PARENTAGE
Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan was born at Bareilly (India) in 1272/1856. His father Mawlana Naqi Ali Khan (d. 1297/1880) and grandfather Mawlana Rida Ali Khan (d. 1282/1866) were celebrated theologians recognized as such by academic circles of the entire subcontinent.1
EDUCATIONAL CAREER
Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan completed his educational career under his fathers as well under famous scholars like:
1. Shaykh Ahmad Bin Zayn Dahlan Makki (d. 1299/1881)
2. Shah Al-i-Rasul (d. 1297/1879).
3. Shaykh and ‘Abd al-Rahman Makki (d. 1301/1883).
4. Shaykh Husayn bin Saleh. (d. 1302/1884).
5. Shah Abu al-Hasan Ahmad (d. 1324/1906)
Scholarship
Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan was astonishingly well versed in more than fifty branches of learning pertaining to Ancient Sciences 4, Modern Sciences, 5 Current Sciences and Oriental Learnings and left contributions in all these academic disciplines. His caliph Mawlana Muhammad Zafar al-Din (d. 1382/1962) had compiled his chronological bibliography al-Mudjmal al-Mu‘ddid in 1327-1909 i.e. 12 years before the death of Ahmad Rida Khan. In this bibliography he has mentioned about 350 books and treatises on more than fifty branches of knowledge. His knowledge was indeed encyclopaedic.7
Sufism
In 1294/1827 he went with his father to visit Shah Al-i-Rasul (d. 1297/1879). He was admitted to the Qadiriyya Order and was permitted to enroll and train neophytes. He had similar authority in thirteen other orders.8
Pilgrimage
In 1295/1878 he went with his father for the first pilgrimage and got diplomas from famous Arab scholars at Mecca.9. In 1323/1905 he proceeded for his second pilgrimage. During his stay at Mecca and Madina he won the respect of noted scholars who visited him and received from him diplomas and Fatawa.10
Master Jurist
On 14th Sha‘ban 1286/1869 he started issuing Fatawa and gave verdicts on Muslim jurisprodence.11. At that time he was only a boy of less than 14 years old.12. Afterwards he attained such eminence in this field that the scholars of the Indo-Pak subcontinent and also of the Islamic World acknowledged him as a great jurist.13. He had full command over Muslim Jurisprudence so much so that he differed in certain verdicts with the great Islamic savants like Allama Shami, Allama Tahtawi and Shah Wali Allah etc.14. He had great insight in Fiqh. The following Savants, Scholars, Philosophers and Journalists highly praised his scholarship and command over Muslim Jurisprudence.
The poet of the East Dr. Muhammad
lqbal remarked: -
�Such a genius and intelligent
jurist did not emerge.�15
The Great Mufti of India Shah
Muhammad Mazhar Allah, Commanding Ahmad Rida Khan
writes: -
�I do think Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan was the genius
and a great scholar of Ahl-i-Sunnat wa Djamat.� 16
The renowned Theologian-cum-politician figure of
Pakistan Mawlana Abu al-Ala Mawdudi writes in his letter
(dated 12 February 1974 addressed to the editor of The
Monthly Tardjuman-i-Ahl-I-Sunnat, Karachi):
In my eyes the late Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan was the
bearer of religious knowledge and insight and was a
respectable leader of the majority of Muslims. 17
(4) Dr. Abd Allah (the Chairman, Department of
Encyclopedia of Islam, University of the Punjab, Lahore)
writes: -
A scholar is the mind and tongue of his nation. And a
Muslim Scholar whose axis or thought is the Quran and
the Prophetic Tradition; is the interpreter of science
and learning; the proclaimer of truth and righteousness
and the benefactor of humanity. It will be no
exaggeration if I say that Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan was a
scholar of the same kind.18
(5) Mr. Khurshid Ahmad while discussing the
scholarship of Ahmad Rida Khan remarks:
�Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan is the founder of Bareilvi
school of thought and one of the most important scholars
of this era.
He had started writing in the last quarter of nineteenth
century A.D. and this continued till his death in 1921.
Apart from jurisprudence and Tafsir (commentry of Holy
Quran) he was master in Philosophy and Mathematics. The
standard of his writings is very high. Besides the
translation of Holy Quran in idiomatic Urdu he had
contributed several books in Arabic language on pure
scholastic topics. He had also written books in
refutation of Ahl-i-Hadith and Ulama-i-Deoband.19
(6) The editor of the monthly Maarif (a leading
journal of India) observes: -
The late Mawalana Ahmad Rida Khan R.A. was a great
scholar, writer and a jurist of his time. He wrote
treatises pertaining to hundreds and thousands of minor
and major problems concerning jurisprudence.20
The editor of �Les Nouvellous� (Prort Louis/Mauritius)
writes: Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan (R.A.) is a renowned
writer of Islam. Among his literary works of about 700
books, he wrote the famous Fattawa-i-Ridawiyya in twelve
volumes, each consisting of about 850 pages. He had a
profound knowledge of science too, for he was a Master
of Mathematics and Astronomy. He dedicated his whole
life to the religion of Allah and acted as a shield
against those who wanted to assault the principles of
the Ahl-i-snnnat wa Jamaat, for he was truly a great
defender of the Faith. On his visit to Mecca and Madina,
he was greeted with great dignity and was conferred upon
the title of �Imam-i-Ahl-i-Sunnat� by eminent
theologians. They hailed him as a �Reformer of this
Century�, and adopted him as their Spiritual Guide. 21
(7) A well-known author and critic of Indo-Pak
Sub-continent Mr. Niyaz Fath Puri expressed his
impressions regarding Ahmad Rida Khan as under:-
�I had the good opportunity to meet Ahmad Rida Khan,
who was an exceptionally gifted person. His study was
both varied and intensive and reflected itself in his
demeanour. In spite of humility and good-naturedness, he
had a strange air of awe over his face�
(Quoted in �Tarjuman-i-Ahl-i-Sunnat�, Karachi,
December, 1975 : p. 27).
Lean and thin yet he possessed a gigantic personality.
He left a profound issuance over his epoch. None among
his contemporaries was as powerful as to influence the
majority of Muslim population of Indo-Pak Sub-continent
all alone from East to West and from North to South.
Dr. S.M. Ikram, a renowned Pakistani scholar
spotlights this influence as under:
�but it is popular among the masses, and in West
Pakistan especially in South West Parts of Punjab its
hold is strong. 22
RELIGIOUS SERVICES
The religious turn of mind of Ahmad Rida Khan was in
creed and law unalterably determined by the old
traditional views.
Though he was well versed in scores of branches of
knowledge yet in the later years he restricted his
interest in the following branches of religious
learnings:
i. To support and defend the Holy Prophet (S. A. w)
ii. To uproot the innovations prevalent in Muslim
society.
iii. To issue Fatawa according to the Hanaifi school of
jurisprudence 23
He hit the targets in these fields with unshakable
confidence and accuracy that none among his contemporary
scholars could claim to be his equal. This is not an
exaggeration. His voluminous works, a hidden treasure to
be explored by the orientalists of the world, will bear
the testimony to this fact. He reviewed and
revolutionized the Muslim Society, especially the
Muslims of Indo-Pak Sub-continent, that is why the Arab
scholars like Shaykh Ismail bin Khalil and Shaykh Musa
Ali Shami commended him as the Revivalist of the 14th
Century A.H.
If he is called the Revivalist of this Century it
will be right and true. 24
The Muslim Savants and saints all over the world
appreciated his services to Islam and bore testimony to
his extraordinary scholarship. 25
In 1322/1904 he founded Dar-al-Ulum Manzar-i-lslam at
Bareilly (U.P. India), which played an important role,
but the fame and prestige of Ahmad Rida Khan was not
indebted to this Dar al-Ulum like others. Scores of
Dar-al-Ulum in India and especially in Pakistan are
under his influence.
Ahmad Rida Khan infused the zeal of preaching and
missionary work to his Caliphs, desciples, and pupils.
Some of them rendered great services to Islam which must
be recorded in the history, 26 His renowned Caliph
Mawlana Muhammad Abd al-Alim Siddiqi (d.1374/1954)
toured all over the world, propagated Islam and made
hundreds and thousands non-Muslims embraced Islam. He
met the world-renowned Irish dramatist and philosopher
George Bernard Shaw on 17th of April 1935, during his
Visit to Mombassa and discussed the religious problems
with him. After the discussion when they parted Shaw
expressed his feelings as under: -
�have been very pleased to make acquaintance and it will
be the most precious of all memories of this trip of
mine �. 27
Abd al-Alim son Mawlana Shah Ahmad Nurani 28 and
son-in-law Dr. Fadl al-Rahman Ansari (d. 1394/1974) also
rendered great services to Islam. The latter compiled a
unique book in English with the title: -
�The Quranic Foundations and Structure of Muslim
Society�. (Karachi, 1973).30
POLITICAL SERVICES
Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan, as stated earlier, was the
grandson of Mawlana Rida Ali Khan (d. 1282/1866), the
great theologian and warrior who fought with General
Bakht khan against English invaders in 1250/1834.
General Hudson announced a reward of Rs. 500.00 for the
one who could behead him. An English historian writes
that Rida Ali Khan did his best against English
domination and supported the freedom fighters with
horses and weapons. 31
Being the grandson of such a warrior he could not remain
aloof from Freedom Movement. Although he did not take
any active part yet he paved the way for freedom with
his brilliant philosophy based on the Holy Quran and
Hadith. It is his love of freedom that the personalities
like Mawlana Fadl-I-Haq (d. 1278/1861) 32 and the Martyr
peot Mawlana Kifayat Ali Kafi (d.1275/1858) 33 had been
his favourite models.
He was against Hindu-Muslim Unity. This was the basic
idea which can rightly be called the foundation of
Pakistan.
In 1920, when the Islamic College, Lahore, was entangled
in a non-co-operation movement, with the suggestion of
Dr. Muhammad Iqbal (the Poet of the East) and the
Members of Anjuman-i-Himayat al-lslam, Prof. Hakim Ali
the Vice Principal of Islamia College, presented an
Istifta before Ahmad Rida Khan. He was seriously ill at
that critical juncture but he gave his verdict un-dauntedly
which was published as a treatise with the title of: -
�AL-MUHADJDJA- AL-MU�TAMINA 34.�
This treatise can be called a precious and valuable
document for freedom fighters. It paved the way and
changed the ideas of the great politicians like Dr.
Muhammad Iqbal and Qa�id-i-Azam M.A. Jinnah.His caliphs,
desciples and pupils took active part in freedom
movement. They had discussion with Abu al-Kalam Azad and
Ali Brothers (i.e. Mawlana Muhammad Ali and Mawlana
Shaukat Ali).On 13th Radjab 1339/1920 a public meeting
was held at Bareilly under the auspices of
Djam�yyat-t-Ulama-i-Hind. Maulana Abu Al-Kalam Azad the
first Minister of Education of Bharat (India), was on
the stage. Ahmad Rida Khan�s Caliphs Mawlana Sayyid
Sulayman Ashraf, Mawlana Muhammad Zafar Al-Din, Mawlana
Hamid Rida Khan (the elder son of Ahmad Rida Khan)
Mawlana Burhan al-Haq, etc., were also invited. They had
open and free discussions on political issues publicly
with Mawlana Abu al-Kalam Azad and refuted Hindu-Muslim
Unity. 35
In 1946/1366 an ideal conference was held at Benares
(India) Hundreds and thousands Ulamas (followers of
Ahmad Rida Khan) from all over Indo-Pak Sub-continent
attended this conference. A resolution was unanimously
passed in favour of Pakistan and thenceforward his
caliphs and desciple and followers expanded and enhanced
their political activities all over Indo-Pak
Sub-continent. 36 Among them the following were
prominent: -1. Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Muhaddith (d.
1383/1963).
2. Mawlana Muhammad Naim al-Din (d. 1367/1948). 36
3. Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Ahmad (d. 1380/1961).
4. Mufti Muhammad Umar (d. 1385/1966).
5. Mawlana Muhammad Abd al-Alim (d. 1374/1954). 37
6. Mawlana Muhammad Sharif (d. 1371/1951).
7. Mawlana Abd al-Hamid Badyuni (d. 1390/1970).Ahmad
Rida Khan had strong hold on Muslim masses and it was
masses that made the movement of Pakistan a success. The
majority of the Muslim voters was under the influence of
him, his caliphs, desciples and pupils. So the credit
should go to him and his followers. Historians of the
world especially of Indo-Pak Sub-continent should draw
their attention to this most significant aspect of
freedom movement. 38
The love of Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) is the summum bonum of
Islamic politics and has played important role in the
history of Muslim World. Ahmad Rida Khan was the Torch
Bearer of this love in the Indo-Pak Sub-continent. The
only Motto of his life was the � love of the Holy
Prophet � (S.A.W.) and he could leave no stone unturned
in defending this love. Throughout his life and in all
his works he maintained this Motto and in this respect
he could not compromise with any.His poetry totally
depended on this love. Hence it has great religio-political
importance. He awakened the Muslim Nation from a sound
sleep, purified their hearts and kindled the fire of
love in an atmosphere where the people tried their best
to extinguish it.
LITERARY SERVICES
Ahmad Rida Khan was a poet of high caliber. He adopted
Na�at 39 the most difficult of all the branches of
poetry, but all the same he reached at the highest
pinnacles. He was an unrivalled lover of the Holy
Prophet (S.A.S.), a great scholar and a great saint.
These mental and spiritual qualities elevated his poetry
and made it highly ecstatic, lucid and profusely rich
with rhetorics. 40 It is regretted that the Urdu
literature has been the target of sectarianism that is
why he was deliberately neglected in Urdu literature by
the latter historians and biographers. And even today
the scholars hesitate to appreciate his poetry with open
heart due to sectarian bias.For the first time, after
half a century, Mawlana Kauthar Niyazi the Minister of
Religious Affairs, Government of Pakistan, and himself a
brilliant poet, publicly paid homage to Ahmad Raza Khan
which is most daring and highly appreciable. In a
gathering at Karachi on 13 April, 1975/1395 he expressed
his feelings in his presidential address as under: -
There born a person in Bareilly who was the imam (Guide)
of Na�at writers and whose name is Ahmad Raza Khan
Bareilvi. It is possible that some might differ from him
on some points or the difference may be on some dogmas,
but there is no doubt that his Na�ats are completely
full with the love of Holy Prophet (S.A.S.). 41How
astonishing it is that from 1920 to 1970 A.D. he
remained in darkness as a poet in literary circles. But
since 1970 the sincere efforts of some workers like
Hakim Muhammad Musa (Lahore) etc, have turned the
tables. And it is mainly due to his efforts that
scholars of Pakistan have made the facts come to light.
A few facts about the poetry of Ahmad Rida Khan are
presented here, from which one can easily judge his rank
among the poets of an Urdu.Mirza Dagh of Delhi (d.
1323/1905) was the teacher of Hasan Rida Khan, the
younger brother of Ahmad Rida Khan. One day he enjoyed a
verse of Ahmad Rida Khan by the lips of his younger
brother. Being intoxicated he remarked: -�Lo, a Mawlavi
42 and such a fine verse!� 43The Qasida-i-Na�tiyya
(encomium in Praise of the Ho1y Prophet S.A.S.) of
Mohsin Kakorvi (d. 1323/1905) is considered to be the
best in Urdu literature. But When Mohsin himself called
on Ahmwd Rida Khan to recite this Qasida before him and
listened his Qasida M�radjiyya (encomium in praise of
the Holy Prophet's Ascension), 44 Mohsin had been so
impressed that he folded his own Qasida and put it in
his pocket. 45 Commenting on this Qasida-i-M�radjiyya
the eminent poets of Lucknow expressed their view
unanimously: -� Its language has been washed in Kauthar
� (name of a river in Paradise). 46The well-known
commentator of Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, the Poet of the East,
Professor Yusuf Salim Chishti commending the SALAM 47 of
Ahmad Raza Khan says: -There is hardly any person who
does not remember two or four lines of his SALAM by
heart. 48The most eminent scholar of Pakistan Dr. Ghulam
Mustafa Khan, (Head of the Department of Urdu,
University of Sindh, Hyderabad, Pakistan) discussing the
poetry of Ahmad Raza Khan explained his view about one
of his Qasidas as unparalleled in the history of Urdu
literature �. He gave an extension lecture at the
University of Karachi on:�Urdu Shaie Aur Tasawwuf �In
this lecture he highly praised the poetry of Ahmad Rida
Khan especially a poem from his Diwan
�Hadaq-I-Bakhshish� (1325/1907).49 He expressed:-It will
be advisable to refer to a Devotee of the Holy Prophet (S.A.S.)
viz. Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan (d. 1340/1921) from whom
our writers continued to turn a deaf ear but perhaps he
was the only Muslim Theologian who used countless Urdu
idioms in his prose and poetry and made Urdu poetry
sublime by this scholarship----------and for whom the
love of the Holy Prophet (S.A.S.) was the main stay of
Sufism. (Photostate, p. 9).Dr. Farman Fathpuri a leading
writer of Pakistan writes in his book �Urdu Ki Na�tiyya
Shari� (Lahore: 1394/1974, P. 86): -�The name of Ahmad
Rida Khan Bareilvi is most prominent among Muslim
Theologians as Na�at writer.� Niyaz Fathpuri a renowned
poet and critic of both India and Pakistan �comments on
the poetic art or Mawlana Ahmad Rida Khan as: -�Poetry
and literature are my domains in particular. I have gone
through nation poetry of Ahmad Raza Khan with interest
and attention. The first impression which one gathers
from his poetry is that of his devout love for the Holy
Prophet of Islam and secondly one is struck by his
vastness of knowledge, sub-limity of thought and
excellence of expression. His individuality is also
rejected but simply as a foil to his love for the
prophet in his Na�ats. This note of individuality sounds
like poetic exaggeration to those who are unaware of his
poetic art.In fact his Ideas are full of realism--------Mawlana
Hasrat Mohani(a poet and freedom-fighter) was also
highly appreciative of Ahmad Rida Rhan . . . Ahmad Rida
Khan was also well-versed in Arabic idiom and the art of
scansion. �(Quoted in �Tardjuman-i-Ahl-i-Sunnat,
Karachi, December, 1975: p.28.)Recently Shafiq Bareilvi
has published a beautiful collection of selected Na�at
with the title of �Armughan-i-Na�at (Karachi, 1975). In
this collection he has included the Na�at of Ahmad Rida
Khan. 50
Demise
Ahmad Rida Khan gave verdicts (Fatwas) for more than
half a century (from 1286/1896------1339/1921) fortified
the faith of Muslim masses and showed right path to the
Muslim Politicians at that critical juncture of 1920.
Thus he completed his mission and now he was preparing
for his last journey. On Friday 25th Safar l340/ 1921,
he left this mundane world for heaven. 51 His mausoleum
is situated at Bareilly (U.P., India). His death
anniversary is commemorated all over Indo-Pakistan
Sub-continent on 24th and 25th Safar, and special issues
of newspapers and periodicals

Holy Shrine of Aala Hazrat
Ahmend Rada Khan Barailvi
Descendants
Ahmad Rida Khan had two sons and five daughters. His
son�s Mawlana Hamid Rida Khan (d. 1362/1934) and Mawlana
Mustafa Raza Khan (b. 1310/1892) are celebrated savants
of Islam. They rendered great services to Islam and the
Muslim Nation In India.
Caliphs
Ahmad Raza Khan's Caliphs are spreading far and wide all
over India and Pakistan and also in the Islamic World.
Nearly 35 in Islamic World and 30 in Indo-Pak
Sub-continent. 53 These are the leading ones: -
Muslim World
� Shaykh Multammad Abd al-Hayy.
� Shaykh Ahmad Khalil.
� Shaykh Ahmad Khudravi.
� Shaykh Muhammad Bin Abi Bakr.
� Shaykh Muhammad Sa�id, etc. etc.
India and Pakistan
� Mawlana Hamid Rida Khan (d. 1362/1943).
� Mawlana Muhammad Zafar al-Din (d. 1382/1962).
� Mawlana Didar Ali (d. 1354/1935).
� Mawlana Amdjad Ali 54 (d. 1367/1948).
� Mawlana Muhammad Na�im al-Din 55 (d. 1367/1948).
� Mawlana Shah Sulayman Ashraf (d. 1352/1933).
� Mawlana Sayyid Ahmad Ashraf (d. 1344/1925).
� Mawlana Muhammad Abd al-Alim Siddiqi 56. etc. etc.The
following caliphs are still alive and are source of
knowledge and spiritualism for posterity:
I. Mawlana Mustafa Rida Khan (Bareilly, lndia).
II. Mufti Diya al-Din (Madina, Saudi Arabia).
III. Mawlana Burhan al-Haq (Jabalpur, India).
IV. Mawlana Sayyid Ahmad (Lahore, Pakistan).
V. Abu al-Barakat.WorksAhmad Rida Khan was a genius
writer. He started writing from his early age. His first
book was the Arabic commentary of Hidaya al-Nahv which
he wrote at the age of ten years. The second book was
Dau al-Nihaya in Arabic, which he wrote in 1285/1868 at
the age of thirteen. He wrote numerous books and
treatises in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu on diversified
topics. These are estimated more than 1000 on more than
50 branches of knowledge 57 In 1305/1887 at the age of
30 years he had completed 75 books and treatises. 58 In
1327/1909 this number increased up to 500. 59 Apart from
these contributions he had written annotation 60 and
Commentator on more than 150 books pertaining to various
branches of learning. 61. But it is deplorable that even
scholar like Dr. S. M. Ikram was unaware of the correct
number of Ahmad Raza Khan writings, and their real value
that is why he writes: -Mawlana Ahmad Raza Khan wrote
some fifty pamphlets on controversial subject. 62 But in
this special branch the correct number is more than 500.
I have gone throught some pamphlets and I can dare to
say that each pamphlet is a research paper of high
degree whose bibliography consists of books innumerable.
His books and treatises are lying un published at
Bareilly., Murad Abad, Lahore, Karachi, etc., so far.
Mr. Shams al-Din a contributor to the voluminous history
of literature of the Muslims of Indo-Pakistan confesses
that Ahmad Raza Khan:
Wrote hundreds and thousands book on various
controversial and scientific topics. 63
The most voluminous work is the collection of Verdicts
i.e. Fatawa-i-Ridawiyya. In 1324/1904, he had completed
its 7 volumes, which afterwards increased upto 12
volumes of 26� x 20� / 8� size each volume containing
more than 1000 pages.
When Shaykh Ismail Khalil, the Curator of Library at
Mecca read the specimen of these Fatawa (Verdicts) he
was puffed up with joy and wrote to Ahmad Rida Khan:By
God if Abu Hanifa Nu�man would have gone through these
Fatawa undoubtedly it could have been his heart's
delight and granted its writer among his pupils. 64 A
prominent figure from the opposition camp and a famous
writer Hakim Abd al-Hayy of Lucknow (d. 1341/1923)
admits: -During his stay at Mecca and Madina (1324/1906)
he wrote several treatises and gave verdicts to some
questions received from the scholars. They were dumb
strikes to see his vast informations on the text of
books on Muslim Jurisprudence and disputed dogmas; his
rapid writing and intelligences. 65A renowned theologian
and a great saint of Delhi, Hadrat Mawlana Zayd Abu l-Hassan
Faruqi (who completed his education at Al-Azhar, Cairo)
acknowledged the unrivalled mastery of Mawlana Ahmad
Raza Khan over jurisprudence and other branches of
learning in the following words: -� None can deny the
erudition of Mawlana Ahmad Raza Khan in the field of
Fiqh. He was, no doubt the greatest Faqih (Jurist) of
his time.�He added: -Kifayat al-Mufti of Mawlana Kifayat
Allah (compiled and published by Mawalana Hafiz al-Rahman
Wasif at Delhi) is simply of little value to me, as it
provides no reference or citation. Hence its validity is
questionable. On the contrary the Fatawa of Ahmad Raza
are not only argumentatively convincing and rational but
are supported by authentic references. They are unique
in depth and magnitude and broaden ones horizons of
vision. They are an assest to know and remember scores
of references. One should not, however, look to that
image of Ahmad Raza which the pseudo-scholars have
envisaged. There was no equal to him in scholarship and
the profound knowledge of jurisprudence among his
contemporaries.
(Quoted from a despatch of Mawlana Muhammad Mukkarrum,
Fathpuri Mosque Delhi, dated December 18, 1975).Even the
antagonists of Ahmad Raza Khan referred to these Fatawa.
For instance, the great Mufti of his opposite camp
Mawlana Kifayat Allah (d. 1372/1952), consulted and
ratiocinated these Fatawa and admitted that Mawlana
Ahmad Raza Khan had full command over the subtleties of
Muslim Jurisprudence as stated by Allama Mufti Muhammad
Mahmud of Alwar (Hyderabad--- Pakistan).
The second important work which Ahmad Raza Khan
contributed towards religious knowledge is the
translation of the Holy Quran in Urdu language. It has
its own characteristics.
This translation was published under the title of Kanz
al-Iman with marginal notes by his Caliph Mawlana
Muhammad Na�im al-Din under the title Khaza�n al-Irfan
in 1330/1911.
There are many complete and incomplete translations of
the Holy Quran in Urdu language. More than 25
translations had been compiled before Kanz al-Iman while
more than 50 have been compiled after its publication.
But in all these translations, Kanz-al-Iman seems to
stand first. The translator passed smoothly from such
delicate places where it was impossible. |