Ashraf Ali Thanvi
Encyclopedia
Mawlana Ashraf 'Alī Thānawī (August 19, 1863 – July 4, 1943) was an India
n Islamic Sunni
Hanafi
scholar and Chishti Sufi master of the Deobandi
school.
in 1884. When Rashīd Ahmad Gangohī, one of the founders of the institution, arrived for the graduation ceremony, Shaikhul Hind Mahmūd-ul Hasan
informed him that an especially intelligent student was about to graduate. Gangohī wanted to test this student by asking the most difficult questions that he could think of. Ashraf 'Alī's answers amazed and pleased Gangohī, who himself conducted the Dastārbandī Jalsa, the turban-tying ceremony marking graduation.
among other subjects. His teaching attracted numerous students and his research and publications became well-known in Islamic institutions. During these years, he traveled to various cities and villages, delivering lectures in the hope of reforming people. Printed versions of his lectures and discourses would usually become available shortly after these tours. Until then, few Islamic scholars had had their lectures printed and widely circulated in their own lifetimes. The desire to reform the masses intensified in him during his stay at Kanpur.
Eventually, Ashraf Ali Thanwi retired from teaching and devoted himself to reestablishing the spiritual centre (khānqāh
) of his shaikh in Thāna Bhāwan. Upon this transition, Hājī Imdādullāh remarked, "It is good that you have arrived in Thāna Bhāwan. It is hoped that people will benefit from you spiritually and physically. You should engage yourself in revitalizing our madrasah
and khānqāh once more in Thāna Bhāwan. As for myself, I am always praying for you and attentive towards you."
. Ashraf Ali Thanwi's disciples settled in all parts of South Asia. Among his disciples are:
said, "Hazrat [Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī] was a translator and exegete (mufassir) of the Quran; he explained its injunctions and wisdoms. He removed doubts and answered questions pertaining to it." Thānwī was a scholar of hadīth
(muhaddith) as well, and expounded its intricacies and subtleties. He was a jurist (faqīh
) who issued thousands of legal rulings (fatwā
) and addressed numerous legal problems in contemporary issues in Islamic law (fiqh
). He was described as a moving orator (khaṭīb
) and hundreds of his speeches have been published and widely circulated.
, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, in a dream. In this dream, he indicated to him that tafsir should become his primary task. Sayyid Sulaimān Nadwī said:
had started to preach Hinduism among the Muslims of that area. Thanwi was able to persuade the Muslims there to promise that they would not commit "apostasy
" by converting. To prevent the spread of apostasy, he wrote the treatise, Al-Insidād li-Fitnat-il Irtidād ("Putting a Stop to the Temptation of Apostasy").
, were common among the Sunni Muslims of India, specially the Barelvis
. Ashraf Ali Thanwi wrote a number of books that dealt with this subject. His book, Hifzul Imān ("Protecting Faith"), denounced such common acts as worshipping at tombs, asking for intercession from other than God, and believing in the omnipresence of the prophet Muhammad
and Muslim saints.
against Thanwi for his alleged disrespect to the prophet Muhammad. Ahmad Raza Khan cited in his fatwa Thanwi's belief that the "knowledge of unseen" possessed by Muhammad could be attained by the epileptics and the insane, the animals and the beasts as well. The fatwa of Ahmad Raza has been confirmed by 35 Islamic scholars of Mecca and Madeena as well as by 250 scholars of Indian sub-continent.
He was the Murshid of Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani and Mufti Muhammad Shafi who supported Mohammad Ali Jinnah during Pakistan movement
, Muzaffarnagar
, Uttar Pradesh
, India
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Islamic Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
scholar and Chishti Sufi master of the Deobandi
Deobandi
Deobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
school.
Education
Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī graduated from the Darul Uloom DeobandDarul Uloom Deoband
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic school in India where the Deobandi Islamic movement was started. It is located at Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It was founded in 1866 by several prominent Islamic scholars , headed by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi...
in 1884. When Rashīd Ahmad Gangohī, one of the founders of the institution, arrived for the graduation ceremony, Shaikhul Hind Mahmūd-ul Hasan
Maulana Mehmud Hasan
Shaykh-ul-Hind Maulana Mehmud Al-Hasan was an eminent Islamic Scholar who made tireless efforts in the freedom struggle during the British Rule in India. He was conferred upon by the title 'Shaykh-ul-Hind' which means the leading scholar of India. -Early life:Mehmud Hasan was born in the town of...
informed him that an especially intelligent student was about to graduate. Gangohī wanted to test this student by asking the most difficult questions that he could think of. Ashraf 'Alī's answers amazed and pleased Gangohī, who himself conducted the Dastārbandī Jalsa, the turban-tying ceremony marking graduation.
Spiritual training
During his studies at Dār-ul 'Ulūm Deoband, Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī asked Gangohī to train him in the spiritual sciences as well. Gangohī, however, advised him to wait until the completion of his traditional studies. Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī remained restless and looked for a way to ask Hājī Imdādullāh, the spiritual guide of Gangohī, to recommend him to his student. When Gangohī departed for Hajj, Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī sent a letter with him to Hājī Imdādullāh, requesting him to persuade Gangohī to initiate him into his spiritual order (Tariqah|Ṭarīqah).Career
After his graduation, Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī taught religious sciences in Kanpur for fourteen years. Over a short period of time, he acquired a reputable position as a religious scholar, of SufismSufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
among other subjects. His teaching attracted numerous students and his research and publications became well-known in Islamic institutions. During these years, he traveled to various cities and villages, delivering lectures in the hope of reforming people. Printed versions of his lectures and discourses would usually become available shortly after these tours. Until then, few Islamic scholars had had their lectures printed and widely circulated in their own lifetimes. The desire to reform the masses intensified in him during his stay at Kanpur.
Eventually, Ashraf Ali Thanwi retired from teaching and devoted himself to reestablishing the spiritual centre (khānqāh
Khanqah
A Khanqah, Khaniqah , ribat, zawiya, or tekke is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation...
) of his shaikh in Thāna Bhāwan. Upon this transition, Hājī Imdādullāh remarked, "It is good that you have arrived in Thāna Bhāwan. It is hoped that people will benefit from you spiritually and physically. You should engage yourself in revitalizing our madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
and khānqāh once more in Thāna Bhāwan. As for myself, I am always praying for you and attentive towards you."
Students and disciples
Thanwi’s students and disciples constitute a generation of leading scholars of South AsiaSouth Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. Ashraf Ali Thanwi's disciples settled in all parts of South Asia. Among his disciples are:
- Abdul Hai ArifiAbdul Hai ArifiAshraf Ali Thanwi is most likely the “Mujaddid” of the fourteenth century hijrah. In addition to almost more than thousand publications encompassing various aspects of Islam, he left behind himself approximately 250 thoroughly trained followers....
- Molana Zafar Ahmed Usmani
- Qari Muhammad Tayyib Qasimi, grandson of the founder of Dar al- ‘Ulum Deoband, Muhammad Qasim NanotviMuhammad Qasim NanotviMuhammad Qasim Nanotvi was a world famous Islamic Scholar and one of the main people responsible for establishing the Deobandi movement. Nanotvi was born in 1833 in Nanota, a village near Saharanpur, India. He completed his primary education in his hometown and then he was sent to Deoband, where he...
, and head principal of Dar al- ‘Ulum Deoband for over 50 years, from the early 1930s to the early 1980s - Muhammad Maseehullah Khan SherwaniMaseehullah Khan SherwaniHadhrat Shaikh Maulana Maseehullah Khan Sherwani was a renowned scholar of Islam.Sherwani was born in Sara’i Barla, a village within the district of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, India. After the completion of his early education in his hometown, Sherwani enrolled into Darul Ulum Deoband...
(founder of Madrasa Miftah al- ‘Ulum in Jalalabad, India, and a leading spiritual figure of the past century) - Mufti Muhammad ShafiMufti Muhammad ShafiMaulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ was a Hanafi Islamic scholar from India. During his life he served as the grand Mufti of India and later Pakistan as well.-Biography:...
, head muftiMuftiA mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband and later founder of Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi - Abdul Bari Nadvi (renowned theologian and philosopher in India who taught modern philosophy at Osmania University in Hyderabad and translated the books of Western philosophers such as Descartes, into Urdu and left behind many literary tracts)
- Allamah Syed Sulaiman NadviSyed Sulaiman NadviAllama Sayyed Sulaiman Nadvi was an eminent Indian and Pakistani historian, biographer, littérateur and scholar of Islam...
, researcher and student of Shibli Nu ‘mani who turned to Thanwi for spiritual reformation - Molana Faqir Muhammed, Peshawar, Pakistan
- Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi Rehmatullahialai (founder of the Great Tablighi Jammat Movement)
- Qazi abdusalam of nowshera
- Hafiz Tanweer Ahmed Khan Khalifa Majaz Molana Muhammed Masihulah Khan, Hyderabad, Pakistan
- Mulana Abraruhaq Hardoi, last and youngest caliph of Ashraf Ali Thanvi who founded Ashraful Madaris Hardoi and lead the movement of Dawatul Haq, founded by Ashraf Ali Thanvi
- khawja Aziz ul Hassan Majzuoob
- Syed Inayat Ali Shah Gujranwala, Pakistan Wrote a Book Bagh-e-Jannat
Literary contribution
Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī was a prolific author. His literary contributions are in the order of eight hundred to one thousand in number, including sermons, discussions, discourses, treatises, and books. Sayyid Sulaimān NadwīSyed Sulaiman Nadvi
Allama Sayyed Sulaiman Nadvi was an eminent Indian and Pakistani historian, biographer, littérateur and scholar of Islam...
said, "Hazrat [Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī] was a translator and exegete (mufassir) of the Quran; he explained its injunctions and wisdoms. He removed doubts and answered questions pertaining to it." Thānwī was a scholar of hadīth
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
(muhaddith) as well, and expounded its intricacies and subtleties. He was a jurist (faqīh
Faqih
A Faqīh is an expert in fiqh, or, Islamic jurisprudence.A faqih is an expert in Islamic Law, and, as such, the word Faqih can literally be generally translated as Jurist.- The definition of Fiqh and its relation to the Faqih:...
) who issued thousands of legal rulings (fatwā
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
) and addressed numerous legal problems in contemporary issues in Islamic law (fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
). He was described as a moving orator (khaṭīb
Khatib
Khatib or khateeb is an Arabic term used to describe a person who delivers the sermon , during the Friday prayer and Eid prayers....
) and hundreds of his speeches have been published and widely circulated.
Quran recitation
While teaching in Kanpur, Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī was reported to have seen 'Abdullāh bin 'Abbās`Abd Allah ibn `Abbas
Abd Allah ibn Abbas was a paternal cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is revered by Muslims for his knowledge and was an expert in Tafsir , as well as an authority on the Islamic Sunnah.-Family:...
, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, in a dream. In this dream, he indicated to him that tafsir should become his primary task. Sayyid Sulaimān Nadwī said:
He not only memorized the words of the Qur’aan but also memorized the deeper significance of these words. He was an exceptional reciter (qārī) of the Quran, who had mastered the art of recitation. The uniqueness of his recitation of the Quran was such that each letter was uttered from its proper place of pronunciation (makhraj). There was no imitation or overly exertive effort to make his voice melodious. He would rather recite in his normal voice, which was full of inspiration and absorbed in reflection.
Discourses
The propagation of Islam was an essential part of Thānwī’s life. He would be highly organized and would plan his tours well in advance. Thousands of people would attend his lectures, which usually lasted between two and five hours. Once he visited Gajner, a village in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, when the Ārya SamājArya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
had started to preach Hinduism among the Muslims of that area. Thanwi was able to persuade the Muslims there to promise that they would not commit "apostasy
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
" by converting. To prevent the spread of apostasy, he wrote the treatise, Al-Insidād li-Fitnat-il Irtidād ("Putting a Stop to the Temptation of Apostasy").
Opposition to Barelvi practices
Thānwī opposed a wide variety of religious practices in South Asia, which he saw as bidah, unacceptable innovation within Islam. These practices, often derived from SufismSufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
, were common among the Sunni Muslims of India, specially the Barelvis
Barelvi
Barelvi is a term used for the movement of Sufi , Sunni Islam originating in the Indian subcontinent.The Movement is known as Ahle Sunnat movement to its followers....
. Ashraf Ali Thanwi wrote a number of books that dealt with this subject. His book, Hifzul Imān ("Protecting Faith"), denounced such common acts as worshipping at tombs, asking for intercession from other than God, and believing in the omnipresence of the prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and Muslim saints.
Criticism
Thanwi's statements drew criticism from a variety of other Islamic authorities. Barelwi scholar Ahmad Raza Khan issued a fatwa of kufrKUFR
KUFR is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, the station serves the Salt Lake City area. The station is currently owned by Family Stations, Inc....
against Thanwi for his alleged disrespect to the prophet Muhammad. Ahmad Raza Khan cited in his fatwa Thanwi's belief that the "knowledge of unseen" possessed by Muhammad could be attained by the epileptics and the insane, the animals and the beasts as well. The fatwa of Ahmad Raza has been confirmed by 35 Islamic scholars of Mecca and Madeena as well as by 250 scholars of Indian sub-continent.
Views on politics
Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī argued, using mainly verses of the Quran, that political rule is only a means of instituting Islam in people's lives and not the purpose of life itself. All modern political notions that contradict the Quran and Hadīth would have to be forsaken, and the "pure" political thought reflected in Quranic sources should guide Muslims in organizing and structuring their governments.He was the Murshid of Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani and Mufti Muhammad Shafi who supported Mohammad Ali Jinnah during Pakistan movement
Death
Ashraf 'Alī Thānwī died in Thāna Bhāwan on July 4, 1943. His funeral prayer was led by his nephew, Zafar Ahmad Uthmānī, and he was buried in the graveyard of 'Ishq-e-Bāzān.Desecration of Grave
On December 17, 2006 the graves of Ashraf Ali Thanvi and three others were leveled and desecrated in Thana BhawanThana Bhawan
Thana Bhawan is a small town in Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the birthplace of the famous Islamic scholar Ashraf Ali Thanvi...
, Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar
Muzaffarnagar is a major city and a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city was established in Mughal period by a Sayyid Jagirdar, Munawar Lashkar Ali, and so named in honour of his father, Muzaffar Ali Khan. It is the headquarters of the Muzaffarnagar district. It is a...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
See also
- DeobandiDeobandiDeobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
- Bahishti ZewarBahishti ZewarBahishti Zewar is a volume of Islamic belief written by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi. Bahishti Zewar is a comprehensive handbook of fiqh , especially for the education of girls and women. The volume describes the Five Pillars of Islam and also highlights more obscure principles...
- Shah WaliullahShah WaliullahShah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlvi was an Islamic scholar and reformer. He was born during the reign of Aurangzeb. He worked for the revival of Muslim rule and intellectual learning in South Asia, during a time of waning Muslim power...
- Mufti Muhammad ShafiMufti Muhammad ShafiMaulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ was a Hanafi Islamic scholar from India. During his life he served as the grand Mufti of India and later Pakistan as well.-Biography:...
- Muhammad Taqi UsmaniMuhammad Taqi UsmaniMuhammad Taqi Usmani is a Hanafi Islamic scholar from Pakistan who was born in 1943. He served as a judge on the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan from 1981 to 1982 and the Shari'a Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from 1982 to 2002. He is an expert in the fields of Islamic...
- Muhammad Rafi UsmaniMuhammad Rafi UsmaniMuhammad Rafi Uthmani is the renowned religious authority in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He is serving as the crrent Grand Mufti of Pakistan and President of Darul Uloom Karachi. He is the son of the late Mufti Muhammad Shafi Uthmani, the founder of Darul Ulum Karachi. He is recognized for...
Further reading
- Zaman, Muhammad Qasim, Ashraf `Ali Thanawi: Islam in Modern South Asia (Makers of the Muslim World), Oneworld, 2007.
External links
- A Short Bio on Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi at Haqislam.org
- Islami aqaid at Ahlehaq.com
- مناجات مقبول at Deeneislam.com
- Graves of Ashraf Ali Thanvi family demolished, desecrated at IndianMuslims.info