Taaj Al-Shariah - Man Among Men of Allah - Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan [English] - Shaykh Munawwar Ateeq

8/4/2019 Taaj Al-Shariah - Man Among Men of Allah - Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan [English] - Shaykh Munawwar Ateeq

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3) [Hadith] He also wrote and excellent Usuli commentary to the Hadith of the intention

Actions are based upon intentions which he called Sharh Hadith al-Niyyah.

4) [Fiqh/Hadith] The Shaykh dictated the translation to Imam Ahmad Riza Khans

magnum opus work on the issue of combining prayers titled Haajiz al-Bahrayn al-Waaqi

an al-Jam bayn al-Salatayn into Arabic. The work combines Fiqh with Hadith and

perfectly illustrates how afaqih analyses Hadith evidences. It will perhaps be the largest

work on the topic when published.

5) [Usul al-Hadith] Mufti Akhtar Raza fully dictated the Arabic translation to Imam

Ahmad Raza Khans al-Haad al-Kaaf Fi Hukm al-Diaaf (The Sufficient Guide on Weak

Hadiths). It was published by Dar al-Sananbil of Damascus and Dar al-Hawi of Beirut in

2009. The work uniquely examines the definitions of weak Hadith, and their application

and usage in areas of Fiqh uncovering Wahhabi fallacies in their understanding of their

acceptance and rejection. It is ample with scholarly discussions and is an outstanding

gift for the student and teacher as its signatory Sayyid Yusuf al-Hashimi al-Beiruti (p.

139) clearly points in his endorsement,

" :.

"

This book can be obtained from Dar al-Faqih in Abu Dhabi, Dar al-Dhiya lil-Nashr in

Kuwait, Maktabah Tarim al-Hadithah in Tarim, Dar al-Salam in Cairo, Maktabah al-

Tamam in Beirut and Dar al-Ulum al-Islamiyya in Indonesia. Six Ulama endorsed it with

their remarks. They are: Abu Muhammad Musa Abduh Yusuf al-Ishaqi (from the

Ishaqiyya Ashraf of Somali-Jeddah), Muhammad Anas Muhammad Saleem Murad who

wrote the endorsement on behalf of his Shaykh Sad al-Din al-Murad (Jeddah), SayyidYusuf Muhammad Idris al-Hasani al-Husaini al-Hashimi (Beirut), Sayyid Yusuf Hashim

Rifai (Kuwait), Shaykh Mahmud al-Huwt al-Nabhani (Halab, Syria) and Muhammad

Nazim Ali Misbahi (Mubarakpur, India).


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Sayyid Yusuf al-Rifai (p. 240-1) thanks the Shaykh for producing the translation of a

work that was much needed in the Arabic language such that it now fills an empty area

in the library of the Ah al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah and addressed him saying al-Allamah

al-Mukarram al-Akh al-Shaykh al-Mubajjal al-Shaykh Akhtar Ridha and al-Allamah al-

Hafid al-Daiyah.

Shaykh Mahmud al-Huwt (p. 244-5) refers to the Shaykh as al-Imam and Taaj al-

Shariah and claims that "he has never seen a work of its kind" saying,

" :

"

Shaykh Musa Abduh Yusuf al-Ishaqi (p. 236) calls the Shaykh Mawlana wa-Ustadhuna

al-Fadhil among other revering names. Here is the Arabic,

" "

"

"

6) [Aqidah] Mufti Akhtar Raza dictated the complete Arabic translation of Imam Ahmad

Raza Khans al-Amnu wa al-Ula li-Naaiti al-Mustafa bi-Daafi al-Bala (Protection and

Eminence for the Person who Praises the Chosen One as an Eliminator of Calamity)

which was published Dar al-Numan, Damascus, 2009. This work is a scholarly refutation

of Muftis that considered the Salat Taajiyah shirkon the basis that is impermissible to

call anyone other than Allah Daafi al-Balaa. It categorically refutes the Wahhabi stance

using numerous verses of al-Quran al-Karim and its commentaries and two hundred

and eighteen Hadiths of the Noble Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace)

with their sources on the topic making it an encyclopaedic work. The muqaddima

contains an excellent explanation to the types ofIsnadand Nisbah highlighting the


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correct usage of this title for the Noble Prophet (may Allah bless him ad give him peace).

The Shaykh put excellent Hadith notes to this work and his student created its

bibliographical references.

It contains a three page endorsement by the greatfadhiland adeeb, Abdul Jaleel Ata in

which he addresses the Shaykh with titles such as Fadilat al-Allamah al-Jalil al-Shaykh

Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan, Taaj al-Shariah, Fadilat al-Shaykh al-Jalil al-Murabbi

al-Fadil and praises the scholarly activities of the Shaykh saying,

"

. !

. !

.

"

7) [Aqidah] Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan dictated the full translation of Shah Fazl al-Rasul

Badayounis al-Mutaqad al-Muntaqad from the Arabic into Urdu, and its commentary

al-Mutamad al-Mustanad by Imam Ahmad Raza Khan. Those teaching Aqidah know

how difficult of a text this work is. It contains many intricate discussions onAsma wa-

Sifaatyet the Shaykh has effectively translated the work which when read in Urdu

seems as though it was originally written in Urdu! The Shaykh translated this work

throughout the car and aeroplane journey to Sri Lanka in 2003 and completed it within

six months. This single example is sufficient to establish to our readers the immensity of

the Shaykhs knowledge and determined efforts to teach.

8) [Asma wa-Sifat] The Shaykh is currently dictating the translation to Imam Ahmad Riza

Khans Subhan al-Subbuh an Ayb Kadhib Maqbuh into Arabic. I sat in one of awe-filling

majalis to listen to the Shaykhs mastery in the subject and translation of the text. This

will be the largest known work on establishing the sifah of truth (sidq) for Allah Most


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Sublime and refuting the view ofImkan al-Kadhib. It shall shatter - by the aid of the

Most Truthful - the Deobandi stance in Arabic when released. The work is a masterpiece

inAsma wa-Sifatcontaining a wealth of rational and transmitted proofs. The translation

is near completion, wal-hamdulillah. None other than an expert can embark such a task.

9) [Hadith/Aqidah] The Shaykh dictated the translation of Shumul al-Islam li-Usul al-

Rasul al-Kiram by Imam Ahmad Raza Khan into Arabic on the Iman of the parents of our

Noble Prophet (upon him peace and blessings). This was published along with the

Shaykhs study on the Father of Sayyiduna Ibrahim in Arabic titled Tahqiq Anna Aba

Ibrahim Tarih wa-laysa Azar. These works were endorsed by the following Ulama:

SayyidAbdullah FadaqHashimi (Daiyah of Makkah and student of the late SayyidMuhammad Alawi Maliki), who referred to the Shaykh as Fadilat al-Imam al-Shaykh

Muhammad Akhtar Ridha Khan al-Azhari al-Mufti al-Azam fi al-Hind

Shaykh Isa Mani al-Himyari (Muhadith of Dubai) who referred to the Shaykh as al-

Shaykh al-Aarif billah al-Muhadith Muhammad Akhtar Ridha al-Hanafi al-Qadiri al-

Azhari

Shaykh Waathiq Fuad Ubaydi (Baghdad) who called him Shaykhuna al-Jalil, Sahib al-

Radd al-Qati, Murshid al-Saalikeen, al-Mahfouz bi-Rabb al-alameen, al-Aalim al-Fadhil

and Taaj al-ShariahMufti Jamal Abdul Kareemal-Dabban (Baghdad) who referred to him as al-Imam al-

Allamah al-Qudwah Sahib al-Fadhilat al-Shaykh

10) [Qasaid/Madih] During my stay in Jeddah in Dhul Hijjah (2009) after the completionof Haj, I visited Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan in Jeddah and witnessed his knowledge and

piety. He gave his daily commentary on Qasidah Burdah (verses 90-91) fluently in Arabic

which was being recorded (I personally possess 3 unedited audio cds).


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The Shaykh has memorised the entire Qasidah Burdah and Dalaiil al-Khayrat by heart.

Every morning after Fajr, he recites the entire Burdah till sunrise. After every Asr prayer,

he recites a section from Dalail al-Khayrat. This has been his wird-occupation since

teenage years. I witnessed this on the 13th morning of Dhul Hijja in Mina and after

Asr in Jeddah. The Shaykh has a Diwan to his name titled Safinah-e-Bakhshish which

contains several qasaid and madaih on the Noble Prophet (upon him peace andblessings) and the chosen people, some of which are in Arabic too. One of his famous

Qasidahs is which he recited in his majlis with the Ulama of Damascus in August 2008

and in Jeddah 2009(partial):

When the Shaykh recited the last verse, Sayyid Abdul Aziz Khatib (Damascus) beganprofoundly saying (as heard from students that were present):

!


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Expressing his yearning for the Noble Habib (may Allah give him peace and blessing)

Mufti Akhtar raza writes (partial):


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A Notice: The reader must keep in mind that Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan is visually impaired

and cannot read or write. He listens to a text and dictates the translation and those

occupied in translating know how difficult of a task this is especially when translating

difficult texts in Islamic disciplines!

Acclaim Among Contemporary Arab Ulama

1) Shaykh Abdul Jaleel Ata (Damascus) recited the following qasidah in praise of the

Shaykh in Damascus in the presence of numerous scholars and students who gathered

to join the Shaykh, every letter of which lustres with love and truth,

This majlis was attended by Shaykh Abdur-Razzaq Halabi, Shaykh Hussam al-Din Farfour,

Shaykh Abdul Fattah Bizm, Shaykh Abdul Aziz Khateeb, Shaykh Hisham Burhani, Shaykh

Abdul Hadi Kharsah and many others.

2) In his first-rate work on the defining the manhajof Imam Ahmad Raza Khan titled

Insaf al-Imam, the Egyptian author Shaykh Muhammad Khalid Thabit (p. 114-5)

speaks of his encounter with Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan in Egypt in the following words,


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- "

...

- "... :

3) The Azhar Journal titled Sawt al-Azhar (May Issue 2009) referred to the Shaykh as

Mufti al-Hind (see attachment). In this visit, the Shaykh met with Shaykh al-Azhar in

his office for an hour and who presented him an Azhar award for his scholarlyachievements and activities.See endorsements by Arab ulama above for more.

Among Those Who Visited Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan in Bareilly

1) The late Muhadith of Makkah, Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki (may Allah have

mercy on him) travelled to Bareilly in April 2004 during Rabi al-Awwal. They engaged in

a number of scholarly discussions with Shaykh Akhtar and in his talk addressed Shaykh

Akhtar with the title al-Mufti al-Azam bil-alam. When he studied the Shaykhs Arabic

Hashiya on Sahih al-Bukhari titled Namudhaj Hashiyat al-Azhari he regarded the

Shaykh as Muhadith Hanafi before those that were present.

2) Sayyid Muhammad Umar ibn Saleem al-Mahdi al-Dabbagh of Baghdad was appointed

as the Head of Arabic literature at Jamiat al-Ridha in Bareilly in 2007. He showedimmense love for the Shaykh and wrote a qasidah in his praise which he publicly recited

on the Imam Ahmad Raza Conference in Bareilly on the 24th

Safar, 2007.


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3) The Mufti of Damascus, Shaykh Abdul Fattah Bizm visited Mufti Akhtar Raza at his

residence twice during the last Haj season (2009) in Jeddah and in Madinah Tayyibah. I

personally witnessed the amount of love these Shuyukh had for one another on both

occasions. In his talk in Jeddah, Mufti Abdul Fattah expressed his feelings about the

Shaykh and spoke of his previous meetings with him in Syria and Bareilly. He said,

When the Shaykh came to Damascus the first time round, I heard about him andwanted to visit him. Some people prevented me but I went to meet him and at the first

sight Allah made me realise that he is from the people of Allah (ahlullah).

He then added, speaking of a miracle he experienced, that when the Shaykh invited him

to Bareilly he was in two minds about travelling even to the moment of submitting his

passport. For some reason, the visa was not issued. Upon collecting the passport, he

mentioned that Shaykh Akhtar rang him and said, If you make a firm intention, Allah

will make the means easy. Mufti Abdul Fattah said, This struck my heart and I came torealise that the Shaykh is aware of the state of my heart. Thereafter, I made a firm

intention and re-submitted my passport and received the visa.

He also said, When I travelled to Bareilly and saw the thousands of people that are

attached to Shaykh Akhtar, it brought joy to my heart that the people of India are still

connected with their shuyukh and illustrate immense love and respect for them. This is

what I remember from his comments. If anyone requires an audio recording of this talk,

Insha Allah, I can try to facilitate it and perhaps others too. See the al-Fath al-Islamis

website for Mufti Abdul Fattah Bizms visit to Bareilly which also contains some pictures:

http://www.alfatihonline.com/news/india.htm

http://www.alfatihonline.com/news/india3.htm

Acclaim in Indo-Pakistan

Bareilly, as all of us know, has a massive Sunni following in and around the world. Mufti

Akhtar Raza Khan has been the Shaykh of the silsilah and head Mufti there for many

years. The claim that he is not known among Indias people is clearly a lie intended to


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discredit the Shaykh. A 700 page book has been compiled on the life, works and

activities of the Shaykh titled Tajalliyaat Taaj al-Shariah containing the comments,

letters, articles of hundreds of ulama from around the world to the Shaykh and their

views about him. Majority of these articles, letters, qasaid are in Urdu by scholars of

India and Pakistan. It includes articles on the Shaykhs travels within India and meetings

with its people that shatter the false notion. Mufti Abdul Fattah Bizm has witnessed theannual urs event at Bareilly in the month of Safar whose remarks I presented above

The Manhaj of Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan in Love and Hate

It would be not be a hyperbolic comment if I were to assert that Mufti Akhtar Raza is an

embodiment of the Hadith Love for the sake of Allah and Hate for the sake Allah. Heloves the awliya of the entire world and hates the enemies of Allah and His Messenger

(upon him peaece and blessings). He does not unite with those who offend Allah and

His Messenger with comments that are by nature repulsive, repugnant, below the

standards of scholarly discourse, indefensible breaches of proper respect and thus

unacceptable to Muslims around the world and neither does he have compassion for

those who shamelessly destroy the graves of the companions and Ahlul Bayt, demolish

Muslim sites and heritage whilst preserving Jewish landmarks and relics of their Kings in

their museums, and speak with minimal respect about the Noble Habib (may Allah bless

him and give him peace), his companions, kin, and the majority of the Ummah whom

they consider misguided. He has no love for those who consider it permissible to shout

out Shirk and kufr slogans to those who recite the Burdah and Dalaiil. He has written

and spoken against such people and their beliefs as this is the duty (wajib dini) of every

upright scholar from Ahlus-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah, and is not a hobby as some may

assert, to warn people from wavering and falling into the trap of the Shaytan.

As for the claim that the Shaykh makes takfir of everyone other than himself and those

affiliated with him is another exaggeration, rather, a lie that stems from animosity. The

Shaykh has replied to this accusation in Arabic in his Miraat al-Najdiyyah published by

the name Haqiqat al-Barelwiyyah, which is the reply to Qadhi Atiyyahs endorsementto Ihasan Ali Zahirs al-Barelwiyyah (Published in Egypt by Dar al-Muqattam, 2009)

asking him to produce a single nas of our ulama in which they have made takfir of Ibn

Taymiyya, Ibn Abdul Wahhab and their followers. Rather, it is these people who make

takfir and tadlil of the entire ummah. This accusation is the popular one found in

Nuzhat al-Khawatir and al-Barelwiyyah about Barelwis and is false.


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ConclusionsOn these premise, our conclusions therefore are that Shaykh Akhtar Raza Khana) is a scholar, a Mufti and one who possesses immense knowledge Allamah of the

Shariahb) is a tireless teacher of the Islamic sciences, valuing time and teaching throughout his

travels

c) has excellent command on the Arabic language and translation skillsd) is beloved to the Ulama of the Arab world and has been received with warm hearts

and lovee) produces works in various scholarly disciplines which have brought immense benefit

to the Ahlus-Sunnahf) is not just a scholar of the outward sciences but a man of Allah whose presence is

awe-filling and a person ofkaraamatg) is on the manhajof the Ahlus-Sunnah Wa al-Jamaahh) is well-known in India and its people of the Ahlus-Sunnah


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Documents

Taaj Al-Shariah - Man Among Men of Allah - Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan [English] - Shaykh Munawwar Ateeq