Imam-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat’s Yearning for Islamic Knowledge

July 18,2016 - Published 7 years ago

Imam-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat’s Yearning for Islamic Knowledge

Imam-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat’s Yearning for Islamic Knowledge

A’la Hadrat, leader of the Ahl-e-Sunnah, Maulana Shah Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was born on Saturday, 10th Shawwal, 1272 AH (14th June 1856) at the time of Zuhr Salah in Jasoli, one of the areas of blessed Bareilly, India.

(Hayat-e-A’la Hadrat, vol. 1, pp. 58)



A’la Hadrat رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه belonged to a Pathan family, Hanafi school of thought, Qaadiri from Tareeqat and Barelvi due to the place where he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was born. His father’s name is Maulana Naqi ‘Ali Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه and grandfather’s name is Maulana Raza ‘Ali Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه.

(Faazil Barelvi ‘Ulama Hijaz ki Nazar Mayn, pp. 67)



His birth name is ‘Muhammad’. His respectable mother used to call him ‘Amman Miyan’. His father and other relatives named him ‘Ahmad Miyan’ and his grandfather named him ‘Ahmad Raza’. His historical name is ‘Al-Mukhtar’. A’la Hadrat رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه himself used to write ‘Abdul Mustafa’ before his name.

(Tajalliyat Imam Ahmad Raza, pp. 21)



مصطفٰی کا وہ لاڈلا پیارا واہ کیا بات اعلٰی حضرت کی

غوثِ اعظم کی آنکھ کا تارا واہ کیا بات اعلٰی حضرت کی



He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه devoted his entire life to acquiring and propagating Islamic knowledge. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه did not spend a single moment uselessly. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه had started this blessed journey of acquiring Islamic knowledge since his childhood, because he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was from a pure religious and scholarly family. His respectable father and grandfather were also practicing (Islamic) scholars. The state of A’la Hadrat’s yearning for Islamic knowledge in his childhood was that he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه would go himself to study without being asked by anyone. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه wanted to go on Friday as well, but he did not because his honourable father forbade him. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه understood that Friday is a very important day of the week, therefore, one should not study on a Friday, the remaining six days are for study.

(Hayat-e-A’la Hadrat, vol. 1, pp. 69)



علم و عِرفاں کا جو کہ ساگَر تھا خیر سے حافِظہ قَوی تر تھا

حق پہ مَبنی تھا جس کا ہر فتوٰی واہ کیا بات اعلٰی حضرت کی



Hence, we should also develop the yearning for acquiring Islamic knowledge and should acquire Islamic knowledge with enthusiasm. We should not be deprived of Islamic knowledge at all due to our laziness without any reason.



Talking about his yearning for Islamic knowledge and strength of memory, A’la Hadrat رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه has himself stated: When my teacher, by whom I would learn from the beginning of the book, would teach me a lesson, I would close the book after seeing it once or twice. When he asked me to tell him the lesson, I would tell him word for word. Having observed this situation every day he would be amazed. One day he asked me, ‘Ahmad Miyan! Are you a human or a jinn? I take some time to teach, but you do not take time to memorize it!’ A’la Hadrat رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَـلَيْه replied, ‘All praise be to Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ I am a human, however, I have been blessed with the favour and grace of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ.’

(Hayat-e-A’la Hadrat, vol. 1, pp. 68)



A’la Hadrat رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَـلَيْه had such a great yearning for acquiring Islamic knowledge that he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَـلَيْه would see his lesson once or twice and would be able to learn his lesson after his teacher had taught him the lesson. His teacher would be surprised to see his passion for knowledge and strength of memory as to how this child learnt his lesson by heart in a very short period of time. On the other hand, our memory is such that we do not remember very easy and little things after reading and listening to them again and again. For example, if we succeed in memorizing something, we immediately forget it. If we want to strengthen our memory, then, first of all, we have to get rid of those things which weaken the memory such as to see one’s own or someone’s Satr without any Shar’i permission, to avoid eating fat, sour and phlegm-producing things and especially to avoid committing sins day and night as these and our sinful lives are major reasons for a weak memory.



A’la Hadrat’s intellect and understanding and utmost desire for Islamic knowledge was such that he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه made his contribution to approximately fifty branches of knowledge and wrote very valuable books. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه had a good command in every science. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه had such excellence in ‘Ilm-e-Tawqeet (science of calculating the time) that he would set his clock merely by looking at the sun during the daytime and with the help of the stars during the night. The time he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه would set was always accurate and never differed by even a single minute. Similarly, A’la Hadrat رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was second to none in the mathematics.

(Tazkirah Imam Ahmad Raza, pp. 6)



The personality of A’la Hadrat, leader of the Ahl-e-Sunnah رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه is a shining role model for us. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه provided the Muslim Ummah with Islamic knowledge even in a state of extreme pains, due to his great love for Islamic knowledge and for the passion of its propagation.



Since his childhood, A’la Hadrat, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه showed incredible ability towards acquiring Islamic knowledge. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه had great devotion towards Islamic books and was an expert in the worldly and Islamic branches of knowledge and sciences. He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was the favourite student of his teachers and had a great memory. His profound yearning for study and high intelligence had reached to such an extent that after learning a quarter of a book from his teacher, he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْهwould study the entire book himself and after memorising it, he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه would read it out to his teacher. Despite being ill, on the request of the Arab scholars, he رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه authored a remarkable piece of writing in the Arabic language on the topic of ‘Ilm-ul-Ghayb [Knowledge of the Unseen] .



A’la Hadrat, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه was an expertise in more than 50 branches of knowledge and sciences. The remarkable piece of work ‘Fatawa Razawiyyah’ comprises of 30 volumes containing a beautiful collection of 6847 questions and answers and 206 booklets with 21,656 pages, this is the greatest evidence of his deep yearning for Islamic knowledge and services for Islam.



May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ also bless us with the yearning for Islamic knowledge and Islamic books for his sake!

اٰمِيۡن بِجَاهِ النَّبِيِّ الۡاَمِيۡن صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيۡهِ وَاٰلِه وَسَلَّم

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

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Zia ur Rehman attari

Allah Pak Ameer-e-Ahle Sunnat دامت برکاتھم العالیہ ko Salamat rakhna... Aameen

shaikh ahsan

I like this article.

MUHAMMAD LIAQAT ATTARI

Very nice and knowledgeable article.