Ashraf Ali Thanwi (often referred as Hakimul Ummat[a][5] and Mujaddidul Millat[b] (19 August 1863 – 20 July 1943) was a late-nineteenth and twentieth-century
SunniMuslim scholar,
jurist, thinker,
reformist and the revival of classical
Sufi thought from
Indian subcontinent during the
British Raj,[6][7] one of the chief proponents of
Pakistan Movement.[5] He was a central figure of Islamic
spiritual,
intellectual and religious life in
South Asia and continues to be highly influential today.[5] As a prolific author, he completed over a thousand works including Bayan Ul Quran and Bahishti Zewar.[5] He graduated from
Darul Uloom Deoband in 1883 and moved to
Kanpur, then
Thana Bhawan to direct the Khanqah-i-Imdadiyah, where he resided until the end of his life.[5] His training in
Quran,
Hadith,
Fiqh studies and
Sufism qualified him to become a leading Sunni authority among the scholars of
Deoband.[8] His teaching mixes Sunni orthodoxy, Islamic elements of belief and the patriarchal structure of the society.[8] He offered a sketch of a
Muslim community that is collective, patriarchal, hierarchical and compassion-based.[8]
He led a very active life teaching, preaching, writing, lecturing and making occasional journey. He belonged to a period when Muslims were physically intellectually under attack by the western colonial powers and the
Arya Samaj.[15] His literary life began at Darul Uloom Deoband and that he wrote a
Mathnawi titled as "Zeero-bam", in Persian language at the age of eighteenth.[citation needed] For fourteen years he was a teacher in Madrasa Faiz e Aam, in Kanpur, taught, wrote, and gave sermons and issued Fatwa. From the early days of his educational life, he was very much impressed by
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.
Most of his books are in Urdu, Arabic and Persian. There is no branch of Islam in which his book may not be present. It is said that the number of his works is nearly one thousand.[citation needed] The rights of printing of all his books were public. He never earned a single paisa from his books. Millions of individual derived educational and practical benefit from his books and predicatory lectures.
His sermons were written, while they were delivered from city to city and shown to him and published, Muslims benefitted from them. These contained Islamic rules and regulations, stoppage of innovations, facts and figures interesting topics etc. Normally, lectures discussed were about Islamic worship, but he also talked about morals, dealings, practical daily life in his sermons. He kept this in mind in his training of Sulook and Tariqah as well. A list of his major works is given here:
Bayan Ul Quran: It is a three volume tafsir (
exegesis) of the
Quran. The compilation of this exegesis was started in 1320
AH. It was published in twelve volumes from Matb'a Mujtabai,
Delhi in 1908 (1326 AH).[citation needed]
Bahishti Zewar: It is comprehensive handbook of
fiqh, Islamic rituals and morals, it is especially aimed at the education of girls and women. The volume describes the
Five Pillars of Islam and also highlights more obscure principles. For years it has remained a favorite with the people of the
Indian subcontinent as well as Indian Muslim diaspora all over the world.[16]
Imdad al-Fatawa: It is the collection of Thanwis fatwas, which is a compendium of Hanafi Fiqh containing research-oriented fatwas and fiqhi discourses.[17]
Nashr al-Tib fi Zikr-un-Nabi Al Habib Sallalahu 'alaihi Wa Salam: During 1911-1912, Thanwi wrote this book on
Prophetic biography Sallalahu 'alaihi Wa Salam. He has professed obeisance to the Prophet Sallalahu 'alaihi Wa Salam in the 41 chapters of this book. He has presented him as a boon for the entire
universe.[18]
^Robinson, Francis (2000).
"Islam and Muslim separatism.". In Hutchinson, John (ed.). Nationalism: Critical Concepts in Political Science. Anthony D. Smith. Taylor & Francis. pp. 929–930.
ISBN978-0-415-20112-4.
^Ullah, Mohammed (2018). The Contribution of Deoband School to Hanafi Fiqh A Study of Its Response to Modern Issues and Challenges (PhD). India: Jamia Hamdard University. p. 116.
hdl:
10603/326073.