Muhammad Ramzan (1769–1825) was an Indian Islamic scholar, Sufi saint and preacher. He worked to persuade recent converts to Islam from

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

to abandon Hindu customs and religious festivals and to follow Muslim ones instead. Ramzan told converted

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

s, Meo and Jats (Muslim Rajputs) were in no way different from their

Hindu 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 ...

counterparts in culture, customs and celebrations of religious festivals. He also said that they were not only pir-parast and grave worshipers, they were also idolators They celebrated Holi,

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

and other Hindu festivals with zeal and dressed in the Hindu fashion.

Early life and death

Ramzan was born in Meham district Rohtak,

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

in 1769 to Shah Abdul Azeem (d. 1828), a Majzoob Sufi. His grand father Shah Abdul Hakeem (1709- 1773) was an

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

writer. Ramzan was dissatisfied with the

Sufi 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 ...

religious system under his father, whose Rajput devotees present him with a tithe from every thing taken in their raids. At age 14, Ramzan he left his family to study with Abdul Qadir and

Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlavi (11 October 1746 – 5 June 1824) was an Indian Sunni Muslim Scholar and Sufi Saint. He is known as the Muhaddith and Mujaddid from India. He was a member of the Naqshbandi Sufi order. Their tradition inspired la ...

, the sons of

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 ...

. There he studied for fourteen years (1783-1796). He has worked as a preacher throughout his life.

Death

Ramzan was killed by Bohras at Mandsaur in

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

after returning from "

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

" on 18 January 1825.

Scholarly work

Ramzan wrote in local language and

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

s, sometime in the form of poems that could be recited and held debates with the scholars of other religious.''Travellers in Faith: Studies of the Tablīghī Jamāʻat as a Transnational Islamic Movement for Faith Renewal'' *Aqaid-e-Azeem *Bulbul Bagh-e-Nabi (poetry) *Akhir Gutt *Rangeeli (poetry) *Waseehat Nama *Translation of Qaseeda Amali *Adab Chokra (children education) *Bohri Biaz *Fatawa-e-Muhammadi *Barq Laamaa Risala *Alim o Frayz Risala Ramzani *Radd e Rawafiz Risala (Persian)

Early life and death

Death

Scholarly work

References

Further reading