Syed Ahmed Rizvi Kashmiri

Ayatallah Agha Seyed Ahmad Razavi, or simply Razavi (Urdu: ; ) was a Shiite Islam jurist, and scholar known for his religious teachings, who lived in Srinagar, Kashmir of the Indian subcontinent.

Early life

Ayatollah Aqa Syed Ahmed Rizvi Kashmiri was born in 1901 in the Nabidpore-Zadibal area of Srinagar in the Jammu and Kashmir territory. According to family tradition, he was a descendant of the eighth Shiite Imam, al-Rizha, son of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, through Mir Aqa Syed Hussein Rizvi Qommi, a religious figure who migrated to Kashmir from Qom, Iran, in 821 A.H. during the reign of Sultan Sikander. Qommi was appointed as mentor to the Sultan's son, Zain-ul-Abidin.

Haaj Aqa Syed Hussain Rizvi (d. 1942), father of Ayatollah Syed Ahmed Rizvi Kashmiri, was a preacher of his time, known as Mir Haji Hussain. He, along with other family members, traveled to Skardu, Baltistan, Yarkand, and adjoining areas for business and to preach Islam. He was known in Skardu as Mir or Master.

Haaj Aqa Syed Hassan, or Mir Syed Hassan (d. 1928), uncle of Ayatollah Aqa Syed Ahmed Rizvi, was an Islamic scholar, preacher, and spiritual figure who established a Husseiniyeh, a shrine for commemoration of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussein, near his residence in Srinagar. Arranging gatherings for observing the Martyrdom of Imam Hussein was a practice prevalent in the family. The practice continues, and people gather at the same place to remember the Martyrs of Karbala. The location, established by Haaj Aqa Hassan, is known as the Shrine of Haaj Syed Hassan or Mir Hassan. Mir Syed Hassan himself is buried in the Shrine. The family, particularly Mir Haaj Syed Hassan Rizvi and Mir Haaj Syed Hussein Rizvi, were involved in disseminating knowledge of the religion of Islam.

Genealogy

Ayatollah Syed Ahmed, son of Syed Hussein, son of Syed Muhammad, son of Syed Baqar, son of Syed Rehmatullah, son of Syed Mohammad, son of Syed Hidayatullah, son of Syed Saleh (Haigam), son of Syed Sadeq, son of Syed Mehdi, son of Syed Haaj, son of Syed Qasim, son of Mir Syed Mohammad (interred at a Shrine in Ahmedpore, Baramulla, Kashmir), son of Mir Syed Hussein Qomi (came to Kashmir in 821 AH, interred at Syed Pora Zainagair, Kashmir), son of Syed Muhammad, son of Syed Ahmed, son of Syed Minhaj, son of Syed Jalal, son of Syed Qasim, son of Syed Ali Rizvi, son of Syed Habib, son of Syed Hussein, son of Abu Abdullah Saiyed Ahmed 'Naqeeb' (of city of Qom), son of Syed Muhammad (Al-Aeraj), son of Abu Muqarem Ahmed, son of Aqa Syed Moosa (alias Musa al Mubarraqa), son of Imam Mohammad al-Taqi al-Jawad, son of Imam Abul Hassan al-Rizha.

Education

Ayatollah Syed Ahmed Rizvi received his early education from his family, particularly his father. After completing his basic education at home, he travelled to Lucknow, India, for further studies, where he studied under religious scholars for three years. From Lucknow, he went to Najaf in Iraq, a center of Shiite Islamic seminaries. In Najaf, he studied in Islamic seminaries under prominent scholars and jurists for more than twenty years, attending the lectures of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussain Na'ini, Grand Ayatollah Aqa Abul Hassan Isfahani, Grand Ayatollah Syed Hussain Qommi, Grand Ayatollah Aqa Zia-ud-Din Iraqi, and other Grand Ayatollahs of that period, and attained the degree of Ijtihad.

He studied under jurists and scholars in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Palestine, and also pursued spiritual aspects of Islam. His fellow students included Grand Ayatollah Aqa Syed Abul Qasim Khoie, Grand Ayatollah Asadullah Madani, Grand Ayatollah Murtazha al-Khalkhali, Grand Ayatollah Syed Ali Naqai Naqvi (Molvi Naqqan), Allamah Tabataba'I, and Ayatollah Syed Abdul Karim Rizvi Kashmiri. Ayatollah Syed Ahmed Rizvi's spiritual education was provided by Ali Tabatabaei, a figure of Shiite Gnosticism. He also studied under the guidance of Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Kampani for some years.

Ayatollah Syed Ahmed Kashmiri's spiritual development was guided by Ali Tabatabaei, whom Ayatollah Syed Abdul Karim Kashmiri described as "a great man and a strong (spiritual personality), who remained confined to his room and had idealistic manners."

Ayatollah Syed Ahmed Kashmiri returned to Kashmir, where he engaged in disseminating Islamic teachings and practical Islamic education. He established a seminary Madarsa Mohammadia in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir; the seminary was affected by his death. He gave lectures on Juristic laws to gatherings every Thursday night and Friday morning at his residence. Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the then Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was reportedly influenced by Ayatollah Syed Ahmed Rizvi, who travelled to educate the masses and spread the teachings of Islam.

Alleged spiritual powers and miracles

Reportedly, Ghulam Hussein Makhmoor, a government official stationed in Jammu, sent a letter to Ayatollah Aqa Syed Ahmed Kashmiri seeking guidance. Given the transportation and postal limitations of the time, Makhmoor anticipated a reply would take over a week. According to this account, he found Ayatollah Kashmiri’s response at his bedside the same evening, with no indication of intrusion.

In another account, when Ayatollah Aqa Syed Ahmed Kashmiri underwent surgery at a hospital in Srinagar, the operating doctors were reportedly surprised. They claimed his vital organs were severely damaged—to the extent that he should have died years earlier—yet he remained alive. Following this discovery, teams of doctors reportedly visited Ayatollah Kashmiri.

Death

Ayatollah Aqa Syed Ahmed Rizvi died on Thursday the 28th of Safar 1384 Hijri (9 July 1964) at his residence in Srinagar after concluding the congregational gathering commemorating the departure of Muhammad and martyrdom of Shiite second Imam, Imam Hassan, the son of Imam Ali.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kashmiri, Syed Ahmed Rizvi
1901 births
1965 deaths
People from Srinagar
Shia scholars of Islam
20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam