Aḥmad Alī Sahāranpūrī (1810 – 17 April 1880) was an Indian

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

scholar who played a key role in publishing hadīth literature in India. He was among the early teachers of

Mazahir Uloom Mazahir Uloom ( ur, ) is an Islamic seminary located in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Started in November 1866 by Sa'ādat Ali Faqīh, and developed further by Mazhar Nanautawi and Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri; it is regarded as the second most influen ...

, and is often credited as a founder for his contributions to the development of the seminary. His students include

Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi (1832 – 15 April 1880) () was an Indian Sunni Hanafi Maturidi Islamic Scholar, theologian and a Sufi who was one of the main founders of the Deobandi Movement, starting from the Darul Uloom Deoband. Name and ...

and

Shibli Nomani Shibli Nomani ( ur, – ; 3 June 1857 – 18 November 1914) was an Islamic scholar from the Indian subcontinent during the British Raj. He was born at Bindwal in Azamgarh district of present-day Uttar Pradesh.Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Saint Shah Haroon Chishti. Saharanpur is declared as on ...

. He memorized the ''

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

'' in

Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...

and studied primary books of

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

with Sa'ādat Ali Faqīh in Saharanpur. He went to Delhi where he studied under the tutelage of

Mamluk Ali Nanautawi Mamluk Ali Nanautawi (also written as Mamluk al-Ali Nanautawi) (1789–7 October 1851) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar who served as the Head Teacher of Arabic language at the Zakir Husain Delhi College. His notable students include Muhammad Q ...

. He studied some portions of ''

Sahih Bukhari Sahih al-Bukhari ( ar, صحيح البخاري, translit=Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī), group=note is a ''hadith'' collection and a book of '' sunnah'' compiled by the Persian scholar Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī (810–870) around 846. Al ...

'' with Wajīhuddīn Siddīqi and completed the studies of

with Shah Muḥammad Ishāq Dehlawi in 1261 AH in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

. According to the Indian educationist,

Syed Ahmad Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, he ...

; Aḥmad Ali studied all the books of hadith including the '' Sihah Sitta'' from the start to end with Muḥammad Isḥāq.

Abu Salman Shahjahanpuri Abu Salmān Shahjahānpūri (30 January 1940 – 2 February 2021; ur, ) was a Pakistani scholar, researcher and historian. He was regarded as an authority in the historical and political movements of the Indian subcontinent. He was an alumnus ...

however points out that Syed Aḥmad Khan's statement that Aḥmad studied ''Saḥiḥ Bukhāri'' with Muḥammad Isḥāq should not be accepted.

Syed Mehboob Rizwi Syed Mehboob Rizwi (1911–1979) was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar, author and historian, best known for ''Tarikh Darul Uloom Deoband'', his two volume Urdu work on the history of Darul Uloom Deoband. Biography Syed Mehboob Rizwi was born in ...

has quoted Aḥmad Ali saying that he studied major part of ''Saḥiḥ Bukhāri'' with Wajīhuddīn Siddīqi in Saharanpur, and then studied it again with Muḥammad Isḥāq in Mecca. Aḥmad Ali returned to India in 1845 and started "Aḥmadi Press" in Delhi to publish hadith literature. He published his copyedited versions of the '' Sihah Sitta'' and copyedited

hadith manuscripts There are numerous hadith manuscripts from the first four century after the death of Prophet Muhammad (632-1032CE). The number increases drastically in the following two centuries (1032-1232). 632-1032CE MS. Leiden Or. 298 This is a book titled Gh ...

throughout his life. He wrote a

marginalia Marginalia (or apostils) are marks made in the margins of a book or other document. They may be scribbles, comments, glosses (annotations), critiques, doodles, drolleries, or illuminations. Biblical manuscripts Biblical manuscripts have ...

to twenty-five chapters of ''Saḥiḥ Bukhāri''. His press suffered loss during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

; and he shifted it to Meerut. He spent ten years in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

giving religious discourses in the Hafiz Jamaluddin Masjid. He returned to Saharanpur in 1291 AH, where he taught at the

. He was appointed the vice-rector of the seminary after the death of Sa'ādat Ali Faqīh; and made the principal in the absence of

Mazhar Nanautawi Muḥammad Mazhar Nanautawi (1821–1885) was an Indian Muslim scholar and a freedom struggle activist who played a crucial role in the development Mazahir Uloom. He participated in the Battle of Shamli. Biography Muḥammad Mazhar was born in ...

during 1294 AH. He is often credited as the founder of Mazahir Uloom for his crucial role in the seminary's early development. His students include

Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi (1833–1884) was an Indian Islamic scholar, and one of the earliest teachers of Islamic Madrassa in Deoband, famously called Darul Uloom Deoband in India. He was the first principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. Name and li ...

, Ahmad Hasan Amrohi, Ahsan Nanautawi and

. His death was condoled by

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Authority control 1810 births 1880 deaths Deobandis Mazahir Uloom faculty Hadith scholars 19th-century Indian Muslims Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam People from Saharanpur