Abdul Hai Arifi (1898–27 March 1986) was a Pakistani Muslim scholar and a

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

mentor of the

Chishti order The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, a ...

. He was a disciple of

Ashraf Ali Thanwi Ashraf Ali Thanwi (often referred as Hakim al-Ummat and Mujaddid e Millet; 19 September 1863 – 20 July 1943) was a late-nineteenth and twentieth-century Sunni scholar, jurist, thinker, reformist and the revival of classical sufi thought from ...

. He authored books including ''Uswah Rasool-e-Akram'' and ''Death and Inheritance''. He served as the president of

Darul Uloom Karachi Darul Uloom Karachi ( ur, دارالعلوم کراچی) is a Madrasa in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Muhammad Shafi Deobandi in June 1951 at Nanak Wara and later on it transferred to Korangi, Karachi, on March 17, 1957. It continues the ...

for ten years. Arifi was an alumnus of

Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College ( ur, Madrasatul Uloom Musalmanan-e-Hind, italics=yes) was founded in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, initially as a primary school, with the intention of taking it to a college level institution, known as Muhammed ...

and the

University of Lucknow The University of Lucknow (informally known as Lucknow University, and LU) is a public state university based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Founded in 1920, the University of Lucknow is one of the oldest government owned institutions of higher ed ...

. He practiced law between 1926 and 1935, and homeopathy from 1936 until he died on 27 March 1986. His students in Sufism include

Muhammad Taqi Usmani Muhammad Taqi Usmani (born 5 October 1943) is a Pakistani Islamic scholar and former judge who is the current president of the Wifaq ul Madaris Al-Arabia and the vice president and Hadith professor of the Darul Uloom Karachi. An intellectual ...

and

Muhammad Rafi Usmani Muhammad Rafi Usmani ( ur, محمد رفیع عثمانی; 21 July 1936 – 18 November 2022) was a Pakistani Muslim scholar, jurist and author who served as the President of Darul Uloom Karachi. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband, Univer ...

Biography

Abdul Hai Arifi was born in 1898 in

United Provinces of British India The United Provinces of British India, more commonly known as the United Provinces, was a province of British India, which came into existence on 3 January 1921 as a result of the renaming of the ''United Provinces of Agra and Oudh''. It corre ...

. He graduated from

in 1923 and got an LLB degree from the

. He practiced law between 1926 and 1935. He left the field of law and studied Homeopathy in 1936. He practiced homeopathic medicine until his death. He had been in touch with

from 1923, and became his "

murid In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A ''sālik'' or Su ...

" in 1927. Thanwi authorized him in the

in 1935. Arifi was a member of the executive council of

and succeeded

Muhammad Shafi Deobandi Muḥammad Shafī‘ ibn Muḥammad Yāsīn ‘Us̱mānī Deobandī ( ur, ; ar, محمد شفيع بن محمد ياسين العثماني الديوبندي, ''Muḥammad Shafī‘ ibn Muḥammad Yāsīn al-‘Uthmānī ad-Diyūbandī''; ...

as the president of Darul Uloom Karachi and served the seminary for about ten years until his death. He died on 27 March 1986. His funeral prayer was led by

and attended by

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

and Jahan Dad Khan. He was buried in the graveyard of

. His disciples include Muhammad Taqi Usmani and

Literary works

Arifi authored books including: * ''Uswah Rasool-e-Akram'' * ''Death and Inheritance'' * ''Ashraf Ali Thanvi, life & works'' * ''The Islamic way in death: an authentic and comprehensive handbook of rules, and conduct in the event of death among Muslim'' * ''Maʼās̲ir-i Ḥakīmulummat : irshādāt va ifādāt'' * ''K̲h̲avātīn ke sharʻī aḥkām'' * ''Fihrist-i taʼlīfāt-i Ḥakīmulummat'' * ''Bahādur Yār Jang Akādmī kā taʻāruf''

Legacy

Muhammad Rafi Usmani wrote ''Mere murshid Ḥaẓrat-i ʻĀrifī'' and Sayyid Riyazuddin wrote ''Ārif Billāh Ḥaz̤rat Ḍākṭar Muḥammad ʻAbdulhaʼī: savāniḥ ḥayāt va taʻlīmāt''.

References

Citations

Bibliography