Ahmad Sirhindi
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| Islamic philosopher/scholar Mughal era |
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| Name |
Ahmad Sirhindi
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| Birth | 1564 |
| Death | 1624 |
| School/tradition | Sunni Islam, Hanafi |
| Notable ideas | Evolution of Islamic philosophy |
| Influenced by | Al-Ghazali [1] |
| Influenced | Islamic philosophy, fiqh, Shah Waliullah |
Shaykh Ahmad al-Farooqi Sirhindi (~1564–1624) commonly renowned as Mujaddid Alf Sani was an Indian Islamic scholar and prominent member of the Naqshbandi Sufi order. He is regarded as having rejuvenated Islam, due to which he is commonly called "Mujadid Alf Thani", meaning "reviver of the second millennium", referring to the Islamic tradition of Mujaddid. He is said to have had considerable and long lasting influence in India, and to have given "to Indian Islam the rigid and conservative stamp it bears today." [2]
Numerous Naqshbandi suborders, such the Mujaddidi, the Khalidi and the Haqqani sub-orders, trace their spiritual lineage through Shaykh Sirhindi, referring to themselves as "Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi". Sirhindi's shrine is located in Sirhind, India and is referred to as "Rauza Sharif".
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[edit] Early Education
Ahmad Sirhindi was born on the day of 'Ashura, the 10th of Muharram in the year 971 H., in the village of Sirhind near the city of Lahore in present-day India. He received his knowledge and education through his father and through many shaikhs in his time. He made progress in three tariqats: Suhrawardiyya, Qadiriyya, and Chistiyya. He was given permission to train followers in all three tariqats at the age of 17 years. He was busy in spreading the teachings of these tariqats and in guiding his followers, yet he felt that something was missing in himself and he was continuously searching for it. He felt an interest in the Naqshbandi Sufi Order, because he could see by means of the secrets of the other three tariqats that it was the best and highest. His spiritual progress eventually brought him to the presence of the Ghawth and Qutb of his time, ash-Shaikh Muhammad al-Baqi, who had been sent from Samarqand to India by the order of his shaikh, Muhammad al-Amkanaki. He took the Naqshbandi Order from the shaikh and stayed with him for two months and some days, until Sayyidina Muhammad al-Baqi opened to his heart the secret of this tariqat and gave him authorization to train his murids in the Order.
[edit] Sirhindi's World view
Ahmad Sirhindi's preaching and revival was a reaction to the tolerant and liberal policies of Mughal emperor Akbar—who went as far as to abolishing jizya tax on non-Muslims—which he abhorred. He denounced Akbar's policy of sulkh i kul ( peace with all religion), and Akbar's reign as one where "the sun of guidance was hidden behind the veil of error." Opposing mutual respect in religion, he wrote that "one who respects the kafirs dishonours the Muslims" and that it was important to humiliate non-Muslims. Sirhindi believed that "what is outside the path shown by the prophet (Sharia) is forbidden." To Ahmad Sirhindi, the more orthodox Emperor Jahangir was the true "king of islam."
Sirhindi's worldview focused on the idea that ontologically, the prophethood is far greater than closeness with God. He believed that Sufi ideas which centered around spiritual growth beyond the material world, while exhibiting key concepts, fell short of encompassing Islam as a whole. Sirhindi, still accepting and using these ideas of wilayat, or closeness with God, focused on a much more human understanding and reality by focusing on following the sunnah of Muhammad and his companions. His influence went so far as implementing jurisprudence in the Islamic world by emphasizing the Shariah and fiqh, integrating both into Indian Muslim government and society. This was accomplished through his 536 letters collectively entitled Collected Letters or Maktubat, to the Mughal rulers conveying his ideas.
[edit] Criticism
Ahmed Sirhindi has been criticised by Koenraad Elst for influencing the Mughals of his day to stop their leniency towards non-Muslims which had been a unique part of Akbar's policy. Sirhindi restored Muslim superiority and domination over non-Muslims with strict implemention of traditional Shari'a policies.
[edit] Sayings
| “ | Abu Dawud related an authentic hadith that the Prophet, upon whom be God's peace and blessings, said, 'Allah will send at the beginning of every century someone by whom the religion will be revived,' but there is a difference between the Reviver of the Century and the Reviver of the Millennium. It is like the difference between one hundred and one thousand."
In a vision, the Prophet gave me good tidings: 'You are going to be a spiritual inheritor and Allah is going to give you the authority to intercede on behalf of hundreds of thousands on the Day of Judgment.' He bestowed on me with his holy hand the authority to guide people, and he said to me, 'Never before have I given that authority to guide people.' |
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| “ | Allah unveiled to me the Secrets of the Unique Oneness and He poured into my heart all kinds of Spiritual Knowledge and its refinement. He unveiled to me the Secrets of the ayats of Qur'an so that I found beneath every letter of the Qur'an an ocean of knowledge all pointing to the High Essence of Allah Almighty and Exalted. If I were to reveal one word of the meaning of it they would cut off my head, as they did to Hallaj and to Ibn 'Arabi. This is the meaning of the hadith of the Prophet, in Bukhari, narrated by Abu Huraira, "The Prophet poured into my heart two kinds of knowledge, one of which I have revealed and another which if I were to reveal they would cut my throat." | ” |
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— Maktubat Ahmad Sirhindi from Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition |
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| “ | "The honour of Islam lies in insulting kufr [unbelief] and kafirs [non-Muslims]. One who respects those among the kafirs who dishonor Muslims, also dishonours the Muslims ... The real purpose of levying jiziya on them is to humiliate them to such an extent that they may not be able to dress well and to live in grandeur. They should constantly remain terrified and trembling. It is intended to hold them under contempt and to uphold the honour and might of Islam." [3] | ” |
| “ | "Cow-sacrifice in India is the noblest of Islamic practices. The kafirs may probably agree to pay jiziya but they shall never concede to cow-sacrifice." [4] | ” |
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— Maktubat Ahmad Sirhindi from MaktiibCtt-i-Imdm RabbanT |
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[edit] Works
His works are his letters written to many of his contemporaries known as Maktubaat.
| “ | - "Moving to Allah is a vertical movement from the lower stations to the higher stations; until the movement surpasses time and space and all the states dissolve into what is called the Necessary Knowledge (cilm ul-wajib) of Allah. This is also called Annihilation (fana').
- "Moving in Allah is the stage in which the seeker moves from the station of Names and Attributes to a state which neither word nor sign can describe. This is the State of Existence in Allah called Baqa. - "Moving from Allah is the stage in which the seeker returns from the heavenly world to the world of cause and effect, descending from the highest station of knowledge to the lowest. Here he forgets Allah by Allah, and he knows Allah with Allah, and he returns from Allah to Allah. This is called the State of the Farthest and the Nearest. - "Moving in things is a movement within creation. This involves knowing intimately all elements and states in this world after having vanished in Annihilation. Here the seeker can achieve the State of Guidance, which is the state of the prophets and the people following the footsteps of the Prophet. It brings the Divine Knowledge into the world of creation in order to establish Guidance." |
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— Maktubat Ahmad Sirhindi |
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Besides writing several books, Sirhindi addressed many letters to several powerful courtiers in the reign of Akbar and Jahangir. His MaktiibCtt-i-Imdm RabbanT have been collected and published in three volumes. According to Professor S.A.A. Rizvi, "Shariat can be fostered through the sword" was the slogan he raised for his contemporaries.
After Guru Arjan Dev had been tortured and done to death by Emperor Jahangir, Sirhindi wrote that
| “ | - "The execution of the accursed kafir of Gobindwal is an important achievement and is the cause of the great defeat of the Hindus."[5] | ” |
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— Maktubat Ahmad Sirhindi |
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[edit] References
- Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition, Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, Islamic Supreme Council of America (June 2004), ISBN: 1930409230.
- Shari'at and Ulama in Ahmad Sirhindi's Collected Letters by Arthur F. Buehler
- NFIE Research
[edit] External links
- Biography of Imam Rabbani Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi (from the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order).
- Selected translations from Imam Rabbani's Maktubat
- Mujaddid Alf Sani(website in Urdu language)
- Dr.Ghulam Mustafa Khan (RA),a Devoted scholar website
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