Ra'ees
al-Muhaqqiqeen Hadrat Allama Mawlana
Naqi
Ali Khan al-Qadiri Baraylawi (Alayhir Rahmah)
Allama Mawlana Naqi Ali Khan was born in Jumada al-Aakhir 1246 A.H. (1830). He was the son of the great mystic and scholar, Allama Khwaja Raza Ali Khan s/o Allama Muhammad Kazim Ali Khan s/o Allama Shah Muhammad Azam Khan s/o Allama Sa'adat Yaar Khan s/o Allama Sa'eedullah Khan (Alayhim ar-Rahmah).
Their ancestors had migrated from
Qandahar (located in present-day Afghanistan). Allama Naqi studied under the
auspicious gaze of his noble father (1809-1866), who was a student of Allama
Mawlana Khalilrur Rahman Rampuri, may Allah have mercy on him. Mawlana Raza Ali
earned certificates of distinction in various fields of sacred knowledge
including the science of tasawwuf. He was held in high regard and esteem for his
strict adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah. He was a sagacious Sufi and a valiant
freedom fighter. Malik al-Ulama Allama Zafar ud-Din Bihari, may Allah have mercy
on him, relates the following miracle in volume one of his Hayat-e-AlaHazrat :
“After the tumult of 1857, the British tightened the reins of power and committed atrocities toward the people, and everybody went about feeling scared. Important people left their homes and went back to their villages. But Mawlana Riza Ali Khan continued to live in his house as before, and would go to the mosque five times a day to say his prayers in congregation. One day some Englishmen passed by the mosque, and decided to see if anyone was inside so they could catch hold of them and beat them up. They went inside and looked around but didn’t see anyone. Yet the Mawlana was there at the time. Allah had made them blind, so they would be unable to see him… he came out of the mosque, they were still watching out for people, but no one saw him”.
وجعلنا من بين أيديهم سدّا ومن خلفهم
سدّا فأغشيناهم فهم لا يبصرون
“And We have set a wall before them and
a wall behind them, and covered the top - so they are unable to see anything”.
[Surah Yaseen,
36:9]
Allama Naqi Ali Khan (Alayhir Rahmah)
was a great Mudarris (Teacher) and a prolific writer. Most of his time was spent
in teaching and instilling the excellence of knowledge in the hearts of the
people. His students posed intricate questions to him thinking that the Ustaaz
will not be able to reply to them. But to their amazement, the Master replied
instantaneously with a smile. His deep insight in complicated matters dazzled
the contemporary Ulama of his time so much so that they conferred the title of
Ra’eesul-Muhaqqiqeen (The Master of the Research Scholars) on him. Indeed, this
title befitted him.
Allama Naqi was a disciple (Mureed) and successor (Khalifah) of Sayyid
Aal-e-Rasool, the celebrated student and hadith expert of Shah Abdul Aziz son of
Shah Waliyullah, may Allah have mercy on them all. He also received
authorization to narrate hadith in Makkah from the illustrious Ustaz al-Ulama ,
Shaykh al-Haram Sayyid Ahmad Zayni Dahlan Makki, may Allah have mercy on him.
Allama Naqi produced a number of texts defending Islamic orthodoxy and laid the
foundation of Darul-Ifta in Bareilly Sharif, which became a citadel of faith ,
knowledge [‘Ilm], blessing and awareness of Allah . It remains an imperturbable
stronghold for the Ahl al-Sunnah to the present day. His son, Imam Ahmad Raza,
may Allah have mercy on him, relates the following anecdote about his respected
father from his Al-Malfuzat :
“ Mawlana Barakaat Ahmed (may Allah
have mercy on him) accompanied my father to visit me in sickness. They both
asked me how I was feeling. I replied, ‘I am now tired of the severity of
sickness, so please make du’a for me to now leave this duniya with Iman.’ On
hearing this, my father’s face turned red and he said, ‘There is still 52 years
in Madina Munawwarah.’ Allah, the Exalted, knows best what he was referring to.
I could not understand what this meant.
Later in my life, the interpretation
of this dream unfolded. My second trip to Haramain Shareefayn, I was in my 52nd
year. Actually, my age was 51 years and 5 months. My father (may Allah have
mercy on him) had foretold this trip 14 years ago . Allah, the Exalted, entrusts
Ilm-e-Ghayb to the servants of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (may blessings and peace be
upon him) and these Wahhabis reject the Ilm-e-Ghaib of the Beloved Nabi (may
blessings and peace be upon him).
A few years ago in the month of Rajab,
I dreamt of my father, who said, ‘You will fall very sick in this Ramadan, but
you must not leave the fast.’ It happened so. The physician and doctors forced
me not to keep fast but I ignored them. By the Grace of Allah (Almighty &
Glorious is He) I kept my entire fast and I got better. The Hadith Shareef
clearly states: Fast and you will get healthy.”
Allama Naqi Ali (Alayhir Rahmah) was a great lover of the Beloved Habeeb Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and also remained engrossed in this love all his life. Once he fell very ill and was confined to bed. He laid there in a very depressed mood. The beloved Habeeb (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) saw the state of pain and depression of his true Aashiq and blessed him. One night, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) appeared in his dream and compassionately gave him a cup of water to drink. As soon as he drank it, he was instantly cured. He awoke the next morning totally cured and once again healthy. It seemed if he was never sick.
He wrote more than 50 books on various
subjects, among them;
received very high distinctive stature
amongst Islamic literature. His treatises are characteristic in its condemnation
of the enemies of Islam, both internally and externally.
Allama Naqi Ali (Alayhir Rahmah) passed
away on 29th Dhu al-Qa'dah 1297 A.H. (1880) at the time of Zuhar and was laid to
rest besides his illustrious father, Taaj al-Aarifeen Imam Muhammad Raza Ali
(Alayhir Rahmah). His Mazaar Shareef is in Bareilly Shareef, India. Allama Naqi
Ali Khan devoted every moment of his life to Allah the Exalted and His
Messenger, may blessings and peace be upon him. He preserved the scholarly
tradition, and defended Islamic orthodoxy and mainstream Sufism.
Due to this sincerity, the last thing that he wrote on a piece of paper was
"Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem". The last word that he uttered before he passed
away was "Allah". May Almighty Allah sanctify his soul and grant him proximity
to his Creator.
May Allah Most High sanctify his soul and grant him proximity to his Creator,
Almighty and Glorious is He... Aameen!