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Famous
Personalities of the Global Islamic Movement Throughout History
Shah Waliullah
Dehlavi (Arabic/Persian/Urdu: شاہ ولی الله دهلوی)
also known as Shah Waliullah of Delhi (1703–1762) was an
important Islamic reformer who worked for the revival of
Muslim rule and intellectual learning in the South Asia,
hoping to restore the ulama's former power and
influence. He despised the divisions and deviations
within Islam and its practice in the Indian subcontinent
and hoped to 'purify' the religion and unify all Indian
Muslims under the banner of the 'truth' (Haq).
Biography
Shah Waliullah was born in 1703 CE four years before the
death of Aurangzeb on 14 Shawwal 1114 H.E. in the town
of Phulat in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Education & Training:
Shah Waliullah was introduced to Islamic education at
the age of five and completed the recitation of the
Qura’an by the age of seven. By the end of his seventh
year, he had started taking introductory lessons in
Persian and Arabic and completed them in one year. After
that he concentrated on grammar and syntax, and by the
age of ten he was reading the most acclaimed book of
grammar,"Interpretation by Ja’mi". He completed the
study of philosophy and theology by the age of 15 and
started teaching. He acquired the knowledge of Logic,
Fiqah, Hadith, specially Tibb (Eastern medicine) and
ma-an (meaning), Algebra, Mathematics, and oratory from
his father.
During the course of his education, he learned many of
his books from his father and was inducted in the
tradition of bayath (sacred vows) by his father and by
the age of 17 was permitted by his father to provide
spiritual guidance and reform his fellow Muslims.
Death:
He had devoted himself to the teaching and writing of
Islamic books. On 29 Muharram 1176 H.E. (20 August,
1762) he left this world and left a gaping void in the
hearts of thousands of students and admirers. He was
buried in the famous graveyard “Munhadiyan” beside his
father Shah Abdur Raheem.
His Personality:
It is interesting to note that Shah Waliullah is
respected and revered greatly by all Muslims in the
South Asia and beyond, including the Barelvi, Deobandi
and Ahl-e-Hadeeth groups and movements of Pakistan,
Bangladesh and India, who include both Sufis and Salafis.
The Deoband movement as well as the Ahl-e-Hadeeth both
claim to espouse the ideology and thought of Shah
Waliullah and the Barelvi movement follow his spiritual
tradition.
Literary works:
The biographers of Shah Waliullah place the number of
his published literary works at above fifty. Shah
Waliullah was a prolific writer who wrote extensively on
several Islamic topics. The famous among them are
1.Fath ur Rahmaan Fee Tarjumatul Qura’an, a translation
of the Holy Qura’an in Persian.
2.Al Fauzul Kabeer Fee Usool at Tafseer, a booklet in
Persian that follows his Persian translation of the Holy
Qura’an. It contains the nucleus of the holy Qura’an,
the rules for interpretation, and interpretations of the
holy Qura’an by other famous scholars.
3.Hujjatullahil Baaligha, is the most renowned book by
Shah Waliullah whose title is taken from the holy
Qura’an (Surah Al Anaam: 149). It is a two volume Arabic
manuscript and elaborates about the jurisprudence fro
the hadith and necessities of the shari’ah and is taught
in many seminaries. Its Urdu illustration is
“Rahmatullahil Waasiya” by Hazrath Mufti Saeed Ahmad
Palanpuri and published by Maktaba Hijaz.
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Khilafah Movement