ٰ ۡ"ھ
Brief Biography Biography of of AA Brief
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Imam Ahmad Razā Raza Khān Khan Imām m Ahmad n Imā Khā
This booklet was written by Shaykh-e-Ṭarīqat Amīr-e-Aĥle-Sunnat, the founder of Dawat-e-Islami ‘Allāmaĥ Maulānā Muḥammad Ilyās ‘Aṭṭār Qādirī Razavī ﮐin Urdu. Urdu The translation Majlis has translated this booklet into English. English If you find any mistake in the translation or composing, please inform translation Majlis on the following postal or email address and gain reward [Šawāb].
Translation Majlis (Dawat (DawatDawat-e-Islami) Islami) Alami Madani Markaz, Faizān-e-Madina, Mahalla Saudagran, Old Sabzi Mandi, Baab-ul-Madina, Karachi, Pakistan Contact #: +92-21-34921389 to 91
[email protected]
Table of Contents Transliteration Chart .......................................................................... ii Du’ā for Reading the Book ................................................................ iii
______________________________________________ A Brief Biography of Imām Imām Ahmad Ahmad Razā Khān Glad Tidings of Intercession ............................................................ 1 Auspicious Birth .............................................................................. 1 An Event of Childhood .................................................................... 2 First Fatwā ....................................................................................... 3 A’lā Ḥaḍrat’s Expertise in Mathematics ............................................ 3 Amazing Power of Memory.............................................................. 5 Memorising the Qurān in Just One Month ...................................... 5 Love for the Holy Prophet .......................................................... 6 Refraining from Flattering the Governors......................................... 7 Beholding of Muṣṭafā in Wakefulness ........................................ 8 Glimpses from Character ................................................................. 9 A Unique Way of Sleeping ............................................................. 11 The Train Kept Halted! ................................................................. 11 Books ............................................................................................. 12 Translation of the Holy Qurān ...................................................... 13 The Sad Demise ............................................................................. 14 Wait in the Court of the Holy Prophet .................................... 15
i
Transliteration Chart
A/a
Ř/ř
L/l
A/a
Z/z
M/m
B/b
X/x
N/n
P/p
S/s
T/t
Sh/sh
V/v, W/w
Ṫ/ṫ
Ṣ/ṣ
Ĥ/ĥ
Š/š
Ḍ/ḍ
Y/y
J/j
Ṭ/ṭ
Y/y
Ch
Ẓ/ẓ
!
A/a
"
Ḥ/ḥ
#
‘
$!
U/u
%
Kh/kh
&
Gh/gh
'!
I/i
(
D/d
)
F/f
*+
Ū/ū
,
Ḋ/ḋ
-
Q/q
*+
Ī/ī
.
Ż/ż
/
K/k
*+
Ā/ā
ii
Du’ā for Reading the Book Read the following Du’ā (supplication) before studying a religious book or Islamic lesson, , you will remember whatever you study.
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9 : %& (" Yā Allah ! Open the portal of knowledge and wisdom for us, and have mercy on us! O the One who is the most honourable and glorious! (Al-Mustaṭraf, vol.1, pp.40, Dar-ul-Fikr, Beirut)
N ote: Recite Durūd Sharīf once before and after the Du’ā. iii
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A Brief Biography of
ٰ ۡ"ھ
Imām A h mad Razā Khān Imā Imām Ahmed Razā Khā Khān Glad Tidings of Intercession
The Prophet of mankind, the peace of our heart and mind, the ? most generous and kind '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 said, “Whoever recites Durūd upon me, I will intercede for him.” (Al-Qawl-ul-Badi’, P117, Dār-ul-Kutub-ul-‘Ilmiyyaĥ Beirut)
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Auspicious Birth A’lā Ḥaḍrat, Imām of Aĥl-e-Sunnaĥ, Reviver of Sunnaĥ, Eradicator of Bid’aĥ, Scholar of Sharī’aĥ, Guide of Ṭarīqaĥ, ‘Allāmaĥ Maulānā Al-Ḥāj Al-Ḥāfiẓ Al-Qārī Ash-Shaĥ Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān 7*B C B ) ' ﻋwas born on Monday, 10th Shawwāl, 1272 A.H. (14th June 1856) at the time of Ẓuĥr Ṣalāĥ in Jasūlī, one of the areas of Bareilly Sharīf, India. The name corresponding to the year of his birth is Al-Mukhtār. (Ḥayāt-eA’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1, P58, Maktaba-tul-Madīnaĥ, Bāb-ul-Madīnaĥ Karachi) 1
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
His birth name is Muhammad. His grandfather called him ‘Aḥmad Razā’ and he became famous with the same name. (AlMalfūẓ, Part 1, Page-3, Mushtāq book corner, Markaz-ul-Auliyā - Lahore)
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An Event of Childhood C B C B Sayyid Ayyūb ‘Alī ' ﻋ ) says that when A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' ﻋ ) was a child, a teacher used to come to his house to teach him the Holy Qurān. One day, while teaching, the teacher asked A’lā C B Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) again and again to utter a word from a C B Qurānic Ayah but he ' > *= ﻋ ) could not utter it as his teacher asked him to do. The teacher would pronounce the word with C B a Zaber but A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) pronounced the same word with a Zaīr. When A’lā Ḥaḍrat’s grandfather Maulānā Razā C B ‘Alī Khān ' > *= ﻋ ) noticed this situation he called A’lā C B ) closer and asked for the Holy Qurān so that Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ the correct word could be seen. On seeing the Holy Quran, he discovered that the scribe had mistakenly written Zaber in C B place of Zaīr, i.e. what A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) uttered was C B correct. His grandfather ' > *= ﻋ ) asked, “Aḥmad Razā! Why did you not utter the word as your teacher did?” A’lā Ḥaḍrat C B '= ﻋ * > ) politely replied, “I tried to utter as the teacher did but I felt as if I did not have control over my tongue.” When similar incidents took place many times, the teacher asked A’lā C B Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) in solitude, “Son! Be honest with me; I promise I will not tell anybody, are you a human being or a Jinn?”
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C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
C B A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) replied, “All praise be to Allah , I am a human being, however, I have been blessed with the Benevolence and Bounty of Allah .” (Ḥayāt-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1,
P68, Maktaba-tul-Madīnaĥ Karachi)
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First Fatwā At the age of 13 years, 10 months and 4 days, a Dastār (certification of the completion of Islamic studies) was conferred C B ) as he had completed all the traditional on A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' ﻋ Islamic disciplines from his respected father Maulānā Naqī ‘Alī C B C B Khān ' > *= ﻋ * > ) . On the very same day, he '= ﻋ ) wrote a Fatwā in reply to a query. Finding the Fatwā correct and C B ) accurate, his exalted father Maulānā Naqī ‘Alī Khān ' > *= ﻋ ' ﻋ = > C B ) delegated to him the office of Muftī and A’lā Ḥaḍrat * continued the services of Iftā till his demise. (Ḥayāt-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1, P279, Maktaba-tul-Madīnaĥ, Bāb-ul-Madīnaĥ Karachi)
A’lā Ḥaḍrat’s Expertise in Mathematics C B ) was blessed with unimaginable treasure of A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' ﻋ knowledge in innumerable disciplines. He made his contribution to about fifty disciplines and wrote valuable books. He possessed expertise in almost every discipline. He had such perfection in ‘Ilm-e-Tawqīt (science of the determination of timings of Ṣalāĥ and Fasting) that he would set his clock merely by looking at
3
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
the sun in daytime and the stars at night. The time he set was always accurate and never differed by even a single minute. C B A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' ﻋ ) was exceptionally skilled in mathematics. Once, Dr. Zīā-ud-Dīn, the vice chancellor of ‘Alī Gařĥ University, who possessed foreign degrees and awards, visited A’lā Ḥaḍrat C B '= ﻋ * > ) to seek the solution to a mathematical problem. C B A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) asked him to express his problem. He C B replied “It is not so easy to express this problem.” He ' ﻋ ) asked again, “Express a bit!” The vice chancellor described the full complexity of the problem but, to his astonishment, A’lā C B Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) instantly provided a satisfactory solution! Stunned by listening to the correct answer, Dr. Zīā-ud-Dīn said, “I had made up my mind to go to Germany for the solution to this problem but fortunately our Professor of Islamic studies, Maulānā Sayyid Sulaymān Ashraf Sahib guided me to come here. It seems as if you were already looking into the solution to the same problem in some book.” He went back pleased and satisfied. He became so impressed by the grand C B personality of A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' ﻋ ) that he grew beard and became regular in offering Ṣalāĥ and observing fasts in Ramadan. (Ḥayāt-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1, P223-228, Maktaba-tul-Madīnaĥ, Bāb-ul-Madīnaĥ Karachi) C B A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) also possessed considerable proficiency in Taksīr, Astronomy and ‘Ilm-e-Jafar etc.
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C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
Amazing Power of Memory C B Abū Ḥāmid, Sayyid Muhammad Kacĥocĥawī ' > *= ﻋ ) says that when people felt exhausted in search of the articles of jurisprudence for the completion of their answers, they went C B ) who provided the correct references to A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ C B ) would promptly give such immediately. A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ replies as this clause is present with so and so wording in so and so line of so and so page of so and so volume of Rad-dul-Muḥtār; that clause is present in so and so line of so and so page of Durre-Mukhtār; this wording is available in so and so line C B /page/volume of ‘Ālamgīrī. Likewise, he ' > *= ﻋ ) would tell exact wording with accurate page and line number of the books of Islamic jurisprudence such as Ĥindiyaĥ, Khaīriyaĥ, Mabsūṭ etc. When the original books were referred to, the same C B wordings, lines and pages as uttered by A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) were found. All we can say is that he had memorized the last 1400 years books by virtue of divinely bestowed power of memory. (Ḥayāt-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1, P210, Maktaba-tut-Madīnaĥ, Bāb-ul-
Madīnaĥ Karachi)
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Memorising the Qurān in Just One Month C B Sayyid Ayyūb ‘Alī ' > *= ﻋ ) states that one day A’lā Ḥaḍrat C B '= ﻋ * > ) said, “Some unaware people write the title of ‘Ḥāfiẓ’ with my name whereas I don’t deserve it as I am not a Ḥāfiẓ of
5
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
C B the Holy Qurān.” Sayyid Ayyūb ' > *= ﻋ ) further says that C B ) started memorising the Qurān from the A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ very same day. Probably, the duration for this memorization was from having made the Wuḍū for Ṣalā-tul-‘Ishā to the commencement of Jamā’at of Ṣalā-tul-‘Ishā. A’lā Ḥaḍrat C B '= ﻋ * > ) memorised one Pāraĥ (section) every day and he finished the 30th Pāraĥ on the 30th day. On one occasion, A’lā C B ) said, “I have memorized the Holy Qurān in Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ sequence making efforts. I have done so in order that the utterance of the people who write ‘Ḥāfiẓ’ as a title with my name may not turn out wrong.” (Ḥayāt-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1, P208,
Maktaba-tul-Madīnaĥ, Bāb-ul-Madīnaĥ Karachi)
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Love for the Holy Prophet C B The personality of A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) was a symbol of ? profound love for the Exalted Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 . The intensity of the love of A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋC B ) for the Holy ? Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 may be realized by reading his poetic masterpiece ‘Ḥadāiq-e-Bakhshish’ in which every line on every page is an obvious proof of his immense love for the Exalted ? Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ ) 4 . Every single line which he ' ﻋC B ? has written in praise of the Holy Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 from the bottom of his heart testifies to his immense love & admiration for the Exalted Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ4 ? . He never wrote any poem in flattery of any worldly lord because he had
6
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
adopted obedience and devotion to the Exalted Prophet C B with heart and soul. He ' > *= ﻋ ) expressed his sentiments in the following couplet:
? '3 ٖ * '= ﻋ * > 4
Inĥayn jānā Inĥayn mānā na rakĥā ghayr say kām Lillaĥ-il-Ḥamd mayn duniyā say Musalmān gayā
Refraining from Flattering the Governors Once, various poets composed poems in the praise and compliment of the Count of Nan-Para (district Behraich-UP, C B India). Some people requested A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) to compose a poem in praise of the count. In reply to this, A’lā C B Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) wrote a hymn in praise of the Exalted ? ٖ ' 3 ' ﻋ = * Prophet * > 4 with the following opening couplet: Woĥ kamāl ḥusn-e-Ḥuḍūr ĥay kay gumān-e-naqṣ jaĥān naĥi Yaĥī phūl khār say dūr ĥay yaĥī sham’a ĥay kay dĥuwān naĥi
And in the closing couplet, A’lā Ḥaḍrat word “Nān Pāraĥ” so beautifully!
C B '= ﻋ * > )
put the
Karūn madḥ-e-aĥl-e-duwal Razā Pařay is balā mayn merī balā Mayn gadā ĥoon apnay Karīm ka merā dīn pāra-e-nān naĥi C B A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) says, “Why should I compliment the rich? I am a beggar of the court of the Benevolent Prophet ? '3 ٖ * '= ﻋ * > 4 . My religion is not ‘Para-e-Nān.” ‘Pāraĥ’ means a
7
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
piece and ‘Nān’ means bread, which implies, “It is none of my business to gain pieces of bread by flattering lords; !& '! $ !# " ! I am not a puppet of the worldly lords.”
Beholding of Muṣṭafā in Wakefulness C B When A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) went to perform Hajj for the second time, he kept reciting Durūd & Salām in front of the sacred tomb till late night with the desire of beholding the ? Exalted Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 but, in the first night, he was not predestined to be blessed with this privilege. On this occasion, he wrote a famous lyric1 in whose opening couplet he expressed the hope of attachment with the merciful Prophet ? '3 ٖ * '= ﻋ * > 4 .
Woh sūay lālaĥ zār pĥirtay ĥayn Tayray din ay baĥār pĥirtay ĥayn
In the closing couplet, he sadly expressed his worthlessness in this way: Koī kyun pocĥay tayrī bāt Razā Tujĥ say shaīdā ĥazār pĥirtay ĥayn
(In the second line of the above written couplet, A’lā Ḥaḍrat C B '= ﻋ * > ) humbly used the word ‘dog’ for himself, however, Sag-e-Madīnaĥ has written ‘Shaīdā’ (meaning: one who is deeply in love) in honour. 1
A type of poem
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C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
Having presented the lyric, while he was sitting reverentially waiting for beholding, his fortune smiled as he was blessed ? with beholding the Holy Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 with open eyes in wakefulness. (Ḥayāt-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1, P92, Maktaba-tulMadīnaĥ, Bāb-ul-Madīnaĥ Karachi) %& '! 7 * D!3 ! !"
May we be sacrificed on those eyes that beheld ? the beloved Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 in wakefulness! He was deservedly blessed with this privilege as he was devoted to the Holy Prophet and engrossed in his love, which is evident from his poetry.
Glimpses from Character A’lā Ḥaḍrat
C B '= ﻋ * > )
said, “If someone split my heart into
two pieces, he will see ُ َﻵاِﻟ ٰـ َ اِﻻ َّ اﻟـﻠّٰـinscribed on one piece and ِ ُﻣ َﺤ ّﻤ ٌَﺪ َّر ُﺳ ْﻮ ُل اﻟـﻠّٰـon the other.” (Savāniḥ Imām Aḥmad Razā, P96, Maktaba Nūria Razawīyyaĥ Sukkur)
Tājdār-e-Aĥl-e-Sunnat, Shaĥzādaĥ-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, Ḥuḍūr Muftī C B ) says in e-A’ẓam Hind Maulānā Muṣṭafā Razā Khān ' > *= ﻋ Sāmān-e-Bakhshish: ? Khudā aik per ho to aik per Muhammad '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4
Agar qalb apnā do Pāraĥ karun mayn
In the eyes of the eminent and respected scholars and saints of C B his time, A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) was fully captivated in the ? love of the Exalted Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 . He was often 9
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
found gloomy due to being away from the Holy Prophet ? C B ) read the '3 ٖ * '= ﻋ * > * > 4 . When A’lā Ḥaḍrat '= ﻋ blasphemous statements written by the ‘paid blasphemers’, tears C B would well up in his eyes. He ' > *= ﻋ ) forcefully refuted them so that they may be diverted to writing against him in ? reaction rather than against the Exalted Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 . A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋC B ) often felt proud that Allah has made him a shield for the protection of the glory of the Noble ? Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 in his era. He would refute their blasphemous statements forcefully and bitterly so that they become engaged in using their energy against him and, for that span, they would not blaspheme the beloved and blessed ? Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 . He says in Ḥadāiq-e-Bakhshish: Karun tayray nām pay jān fidā Nā bas aik jān do jaĥān fidā Do jaĥān say bĥī naĥi jī bĥarā Karun kya kařořon jaĥān naĥi C B A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) never let the poor go empty handed. He C B '= ﻋ * > ) would always help them. Even in the last moments of his life, he made a will to his relatives to look after the poor, serve delicious food to them and never rebuke them. C B A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) often remained busy with writing and C B compiling books. He ' > *= ﻋ ) offered Ṣalāĥ with Jamā’at C B (Congregation) throughout his life. He ' > *= ﻋ ) would consume very little amount of food, and sleep for only one and
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C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
a half or two hours daily. (Ḥayāt-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1, P96, Maktaba-tutMadīnaĥ, Bāb-ul-Madīnaĥ Karachi)
A Unique Way of Sleeping C B At the time of sleeping, Ala Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) would place his
C B thumb on his index finger forming the word ‘ ّٰ’اﻟﻠ. He ' ﻋ ) would never stretch out his legs while asleep. He would sleep on his right side with both hands combined and placed under C B his head. He ' > *= ﻋ ) would then bend his legs. In this way
his body would portray the word ‘’ ُﻣ َﺤ َّﻤﺪ. (Hayat-e-A’lā Ḥaḍrat, V1, P99, Maktaba-tul-Madīnaĥ, Bāb-ul-Madīnaĥ Karachi)
These are the unique manners of the devotees of Allah and the ? lovers of His noble Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 . Nām-e-Khudā ĥay ĥāth mayn nām-e-Nabi ĥay żāt mayn Muĥr-e-Ghulāmī ĥay pařī, likĥay ĥuway ĥayn nām do
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The Train Kept Halted! C B ) was travelling from Peeli-Bheet Once, A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ to Bareilly by train. During the journey, the train stopped at Nawāb-Ganj train station for two minutes. Since the time of C B Maghrib-Ṣalāĥ had started, A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) came out of the train along with his companions to offer Ṣalāĥ on the platform. The companions were worried as to what they would
11
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
C B do if the train departed, but A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) was very C B ) got the Azan uttered and started the calm. He ' > *= ﻋ congregational Ṣalāĥ of Maghrib. On the other hand, the driver turned the ignition on, but mysteriously, the train did not move at all. Senior officers, the station master and other people assembled to look into the problem. The driver told them that there was no engine trouble. Suddenly, a Pundit (Hindu priest) yelled, “Look over there! A ‘Darvesh’ is praying, perhaps that’s C B the reason why the train is not moving!” A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' ﻋ ) was mobbed by a lot of people. Having completed his Ṣalāĥ, as C B ) boarded the train along with soon as A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ his followers, the train started moving.
It’s true that the one who devotes himself to divine commandments, everything abides by his commands.
Books C B ) wrote approximately 1000 books on A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ C B ) wrote millions of ‘Fatāwā’ (legal different topics. He ' > *= ﻋ rulings) from the period 1286 A.H. to 1340 A.H., but unfortunately, all of them could not be recorded. Those which were copied have been compiled under the title ‘Al-‘Aṭāyā-eNabawiyyaĥ fil Fatāwā-e-Razawīyyaĥ.’ The latest edition of ‘Fatāwā-e-Razawīyyaĥ’ consists of 30 volumes, 21656 pages, 6847 questions-answers and 206 booklets. (Fatāwā-e-Razawīyyaĥ (New Edition) V30, P10, Razā foundation, Markaz-ul-Auliyā Lahore) An ocean of argumentation is turbulent in each Fatwā. His thorough
12
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
knowledge of Qurān, Aḥadiš, Fiqĥ, Mantiq (logic) etc. can be judged only by a deep study of his Fatāwā. An introduction of some of his other books:
ٰ
+ + C B ‘?@A E F * > ) wrote this G "> => ?@ABC =D;<’: A’lā Ḥaḍrat '= ﻋ booklet condemning those who slander Allah by associating the vice of “telling lies” with Him. This booklet was a death blow to the opponents’ fabricated standpoint.
C B ‘RSI $ OP Q JKB L M* N :I 5$ ) , H#’: In this book, A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' ﻋ through Ayahs of the Holy Qurān, has proven that the earth is stationary refuting the scientific theory regarding the motion
ۡ +
’, ‘OPE"C V T7U’, of earth. His other precious books include, ‘( & B C & C
+
+
+ ‘"Z[ YC A @WX ’, ‘:(^_
]@"BC \< ’, ‘N @ 34 N" ’ etc.
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Translation of the Holy Qurān The Urdu translation of the Holy Qurān on the part of A’lā C B Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) is superior to all other Urdu translations of the present era. (Savāniḥ Imām Aḥmad Razā, P373, Maktaba Nuria C B Razawīyyaĥ Sukkur) The translation written by A’lā Ḥaḍrat ) '= ﻋ * > is called ‘Kanz-ul-Īmān.’ A’lā Ḥaḍrat’s spiritual successor, C B ) has Maulānā Sayyid Na’īm-ud-dīn Murādābādī ' > *= ﻋ written a brief exegesis of Kanz-ul-Īmān. 13
C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
The Sad Demise Deriving the year of his demise from a Qurānic Ayah, A’lā C B Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) gave the news of his demise four months and twenty days before. That Qurānic Ayah is as follows:
( / !K CI J !5 7! CI ! !H* ! G ! ! '! F 9 ! E Translation from Kanz-ul-Īmān
Rounds of silver utensils and goblets will be there for them. (Sawanih Imām Aḥmad Razā, P384, Maktaba Nuria Razawīyyaĥ Sukkur) th C B Ala Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) passed away on 25 Safar-ul-Muẓaffar 1340 Ĥijrī (1921) on Friday at 2:38 p.m. (according to Indian
Standard Time). As soon as the Mūażżin uttered ?36 `C VT a+ b, A’lā Ḥaḍrat Imām-e-Aĥl-e-Sunnat, Mujaddid of Ummaĥ, revivalist of Sunnaĥ, eradicator of Bid’aĥ, scholar of Sharī’aĥ, guide of Ṭarīqaĥ, ‘Allāmaĥ Maulānā Al-Ḥāj Al-Ḥāfiẓ Al-Qārī Ash-Shaĥ Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān 7*B C B ) ' ﻋdeparted this life.
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Even today, his blessed shrine is the focal point for visitors in Bareilly Sharīf.
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C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
Wait in the Court of the Holy Prophet On 25th Safar-ul-Muẓaffar (1340 A.H.), a Syrian scholar dreamed in Baīt-ul-Muqaddas that he was present in the great ? court of the Exalted Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 ; Holy Prophet’s Companions G M =* > L * > N ) ) & ) and Awliyā (Allah’s friends = G B were also present and there was total silence. It seemed as if they were waiting for someone. The Syrian scholar humbly ? asked the beloved Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 , “O Prophet of ? Allah '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 ! May my parents be sacrificed on you! ? Who is being awaited?” The beloved Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 replied “We are waiting for Aḥmad Razā.” The scholar asked, ? “Who is Aḥmad Razā?” The beloved Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 replied, “He is an inhabitant of Bareilly in India.” When the saint awoke, he immediately journeyed from Syria to Bareilly C B Sharīf to meet A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ ) , but to his dismay, he C B ) had passed away on the learnt that A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋ th same day (i.e. 25 Safar, 1340 A.H.) when he had seen the ? Holy Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 in the dream waiting for “Aḥmad Razā.” (Savāniḥ Imām Aḥmad Razā, P391, Maktaba Nuria Razawīyyaĥ Sukkur)
Yā Ilāĥī jab Razā Khuwāb-e-girān say sar utĥāye ? Dawlat-e-baīdār ‘ishq-e-Muṣṭafā '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 kā sātĥ ĥo
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C B * > A Brief Biography of Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān '= ﻋ )
A’lā Ḥaḍrat ' > *= ﻋC B ) and Cucumber Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān 7*B C B ) ' ﻋwas once invited for a meal. The food had been served but all the people present over C B there were waiting for Imām Aḥmad Razā ' > *= ﻋ ) to begin C B eating. He ' > *= ﻋ ) picked up a piece of cucumber and ate it. Then he ' > *= ﻋC B ) ate the second and the third. Following suit, all the guests stretched their hands out towards the container C B of cucumber, but the Shaykh ' > *= ﻋ ) stopped them and asked for all the cucumber to be given to him. Hence, he ate all C B the cucumber on the dinning-mat. The Shaykh ' > *= ﻋ ) was ' ﻋ = > C B ) known to eat very little, therefore, when he * ate all the cucumber, the guests were astonished. The guests inquired as to why he ate all the cucumber. The Honourable Shaykh C B '= ﻋ * > ) replied that the first piece was bitter, and so were the second and the third. Since eating cucumber is a Sunnaĥ of ? the Exalted Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 , and this cucumber was bitter, he did not want anyone to spit out the bitter cucumber. May Allāĥ bless him and forgive us for his sake! ? Mujĥ ko Mīthay Muṣṭafā '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ 4 kī sunnaton say piyār hay !&'! % do jahān mayn apnā bayřā pār hay
Sunnaĥs of the beloved Prophet '3 ٖ * ' > *= ﻋ4 ? , I love them all In both worlds !&'! % I will not fall
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