Introduction
The two reasons why this article was written are as follows. Firstly, so that people may become aware of the life-long struggle and perseverance of a true Aashiq-e-Rasool (one who has immense love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). Secondly it is a small gift which I present to my subject as a token of thanks, and it will become apparent why my subject is a worthy recipient of this as we progress. If a book were to be written about my subject that included all his accomplishments, it would take years upon years to compile it. It is for this reason that I have attempted to keep this article short and have tried to summarise my opinions.
Background
Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, the Muslims of the world were segregated only into two major groups: the Sunnis who formed the majority of the Muslims and the Shi'ites, who were somewhat less populous. It was in this particular period of Islamic history that the Muslim World was to witness the emergence of new sects in their religion. This new emergence was not, however, the work of Muslims but was the propaganda of the British who were to be found in Indian Subcontinent at this time. The British saw that the Muslims of the world were split only into two groups which were managing to get along and were seeming to ignore each other and keep out of each others way. This got the British frustrated and so they tried to think of ways in which they could cause strife amongst the Muslims. It would be appropriate at this stage to highlight the fact that a school headmaster in those days would receive sixteen rupees a month as his wages. It was this sum of money which gave the British their ideas and notions. They decided to offer any Muslim scholar who would cause tension amongst the Muslims six hundred rupees a month to write and preach against the teachings of Islam. This would inevitably cause friction and misunderstandings amongst the Muslims. So, when the British initiated this trait, some scholars, who were obviously not quite loyal to their religion, accepted the offer and began writing and preaching a false Islam.
At this weak point in Islamic history, the Muslims were looking for a saviour. A saviour to the likes of Imam Ghazzali, who, when anti-Islamists attempted to destroy Islam using philosophy, studied philosophy and brought shame to their frail attempts. They were seeking a leader who was in line with Salahuddin Ayyubi, who defeated the Christians and bought Jerusalem back to the Muslims. They were searching for a liberator to the liking of Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, who, when Akbar tried to invent his own religion and make people bow down to him instead of Allah (swt), with his unique ability, refused to bow down to Akbar and saved the Muslims from Shirk (polytheism). At this point, it gives me great honour to write that they were looking for none other than A'la Hazrat, Imam of the Ahle-Sunnat, the Reviver of Islam, the Leader of the Aashiqeen (those who sincerely have love for Prophet Muhammad (saw)) Ash-Shah, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi (ra) (may Allah (swt) shower abundant blessings on his soul). From now on, I will address my subject by the title which is attributed to him by all those who recognise his greatness, namely A'la Hazrat, meaning the highest one.
Birth and Early Life
Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi (ra) was born on the 14th of June in the year 1856 (10th Shawwal 1272 AH) in the north-Indian town of Bareilly (U.P.). From an early age, his intellect shone through and he particularly enjoyed games that involved numbers. Astrologers had predicted that a great occurrence would transpire on the day that he was born. A'la Hazrat (ra) completed the reading the Qur'an at the age of four and at the tender of six, he delivered a two-hour long lecture on the subject of Milad-un-Nabi and by the time he was twelve, he had already written a book in Arabic. Therefore, it is clearly evident that A'la Hazrat (ra) possessed an extraordinary mental ability. A'la Hazrat (ra) deduced his year of birth (1272 AH) from a verse of the Qur'an and also his year of demise (1340 AH).
His Graduation and first Hajj
A'la Hazrat (ra) received his religious education from his grandfather and his father, who were both great scholars of their time. In the year 1869, A'la Hazrat (ra) received his 'Dastaar-e-Fazilat' (graduation) and was now, at the age of thirteen a full Alim (Scholar) and in the same year he gave his first religious ruling (fatwa). In the year 1878, whilst A'la Hazrat (ra) was on Hajj, Shaykh Husain bin Salih Jameel claimed that he saw the noor (divine light) of Allah (swt) on the face of A'la Hazrat (ra).
The Riddance of False Ideas
As it has been mentioned earlier, during the mid and late nineteenth century, the Indian subcontinent was being propagandised by so-called Ulema who were doing nothing for Islam except for destroying it.
Below are some of the anti-Islamic beliefs that these Ulema preached:
· the thought of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) during Salah (prayer) is worse than thinking of a donkey
· the names Muhammad and Ali don't deserve any special reverence
· the beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) is like our elder brother and should be respected as such
· Khatamun Nabiyeen (seal of Prophetsas) didn't mean that our beloved Prophet Muhammadsaw was the final prophet
· Allah (swt) was capable of lying
· the organising of gatherings to celebrate the Holy birth of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) and participating in them was against Islam
· the way in which our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) has knowledge of the unseen (Ilm-e-Ghaib), in the same way little children and animals also have this knowledge
· they questioned the idea of following Jurists (ra) (taqleed)
· they questioned the Sufis (mystics)
· they questioned the righteous Ulema
It was in this weak point in Islamic history that, A'la Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi (ra), using Ishq-e-Rasool (love of the Prophet Muhammad (saw)) as his one and only tool, rescued the Muslims of coming generations from adopting anti-Islamic thoughts and teachings and led a battle single-handedly against the Wahhabi and Deobandi Ulema (those who preached false ideas).
His Oceanic Knowledge
A'la Hazrat (ra) was a great scholar, he was a living miracle of Prophet Muhammad (saw). A scholar of the Holy city of Makkah once read an Arabic fatwa of A'la Hazrat (ra) and remarked that "If Imam-e-Azam Abu Hanifa Nu'man bin Thabit (ra) read this fatwa it would bring coolness to his eyes and he would choose A'la Hazrat (ra) as one of his students"
Even the scholars of Arabia wrote to A'la Hazrat (ra) regarding religious verdicts and received answers which were astounding The University of Patna in India granted a doctorate to his fatawa and also the professors of Leiden University in the Netherlands are currently studying them.
The Qur'an, tafseer (commentary of the Qur'an), hadith and fiqh (jurisprudence) were his main fields but it is said that he was an expert in one hundred and five subjects. It was for these reasons that the Ulema of India for the first time in the year 1900, began to write 'Mujaddid' (reviver) alongside the name of A'la Hazrat (ra).
Out of the thousand or so books that A'la Hazrat (ra) wrote throughout his life, his Magnum Opus was the 'Fatawa-e-Rizwiyah' which consists of twelve volumes each of around one thousand pages. This book contains the religious verdicts that A'la Hazrat (ra) gave during his most illustrious life. The magnificence of the whole collection of 'Fatawa-e-Rizwiyah' can be judged by the fact that the whole of the first volume alone is only concerned with cleanliness.
As it has been stated, A'la Hazrat (ra) was an expert in one hundred and five fields, fields which not just related to Islam but related to secular studies. The Vice Chancellor of Aligarh University, India, Sir Ziauddin once had a mathematical problem that he, nor any mathematician he knew, could solve. Therefore, he planned to go to Germany and find his solution. However, someone advised him first to visit A'la Hazrat (ra) to see if he could solve this problem to save Ziauddin a long journey. Sir Ziauddin replied, "He (A'la Hazrat (ra)) is an Alim, how could he possibly resolve a mathematical query?" After some discussion Sir Ziauddin was persuaded to visit Bareilly. When he showed A'la Hazrat (ra) the problem, A'la Hazrat (ra) instantly gave Sir Ziauddin the solution which left Sir Ziauddin to declare:
"I have until now only heard of 'Ilm-e-Ladunni' (knowledge which is granted by Allah (swt) without any effort from the recipient), but today I have seen it in Ahmad Raza"
Love for the Messenger (saw)
It was the immense love for Allah (swt) himself that made A'la Hazrat (ra) hold so much love and affection for the beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw). A'la Hazrat (ra) always taught that it was the love of the Prophet (saw) that was the foundation of Islam. It was due to the love for the Holy Prophet (saw) that the Muslim nation came into existence, it was due to the love for the Holy Prophet (saw) that the Muslim nation is living, and it is also because of the love for the Messenger of Allah (saw) that the nation will continue to live. A'la Hazrat (ra) taught that when the love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) disappears so the death of the nation will befall. He didn't let the Muslim hearts lose this love, he kept it alive. He knew well that it was this very love that gave the Sahaba (ra) victory. Alongside the love for the Prophet (saw), he also preached that the knowledge of the unseen was given to the Prophet (saw). He questioned that if the Qur'an contains the knowledge of all the world and the Qur'an is also embedded in the heart of the Prophet (saw), both of which are true, then why can't the beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) possess all the knowledge that exists? The love that A'la Hazrat (ra) had for the Prophet Muhammmad (saw) can also be seen in his anthology 'Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish' (Garden of Generosity), in which every line of every page is impervious of the fact that the most sacred thing in the world to A'la Hazrat (ra) was the love of the Prophet (saw)
.
It is people like A'la Hazrat (ra) that remind us of the hadith of the final Prophet (saw),
"None of you can truly become a believer until you love me more than your parents, your children and the whole of creation"
A hadith which, when we look at the life of A'la Hazrat (ra), confirms that he was the truest Mu'min (believer).
Political Mind
Even though the idea of separation of Pakistan from India is largely thought to be the work of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and originally the idea of Allama Muhammad Iqbal which succeeded in 1947, it was A'la Hazrat (ra) who was the first person to think of division. A'la Hazrat (ra) exclaimed the slogan of two nations when Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal were both still thinking of the one nation idea. The voice of A'la Hazrat (ra) reached the ears of both of these people and forced them change their mind and adopt the two nation thought which in the end resulted in the formation of Pakistan.
Challenging the Wahhabi and Deobandi Ulema
The main task with which the Wahhabi and Deobandi scholars involved themselves with was to denigrate and lower the status of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). To counteract this, A'la Hazrat (ra) worked day and night to restore the true Islam and rid the Indian subcontinent of these wrong ideas which the Wahhabi and Deobandi Ulema preached.
The names of some of these Ulema are listed below:
· Molvi Ismail Dehlvi
· Molvi Ashraf Ali Thanvi
· Molvi Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi
· Molvi Qasim Nanotvi
· Molvi Khaleel Ahmad Ambethvi
There were many other Ulema who preached similar ideas to those mentioned above, however, the above are considered to be the pioneers. It was the dogmas that the Wahhabi and Deobandi scholars wrote about which were the focal point of A'la Hazrat's (ra) writings. As it has been mentioned earlier, one of the lies that was told by the misguided scholars was that the Holy Prophet Muhammadsaw was like a normal human being, and so he should be treated like our elder brother. It was scandalous statements such as this one which caused A'la Hazrat (ra) to centre his writings around Noor-e-Muhammadi (the light from which the Prophet (saw) was made). The Wahhabi and Deobandi Ulema received such brilliant proof from A'la Hazrat (ra) regarding our Prophet (saw) being Noor (light) that they accepted that he was not a normal Alim (scholar) but was a great thinker of the time.
It was when A'la Hazrat (ra) was on Hajj that he heard the Ulema of Makkah arguing in negation of the Prophet's (saw) knowledge of the unseen (Ilm-e-Ghaib). Due to Ilm-e-Ghaib being an attribute of the Holy Prophet (saw), denying it is a serious matter. Therefore, A'la Hazrat (ra), in order to save these Ulema from adopting misguided beliefs and also to hold high the Status of our beloved Prophet (saw) (a status that we can't even begin to imagine), decided to compile a book in the Arabic language. However, this was to be no ordinary book. It would in the end consist of 135 pages and be written from start to finish in a diminutive period of eight hours. Also, since A'la Hazrat (ra) was on a trip, he wasn't carrying any books to which he could refer whilst writing his masterpiece. This is another certification of A'la Hazrat's (ra) genius and also proof of his astounding love for the Messenger (saw) of which there are many more which cannot all be mentioned. After reading this work of genius, the Ulema were shunned at the wisdom that A'la Hazrat possessed. When it came to identifying a Kafir (disbeliever), A'la Hazrat (ra) was a personality that didn't care to look at this persons position. The fatwa of Kufr (disbelief) would have been given by A'la Hazrat (ra) whether the person was an illiterate nobody or whether the person served as the Principal of a big Dar-ul-Uloom (House of Knowledge).
All in all, it was the struggle of A'la Hazrat (ra) that halted the efforts of the Wahhabi and Deobandi Ulema in achieving their goal to snatch the love of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) from the hearts of innocent Muslims who didn't know better for worse in matters of Aqeedah (creed). The perseverance of A'la Hazrat (ra) paid dividends and today the Muslims of the World are steadfast on the Sirat-e-Mustaqeem (the Right Path), the path that A'la Hazrat (ra) re-opened for us to follow.
What Others Say About Him
Below is a summary of what other scholars, including contemporaries, professors, Directors of Organisations, and eulogists have to write regarding A'la Hazrat (ra).
Allama Hidayatullah Sindhi Muhajir Madni (Written in 1912)
"The scholar of his time, the jurist of his time, the reviver of Islam, the one who sacrificed his life for the religion of Muhammad (saw) and its protection. When it came to eulogising the Prophet (saw), he left everything behind. He was lost in the ocean of love for the Prophet (saw) at all times. He extracted such pearls from the art of eulogising the Prophet (saw) that these pearls are priceless in this world and in the hereafter. May Allah (swt) keep him well and keep those who benefit from him alive until the Day of Judgment. Aameen!"
Allama Sayyid Muhammad Muhaddith Kachochvira (Lecturer in Subcontinent, a Pioneer in the formation of Pakistan and great Scholar)
"When I read the 'Qaseedah-e-Mi'raajiyah' of A'la Hazrat (ra) in Lucknow, everyone became mystified with delight. I asked their opinion about the eulogy and the consensus was that it was brilliant"
Allama Abul Hasan Zayd Farooqi Mujaddidi (Graduate of Jamia Azhar, Egypt, and a Grand Scholar of India)
"When I sent a question to Maulana Ahmad Raza he replied with such a complete and comprehensive answer that I kept this answer in a safe place. One day I was looking at the answer when Maulana Kifayatullah (a well known scholar of the Deobandi sect) suddenly arrived and glanced at the answer and remarked:
"It is not an overstatement when it is said that Maulana Ahmad Raza's knowledge was extraordinary"
Zia-ul-Mashaaikh Hazrat Muhammad Ibrahim Farooqi Mujadddidi (Kabul, Afghanistan)
"Indeed Mufti Ahmad Raza Khan Qadri was a great scholar. His service to the field of fiqh (jurisprudence) is a worthy foundation for the Ahle-Sunnat-wa-Jama'at and if his lifelong work is called the might and vigour of the nation then in saying this there is no exaggeration."
Ustad-ul-Ulema Allama Ata Muhammad Bandyalvi (Bandyal, District Sargodha, Pakistan)
"The star of Bareilly (ra) wrote around a thousand books and whichever subject he lifted his pen upon, he left it complete. The Magnum Opus of these books is his translation of the Qur'an, 'Kanzul Imaan', which is second to none. Also, only that translation is of the highest quality which is written by one who is an expert of Tafseer (commentary of the Glorious Qur'an). The difficulties and their solutions which have been solved very strenuously by many Mufassireen (commentators) using many pages, this Blessed Translation has revealed as much in only a few words."
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (A big Scholar of the Deobandi Sect)
"I have abundant respect for Ahmad Raza in my heart. He used to call us Kafir but only on the basis of love for the Prophet (saw) and on no other ground.
Maulana Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi (Lahore, Pakistan)
"I have great respect for Maulana Ahmad Raza's knowledge. He used to possess knowledge of religion in abundance and his greatness is credited by even those who don't agree with him."
Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi (Founder of Nadwat-ul-Ulema, Lucknow)
"The book that he wrote regarding 'Sajdah-e-Ta'zeemi' (Prostration of Respect), with its comprehensiveness, is living proof of his scholarship and his power of stating references. He was one who used to read in inexhaustible amounts and one who possessed bountiful knowledge. He was a writer of the highest calibre. In Fiqh Hanfi (Imam Abu Hanifa's School of Jurisprudence), there was no contemporary to his match. His knowledge of Maths and other secular subjects was also extensive and unarguable.
It is sometimes thought that Ahmad Raza bought segregation into the nation, but this is completely wrong. It is also said that Ahmad Raza created a new sect. However, the truth is that Ahmad Raza didn't initiate any new belief, yes, he did revive the original beliefs and notions of Islam."
Malik Ghulam Ali (Vice President, Jama'at-e-Islami, Pakistan)
"Up until now, we have been in misunderstanding in relation to Ahmad Raza. After reading some of his books and verdicts, I have reached the conclusion that the knowledge that we see in him can not be found in very many others. The love for Allah (swt) and the love Prophet Muhammad (saw) can be seen ringing from his every action and writing."
Allama Abdul Hameed (Shaikh-ul-Jamia Nizamiah, Hyderabad, India)
"Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan was the sword of Islam and its Mujahid-e-A'zam (Greatest fighter). He was a strong pillar in the revival and protection of the Ahle-Sunnah wal Jama'ah. He conferred a great favour upon the Muslims when he put the love and respect of the Prophet (saw) and the Saints of the nation in their hearts. He even had an effect on those against him and their disrespectful language was controlled to an extent. He is the Leader of the Ahle-Sunnah wal Jama'ah."
Late Allama Alauddin Siddiqui (Former Vice Chancellor, Punjab University, Lahore)
"The way in which Islam has precedence over all other religions, the Ahle-Sunnah wal Jama'ah have superiority over all other sects. When the religious virtues were being lowered, it was at this time that Maulana Shah Ahmad Raza Khan Qadri stepped forward and he brought the religion back onto its threshold. A'la Hazrat Barelvi was the Imam of the Ahle-Sunnah and this is why the Muslims should make him their ideal."
Professor Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (Director, Idarah Minhaj-ul-Qur'an, Lahore)
"When we explore the work that Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi (ra) did for Islam, it is pleasant to notice that simultaneously, he possessed the status of:
· a mystic
· a jurist
· a reviver
The way in which these three characteristics are gathered in his personality, in the same way the work that he did for the righteous religion also consists of these three attributes.
· When we look at his help towards the restoration of true belief, then we can see a reviver
· On the basis of juridical services, we can see a jurist
· If we look at him from the perspective of mysticism, we can see a Sufi (mystic)
Professor Muhammad Rafiullah Siddiqi (Hyderabad, Sindh)
"If we keep in mind that in 1912, Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan gave the Muslims the advice that they should not spend money on unimportant things and save as much as possible. Then we look at the present day society, we can see that governments are attempting to make people spend less and save more. Can people still not see Maulana Ahmad Raza's intuitive genius? Can people still not see how vividly Maulana could see the future? J.M. Keynes could receive a big prize on the grounds that he asked for that same thing which Maulana Ahmad Raza Barelvi had written twenty-four years earlier. However, it is unfortunate that Muslims haven't paid attention to such findings."
Professor Dr. Farmaan Fatehpuri (Karachi University)
"Out of the Ulama, the biggest name in eulogising is that of Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi. Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan was born in 1856 and passed away in 1921. Therefore, he was a contemporary of Maulana Haali, Maulana Shibli, Ameer Menai and Akbar Ilahabadi. The basis of his poetry is the life of the Prophet (saw). The Honourable Maulana was a person of Sharia'h (Islam law) and also one of Tariqa'h (Islamic mysticism). He only sang the praises of the Prophet (saw) and of the Holy Saints but he sang them with utmost beauty and love. His eulogies and salutations (Salaam) are widely read and heard in many gatherings. Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi's compilation of eulogies 'Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish' has been published many times."
Professor Dr. Pir Muhammad Hasan (Idarah Tahqiqaat-e-Islami, Islamabad, Pakistan)
"Shaikh Akbar (Muhyuddin ibn Arabi) says that, "The books that I have written weren't for the purpose that I would become a writer. Rather it is the case that if I didn't write these books I would be in danger of being destroyed"- this same thing is seen in the penned works of Maulana."
Professor Dr. Mukhtaruddin Aarzu (Muslim University, Aligarh)
"His personality was a living picture of 'Love for the sake of Allah, hate for the sake of Allah'. He would befriend anyone who had love for Allah and His Prophet and he would make an enemy whosoever was a foe of Allah and His Messenger. Every moment of A'la Hazrat's life was enlightened with the following of the Sunnah (Way of the Prophet (saw)."
Professor Dr. Waheed Ashraf (M.A., Ph.D., Baroda University, India)
"The World of Islam isn't short of personalities who have, with their knowledge and sense, benefited the World. Ibn Sina, Umar Khayyam, Imam Razi, Imam Ghazzali, Al-Bayruni, Farabi, ibn Rushd and so on are personalities whose achievements even the living world acknowledges. Amongst these are leaders of philosophy, mathematics, science and other fields. However, even more notable than these is a man, born in India, and only passed away last century. The character of Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan is such a comprehensive one that upon whichever field he lifted his pen, only an expert in that field could understand and appreciate his genius."
Professor Dr. Malik Zadah Manzoor (M.A., Ph.D., Lucknow University, India)
"The reviver of Islam Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan possessed so much love for the Prophet (saw) that someone in comparison to him cannot be found. The revolution which he initiated amongst the Muslims can be witnessed in the whole of the twentieth century"
Dr. Hamid Ali Khan (M.A., Ph.D., Muslim University, Aligarh, India)
"His acumen was such that he completed a years work in days and a months work in hours. With this beautiful accomplishment, he made the scholars of his time look bantam."
Professor Dr. Iftikhar A'zmi (Muslim University, Aligarh)
"I have a different aqeedah (creed) to Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi but it must be said that he was of an abnormal mental capability. He became well known due to him being an Alim but his poetry is of the uppermost calibre. He was a master of poetry and of language. The reason for his poetry being so brilliant is due to his utmost love for the Holy Prophet (saw). This is why it is also so sincere in its approach."
Khan Muhammad Ali Khan of Hoti (President of Education, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad)
"A'la Hazrat was busy putting the fuel of love into the light of Islam throughout his life. All over the world, new ideas were developing which were out of the bounds of Islam but were presenting their schemes to the Muslims. He never joined any of these organisations. He displayed the true Islam and put to scraps all innovative notions. He taught Islam the way it was taught in the time of the Prophet, the reign of the rightly guided Caliphs and the epoch of the Jurists. He never left the door of the Prophet and knocked on any other persons door. If he had dependence, it was only on the Mercy of his Prophet (saw). If there were a way he would follow, it would only be the path of his beloved Guide (saw). If his heart pounded, it was only due to the blessings and favour that the 'Rahmatallil-Alameen' (Mercy for Mankind) had bestowed upon him. He was a flower in the Garden of the religion of Mustafa.
The level that he attained in the love for the Prophetsaw is a tower of light for generations to come and the beauty that he delivered via his poetry, God knows for how long it will continue to warm hearts and purify souls."
Janaab Manzoor-ul-Haq (Famous Writer of the Jama'at-e-Islami, Maharashtra)
"After we read the books and penned works of Maulana we find that due to his extreme knowledge, if we weigh it alone against the rest of the Ulema, it still comes out heavier."
Dr. Muhammad Iqbal (Lahore)
"There hasn't been born a Jurist comparable to him in the past many years. He is the Abu Hanifa of the Indian Subcontinent."
Dr. Barbara Metcalf (Historian, California University, America)
"When he used to come outside, people tended to stretch to shake his hands, some kissed his hands and some kissed his feet."
His Passing Away
A'la Hazrat (ra) passed away in his hometown of Bareilly on Friday 28th October, 1921 (25th Safar 1340 AH). He had advised his family to bury him according to the Sunnah and to continuously read Durood (Salutations) upon Allah's beloved Messenger (saw). The following are some of the people and organisations who paid their respects:
· The Paisa Newspaper, Lahore
· Sarshar Aqeeli Tatvi · Justice of Bombay High Court, D.F. Mullah
· Dr. Muhammad Iqbal
The day on which A'la Hazrat's (ra) funeral took place, it has been narrated that on the same day, the angels were also performing and participating in his funeral.
Conclusion
The Great favour that A'la Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Barelvi (ra) has conferred upon the Ahle-Sunnah wal Jama'ah can never be repaid. Without the Love of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), we are nothing, and this nothing we would have been today if it wasn't for the perseverance of our beloved Imam, Ahmad Raza Khan (ra).
Today, many gathering of the Ahle-Sunnah mention the name of the Mujaddid of the Century, A'la Hazrat (ra).
A great misfortune is that the Muslims haven't truly realised the position of A'la Hazrat (ra). Many of the Ahle-Sunnah do not even know his name. This is indeed a shameful situation. They must be made to realise that it was Ahmad Raza Barelvi (ra) who removed darkness and spread light. When the insulters were attempting to steal our Imaan (faith), it was the pen of Ahmad Raza that worked day and night to restore the true Islam, so that you and I could just have a chance of entering heaven. Let it be known, it wasn't for the arrival of Ahmad Raza (ra), who knows whether we could have called ourselves the Ahle-Sunnah today.
It has been said on many an occasion that if Ahmad Raza (ra) hadn't embraced the Indian Subcontinent with his blessed existence, there may not have been any sign of Imam Abu Hanifa's school of thought therein.
The reason why A'la Hazrat (ra), even though he was a rich man, didn't pay a penny of Zakah (welfare contribution) throughout his blessed life was because he used to spend all his money on the welfare of his students and in preaching Islam. This would leave him less than the amount which is needed to make Zakah (the third Pillar of Islam) obligatory. This money was spent so that me and you, today, could call ourselves the Ahle-Sunnah wal Jama'ah.
My beloved A'la Hazrat (ra) left this world over eighty years ago, but his teaching and way of thinking is still alive in the hearts of millions of Muslims worldwide. Wherever in the world today a Sunni is shouting slogans of love for the Prophet (saw), it is all due to the religious upheaval which A'la Hazrat (ra) led.
Allah knows best.
Muhammad Aqdas
