Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri

Abū Ibrāhīm K͟halīl Aḥmad ibn Majīd ‘Alī Anbahṭawī Sahāranpūrī Muhājir Madanī ( ur, ; December 185213 October 1927) was a Deobandi Hanafi Islamic scholar from India who authored ''Badhl al-Majhud'', an 18-volume commentary on the hadith collection ''Sunan Abi Dawud''. He was also a Sufi shaykh of the Chishti order, being a disciple and successor of Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.

Name and family background

In one of his books he introduces himself as, " Ḥāfiz̤ Abū Ibrāhīm K͟halīl Aḥmad ibn Shāh Majīd ‘Alī ibn Shāh Aḥmad ‘Alī ibn Shāh Qut̤b ‘Alī." In the biographical work ''Nuzhat al-Khawatir'' it is written, "K͟halīl Aḥmad al-Anbeṭhawī as-Sahāranpūri: The Shaykh, the ‘Ālim, the Faqīh, K͟halīl Aḥmad ibn Majīd ‘Alī ibn Aḥmad ‘Alī ibn Qut̤b ‘Alī ibn G͟hulām Muḥammad al-Anṣārī al-Ḥanafī al-Anbeṭhawī, one of the righteous scholars and senior jurists and traditionists." In ''Mu‘jam al-Ma‘ājim wa-al-Mashyakhāt'' it is written, "The Shaykh, the Muḥaddith, the Faqīh, Khalīl Aḥmad ibn Majīd ‘Alī ��al-Anṣārī al-Ḥanafī al-Anbayt′hawī as-Sahāranfūri al-Muhājir al-Madanī, one of the senior scholars of India." Husain Ahmad Madani writes in the introduction to ''Badhl al-Majhud'', "Mawlānā Abū Ibrāhīm Khalīl Aḥmad, al-Ayyūbī al-Anṣārī by lineage and origin, al-Ḥanafī ar-Rashīdī by ''mashrab'' (spiritual disposition, lit. 'spring') and ''madhhab'' (legal school), and al-Jishtī al-Qādirī an-Naqshbandī as-Suhrawardī by '' ṭarīqah'' (Sufi order) and ''maslak'' (track)." In

His given name was Khalil Ahmad, while Abu Ibrahim was his kunya. He was Ayyubi and Ansari, as his family claimed descent from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was Anbahtawi, Anbahṭawī; , Anbeṭhawī; , Ambeṭhawī; ar, الأنبهتوي, al-Anbahtawī; , al-Anbayt′hawī; , al-Anbaytawī, group="note" (of Ambehta, referring to his family home), then Saharanpuri / , Sahāranpūri; ar, السهارنفوري / , as-Sahāranfūri; , as-Sahāranbūri, group="note" (of Saharanpur), then Madani (of Medina). The nisbat Muhajir Madani indicates his permanent migration (''hijrah'') to the holy city. He followed the Hanafi school of ''fiqh'' (Islamic jurisprudence), and in ''tasawwuf'' (Sufism) he was a disciple of Rashid Ahmad Gangohi in the Sabiri-Imdadi chain of the Chishti order, which incorporates the Chishtia, Qadiri, Naqshbandi, and Suhrawardi orders.

Biography

Khalil Ahmad was born in late Safar 1269 AH (early December 1852) in Nanauta, Saharanpur district, British India (in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India). In He was named both "Zahiruddin" and "Khalil Ahmad", but the second name was what he became known by. The chronogram "''Z̤ahīruddīn wa Aḥmad''" (, "Zahiruddin and Ahmad") equates to the year of his birth, 1269, using Abjad numerals.

His mother Mubarak-un-nisa was the daughter of Mamluk Ali Nanautawi and the sister of Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi, who would later be ''sadr mudarris'' (head teacher) at Darul Uloom Deoband. On his father's side he was Ayyubi Ansari and on his mother's side he was Siddiqi.

Early education

Khalil Ahmad began his education at the age of five in a '' maktab'' (elementary school) with study of the '' qaidah'', a common text for learning Arabic script. For ''barakah'' (blessing), his grandfather Mamluk Ali conducted the opening '' bismillah'' ceremony. In a short time completed ''nazirah'' (reading) of the Qur'an and then began studying Urdu