Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi

Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (August 19, 1863 - July 4, 1943) was an eminent Deobandi Islamic scholar. He spent his life teaching, preaching and writing; many of his works are widely available today, though many others remain in manuscript form.

Contents

1 Early life 2 Graduation 3 Spiritual training 4 Career as a teacher and spiritual efforts 5 Literary contribution 6 Quran: the special interest of Mauln Ashraf Al Thnw 7 Humility and simplicity 8 Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw's discourses 9 Uprooting irreligious practices 10 Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw and politics 11 Death 12 See also

Early life
Ashraf 'Al Thanw was born as 'Abdul Ghan in the village of Thna Bhwan within the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, India on August 19, 1863. He was named Ashraf 'Al by Hfiz Ghulm Murtaz Pnpat, a maternal relative. His family was well-respected and held an eminent position in Thna Bhwan. His father, 'Abdul Haqq, was a wealthy landowner, devout Muslim, and respected citizen. Ashraf 'Al Thanws lineage can be traced back to the second Caliph of Islam, 'Umar ibn AlKhab. As a young boy, Ashraf 'Al was consistent in his performance of the ritual prayer (alh), and, by the age of twelve, he was constant in the performance of the Tahajjud Prayer, or Night Vigil. He completed his primary Arabic and Persian education under his maternal uncle, Wjid 'Al, and Mauln Fath Muhammad. He memorized the Quran at a young age under Hfiz Husain 'Al of Meerut. Thereafter, in 1878, Hadhrat enrolled at Dr-ul 'Ulm Deoband. His literary career commenced at Deoband, when he wrote Mathnaw Zer-o-Bm in Persian at the age of eighteen. By this time, he had mastered Arabic, Persian, and Urdu.

Graduation
Ashraf 'Al Thnw graduated from the Dr-ul 'Ulm of Deoband in 1884. When Mauln Rashd Ahmad Gangoh, one of the founders of the institution, arrived for the graduation ceremony, Shaikhul Hind Mauln Mahmd-ul Hasan informed him that an especially intelligent student was about to graduate. Mauln Gangoh wanted to test this student by asking the most difficult questions that he could think of. Ashraf

'Al's answers amazed and pleased Mauln Gangoh,who himself conducted the Dastrband Jalsa, the turban-tying ceremony marking graduation.

Spiritual training
During his studies at Dr-ul 'Ulm Deoband, Ashraf 'Al Thnw asked Mauln Gangoh to train him in the spiritual sciences as well. Mauln Gangoh, however, advised him to wait until the completion of his traditional studies. Ashraf 'Al Thnw remained restless and looked for a way to ask Hj Imddullh, the spiritual guide of Mauln Gangoh, to recommend him to his student. When Mauln Gangoh departed for Hajj, Ashraf 'Al Thnw sent a letter with him to Hj Imddullh, requesting him to persuade Mauln Gangoh to initiate him into his spiritual order (Tariqah|arqah). Hj Imddullh attempted to do so, but to no avail. So, he said, 'I shall initiate him myself', and wrote to Ashraf 'Al Thnw saying, 'Do not worry. I have taken you under my own mentorship'. When he read the letter, he was overjoyed. Hadhrat Gangohi used to say to Ashraf 'Al Thnw, 'Brother, you have eaten of the ripe fruits of Hj Imddullh, whereas we ate his unripe fruits'. After his graduation from Dr-ul 'Ulm Deoband, Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw accompanied his father for Hajj. After performing his first Hajj, he mastered the art of recitation of the Quran under Qr Muhammad 'Abdullh Muhjir Makk. In Makkah, Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw stayed with Hj Imddullh, whose spiritual attention, personality, teachings, and training prepared him for the reform movement which he would later lead. Unfortunately, Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw could not remain in his company for long. But then, in 1893, Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw departed for Hajj for a second time and, after performing Hajj, remained with his Shaikh for six months.

Career as a teacher and spiritual efforts

After his graduation, Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw taught religious sciences in Kanpur for fourteen years. Over a short period of time, he acquired a reputable position as a religious scholar. His teaching attracted numerous students and his research and publications became well-known in Islamic institutions. During these years, he travelled to various cities and villages, delivering lectures in the hope of reforming people. Printed versions of his lectures and discourses would usually become available shortly after these tours. Until then, few Islamic scholars had had their lectures printed and widely circulated in their own lifetimes. The desire to reform the masses intensified in him during his stay at Kanpur. Eventually, he retired from teaching and devoted himself to reestablishing the spiritual centre (khnqh) of his Shaikh in Thna Bhwan. Upon this transition, Hj Imddullh remarked, 'It is good that you have arrived in Thna Bhwan. It is hoped that people will benefit from you spiritually and physically. You should engage yourself in revitalizing our madrasah and khnqh once more in Thna Bhwan. As for myself, I am always praying for you and attentive towards you'.

Literary contribution

Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw was a prolific author. His literary contributions are in the order of from eight hundred to one thousand in number, including sermons, discussions, discourses, treatises, and books of the highest standard and quality. Sayyid Sulaimn Nadw said, 'Hazrat (i.e Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw) was a translator and exegete (mufassir) of the Quran; he explained its injunctions and wisdoms. He removed doubts and answered questions pertaining to it'. Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw was a scholar of hadth (muhaddith) too and expounded its intricacies and subtleties. He was a jurist (faqih|faqh) who issued thousands of legal rulings (fatw). He solved numerous legal problems in contemporary issues in Islamic law or fiqh and answered them with the utmost caution only after credible research. He was a moving orator (khab) and hundreds of his speeches have been published and widely circulated. Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw was a mystic who revealed the secrets and subtleties of Islamic mysticism. His personality contributed to ending the rift that had broken out between the Shar'ah and Sufism or Tasawwuf by unifying these two essential branches of Islam. His books answered the objections raised against Islam by orientalists and modernists. His analysis and refutation of the principles of modernism is not merely a theoretical exercise, but is meant to remove the obstacles to intellectual and spiritual understanding and growth for the pious and practicing Muslim.Among other works, he wrote a commentary on Ibn 'Arab's book Fu-ul ikam, and his commentry on the Quran (entitled Bayn-ul Qur'n) includes separate sections that deal with the Sufi interpretation of the verses. Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw's Arabic works include Sabqul Ghayt f Nasqul yt, Anwrul Wujd, Al Tajall al-'Adhm, Tafsr Baynul Qur'n, Taswrul Muqaa't, At-Talkhsat-ul 'Ashar, Miat Durs (A Hundred Lessons), Al-Khuabul Mathrah (Friday Sermons supported by the Traditions), Wujhul Mathn, Ziydat, Jmi'ul thr, and Ta'ydul Haqqah. Among his Persian works are Mathnaw Zer-o-Bm, Taliqt-e-Frs, and Aq'id-e Bani-e-Kalj. The rest of his works were written in Urdu, the most famous of which is Bahisht Zewar (Heavenly Ornament), actually written to impart essential Islamic knowledge to Muslim women, it has become a handbook for leading an Islamic life in a Muslim household. Although Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw was an extremely prolific author of his time, he did write any of his works as a source of income.

Quran: the special interest of Mauln Ashraf Al Thnw

While teaching in Kanpur, Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw was reported to have seen 'Abdullh bin 'Abbs (RA), the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), in a dream. In this dream, he indicated to him that tafsir should become his primary task. Sayyid Sulaimn Nadw said, He not only memorized the words of the Quraan but also memorized the deeper significance of these words. He was an exceptional reciter (qr) of the Quran, who had mastered the art of recitation. The uniqueness of his recitation of the Quran was such that each letter was uttered from its proper place of pronunciation (makhraj). There was no imitation or overly exertive effort to make his voice melodious. He would rather recite in his normal voice, which was full of inspiration and absorbed in reflection.

Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw was an expert in the various recitations of the Quran. In fact, he compiled the famous narrations of the different recitations in his book, Wujh-ul Mathn and the rare narrations in his book, Ziydt 'al Kutub-ul Riwyt. His books on the recitation of the Quran also include Jaml-ul Qurn ('The Beauty of the Quran'), Tajwd-ul Qurn('Correct Pronunciation of the Quran'), Raf'ul Khilf f Hukmul Awqf('Removing Contoversy about the Stops [in the Quran]'), Tanshtul Taba' f Ijra'-ul Sab', Ydgar-e-Haqq-e-Qurn, Mutashabihtul Qurn litTarw, and db-ul Qurn ('The Etiquette for [reciting] the Quran'). Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnws profound knowledge and insight into the Quran is reflected in his Urdu translation of the Qurn. His twelve-volume exegesis (tafsr), Bayn-ul Qurn, was revolutionary because, up to that point, such serious works had always been written in Arabic or Persian; most of this commentary is in Urdu, though he wrote certain sections (such as those about the intracacies of the different schools of recitation) in Arabic. Sayyid Sulaimn Nadw said, 'His commentary relies heavily on R-ul Ma'n of 'Allmah ls al-Baghdd and because it was written in the thirteenth century AH, it encompasses all of the previous explanations of the Quran. Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw wished to collect legal rulings from the Quran in support of the anaf school of thought. However, his increasingly frail health in the last years of his life disallowed him to directly author this work, which he wished to name Dal'il-ul Qur'n 'al Madhhabi Nu'mn (Proofs from the Quran for the School of Thought of Nu'mn [[[Ab anfah]]]). Instead, this academic desire was fulfilled by three of his most outstanding students and disciples, who noted down his explanations of legal rulings and their extractions from the Quran. This Arabic work, entitled Akmul Qur'n lil-Tahnaw (The Commands of the Quran by Thnw), is available in five volumes and is co-authored by Muft Muhammad Shaf' Uthmn, Mauln Muhammad Idrs Kndhalw, and Mauln Zafar Ahmad 'Uthmn. When Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw extracted anaf legal rulings from the Quran, people were astonished that such-and-such a point was always in such-and-such a verse but our knowledge had not previously grasped it.

Humility and simplicity

Muft Muhammad Taq Uthmn relates about him that, "Hazrat used to say, 'I consider myself inferior to every Muslim at the present time and possibly inferior to every non-Muslim with respect to the future'. He meant that he was inferior to every Muslim and non-Muslim with respect to the future because a non-Muslim may accept Islam in the future and become more advanced than him. Hadhrat was more concerned with rectifying himself than correcting others. Once, when he had to deliver a number of lectures, he said, 'Whenever I feel the need to reform myself, I speak on that specific shortcoming of mine. This method is very beneficial. My speech entitled 'Anger' is an example of this'. Once, after praising Allah, Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw said, 'I am never unmindful of reckoning with my own self. Whenever I admonish a disciple of mine, I also inspect my own self and continuously seek Allahs protection from His Reckoning.

Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw's discourses

The propagation of Islam was an essential part of Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnws life. He would be highly organized and would plan his tours well in advance. Thousands of people would attend his lectures, which usually lasted between two and five hours. Once he visited Gajner, a village in the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, when the rya Samj had started to preach Hinduism among the Muslims of that area. Using wisdom and tolerance, he was able to persuade the Muslims there to promise that they would not commit apostasy. To prevent the spread of apostasy, he wrote the treatise, Al-Insidd li-Fitnat-il Irtidd (Putting a Stop to the Temptation of Apostacy).

Uprooting irreligious practices

Through his speeches and writings, Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw waged battle against all evil innovations in religion and presented Islam as it stood in the light of the Quran and Hadith. He was deeply concerned about the ignorance of those Muslims who performed various unnecessary acts, perceiving them to be righteous acts of religion. Hence, he wrote a number of books that dealt with this subject. His book, Hifzul Imn (Protecting Faith), clearly explains the evils in acts such as grave worshipping, beseeching other than Allah, and believing in the omnipresence of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and pious people. Another work, entitled Aghl-ul 'Awm (Mistakes of the Common People) is an earnest effort to root out all un-Islamic rituals prevalent among people. Innovations in belief, worship, and transactions are condemned in this book. Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnws balanced approach places all religious injunctions in their proper place without excess (ifr) or shortcoming (tafr).

Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw and politics

Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw was not a politician nor was politics his subject of interest. However, Islam is a lifestyle that encompasses all human activities and provides clear and complete guidelines for all aspects of life. Thus, at appropriate places in his speeches and writings, he does comment on politics and provides useful explanations in that field. While battling secularism, contemporary Muslims perceived Islam as a branch of government and politics. Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw proved, using mainly verses of the Quran, that political rule is only a means of instituting Islam in people's lives and not the purpose of life itself. All modern political notions that contradict the Quran and Hadth would have to be forsaken, and the pure, untainted political thought reflected in those sacred sources should guide Muslims in organizing and structuring their governments.

Death
Mauln Ashraf 'Al Thnw toiled to reform the masses and trained a large number of disciples who spread all over South Asia. He died in Thna Bhwan on July 4, 1943. His funeral prayer was led by his nephew, Mauln Zafar Ahmad Uthmn, and he was buried in the graveyard of 'Ishq-e-Bzn.