Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi

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Hadhrat Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi was born in 1832 in Nanota, a village near Saharanpur, India. He completed his primary education in his hometown and then he was sent to Deoband, where he studied in Maulvi Mahtab Ali's primary school. Then, he travelled to Saharanpur, where he remained with his maternal grandfather. In Saharanpur, Hadhrat studied elementary kitabs of Arabic grammar and syntax under Maulvi Nawaz. At the end of 1843, Maulana Mamluk Ali escorted him to Delhi. There, he studied Kafia and various kitabs. Later he was admitted to Delhi College, without having written the annual examination.^{[citation needed]}

Hadhrat's brother, Maulana Muhammad Yaqub Nanotvi wrote:

"My late father enrolled Hadhrat at the Government Arabic Madrasa and said, 'Study Euclid yourself and complete the arithmetical exercises.' After a few days, Hadhrat had attended all of the ordinary discourses and completed the arithmetical exercises. Munshi Zakatullah asked a few questions of him, which were difficult. Because he was able to solve them, Hadhrat became well-known. When the annual examination drew near, Hadhrat did not write it and left the madrasa. The whole staff of the madrasa, particularly the headmaster, regretted this very much".

Prior to his enrollment at Delhi College, Hadhrat had studied kitabs on logic, philosophy, and scholastic theology under Maulana Mamluk Ali at his house.^{[citation needed]} Hadhrat joined a study circle, which possessed a central position in India with regards to the teaching of the sciences of the Qur'an and Hadith. He studied hadith under Hadhrat Shah Abdul Ghani Mujaddidi.^{[citation needed]}

After the completion of his education, Hadhrat became the editor of the press at Matbah-e-Ahmadi. During this period, at Maulana Ahmad Ali's insistence, Hadhrat wrote a scholium on the last few portions of Sahihul Bukhari. Before the establishment of Darul Ulum Deoband, Hadhrat taught Euclid for some time at the Chhatta Masjid. Hadhrat's lectures were delivered within the printing press and attended by a few people only. Hadhrat's teaching produced a group of accomplished Ulama, the example of which had not been seen since Hadhrat Shah Abul Ghani's time. Hadhrat went on to establish Darul Ulum Deoband.^{[citation needed]}

In 1860, Hadhrat performed Hajj and, on his return, he accepted a profession of collating books at Matbah-e-Mujtaba in Meerut. He remained attached to this press until 1868. Hadhrat performed Hajj for the second time and, thereafter, he accepted a job at Matbah-e-Hashimi in Meerut.^{[citation needed]}

Maulvi Muzaffar Hussain's company inclined him towards the conformance to the Sunnah. He himself conformed to the Shari'a and Sunnah and tried his best to motivate people to do so as well. It was through his efforts that a prominent madrasa for impartation of Islamic education of religious sciences was established in Deoband and a fine masjid was built. Besides this, through his efforts and endeavours, Islamic madaris were established at various other locations as well.^{[citation needed]}

Method of teaching hadith

Hadhrat played a vital part in the development of the method of affirmation and preference for the Hanafi madhhab and the style of the sifting of information and explanation, which are the distinctive feature of Darul Ulum Deoband and in use more or less in the lessons of hadith in Arabic madaris. Until the time of Hadhrat, only the translation of hadith and the statement of the four methods (madhahib ul arba'a) was considered enough. When the Hanafis were criticized by the Ahl-e-Hadith for not teaching in accordance with the hadith, Hadhrat Shah Muhammad Ishaq and his disciples paid attention to the affirmation and superiority (tarjih) of the Hanafi method. Hadhrat stated: "All of the commandments of the Qur'an and Sunnah are rational; however, the intellect of every person cannot have access there". Hakim Mansur Ali Khan Muradabadi wrote in his Madhhab-e-Mansur about the peculiarities of his teacher's lessons and lectures: "Whenever Hadhrat proved any important or difficult proposition to be contrary to people's perspective, prominent men of light and learning became amazed and astonished. The commandment always appeared absolutely and perfectly rational after his lecture. Great men of knowledge and learning would not dare to say anything against thearguments put forth by him".^{[citation needed]}

After completing his education, Hadhrat, as a means of earning money, accepted a profession of collating and emending of books at Matbah-e-Ahmadi in Delhi. This remained his profession until his death. Along with this profession, Hadhrat became a teacher, but did not accept money for his teaching. Besides Sihah Sitta, Hadhrat taught Mathnavi-e-Maulana Rumi and other kitabs. Hadhrat taught either at the printing press, a masjid, or a house.^{[citation needed]} Hadhrat's disposition was such that he never adopted the normal style of dress of the Ulama, once stating "This nominal knowledge has spoilt me. If it had not, I would have marred my condition to such an extent that none would have known that a man named Qasim was ever born".

Establishment of the madaris

Hadhrat's greatest achievement was the revival of an educational movement for the renaissance of religious sciences in India and the creation of guiding principles for the madaris on which their survival depends. Under his attention and supervision, madaris were established in various different areas such as Thanabhavan, Galautti, Kerana, Danapur, Meerut, and Muradabad. Most of them continue to exist, rendering educational and religious services in their vicinity. During Hadhrat's lifetime, Christianity began to rise in India and prodigious efforts were made to convert the people of India to Christianity in every possible way. When Hadhrat, during his sojourn in Delhi, witnessed this situation, he ordered his pupils to stand in the bazaars and deliver sermons against Christianity. One day, Hadhrat himself, without introduction or the statement of his name, attended a gathering and repulsed Christianity publicly in the bazaar.^{[citation needed]}

On May 8, 1876, a "Fair for God-Consciousness" was held at Chandapur village, near Shahjahanpur (U.P.), under the auspices of the local Zamindar, Piyare Lal Kabir-panthi, under the management of Padre Knowles, and with the support and permission of the collector of Shahjahanpur, Mr. Robert George. Representatives of all the three religions, Christian, Hindu and Muslim, were invited through posters to attend and prove the truthfulness of their respective religions. At the suggestion of Maulana Muhammad Munir Nanautawi and Maulawi Ilahi Bakhsh Rangin Bareillwi, Hadhrat Nanautawi, accompanied by numerous colleagues also participated. All these Ulama delivered speeches at this fair, causing the desired effect. In repudiation of the Doctrine of Trinity and Polytheism, and on affirmation of Divine Unity (Monotheism), Hadhrat Nanautawi spoke so well that the audience, both those who were against and those who were for him, were convinced.^{[citation needed]} One newspaper wrote:

"In the gathering of 8 May of the current year (1876), Maulana Muhammad Qasim gave a lecture and stated the merits of Islam. The Padre Sahib explained the Trinity in a strange manner, saying that in a line are found three attributes: length, breadth and depth, and thus Trinity is proven in every way. The said Maulawi Sahib confuted it promptly. Then, while the Padre Sahib and the Maulawi Sahib were debating regarding the speech, the meeting broke up, and in the vicinity and on all sides arose the outcry that the Muslims had won. Wherever a religious divine of Islam stood, thousands of men would gather around him. In the meeting of the first day the Christians did not reply to the objections raised by the followers of Islam, while the Muslims replied the Christians word by word and won."

Next year this "fair" was held again in March 1877. On this occasion, Prof. Muhammad Ayyub Qadiri, writing in Maulana Ahmed Hasan Nanautawi's biography, wrote that:

"One thing specially deserves deliberation here that the fair for God consciousness at Shahjahanpur was held consecutively for two years with announcement and publicity, throwing in a way. A challenge to the religion of Islam and yet one does not find a clue to any interest the Ulama of Bareilly and Badaun, the two districts so near, almost contiguous to Shahjahanpur, may have evinced in this fair."

The polemic at Roorkee

In Shawwal, 1294/1877, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, with a party of eminent Ulama went for hajj and returned from there in Rabiul Awwal, 1295/1877. On his way back, he fell ill at Jeddah. After reaching his native-place, he recovered somewhat but the disease was not fully cured. The same year, in Sha'ban AH. 1295, he received information from Roorke that Pandit Dayanandji had reached there and was leveling objections against Islam. Maulana Nanautawi, despite his weakness and illness, went to Roorkee and however much he wished to have a debate with Panditji in a public gathering, the latter did not agree and left Roorkee, Then, at Hadhrat Nanautawi's instance, Maulana Fakharul Hasan Gangohi and Maulana Mahmud Hasan Deobandi delivered lectures in public meetings and threw a challenge to Panditji. Hadhrat Maulana Nanautawi gave replies to his objections in public meetings and, thereafter, wrote a treatise on "Istaqbal-e Qibla" (the direction of the holy Ka'ba towards which the Muslims turn their faces in prayer but do not actually worship it). Panditji reached Meerut and there too he adopted the same manner. At the request of the Muslims of Meerut, Hadhrat Nanautawi went to Meerut. Hadhrat Nanautawi delivered again a forceful speech at a public meeting there.^{[citation needed]}

Widow remarriage

Until the end of the thirteenth century Hijri the re-marriage of widows was considered very reproachful. People used to feel its disgracefulness but no one had the courage to put an end to it. By the efforts of Syed Ahmed Shaheed, MauIana Muhammad IsmaiI Shahead Dehlawi, Maulana Mamlook Ali Nanautawi, Maulana Muzaffar Husain Kandhlawi, Maulana Muhammad Ahsan Nanautawi and Hadhrat Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, the remarriage of widows came into vogue. Hadhrat Nanautawi, making his widowed sister, who was much older than himself and had become quite old, prepared for re-marriage, helped end this custom.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

Hadhrat Nanautawi left behind more than two-dozen books to perpetuate his memory. In his time he set his pen to paper on those questions which were mostly on the tapes then. Munshi Mumtaz Ali, proprietor of Matba-e Mujtabai, Delhi, in 1292/1875, had chalked out a programme to publish all of Hadhrat Nanautawi's works. In the advertisement of this programme printed by him, he had stated:

"Many gentlemen must know Maulawi Muhammad Qasim Sahib. He avoids contention and disputation and passes an independent life in a condition of detachment. If some one sent him a query regarding some difficult proposition from distant land, he would write its answer, otherwise he has not anything to do with anyone. Moreover, why should he have, for he has no trace of carnality in him? This slave is enamored of his independent way of life and fond of his disquisitional writings. For a long time I was contemplating to secure his writings some how and having printed them, show the Tamasha of divine omnipotence to the high-minded people of the time. He had a prodigious talent in proving the religio-legal propositions with rational arguments and in refuting the philosopher's propositions also with the same rational arguments".

Death

Hadhrat Nanautawi died on Thursday, 4th Jamadil Ula, 1297/1880, aged 49. His grave is to the north of the Darul-Uloom, clay-built according to the Sunnah practice. This place is known as Qabrastan-e-Qasimi, where countless Ulama, students, pious men and other people are lying buried. Many people wrote chronogrammatic quatrains on Hadhrat Nanautawi's death. The one composed in Urdu by Maulana Fazlur-Rahman Usmani is still hanging in the Vice-chancellor's office. Just to give an idea of the thoughts expressed in it, the English translation of the verses is given below:

"Such is the sorrow caused by the passing away of the Qasim of the assembly of guidance that every heart (lit., interior) is sipping the draught of grief. Such is the sorrow that thereby the cup of the assembly of spiritual knowledge is inverted like the cask of the sky. Not only is the earth pallid due to this sorrow; the attire of the sky too is bluish in this mourning. Though the supporters of the Shari'ah have had boundless sorrow, the wayfarers of the Path are suffering it doubly. Where's the true supporter of the Madrasah of religion that without him the realm of knowledge and action is desolate? Don't ask about the condition of the sad hearts of the thirsty seekers of knowledge, as to how their life is in your separation. If the flame of separation has grilled the liver, the fire of the grief of separation has roasted the heart. However, from your sacred grave, O good-natured one, your devotees do have a patience of sorts. Out of anguish wrote Fazl this year of death: “Wafat-e Sarwar-e Alam ka yeh namoona hai” (i.e., this is a specimen of the death of the Chief of the World)". (The numerical value of the Urdu letters of the last half-verse totals up to AH. 1297)^[1]

References

Online material

• 1. Tahzeer Un Nas
• 2. Qasaid E Qasmi

Source

• Kasim Al Uloom