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  1. Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi (1898-1982) — a descendant of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) — was born in the town of Kandhla, Uttar Pradesh, India.

    Shaykh al-Hadith is most notably remembered for his contribution to the study of hadith, and as the author of the Fada’il series and the eighteen-volume commentary of Imam Malik’s Mu’atta, entitled Awjaz al-Masalik. He began his basic studies under his father, Mawlana Muhammad Yahya Kandhalwi, under whom he also memorized the Qur’an. He studied Persian and elementary Arabic books under his uncle Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas, the founder of the Tablighi Jama‘at. He also studied hadith in Mazahir al-‘Ulum Saharanpur, firstly from his father and then his shaykh, the renowned hadith master, Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri.

    After completing his academic studies in 1335 AH, Shaykh al-Hadith was, at the age of twenty, appointed a teacher of the elementary books of the Dars-e-Nizami at Mazahir al-‘Ulum. He soon progressed to become senior lecturer of hadith at the behest of his guide and teacher Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, and taught the first half of Sahih al–Bukhari twenty-five times, the complete book sixteen times and Sunan AbiDawud thirty times. Shaykh al-Hadith taught hadith at Saharanpur until 1388 AH when he developed cataracts.

    A proficient writer, Shaykh al-Hadith authored over one hundred works both in Arabic and Urdu. His works have gained overwhelming acceptance throughout the world, so much so that his Fada’il series has been rendered into dozens of languages. He was also solely responsible for writing the subject of his shaykh’scommentary of Sunan Abi Dawud, Badhl al-Majhud, and commenced writing his magnum opus, Awjaz al-Masalik at the age of twenty-nine.

    Some of his other famous works include his footnotes to Lami‘ al-Darari (an Arabic commentary of Imam al-Bukhari’s Sahih by Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi), Al-Abwab wa ‘l-Tarajim li ‘l-Bukhari (an explanation of the chapter headings of Sahih al-Bukhari), Juz Hajjat al-Wida wa Umrat al-Nabi (an Arabic commentary on the detailed accounts of the farewell Hajj of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and Khasa’il-e-Nabawi Sharh Shama’il-e-Tirmidhi (an Urdu commentary of Imam al-Tirmidhi’s renowned Al-Shama’il al-Muhammadiyya).

    Shaykh Abu ‘l-Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi described Shaykh al-Hadith in the following words: “He was of medium height, heavy-set, and handsome with a fair, rosy complexion. He was extremely vibrant, never lazy, light-hearted, smiling, cheerful and friendly. He often jested with his close friends and acquaintances. We saw in him wonderful character and forbearance as well as rare humility, and, above all, his personal qualities were always governed by his deep faith and sense of contentment.”

    Shaykh al-Hadith became a murid of Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri in 1333 AH (1915 CE) and was granted khilafah in 1344 AH (1925 CE) in the blessed city of Madinah. He also had the fortune of remaining in the company of senior scholars such as Mawlana ‘Abd al-Rahim Raipuri (died 1338 AH/1920 CE), Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (died 1362 AH/1943 CE), Shaykh al-Islam Mawlana Husayn Ahmad Madani (died 1377 AH/1957 CE) and Mawlana Shah ‘Abd al-Qadir Raipuri (died 1382 AH/1962 CE). Shaykh al-Hadith is also renowned as a prominent Sufi shaykh of the Chishti-Sabri-Imdadi Tariqah. His khalifahsinclude the third amir of Tabligh Mawlana In‘am al-Hasan Kandhalwi, Mufti Mahmud Hasan Gangohi, Mawlana Yusuf Ludhyanwi, Mawlana Muhammad Talhah Kandhalwi, Mawlana ‘Abd al-Hafiz Makki, Mawlana Yusuf Motala, Mawlana ‘Abd al-Rahim Motala, Sufi Iqbal Madani, Mawlana ‘Aziz al-Rahman Hazarwi, Mawlana Ibrahim Pandor, Dr Isma‘il Memon, Mawlana Shahid Saharanpuri, Mawlana Hashim Patel, Mawlana Bilal Bawa and others.

    Shaykh al-Hadith died in the blessed city of Madinah in 1982. His funeral prayer, which was attended by thousands, was performed in the Prophet’s Mosque after ‘Isha prayers. He was buried in the shade of the Green Dome in al-Baqi‘ close to the resting places of the Ahl al-Bayt and his murshid, Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri. [↩]

  2. Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ Deobandi (1896-1976), the first Grand Mufti of Pakistan and a khalifah of Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanwi, was one of the eminent scholars who lectured and served as Grand Mufti of Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband.

    Born in Deoband, he commenced Qur’anic studies at the age of five. He studied Persian under his father, Mawlana Muhammad Yasin Deobandi, and secular subjects under his uncle. He graduated aged twenty-two and was appointed to teach the lower levels of the Dars-e-Nizami course at Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband, soon progressing to the higher levels. He taught at Deoband for twenty-seven years and served as the Grand Mufti of India prior to partition.

    In 1943, Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ resigned from Dar al-‘Ulum due to his involvement in the Pakistan movement. When Pakistan came into existence, he migrated to Karachi. He established Dar al-‘Ulum Karachi in 1951 on the pattern of Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband, regarded today as the biggest private institute of higher Islamic education in Pakistan. His two sons, Mufti Muhammad Rafi‘ ‘Usmani and Mufti Muhammad Taqi ‘Usmani are currently rectors, chief muftis and senior professors of hadith and Hanafi fiqh at the institute.

    A prolific writer, Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ wrote around three hundred books on various Islamic and literary subjects, his last being the immensely popular Urdu exegesis of the Qur’an entitled Ma‘arif al-Qur’an, which was completed four years before his demise and subsequently translated into English. Besides his literary masterpieces, Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ broadcasted the tafsir of the Qur’an on Radio Pakistan for a number of years.

    Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ attained a high rank in Tasawwuf. He initially offered his bay‘ah to Shaikh al-Hind Mawlana Mahmud al-Hasan in 1920. After Shaykh al-Hind’s demise, Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ continued the spiritual path for twenty-years under Hakim al-Ummah who granted him ijazah. Under Hakim al-Ummah’s supervision, he produced a number of outstanding works. Mawlana Jamil Ahmad Thanwi states that Hakim al-Ummah had such reliance on Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘’s juristic acumen that he would even consult him in his personal matters. Hakim al-Ummah once said, “May Allah lengthen the life of Mufti Saheb, for, I achieve two joys due to him. Firstly, I obtain knowledge from him and secondly, I have the satisfaction of knowing that, after me, there are people who will continue my work”.

    Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ died on October 6, 1976. Over 100,000 people attended his funeral, which was led by Dr. ‘Abd al-Hayy ‘Arifi, also a senior khalifah of Hakim al-Ummah. [↩]

  3. Mawlana Sayyid Muhammad Yusuf Binnori (1908-1977), a descendant of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), was born in the village of Mahabatabad near Peshawar. A authority in hadith, Mawlana Binnori studied at Dar al-‘Ulum Deoband and graduated from Madrasa Ta‘lim al-Din, Dabhel, where he studied hadith under Imam ‘Allamah Sayyid Anwar Shah Kashmiri, becoming one of his most famous students.

    He received his primary education from his father, Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Binnori, and maternal uncle. He studied in Peshawar and then travelled to Kabul. In 1927, he enrolled at Deoband where he studied for two years before moving to Dabhel, where he completed the Dawrah Hadith under Imam Kashmiri and Shaykh al-Islam Shabbir Ahmad ‘Uthmani, the author of Fath al-Mulhim bi Sharh Sahih al-Imam Muslim.

    After graduation, Mawlana Binnori remained in the service of Imam Kashmiri. He then lived for a few years (1930-1934) in his hometown of Peshawar until asked to teach hadith at Dabhel. He remained shaykh al-hadith at Dabhel until the creation of Pakistan. He then went to the Dar al-‘Ulum in Tando Allah Yar and then came to Karachi where he founded Madrasah ‘Arabiyyah Islamiyyah, New Town.

    During his first Hajj, he offered bay‘ah to Mawlana Shafi‘ al-Din Naginwi Makki (the khalifah of Haji Imdad Allah Muhajir Makki). After Hajj, Mawlana Binnori travelled to Cairo to supervise the printing of Imam Kashmiri’s commentary of Imam al-Bukhari’s Sahih, Fayd al-Bari and Imam al-Zayla‘i’s Nasb al-Rayah. During his stay there, Mawlana Binnori contributed articles about Deoband and its elders to Egyptian journals. It was during his stay there that Mawlana Binnori developed close contacts with leading ‘ulama in Egypt, including ‘Allamah Zahid al-Kawthari.

    On his return to India, Mawlana Binnori visited Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanwi who became very impressed by him and later included him among his mujaz-e-suhbah.

    The mawlana was known for his proficiency in writing. He possessed a unique style, and wrote easily on every subject without tiring. At times after writing, he did not need to re-read his articles. He was more proficient in Arabic than Urdu.

    ‘Allamah Mufti Muhammad Taqi ‘Usmani writes: “Mawlana Binnori’s (may Allah mercy him) personage was so heart soothing, enlightening, and full of beauty and solemnity that including all his particulars in a short article is difficult. His figure was the bodily memory of his shaykh, ‘Allamah Sayyid Anwar Shah Kashmiri. The science of hadith was his speciality in which it is difficult to find his second. However, like his shaykh, he was a treasure of information in every knowledge and science.”

    His most popular work is the splendid six-volume Arabic commentary on the Jami‘ of Imam Abu ‘Isa al-Tirmidhi entitled Ma‘arif al-Sunan. Allah Most High took great work the mawlana in refuting false (batil) sects, and he was heavily involved in the Khatm al-Nubuwwah movement. It was through his work and the work of a few other leading ‘ulama that the Pakistani government was obliged to declare the Qadianis a non-Muslim minority.

    ‘Allamah Mufti Muhammad Taqi ‘Usmani writes that the mawlana would not be able to remain silent from commenting on the views of those who in the explanation of the Qur’an and hadith adopted an understanding that was different from the way of the majority of the Ummah. “Mawlana would remain particularly worried that the maslak (school of thought or way) of the ‘ulama of Deoband did not become contaminated by incorrect views, and that in terms of politics, the ‘ulama of Deoband’s unity and cooperation with someone is not taken to mean they are [necessarily] in agreement with [all] the views of that person.”

    This pillar of sacred knowledge died of a heart attack while attending an Islamic Shari‘ah conference in Pakistan on 3 Dhu ‘l-Qa‘dah 1397. [↩]

Translated by Ismaeel Nakhuda

By Mawlana Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhalawi