A Man Among the Men of Allah
Mufti Akhtar Rida al-Qadiri
Hafidhahullahu Ta'ala
Shaykh al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen,
Sultan al-Fuqaha, Faqeeh al-Asr, Taaj al-Shari'ah Mufti Muhammad Akhtar Rida
Khan (may Allah preserve him) has produced a number of first-rate
works/translations in various Islamic disciplines. Among them are
(non-exhaustive list):
1) Mufti Akhtar Rida translated “al-Zulal al-Anqa Min Bahr Sabaqat al-Atqa”
into Urdu which was written by Imam Ahmad Rida Khan in Arabic on the
commentary of the verse “those who are most God-fearing will be far removed
from it” (92:17). This scholarly commentary argues to establish that
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddique is the most virtuous companion. It contains
arguments against Tafdhili Shi’ites and requires an in-depth understanding
of Usul al-Tafsir and Usul al-Din.
2) Mufti Akhtar Rida wrote an Arabic commentary to a selection of Hadiths to
Sahih al-Bukhari which is titled “Namudhaj Hashiyat al-Bukhari”. His
strength and authenticity of arguments is very clear in the way he rebuts
Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri in a number of Fiqh related issues.
3) 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 Khan’s 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 a faqih analyses Hadith evidences.
5) [Usul al-Hadith] Mufti Akhtar
Rida fully dictated the Arabic translation to Imam Ahmad Rida Khan’s
“al-Haad al-Kaaf Fi Hukm al-Di’aaf” (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,
فوجدته فريدا في بابه، يغني عن تطلابه،
ثقيل المضمون، منكوز العلم، مرصوص العبارة، دقيق المباحث، طويل النقول،
يتعرض للعويصات والمشكلات. فبالجملة: إن الكتاب له قيمة علمية راقية
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-Is’haqi (from the Is’haqiyya Ashraf of Somali-Jeddah),
Muhammad Anas Muhammad Saleem Murad who wrote the endorsement on behalf of
his Shaykh Sa’d al-Din al-Murad (Jeddah), Sayyid Yusuf Muhammad Idris
al-Hasani al-Husaini al-Hashimi (Beirut), Sayyid Yusuf Hashim Rifa’i
(Kuwait), Shaykh Mahmud al-Huwt al-Nabhani (Halab, Syria) and Muhammad Nazim
Ali Misbahi (Mubarakpur, India).
Sayyid Yusuf al-Rifa’i (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-Jama’ah” and addressed him saying “al-Allamah al-Mukarram al-Akh
al-Shaykh al-Mubajjal al-Shaykh Akhtar Ridha” and “al-Allamah al-Hafid
al-Da’iyah”.
Shaykh Mahmud al-Huwt (p. 244-5) refers to the Shaykh as “al-Imam” and “Taaj
al-Shari’ah” and claims that "he has never seen a work of its kind" saying,
فما أن أحظيت بهذا الكنز، وبصرت في عنوانه،
وتمنعت في مقدمته، حتى أسلمني أوله إلى اخره، فقرأته في رحلته هذه، والحق أقول:
إنني ما رأيت مؤلفا نسج على منواله، ولا كتابا حوى بديع خصاله
Shaykh Musa Abduh Yusuf al-Is’haqi (p. 236) calls the Shaykh “Mawlana
wa-Ustadhuna al-Fadhil” among other revering names. Here is the Arabic,
ولقد قام مولانا وأستاذنا الفاضل وسليل السادة
الأفاضل، شيخنا الأكبر ومرشدنا الأنور، تاج الشريعة سماحة المفتي محمد أختر
خريج الجامع الأزهر بترجمة "الهاد الكاف في حكم الضعاف" من اللغة الأردية إلى
اللغة العربية، وأضاف إليها إضافات سنية ومرضية من معلومات فائقة وشائقة، مما
كسا الكتاب رونقا وجمالا، وزاده روعة وكمال، فلله دره، وأطال الله عمره، ويسر
الله أمره، ورفع الله قدره، وأجزل الله أجره، ونفع بعلومه الخاص والعام من أهل
الإسلام
6) Mufti Akhtar Rida
dictated the complete Arabic translation of Imam Ahmad Rida Khan’s “al-Amnu
wa al-Ula li-Naa’iti 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-Nu’man, Damascus, 2009. This work is a scholarly
refutation of Muftis that considered the “Salat Taajiyah” shirk on 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-Qur’an
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 of Isnad and Nisbah highlighting the
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 great fadhil and adeeb, Abdul
Jaleel Ata in which he addresses the Shaykh with titles such as “Fadilat al-Allamah
al-Jalil al-Shaykh Muhammad Akhtar Rida Khan”, “Taaj al-Shari’ah”, “Fadilat
al-Shaykh al-Jalil al-Murabbi al-Fadil” and praises the scholarly activities
of the Shaykh saying,
فاهنأ يا فضيلة الشيخ الجليل المربي الفاضل
وأنت تنعش اثارا جليلة تحيي به وفاء واداء بعض ما أنت به قمين لنشر العلوم
الغزيرة التي أنبتها روضكم العامر، وأثمرتها أشجاركم الباسقة. يناعة وغذاء
للألباب والعقول والأفكار! ولا زلت كما مرّ أسلافك الكرام منارات اهتداء وأسنة
مشرعة في الدفاع عن حصن الشريعة الغراء بكل عزة وشموخ وكبرياء. ولا زالت جهودنا
الوضيعة في خدمة علومكم الغزيرة فتوة، وتمكّنا بفضل ما طوقتمونا به من ثقة وحسن
ظن! فلنكن عند حسن ظنكم، ودام ظلكم الوارف لمزيد من إحياء اثار الجد الجليل،
ولتدم منكم الهمة القعساء للنهوض بالأجيال القادمة تربية وتعليما وإرشادا،
وحلما وتسديدا. وفقكم الله للمزيد، وفر أعينكم بكل محب مريد، وأدام عطاءكم بلا
تحديد
7) Mufti Akhtar Rida Khan dictated the full translation of Shah Fazl al-Rasul
Badayouni’s “al-Mu’taqad al-Muntaqad” from the Arabic into Urdu, and its
commentary “al-Mu’tamad al-Mustanad” by Imam Ahmad Rida Khan. Those teaching
Aqidah know how difficult of a text this work is. It contains many intricate
discussions on Asma wa-Sifaat yet 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
Shaykh’s knowledge and determined efforts to teach.
8) [Asma wa-Sifat] The Shaykh has
dictated the translation to Imam Ahmad Riza Khan’s “Subhan al-Subbuh an Ayb
Kadhib Maqbuh” into Arabic. I sat in one of awe-filling majalis to listen to
the Shaykh’s 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 Sublime and refuting the view of Imkan al-Kadhib. It shall
shatter - by the aid of the Most Truthful - the Deobandi stance in Arabic
when released. The work is a masterpiece in Asma wa-Sifat containing 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 Rida Khan into Arabic on the Iman of the parents of our Noble
Prophet (upon him peace and blessings). This was published along with the
Shaykh’s 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:
Sayyid Abdullah Fad’aq Hashimi (Da’iyah of
Makkah and student of the late Sayyid Muhammad 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 Fu’ad 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-Shari’ah”
Mufti Jamal Abdul Kareem al-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 completion of Haj, I visited Mufti
Akhtar Rida 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).
The Shaykh has memorised the entire Qasidah Burdah and Dalai’il al-Khayrat
by heart. Every morning after Fajr, he recites the entire Burdah till
sunrise. After every Asr prayer, he recites a section from Dala’il
al-Khayrat. This has been his wird-occupation since teenage years. I
witnessed this on the 13th morning of Dhul Hijjah in Mina and after Asr in
Jeddah. The Shaykh has a Diwan to his name titled “Safinah-e-Bakhshish”
which contains several qasaid and mada’ih on the Noble Prophet (upon him
peace and blessings) 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):
الله الله الله ۔۔۔ ما لي رب إلا هو
يفنى الكل ويبقى هو ۔۔۔ ليس الباقي إلا هو
من كان دعاه أن يا هو ۔۔۔ ذاك حميد عقباه
من كان لربي دنياه ۔۔۔ ذاك سعيد اخراه
من كنت الهي مولاه ۔۔۔ كل الناس تولاه
تنسى ربك يا فاني ۔۔۔ دم إن شئت بذكراه
ترجو الناس لجدواهم ۔۔۔ إن الحدوى جدواه
ربي رب الأرباب ۔۔۔ ليس يضاهى حاشاه
كن لنبي الله رضى ۔۔۔ تحظ لديه بزلفاه
وهذا أختر أدناكم ۔۔۔ ربي أحسن مثواه
When the Shaykh recited the last verse, Sayyid Abdul Aziz Khatib (Damascus)
began profoundly saying (as heard from students that were present):
أختر سيدنا وابن سيدنا
Expressing his yearning for the Noble Habib (may Allah give him peace and
blessing) Mufti Akhtar Rida writes (partial):
رسول الله يا كنز
الأماني
على أعتابكم وقف المعاني
بهذا الباب يعتز الذليل
لهذا الباب يأتي كل عان
لهذا الباب انتدب الرحيم
ذوي الأوزار من قاص ودان
رسول الله إني مستجير
لدى أعتابكم من كل جان
لكم جاءت رواحلنا حفافأ
وكم صدرت محملة عواني
فداكم مهجتي أنتم عمادي
مرادي بغيتي كنزي أماني
ألا تحيون من قلبي مواتا
ألا تأتون مندرس المكان
ولا زالت بحارك تفيض
وأمطار الندى مر الأوان
اما للشمس في ليلي شروق
ألا ما يجلو محياكم كياني
A Notice: The reader must keep in mind that Mufti Akhtar Rida 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,
یا کوکب من بھاء الدین ذاألق ۔۔۔ ومنھا من دقیق
العلم متسق
اقدام قولک في التحقیق مصدرہ ۔۔۔ اھل التمکن في النبراس کالشفق
ولو تباھی رسول اللہ في أحد ۔۔۔ مثل طلعتکم یا فاتح العبق
محمد أختر جاء الرضا به ۔۔۔ فمر حبافي منبع الحصن الدرق
This majlis was attended by Shaykh Abdur-Razzaq Halabi, Shaykh Hussam al-Din
Farfour, Shaykh Abdul Aziz Khateeb, Shaykh Hisham Burhani, Shaykh Abdul Hadi
Kharsah and many others.
2) In his first-rate work on the defining the manhaj of Imam Ahmad Rida Khan
titled “Insaf al-Imam”, the Egyptian author Shaykh Muhammad Khalid Thabit
(p. 114-5) speaks of his encounter with Mufti Akhtar Rida Khan in Egypt in
the following words,
منذ أيام – وأنا أكتب هذه السطور- استنارت مصر
بزيارة الشيخ الكبير محمد أختر رضا القادري الأزهري المعروف بتاج الشريعة
المفتي الأعظم بالهند، حفيد الإمام أحمد رضا خان البريلوي والقائم على جماعته،
ورأيت حديثه عن جده الإمام اكثر من حديثه عن نفسه، واعتزازه بجده الإمام الأعظم
من اعتزاز بنفسه، ورأيت تمسكه بما أرساه جده من القواعد ومن الثبات على الحق
مما يثير الإعجاب حقا...نظرت إلى وجه الشيخ الكبير محمد أختر والبهاء يكسوه،
والسكينة والوقار يجللانه، واستمعت إلى كلماته –بلغة عربية صحيحة-تخرج من فمه
في قوة وثقة تصدق بالحق المبين فوجدتني أقول: سبحان الله...ذرية بعضها من بعض
3) The Azhar Journal titled “Sawt al-Azhar” (May Issue 2009) referred to the
Shaykh as “Mufti al-Hind”. 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
scholarly achievements and activities.
Among Those Who Visited Mufti Akhtar Rida
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-A’zam bil-alam”.
When he studied the Shaykh’s 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 showed immense love for the Shaykh and wrote a qasidah in his
praise which he publicly recited on the Imam Ahmad Rida Conference in
Bareilly on the 24th Safar, 2007.
3) The Mufti of Damascus, Shaykh Abdul Fattah Bizm visited Mufti Akhtar Rida
at his residence twice during the last Hajj 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 and wanted 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 to realise 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.
Acclaim in Indo-Pakistan:
Bareilly, as all of us know, has a massive Sunni following in and around the
world. Mufti Akhtar Rida Khan has been the Shaykh of the silsilah and head
Mufti there for many years. The claim that he is not known among India’s
people is clearly a lie intended to 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, qasa’id are in Urdu by scholars of
India and Pakistan. It includes articles on the Shaykh’s travels within
India and meetings with its people that shatter the false notion. Mufti
Abdul Fattah Bizm has witnessed the annual urs event at Bareilly in the
month of Safar whose remarks I presented above
The Manhaj of Mufti Akhtar Rida Khan in
Love and Hate:
It would be not be a hyperbolic comment if I were to assert that Mufti
Akhtar Rida is an embodiment of the Hadith “Love for the sake of Allah and
Hate for the sake of Allah”. He loves the awliya of the entire world and
hates the enemies of Allah and His Messenger (upon him peace 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 Dalai’il. 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-Jama’ah, 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 “Mira’at al-Najdiyyah” published by the name “Haqiqat al-Barelwiyyah”,
which is the reply to Qadhi Atiyyah’s endorsement to Ihasan Ali Zahir’s
“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.
Conclusions:
On these premise, our conclusions therefore are that Shaykh Akhtar Rida Khan
a) is a scholar, a
Mufti and one who possesses immense knowledge “Allamah” of the Shari’ah.
b) 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 skills.
d) is beloved
to the Ulama of the Arab world and has been received with warm hearts
and love.
e) produces
works in various scholarly disciplines which have brought immense
benefit to the Ahlus-Sunnah.
f) is not just
a scholar of the outward sciences but a man of Allah whose presence is
awe-filling and a person of karaamat.
g) is on the
manhaj of the Ahlus-Sunnah Wa al-Jama’ah.
h) is
well-known in India and its people of the Ahlus-Sunnah.
And to hold otherwise leads to the falsification of popular accounts by
ulama and awliya on the basis of a solitary report lacking proper adab of
discourse which appears biased to anyone who reads it with a sound mind.
Supporting false notions attributed to the Shaykh such that he is not an “alim”,
he is “unknown” and that he makes “takfir of everyone” is unlawful when
there are clear signs to the contrary. Beware too of having animosity
towards the awliya as its consequence from Allah is devastating! And alone
gives guidance.
———
Penned by
Shaykh Munawwar Ateeq
[Birmingham - United Kingdom]
