Hadhrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him)

 Imam Ahmed Raza Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) was a great exegete of the Holy Quran, a high-ranking Hadith-expert and a prodigious jurisprudent.  He alone accomplished such works that a whole organization or a movement couldn’t have done them.  He gave up his whole life for the propagation of Islam and for defense of the Ahle Sunnah.

 

His birth

 

He was born on 10^th Shawwal 1272 Hijri, which corresponds to Sunday, June 12, 1856 AD in Bareli.

 

His name and honorifics

 

His grandfather, Hadhrat Raza ‘Ali Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) named him as Ahmed Raza and the name given to him at his birth was Muhammad.

 

His honorific of “A’ala Hadhrat” is used by both classes and masses.

 

He would use “Raza” as his pen name.  He also added “Abdul Mustafa” (Lit. The slave of Mustafa), to his name.

 

His father was Hadhrat Maulana Naqi ‘Ali Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).  His father and his grandfather were highly accomplished scholars of the era.

 

Hadhrat Ahmed Raza Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) was brought up in a scholarly family.  Thus, by the time he was 5 or 6 years of age, he had completed the recitation of the Holy Quran.  Through his prodigious skills and astonishing memory, he mastered the Islamic sciences of exegesis of the Holy Quran, Hadith, jurisprudence and its principles and other disciplines at the very young age of 13 years and 10 months.

 

His status in Islamic sciences is so high indeed that scholars of the Arabian and non-Arabian lands have praised him alike.

 

In 1295 Hijri (1878 AD), the Shaykh went for his 1^st Hajj along with his father.  In their stay at Makkah, the famous Shafa’ee scholar Shaykh Hussain bin Saleh was highly impressed by him and praised and revered him a lot.  He saw this incredible accomplishment of Hadhrat Ahmed Raza Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) that he wrote a commentary on one of his works in eloquent Arabic in only 1 day.

 

In 1322 Hijri (1905 AD), Imam Ahmed Raza Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) again went for Hajj.  Then, he wrote a book addressing the concerns of the scholars of Arab on using paper currency as money.  Apart from this, he also wrote Ad Daulatul Makkiyya, in which he established the knowledge of the unseen of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in a very scholarly manner and established the knowledge of the unseen of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in light of the Holy Quran and Hadith.

 

        Love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) twinkles and shimmers in all of his works.  Love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the overriding theme of his prose and poetical works.

 

Imam Ahmed Raza Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) was a Pathan by descent, followed the jurisprudential school of Imam Abu Hanifa (May Allah be well pleased with him) and followed the Qadri precepts of Islamic mysticism.

 

Spiritual allegiance and authorization

 

In 1295 Hijri (1877 AD), Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) gave his pledge (Ba’yah) to Hadhrat Shah Aale Rasool Marharwi (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) in the Qadri order of Tasawwuf and obtained authorizations for other orders like Chishti, Suharwardi, Naqshbandi from other Shaykhs as well.

 

His writings

 

He wrote 62 books on the status and grandeur of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and excellence and true beliefs of Islam, 13 books on Hadith and principles of Hadith, 35 books on logic and argumentation, 159 books on jurisprudence and its principles and more than 400 books on refutation of various false sects masquerading as true Islam.

 

A world famous work of the Imam is “Al Ataaya An Nabawiyya Fil Fataawa Ar Radhwiyya” famously known as Fatawa Radhwiyya.

 

He also wrote a very famous translation of the Holy Quran which is famous as Kanz Ul Imaan.

 

His demise

 

The Imam passed away on 25 Safar 1340 Hijri, which corresponds to Friday, October 28, 1921 AD.  The Mueddhin said:  Hayyaa ‘Ala Falaah…” and the Imam recited the Declaration of Faith (Kalima Tayyaba).  He then ordered Hadhrat Mustafa Raza Khan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him): Start reciting Surah Yaseen and Surah Ra’ad.  After that a radiance enveloped his face and the Imam left this temporal world for the eternal realms.

 

 

Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi

 

[Professor, Islamic Law, Jamia Nizamia,

Founder-Director Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center]