Usman Bengali ( bn, ওসমান বাঙ্গালী, fa, ; d. 1570s) was a 16th-century

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 ...

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 ...

. He is mostly associated for his great teaching in the town of

Sambhal Sambhal is a city located in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh state in India. The city lies approximately 158 kilometres (98 mi) east of New Delhi and 355 kilometres (220 mi) north-west of state capital Lucknow. History Sambhal ...

during the Mughal period. His name is mentioned in the works of

ʽAbd al-Qadir Badayuni ʽAbdul Qadir Badayuni (1540–1615) was the first Grand Mufti of India, Grand Mufti of India. He was also a historian and translator and lived in the Mughal Empire. He translated the Hinduism, Hindu works, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata ( ...

and

Abd al-Hayy al-Lucknawi Abdul Hayy Lucknawi Firangi Mahali (1264 - 1304 A.H./1848 - 1886 C.E) was an Indian people, Indian Islamic scholar of Hanafi school of Islamic thought. Lineage Abdul Hayy was born in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, Banda, India, in 1847. He was a descend ...

, where he is described as one of the most famous of the

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 ...

ulama 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 religious ...

of that period.

Biography

Usman was born and raised in

. He completed his education relating to

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 ...

and

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard 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 from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

, eventually earning the title of '' Mawlana''. He later migrated to

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( , from '' Hindū'' and ''-stān''), also sometimes spelt as Hindōstān ( ''Indo-land''), along with its shortened form ''Hind'' (), is the Persian-language name for the Indian subcontinent that later became commonly used by ...

where he studied under the renowned poet Miyan Hatim Sambhali. Intending to seek further knowledge, he proceeded to

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

where he became a student of

Wajihuddin Alvi Shah Wajihuddin Alvi Gujarati ( fa, ), also known the epithet Haider Ali Saani ( fa, ), was an Islamic scholar and Sufi in the Shattari tradition. Life Shah Wajihudeen Alvi Hussaini Shattari (Haider Ali Saani) 'Ali the second' was born in C ...

who was the teacher of Yusuf Bengali. According to the ''Asrariyah'' treatise written by Kamal Muhammad Sambhali, Usman then went back to Sambhal where he permanently settled. During his old age, his students would regularly visit him at his home in Sambhal. On one occasion, Miyan Hatim Sambhali visited him, bringing his student

(who would later become the first

Grand Mufti of India The Grand Mufti of India is the most senior and influential religious authority of the Barelvi Muslim Community of India. The incumbent is Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, general secretary of All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama, who was conferred the ti ...

) along with him. Usman Bengali died in the town of Sambhal, in 980 AH (1572-1573 CE).

References

16th-century Bengalis Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam 16th-century Indian Muslims {{Bangladesh-bio-stub Sunni Muslims Mughal Empire people 16th-century Muslim theologians People from Sambhal district 1570s deaths