Abdullah Hasani Nadwi (29 January 1957 – 30 January 2013) was an Indian Islamic scholar, professor of Hadith, Sufi shaykh,

da'i A da'i (, ) is generally someone who engages in Dawah, the act of inviting people to Islam. See also * Dawah * Da'i al-Mutlaq, 'the absolute (unrestricted) missionary' * Hujja * List of converts to Islam The following is a list of notabl ...

, and author. He worked as a lecturer at

Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama (translated as, House of Knowledge and Assembly of Scholars University) is an Islamic seminary in Lucknow, India. It was established by the Nadwatul Ulama, a council of Muslim scholars, on 26 September 1898. This ed ...

in Lucknow for 36 years. He also served as General Secretary of the All India Payam-e-Insaniyat Forum from 2006 to 2013.

Early life and education

Abdullah Hasani Nadwi was born on 29 January 1957, in

Aminabad, Lucknow Aminabad Hamza Bazaar is one of the oldest market centers in the city of Lucknow, India, along with Chowk, Lucknow, Chowk, Nathan's and Hazratganj. Its traders and shops are involved in both wholesale and retail commerce. The main commodities a ...

, in Uttar Pradesh, India. His

tahnik Taḥnīk (تَحْنِيكِ) is an Islamic ceremony of rubbing the palate of a newborn baby with honey, sweet juice or pressed dates. Originally the date was softened by mastication by the pious person and rubbed on the infant's palate. The Arab ...

was conducted by

Hussain Ahmad Madani Hussain Ahmad Madani (; 6 October 1879 – 5 December 1957) was an Indian Islamic scholar, serving as the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1954. ...

. His father, Muhammad al-Hasani, was an Islamic scholar and the founder and editor-in-chief of the Arabic magazine ''

Al-Baas El-Islami ''Al-Baas El-Islami'' () is a monthly Arabic magazine published by Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama. It was first launched in 1955 by Mohammad al-Hasani under the guidance of Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi. In 1960, the magazine officially became part of ...

''. His grandfather, Syed Abdul Ali Hasani, was the 6th chancellor of

and the elder brother of

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

. His great-grandfather,

Abdul Hai Hasani Syed Abdul Hai Hasani (1869–1923) was an Indian Islamic scholar, historian, biographer, writer, Sufi, and Hakim. He served as the fourth Chancellor of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama between 1915 and 1923. He was the father of Abul Hasan Ali Hasan ...

, was the author of the notable biographical book ''Nuzhat al-Khawātir''. His lineage reaches Hasan Al Musanna bin

Hasan ibn Ali Hasan ibn Ali (; 2 April 670) was an Alids, Alid political and religious leader. The eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Hasan briefly ruled as Rashidun caliphate, Rashidun caliph from January 661 unt ...

through

Syed Ahmad Barelvi Syed Ahmad Barelvi, also known as Sayyid Ahmad Shahid, (1786–1831) was an Indian mujaddid, Islamic revivalist, Islamic scholar, scholar, and commander, military commander from Raebareli, a part of the historical United Provinces of Agra an ...

. He received his primary education in his home and neighborhood, which he started in 1961. For his further education, he enrolled in Mahad Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama in 1966 and completed the Aalimiyyah course in 1975 AD (1395 AH) and the Fazīlah course in 1977 AD (1397 AH) at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama. His teachers included Muhammad Rabey Hasani, Abdus Sattar Azmi, Ziyaul Hasan Azmi, Burhanuddin Sambhali, Nāsir Ali Nadwi, Wajihuddin Nadwi, Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi, Wazeh Rashid Hasani, Abul Irfan Khan Jaunpuri, Muhammad Uwais Nagrami, and Muhammad Zuhūr Nadwi. He learned

Tajwid In the context of the recitation of the Quran, or (, ) is a set of rules for the correct pronunciation of the letters with all their qualities and applying the various traditional methods of recitation, known as . In Arabic, the term is deriv ...

and

Qira'at In Islam, (pl. ; ) refers to the ways or fashions that the Quran, the holy book of Islam, is recited. More technically, the term designates the different linguistic, lexical, phonetic, morphological and syntactical forms permitted with rec ...

in the ''

Hafs 'an Asim Hafs (Abū Amr Ḥafṣ ibn Sulaymān ibn al-Mughīrah ibn Abi Dawud al-Asadī al-Kūfī (, 706–796 AD; 90–180 Anno Hegirae)), according to Islamic tradition, was one of the primary transmitters of one of the seven canonical methods of Qur' ...

'' tradition from Muhammad Waseem Khan at Madrasa Aaliya Furqania in Lucknow. He also received permission (

Ijazah An ''ijazah'' (, "permission", "authorization", "license"; plural: ''ijazahs'' or ''ijazat'') is a license authorizing its holder to transmit a certain text or subject, which is issued by someone already possessing such authority. It is particul ...

) in

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

from Muhammad Ahmad Partapgarhi,

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

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 ...

, Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda,

Yusuf al-Qaradawi Yusuf al-Qaradawi (; or ''Yusuf al-Qardawi''; 9 September 1926 – 26 September 2022) was an Egyptian Islamic scholar based in Doha, Qatar, and chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars. His influences included Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn ...

, Nūr al-Dīn ʿItr, and

Yunus Jaunpuri Muhammad Yunus Jaunpuri (2 October 1937 – 11 July 2017) was an Indian Islamic hadith scholar who served as the senior professor of hadith at the Mazahir Uloom in Saharanpur. He was one of the senior students and disciples of Zakariyya Kandhla ...

. He first pledged allegiance to

Zakariyya Kandhlawi Zakariyya Kandhlawi (; 3 February 1898 – 24 May 1982) was a mid-twentieth-century traditionalist Sunni scholar and an authority in the study of hadith, also known as Sheikh al-Hadith, hailing from India. He was an influential member and ideol ...

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

, but he received all instructions from

Tazkiyah () is an Arabic-Islamic term alluding to , meaning 'sanctification' or 'purification of the self'. This refers to the process of transforming the (carnal self or desires) from its state of self-centrality through various spiritual stages ...

and

Ihsan ''Ihsan'' ( , also romanized ''ehsan'') is an Arabic term meaning "to do beautiful things", "beautification", "perfection", or "excellence" (Arabic: , ). ''Ihsan'' is a matter of taking one's inner faith ('' iman'') and showing it in both deed ...

from Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi and became his authorized disciple in the Sufi orders of

Chishtiyya The Chishti order () is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam named after the town of Chisht, Afghanistan where it was initiated by Abu Ishaq Shami. The order was brought to Herat and later spread across South Asia by Mu'in al-Din Chishti in the city o ...

Qadiriyya The Qadiriyya () or the Qadiri order () is a Sunni Sufi order (''Tariqa'') founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077–1166, also transliterated ''Jilani''), who was a Hanbali scholar from Gilan, Iran. The order, with its many sub-orders, is widesp ...

Suhrawardiyya The Suhrawardi order (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order founded by Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi, Abu ’l-Nad̲j̲īb Suhrawardī (died 1168). Lacking a centralised structure, it eventually divided into various branches. The order was especially prominent i ...

, and

Naqshbandi Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Prophet ...

yya in 1999.

Career

In January 1977, Nadwi was appointed a teacher at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, remaining there until his demise in 2013. He taught books like

Mishkat al-Masabih () by Walī ad-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Khaṭīb at-Tibrīzī (d.1248) is an expanded and revised version of al-Baghawī's '' Maṣābīḥ as-Sunnah''. Khaṭīb at-Tibrīzī rendered this version of the original ...

Sahih al-Bukhari () is the first hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar al-Bukhari () in the format, the work is valued by Sunni Muslims, alongside , as the most authentic after the Qur'an. Al-Bukhari organized the bo ...

, and

Shah Waliullah Dehlawi Qutb ud-Din Ahmad ibn ʿAbd-ur-Rahim al-ʿUmari ad-Dehlawi (‎; 1703–1762), commonly known as Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (also Shah Wali Allah), was an Islamic Sunni scholar and Sufi reformer, who contributed to Islamic revival in the Indian s ...

's Hujjatullah al-Balighah from elementary to advanced levels. In the second half of 1979, he was appointed as Editing Secretary () of Fortnightly Al-Raid, and later he became its

managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edi ...

(), remaining until his demise. The most important aspect of his life was

Da'wah ' (, , "invitation", also spelt , , , or ) is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is () or (). Preachers who engage in dawah are known as da'i. Etymology literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Grammat ...

in light of the principles of the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

. He was associated with the All India Payam-e-Insaniyat Forum established by

during his lifetime, became more active after his demise, was elected its General Secretary in 2006, and held this position until his death. He also visited several Indian states and other international places to spread the message of Islam across the world. Many non-Muslims were inspired by the truth of Islam and accepted Islam at his hands.

Noor Alam Khalil Amini Noor Alam Khalil Amini (18 December 1952 – 3 May 2021) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, academic and a litterateur of Arabic and Urdu. He was a senior professor of Arabic language and literature at the Darul Uloom Deoband. His book ''Falasti ...

wrote that he not only kept this movement of Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi alive; on the contrary, he performed admirable feats from this platform. He not only connected many non-Muslim literati to the movement; rather, it brought them closer to Islam and Islamic culture and paved the way for many of them to become familiar with Islamic teachings, thus removing the

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the irrational fear of, hostility towards, or hatred against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general. Islamophobia is primarily a form of religious or cultural bigotry; and people who harbour such sentiments often stereot ...

from a class of

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

. Apart from these, he was the founding member of Jamiat-u-Shabab-il-Islam, Lucknow, the founder of Al-Aafia Centre Lucknow, as well as the patron of several madrasas, schools, and associations.

Literary works

Nadwi pushed his students and followers to publish Islamic literature and booklets in multiple languages in order to spread the Islamic message over the world. This section includes the English translation of the book ''Islam Ka Ta'āruf'' () by Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi, the Hindi and English translation of ''Islam Ki Ta'leem'' (), the Hindi translation of ''Quran-e-Majeed Insāni Zindagi Ka Rahbar-e-Kāmil'' (), the Hindi translation of

Sulaiman Nadvi Sulaiman Nadvi (22 November 1884 – 22 November 1953) was a British Indian, and then Pakistani, Islamic scholar, historian and a writer, who co-authored '' Sirat-un-Nabi'' and wrote ''Khutbat-e-Madras''. He was a member of the founding commi ...

's '' Khutbat-e-Madras'', and the Hindi translations of several books by Abdul Hai Hasani, Abdul Ali Hasani, and Abul Hasan Ali Hasani. His articles appeared in the monthly journals Al-Raid, Al-Baas Al-Islami, Rizwan, Bang-e-Dara, Bang-e-Hira, Hira Ka Paigham, and Nuqoosh-e-Islam, with the majority of his Arabic articles archived in ''Al-Raid''.

Books

Nadwi's sermons, speeches, and articles have been compiled as books, including: * Haqīqat-e-Tauhīd (the reality of

Tawhid ''Tawhid'' () is the concept of monotheism in Islam, it is the religion's central and single most important concept upon which a Muslim's entire religious adherence rests. It unequivocally holds that God is indivisibly one (''ahad'') and s ...

) * Muhabbat-e-Ahl-e-Bayt (Love the

Ahl al-Bayt () refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the term has also been extended to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. In Shia Islam, the term is limited to Muhammad, his daugh ...

) * Muhabbat-e-Sahāba (Love the

Companions of the Prophet The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...

) * Naik Suhbat Ki Zarūrat (The need for good company) * Aadāb-e-Mu'āsharat: Quran o Sunnat Ki Roshni Mein (The Etiquette of Lifestyle in the Light of Quran and Sunnah) * Mithāli Akhlāq: Quran o Sunnat Ki Roshni Mein (Ideal manners in the light of Quran and Sunnah) * Islāmi Ibādāt: Quran o Sunnat Ki Roshni Mein (Islamic worship in the light of Quran and Sunnah) * Bātini Sifāt: Quran o Sunnat Ki Roshni Mein (Mystical Qualities in the Light of Qur’an and Sunnah) * Ikhlaas: Uske Barakāt o Samarāt (Sincerity: its blessings and benefits) * Azwa’un 'ala as-Seerat an-Nabawiyyah (Lights on the Prophet's Biography) * Tazkira Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Partabgarhi (a biographical memoir of Maulana Ahmad Partabgarhi) * Tazkira Mufakkir-e-Islam (a biographical memoir of Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi) * Haqīqi Muhabbat Aur Uske Taqāze (true love and its demands) * Khutbaat e Da'wat o Islāh (a collection of his sermons in five volumes) * Kārwān-e-Insāniyat (The caravan of humanity)

Death

Nadwi died on 30 January 2013 (

Rabi' al-Awwal Rabiʽ al-Awwal (, also known as Rabi' al-Ula (), or Rabi' I) is the third month of the Islamic calendar. The name ''Rabī‘ al-awwal'' means "''the first month'' or ''beginning of Spring (season), spring''", referring to its position in the ...

17, 1434 AH) in

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

at the age of 55. His funeral prayer was first offered by Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi Nadvi at

, Lucknow, after

Maghrib prayer Maghrib () is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayers), and contains three cycles (''rak'a''). If counted from midnight, it is the fourth one. According to Shia and Sunni Muslims, the period for Maghrib prayer starts just after sun ...

. Then his body was taken to Takia Kalan,

Raebareli Raebareli () is a city in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Raebareli district, and a part of Lucknow Division and comes under the Uttar Pradesh State Capital Region (UP-SCR). The city is situated on the ...

, where the second funeral prayer was offered by Muhammad Rabey Hasani Nadwi, and he was buried in his native graveyard.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nadwi, Sayyid Abdullah Hasani 1957 births 2013 deaths Deobandis People from Raebareli People from Lucknow Indian Islamists Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Hanafis 21st-century Arabic-language writers Urdu-language writers Indian Muslim missionaries Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama alumni Indian Islamic religious leaders Islamic philosophers Writers from Lucknow Islam in India