AL ASHARI SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

 Here’s the English translation of the text:

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*Maulana Syed Ahmad Hasan Rizvi Muhaddith Amrohvi*

Sayyid-ul-Ulama Maulana Ahmad Hasan Rizvi Muhaddith Amrohvi is counted among the senior scholars of Deoband. He was the first Sheikh-ul-Hadith of Darul Uloom Deoband. He obtained his sanad (chain of transmission) in Hadith from Shah Abdul Ghani, who was linked to the scholarly lineage of Shah Waliullah. 

Therefore, the importance of Maulana Syed Ahmad Hasan Muhaddith Amrohvi’s sanad in Hadith today is that he possessed a _musalsal_ sanad in Hadith which no one else in his circle had. For this reason, his rank in Hadith was exalted. _Tawatur_ in Hadith means that its chain reaches the Holy Prophet ﷺ without interruption. 

Similarly, in Tasawwuf, Maulana Ahmad Hasan had received _khilafat_ from Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki. The spiritual lineage of Hazrat Haji Sahib is considered of great importance among the Sufis of the subcontinent. 

In short, Sayyid-ul-Masood Maulana Syed Ahmad Hasan owned great qualities. He established a Darul Uloom in Amroha, UP, which was in the Jama Masjid of Amroha, and alhamdulillah its blessings continue even today. 

In the land of the Jama Masjid there were once fields. Maulana purchased that land and built large classrooms there, which still exist today. Among them is a large hall. In connection with being the founder of the institute, Hazrat Maulana’s blessed grave is in the courtyard of the Jama Masjid, where after Friday prayers the people of the city recite Fatiha. 

A great scholar and among the senior elders, Maulana Ahmad Hasan, in his distinguished speech, possessed special distinction in eloquence, expressive power, vast experience, and knowledge. With his beautiful appearance, character, attraction, and manners, he remained engaged in the field of action with human importance and determination. 

Hazrat was born in 1227 AH / 1850 CE and passed away in 1330 AH / 1912 CE. 

Hazrat Shah Abdullah alias Sahib Aziz, who passed away in 1879 and was from the Sadat Rizvi of Amroha, was the spiritual guide of Hazrat Muhaddith Amrohvi. Accordingly, when the lesson ended, he met with him. Instead of being angry, the Governor was deeply impressed by his sense of duty. This was the grandeur and greatness of Maulana Ahmad Hasan. 

Maulana’s successor and son, Maulana Hafiz Qari Syed Muhammad Rizvi alias Banne Miyan, followed in his father’s footsteps. He was, in the true sense, Maulana’s successor. In this way, he spent his entire life in the work of religious education and propagation of Islam. He was a graduate of Darul Uloom Deoband. He also established another madrasa, Islamia Arabia Chilla. Both madrasas still exist and are a continuous charity of this family. 

Maulana’s son, Maulana Qari Hafiz Syed Muhammad Rizvi’s wife, Fameena Khatoon, was in the true sense the daughter-in-law of Hazrat Muhaddith Amrohvi, in that she established Madrasa-tul-Banat for girls at home, where she taught Qur’an and religious education to the girls of the neighborhood and family. In addition, she delivered religious and spiritual speeches in gatherings held in various localities of the city. In these religious gatherings, people benefited from her beneficial speech. She was called a _muballigha_ (female preacher) of Islam. 

The writer of these lines, Professor Dr. Syed Ahmad Rizvi, has the honor of being the grandson of Maulana Ahmad Hasan. One of my religious books, _Muhawarat-ul-Qur’an_, has been published, which I have dedicated to my grandfather, Sayyid Maulana Hazrat Maulana Syed Ahmad Hasan Muhaddith Amrohvi. 

The genealogical chain (_shijra nasab_) of Hazrat Muhaddith Amrohvi goes back to Hazrat Shah Abban Badri Chishti: Syed Ahmad Hasan bin Syed Akbar Husain bin Syed Nabi Bakhsh bin Syed Muhammad Husain bin Pir Syed Muhammad Hasan bin Syed Saifullah bin Syed Abul Ma’ali bin Syed Abdul Maqam bin Syed Abdul Qasim bin Hazrat Shah Abban Badri Chishti. 

The scholarly chain of Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Hasan Muhaddith Amrohvi meets Imam Raza, and thus he was a descendant of Hazrat Husain (RA). In this way, he was also a Husaini Sayyid. 

The scholarly greatness of Muhammad Hasan can be gauged from the fact that when Mahmud Ahmad Abbasi wrote his book _Tareekh-e-Amroha_ and mentioned the history of the scholars of Amroha with Shah Abdul Hadi, he also mentioned the name of Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Hasan. 

Maulana Kamruddin Allahabadi, Maulana Ghulam Yahya, Hakim Aminuddin Professor Tibbiya College Delhi, Maulvi Muhammad Hasan Husain, Maulana Khan Nizam, Maulana Abdul Ghani Sakin, Maulana Raza Hasan Sheikh-ul-Hadith Darul Uloom Jama Masjid Amroha are all included among his famous students. 

Among Maulana’s famous students are Hazrat Maulana Hafiz Abdur Rahman Siddiqui, Hakim Fareed Ahmad Abbasi, Maulana Syed Ali Zainabi of Madrasa-e-Aliya Lucknow and Sheikh-ul-Hadith in Nadwatul Ulama, Hafiz Ahmad ibn Maulana Qasim Nanotvi. 

Hazrat Muhaddith Amrohvi himself was not a physician by profession, but besides teaching Hadith he also taught Tibb (medicine). Accordingly, Amroha’s famous Hakim Zahir-ul-Haq, Hakim Islam-ul-Haq, Hakim Fareed Ahmad — and his own younger brother Hakim Hamid Hasan, who later became a medical officer in Hyderabad — were all his students. In this way, besides Hadith and Tafsir, Maulana Ahmad Hasan lit the lamp of Tibb in Amroha. 

The fame of his Hadith lessons can be estimated from the fact that students came from far and wide to attend his lessons. There came a time when students of knowledge came from Assam, Bengal, Sarhad, Peshawar, Hazar, Kabul, Kandahar, Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara, and after quenching their thirst from this ocean and obtaining sanad in Hadith, they would return. 

Among the Ulama of Deoband, Maulana Ahmad Hasan had the distinction that even jinn would participate in his Hadith lessons. Accordingly, it was observed in the city that when he gave a lesson, the entire hall would be filled with human forms, and as soon as the lesson ended, the hall would begin to empty. When Maulana mentioned this to his teacher Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi, he said: “Congratulations, jinn also attend your lessons.” 

Most of his time was spent in the compulsion of teaching and instruction, because he was so devoted to teaching that he did not get time for writing and compiling. Yet besides his sayings, his letters and fatwas are full of scholarly jewels. Accordingly, one of his books, _Wafadat-e-Ahmadiya_, has been published, in which Mufti Kifayatullah Dehlavi played a major role — who himself was a great scholar, Sheikh-ul-Hadith, and the Grand Mufti of India. 

Hazrat Muhaddith Amrohvi was also a high-ranking mufassir and thinker. He had deep insight into all collective religious and legal matters. Among his works, besides _Wafadat-e-Ahmadiya_, are speeches, Tafsir of the Qur’an, _Bayaz-e-Ahmadi_, and fatwas. 

Maulana Ahmad Hasan was also a powerful debater and engaged in munazaras. One famous munazara of his was at Nagina, held on 5 June 1904 between the Ulema of Islam and Arya Samaj pandits in Nagina, District Bijnor, UP. The report of the munazara writes that when Maulana Ahmad Hasan Sahib of Amroha revealed the beauties of the religion of Islam, the entire pandal was struck with awe. The eyes of the audience were fixed on the said Maulana, and from all sides the cries of _Subhan Allah_ were heard. This speech had such an effect that in that very pandal 1,000 Hindus accepted Islam at Maulana’s hand. Similarly, a munazara was also held in Rampur, which the Nawab of Rampur had first arranged in Rampur. 

Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Hasan’s mention has been made by Rahman Ali in his book _Tazkirat-ul-Ulama-e-Hind_, by Hakim Abdul Hadi in _Nijat-ul-Khwaab_, and besides that, his circumstances are described in _Tareekh-e-Deoband_, _Tareekh-e-Amroha_, and _Tareekh-e-Mashaikh Ulama-e-Deoband_. 

In the Majlis-e-Shura of the madrasa established by Maulana at Jama Masjid Amroha, besides the elders of the city, Nawab Waqar-ul-Mulk was also a member, who would participate in the meetings of the Shura with great devotion. 

Among the famous students who received education at the madrasa are Pakistan’s Mufti Mahmood, Maulana Fatimi of Majlis-e-Ilmi Karachi, Maulana Hafizur Rahman Seoharwi, Allama Abdul Aziz Meman, former Head of the Arabic Department at Karachi University, Maulana Syed Ijaz Ali Deoband, Maulana Ibrahim Balyawi the philosopher. 

Nawab Hafiz Ahmad Shahid Nawab of Chhatari, who was Sheikh-ul-Jamia of Muslim University Aligarh, was a devotee of Maulana Ahmad Hasan. The Nizam of Hyderabad offered Maulana Ahmad Hasan Muhaddith Amrohvi the post of Sadr-us-Sudoor, head of religious affairs, in his state, which he declined saying, “I only want to serve the students.” 

A famous incident in Maulana Ahmad Hasan’s life is that when the Governor of UP, who at the time was an Englishman named Governor Meston, came to Amroha, he expressed a desire to meet Maulana. He came to Madrasa Jama Masjid to meet Maulana. All the elders of the city and Nawab Waqar-ul-Mulk himself were present at the gate of the madrasa to receive the Governor. But because Maulana was teaching Hadith at that time, when he was informed of the Governor’s arrival, he said: “Tell him to please wait in the office; I will come after finishing the lesson.” 

Just as Nizam-ul-Mulk Tusi had established Nizamia University in Baghdad in 1067, similarly the Darul Uloom Jama Masjid Amroha established by Maulana Ahmad Hasan in Amroha had the status of an Islamic university, from where scholarly personalities of the Islamic world emerged. 

In the era of Maulana Ahmad Hasan Muhaddith Amrohvi, Amroha gained great fame in the Islamic world for religious and spiritual sciences. Amroha had become a Baghdad. 

Maulana’s son and the writer’s father, Maulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi, established Darul Uloom Chilla under the patronage of Hujjat-ul-Islam Maulana Abdul Shakoor Lakhnavi, Maulana Habib-ur-Rahman, and Hafiz Ahmad Sahib ibn Maulana Qasim Nanotvi, where students were guided towards the work of knowledge. 

Mahmud Ahmad Abbasi has mentioned Maulana Ahmad Hasan in these words: “Sayyid Maulana Syed Ahmad Hasan was a great elder of eloquent speech. He had received _khilafat_ in the Silsila Salasia Tariqa. He attained a high rank in Tasawwuf. After his noble guide, he illuminated the form of his lessons and speeches. He established his circles of sermons in Bulandshahr, UP, Delhi, and Sambhal. Then he graced the position of Sadr Mudarris at Madrasa Shahi Masjid Moradabad. 

The incident of Khurja: A noble and respected Begum of Khurja founded a madrasa. The Begum also had the intention of educating her son along with the madrasa. The Begum’s dream was that Maulana Naseem Ahmad Faridi, describing the incident, wrote: ‘I heard the true incident from Maulana Abdur Rahman Sahib of Surajpur that his grandmother saw the Holy Prophet ﷺ in a dream before Maulana Syed Ahmad Hasan came to Khurja, saying: “Our son will come to you, take care of him.” These words made Hazrat submit that whether the Sayyid was from the progeny of Hasan or Husain. It was said: “He is from the progeny of Husain.” 

After this, when Hazrat Muhaddith came to Khurja, Maulana was invited to her house. When Maulana went to her residence, this noble Muslim lady looked out from behind the veil out of need, and before her eyes was the same blessed face that had been shown in the dream. 

Hazrat Muhaddith was appointed Sadr Mudarris of Begum Masoom’s madrasa, and the education of the children was also placed under his supervision. As long as he remained in Khurja, the Begum’s son, the Nawab Sahib, and all the household continued to honor him. 

Ahmad Hasan Muhaddith came to Amroha in 1901 and laid the foundation of Madrasa Islamia. With your help, he remained Sheikh-ul-Hadith. 

You were included in the educational system of the entire Nizami curriculum, teaching, but Hadith and Tafsir were your specialty. It was often heard from your students that your explanation was so majestic that intricate issues would become very easy for students to understand, and along with that the greatness of the subject would also settle in their minds. Your manner was wise. Your students were countless, among whom were many distinguished and famous ones. 

In India, the true Ulema have always had a death-defying character, and such was Hazrat Muhaddith. For the jihad of freedom, the organized voice of Islam’s community was formally raised in 1911. A Jamaat named Jamiat-ul-Ansar was established before that, whose first session was held in April 1911 in Moradabad. Hazrat Muhaddith presided over this session. This session alerted the British government. The whole country was not familiar with such sessions at that time. 

Your manner of speech was so heart-piercing and heart-pleasing that listeners would remain attentively and interestedly listening to the end. You had a distinguished rank. In scholarly and jurisprudential matters, when Ulema were in confusion, they would turn to you for every difficulty. Your opinion and your fatwa would become authority for the Ulema. 

Hazrat Muhaddith was not only a master of exoteric sciences but also famous for inner miracles. Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi has also recorded such incidents. Note: A few days before his passing, while giving a lesson in Hadith, he suddenly said: “Our time is near. After me, give me space in the madrasa itself.” Accordingly, not even a week had passed that you passed away. 

After four days of illness, this illuminated moon of knowledge and excellence set into the veil of mortality. According to your will, your earthly body was laid to rest in the courtyard of Jama Masjid Amroha. There was such a crowd at the funeral that the land of Amroha had never seen such a scene before. The city of Amroha was packed with Maulanas. 

The funeral prayer of Hazrat Muhaddith was led by Hazrat Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad of Darul Uloom Deoband. At the time of burial, the sheet of the shroud was torn into pieces and kept as relics. Hazrat Maulana’s face was beautiful, pure in intention, and self-respecting. 

From the incident of your passing, such a shock reached the Islamic world that in Egypt, Turkey, Arabia, and other countries funeral prayers in absentia were performed. Upon hearing, it was said that the lamp of Hadith had been extinguished from India. 

On your passing, countless elegies and chronograms were written, among them the elegy of Maulana Mahmud-ul-Hasan, and from Maulana Habib-ur-Rahman Usmani, Nazim of Darul Uloom Deoband. From their grief the extent of the shock can be gauged. Mufti Kifayatullah, Mufti-e-Azam Hind, and Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, etc. Hazrat Qasim passed away in 1330 AH. 

In Maulana Ahmad Hasan’s Darul Uloom Jama Masjid Amroha, Jalaluddin Rumi’s _Masnavi Ma’navi_, Fariduddin Attar’s famous _Tazkirat-ul-Auliya_, Imam Ghazali’s works, and Shah Waliullah were taught. Ibn Sina’s _Kitab al-Shifa_ and _Qanun_ were taught. Discussions on Fakhruddin Iraqi and Mulla Jalaluddin Dawani’s theory of time and space took place. 

Amroha, in the era of Maulana Ahmad Hasan, had become important as a depth of Islamic civilization. Therefore, about Maulana Ahmad Hasan Muhaddith Amrohvi it can be said: _“Na utha koi phir koi Rumi Ajami ke laal hazaron se, wahi ab aap ko gul hain, wahi Tabrez hai Saqi”_ — Iqbal. 

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