officially appointed Mufti al-A'zam of the state of Pakistan, Shaykh Shabir Ahmad Uthmani, the author of a commentary to Sahih Muslim (Fath al-Mulhim), by declaring him to be the: Muhaqqiq al-Asr: The Research Scholar of His Time, on page 25. Shaykh al-Kawthari also praised him in his Maqalat.

EPILOGUE
Besides quoting from and praising his Deobandi associates and teachers, Shaykh Abdal Fattah often lets the reader know of his other teachers. Often he quotes from Shaykh Zahid al-Kawthari and Shaykh Abdullah al-Ghumari.. For example he said about Shaykh al-Kawthari on p. 56: "Ustadhuna al-Imam Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari, rahimahullahu ta'ala.. and on the same page about Shaykh al-Ghumari: "Shaykhuna al-Allamah al-Muhaddith Abdullah ibn Siddiq al-Ghumari...." Shaykh al-Kawthari died in the year 1371 AH, while Shaykh al-Ghumari died in 1993 CE.
Alhamdulillah, this short article is enough for the sincere and open-minded reader to establish the claims I have made that Shaykh Abdal Fattah Abu Ghuddah was in essence a Deobandi and he had a number of Deobandi teachers, most of whom were specialists in Hadith like himself. I leave the reader to decide for himself and ask the doubters to check all the references.

THE SHAYKH QUOTES A LONG FATWA FROM THE GREATEST DEOBANDI ULAMA TO SUPPORT THE CLAIMS IN HIS BOOK, AND GIVES THE NAMES OF ALL THE SCHOLARS OF DEOBAND WHO AFFIRMED THE FATWA. HE GAVE THEM ALL HIGHLY HONORIFIC TITLES!
In his book: SHIFA AL-FUWAAD BI ZIYARA KHAYR AL-IBAAD, 1st edition, 1991/1411 AH, pp. 83-88, Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Makki quoted a lengthy Fatwa on the official Deobandi view on setting out on a journey to visit the Holy Prophet's (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) blessed grave in Madina. The chapter heading was titled: FATWA KIBAR ULAMA AL-HADITH FIL HIND FI SHADD AL-RIHAL: FATWA OF THE DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS OF HADITH IN INDIA ON THE SETTING OUT ON A JOURNEY (to the blessed grave in Madina al-Munawwara). In the opening lines he called them the "Jamaah kibaar Ulama al-Hadith min Ahl-us-Sunnah wal jamaah fil hind" - which means that he considers the Ulama of Deoband to be: THE GREATLY DISTINGUISHED ULAMA OF HADITH FROM THE AHL AL-SUNNAH WAL JAMAAH IN INDIA! This proves that Shaykh Muhammad al-Alawi loves the Ulama of Deoband and considers them to be the true and great experts in hadith in India, and more importantly he indirectly disgraced the Barelvi's by specifically including the Deobandi's to be from the Ahl al-Sunnah!

After quoting the Fatwa he lists the Deobandi Ulama who signed the Fatwa and they have been listed with great honour as follows:
1) AL-ALLAMA, AL MUHADDITH, RASHID AHMAD AL-KANKAWHI (Gangohi)
2) AL-ALLAMA, AL-SHAYKH, AL-MUHADDITH, KHALIL AHMAD AL-SAHARANFURI
3) AL-ALLAMA, AL-MUHADDITH, AL-SHAYKH, MAHMUD AL-HASAN AL-DEOBANDI
4) AL-ALLAMA, AL-SHAYKH, MIR AHMAD HASAN AL-HUSAYNI
5) AL-ALLAMA, AL-MUHADDITH, AL-SHAYKH, AZIZUR RAHMAN AL-DEOBANDI
6) AL-ALLAMA, AL-MURSHID, AL-SHAYKH, ASHRAF AL-THANAWI
7) AL-ALLAMA, AL-SHAYKH, AL-SHAH ABDAR RAHEEM AL-RAANFURI
8) AL-SHAYKH, AL-HAAJ, AL-HAKEEM MUHAMMAD HASAN AL-DEOBANDI
9) AL-MAWLAWI QUDRATULLAH
10) AL-MAWLAWI AL-MUFTI KIFAYATULLAH
11) AL-ALLAMA, AL-SHAYKH, MUHAMMAD YAHYA SAHARANFURI
Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Makki then listed the Ulama of Makkah al-Mukarrama, Madinah al-Munawwara, of al-Azhar University and the Syrian scholars who all corroborated (ta'yeed) this Fatwa and those Ulama of Deoband who countersigned this Fatwa. We have noticed that all these great scholars who signed this Fatwa added their name to the original Indian Fatwa, knowing full well that they were countersigning the views of the great Deobandi Ulama.
I would like to request brothers/sisters to keep this thread as clean as possible, with nothing controversial being posted, and keeping it confined only to the topic of the thread.

[boizzones]

Here is an article from an old edition of al-Muballigh, the student's newsletter of Azadville Dar al-Ulum:

The Syrian Alim, Shaikh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda (Rahimahullah) is regarded as one of the greatest scholars of Hadith in this era. Together with being a lecturer of hadith in the Imaam Muhammad bin Saud University in Riyaadh, he has to his credit more than 50 well researched books. He was also affiliated with the famous Ikhwaanul Muslimeen movement.

On his tour of India in 1965, he visited the internationally reputed bastion of piety and knowledge, Darul Uloom Deoband. Hereunder follows extracts of his impressions:

“It was my lifelong wish and dream to visit this centre of knowledge. Praise be to Allâh Ta’âlâ who has today honoured me with visiting and viewing the Darul Uloom. What I have seen today - the celestial light of knowledge emanating from every inch of this blessed institute, the spiritual effulgence of the saints in full force, the vestiges of the scholars and researchers sparkling, is far beyond the expectations I had.”

“It is the mere favour of Allâh that I have had the honour of listening to part of the hadith lesson conducted by Shaikh Muhaddith Sayyid Fakhruddeen Ahmed Muradabadi, which seemed to be a collection of shining pearls and bright stars.”

“While mentioning the splendid services of Deen offered by the venerable scholars of this blessed institute, I wish to express one of our desires, or rather if I take the courage to say: I am demanding one of our rights which is this, that the Ulema should translate their rare findings, unique research and monumental masterpieces into Arabic, which should then be widely distributed in the Arab world thereby tremendously benefiting our Arab Ulema. The reason why this obligation should get first priority is that when one studies the books of these researching scholars of India, one finds such unique research which apart from being based on profound knowledge, is also powered by piety and righteousness. Since the Ulema of India not only fully possess the qualities of piety, righteousness, spirituality and profound knowledge, but are in fact the perfect examples and true inheritors of our pious predecessors, therefore, their works are inundated with benefit. “This is the favour of Allâh which he bestows to whom He wishes.” (Quran)


In fact, you’ll find in some of their books that which is not found even in the works of the great Ulema, Mufassireen, Muhadditheen etc. of former times... But, with remorse and regret we are forced to say that most of these rare literary masterpieces are in the Urdu language and I fear that if not translated into Arabic, we, the Arabs will really be deprived of a lot, which will be oppression against us on your part.”

“It is therefore necessary to translate these valuable books into Arabic so that those eyes can be cooled and those hearts soothed, which have been yearning and longing for it for many years.”

“I once again, before ending off, feel it necessary to repeat our aforementioned request, or if I may take the courage to say “Our obligatory right which rests upon your shoulders.”

“It is therefore extremely important that these precious Urdu books be translated into Arabic and distributed on a large scale so that the circle of benefit can be widened.”

Translated from: Tareekh Darul Uloom Deoband
by: Ridwaan Nomani
4th year
Here is on in Arabic, from Majallah al-Bayan:

علماء معاصرون

المحدث الكبير

محمد أنور شاه الكشميري

تاج الدين الأزهري

ولادته ونشأته:

هو الفـقيه المجتهد محمد أنور بن معظم شاه ، ولد بكشمير سنة 1292هــ وقد تربى على والـديــه تربية مثالية ، ولذلك كان معروفًا بالتقوى وغض البصر واحترام الأساتذة ، كان يقول الشيخ مولانا القاري محمد طيب رحمه الله: كنا نتعلم السنن النبوية من سيرة الشيخ أنور وكأن الأخلاق النبوية تجسدت في صورته(1).

ودرس على والده الشيخ غلام رسول الهزاروي كتبًا في الفقه وأصوله ولما بلغ السابعة عشرة من عـمـره سـافـر إلى ديوبند ، والتحق بدار العلوم هناك وتخرج منها سنة 1313هـ ، وقد حصل على إجازة درس الحديث من شيخ السنة مولانا رشيد أحمد الكنكوهي وشيخ الهند مولانا محمود الـحـسـن رحـمـه الله ، ويصل سنده إلى الإمام الترمذي والشيخ ابن عابدين الحنفي .

قوة حافظته وطريقته في المطالعة :

كان الشيخ رحمه الله شديد الاستحضار قوي الحافظة ، شغوفًا بالمطالعة ، وقد انتهى من مطالعة (عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري) للحافظ العيني في شهر رمضان المبارك وأراد بذلك أن يستعد لدراسة صحيح البخاري في العام الدراسي المقبل الذي كان يبدأ في شهر شوال ، وقد استوعب (فتح الباري شرح صحيح البخاري (للحافظ ابن حجر مطالعة أثناء قراءته صحيح البخاري على شيخه مولانا محمود الحسن رحمه الله(2).

وكانت طريقته في المطالعة أنه إذا وقع في يده أي كتاب علمي مطبوعًا كان أو مخطوطًا أن يأخذه ويطالعه من غير أن يترك شيئا منه ، وهو أول عالم بين علماء الهند طالع مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل المطبوع بمصر ، فكان يطالع منه كل يوم مائتي صفحة مع نقد أحاديثه وضبط أحكامه(3).

مكانته العلمية :

كان الشيخ رحمه الله إمامًا في علوم القرآن والحديث، وحــافــظًـا واعيًا لمذاهب الأئمة مع إدراك الاختلاف بينهما، وقادرًا على اختيار ما يراه صوابًا، ولم يقـتصر في مطالعته على كتب علماء مدرسة بعينها - مع أنه كان حنفيًا - وإنما قرأ لـعـلـمــاء مدارس مختلفة لهم انتقادات شديدة فيما بينهم ، مثل الحافظ ابن تيمية والحافظ ابن القيم وابن دقيق العيد والحافظ ابن حجر رحمهم الله ، وقد أحاط بكتب أهل الكتاب من أسفار العهد الجديد والقديم ، وطالع بالعبرية وجمع مئة بشارة من التوراة تتعلق برسالة نبينا محمد -صلى الله عليه وسلم- (4).

رحلاته العلمية :

سافر الشيخ رحمه الله بعد تخرجه إلى عدة مدارس ، ودرس هناك عدة أعوام ، وقد التقى في فــرصـــــة زيارة الحرمين الشريفين بعدد من رجال العلم ، منهم الشيخ حسين الجسر الطرابلسي عالم الخلافة العثمانية صاحب الرسالة الحميدية والحصون الحميدية (5).

وبدأ بالتدريس في دار العلوم في ديوبند بعد عدة أعوام من رجوعه من الحرمين الشريفين ، وظل مدرسًا بــهـــــا حتى عام 1345 هـ ، ثم رحل إلى "داهبيل" في مقاطعة "كـجـرات"، وأسس بها معهدًا كبيرًا يسمى "بالجامعة الإسلامية" وإدارة تأليف تسمى "بالـمـجـلـــس العلمي ".

آراء معاصريه من العلماء فيه :

وقد أثنى عليه العلماء المعاصرون ، ولثناء المعاصر على المعاصر قيمة كبيرة .فقد قال الشيخ سليمان الندوي رحمه الله: هو البحر المحيط الذي ظاهره هادئ ساكن وباطنه مـمـلــوء من اللآلئ الفاخرة الثمينة(6).

وقال المحدث علي الحنبلي المصري رحمه الله: ما رأيت عالمًا مثل الشيخ أنور الذي يستطيع أن ينقد على نظريات الحافظ ابن تيمية والحافظ ابن حجر وابن حزم والشوكاني رحمهم الله ، ويحاكم بينهم ويؤدي حق البحث والتحقيق مع رعاية جلالة قدرهم(7).

جهوده في الرد على القاديانية :

قد ظهرت في العالم فتن كثيرة ، وقد عمل العلماء ضدها بجهد كبير ، ومن الفتن الـكـبرى الـتـي وقـعــت في هذه البلاد (الهند) بوحي من أعداء الإسلام وتأييد منهم "نشأة الفـتـنة القاديانية" وقد تصدى العلماء لهذه الفتنة الملعونة ، وواجهوها وجدوا في القضاء علـيها في جميع البلاد .

وكانت جـهـود الشيخ أنور رحمه الله في مواجهتهم أكثر من جهود العلماء المعاصرين لأنه لم يكن يـدخـر جهدًا ولا يهدأ له بال ولا يرتاح له فكر في ليل أو نهار ، وكان يفكر دائماً فـي إيـجـاد الطرق الكفيلة للقضاء على هذه الطائفة فأيقظ العلماء من النوم العميق في أنحاء الـعـالـم ، وحـثـهــم على القيام بواجبهم في القضاء عليها بالتبليغ والتصنيف ، وقد تيسر لأصحابه وتلامذته تأليف كتب ورسائل ضد هذه الطائفة الكاذبة باللغات المختلفة .

وقد ألف الشيخ أنور بنفسه ، مؤلفات صغيرة وكبيرة حولها منها:

1- إكفار الملحدين .

2- التصريح بما تواتر في نزول المسيح .

3- تحية الإسلام في حياة عيسى عليه السلام .

4- عقيدة الإسلام في حياة عيسى .

5- خاتم النبيين.

وهذه كلها باللغة العربية إلا كتاب خاتم النبيين فإنه باللغة الفارسية .

آثــــاره:

قد ترك الشيخ آثارًا في صورة التلامذة والكتب المؤلفة ، فأما عدد تلاميذه فيزيد على ألفين وأكتفي بذكر بعض منهم :

حضرة الأستاذ الشيخ مناظر أحسن الجيلاني رحمه الله: كان عالمًا كبيرًا ومحدثًا جليلاً ومصنفًا عظيمًا وله مصنفات كثيرة .

والمحدث الكبير مولانا حفظ الرحمن السوهاروي رحمه الله .

والشيخ القارىء محمد طيب رحمه الله: ومن تصانيفه ما يلي: أصول الدعوة الدينية ، نظام الأخلاق في الإسلام ، شأن الرسالة ، القرآن والحديث .

والمحدث الجليل مولانا محمد إدريس الكاندهلوي رحمه الله .

كانوا مصنفين في علوم القرآن والسنة .

أما كتبه المؤلفة غير التي ذكرتها فهي كما يلي:

(فيض الباري شرح صحيح البخاري) في أربعة مجلدات ، (عرف الشذى على جامع الترمذي) ، (مشكلات القرآن) ، (نيل الفرقدين في مسألة رفع اليدين) ، (فصل الخطاب في مسألة أم الكتاب) ، (ضرب الخاتم على حدوث العالم) ، (خزائن الأسرار) ، وكلها كتب باللغة العربية.

الهوامش:

1- مشاهير علماء ديوبند ، القاري فيوض الرحمن ، ص 485 ، نقش دوام مولانا ، انظر ص 81.

2- التصريح بما تواتر في نزول المسيح ، علامة أنور شاه كشميري ، ص 14 نفحة العنبر ، محمد يوسف البنوري ، ص 300 ، مقدمة أنوار الباري ، 2 / 245.

3- نفحة العنبر ، ص 25 ، مقدمة أنوار الباري 2 / 245 .

4-المصدر السابق ، ص 95 .

5-تاريخ دار العلوم ديوبند ، السيد محبوب رضوي ، ص 199 ، دائرة المعارف الإسلامية 17/306.

6-مقدمة أنوار الباري ، 2/240? نفحة العنبر ، ص 4 30 ، تاريخ دار العلوم - ديوبند ، ص 119.

7-الأنور ، عبد الرحمن كوندو ، ص 595.

Question posed to Shaykh Awwamah on great contemporary Ulama and his reply:


س: من ترى من العلماء من يكونون مشاعل للهدى في هذا الزمان مثلاً في الإقليم الهندي وإقليم الشام ومصر وتركيا والإقليم المغربي وليبيا وفي الخليج والمدينة المنورة واليمن؟

ج: رحلتي في البلدان منعدمة، ومعرفتي بالناس خفيفة، ومع ذلك فإني أعرف جماعة مباركة من ذوي العلم والعمل والصلاح والدعوة إلى الله بحق، أذكر منهم من يحضرني ـ مع الاحتفاظ بكرامة مكانتهم وألقابهم، ومع اعتذاري إلى من فاتني ذكره، فإنه عند الله معلوم مذكور ففي كراتشي من باكستان: فضيلة الدكتور الشيخ عبد الرزاق اسكندر مدير جامعة البنوري، وله جهود دعوية كبيرة في باكستان وغيرها، وفضيلة الشيخ محمد عبد الحليم الجشتي، وهو الأخ الشقيق لشيخنا محمد عبد الرشيد النعماني رحمه الله، وفضيلة الشيخ محمد تقي العثماني، وجهوده العلمية كبيرة في باكستان وغيرها، وشقيقه الأكبر الشيخ محمد رفيع، مدير جامعة دار العلوم ـ كراتشي، وآخرون.
وفي الهند: علماء كبار أجلاء، ذوو جهد علمي ودعوي، ولاسيما من رجال الجامعتين العظيمتين دار العلوم ـ ديوبند، ومظاهر العلوم ـ سهارنفور، ومن رجال الجامعة الأولى: فضيلة الشيخ أرشد مدني، نجل شيخ الإسلام: حسين أحمد مدني، وقد أصدر حتى الآن سبع مجلدات ضخام من شرح الإمام العيني "نخب الأفكار" بشرح شرح معاني الآثار للطحاوي.
ومن رجال الجامعة الثانية: فضيلة الشيخ محمد عاقل نجل العلامة المحقق المدقق الشيخ محمد أيوب السَّهارنفوري صاحب "تراجم الأحبار" في ترجمة رجال "شرح معاني الآثار"، ومن رجال هذه الجامعة أيضاً وكبارها: فضيلة الشيخ حبيب الله قربان، وهو مقيم معنا في المدينة المنورة، من تلامذة مولانا الشيخ محمد زكريا الكاندهلوي رحمه الله، وهو منقطع للإقراء والكتابة.
وفي بنغلاديش: فضيلة الشيخ محمد عبد المالك، أحد من تخرج في هذا العلم ورسخ فيه على يد شيخنا الشيخ عبد الفتاح أبو غدة، والشيخ محمد عبد الرشيد النعماني رحمهما الله تعالى، وله جهود في التعليم والتأليف مشكورة

[espabamar]

Good effort. Stickying this thread to possibly increase contribution.

[AmfitNom]

Excerpt from Mufti Ibn Adam's article:


The Indian subcontinent has witnessed great masters in the science of Hadith and Fiqh to which the whole world, including the Arab scholars, is indebted. No major Islamic library is empty from the works of these great scholars. They compiled some major works (in Arabic) that are unparalleled in recent times, such as:

1) I’la al-Sunan: A great 18 volume encyclopaedia in Hanafi Fiqh which amazed the world over. Arab Scholars were also amazed by the brilliance of the author, Shaykh Dhafar Ahmad al-Usmani who compiled this work under the supervision and instruction of his uncle and teacher, Imam Ashraf Ali al-Tahanawi (Allah have mercy on them both)

2) Bazl al-Majhud fi hal Sunan Abi Dawud: One of the most detailed commentary in Arabic on the Sunan of Imam Abu Dawud in approximately 20 volumes, authored by Shaykh Khalil Ahmad al -Saharanfuri (Allah have mercy on him).

3) Fath al-Mulhim Sharh Sahih Muslim by Shaykh Shabbir Ahmad al-Usmani (Allah have mercy on him): A commentary on the Sahih of Imam Muslim which remained incomplete until the great contemporary Hadith and Fiqh master, my respected teacher, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Allah have mercy on him) completed it.

Regarding the original work by Shaykh Shabbir Ahmad al-Usmani, the great Imam Zahid al- Kawthari wrote a whole article in his “al-Maqalat” stating that it filled the gaps left by the early commentators of Sahih Muslim including Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him)

4) Awjaz al-Masalik ila Mu’atta Imam Malik: The Arabic commentary in around 20 volumes on the Mu’atta of Imam Malik by the great Indian Hadith master, Shaykh al-Hadith, Imam Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandahlawi (Allah have mercy on him).

There are many more works, such as Faydh al Bari (commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari in 4 volumes) by Imam Anwar Shah al-Kashmiri, Ma’arif al-Sunan (commentary on Sunan Tirmidhi) by Shaykh Yusuf Binnori, works of Shaykh Habib al-Rahman al-A’zami, Hayat al-Sahabah by Shaykh Yusyuf al-Kandahlawi, and of course the works of the great Hadith and Fiqh master, Imam Abd al-Hay al-Lakhnawi (Allah have mercy on them).


"... In fact, you’ll find in some of their books that which is not found even in the works of the great Ulema, Mufassireen, Muhadditheen etc. of former times... But, with remorse and regret we are forced to say that most of these rare literary masterpieces are in the Urdu language and I fear that if not translated into Arabic, we, the Arabs will really be deprived of a lot, which will be oppression against us on your part.”

“It is therefore necessary to translate these valuable books into Arabic so that those eyes can be cooled and those hearts soothed, which have been yearning and longing for it for many years.”

“I once again, before ending off, feel it necessary to repeat our aforementioned request, or if I may take the courage to say “Our obligatory right which rests upon your shoulders.”

“It is therefore extremely important that these precious Urdu books be translated into Arabic and distributed on a large scale so that the circle of benefit can be widened.”
I wish more could be done regarding Shaykh Abdul Fattah's earnest request above. There are not enough quality translations being produced of the works of the Akabir into other languages - especially Arabic and English.

[PeterPatrickJohn]

Imam Zahid al-Kawthari naming some Deobandi Ulama (with their works) such as Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Mawlana Zafar Ahmad Thanwi, Mawlana Khalil Ahmad, Mawlana Shabir Ahmad Usmani, Mufti Mahdi Hasan etc:

ثم يأتي دور إخواننا الهنود - من أهل السنة - فمآثرهم في السنة في القرون الأخيرة فوق كل تقدير، وشروحهم في الأصول الستة تزخر بالتوسع في أحاديث الأحكام. فدونك (فتحَ الملهم في شرح صحيح مسلم) ([5]) و(بذل المجهود في شرح سنن أبي داود) ([6]) و(العَرفَ الشذي في شرح سنن الترمذي) ([7]) إلى غير ذلك مما لا يحصى، ففيها البيان الشافي في مسائل الخلاف، ولبعض علمائهم أيضًا مؤلفات خاصة في أحاديث الأحكام على طراز بديع مبتكر، وهو استقصاء أحاديث الأحكام من مصادرها وحشدُها في صعيد واحد في الأبواب، والكلام على كل حديث منها جرحًا وتعديلاً، وتقوية وتوهينًا.

وها هو العلامة مولانا ظهير حسن النيموي رحمه الله قد ألف كتابه (آثار السنن) في جزأين لطيفين([8])، وجمع فيهما الأحاديث المتعلقة بالطهارة والصلاة على اختلاف مذاهب الفقهاء، وتكلم على كل حديث منها جرحًا وتعديلاً على طريقة المحدثين، وأجاد فيما عمل كل الإجادة، وكان يريد أن يجري على طريقته هذه إلى آخر أبواب الفقه لكن المنيّة حالت دون أمنيته رحمه الله. وهذا الكتاب مطبوع بالهند طبعًا حجريًا إلا أن أهل العلم تخاطفوه بعد طبعه، فمن الصعب الظفر بنسخة منه إلا إذا أعيد طبعه.

وكذلك عُني بهذا الأمر العلامة الأوحد، والحبر المفرد، شيخ المشايخ في البلاد الهندية، المحدث الكبير والجهبذ الناقد، مولانا حكيم الأمة: محمد أشرف علي التهانوي صاحب المؤلفات الكثيرة البالغ عددها نحو خمسمائة مؤلَّف ما بين كبير وصغير([9])، فألف - طال بقاؤه - كتاب (إحياء السنن) وكتاب (جامع الآثار) في هذا الباب، ويغني عن وصفهما ذكر اسم مؤلفهما العظيم، وكلاهما مطبوع بالهند([10])، إلا أن الظفر بهما أصبح بمكان من الصعوبة حيث نفدت نسخهما المطبوعة لكثرة الراغبين في اقتناء مؤلفات هذا العالم الرباني - وهو الآن قد ناهز التسعين أطال الله بقاءه -([11]) ، وهو بركة البلاد الهندية، وله منزلة سامية عند علماء الهند حتى لقبوه: حكيم الأمة.

وهذا العالم الجليل قد أشار على تلميذه وابن أخته المتخرج في علوم الحديث لديه، المحدث الناقد والفقيه البارع مولانا ظَفَر أحمد التهانوي - زادت مآثره - أن يستوفي أدلة أبواب الفقه بجمع أحاديث الأحكام في الأبواب من مصادر صعبة المنال، مع الكلام على كل حديث في ذيل كل صفحة بما تقضي به صناعة الحديث، من تقوية وتوهين، وأخذ ورد على اختلاف المذاهب([12]).

فاشتغل هذا العالم الغيور بهذه المهمة الشاقة نحو عشرين سنة اشتغالاً لا مزيد عليه حتى أتم مهمته بغاية من الإجادة بتوفيق الله سبحانه في عشرين جزءًا لطيفًا بقطع (آثار السنن) وسمى كتابه هذا: (إعلاء السنن)، وجعل لـه في جزء خاص مقدمة بديعة في أصول الحديث نافعة للغاية في بابه([13]).

والحق يقال إني دهشت من هذا الجمع وهذا الاستقصاء، ومن هذا الاستيفاء البالغ في الكلام على كل حديث بما تقضي به الصناعة متنًا وسندًا، من غير أن يبدو عليه آثار التكلف في تأييد مذهبه، بل الإنصاف رائده عند الكلام على آراء أهل المذاهب، فاغتبطت به غاية الاغتباط، وهكذا تكون همة الرجال وصبر الأبطال، أطال الله بقاءه في خير وعافية، ووفقه لتأليف أمثاله من المؤلفات النافعة.

وقد طبع المؤلف - حفظه الله - نحو عشرة أجزاء من ذلك الكتاب طبعًا حجريًا وقد نفدت نسخ الأجزاء الأول. وأما طبع الباقي فيجري ببطء بالغ، فيا ليت بعض أصحاب المطابع الكبيرة بمصر سعى في جلب الكتاب المذكور من مؤلفه، وطبع تمام الكتاب من أوله إلى آخره بالحروف الجميلة المصرية، ولو فعل ذلك أحدهم لخدم العلم خدمة مشكورة، وملأ فراغًا في هذا الباب([14]).

ومن مشاهير علماء الهند أيضًا ممن يعنون بأحاديث الأحكام العلامة المحدث الشيخ مهدي حسن الشاهجهانفوري المفتي حفظه الله، فإنه شرح كتاب (الآثار) للإمام محمد بن الحسن الشيباني في مجلدين ضخمين. كثر الله سبحانه من أمثال هؤلاء الرجال

http://www.al-razi.net/kwathare/ahkam.htm

[Larisochka]

1. Imam Zahid al-Kawthari (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that Imam al-Asr Sayyidd Anwar Shah Kashmiri (may Allah have mercy on him) is the greatest scholar after Muhaqqiq ibn Humam [(may Allah have mercy on him), author of Fath al-Qadir. There is approximately a difference of 500 years between the both. He says about Imam Kashmiri,

لم يات بعد الشيخ الامام ابن الهمام مثله فى استثاره الابحاث النادرة من ثنايا الاحايث وهذه برهة طويلة من الدهر

"None after Shaykh al-Imam ibn Humam came that could compare with him in his extracting and choosing such exclusive topics from the depths of the ahadith. And this is a long lasting fact of time."

And who was ibn Humaam? Farraz Rabbani writes:

Al-Kamal ibn al-Humam is the arguably last person agreed on in the Ummah to be a mujtahid imam; he is buried by request right next to Sidi Ibn 'Ata'illah in Cairo.

http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.a...D=8910&CATE=91

2. When Egyptian scholar Rashid Rada (may Allah have mercy on him) came to visit Nadwat al-Ulama, he also decided to visit Dar al-Uloom Deoband. At that time he didn't held very favorable opinion about Ahnaf and Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him). During his stay, Imam al-Asr Sayyidd Kashmiri (may Allah have mercy on him) gave a lecture in Arabic on Quran, Hadith, status of Hanafi fiqh, thought of Dar al-Uloom Deoband and thought of Imam Shah Waliullah Dehlawi [(may Allah have mercy on him). After he heard the speech, he was amazed and he uttered many times:

واللّه ما رأيت مثل هذا العالم الجليل قط

"And by the oath of ALLAH I have not seen anyone like this highly scholar."

And he said in his speech at Deoband:

"If Hanafiyat is exactly what Mawlana Anwar Shah has explained in his speech, then I declare that for amal [practice], Hanafi fiqh is enough!"

When he returned to Egypt, he wrote in his risala Al-Minaar:

"If I had not seen Dar ul-Uloom Dooband in Hindustan, I would have returned hopeless from that country."

[From Hayat Muhaddith Kashmiri - by Allamah Anzar Shah Kashmiri]

[healty-back]

From the old ahnaaf site:

Shaykh Muhammad ibn `Alawi al-Maliki al-Makki (may Allah sanctify his secret) on Deobandi scholars

[perhilzit]

Praise for the work Tahzeerun Naas by Hadrat Qasimal Uloom


Pir Karam Shah al-Azhari sahib [may Allah SWT have mercy on him] writes on regarding Hadrat Qasim Nanotwi's work Tahzeerun naas:



نحمده و نصلى على صفوة الخلق حبيب الا له خاتم النبيين و على اله و صحبه و اصفياء امته و علماء ملته اجمعين الى يوم الدين

I have read multiple times ‘Tahzeerun naas’ written by Hadhrat Qasimal Uloom (may Allah SWT have mercy on him) throughly with deliberate contemplation. Each time I found new pleasure and subtleties in it.

According to the truthful scholars ‘Mohammadean Reality’ (haqiqat e Muhammadiya على صاحبها الف الف صلاة و سلام) is from the ambigious (متشابهات) and its correct understanding is beyond the human capacity.

However, for seriously interested intellectuals this treatise of Mawlana Nanotawi قدس سره can be an eye-opener. It contains material to increase manifolds the state of yearning hearts and impatient eyes of lovers of the Prophetic beauty.

In it Mawlana has elaborated in a precise, well-reasearched and knowledgable manner that all types of perfections, be it in knowledge or its practice, literal or metaphorical, esoteric or exoteric is our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)’s personal (ذاتى) perfection.

The letter is further attested and co-signed by Mufti Abu Saeed, instructor at Maderrasah Saeediya Rizviya, Masjid Khajawali, Lilyani, Sargodah. Mufti sahib adds, “This treatise (i.e. Tahzeerun naas) proves the finality of Prophethood not the opposite.”


Shaykh Khawaja Qamaruddin Siyalawi sahib said:


“I have read ‘Tahzeerun naas’. I consider Mawlana Mohammad Qasim sahib (اعلى درجته) to be a Muslim. I am proud that his name is my hadith transmission chain (sanad). In explaining ‘khatimun nabieen’ Mawlana’s mind has reached such an unparalled heights that are incomprehensible for the rivals. They took allegorical account for a factual one and considered an assumption to be a reality.”
Does anybody here have references for the above?

[antiggill]

Praise for the work Tahzeerun Naas by Hadrat Qasimal Uloom


Does anybody here have references for the above?

Pir Karam Shah al-Azhari Sahib's (may Allah have mercy on him) view on Tahzir al-Nas with his signatures and stamp at the end.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...1/Nanotwi1.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...1/Nanotwi2.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...1/Nanotwi3.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...1/Nanotwi4.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...1/Nanotwi5.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...1/Nanotwi6.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...1/Nanotwi7.jpg
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i7...1/Nanotwi8.jpg

[GrottereewNus]

‘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.

http://zakariyya.wordpress.com/2008/...-ulum-deoband/

[bDvYaQfM]

Imam Zahid al-Kawthari and his praise for Mawlana Shabir Ahmad Uthmani and Dar al-Ulum Deoband (in Maqalat al-Kawthari which is very famous in the circles of the Ulama). He calls Deoband the Azhar of India, and has nothing but praise for the Sharh of Sahih al-Muslim by Mawlana Shabir Ahmad Uthmani, and honours him with titles such as muhaddith, muhaqqiq al-asr, al-faqih al-bari' etc.



Ps. I don't think the Akabir are in need of any praise, nor should we act like the PR machine of some groups and their leaders, however, their service for the deen and their writings speak for themselves.

[nasdfrdg]

Ps. I don't think the Akabir are in need of any praise, nor should we act like the PR machine of some groups and their leaders, however, their service for the deen and their writings speak for themselves.

assalamu 'alaykum,

I think having positive PR is extremely important. The misinformation campaign from the enemies of our 'ulama is pretty strong (it's all over the internet it seems) therefore I think it is important to inform the public about the truth. While this thread isn't directly involved in countering the misinformation campaign, it certainly helps and sets us in the right direction. The Arab scholars it seems are respected and revered by all sides, especially the likes of Imam al-Kawthari, so if his statements can give the right perspective especially in praise of the Deobandis then that is a slap on the face of the detractors.

-ha

[Logaleta]

From "10 Days in the Blessed Lands of Yemen, A personal account by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari on his recent trip to Yemen"

"Habib Umar informed me how he spent some time in India with the Jama’ah Tabligh. He said, his father Shaykh Abu Bakr ibn Salim had close links with the head of the Jama’ah Tabligh in India, Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf al-Kandahlawi (Allah have mercy on them both). He said his father was also in contact with the great Muhaddith of the Subcontinent, Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandahlawi (Allah have mercy on him). "

"He mentioned to me how his teacher Habib Umar’s father had close contacts with the Ulama of Deoband. He said Habib Umar’s father, Shaykh Abu Bakr ibn Salim, was very close to the Amir of Tabligh in India, the late Shaykh Yusuf al-Kandahlawi, the author of Hayat al-Sahaba (Allah have mercy on them both). He stated that when Shaykh Yusuf was compiling his masterpiece work, Hayat al-Sahaba (Lives of the Companions), Shaykh Abu Bakr was with him and actually took the honour of compiling the index for this auspicious work. The edition with Shaykh Abu Bakr Salim’s writing is still in existence, Habib Ali said. Habib Ali also mentioned that Shaykh Abu Bakr ibn Salim was a friend of Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandahlawi (Allah have mercy on him), and that Habib Umar himself travelled to India with the Jama’ah of Da’wa and Tabligh some years ago."

http://www.daruliftaa.com/Docs/Bless...s_of_Yemon.htm

[Starichok]

assalamu 'alaykum,

I think having positive PR is extremely important. The misinformation campaign from the enemies of our 'ulama is pretty strong (it's all over the internet it seems) therefore I think it is important to inform the public about the truth. While this thread isn't directly involved in countering the misinformation campaign, it certainly helps and sets us in the right direction. The Arab scholars it seems are respected and revered by all sides, especially the likes of Imam al-Kawthari, so if his statements can give the right perspective especially in praise of the Deobandis then that is a slap on the face of the detractors.

-ha

Walaikum Assalam,

Totally agree!

Wassalaam

[Usendyduexy]

The Poet of the East, ‘Allamah Iqbal (1837-1938) on Deobandis

The following piece has been edited by Maulana by Abu Zaynab and taken from the inside cover of a 1984/1405 edition of a South African Muslim journal called “Awake to the Call of Islam!” The extracts were taken by the editors of the journal from a book called “History of Darul Uloom Deoband”.

Deobandiyat is neither a creed (mathab) nor a sect – terms by which its antagonists try to incite the masses against it – but it is a comprehensive picture and a complete edition of the tack of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah in which all the offshoots of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah are seen joined with their root.What a fine and succinct sentence the Poet of the East, the late Dr. Sir. Muhammad Iqbal – and, it beseemed him alone – had spoken about Deobandiyat.

When someone asked him:

‘What thing is the Deobandi, a creed or a sect?’ He replied: ‘It’s neither a creed nor a sect; Deobandi is the name of every rationalist religious man.

Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal said:

Let these madressahs be in this very condition; let the children of poor Muslims read in these madressahs. Should these mullas and Dervishes be not there, do you know what will happen? Whatever will happen I have come after seeing with mine own eyes. If the Muslims of India are deprived of the influence of these madressahs, it will happen exactly like it happened in Andalusia (Spain) after eight hundred years of Muslim rule there. Today, except the relics of the ruins of Grenada and Cordoba and Al-Hamra, no trace is found there of the followers of Islam, and the Islamic civilisation. In India, too, save the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort of Delhi, no trace of the Muslims’ 800-year rule and their civilisation will be available.

(Extracts from a “History of Darul Uloom Deoband”, Vol.1, 1980) http://zakariyya.wordpress.com/2007/...-on-deobandis/

[AgowlSown]

From Pearls of the Elders

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.

[Abraham]

I came across this interesting article posted by Shaykh Abul Hasan (former sunniforum resident) on another forum:


Assalamu alaikum



The following is an exquisite biography on the late Muhaddith, Shaykh Habibur Rahman al-A'zami (d. 1992). This Shaykh was probably the first Indian Shaykh to write a series of rudud on Nasir al-Albani.



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Mawlana Habib Al-Rahman Al-Azami: A Colossus of Hadith Literature By Professor A.R. Momin
Contribution of Indian Scholars to Hadith Literature
Mawlana Habib al-Rahman al-A'zami
Publications
Kitab al-Zuhd wa'l-Raqa'iq
Sunan of Sa'id ibn Mansur
Musnad of Imam Humaydi
Musannaf of 'Abd al-Razzaq
Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shaybah
Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah of Ibn Hajar
It is no exaggeration to say that, unlike other prophets and religious leaders, Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him) lived in the full light of history. The quantity and quality of information about his life and teachings at our disposal has no parallel in the annals of human civilisation. A single work on the life of the Prophet, Subul al-Huda war-Rashad fi Sirah Khair al-Ibad by a 10th-century Syrian scholar Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Salihi runs into more than ten volumes and comprises over 5000 pages. Since Prophet Muhammad was the last of the prophets and Islam was destined to be a universal religion, it was necessary, for one thing, to preserve the text of the Qur'an and, for another, to leave an authentic and detailed record of the life and teachings of the Prophet. Although the Qur'an is a comprehensive book, it is essentially concerned with enunciating general principles and broad guidelines. The details of precepts and ritual practices were to be provided by the Prophet through his own example as well as his oral instructions. The Companions of the Prophet took great pains to narrate, preserve and disseminate what they saw and heard from the Prophet. This tradition continued uninterrupted during the successive periods of Islamic history. Out of the cumulative and sustained efforts of several generations of narrators and scholars emerged the corpus of Hadith.

Though himself unlettered, the Prophet was fully aware of the value of writing and put it to effective use on several occasions. After their migration to Madina, the Muslims of Makka laid the foundation of a city-state. The Prophet framed and promulgated a constitution, which has the distinction of being the first written constitution of any state in the history of the world. Scores of official documents, agreements and letters-patent were written at the instance of the Prophet.

Several Companions of the Prophet carefully recorded and preserved his sayings and conversations. These included 'Abd-Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, Anas ibn Malik, 'Amr ibn Hazm, 'Aisha, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Ali, Samurah ibn Jundub, Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, 'Abd-Allah ibn 'Abbas, 'Abd-Allah ibn Mas'ud, Abu Hurayrah and Jabir ibn 'Abd-Allah, among others. Thus the writing and compilation of Hadith began in the first century of the Islamic era. Unfortunately, most of the early manuscripts of Hadith, which were compiled during the early period, were lost due to the ravages of time. The greatest devastation in this respect was wrought by the Mongol invasion of Baghdad. However, some manuscripts of the early works of Hadith are still traceable in libraries and museums in various parts of the Islamic world. One such manuscript is the Sahifah of Abu Hurayrah, which was transmitted by his pupil Hammam ibn Munabbih (d. 120 A.H.). Copies of the original manuscript are found in Damascus, Cairo and Berlin. A critical edition of this priceless manuscript with an English translation and a comprehensive introduction was published by Professor Muhammad Hamidullah in 1380 A.H. Another early collection of Hadith is Kitab al-Sard wa'l-Fard by Abu'l-Khayr Al-Qazwini. The text of the manuscript, together with a fascimile reproduction and an English translation, has also been published by Professor Hamidullah.

In the period of the Tabi'un (those who followed the Companions of the Prophet), the compilation of Hadith gathered additional momentum. Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d.124 A.H.) is credited with having compiled the first systematic work of Hadith. The other pioneers include Ibn Jurayj (d.149 A.H.), Imam Malik (d.179 A.H.), al-Awza'i (d.157 A.H.), Sufyan Thawri (d.161 A.H.), Ma'mar ibn Rashid (d. 153 A.H.), 'Abd-Allah ibn Mubarak (d.181 A.H.), and Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah (d.198 A.H.).



http://Contribution of Indian Schola...century.
Mawlana Habib al-Rahman al-A'zami

Mawlana Habib al-Rahman al-A'zami was born in 1319 A.H. in the small town of Maunath Bhanjan in the Azamgarh district of what now constitutes the state of Uttar Pradesh in the Indian Union. His father Mawlana Muhammad Sabir (d.1365 A.H.) was a man of learning and piety. Mawlana Habib al-Rahman acquired his early education in his hometown. He showed signs of precosity from an early age. Mawlana Sabir took special interest in the education of his gifted child and put him under the care of a renowned local scholar, Mawlana 'Abd al-Ghaffar (d.1341 A.H.), who was a pupil of the celebrated scholar Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (d.1323 A.H.). Young Habib al-Rahman spent a few years under his tutelage and accompanied him to Banaras and Gorakhpur in the course of his teaching itinerary. In 1919 he took admission in the famed Dar al'Ulum at Deoband. However, he had to discontinue his education due to ill-health. After recovery he did a brief teaching stint at Madrasah Mazhar al'Ulum in Banaras. His insatiable thirst for knowledge took him again to Deoband, where he had the good fortune of sitting at the feet of stalwarts like Anwar Shah Kashmiri (d. 1352 A.H.), Shabbir Ahmad 'Uthmani (d. 1396 A.H.), and Mawlana Asghar Husain (d.1364A.H.). In the meantime, the Dar al -Ulum got caught up in the flurry of the nationalist movement and Mawlana Habib al-Rahman had to leave without formally completing his education. He completed the formal course in Mau in 1922 and took up a teaching assignment there. In 1343 A.H. he was invited to head Madrasah Mazhar al'Ulum at Banaras. In 1347 A.H.he returned to Mau as Shaykh al-Hadith and head of Madrasah Miftah al'Ulum. After two decades of distinguished and dedicated service he resigned of his own accord in 1369 A.H. and devoted himself full time to research.

In spite of his indifference to active politics he was persuaded by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to contest the assembly election. He won the election, without any canvassing, in 1952 and shifted his resident to Lucknow.

Taking advantage of his stay at Lucknow, the Rector of Dar al'Ulum Nadwat al'Ulama, Mawlana Abu'l-Hasan 'Ali Nadavi, requested Mawlana Habib al-Rahman to lecture on Hadith at Nadawah. He acceded to the request and taught the Sahih of Bukhari for one year without any remuneration.

Though Mawlana Habib al-Rahman was well-versed in all branches of Islamic learning, he evinced a keen and special interest in Hadith literature. His interest in Hadith was initially kindled by his teacher Mawlana 'Abd al Ghaffar. He learnt and narrated Hadith from him, whose narration is tracable, through two successive generations, to Shah Muhammad Ishaq Dihlavi. Mawlana Habib al-Rahman's inclination towards Hadith literature received a further fillip under the affectionate guidance of Mawlana Anwar Shah Kashmiri. His remarkable proficiency in Arabic language and literature, his phenomenal memory and his single-minded devotion to scholarly pursuits stood him in good stead in mastering Hadith and related disciplines and in making an enduring contribution in this field.

Mawlana Habib al-Rahman had a deep interest in rare manuscripts, especially those relating to collections of Hadith. During his extensive travels he would make it a point to visit libraries, institutes and museums in search of manuscripts. His scholarly career can be roughly divided into two phases. The first phase began during his twenties and lasted till he was about 60 years of age. During this formative phase he concentrated on assimilating and mastering the extensive and formidable literature on Hadith and the related disciplines. A keen and intense preoccupation with Hadith literature during this period led to the sharpening of his discerning faculties and helped in the development of insight as well as critical acumen. This phase played a catalytic role in ushering in the most productive and creative phase in Mawlana Habib al-Rahman's scholarly career which began after the age of sixty. Perhaps his most important contribution during the formative phase, which could be described as a forerunner of his mature scholarly output during the successive period, is in the form of critical comments and rejoinders on the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. The Musnad saw the light of day for the first time in 1313 A.H.. However, this edition was replete with printing and other errors. A renowned Egyptian scholar Shaykh Ahmad Muhammad Shakir took up a project on the publication of a corrected and critical edition of the Musnad. He compared and collated the available manuscripts, identified and corrected the errors, numbered the AHadith, prepared a glossary of difficult words as well as biographical notices on the narrators, and provided a classified index. The first volume of this edition was published in 1365 A.H. and the remaining 14 volumes were brought out subsequently. This critical edition of the Musnad received universal acclaim and admiration from Muslim scholars from across the world.

Being a sincere devotee of learning and scholarship, Shaykh Ahmad invited suggestions and comments from professional colleagues. However, he did not receive any rejoinders or suggestions from academic circles for almost a decade. Mawlana Habib al-Rahman chanced to see the published volumes after a lapse of several years. He avidly went through the volumes, identified the errors of omission and commission and sent his detailed comments to the editor. Shaykh Ahmad was amazed at the erudition and critical discernment reflected in the rejoinders of Mawlana Habib al-Rahman. He made an open and grateful acknowledgement of his submissions and published them in the 15th volume of the Musnad. He wrote:

All your rejoinders and critical comments are excellent and of high quality. I am sincerely grateful to you for this kindness. I hope you will continue to favour me with your suggestions, motivated as they are by a sense of service to Hadith. The impression that I have gathered from your present writing is that you are one of the greatest scholars of Hadith in this period.

The most productive and fruitful phase of Mawlana Habib al-Rahman's scholarly career commenced after the age of 60 when he was afflicted with failing health and multiple ailments. During this phase, which spanned three decades, he brought out critical editions of over half a dozen rare manuscripts of Hadith. What is remarkable is that this formidable output, comprising 30 volumes and over 10,000 printed pages, was accomplished almost single-handedly and with extremely meagre resources.

It will be no exaggeration to say that Mawlana Habib al-Rahman individually accomplished what an institute or academy could have done with abundant resources. This remarkable feat bears testimony to his scholarship as well as to his devotion to the cherished memory of the Prophet.



http://Publications

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Kitab al-Zuhd wa'l-Raqa'iq

'Abd-Allah ibn Mubarak was among the front-ranking traditionists of the second century. The manuscripts of his book Kitab al-Zuhd wa'l-Raqa'iq are found in Cairo and Istanbul. Mawlana Habib al-Rahman published the text of the manuscripts with critical notes and annotations in 1966. The printed text reflects the editor's painstaking efforts. He has prepared an exhaustive list of the narrators, identified the AHadith in the well-known sources, and provided a glossary of difficult words. In addition, he has pointed out the variants in the existing manuscripts.



<a href="http://Sunan of Sa'id ibn Mansurbr / br / The term Sunan refers to a collection of Hadith which relates to legal maters and leave out historical and biographical details. The well-known collections of Sunan include the works of Abu Dawud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Daraqutni and Bayhaqi. One of the earliest works of Sunan was compiled by Abu 'Uthman Sa'id ibn Mansur (d. 227 A.H.). He was a pupil of Imam Malik, Hammad and Abu 'Awanah. His students include such well-known traditionists as Muslim, Abu Dawud and Ahmad ibn Hanbal. An old manuscript of the Sunan of Sa'id ibn Mansur was discovered by Professor Muhamamd Hamidullah in the famous Koprelo library in Turkey. The text of the manuscript, with critical notes and annotations, was published by Mawlana Habib al-Rahman in 1967.br / br / br / br /" target="_blank">http://Sunan of Sa'id ibn Mansur

[gtyruzzel]

Pir Sayyidd Mahr Ali Shah Golri (d: 1937C / may Allah have mercy on him) on Qasim al-Ulum wal-Khayrat Mawlana Nanotwi (d: 1901C / may Allah have mercy on him)

Pir Mahr Ali Shah belonged to Chishti silsila of tasawwuf and was khalifa of Qutb Khawaja Shams al-Din Sialwi (d: 1883C / may Allah have mercy on him) of Sial Sharif, Sargodha in Punjab. Author of Uswat-i-Akabir writes,

"Mawlana Muhammad Said Sahib of Koh Marri mentioned that once while I was in the company of Pir Sahib, an individual came and inquired: "what is your opinion of Molvi Qasim Sahib?" Pir Sahib replied, "are you asking about Mawlana Qasim Nanotwi? Questioner replied in the affirmative. Pir Sahib said,

"He is a perfect manifestation of the knowledge of the Truth."

[Uswat-i-Akabir, Mawlana Muhammad Bahaul Haq Qasmi. Printed by Aftab Alim Press, Lahore 1962]

[L8fGLM4d]

I hope it's relevant:

Shaykh Sa`id Ramadan al-Bouti:

Go to http://www.bouti.com/en/qsearch.php and write "deoband": you'll see a fatwa in defence of our `Ulama against the "imkan kadhib" slander.

Try also "tabligh" for a defence of this work.

P.S.: I'm thinking about focusing my university thesis on the links between Deobandi `Ulama and the arab world, so I really appreciated this thread, !

[bestworkother]

I hope this is related too:

This is a talk given by Maulana Nabeel Khan, khalifa of Hakeem Akhtar Sahib, on the 'Ulama of Deoband.

It can be listened to here:

http://audio.darulhikmah.com/retreat...abeel_khan.mp3