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Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam Hind Hazrat Imām Mustafa Raza (Alaihir Rahmah) was born on 22 Dhul Hijjah 1310 AH (7 July 1893), and was 18 years younger than his elder brother Huzoor Hujjat-ul-Islam Hazrat Imām Hāmid Raza (Alaihir Rahmah). One day Sayyidi A’la Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza (Alaihir Rahmah) said to Huzoor Hujjat-ul-Islam (Alaihir Rahmah), “You are aware of my preoccupations, so you teach your brother.” Therefore Imām Mustafa Raza (Alaihir Rahmah) had studied under his elder brother and also benefited from him. However, the essence was that company and training, which he attained from his venerable and honourable father, Imām Ahmad Raza (Alaihir Rahmah), who made him everything. {Tazkira-e-Jameel; Mufti-e-Āzam Aur Un Ke Khulafa}
When the academic training of Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam (Alaihir Rahmah) had commenced, people could not help but acknowledge his amazing intelligence, perception and memory. He would read every lesson only once and would remember it. One day, one of his fellow students asked him, “How is your memory so good that you never forget anything? What do you eat to strengthen your memory like this?” Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam Hind (Alaihir Rahmah) replied, “Memory has a connection with bestowal not with food. If memory had a connection with food then no person would have a weak memory. Develop a connection with the Exalted Court of the All-Knowing, everything is attained from there.” {Mufti-e-Āzam Aur Un Ke Khulafa}
It was not just his memory that was amazing but also his learning abilities.
One day, Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam (Alaihir Rahmah), had a closed book placed in front of him and was looking at it with concentration. Suddenly, Hazrat Maulana Sayyid Bashir Ahmad Aligarhi (Alaihir Rahmah), arrived and seeing Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam’s peculiar manner of studying, enquired, “What benefit are you attaining by looking at a closed book?”
Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam (Alaihir Rahmah) stood up, greeted him respectfully, and replied, “I was examining whether or not it was possible to read a closed book as well.” Hazrat Maulana Sayyid Bashir Ahmad Aligarhi (Alaihir Rahmah) then asked, “So what conclusion did you reach?” Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam (Alaihir Rahmah) answered with great simplicity, “A closed book can also be read just like how an open book can be read.” Pleased by this reply, Maulana Sayyid Shah Ahmad Aligarhi (Alaihir Rahmah) said, “You should in fact have this ability because the merciful shade of Huzoor Ghaus-e-Āzam (Alaihir Rahmah) is upon you.” {Ibid}
Apart from the amazing learning abilities that Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam (Alaihir Rahmah) possessed, he also had amazing spiritual insight even at such a young and tender age.
One of his teachers, Ustāz-ul-Asātiza Hazrat Allamah Rahm Ilāhi Mangalori (Alaihir Rahmah) mentions the following incident which he personally witnessed. “One day, I was delivering a lesson, but my mind kept drifting towards my home because when I left home for the Madressah, my small son had a severe fever and was not conscious. The lesson required my attention, yet I was unable to concentrate because my heart was restless for my child. As a result of this distraction, I could not maintain the passion, which was my routine during the lesson.
I had not mentioned my child’s condition to any of the students, but the noble boy (Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam (Alaihir Rahmah)) not only noticed this change in me, but he also understood the cause of my mental distress, and he said to me, ‘With your permission, may I go to your home and enquire about the sick child?’ In my anxiety, I gave him permission to go and at that moment, it did not even occur to me how the noble boy had come to know of my son’s condition. In any case, when he returned, he informed me, ‘Alhamdulillah! The fever has subsided. Your son has himself asked for milk and has drunk some.’
When I arrived home, my wife informed me, ‘When the noble boy came, your son’s condition had become even worse than before. As soon as I saw him, I told him that he should inform you to come immediately. However, he ignored what I said and began to recite something. As soon as he blew upon our son, perspiration broke out from his pores and within a few moments, his fever came down. Our son opened his eyes, looked at me, and said, “I am hungry, give me something to eat.’” {Ibid}
SubhānAllah! Such was the amazing academic life of Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam (Alaihir Rahmah), filled with amazing learning capabilities and spiritual insight and eventually in 1328 AH (1910 CE), at the young age of 18, he graduated from Dārul Uloom Manzar-e-Islam, Bareilly Shareef.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Faizān of Huzoor Mufti-e-Āzam Imām Mustafa Raza (Alaihir Rahmah), Allahumma Ameen.