Muhammad Hayyat al-Sindhi ( sd, محمد حيات سنڌي) (died 3 February 1750) was an

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of reli ...

who lived during the period of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. He belonged to the

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 ...

order of

Sufism 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 ...

Education and scholarship

Al-Sindhi was born in modern day Pakistan, Sindh traveled locally to get his basic education. Then he migrated to

Madinah 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, ...

and studied closely with

Ibrahim al-Kurani Burhan al-Din Ibrahim ibn Hassan ibn Shihab al-Din al-Kurani al-Madani ( ar, برهان الدين إبراهيم بن حسن بن شهاب الدين الكوراني المدني, 1023-1101 AH, or 1615-1690 CE), was a Gorani Kurdish Sufi maste ...

and his son Muhammaad Tahir al-Kurani. Here, he was initiated into the

tariqa A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

Notable students

One of his students was

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ; "The Book of Monotheism") , influences = , influenced = , children = , module = , title = Imam, Shaykh , movement = Muwahhidun (Wahhabi) , native_name = محمد بن ...

, whom he met in 1136 Hijri. It was Abdullah ibn Ibrahim ibn Sayf who introduced him to Hayyat al-Sindhi. Sindhi would make an immense influence on the theological formation of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and his

reformist Reformism is a political doctrine advocating the reform of an existing system or institution instead of its abolition and replacement. Within the socialist movement, reformism is the view that gradual changes through existing institutions can eve ...

views. Early

Wahhabi Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...

chroniclers acclaimed Al-Sindhi as “the spark that lighted ibn ʿAbdul Wahhab’s path".

Views

Although trained in

Hanafi The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named aft ...

law, he was also a scholar of the

Hanbali The Hanbali school ( ar, ٱلْمَذْهَب ٱلْحَنۢبَلِي, al-maḏhab al-ḥanbalī) is one of the four major traditional Sunni schools (''madhahib'') of Islamic jurisprudence. It is named after the Arab scholar Ahmad ibn Hanbal ...

school. Al-Sindhi was a major reviver of hadith sciences during the 18th century. Throughout his treatises Sindhi stressed the obligation of upholding the practice of ''

Ijtihad ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ar, اجتهاد ', ; lit. physical or mental ''effort'') is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a le ...

'', condemned ''

Taqlid ''Taqlid'' (Arabic تَقْليد ''taqlīd'') is an Islamic term denoting the conformity of one person to the teaching of another. The person who performs ''taqlid'' is termed ''muqallid''. The definite meaning of the term varies depending on co ...

'', called for a revival of the doctrines of the '' Salaf al-Salih'' and championed the superiority of ''

Hadiths 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 ...

'' over past juristic opinions. Al-Sindhi was also known for his strong critique of folk practices associated with cult of saints and veneration of shrines.

References

Sindhi people 18th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Mujaddid Muslim reformers Sunni Muslim scholars Naqshbandi order Hadith scholars Atharis 18th-century scholars 1750 deaths Arab people of Sindhi descent Sindhi scholars {{Islamic-scholar-stub