IMAM AHMED RAZA AS THE MUJADDID OF THE 14TH CENTURY

IMAM AHMED RAZA AS THE MUJADDID OF THE 14TH CENTURY

Undoubtedly, besides being recognised as a great Wali, as the Ghousul Azam and as the Imam Abu Hanifa (alaihir rahmah) of his time, A'la Hadrat (alahir rahmah) was also the Mujaddid (Reviver) of Islam of the 14th Century. He possessed all the conditions of a Mujaddid and his entire life was spent trying to revive the Deen of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).

A cloud of darkness had covered most of the world and the false concepts of Polytheism (Shirk) and Innovations (Bid'at) were coming into existence. The Muslims were in a state of confusion. They were surrounded by the cloud of Kufr (Disbelief), Shirk and Bid'at. It is through the Divine Grace of Almighty Allah and the Sadaqah of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) that the Reviver of the 14th Century, Imam-e-Ahle Sunnat, Imam Ahmed Raza Khan (alaihir rahmah) shone like the sun. With his bright proofs, he destroyed the darkness of Kufr and revived Islam.

Professor Manzoorud'deen Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, University of Karachi said: "The reality is that on reading several books of Imam Ahmed Raza, I have come to the conclusion that through his writings and speeches, the Fatawa (Inquisitions) and hundreds of small and bulky treatises, he had struggled for the revival of Islam, and as a reward he was declared as a Mujaddid of his Century by the Ulema (Scholars of Islam), in particular, the scholars of Makkah and Madina (Haramain Sharifain). . ."

A Hadith recorded in Mishkaat Shareef and quoted by Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (alaihir rahmah) who says that the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said: "VERILY, AT THE END OF EVERY CENTURY, ALMIGHTY ALLAH WILL SEND SUCH A PERSON TO THE UMMAH, WHO WILL REVIVE THE DEEN FOR THE THEM (THE UMMAH)."

In other the words, when there comes a period in which there is a shortage of knowledge and a deterioration in following of the Sunnah; when there is an increase in false innovations and ignorance; then Almighty Allah will send a person at the beginning or end of every century who will show the difference between Sunnah and Bid'at. He will refute and destroy false innovations and will fear none but Almighty Allah. He will very bravely and sincerely hoist the flag of Deen-e-Muhammadi (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). Such a person is known as a "Mujaddid" (Reviver) of Deen.

The author of the book, "Siraajum Muneer", has explained who a Mujaddid is in the following words: "In other words, to revive the Deen is to revive those teachings of the Quran and Sunnah that are being destroyed and to give command according to the Quran and Sunnah."

Allamah Munaadi (alaihir rahmah) states:"A Mujaddid is one who separates Sunnah from Bid'ah and one who degrades the status of the Ahle Bid'ah."

Why does a Mujaddid come after 100 years? A Mujaddid is sent after every 100 years because after every century the surroundings, the environment, the manner of thinking and ways of the people tend to pass through a massive transformation. It has been stated in the Hadith of Bukhari Shareef that during the latter stages of the Prophet's (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) physical life, one night, after performing Esha Salaah, he stood up and said, "Should I inform you of the importance of this night? From this night onwards, right up to the end of a 100 years, that person who is alive on the earth (presently) will not be alive."

Can their be more than one Mujaddid to a century? Yes. There can be more, and there has already been more than one Mujaddid to a Century. In the Hadith, the Arabic word that is used to explain the coming of the Mujaddid is in the singular tense, but according to the meaning, it is a plural as it has been explained in the Kitaabs of Usool-e-Fiqh. Allamah Mulla Ali bin Sultan Qaari (alaihir rahmah) who is the Mujaddid of the 11th Century says, "From the words, not only one single person is implied, but the implication is towards a group of people, from amongst whom each one is reforming a single type of knowledge or all types of knowledge in his city."

A LIST OF KNOWN MUJADDIDS FROM THE FIRST CENTURY:

1st CENTURY :
a. Sayyiduna Imam Umar bin Abdul Aziz (alaihir rahmah)

2nd CENTURY :
a. Imam Hassan Basri,
b. Imam Muhammad bin Hassan Shaibani,
c. Imam Maalik bin Anas,
d. Imam Abdullah bin Idrees Shafi'i (radi Allahu anhum)

3rd CENTURY :
a. Imam Abul Hassan bin Umar,
b. Imam Ahmad bin Hambal (radi Allahu anhuma)

4th CENTURY :
a. Imam Tahtaawi,
b. Imam Isma'eel bin Hammaad Ja'fari,
c. Imam Abu Jaafar bin Jareer Tibri,
d. Imam Abu Haatim Raazi (radi Allahu anhum)

5th CENTURY :
a. Imam Abu Naeem Isfahani,
b. Imam Abul Hussain Ahmad bin Muhammad Abi Bakr-il-Qaadir,
c. Imam Hussain bin Raaghib,
d. Imam Muhammad bin Muhammad Ghazzali (radi Allahu anhum)

6th CENTURY :
a. Imam Abul Fadhl Umar Raazi,
b. Allamah Imam Umar Nasfi,
c. Imam Qaazi Fakhrud'Deen Hassan Mansoor,
d. Imam Abu Muhammad Hussain bin Mas'ood Fara'a (radi Allahu anhum)

7th CENTURY :
a. Allamah Imam Abul Fadhl Jamaaluddeen Muhammad bin Afriqi Misri,
b. Imam Sheikh Shahbuddeen Suharwardi,
c. Kwaja Muhi'yuddeen Chishti Ajmeri,
d. Imam Abul Hassan Uz'zuddeen Ali bin Muhammad Ibn Atheer,
e. Imam Sheikh Akbar Muhi'yuddeen Muhammad ibn Arabi (radi Allahu anhum)

8th CENTURY :
a. Imam Taaj'uddeen bin Ata'ullah Sikandari,
b. Kwaja Nizaamuddeen Awliyah Mahboob-e-Ilahi,
c. Imam Umar bin Mas'ood Taftazaani (radi Allahu anhum)

9th CENTURY :
a. Imam Hafiz Jallaluddeen Abu Bakr Abdur Rahmaan Suyuti,
b. Imam Nooruddeen bin Ahmad Misri,
c. Imam Muhammad bin Yusuf Karmani,
d. Imam Shamsuddeen Abul Kheyr Muhammad bin Abdur Rahmaan Sakhawi,
e. Allamah Imam Sayed Shareef Ali bin Muhammad Jarmaani (radi Allahu anhum)

10th CENTURY :
a. Imam Shahabuddeen Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Muhammad Khatib Qistalaani,
b. Imam Muhammad Sharbini,
c. Allamah Sheikh Muhammad Taahir Muhaddith (radi Allahu anhum)

11th CENTURY :
a. Imam Ali bin Sultaan Qaari,
b. Imam Sheikh Ahmad Sarhindi Mujaddid-e-Alf Thaani,
c. Sultaanul Arifeen Imam Muhammad Baahu (radi Allahu anhum)

12th CENTURY :
a. Allamah Mawlana Imam Abul Hassan Muhammad bin Abdul Haadi Sindhi,
b. Imam Abdul Ghani Taablisi,
c. Sheikh Ahmad Mulla Jeewan (radi Allahu anhum)

13th CENTURY :
a. Imam Abdul Ali Luckhnowi,
b. Imam Sheikh Ahmad Saadi Maaliki,
c. Allamah Imam Ahmad bin Ismaeel Tahtaawi,
d. Allamah Shah Abdul Azeez Muhaddith-e-Delhwi (radi Allahu anhum)

14TH CENTURY:
IMAM-E-AHLE SUNNAH, QAMI-E-BID'AT, MUJADDID-E-AZAM, A'LA HADRAT, ASH SHAH IMAM AHMED RAZA KHAN (alaihir rahmah)

IMAM AHMED RAZA'S JIHAD AGAINST THE INSULTERS OF SAYYIDUNA RASULULLAH (SALLAL LAAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM)