Amin Ahsan Islahi ( ur, مولانا امین احسن اصلاحی; 1904 – 15 December 1997), was a Pakistani Muslim scholar best known for his

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Quran 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.: , s ...

, ''

Tadabbur-i-Quran ''Tadabbur-i-Qur'an'' ( ur, تدبر قرآن) is a exegeses (''tafsir'') of the Qur'an by Amin Ahsan Islahi based on the concept of thematic and structural coherence, which was originally inspired by Allama Hamiduddin Farahi. The tafsir is exte ...

'' "Pondering on the Quran", which he based on

Hamiduddin Farahi Hamiduddin Farahi (18 November 1863 – 11 November 1930) was an Indian Islamic scholar known for his work on the concept of ''nazm'', or coherence, in the Quran. He was instrumental in producing scholarly work on the theory that the verse ...

's (1863 – 1930), idea of thematic and structural coherence in the Qur'an.Profile of Amin Ahsan Islahi on Oxford Islamic Studies Online website
Retrieved 5 April 2020

Early life

Islahi was born in 1904 at Bamhur village in Azamgarh, United Provinces (now

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 1950 ...

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 ...

(now

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

). After graduating from

Madrasatul Islah Madrasatul Islah is a traditional Islamic institution of learning and a renowned center of oriental and Islamic studies at Sarai Mir in the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. It was started by Mawlana Muhammad Shafi in 1908 along with participa ...

in Azamgarh in 1922, he entered the field of journalism. He was the son in law of Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Khan. First he worked as an associated editor in "Khoonch" a children magazine. Then he edited a newspaper ''Madinah'' at Bijnor, India and also remained associated with "Sach", a newspaper taken out by

Abdul Majid Daryabadi Abdul Majid Daryabadi (16 March 1892 – 6 January 1977) was an Islamic scholar, philosopher, writer, critic, researcher, journalist and exegete of the Quran in Indian subcontinent in 20th century. He was as one of the most influential Indian Mus ...

Inspiration from Hamiduddin Farahi

In 1925

invited Islahi to study the Qur’an with him and Islahi left his journalistic career to do so. He learned from Farahi the principles of direct deliberation on the Book of Allah. During this time, he also taught the Qur’an and Arabic literature at the Madrasah. After Farahi's death, Islahi studied Hadith from the scholar Abdu’l Rahman Muhaddith Mubarakpuri. In 1936, Islahi founded the "Daira-i-Hamidiyyah", a small institute to disseminate the Qur’anic thought of Farahi. Under the auspices of this institute, he brought out a monthly journal "Al-Islah" in which he translated many portions of Farahi's treatises written 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 ...

. The journal was published until 1939, after which it was discontinued.

Association with Jamaat-e-Islami

Naeem Siddiqui Maulana Naeem Siddiqui (1916 – 25 September 2002) was a Pakistani Islamic scholar, writer and politician. He was among the founder-members of the Jamaat-e-Islami and a close associate of Abul A'la Maududi and Amin Ahsan Islahi. Early life a ...

Manzoor Nomani Muḥammad Manz̤oor Nomānī ( 15 December 1905 – 4 May 1997) was an Indian Islamic scholar. Prominent among his written works are ''Maariful Hadith'', ''Islam Kya Hai?'', and ''Khomeini and the Iranian Revolution''. He graduated from Darul ...

and

Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi (also known as Ali Miyan; 5 December 1913 – 31 December 1999) was a leading Islamic scholar, thinker, writer, preacher, reformer and a Muslim public intellectual of 20th century India and the author of numerous boo ...

, Islahi was among the founder members of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a religious party founded by the eminent Islamic scholar

Abul A'la Maududi Abul A'la al-Maududi ( ur, , translit=Abū al-Aʿlā al-Mawdūdī; – ) was an Islamic scholar, Islamist ideologue, Muslim philosopher, jurist, historian, journalist, activist and scholar active in British India and later, following the part ...

in 1941. During his seventeen-year stay in the party, he represented the intellectual element and remained a member of the central governing body, ''Majlis-i-Shura''. During this period, he did the groundwork needed to write a commentary of the Qur’an – an objective which he had set before him early in life. In 1956 the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territorie ...

set up the Islamic Law Commission and Islahi – an expert on

Islamic law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...

– served as a member until the commission was abolished in 1958 by the martial law regime of General Ayub Khan. In 1958, he quit the party after serious differences arose between him and Mawdudi over some policy differences. Islahi considered participating in elections a useless exercise for the purposes of bringing about an Islamic change. His thinking simply was that politicians can not establish Islam. Many politicians' aim is to gain power by any means necessary. He thought that if some people use the name of Islam, they do so to achieve their own political objectives. In his view, those who would like to work for the cause of Islam and its revival should work among people selflessly, without any desire for gaining power. These workers should approach the people only to serve them, to educate them, and to help them reform their lives morally in the Islamic way of life.

Completion of Tadabbur-i-Qur’an

After leaving the Jamaat-e-Islami, he began writing a commentary of the Qur’an. He also launched a monthly journal ''Mithaq'' in which portions of this commentary, '' Tadabbur-i-Qur’an'' were published. In 1961 he established a small study circle, ''Halqa-i-Tadabbur-i- Qur’an'', for college students to whom he taught Arabic language and literature, the Qur’an and

Sahih Muslim Sahih Muslim ( ar, صحيح مسلم, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim), group=note is a 9th-century ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj (815–875). It is one of the most valued b ...

. In 1965, an incident brought an end to both the journal and the study circle: Islahi's eldest son Abu Saleh died in a plane crash. However, work on the commentary continued. In 1970–71, Islahi fell severely ill and had to discontinue all his intellectual pursuits but he later recovered. In 1972, he moved to a country village near Sheikhupura where he continued to work on the commentary till 1979, when he returned to Lahore. On the 29th of Ramadan 1400 (August 12, 1980) he finished '' Tadabbur-i-Qur’an'' after twenty-two years of work. In 1981 Islahi founded the ''Idara-i-Tadabbur-i Qur’an-o Hadith'' and appointed his close pupil

Khalid Masud Allama Khalid Masud (16 December 1935 – 1 October 2003), was a Muslim scholar of Pakistan. He spent the major part of his life with Moulana Amin Ahsan Islahi. He conveyed ideas and thoughts of his teacher and Imam Farhi to general public. He ...

as first Nazim of this Idara (institution), which later came under the supervision of Abdullah Ghulam Ahmed in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

, Pakistan. It remained the centre of all his intellectual activities until his death on 15 December 1997. A quarterly journal, Tadabbur, was taken out in 1981 as its organ. Khalid Masud was appointed its first editor and in charge till his death in Oct 2003. He gave weekly lectures on the text of the Qur’an. Later he took up deep study on the principles of Hadith and began teaching the Al-Muwatta of

Imam Malik Malik ibn Anas ( ar, مَالِك بن أَنَس, ‎ 711–795 CE / 93–179 AH), whose full name is Mālik bin Anas bin Mālik bin Abī ʿĀmir bin ʿAmr bin Al-Ḥārith bin Ghaymān bin Khuthayn bin ʿAmr bin Al-Ḥārith al-Aṣbaḥī ...

in weekly sittings to a close circle of students and associates. After completing Al-Muwatta, he also taught some portions of

Imam Bukhari Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve ...

’s

Sahih Bukhari Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...

. Many of these lectures have been transcribed and published in the Tadabbur. Khalid Masud played a major role in converting Islahi's speeches and lectures into publication for benefits of the Islamic scholars and public.

Works

Besides the nine volume Urdu Tafsir '' Tadabbur-i-Qur’an'' (''Pondering on the Qura'n''), which Islahi started writing in 1958 and finished in 1980, he wrote a number of articles and authored a number of books on various topics of Islam, including: #‘تزكيہ نفس’ (Tazkiyah-i-Nafs: Purification of the Soul) #‘حقيقت شرك’ (Haqiqat-i-Shirk: The Essence of

Polytheism Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, t ...

)Books by Amin Ahsan Islahi on goodreads.com website
Retrieved 5 April 2020 #‘حقيقت توحيد’ (Haqiqat-i-Tawhid: The Essence of

Monotheism Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxfo ...

) # (Haqeeqat-e- Risalath: The Essence of Prophethood) #Haqeeqath-e- Ma-aad : The Essence of Hereafter #‘دعوت دين اور اس كا طريقہ كار’ (Da‘wat-i-Din awr us ka Tariqah-i-Kar: Islamic Message and the Mode of its Preaching) #‘اسلامى قانون كى تدوين’ (Islami Qanun ki Tadwin: Codification of

) #‘اسلامى رياست’ (Islami Riyasat
The Islamic state
#‘اسلامى معاشره ميں عورت كا مقام’ (Islami Mu‘asharay mayn ‘Awrat ka Muqam: The Status of Women in an Islamic Society) #‘حقيقت نماز’ (Haqiqat-i-Namaz: The Essence of the

Prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...

) #‘حقيقت تقوى’ (Haqiqat-i-Taqwah: The Essence of Piousness) #‘اسلامي رياست ميں فقہى اختلافات كا حل’ (Islami Riyasat mayn Fiqhi Ikhtilafat ka Hal: Solution of Juristic Differences in an Islamic State) #‘مبادي تدبر قرآن’ (Mabadi Tadabbur-i-Qur’an: Principles of Understanding the Qur’an) #‘مبادي تدبر حديث’ (Mabadi Tadabbur-i-Hadees: Principles of Understanding the Hadees) #‘تنقيدات’ (Tanqidat: A collection of critical essays) #‘توضيحات’ (Tawdihat: A collection of general explanatory essays) #‘مقالات اصلاحي’ (Maqalat-i-Islahi: A miscellaneous collection of articles) #‘قرآن ميں پرده كے احكامات’ (Qur’an mayn Parday kay Ahkamat: The Directives of Hijab in the Qur’an) #‘تفہيم دين’ (Tafhim-i-Din: Understanding Islam) #‘فلسفـے كے مسائل قرآن كى روشنى ميں’ (Falsafay kay Matha’il Qur’an ki Rawshani mayn: Philosophical Issues in the Light of the Qur’an) # Tadabbur -e- Hadeedh (Understanding the Hadees) Islahi also translated

Farahi Islamic modernism is a movement that has been described as "the first Muslim ideological response to the Western cultural challenge" attempting to reconcile the Islamic faith with modern values such as democracy, civil rights, rationality, e ...

’s commentary consisting of fourteen Surahs of the Qur’an, as well as his following books from Arabic: # (Majmua Tafathir Farahi) #‘في من هو الذبيح’ (Fi man huwa al-Dhabih: Which of

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Je ...

’s son was Sacrificed?) #‘اقسام القرآن’ (Aqsamu’l-Qur’an: Oaths of the Qur’an)

Death and legacy

Amin Ahsan Islahi died in

, Pakistan on 15 December 1997 at age 93. His students in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

include

and

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Javed Ahmad Ghamidi ( ur, , translit=Jāvēd Aḥmad Ghāmidī; April 7, 1952) is a Pakistani philosopher, educationist, and scholar of Islam. He is also the founding President of Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences and its sister organisat ...

. Islahi was described by a former student as "very sensitive, courteous and caring, frank yet very reasonable, warm and loving" and that Islahi thought the most important thing in his life was to "explain and elucidate" the Quran. After his death,

succeeded him in charge of Idara Taddabur-e Quran-o-Hadith.

References

External links

* * Mir, Mustansir. ''Coherence in the Qur’an: A Study of Islahi’s Concept of Nazm in Tadabbur-i Qur'an''. Indianapolis: American Trust Publications, 1986. . * Robinson, Neal. ''Discovering the Qur’an: A Contemporary Approach to a Veiled Text''. London: SCM Press, 1996. .
Khalid Masud: Amin Ahsan Islahi's Intellectual Heir (1935 — 2003)
(pdf),
The Mission Newsletter
', Volume 9, Issue 3-4, March–April 2004.
Amin Ahsan Islahi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Islahi, Amin Ahsan 1904 births 1997 deaths People from Azamgarh district Pakistani Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Translators of the Quran into Urdu Quranic exegesis scholars 20th-century translators Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan politicians Political party founders Muhajir people