Ḥāfiẓ Aḥmad Jaunpūrī (1834 – 26 January 1899) was an

Indian Muslim Islam is India's second-largest religion, with 14.2% of the country's population, approximately 172.2 million people identifying as adherents of Islam in 2011 Census. India is also the country with the second or third largest number of Muslim ...

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

, religious preacher and social worker. As the son and successor of

Karamat Ali Jaunpuri Karāmat ʿAlī Jaunpūrī ( ur, , bn, কারামত আলী জৌনপুরী; 12 June 1800 – 30 May 1873), born as Muḥammad ʿAlī Jaunpūrī, was a nineteenth-century Indian Muslim social reformer and founder of the Taiyuni ...

, he led the Taiyuni reformist movement in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

Early life and family

Ahmad Jaunpuri was born in 1834, in the city of

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

, to an

family that traced their ancestry to the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

tribe of

Quraysh The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qur ...

. He was the 36th direct descendant of

Abu Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...

, the first Rashidun caliph. His father,

, migrated from Jaunpur in

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

with the intention of reforming the Muslims of

. Ahmad Jaunpuri's paternal grandfather, Abu Ibrahim Shaykh Muhammad Imam Bakhsh was a student of

Shah Abdul Aziz Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlavi (11 October 1746 – 5 June 1824; ) was Muhaddith (scholar of Hadith) and Mujadid Sufi and reformer from India. He was of the Naqshbandi Sufi order which emerged from a tradition of violent backlash against the ...

, and his great-grandfather Jarullah was also a

shaykh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...

. Ahmad Jaunpuri completed his memorisation of the Qur'an at an early age, which led to him earning the title of Hafiz. He proceeded to gained more knowledge in

Islamic studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

and Jaunpur. Many of his family members were also Islamic scholars, for example, his youngest brother

Abdul Awwal Jaunpuri ʿAbd al-Awwal Jaunpūrī ( ur, , bn, আব্দুল আউয়াল জৌনপুরী; 1867 – 18 June 1921) was an Indian Muslim scholar, religious preacher, educationist and author. Described as one of the "most gifted and outstan ...

Career

He established numerous

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

s and an

eidgah Eidgah or Idgah, also Eid Gah or Id Gah ( fa, "site of Eid bservances; bn, ঈদগাহ; pnb, ; ur, ; hi, ईदगाह) is a term used in South Asian Islamic culture for the open-air enclosure usually outside the city (or at th ...

in Daulatkhan in Bhola Island. He also provided

black seed oil ''Nigella sativa'' (black caraway, also known as black cumin, nigella, kalonji or siyahdaneh) is an annual flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, native to eastern Europe (Bulgaria and Romania) and Western Asia (Cyprus, Turkey, Iran and Ir ...

treatment to the locals. He represented the Taiyunis at a debate in 1879 in

Madaripur Madaripur ( bn, মাদারীপুর ), being a part of the Dhaka Division, is a district in central Bangladesh. History Madaripur subdivision was established in 1854 under the district of Bakerganj. In 1873 it was separated from Bakerganj ...

against the Faraizis on the topic of the permissibility of the

Friday prayer In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...

in British India. The Faraizis discarded Friday and Eid prayers as they considered

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

as a ''

Dar al-Harb In classical Islamic law, the major divisions are ''dar al-Islam'' (lit. territory of Islam/voluntary submission to God), denoting regions where Islamic law prevails, ''dar al-sulh'' (lit. territory of treaty) denoting non-Islamic lands which have ...

'' (house of war). Over five thousand people attended this event and it was dubbed by

Nabinchandra Sen Nabinchandra Sen ( bn, নবীনচন্দ্র সেন; 10 February 1847 – 23 January 1909) was a Bengali poet and writer, often considered one of the greatest poets prior to the arrival of Rabindranath Tagore. He commented on the batt ...

as the ''Battle of Jumuʿah''. In 1881,

Nawab Abdul Latif Nawab Bahadur Abdul Latif (1828 – 10 July 1893) was a 19th-century Bengali aristocrat, educator and social worker. His title, ''Nawab'' was awarded by the British in 1880. He was one of the first Muslims in 19th-century India to embrace the i ...

gained permission for Jaunpuri to lead the

Eid prayer Eid prayers, also referred to as Salat al-Eid ( ar, صلاة العيد), are holy holiday prayers in the Islamic tradition. The literal translation of the word "Eid" in Arabic is "festival" or "feast" and is a time when Muslims congregate wit ...

at the

Maidan Maidan is an originally Persian word for a town square or public gathering place, adopted by various other languages: Urdu (''maidān''); Arabic (''maydān''); Turkish ; Bangla ময়দান, meaning field, and Crimean Tatar, from which ...

. Over 70,000

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

joined the congregation, making it the largest gathering in Calcutta. He wrote a book on Hajera. Jaunpuri had a cordial relationship with

Munshi Mohammad Meherullah Munshi Mohammad Meherullah (26 December 18611907) was a Bengali Islamic scholar, poet and social reformer. He is best known for his oratory and writing on Islam and comparative religion and his efforts has been compared to Raja Ram Mohan Roy's def ...

. Jaunpuri contributed to the refurbishment of the Ebadullah Mosque in

Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...

. On 26 September 1897, Sir

Nicholas Beatson-Bell The Rev. Sir Nicholas Dodd Beatson-Bell (19 June 1867 – 12 February 1936) was a Scottish colonial administrator, civil servant and later Anglican priest. He was born in Aberdour, Scotland, the son of Andrew Beatson Bell, who was Sheriff-Substi ...

, the district commissioner of

Backergunge Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj was a former district of British India. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast delta of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra r ...

, organised a conference at the

Barisal Zilla School Barishal Zilla School (), popularly known as BZS, is a public educational institution for boys, located in Barisal, Bangladesh. It was the first high school established in Barisal Division. It was founded as Barisal English School on 23 December 1 ...

in which

Nawab Sirajul Islam Nawab Sirajul Islam (1845-1923) was a Bengali lawyer during the British rule of India, a Muslim activist, and education reformer. He was the second Muslim from Bengal Presidency to complete graduation studies. Early life Islam was born in 1845 in ...

and Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri delivered speeches on the importance of establishing the Bell Islamia Hostel. He set off to complete

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

in 1882. During his stay in the

Hejaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...

, he gained a great reception and was acclaimed as an orator. He brought up his nephew Abdur Rab Jaunpuri, and Abu Yusuf Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri of

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

was also his murid and one of his

khalifah Khalifa or Khalifah (Arabic: خليفة) is a name or title which means "successor", "ruler" or "leader". It most commonly refers to the leader of a Caliphate, but is also used as a title among various Islamic religious groups and others. Khalif ...

s (successors). Another successor was Abdul Latif Taluqdar of

Mirsarai Mirsarai ( bn, মীরসরাই) is a town and municipality in Chattogram District of Chattogram Division, Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-m ...

Death

Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri was affected by paralysis and was taken to

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

for treatment. He died on the way in a boat on 26 January 1899 in

Sadarghat The Port of Dhaka is a major river port on the Buriganga River in Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. The port is located in the southern part of the city. It is Bangladesh's busiest port in terms of passenger traffic. The port has s ...

. His body was washed in the boat, and his

janaza Funerals and funeral prayers in Islam ( ar, جنازة, Janazah) follow fairly specific rites, though they are subject to regional interpretation and variation in custom. In all cases, however, sharia (Islamic religious law) calls for burial o ...

was performed at the Chawkbazar Shahi Mosque in Old Dhaka at the request of his disciple, Sheikh Faiz Bakhsh Kanpuri. He was buried just south of the mosque. His biography was written by his nephew

Abdul Batin Jaunpuri ʿAbd al-Bāṭin Jaunpūrī ( ur, , bn, আব্দুল বাতেন জৌনপুরী; 1900–1973), also known as Abdul Baten Siddiqi, was an Indian Muslim ulama, scholar, religious preacher, educationist. He authored many of the bi ...

Spiritual genealogy

Prophet Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...

Abū Bakr Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...

# Salmān al-Fārisī # Al-Qāsim bin Muḥammad # Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq # Abū Yazīd Ṭayfūr al-Bisṭāmī # Abu al-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-Kharaqānī # Abū ʿAlī Faḍl Farmadī # Abū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf al-Hamadānī # ʿAbd al-Khāliq Ghijdawānī # Muḥammad ʿĀrif Riwgarī # Maḥmūd Anjīr Faghnawī # ʿAzīzān ʿAlī Rāmitānī # Sayyid Amīr Kulāl # Muḥammad Bābā as-Samāsī # Sayyid Bahā ad-Dīn Naqshband # Sayyid Mīr ʿAlā ad-Dīn ʿAṭṭār # Yaʿqūb Charkhī # Khwājah ʿUbaydullāh Aḥrār # Khwājah Muḥammad Zāhid Wakhshī # Khwājah Darwesh Muḥammad # Khwājah Muḥammad Amkingī # Khwājah Raḍī ad-Dīn Muḥammad Bāqī Billāh # Aḥmad al-Fārūqī as-Sirhindī # Sayyid Ādam al-Bannūrī # Sayyid ʿAbdullāh Akbarābādī # Shāh ʿAbd ar-Raḥīm Dehlawī # Shāh Walīullāh Dehlawī # Shāh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Dehlawī # Sayyid Aḥmad Shahīd # Karāmat ʿAlī Jaunpūrī # Ḥāfiẓ Aḥmad Jaunpūrī

Disciples

Jaunpuri had numerous spiritual successors (khalifas) including: * Abdur Rab Jaunpuri (1875–1935) *Abdul Latif Taluqdar of

(1862–1939) *Abu Yusuf Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri of Karimganj,

Sylhet district Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division. History Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...

(–1958) *Maheruddin Faqir of Jhalkathi, Bakerganj district *Sheikh Faiz Bakhsh of

Kanpur Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaunpuri, Hafiz Ahmad Indian Muslim scholars of Islam 1834 births 1899 deaths Indian scholars of Islam Indian social workers 19th-century Indian educators 19th-century Indian educational theorists 19th-century Indian scholars Indian revolutionaries 19th-century Indian Muslims People from Jaunpur district 19th-century Muslim theologians Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Hanafis Scholars from West Bengal