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A’la Hazrat Imām Ahmad Raza Khan Fāzil-e-Bareilwi (Alaihir Rahmah) was an amazing personality and he mentioned many aspects of his life from his own blessed lips.
Birth
His blessed birth took place on 10 Shawwāl 1272 AH on Saturday at the time of Zuhr, corresponding to 14 June 1856. {Al-Malfūz}
Signs of Miracles
He states, “I was standing in front of our Masjid. At that time my age would have been three and a half years. A person came dressed in the clothing of the Arabs and it looked like he was an Arab. He spoke to me in the Arabic language and I spoke to him in fluent Arabic.” {Hayāt-e-A’la Hazrat}
Manner of Teaching
“When my teacher, from whom I learnt the elementary books, used to teach me the lesson, I used to listen and read my book one or two times and close it. When he used to listen to my lesson, then I would say it letter for letter, word for word. He used to see this condition every day and would become astonished. One day he told me, ‘O Ahmad Miya! Tell me this, are you a human or an angel? It takes me long to teach but it does not take you long to learn!’” {Hayāt-e-A’la Hazrat}
Age of Graduation
“When I completed my studies and my name started to be counted among the graduated scholars, this took place in mid Sha’bān 1286 AH. At that time, I was 13 years, 10 months and 5 days old. On that same day Salāh became obligatory upon me and the laws of Sharīah turned its attention towards me. And this was a good omen that my year of graduation equated to the word غفور (1286 AH) and according to Zubur-o-Bayyinah equated to تعويذ (1286 AH), similar to how my year of birth equated to المختار (1272 AH).” {Al-Ijāzat-ur-Radawiyya li Mabjali Makkatil Bahiyyah}
Period of Training
“Radd-e-Wahābīyah (refutation of Wahābīs) and issuing Islamic verdicts, are both such skills like the science of medicine, that you cannot attain these through just reading. Even in this, there is a need to sit in the clinic of an expert physician. Even I sat in the clinic of an expert physician for seven years. I remember clearly that time, that day, that place, those issues and from where they came.” {Al-Malfūz}
Interests and Preoccupations
“Those skills of mine in which I take great interest, which I was blessed with to the extent of fondly loving it, were three, and all three are very noble.
- The first one, the best one, the greatest one and the most valuable skill is that when any wretched Wahābi shows insolence with disrespectful words towards the honour of the Leader of the Messengers (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), then I become ready to defend Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). If my Lord accepts that, then that is sufficient for me. I have hope in the Mercy of my Lord that He will accept it because He has stated, “I deal with My bondsman according to what he thinks with regard to Me.”
- Then in the second place, besides the Wahābīs, to refute the false beliefs of, and cause grief to, all those innovators who despite being claimants of the religion, keep creating trouble in the religion.
- Then in the third place, submissively issuing Fatāwa (Islamic verdicts) according to the Hanafi creed, that creed that is firm and also evident.
So, these three maintain the rank of my refuge and in these is my hope.” {Al-Ijāzāt-ul-Matīnah li Ulamāi Bakkata wal Madīnah}
Honour of Pledging Allegiance
“I fell asleep at noon while crying. My esteemed grandfather came to me, gave me a small casket and told me that very soon that personality will come, who will heal the pain in my heart.
On the second or third day Hazrat Maulana Abdul Qādir (Alaihir Rahmah) came from Badāyūn and took me with him to Mārehra Shareef. I went there and had the honour of pledging allegiance to Shāh Āle Rasool Mārehrawi (Alaihir Rahmah).” {Al-Malfūz}
First Hajj
“My first attendance (in that blessed court) was together with my esteemed parents. At that time, I was 23 years old (1295 AH/ 1878 CE).” {Al-Malfūz}
First Islamic Verdict
“Praise be to Allah Ta’ala, this mendicant wrote his first Fatwa on 14 Sha’bān 1286 AH/ 1869 CE at the age of 13.” {Hayāt-e-A’la Hazrat}
Service of Writing Islamic Verdicts
“Praise be to Allah Ta’ala, on 14 Sha’bān 1336 AH it will be a complete fifty years that this mendicant has been writing Fatāwa.” (And this practice continued for fifty-four years till his demise in 1340 AH). {Hayāt-e-A’la Hazrat}
Second and Final Hajj
“At the time of my second attendance in Madīnah Tayyibah (1323 AH/ 1905 CE), my age was fifty-one years and five months.” {Al-Malfūz}
Imāmat in the Haram of Makkah
“The illustrious Hanafi scholars of Makkah like Mufti-e-Hanafīya Maulana Shaikh Kamāl (Alaihir Rahmah) and guardian of the books of the Haram, Maulana Sayyid Ismāīl (Alaihir Rahmah) would perform congregation Salāh at the Hanafi time, for which those great scholars would compel this mendicant to make Imāmat.” {Al-Malfūz}
Hatred for the Enemies of Allah Ta’ala
“Praise be to Allah Ta’ala, from childhood I have hatred for the enemies of Allah Ta’ala and even the children of my children are like this. Through the Grace of Allah Ta’ala enmity for the enemies of Allah Ta’ala was given to me in the ghutti (the first dose given to a new born infant) to drink.” {Al-Malfūz}
The Criterion of Love for Wealth
“All praises are due to Allah Ta’ala that I have never had love for wealth in itself. I only have love for it for spending it in the path of Allah Ta’ala.” {Al-Malfūz}
Love for Rasoolullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)
“Praise be to Allah Ta’ala, if my heart is divided into two parts then by Allah, on one will be written “لَا اِلٰہَ اِلَّا الله” and on the other will be written “مُحَمَّدُ رَّسُوْلُ الله صَلَّی اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّم”.” {Al-Malfūz}
News of His Demise
On 3 Ramadān 1339 AH (10 May 1921), 4 months and 22 days before his passing away, he gave the news of his demise with this verse, “وَیُطَافُ عَلَیْهِمْ بِاٰنِيَةٍ مِّنْ فِضَّةٍ وَّاَکْوَابْ” {Holy Qurān 76:15}. {Wasāya Shareef}
Final Gathering of Advice & Guidance
A’la Hazrat (Alaihir Rahmah) said, “O People! You are the innocent sheep of the Beloved Mustafa (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and you are surrounded by wolves. They desire to mislead you, to deceive you into mischief and to take you with them into hell. Save yourself from them and run far from them. Deobandi, Rāfizi, Nīchri, Qādiyāni, Chakrālwi, all these sects are wolves. They are lying in wait to ambush your Imān. Save your Imān from their attacks.” {Wasāya Shareef}
SubhānAllah! One of the greatest lessons we learn from the life of Sayyidi A’la Hazrat (Alaihir Rahmah) as well as his final advice is that we must love for the sake of Allah Ta’ala and hate for the sake of Allah Ta’ala. And this lesson is even more pertinent in the current era where we are surrounded by all types of deviants.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us true love and devotion to Sayyidi A’la Hazrat (Alaihir Rahmah) and the ability to practice upon his teachings, Allahumma Āmeen.
{Compiled from Tazkira-e-Jameel written by Muballigh-e-Āzam Hazrat Allamah Ibrahim Khushtar Siddīqui Qadri Razvi (Alaihir Rahmah)}