The shaykh, the imam, the hadith-scholar, the transmitter, Abu Sulayman Ishaq ibn Muhammad Afdal ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isma‘il ibn Mansur ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Qiwam al-Din al-‘Umari al-Dihlawi, the migrant to the blessed Makkah, buried therein. He was the grandson of Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Wali Allah al-‘Umari al-Dihlawi.
He was born on the 8th of Dhu l-Hijjah in the year 1196 H – and it was said 1197 H – in Delhi, and he grew up in the cradle...
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The shaykh, the imam, the great scholar, Muhammad Qasim ibn Asad ‘Ali ibn Ghulam Shah ibn Muhammad Bakhsh al-Siddiqi al-Nanotwi, one of the learned scholars.
He was born in Nanotah in the year 1248 H (1832 CE). He came to Saharanpur at a young age. He read the short texts under Shaykh Muhammad Nawaz al-Saharanpuri. Then he travelled to Delhi, and he came under the tutelage of Shaykh Mamluk al-‘Ali al-Nanotwi. He read under him all the books of study. Then he took hadith from...
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The sayyid, the valiant Imam, the proof of Allah amongst creation, the elucidator of the straight path of religion and Islam, the suppressor of disbelievers and heretics, a model of the righteous caliphs and the guided Imams, our master, the Imam, the warrior (mujahid), the martyr, the fortunate, Ahmad ibn ‘Irfan ibn Nur al-Sharif al-Hasani al-Barelwi. He was from the offspring of the great emir, the full moon of religion, Shaykh al-Islam Qutb al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Madani.
He was born on Safar of 1201...
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Know that the majority of hadith-scholars that a man becomes a Tabi‘i by merely meeting a Sahabi and seeing him, and it is not a condition that he accompanies him for a period of time and narrates from him. said in Tadrib al-Rawi on the definition of a Tabi‘i:
It was said: he is one who met him although he did not accompany him, as was said on a Sahabi, and al-Hakim with...
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Hafiz al-Sam‘ani said in al-Ansab in the biography of Imam Abu Hanifah:
He occupied himself in seeking knowledge, and he excelled therein until he accomplished what others had not accomplished. One day he entered upon al-Mansur, while ‘Isa ibn Musa was with him, and he said to al-Mansur: “This is the scholar of the world today.” (p. 247)
‘Allamah Hafiz al-Mizzi said in Tahdhib al-Kamal:
Makki ibn Ibrahim mentioned Abu Hanifah and said: “He was the most learned of the people of his time.”
This is in the...
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Our master, the scholar of great learning, Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ (Allah Almighty have mercy on him), is counted amongst the leading ‘ulama of India and Pakistan who carried the banner of the pure religion in these lands and spent their lives and their strength in elevating its word, and lit in Deoband, India, the lamps of renewal with splendid flames and bright lights, so that the caravan of Islam continues to proceed, while eliminating the darknesses of disbelief and heresy and bringing life,...
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My first acquaintance with Hadrat Mawlana Muhammad Sarfaraz Khan Safdar sahib (may Allah sanctify his soul) was when Hadrat had come to the UK to attend a conference as the chief guest and also visited Leicester during that trip. It was the sheer grace of Allah that Hadrat's host called me and requested that I should make all necessary arrangements whilst Hadrat was in Leicester. I took this opportunity as an honour for myself and made arrangements for his stay at my late father's...
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This tragic news reached Jami'ah Islamiyyah Dabhel by telegram on Saturday 7th Shawwal 1404 AH (1984 CE). Many hearts were saddened and many became unsettled. This news spread throughout the surrounding areas of Dabhel. Recitation of the Noble Qur'an took place in many masjids for the isal al-thawab of the shaykh.
The Jami'ah was still closed at this time. It reopened on 14th Shawwal. After admission formalities, lessons commenced and on the 19th of Shawwal the students also recited the Noble Qur'an for isal al-thawab....
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Shaykh A'zimi was born in the month of Shawwal 1319 AH (1902 CE) at Mau Nat Bhanjan in the district of Azamgarh, U.P., India. His lineage is as follows: Muhammad Ayyub bin Muhammad Sabir bin Ahmad bin Jiwan bin Rawshan 'Ali. This family previously resided in a place called Bakhtiyar Ganj, which was approximately one and a half miles from Mau. His father moved to Ilah Dad Pura, Mau, to live close to his in-laws and remained there. This is where the shaykh was...
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Mawlana Muhammad Mazhar ibn Lutf 'Ali ibn Muhammad Hasan al-Siddiqi al-Hanafi Nanautwi (1238 1302 AH /1823-1885) - the righteous imam, 'arif (knower of Allah) and mujahid-was amongst the leading scholars of fiqh, hadith, and tasawwuf in his time. A descendant of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), he was born in Nanautah, a village in the district of Saharanpur (UP, India). He initially studied under his father with whom he completed the memorization of the Qur'an (hifz). He then...
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