Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (1817 – 1899) was an Indian Muslim
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, ...
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 ...
of the
Chishti
The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufism, 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 Ch ...
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, ...
order. His disciples 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 ...
,
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi
Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad Ayyūbī Anṣārī Gangohī (182611 August 1905) ( ur, ) was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar, a leading figure of the Deobandi jurist and scholar of hadith. His lineage reaches back to Abu Ayyub al- ...
, and
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 Islam, Sunni scholar, jurist, thinker, Mujaddid, reformist and the revival of classic ...
. In 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 ...
, he led the Muslims in Thana Bhawan to fight against
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
.
Early life
Imdadullah Muhaajir Makki was born in
Nanauta
Nanauta is a town and a nagar panchayat (municipality) in Saharanpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Nanauta is located on Saharanpur Delhi Highway.
It is from Saharanpur city. It is from Shamli towards Saharanpur on the Delhi ...
,
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 ...
in 1817. His father Muhammad Amīn named him Imdad Hussain. However, Shah Muhammad Ishaq gave him the name of Imdādullah.
Aged seven, Imdādullah lost his mother who wrote her will that none shall touch her kid after her, and kept Imdādullah more beloved to her in those seven years; this became a hurdle that no one took care of Imdādullah's education. He then started memorizing 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, ...
on his own but failed to do so. Aged 16, he traveled to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
with
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 ...
to seek education.
Religious work and travels
At the age of eighteen, his ''
bay'at
''Bayʿah'' ( ar, بَيْعَة, "Pledge of allegiance"), in Islamic terminology, is an oath of allegiance to a leader. It is known to have been practiced by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. ''Bayʿah'' is sometimes taken under a written pact gi ...
'' was accepted by Nasiruddin
Naqshbandi
The Naqshbandi ( fa, نقشبندی)), Neqshebendi ( ku, نهقشهبهندی), and Nakşibendi (in Turkish) is a major Sunni order of Sufism. Its name is derived from Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari. Naqshbandi masters trace their ...
. Later he went to study under Mianji (Noor Mohammad Jhanjhanvi), as an initiate of the Chishti-Sabiri Sufi order, but after Mianji's death he temporarily became a semi-recluse. After wandering in the wilderness for six months he was overcome by a strong urge to travel to
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
. On 7 December 1845, he arrived at Banares. From there, he departed for
Ottoman Arabia
The Ottoman era in the history of Arabia lasted from 1517 to 1918. Ottoman degree of control over these lands varied over the four centuries with the fluctuating strength or weakness of the Empire's central authority.
History
Early period
In t ...
for
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 ...
and pilgrimage of the tomb of shrine of
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
.
After the completion of his hajj, Imadadullah remained with Ishaq Muhajir Makki and others. Shah informed him that, after his pilgrimage to
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
, he should return to India. Sayyid Qudratullah Banarasi Makki sent several of his ''
murids
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 ...
'' to accompany him to Medina.
Freedom struggle against the British
In
Thana Bhawan
Thana Bhawan is a small town in Shamli district (formerly part of Muzaffarnagar district) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. District Shamli is a newly constructed district. Before becoming a new district, it came under district Muzaffarnagar ...
, the local Sunnis declared Imdadullah their leader. In May 1857 the
Battle of Shamli
Battle of Shamli or Battle of Thana Bhawan was fought on 10 May 1857 between the forces of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and the East India Company, in the series of Rebellion of 1857.
On 10 May 1857, local Muslims under the leadership of Imdadullah M ...
took place between the forces of Imdadullah and the British.
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 Islam, Sunni scholar, jurist, thinker, Mujaddid, reformist and the revival of classic ...
*
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 ...
*
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi
Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad Ayyūbī Anṣārī Gangohī (182611 August 1905) ( ur, ) was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar, a leading figure of the Deobandi jurist and scholar of hadith. His lineage reaches back to Abu Ayyub al- ...
*
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 ...
*
Mahmud Hasan Deobandi
Mahmud Hasan Deobandi (also known as Shaykh al-Hind; 1851–1920) was an Indian Muslim scholar and an activist of the Indian independence movement, who co-founded the Jamia Millia Islamia university and launched the Silk Letter Movement for t ...
Sayyid Muhammad Abid
Sayyid Muhammad Abid (also known as Hāji Abid Hussain) (1834–1912) was an Indian Muslim scholar who co-founded Darul Uloom Deoband. He was the Vice Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband for three times.
Name and lineage
His ism (given name) wa ...
*
Najib Ali Choudhury
Najib Ali Choudhury ( bn, নজিব আলী চৌধুরী) was a 19th-century Bengalis, Bengali Islamic scholar and teacher. He was notable for his founding of the Madinatul Uloom Bagbari, the first madrasa in the Barak Valley region. ...
Marriages
Imdadullah married for the first time at the age of 48. After the death of his first wife, he married a blind widow. Because she was blind, she could not manage all household work, so she requested him to take another wife so all household work. Imdadullah then married for the third time. None of his three wives bore him children.
Literary works
His books include:
*''Faisla Haft Masala''
*''Kulliyat-e-Imdadiya''
*''Hashiya Mathnavi Moulana Rumi'': This is an annotation in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
on the ''Mathnawi-i Ma’nawi'' by
Rumi
Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī ( fa, جلالالدین محمد رومی), also known as Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (), Mevlânâ/Mawlānā ( fa, مولانا, lit= our master) and Mevlevî/Mawlawī ( fa, مولوی, lit= my ma ...
. During Imadadullah's lifetime, only two parts could be printed. The remainder was printed after his death.
*''Ghiza-e-Ruh'' (The Nourishment of the Soul): Imadadullah wrote this book in 1264 AH. Mianji ''Noor Mohammad Jhanjhanvi'' is also discussed. It consists of 1600 verses of poetry.
*''Ikleelul Quran'' (Tafseer Quran in Arabi). First Published in
Bahraich
Bahraich is a city and a municipal board in Bahraich district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Located on the Saryu River, a tributary of the Ghaghara river, Bahraich is north-east of Lucknow, the state capital. The districts of Barab ...
by Taj Offcet Press formerly Aqeel Press NazirPura
Bahraich
Bahraich is a city and a municipal board in Bahraich district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Located on the Saryu River, a tributary of the Ghaghara river, Bahraich is north-east of Lucknow, the state capital. The districts of Barab ...
*''Jihad-e-Akbar'' (The Greater
Jihad
Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...
): He composed this book in 1268 AH. It is a poetic work in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
. He wrote this ''kitab'' in
Makkah
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 city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow va ...
in 1282 AH on the request of Hafiz Muhammad Yusuf, the son of Hafiz Muhammad Zamin.
Death
Imdadullah died at
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 ...
in 1899. He was buried in the
Jannat al-Mu'alla
Jannat al-Mu'alla ( ar, جَنَّة ٱلْمُعَلَّاة, Jannah al-Muʿallāh, lit=The Most Exalted Paradise), also known as the "Cemetery of Ma'la" ( ar, مَقْبَرَة ٱلْمَعْلَاة, link=no ') and ''Al-Ḥajūn'' ( ar, ٱل ...
cemetery besides the grave of
Rahmatullah Kairanwi
Rahmatullah Kairanawi (also known as Rahmatullah Kairanawi Al-Hindi; 1818–1891) was a Sunni Muslim scholar and author who is best known for his work, '' Izhar ul-Haqq''.
Background
Kairanawi was born in Kairana, Muzaffarnagar in 1818. He is a ...
.
See also
*
Muhammad Mian Mansoor Ansari
Muhammad Mian Mansoor Ansari (1884 – 11 January 1946) ( ur, ), (10 March 1884 – 11 January 1946) was a leader and a political activist of the Indian independence movement. He was a grandson of Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, one of the foun ...