Ahmed Raza Khan, commonly known as Aala Hazrat, Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, or Ahmed Rida Khan in Arabic, (14 June 1856 CE or 10

Shawwal Shawwal ( ar, شَوَّال, ') is the tenth month of the lunar based Islamic calendar. ''Shawwāl'' stems from the verb ''shāla'' () which means to 'lift or carry', generally to take or move things from one place to another, Fasting during S ...

1272 AH – 28 October 1921 CE or 25

Safar Ṣafar ( ar, صَفَر) also spelt as Safer in Turkish, is the second month of the lunar Islamic calendar. The Arabic word ''ṣafar'' means "travel, migration", corresponding to the pre-Islamic Arabian time period when muslims flee the oppr ...

1340 AH), was an

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the U ...

mufti A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (''fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important role ...

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

, and

mujaddid A ''mujaddid'' ( ar, مجدد), is an Islamic term for one who brings "renewal" ( ar, تجديد, translit=tajdid, label=none) to the religion. According to the popular Muslim tradition, it refers to a person who appears at the turn of every ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He wrote on law,

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

and the

sciences Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

, and because he mastered many subjects in both rational and religious sciences,

Francis Robinson Francis Christopher Rowland Robinson CBE, DL, FRAS (born 23 November 1944 in Barnet) is a British historian and academic who specialises in the history of South Asia and Islam. Since 1990, he has been Professor of History of South Asia at the ...

, one of the leading Western scholars of South Asian Islam, considers him to be a

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

. He was reformer in north India who wrote extensively in defense of Muhammad and popular Sufi practices and became the leader of a movement called "Ahl-i Sunnat wa Jamàat". He influenced millions of people, today the movement has around 200 million in the region.

Biography

Family

Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi's father,

Naqi Ali Khan Naqi Ali Khan (1830-1880) (urdu: نقی علی خان) was an Indian Sunni Hanafi Islamic Scholar, Mufti and father of Ahmed Raza Khan. Naqi Ali wrote 26 books on Seerah and Aqedah and he issued thousand Fatwas. Family tree Publications * As ...

, was the son of Raza Ali Khan.Alt URL
/ref> Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi belonged to the Barech tribe of

Pushtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically r ...

. The Barech formed a tribal grouping among the

Rohilla Rohillas are a community of Pashtun ancestry, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Roh ...

Pushtuns of

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Cen ...

who founded the state of

Rohilkhand Rohilkhand (previously Rampur State) is a region in the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh, India, that is centered on the Rampur, Bareilly and Moradabad divisions. It is part of the upper Ganges Plain, and is named after the Rohilla tribe. ...

. Khan's ancestors migrated from

Qandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...

during the Mughal rule and settled in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

. Khan was born on 14 June 1856 in Mohallah Jasoli,

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The ...

, the North-Western Provinces. The name corresponding to the year of his birth was "Al Mukhtaar". His birth name was Muhammad. Khan used the appellation "Abdul Mustafa" ("servant of the chosen one") prior to signing his name in correspondence.

Teachers

According to official Biography written by Molana Zafar Uddin Bihari , some of his famous teachers included: *Shah AI-i-Rasul (d. 1297/1879) *

(d. 1297/1880) *

Ahmad Zayni Dahlan Ahmad Zayni Dahlan ( ar, أحمد زَيْني دَحْلان) (1816–1886) was the Grand Mufti of the Shafi'i madhab in Mecca, and Shaykh al-Islam (highest religious authority in the Ottoman jurisdiction) in the Hijaz region of the Ottoman sta ...

Makki (d. 1299/1881) *Abd al-Rahman Siraj Makki (d. 1301/1883) *Hussayn bin Saleh (d. 1302/1884) *Abul-Hussayn Ahmad Al-Nuri (d. 1324/1906) *'Abd al-Ali Rampuri (d. 1303/1885) * *

Spiritual order

In the year 1294 A.H. (1877), at the age of 22 years, Ahmed Raza became the Mureed (disciple) of Shah Aale Rasool Marehrawi. His Murshid bestowed him with Khilafat in the several Sufi Silsilas. Some Islamic scholars received permission from him to work under his guidance.Imam, Muhammad Hassan. (2005)
The Role of the Khulafa-e-Imam Ahmed Raza Khan in the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...

1920–1947. Diss. Karachi: University of Karachi.

Ahle Sunnat Revival movement

Imam Ahmed Raza wrote extensively in defense of his views, countered the

Wahabism Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, and ...

and

Deobandi Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law, formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautav ...

movements, and, by his writing and activity, became the leader of Ahle Sunnat movement. The movement is spread across the globe with followers in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

. The movement now has over 200 million followers globally. The movement was largely a rural phenomenon when begun but is currently popular among urban, educated Pakistanis and Indians as well as South Asian diaspora throughout the world. The efforts of Khan and his associate scholars to establish a movement to counter the Deobandi and Ahl-i Hadith movements resulted to in the institutionalization of diverse Sufi movements and their allies in various parts of the world.

Death

Ahmed Raza Khan died on 28 October 1921 (25 Safar 1340 AH) at the age of 65, in his home at Bareilly due to complications related to his diabetes. He is buried in his hometown of Bareilly. Imam Ahmed Raza Khan wrote several hundred books in Arabic, Persian and Urdu, including the thirty-volume

fatwa A fatwā ( ; ar, فتوى; plural ''fatāwā'' ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (''sharia'') given by a qualified '' Faqih'' (Islamic jurist) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist ...

compilation ''Fatawa Razaviyya'', and ''

Kanzul Iman ''Kanzul Iman'' (Urdu and Arabic: کنزالایمان) meaning as 'Treasure of Faith ' is an Urdu paraphrase translation of the Qur'an by Ahmad Raza Khan produced in 1911. It is one of the translations of the Qur'an in Urdu language. Translation ...

'' (Translation & Explanation of the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

). Several of his books have been translated into European and South Asian languages.''Maarif Raza'', Karachi, Pakistan. Vol.29, Issue 1–3, 2009, pages 108–09

Kanz ul Iman (translation of the Qur'an)

'' (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: کنزالایمان) is a 1910 Urdu paraphrase translation of the

by Khan. It is associated with the

Hanafi The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named a ...

jurisprudence within Sunni Islam, and is a widely read version of translation in the Indian Subcontinent. It has been translated into English, Hindi, Bengali, Dutch, Turkish, Sindhi, Gujarati, Pashto and also recently translated in Gojri language by Mufti Nazir Ahmed Qadri.

Husam ul Haramain

Husamul Haramain Husamul Haramain (''Ḥusām al-Haramayn'') or Husam al Harmain (The Sword of the Two Holy Mosques) 1906, is a treatise written by Ahmad Raza Khan (1856- 1921) which declared the founders of the Deobandi, Ahle Hadith and Ahmadiyya movements as h ...

'' or Husam al Harmain Ala Munhir kufr wal mayn (The Sword of the

Haram ''Haram'' (; ar, حَرَام, , ) is an Arabic term meaning 'Forbidden'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowle ...

ayn at the throat of unbelief and falsehood) 1906, is a treatise which declared infidels the founders of the

Ahl-i Hadith Ahl-i Hadith or Ahl-e-Hadith ( bn, আহলে হাদীছ, hi, एहले हदीस, ur, اہلِ حدیث, ''people of hadith'') is a Salafi reform movement that emerged in North India in the mid-nineteenth century from the teac ...

and

Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

movements on the basis that they did not have the proper veneration of Muhammad and finality of prophethood in their writings. In defense of his verdict he obtained confirmatory signatures from 268 scholars in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

, and some from scholars in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...

and

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

. The treatise is published in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Turkish and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

Fatawa Razawiyyah

Fatawa-e-Razvia Fatawa-e-Razvia ( ur, فتاویِٰ رضویہ) or Fatawa-e-Radaviyyah is a major compilation of fatwas and journals for the Hanafi Fiqh authored by 19th century Sunni Islamic scholar Ahmed Raza Khan. The Fatawa-e-Razvia was discussed by Ar ...

'' or the full name Al Ataya fi-Nabaviah Fatwa Razaviah (translates to Verdicts of Imam Ahmed Raza by the blessings of the Prophet) is the main

(Islamic verdicts on various issues) book of his movement. It has been published in 30 volumes and in approx. 22,000 pages. It contains solution to daily problems from religion to business and from war to marriage.

Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish

He wrote '' na'at'' (devotional poetry in praise of Muhammad) and always discussed him in the present tense. His main book of poetry is ''Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish''. His poems, which deal for the most part with the qualities of Muhammad, often have a simplicity and directness. His Urdu couplets, entitled ''Mustafa jaane rahmat pe lakhon salaam'' (Millions of salutations on Mustafa, the Paragon of mercy), are recited in the mosques globally. They contain praise of Muhammad, his physical appearance (verses 33 to 80), his life and times, praise of his family and companions, praise of the

awliya A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by t ...

and saleheen (the saints and the pious).

Al Daulatul Makkiya Bil Madatul Ghaibiya

In 1323 Hijri (1905), Ahmad Raza went for his second Haj. Allamah Shaikh Saleh Kamal a Alim of Makkatul Mukarrama, he presented five questions to Ahmad Raza on behalf of the Ulema of Makkatul Mukarrama, this question was asked by Makkatul Mukarrama Wahabi Ulema regarding Knowledge of the Unseen (Ilm-e-Ghaib) Prophet of Islam. At that time Ahmed Raza was suffering from high fever, despite the illness he tried to answer all the questions, he answered in such detail that the answer took the form of a book, and this book was named Al Daulatul Makkiya Bil Madatul Ghaibiya.

Jamat Raza E Mustafa

Khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

founded an organization on 17 December 1920 and named it Jamat Raza E Mustafa.

Other notable works

His other works include: *Al Mu'tamadul Mustanad *Al Amn o wal Ula *Alkaukabatush Shahabiya *Al Istimdaad *Al Fuyoozul Makkiyah *Al Meeladun Nabawiyyah *Fauze Mubeen Dar Radd-E-Harkate Zameen *Subhaanus Subooh *Sallus Say yaaful Hindiya *Ahkaam-e-Shariat *Az Zubdatuz Zakkiya *Abna ul Mustafa *Tamheed-e-Imaan *Angoothe Choomne ka Masla

Beliefs

Khan saw an intellectual and moral decline of Muslims in British India. His movement was a mass movement, defending popular

Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality ...

, which grew in response to the influence of the Deobandi movement in South Asia and the

Wahhabi movement Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, a ...

elsewhere. Imam Ahmed Raza Khan supported

Tawassul Tawassul is an Arabic word originated from wa-sa-la- wasilat (). The ''wasilah'' is a means by which a person, goal or objective is approached, attained or achieved. In another version of the meaning of tawassul in another text: Tawassul is an Ara ...

Mawlid Mawlid, Mawlid an-Nabi ash-Sharif or Eid Milad un Nabi ( ar, المولد النبوي, translit=mawlid an-nabawī, lit=Birth of the Prophet, sometimes simply called in colloquial Arabic , , among other vernacular pronunciations; sometimes , ) ...

, Muhammad's awareness of complete knowledge of the unseen, and other practices which were opposed by

Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three genera ...

s and

Deobandis Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law, formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi ...

. In this context he supported the following beliefs: * Prophet Muhammad, although is ''insan-e-kamil'' (the perfect human), possessed a '' nūr'' (light) that predates creation. This contrasts with the

view that Muhammad, was only a '' insan-e-kamil'', a respected but physically typical human just like other humans. * Prophet Muhammad is ''haazir naazir'' (Haazir-o-Naazir on the deeds of his Ummah) which means that Muhammad views and witnesses actions of his people. This concept was interpreted by

Shah Abdul Aziz Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlavi (11 October 1746 – 5 June 1824; ) was Muhaddith (scholar of Hadith) and Mujadid Sufi and reformer from India. He was of the Naqshbandi Sufi order which emerged from a tradition of violent backlash against the m ...

in Tafsir Azizi in these words: The prophet is observing everybody, knows their good and bad deeds, and knows the strength of faith (Imaan) of every individual Muslim and what has hindered his spiritual progress. He reached judgments with regard to certain practices and faith in his book

, including: *Islamic Law is the ultimate law and following it is obligatory for all Muslims; *To refrain from

Bid'ah In Islam, bid'ah ( ar, بدعة; en, innovation) refers to innovation in religious matters. Linguistically, the term means "innovation, novelty, heretical doctrine, heresy". In classical Arabic literature ('' adab''), it has been used as a for ...

is essential; *It is impermissible to imitate the

Kuffar Kafir ( ar, كافر '; plural ', ' or '; feminine '; feminine plural ' or ') is an Arabic and Islamic term which, in the Islamic tradition, refers to a person who disbelieves in God as per Islam, or denies his authority, or rejects ...

, to mingle with the misguided nd hereticsand to participate in their festivals.

Fatwas

Ahmadis

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad (13 February 1835 – 26 May 1908) was an Indian religious leader and the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam. He claimed to have been divinely appointed as the promised Messiah and Mahdi—which is the metapho ...

Qadian Qadian (; ; ) is a city and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district, north-east of Amritsar, situated north-east of Batala city in the state of Punjab, India. Qadian is the birthplace of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya m ...

claimed to be the

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...

, Prophet and

Mahdi The Mahdi ( ar, ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, al-Mahdī, lit=the Guided) is a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad w ...

awaited by some Muslims as well as a Ummati Nabi, a subordinate prophet to Muhammad who came to restore

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

to the pristine form as practiced by

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

and early

Sahaba The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...

. Khan declared Mirza Ghulam Ahmad a

heretic Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important relig ...

and

apostate Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that ...

and called him and his followers disbelievers ( ''kuffar'').

Deobandis

The theological difference with Deobandi school begun when Maulana Ahmed Raza Khan Qadri objected in writing to some of the following beliefs of Deobandi scholars. *A founder of the Deobandi movement, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi stated that God has the ability to lie. This doctrine is called ''Imkan-i Kizb''. According to this doctrine, because God is omnipotent, God is capable of lying. Gangohi supported the doctrine that God has the ability to make additional prophets after Muhammad (''Imkan-i Nazir'') and other prophets equal to Muhammad. *He opposed the doctrine that Muhammad has knowledge of the unseen (''Ilm e Ghaib''). When Ahmed Raza Khan visited

and

for pilgrimage in 1905, he prepared a draft document entitled ''Al Motamad Al Mustanad'' ("The Reliable Proofs"). In this work, Ahmad Raza branded Deobandi leaders such as

Ashraf Ali Thanwi Ashraf Ali Thanwi (often referred as Hakim al-Ummat and Mujaddid e Millet; 19 September 1863 – 20 July 1943) was a late-nineteenth and twentieth-century Sunni scholar, jurist, thinker, reformist and the revival of classical sufi thought from ...

Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad Ayyūbī Anṣārī Gangohī (182611 August 1905) ( ur, ) was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar, a leading figure of the Deobandi jurist and scholar of hadith. His lineage reaches back to Abu Ayyub al-Ans ...

, and Muhammad

Qasim Nanotwi Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi (1832 – 15 April 1880) () was an Indian Sunni Hanafi Maturidi Islamic Scholar, theologian and a Sufi who was one of the main founders of the Deobandi, Deobandi Movement, starting from the Darul Uloom Deoband. Na ...

and those who followed them as ''

kuffar Kafir ( ar, كافر '; plural ', ' or '; feminine '; feminine plural ' or ') is an Arabic and Islamic term which, in the Islamic tradition, refers to a person who disbelieves in God as per Islam, or denies his authority, or rejects ...

''. Khan collected scholarly opinions in the

Hejaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Prov ...

and compiled them in an Arabic language compendium with the title, ''Hussam al Harmain'' ("The Sword of Two Sanctuaries"), a work containing 34 verdicts from 33 ulama (20 Meccan and 13 Medinese).*Siraj Khan, Blasphemy against the Prophet, in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture (Editors: Coeli Fitzpatrick and Adam Hani Walker), , pp. 59–67 *R Ibrahim (2013), Crucified Again, , pp. 100–101 This work initiated a reciprocal series of fatwas between Ahle Sunnat (Barelvis) and Deobandis lasting to the present.

Shia

Ahmed Raza Khan wrote various books against beliefs and faith of

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

Muslims and declared various practices of Shia as kufr. He considered most Shiites of his day apostates because, he believed, they repudiated necessities of religion.

Wahabi Movement

Ahmed Raza Khan declared

Wahabis Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, and ...

as disbelievers (''kuffar'') and collected many fatwas of various scholars against the Wahhabi movement founded by

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ibn Sulayman al-Tamimi ( ar, محمد بن عبد الوهاب بن سليمان , translit=Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Sulaymān al-Tamīmī; 1703–1792) was an Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, ac ...

, who was predominant in the

Arabian peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...

, just as he had done with the Ahmadis and Deobandis. Until this day, Khan's followers remain opposed to the Wahhabi and their beliefs.

Permissibility of currency notes

In 1905, Khan, on the request of contemporaries from Hijaz, wrote a verdict on the permissibility of using paper as a form of currency, entitled ''Kifl-ul-Faqeehil fehim Fe Ahkam-e-Kirtas Drahim''.

Political views

Unlike other Muslim leaders in the region at the time, Khan and his movement opposed the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal ...

due to its leadership under

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, who was not a Muslim.R. Upadhyay
Barelvis and Deobandis: "Birds of the Same Feather"
Eurasia Review, courtesy of the South Asia Analysis Group. 28 January 2011. Imam Ahmed Raza Khan declared that India was

Dar al-Islam In classical Islamic law, the major divisions are ''dar al-Islam'' (lit. territory of Islam/voluntary submission to God), denoting regions where Islamic law prevails, ''dar al-sulh'' (lit. territory of treaty) denoting non-Islamic lands which have ...

and that Muslims enjoyed religious freedom there. According to him, those arguing the contrary merely wanted to take advantage of the provisions allowing Muslims living under non-Muslim rule to collect interest from commercial transactions and had no desire to fight

Jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with G ...

or perform

Hijra Hijra, Hijrah, Hegira, Hejira, Hijrat or Hijri may refer to: Islam * Hijrah (often written as ''Hejira'' in older texts), the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE * Migration to Abyssinia or First Hegira, of Muhammad's followers ...

. Therefore, he opposed labelling British India to be

Dar al-Harb In classical Islamic law, the major divisions are ''dar al-Islam'' (lit. territory of Islam/voluntary submission to God), denoting regions where Islamic law prevails, ''dar al-sulh'' (lit. territory of treaty) denoting non-Islamic lands which hav ...

("abode of war"), which meant that waging holy war against and migrating from India were inadmissible as they would cause disaster to the community. This view of Khan's was similar to other reformers

Syed Ahmed Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, he ...

and Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy. The

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

mobilized the Muslim masses to campaign for Pakistan, and many of Khan's followers played a significant and active role in the

at educational and political fronts.

Legacy

Many religious schools, organizations, and research institutions teach Khan's ideas, which emphasize the primacy of Islamic law along with the adherence to Sufi practices and personal devotion to Muhammad.Usha Sanyal
Generational Changes in the Leadership of the Ahl-e Sunnat Movement in North India during the Twentieth Century
Modern Asian Studies (1998), Cambridge University Press

Recognition

* On 21 June 2010,

Muhammad al-Yaqoubi Muhammad Abul Huda al-Yaqoubi ( ar, محمد أبو الهدى اليعقوبي; born 7 May 1963) is a Syrian Islamic scholar and religious leader. He has opposed both Bashar al-Assad and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Early life and background Al-Yaq ...

, a cleric and

from

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, declared on Takbeer TV's programme ''Sunni Talk'' that the

Mujaddid A ''mujaddid'' ( ar, مجدد), is an Islamic term for one who brings "renewal" ( ar, تجديد, translit=tajdid, label=none) to the religion. According to the popular Muslim tradition, it refers to a person who appears at the turn of every ...

of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

was Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, and said that a follower of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah can be identified by his love of Khan and that those outside of that those outside the Ahlus Sunnah are identified by their attacks on him. * 'Ali bin Hassan Maliki, Mufti of Mecca, called Khan the encyclopedia of all religious sciences. * Allama

Muhammad Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philos ...

(1877–1938), a poet, Sufi and philosopher, said: "I have carefully studied the decrees of Ahmed Raza and thereby formed this opinion; and his Fatawa bear testimony to his acumen, intellectual caliber, the quality of his creative thinking, his excellent jurisdiction and his ocean-like Islamic knowledge. Once Imam Ahmed Raza forms an opinion he stays firm on it; he expresses his opinion after a sober reflection. Therefore, the need never arises to withdraw any of his religious decrees and judgments. In another place he says, "Such a genius and intelligent jurist did not emerge." * Prof. Sir

Ziauddin Ahmad Sir Ziauddin Ahmad (born Ziauddin Ahmed Zuberi; 13 February 1873 – 23 December 1947) was an Indian mathematician, parliamentarian, logician, natural philosopher, politician, political theorist, educationist and a scholar.Aligarh University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a public central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875. Muhammadan Anglo-Orient ...

, was once unable to find solutions to some mathematic algorithms, even after he took help from the mathematicians abroad. He decided to visit Germany for the solution but on the request of his friend Sayyed Suleman Ashraf who was professor of Islamic Studies at

Aligarh University Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a public central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875. Muhammadan Anglo-Orient ...

and also the mureed (disciple) of Ahmed Raza, Ziauddin visited Ahmed Raza on special visit to get answers to his difficult questions, and under guidance of Ahmed Raza he finally succeeded in getting solutions. * Justice Naeemud'deen, Supreme Court of Pakistan: "Maulana Ahmad Raza's grand personality, a representation of our most esteem ancestors, is history making, and a history uni-central in his self. ... You may estimate his high status from the fact that he spent all his lifetime in expressing the praise of the great and auspicious Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), in defending his veneration, in delivering speeches regarding his unique conduct, and in promoting and spreading the Law of Shariah which was revealed upon him for the entire humanity of all times. His renowned name is 'Muhammad' (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), the Prophet of Almighty Allah. ... The valuable books written by a encyclopedic scholar like Ahmed Raza, in my view, are the lamps of light which will keep enlightened and radiant the hearts and minds of the men of knowledge and insight for a long time."

Societal influence

* Ala Hazrat Express is an express train belonging to Indian Railways that runs between

and

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

in India. * The Indian government issued a commemorative postal stamp in honour of Ahmad Raza Khan on 31 December 1995. * Aala Hazrat Haj House

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Mu ...

* Aala Hazrat Hospital

* Ala Hazrat Terminal, Bareilly Airport,

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

* Raza Academy

Spiritual successors

Imam Ahmed Raza Khan had two sons and five daughters. His sons

Hamid Raza Khan Hamid Raza Khan Qadri was an Islamic scholar and mystic of the Barelvi movement. Qadri was born in 1875 ( Rabi' al-awwal 1292 Hijri), in Bareilly, India. His name at the time of his ''aqeeqah'' was Muhammad, as it was family tradition. Linea ...

and Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri are celebrated scholars of Islam.

was his appointed successor. After him

Mustafa Raza Khan Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri (1892–1981) was an Indian Muslim scholar and author, and leader of the Sunni Barelvi movement following the death of its founder, his father Ahmed Raza Khan. He was known as ''Mufti-Azam-i-Hind'' to his followers. ...

succeeded his father, who then appointed

Akhtar Raza Khan Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan Azhari (23 November 1943 – 20 July 2018), also known as Tajush Shari'ah or Azhari Miya, was an Indian Barelvi Muslim scholar, cleric and mufti. He was the great grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi who was considered t ...

as his successor. His son, Mufti

Asjad Raza Khan Asjad Raza Khan, a descendant of Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, is an Indian Muslim cleric and son of former Grand Mufti of India, Akhtar Raza Khan. He is the president of Jama'at Raza-e-Mustafa. Statements and views Extreme ideologies must be r ...

now succeeds him as the spiritual leader. He had many disciples and successors, including 30 in the Indian subcontinent and 35 elsewhere. The following scholars are his notable successors: *

(d. 1875/1943) *

(d. 1892/1981) *

Amjad Ali Aazmi Amjad Ali Aazmi (Urdu: مفتى أمجد على أعظمى) (November 1882 – 6 September 1948), also known with honorifics by followers as Sadr al-Shariah (Urdu: صدر الشريعه, Chief of the Islamic Law) Badr-e-Tariqat (Shining Moon of ...

(d. 1882/1948) *

Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddiqi Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddiqi (3 April 1892 – 22 August 1954) was an Islamic scholar, spiritual master, author and preacher from Pakistan. He was a student of Imam of Ahlus Sunnah Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Muhaddith barelwi Rahimahullah. He was le ...

* Naeem-ud-Deen Muradabadi *Zafaruddin Bihari (d. 1886/1962) *Abul Muhamid al-Ashrafi al-Jilani (d. 1894/1961) *Hashmat Ali Khan (d. 1901/1960) * Maulana Ziauddin Madani (d. 1877/1981)

Educational influence

Al Jamiatul Ashrafia Al Jamiatul Ashrafia ( ur, , hi, अल जामियत-उल-अशरफ़िया) is a Barelvi Sunni school in India. It is located in Mubarakpur in a northern state of India, Uttar Pradesh. History It started off as a madrasa cal ...

is the main educational institute and learning centre that provides

education. * Raza Academy publishing house in Mumbai *Imam Ahmed Raza Academy Durban, South Africa

References

Bibliography

* Baraka, A. (2003). A Saviour in a Dark World (Article). ''The Islamic Times'', March 2003. Stockport, UK: Raza Academy. * * Haroon, Muhammad. (1994)
''The World Importance of Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi''
Stockport, UK: Raza Academy. * Imam, Muhammad Hassan. (2005)

* Azimbadi, Badr. (2005).''Great Personalities in Islam''. Adam Publishers.

External links

English books of Imam Ahmed Raza Qadri

Full Biography of Ala Hazrat in Urdu

Official website of Dargah Imam Ahmad Raza
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan Barelvi, Ahmed Rida Islam in India 1856 births 1921 deaths

Ahmed Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...

Barelvi Barelvis Mujaddid Indian Sufis Sunni imams Critics of Shia Islam Hanafi fiqh scholars Hanafis Maturidis Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Translators of the Quran into Urdu Writers in British India Barech Indian male poets Poets in British India Poets from Uttar Pradesh Muslim reformers Scholars from Uttar Pradesh People from Bareilly People from Bareilly district Founders of Indian schools and colleges 19th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian non-fiction writers 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Indian Sunni Muslims Critics of Ahmadiyya Indian people of Pashtun descent