Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi (14 June 1856 – 28 October 1921) was an Indian Islamic scholar who is considered as one of the founders of the Barelvi movement. His students include Amjad Ali Aazmi, Abdul Aleem Siddiqi, Ziauddin Madani and several others.
Born in Bareilly, British India into the Qadiri order, Khan studied under his father Naqi Ali Khan. He was authorized in Sufism by Shah Al-i Rasul and founded the Manzar-i Islam in Bareilly in 1904. He was a staunch critic of the Ahmadiyya, Deobandi and Wahhabi movements, denouncing their beliefs in his book (1906). His poetic work, (1907), and translation of the Quran into Urdu, (1911), are among his well-known works. Khan's magnum opus is a compendium of (legal edicts) of the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam.
In 1920, Khan initiated the Jama'at Raza-i Mustafa aiming to propagate Islam via dawah. After his death, his eldest son Hamid succeeded him as organization's president. while his other son Mustafa published his father's questions and answers during his lifetime as . Khan is often viewed as the (reformer) of his time by Barelvis. His shrine lies at the Bareilly Dargah and frequently visited by Barelvis during his annual urs (death anniversary) in the Islamic month of Safar. He influenced millions of people, and today the Barelvi movement has more than 200 million followers.
Biography Family background Khan was born on 10 Shawwal 1272 Hijri corresponds to 14 June 1856Hayat-e-Aala Hadhrat, vol.1 p.1 to an Indian Muslim family in the Mohallah of Jasoli in Bareilly district, North-Western Provinces, British India.
The family belonged to the Barech tribe of Pashtuns, his ancestor Muhammad Saeedullah Khan, a warrior who accompanied Nader Shah, having migrated from Kandahar (current-day Afghanistan) to Lahore (current-day Pakistan) while the family later settled down in Bareilly.
His father, Naqi Ali Khan, was an Islamic scholar.
The name corresponding to the year of his birth was al-Mukhtar. His birth name was Muhammad.Ala Hadhrat by Bastawi, p. 25 Khan used the appellation "Abd-ul-Mustafa" ("servant of the chosen one") prior to signing his name in correspondence.Man huwa Ahmed Rida by Shaja'at Ali al-Qadri, p.15
Teachers According to Hayat-e-Aala Hazrat written by Malik Zafaruddin Bihari, some of his famous teachers included: Syed Shah Aale Rasul Marehrawi (d. 1879) Naqi Ali Khan (d. 1880) Ahmad Zayni Dahlan Makki (d. 1881) Abdul Rahman Siraj Makki (d. 1883) Hussain bin Saleh (d. 1884) Abul Hussain Ahmad Al-Nuri (d. 1906) Abdul Ali Rampuri (d. 1885)
Spiritual order In the year 1294 A.H. (1877), at the age of 22 years, Ahmed Raza became the Mureed (disciple) of Shah Aale Rasool Marehrawi. His Murshid bestowed him with Khilafat in several Sufi Silsilas. Some Islamic scholars received permission from him to work under his guidance.Imam, Muhammad Hassan. (2005). The Role of the Khulafa-e-Imam Ahmed Raza Khan in the Pakistan Movement 1920–1947. Diss. Karachi: University of Karachi.
Barelvi movement Imam Ahmed Raza wrote extensively in defense of his views, countered Wahhabism and the Deobandi movement, and by his writing and activity became the founder of the Barelvi movement. The movement has spread across the globe with followers in Pakistan, India, South Africa and Bangladesh. The movement now has over 200 million followers globally. The movement was largely a rural phenomenon when began but is currently popular among urban, educated Pakistanis and Indians as well as the South Asian diaspora throughout the world.
The efforts of Khan and his associate scholars to establish a movement to counter the Deobandi and Ahl-i Hadith movements resulted to in the institutionalisation of diverse Sufi movements and their allies in various parts of the world.Continuity and transformation in a Naqshbandi tariqa in Britain, The changing relationship between Mazar (shrine) and dar-al-ulum(seminary) revisited Ron Geaves https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/sufism-today-heritage-and-tradition-in-the-global-community/continuity-and-transformation-in-a-naqshbandi-tariqa-in-britain
Jamat Raza-e-Mustafa Khan founded an organisation Jamat Raza-e-Mustafa, on 17 December 1920 with the aim of progress, unity and religious education of the Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jamat.
Death Ahmed Raza Khan died on 28 October 1921 (25 Safar 1340 AH) at the age of 65. He is buried in Bareilly Sharif Dargah. Urs-e-Razavi is a 3 day long annual event commemorating his death anniversary.
Books Imam Ahmed Raza Khan wrote several hundred books in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu, including the thirty-volume fatwa compilation Fatawa Razawiyya, and Kanz ul-Iman (Translation and Explanation of the Qur'an). Several of his books have been translated into European and South Asian languages.Maarif Raza, Karachi, Pakistan. Vol.29, Issue 1–3, 2009, pages 108–09
Kanz ul-Iman (Translation of the Qur'an) Kanz ul-Iman (Urdu and Arabic: کنزالایمان) is a 1910 Urdu paraphrase translation of the Qur'an by Khan. It is associated with the Hanafi jurisprudence within Sunni Islam, and is a widely read version of the translation in the Indian Subcontinent. It has been translated into English, Hindi, Bengali, Dutch, Turkish, Sindhi, Gujarati, and Pashto, and also recently translated into Gojri language by Mufti Nazir Ahmed Qadri.
Hussam ul-Haramain Husam ul-Haramain or Husam al-Harmain Ala Munhir Kufr wal-Mayn (The Sword of the Haramayn at the Throat of Disbelief and Falsehood) 1906, is a treatise which declared infidels the founders of the Deobandi, Ahl-i Hadith and Ahmadiyya movements on the basis that they did not have the proper veneration of Muhammad and finality of prophethood in their writings. In defense of his verdict he obtained confirmatory signatures from 268 scholars in South Asia, and some from scholars in Mecca and Medina. The treatise is published in Arabic, Urdu, English, Turkish and Hindi.
Fatawa Razawiyya
Fatawa Razawiyya or the full name al-Ataya fi-Nabaviah Fatawa-i Razawiyya (Verdicts of Imam Ahmed Raza by the Blessings of the Prophet) is the main fatwa (Islamic verdicts on various issues) book of his movement. It has been published in 30 volumes and in approx. 22,000 pages. It contains solutions to daily problems from religion to business and from war to marriage.
He reached judgments with regard to certain practices and faith in his book Fatawa-i Razawiyya, including: Islamic Law is the ultimate law and following it is obligatory for all Muslims; To refrain from misguidance is essential; It is impermissible to imitate the Kuffar, to associate with the deviants, and to participate in their festivals.
Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish
He wrote na'at (devotional poetry in praise of Muhammad) and always discussed him in the present tense. His main book of poetry is Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish.
His poems, which deal for the most part with the qualities of Muhammad, often have a simplicity and directness.
His Urdu couplets, entitled Mustafa Jaane Rahmat pe Lakhon Salaam (Hundreds of Thousands of Salutations upon Mustafa, the Paragon of Mercy), are recited in mosques globally. They contain praise of Muhammad, his physical appearance (verses 33 to 80), his life and times, praise of his family and companions, praise of the Awliya and Salihin (the saints and the pious).
Al Daulatul Makkiya Bil Madatul Ghaibiya In 1323 Hijri (1905), Ahmad Raza went for his second Haj. Allamah Shaikh Saleh Kamal an Alim of Makkatul Mukarrama, he presented five questions to Ahmad Raza on behalf of the Ulema of Makkatul Mukarrama, this question was asked by Makkatul Mukarrama Wahhabi Ulema regarding Knowledge of the knowledge of Unseen (Ilm-e-Ghaib). At that time Ahmed Raza was suffering from a high fever, despite the illness he tried to answer all the questions, he answered in such detail that the answer took the form of a book, and this book was named Al Daulatul Makkiya Bil Madatul Ghaibiya.
Religious views Khan saw a decline of Sufism amongst Muslims in British India. His movement was a mass movement, defending popular Sufism, which grew in response to the influence of the Deobandi movement in South Asia and the Wahhabi movement elsewhere.
Imam Ahmed Raza Khan supported Tawassul, Mawlid,Anil Maheshwari, Syncretic Islam: Life and Times of Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi, Bloomsbury, 2021 Prophet Muhammad's awareness of complete knowledge of the unseen, and other practices which were opposed by Wahhabis/Salafis and Deobandis.
Prophet Muhammad In this contrast to the beliefs of the Deobandis and Wahhabis, Ahmed Raza Khan supported the following beliefs: Muhammad is a human being made of nur (light) and is all-seeing and all-hearing. This contrasts with the Deobandi view that Muhammad was al-Insān al-Kāmil (perfect person), but still a normal human. Muhammad is Haazir aur Naazir (all-seeing and all-hearing) which means that Muhammad views and witnesses the actions of his people. This concept was interpreted by Shah Abdul Aziz in Tafsir Azizi in these words: The prophet is observing everybody, knows their good and bad deeds, and knows the strength of faith (Iman) of every individual Muslim and what has hindered his spiritual progress.
Infidels Raza Khan was emphatic in opposing the Hindu influences on Muslim identity. To differentiate between a Muslim and an Infidel he emphatically said:
Permissibility of currency notes In 1905, Khan, on the request of contemporaries from Hijaz, wrote a verdict on the permissibility of using paper as a form of currency, entitled Kifl-ul-Faqeehil fehim Fe Ahkam-e-Kirtas Drahim.
Static earth theory Khan authored a book, ("The Clear Victory in Rejection of Movement of the Earth", in which he provided than 100 arguments trying to prove the earth is not rotating but is stationary and rejected some of Newton's arguments.
Sectarian views Ahmadis Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian claimed to be the Messiah, Prophet, and Mahdi awaited by some Muslims as well as a Nabi Ummati, a subordinate prophet to Muhammad who came to restore Islam to the pristine form as practiced by Muhammad and early Sahaba. Khan declared Mirza Ghulam Ahmad a heretic and apostate and called him and his followers disbelievers (kuffar).Aziz, Zahid. (2008). A survey of the Lahore Ahmadiyya movement: history, beliefs, aims and work . Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam (AAIIL), UK. p. 43, .
Deobandis The theological difference with the Deobandi school began when Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi objected in writing to some of the following beliefs of Deobandi scholars. He opposed the belief of a founder of the Deobandi movement, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, who stated that God has the ability to lie. This doctrine is called Imkan-i Kizb. Gangohi also supported the doctrine that God has the ability to make additional prophets after Muhammad (Imkan-i Nazir) and other prophets equal to Muhammad, a doctrine which was opposed by Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi. He opposed the doctrine that Muhammad has not got extensive knowledge of the unseen (Ilm e Ghaib). When Ahmed Raza Khan visited Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage in 1905, he prepared a draft document entitled Al Motamad Al Mustanad ("The Reliable Proofs"). In this work, Ahmad Raza branded Deobandi leaders such as Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and Qasim Nanotwi and those who followed them as kuffar. Khan collected scholarly opinions in the Hejaz and compiled them in an Arabic language compendium with the title, Hussam al Harmain ("The Sword of Two Sanctuaries"), a work containing 34 verdicts from 33 ulama (20 Meccan and 13 Medinese).*Siraj Khan, Blasphemy against the Prophet, in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture (Editors: Coeli Fitzpatrick and Adam Hani Walker), , pp. 59–67 *R Ibrahim (2013), Crucified Again, , pp. 100–101 However, Deobandis claim the evidence provided to the scholars in Arabia were fabricated and that Ahmed Raza Khan's takfir of them was unjust, and this initiated a reciprocal series of fatwas between Barelvis and Deobandis which has lasted to the present.