05/07/2017
10th Shawwāl: When Allāh ﷻ sent a great reviver to this Ummah.
Imām Ahmad Ridā Khān (Ala Hazrat) Alayhi Rahmatu Al-Rahmān
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A very short biography
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Born in 1856 in the blessed city of Bareily,
in a household full of wisdom, knowledge and spirituality.
Was seen conversing with an Arab in fluent Arabic at the tender age of just 3; and at age of 4 completed reading Qur'ān in its entirety.
Delivered his first sermon on the occasion of the blessed Milad.
Was only 6, surely he was blessed by Ghouth e Azam of Baghdad
At the age 8 he penned his first book, a commentary on Arabic grammar.
They say Almighty protected his pen from any mistake and any error.
When he was just 10, he wrote marginal notes on Musallam al-Thubūt,
even correcting mistakes his seniors had made, his awareness was very acute.
At the tender age of 13 he graduated as a highly qualified scholar.
Became a prolific writer, orator, debater and a great thinker!
His heart was filled with the love of Allah, the leader of Ambiyā,
the companions, the prophetic family and all the Awliyā.
He completed half of his faith at the age of 18,
Married a noble lady previously unseen
He was blessed with 2 great sons who were Awliyā from birth,
One Hamid Ridā Hujjat Al-Islam and another Mustafa Ridā Mufti-e-Azam of the entire earth!
He longed to be spiritually connected, thus went to Mahrera,
accompanied by his father and gave his hands to his Spiritual Master.
The Spiritual Master's blessed name was Sayyid Shah Āl-e-Rasūl Mahrerawi
who made Ala Hazrat his disciple and his Khalifa at the very same time, a thing not customary.
"O Master!" asked people, "this is not the norm. You make them struggle for hearts to be polished!"
"He came with a clean heart", he said, "just needed a connection, which has been accomplished."
"Fretted, I did, what to take to The Almighty in the Hereafter.
"Ahmad Ridā I have bought" I will say,"O Merciful Lord! O My Creator!"
Went to perform his first Hajj, with his parents at the age of 22,
A must is to read part 2 of Malfūz to get an overview.
And he performed his 2nd Hajj when he was at the age of 49
How great was this trip, surely it made his name shine.
Wrote the famous Al-Dawla al-Makkiyyah proving the prophetic knowledge of the unseen.
Penned it in just 7 hours, shattering the disbeliefs of those whose hearts were unclean.
Then he was blessed again to go to visit his Master ﷺ in the city of al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
He was blessed seeing the Prophet ﷺ with his eyes, the ultimate aspiration of every ardent lover.
He dictated the translation of the Holy Qur'ān at the age of 55.
Kanzul Iman, he called it. Surely, the ill hearts came alive!
He wrote more than 1000 books on more than 75 subjects,
defending the beliefs and practices of the Ahlus Sunnah, writing verdicts (fatawa) and fighting the spread of deviated sects.
Pick any book of his and the title will give you two vital bits of information:
the subject-matter, and
when it was written, with absolute precision.
Just read his poetry, "Hadā'iq-e-Bakhshish", which will surely enlighten you!
"Gardens of forgiveness", no doubt it was, in Arabic, Farsi, Hindi and Urdu.
His works and life revived the faith and love of the Prophetﷺ,
Those who stayed with him became giant scholars from whom we profit
He breathed his last on Friday 25th Safar (1340/1921).
The Islamic world was heartbroken and bid farewell to this great reviver.
Penned by MHQ
Safar, 1438AH
