Allama Shibli Nomani

MUHAMMAD Shibli Nomani (1857-1914) more popularly known as Shibli Nomani or even simply as Shibli was born in a respected family of landed aristocracy in Bindawal, a village of Azamgarh district in eastern U.P. in 1857. Thus Shibli was born while the first war of independence was at its peak. Azamgarh and surrounding areas were particularly affected by its patriotic fervour. It was a matter of symbolic significance that on the day of his birth the freedom fighters broke open the gates of district jail and set free the prisoners incarcerated there. He took his first breaths in this highly surcharged patriotic and rebellious atmosphere. It was bound to have an abiding influence on the thinking and attitudes of Shibli in the days to come. He had imbibed the indomitable spirit of independence in his cradle and it remained with him as a distinctive trait of his personality throughout his life.

Shibli occupies a very important place in the history of Muslim community in modern India. His role in revitalizing and reviving the community is enormous. By his scholarly and intellectual attainments, he revived the memories of the great scholars of our past. He was an accomplished scholar of Islamic sciences and Arabic and Persian languages and literature. He was a prolific writer of Urdu both in prose and poetry. He was a prose writer of great excellence who remains unrivalled for the literary elegance and beauty of his writings. His poetry, both in Persian and Urdu, was of a very high order and excellence. He is considered as the last great poet of Persian in India. His historical writings opened new vistas and touched unprecedented heights of scholarly depth, incisive interpretation, deep insight, penetrating criticism and refreshing approach. It earned for him the title of the first teacher of history of the Indian Muslims, an honour that he thoroughly deserved. By his powerful writings he not only defended Islam against the ideological onslaught of the orientalists but eminently succeeded in creating a deep and abiding sense of pride, attachment and belonging with the past among the Indian Muslims. His personality was multifaceted and his contributions are immense and multidimensional. The people whom he taught, trained and influenced are legion and the exact nature and magnitude of their contribution in the fields of their interest is difficult to assess. Among them are included such illustrious personalities as Hamid ud din Farahi, Abul Kalam Azad, Saiyid Sulaiman Nadvi, Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Zafar Ali Khan, Sajjad Haider Yaldram, Aziz Mirza, Masud Ali Mahvi, Abdus Salam Nadvi, Abdul Bari Nadvi to name only a few. He built many institutions that continue to play a vital role in the life of the community. Darul Musannifin Shibli Academy had no parallel in the Sub Continent as a centre of historical research and publication. He was an Alim, scholar, educationist, reformer, historian, litterateur and much more. It is, therefore, not possible to attempt even a brief survey of his varied accomplishments and contributions in a small article. The endeavour here therefore would be confined to a brief study of his association with Aligarh and the contribution that he made to the Aligarh Movement.

1881 proved to be a turning point in his life. In that year he went to Aligarh along with his father to pay a visit to his younger brother, Mahdi Hasan, who was a student at M. A. O. College. In this journey he also met Sir Syed, a meeting that was destined to change his life and give it a new purpose, meaning and direction. In accordance with the traditions of the time he presented an Arabic Qasida (Ode) in praise of Sir Syed. Contrary to the style of those days, it was composed in the style of classical Arabic poetry. Sir Syed was impressed by it as he could see through it the great creative genius of the writer. He published it in Aligarh Gazette with a note of appreciation. This paved the way for Shibli’s eventual appointment at Aligarh. A new star of matchless brightness was to impart its lustre to the intellectual firmament of Aligarh and the conditions for this were created on this occasion.

In 1882 there was a vacancy for a teacher to teach Arabic and Persian languages in the College. Towards the end of January Shibli was appointed as Professor of Persian and Assistant Professor of Arabic. He joined his duty on 1st of February 1882. He spent next sixteen years at Aligarh. Initially his salary was fixed at Rs. Forty a month. Shibli belonged to a well to do family. He seems to have felt deeply hurt at this paltry salary. But he also seems to have realised the immense possibilities that Aligarh offered to the growth of his intellectual faculties and attainment of academic excellence. He settled for the later. There could not have been a better bargain. Later in 1886, he was promoted as Professor of Arabic as well and his salary was also raised accordingly. Ultimately it rose to Rs. 100 per month. But the extremely vital role that he was destined to play in the uplift of the College, furtherance of the objectives of the Aligarh Movement and enlightenment of the Muslim community of the Subcontinent could not be determined and understood in terms of salaries and stipends.

The most important thing that Shibli acquired at Aligarh was his abiding concern for the plight of the community and realization of the imperative need to work for its uplift and taking it out of the morass in which it found itself. It was a natural outcome of his contact with Sir Syed. It provided a direction to him and gave him a purpose and objective to work for. It fired his imagination and opened up new horizons before his eyes. This concern remained with him throughout his life. At Aligarh he came into contact with European scholars. He developed very close and friendly relations with Professor T. W. Arnold and learnt from him modern methods of research and scholarship, which he put to maximum use in putting across his own views and researches. He learnt French from him and taught him Arabic. He has referred to him as a friend and a mentor. It was here that he had access to the works of the orientalists and became painfully conscious of the great need to do something to resist and stop their onslaught against Islam and the Muslims and it determined the course of his future academic activities. He was a voracious reader and at Aligarh he had access to a virtual treasure of rare books to satisfy his thirst. Sir Syed’s library was perhaps the best library of its kind during those days in the entire subcontinent. It had an excellent collection of Arabic and Persian books of great Muslim scholars, which were being published in Europe and which, according to Shibli himself, were still beyond the reach of scholars even in Egypt. Seeing Shibli’s interest in scholarly pursuits, Sir Syed had allowed him free access to his library. This opened up new vistas of research and scholarship before him. The results of his researches delighted and amazed even great scholars. Sir Syed was deeply impressed by his scholarship and began to rely more and more on him in his researches. He built a banglow for him near his residence so that he could have easy access to his library. They spent much time together discussing scholarly subjects of mutual interest. Shibli had a very high opinion about Sir Syed’s great qualities of mind and heart. This mutual respect and appreciation for each other found expression on many occasions and forms a shining chapter of Aligarh’s history.

The contribution of Shibli to the Aligarh movement and his services in furthering its cause are varied and many. First of all he was a committed and dedicated teacher and was fully alive to his responsibility towards educating and building the character of his students and molding their views. His erudition, scholarship, vast knowledge of Islam and Islamic history and his ability to effectively communicate with them enabled him to establish effective rapport with his students. This he used to create in the students an interest in Islam and instill a sense of pride and belonging to its glorious past. He always tried to uphold the sublime traditions of Islamic civilization and did not inculcate in his students a sense of loyalty to the British or interest in western civilization. He always emphasized Islamic values in his teachings, lectures and writings.

He used every available forum to educate and train the students to be able to fulfil their role in the society and to retain the distinctive mark of having been students of the M. A. O. College. Besides the union where students acquired debating and oratory skills, there was an association with the name of Ikhwan us Safa. It was a forum where students were trained in Urdu speaking. He actively participated in both these forums and gave talks and lectures there to instruct and guide the students. He established a new forum for training students in speaking and writing Arabic and took keen interest in its development. When Aligarh Gazette decided to publish an Urdu supplement, its charge was given to him. Later, it acquired a separate identity of its own and came to be known as Aligarh Magazine. Some of his important writings initially appeared in this magazine. Through this magazine he trained a generation of students in writing Urdu.

An important aspect of Aligarh Movement was Sir Syed’s desire to retain the Islamic identity while acquiring modern education and acquainting oneself with the western values. Modern education at the cost of religion was not acceptable to him. He was very clear on this point and his pronouncements on the subject are too well known to bear repetition. He never wanted to impose his own religious ideas on the students or include his writings in the curriculum of the College. The religious aspect of the College was left entirely to the care of a graduate of the famous seat of religious learning, Darul Ulum at Deoband, Maulana Abdullah Ansari. Maulana Ansari was not only a product of that great seat of Islamic education but he was also son in law of Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanatuwi, the founder of the Darul Ulum. Shibli was professor of Arabic and Persian and technically religious instruction was not one of his concerns. But it would appear in the light of the available evidence on the subject that his role in inculcating in the students an attachment with the religion was by far the most significant. To achieve this end he adopted various means and employed different methods besides personal contacts. He was very closely associated with Lujnatus Salat, an association that was formed to ensure punctual performance of five times prayers among the students and was proud of his own role in making it a success. Sir Syed entrusted him the responsibility of giving lectures to the students on the meaning and interpretation of the Holy Qur'an, a responsibility that he performed with great earnestness and enthusiasm. It became very popular among the students. When Maulana Abdullah Ansari was appointed, Shibli expressed his desire to be relieved of this responsibility but Sir Syed would not agree. He therefore continued to perform this responsibility till the end of his stay at Aligarh. Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar had observed that his interest in the Holy Book goes back to these lectures. There must have been many others who were inspired by his expositions of the meaning and exegesis of the Holy Qur'an.

On the instance of Sir Syed he compiled a book on the early history of Islam titled Bada’ ul Islam (The Beginning of Islam) to be included in the syllabus of Theology. This book was translated into Persian by his cousin and pupil, Hamiduddin Farahi, who was a student of the College at that time and later rose to be the greatest scholar of Quranics in modern times. It was included in the curriculum of Persian. The function celebrating the birth of the Prophet had become a hallmark of the University. It is interesting to note that it was begun by Shibli to acquaint the students with the life account of our beloved Prophet, a theme that was destined to emerge as the main interest of his life and for which he received universal acclaim. In the beginning it was held at his residence but as it could not accommodate all those who wanted to attend it, the venue was shifted to some other place. Besides these, his writings, poems and lectures went a long way in instilling in the students a deep sense of attachment to the religious and cultural moorings of Islam. He was a source of inspiration and a role model to the students in this regard. It could be seen that in this particular sphere he made significant contribution in realising and furthering some of the basic objectives of the Aligarh Movement.

As noted above, he was a poet of great excellence. In the academic circles of the College he was first introduced as an excellent poet. His poetic talent was used in the service of the College and furthering of the objectives of the Aligarh Movement. Keeping with the traditions of the time, important personalities were welcomed at the College with a Qasida and it was invariably his responsibility to compose and present it on behalf of the College. It would seem that he did not relish this job which smacked of flattery still he did it in the interest of the College. He also presented his poetic compositions at the annual sessions of Educational Conference. One of his most stirring poetical compositions “Masnavi Subh-e Ummid” was presented at the 1885 session of the conference. After depicting the hopeless situation in which the Muslims of India found themselves, he makes a very forceful presentation of the Aligarh Movement and its objectives and considers it as the morning of hope for those who had lost all hope. It contains one of the finest portrayals of Sir Syed and his dedication to his mission. There could be little doubt about the fact that his poetic compositions rendered yeoman service in furthering the objectives of the Aligarh Movement and his forceful voice was an asset and a source of great strength for the Movement.

Shibli had written some polemical writings to his credit before his joining the College. But his career as a writer and author in fact began at Aligarh. Here he had access to the books that were published in Europe and Egypt and these introduced him to a world that was not known to him before. Sir Syed’s library was perhaps the richest repository of such books in the entire Subcontinent and Shibli had full access to it. His discussions with Sir Syed introduced him to new ideas in the fields of literature, history and other areas of learning. Shibli’s scholarly exploits are varied and many but his greatest contributions are in the field of history and sirat. He has been called the first teacher of Indian Muslims in history and rightly so. The book that seems to have stimulated his interest in the study of history was Gibbon’s history of Rome. Sir Syed had got it translated into Urdu for his personal use. Thereafter history became the field of his main interest and his researches in Muslim history have acquired legendary status that has been celebrated by succeeding generations of Muslim scholars. There could be little doubt that Sir Syed’s writings on the Muslim history particularly Khutbat-i Ahmadiyya that he wrote to dispel the allegations and malicious insinuations contained in the Life of Mohamet of William Muir must have inspired him and convinced him of the imperative need of meeting the onslaught unleashed by the Orientalists against Islam and the Prophet. Shibli’s achievements in the field are unrivalled but it would be useful to remember that the trend was set by Sir Syed who was first to stand up against the scholarly tyranny of the west against Islam. Shibli, however, was a perfectionist and he thought it necessary to first fully equip himself with all the essential means and resources for this onerous task before accepting the challenge and throwing down the gauntlet. From the date of joining the College till 1887 he seems to have been mainly engaged in study and preparation for the task that he had set for himself. Though his reputation as a scholar was established he contented himself with expressing his ideas and concerns for the community and the urgent need for reform mostly through the medium of poetry.

In 1892 Shibli undertook an academic journey to collect necessary material for his proposed book al Faruq. This took him to Constantinople (Istanbul), Cairo, al Quds and Beirut. This was first journey of this kind by a professor of the College. Sir Syed had gone to England before he launched his movement for the establishment of the College to collect material for his rebuttal of William Muir’s infamous book on the life of Prophet. Among the professors of the College, however, Shibli was first to have done so. In a way he was the first ambassador of the Indian Muslims to Turkey and was instrumental in establishing first contacts of the Muslims of South Asia with that region. This shows his thirst for knowledge and spirit of enquiry. This journey was undertaken with his personal resources and without any help from any outside agency. He spent six months on this academic tour, most of which was spent in Constantinople, scouring its many libraries for the books that he needed. Most of the books that he needed were still in manuscript form. The libraries were situated at considerable distance from each other and he had to walk for miles to go from one library to the other and it was very tiring but he bore it cheerfully as a labour of love. Academically this tour was a great success but the general conditions of the Muslim countries he visited greatly dismayed and depressed him. He had gone from a country that was under the subjugation of others to those which were free and masters of their own destiny. He made it a point to meet the scholars and visit the academic institutions there. But to his great dismay same ailments seemed to be infecting those Muslim countries as well, which were the bane of Muslim society in India. He found the great divide between the old and new systems of education particularly very disturbing because his studies had convinced him that without a judicious combination of the two systems there would be no possibility of progress for the Muslims in the modern times. But living and breathing in a free country was an experience in itself. In recognition of his great academic achievements and service for the community, the Ottoman government awarded him Tamgha-i Majidi. It was first such honour achieved by a professor of Aligarh. It brought fame not only to Shibli but also to Aligarh where he belonged. Theoretically, Ottoman Sultan was still considered as the head of the Muslims and a symbol of the unity of the community. And therefore recognition of a scholar by him was indeed a matter of great honour. Shibli took the name and fame of the College wherever he went and was instrumental in introducing the College to the academic circles of the countries he visited. Those who came into contact with him were deeply impressed by his great scholarship and depth of knowledge. This was bound to create favourable impression about the institution where he taught. Among those whom he met at Cairo was included the great Egyptian scholar Mufti Muhammad Abduhu. He spent considerable time at the grand al Azhar University discussing with the Ulama matters of mutual interest and looking for books in its library. On his return he was felicitated both by the staff of the school and the College. Sir Syed also attended the felicitations.

In 1894 Shibli was granted the title of Shams ul Ulama by the British Government. It was the firs title that was granted to a professor of the College by the government. Keeping in mind the fact that Shibli had not yet crossed 37 years of his age and during those days grant of such titles was not very common, this event was considered to be very significant. Besides Sir Syed none of his associates had received any title from the government so far. Even such eminent luminaries and members of Aligarh fraternity as Hali and Nazir Ahmad received it much later. There were celebrations in the College. Ikhwan us Safa and Lujnat ul Adab held a joint function on January 19, 1894 to felicitate Shibli on the receipt of this honour. Among others, it was attended by Sir Syed, Syed Mahmud, Muhsin ul Mulk, Hali, Muzammilullah Khan, Theodore Beck and Arnold. The meeting was chaired by Muhsin ul Mulk. Besides others, Hali also presented a congratulatory poem in Arabic which was appropriately titled “From friend to friend”. Among the students Hamid ud din Farahi, Zafar Ali Khan and Ghulam us Saqlain were included among those who spoke on the occasion and presented their poetic compositions. The high academic standards of the students of those days could be assessed from the fact that majority of the poetic compositions of the students presented on the occasion were either in Arabic or Persian. On February 17 another function was held in the Strachey Hall, which was attended by the European officers, their ladies, notables of Aligarh and the College community. In this function the title and the robe of honour (khil’at) was officially conferred on him.

Under the influence of the Aligarh Movement and realising the imperative need of introducing modern education to the Muslims, soon after his joining of the College Shibli had founded a school at Azamgarh with the name of National School in 1883. By 1895 it was upgraded as a High School. After independence it became a Post Graduate College with the name of Shibli National Post Graduate College. At present it is the best minority college in the province of Uttar Pradesh with post graduate facilities in all the main branches of Science and a number of subjects in Arts and Social Sciences. It also offers courses in law, commerce and education. It has all the potential of being developed as a university. Over a period of more than a century since it has been in existence it has continued to fulfil the same objectives in the region of Eastern U. P. which Aligarh Movement tried to propagate and popularise among the Muslims.

In 1895 he was nominated as a member of the Faculty of Arts and Board of Studies of Allahabad University. It may be recalled here that M. A. O. College was affiliated to Allahabad University before it became Aligarh Muslim University. Around that time a move was afoot to remove Persian as a subject from the syllabi of the University as its syllabus was considered to be below standard. Due to his intervention it was retained and Shibli was asked to prepare a new and suitable syllabus. He prepared a standard syllabus for this purpose. The course of study that he prepared continued to be taught at the university for many years. Shibli used to give a portion of the income that accrued to him from this course to the College fund.

Sir Syed died on March 27, 1898. Shibli left the College after few months. First he took leave for six months in May and after the expiry of the leave, he tendered his resignation form the service of the College. Thus the relationship that had that had begun in 1882 and had lasted for sixteen years that saw Shibli achieve glory and fame, came to an end. It may, however, be useful to remember in this context that in spite of all the admiration of Shibli for Sir Syed and appreciation of Sir Syed for the unusual calibre and talent of Shibli, there were a number of issues on which they differed. Men of substance do not agree with each other on each and every point. It was only natural that men of such stature as Sir Syed and Shibli would differ on some issues. It does not seem to be a coincidence that Shibli continued to serve the College as long as Sir Syed was alive in spite of whatever differences he might have had with him and in spite of the fact that he had been contemplating to leave thee College for quite some time. It was only after his death that he found it necessary to severe his relationship with the College. Even long after he had left Aligarh, there were moves particularly during the stewardship of Muhsinul Mulk to revive his association with the College. It would appear that Shibli was not averse to the idea but some how it did not materialise. Shibli lived another eighteen years. These years saw his talents blossom to the full. He authored many great books on a variety of subjects with equal ease and felicity. One is struck with wonder on the range of his interest. On every subject that he did chose, he wrote with compelling authority and beauty. But the crowning glory of his scholarship was the biography of the Prophet, peace be on him, for which he received universal acclaim and which remains unsurpassed even today. He founded many institutions and participated in many movements. These include, among others, Darul Musannifin Shibli Academy, Nadwatul Ulama and Madrastul Islah. His role in mobilising assistance and support for Turkey was very important. He did not actively participate in politics but supported the Congress from the very beginning. These and many other aspects of his life are no doubt very important but they are out of our purview here. In the midst of the plethora of real and alleged differences of Shibli with Sir Syed and Aligarh Movement, it would be useful to remember that after Sir Syed Shibli was the most towering personality among the galaxy of great men who had gathered around him and he made enormous contribution towards furthering the objectives of the Aligarh Movement.

Muhammad Shibli Nomani

Born 3rd June 1857 in Bindawal Azamgarh (UP)
Died on 18th November 1914 in Azamgarh (UP)
Father : Shaikh Habibullah
Mother: Moqeema Khatoon (d/o Mr.Qurban Ahmad, Phariha Azamgarh)
Wife: Majidunnisa (Married 1876-77)
Brothers : Mahdi Hasan, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Junaid, Mohammad
Children : Hamid Hassan Nomani , Rabia Khatoon , Jannutul Fatima

Teachers: Maulana Farooq Chirayyakuti, Chirayyakot Azamgarh, Maulana Irshad Husain, Rampur, Maulana Faiz ul Hasan Saharanpuri, Lahore, Maulana Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri

MAO College Association: 1882 – 1898, Professor of Persian and Arabic

Founder Editor: The Aligarh Magazine (Urdu)-1891

Famous Students:
Hamid ud din Farahi, Abul Kalam Azad, Saiyid Sulaiman Nadvi, Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Zafar Ali Khan, Sajjad Haider Yaldram, Aziz Mirza, Masud Ali Mahvi, Abdus Salam Nadvi, Abdul Bari Nadvi, Shibli Mutakallim Nadvi

Books :

Seerat-un-Nabi – 7 Volumes (co-edited by Syed Sulaiman Nadvi), Muqadmat-Seeratun Nabi, Al-Farooq : Biography of Hazrat Omar Farooq (R.A.), Al-Ghazali, Al-Mamoon , Seerat-un-Noman, Swaneh-Maulana Roomi, Al-Kalam, Ilmul-Kalam, Safar Nama Room-Misr-o- Shaam, Sherul-Ajam -5 Volumes, Kuliyat-e-Shibli (Urdu), Kuliyat-e-Shibli (Farsi), Mawazenah Anees-o-Dabeer, Al-Inteqar, Auragzeb Alamgeer per Ek Nazar

By KAUKAB SIDDIQUE

SHAWWAL 13 was the anniversary of Imam Bukhari's birth in 194 Hijri. His name is Muhammad and he was known as Abu Abdullah. "Bukhari" refers to his place of birth, the city of Bukhara, located in Tajikistan, 38 miles west of Samarkand. I'll begin with two authentic Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) collected by Imam Bukhari. These teachings are very important in the Islamic culture around the world:

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrates:

The messenger of Allah was asked: Who is deserving of loving care and concern? He (the Prophet) replied:

YOUR MOTHER. And then whom (he was asked). He said:

Your MOTHER. And then? (he was asked) Your Mother (he said). And then? (the questioner continued). He said:

Your father. (al-adab al-mufrad by Imam Bukhari)

(Abi Bakra, Allah be pleased with him, narrates about Prophet Muhammad, pbuh):
He said:

Your blood, your goods and your honor are as much protected and safe (forever) as is this day (of Arafa) in this month (of Hajj). Be aware and those of you who are here (today) should pass this on to those who are not here.

(Sahih of Imam Bukhari)

The revolutionary impact of these teachings can be understood if one realizes that Arabia (and the world) was a male dominated society in which there was no concept of basic human rights. The first Hadith puts a woman (the mother) as three times more important than the dominant male. The second hadith gives the protection of Islamic law to life, property and honor (especially the rights of women) and makes these rights as sacred as the holiest days of the Islamic pilgrimage.

Who was the man who made sure that these were authentic teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and hence teachings which must be integral to any Islamic community?

Abu Abdullah Muhammad, son of Ismail, al-Bukhari was sharp of intellect with a memory which has had few equals. He memorized the entire Qur'an at the age of 9. At the age of 10, he turned his attention to the study of Hadith. At the age of 16, following the performance of Hajj, he decided to stay in Makkah and make the holy city the centre of his studies.

A remarkable fact about Imam Bukhari's early life is that his basic teacher was his mother, a woman of great learning and Islamic awareness. His father Ismail was also an Islamic teacher of piety and learning but he died when the Imam was little.

As he forayed into his study, research and collection of Hadith, Imam Bukhari studied in the schools of Hadith led by the greatest teachers of his era. Later, he himself became the teacher of the greatest scholars of his era. His final book of Hadith, known as al-jami us-Sahih, has been recognized around the world as a source book of Islam second only to the Qu'ran.

At that time Islam was a world power and the great and the powerful wanted to use the Qur'an and the Hadith to support their own version of Islam. The last of the SAHABA (companions of the Prophet) died in the year 110 after Hijrah. Hence the possibility of people misquoting the Prophet became very real.

Imam Bukhari understood that sponsorship by vested interests is detrimental to objective Islamic teachings. Hence the Imam stayed strictly away from the power structure. He was never a servant or courtier of any ruler, local, regional or national.

Secondly, Imam Bukhari avoided using his knowledge to enrich himself. Like Allama Iqbal in our own times, he seemed to have lived in the light of a (not so well authenticated) hadith of the Prophet that:

"Poverty is my pride." This is a self-imposed poverty for the sake of independence and openness to all ways of thinking beyond the "party line."

He would earn his living by trade and as a merchant and then would give away his profits, thus returning to his meagre means. On some of his journeys, he almost died of starvation rather than beg the local bigwigs for help.

In his research on Hadith, he set standards which are stricter than any known even in our own times of immediate technologically available information. Some of these need to be mentioned here:

1. Did a person who narrated Hadith from a Companion of the Prophet actually meet the Companion, and was that Companion with the Prophet in such-and-such incident?

2. What was the character of a narrator of Hadith?

3. What was his/her memory like? What was his/her age at the time of narration?

4. Was the chain of narrators complete, had a missing link in it or was it fabricated?

5. Which Hadith are linked to which verses of the Qur'an?

6. Sometimes partisans can speak the truth. How does one accept Hadith from narrators who were Shi'ite, Khariji or pro-Caliph?

7. Honest collection of Hadith if objective rules apply but the content is not appealing. (Thus the Hadith literature is an uncensored account of how the SAHABA saw, heard and thought of the Prophet and his era. It leaves critical commentary to scholars and application/implementation to mujtahideen who use their reason to understand the Qur'an and the Hadith.)

False Ideas About Imam Bukhari

The Zionist Jews who want to destroy Islam have been spreading doubts about Hadith. Goldziher and Schacht's work against Hadith has been fed into missionary publications. From here some sincere but mislead Muslim scholars picked up the attack on Hadith. One important misled but sincere person was Ghulam Ahmed Pervez who wrote extensively against Hadith. Dr. Fazlur Rahman sincerely believed that the ISNAD or chains of narration of Hadith had been invented in the third century of Islam. His work gained popularity among western-educated Muslims till Dr. Azmi published his research which showed not only authenticity of ISNAD but also that Hadith was written down in every era of early Islam, starting with the time of the Prophet and the Sahaba.

Some misled sectarians believe that Bukhari's Hadith narration was meant to help the Ummayed rulers who had, according to the sectarian line, "usurped the right of hazrat Ali" to be the Caliph. This idea is totally absurd because Imam Bukhari was not alive during the entire Ummayad dynasty. The Ummayeds ruled Rajab 60 hijri to zulhijjah 132 hijri and 4 years of turmoil after that. Imam Bukhari was born in 194. So he could not have been influenced by the political power of the "ruling Ummayads."

There are others who see traces of Shi'ism in Imam Bukhari's collection. These again are off the mark. The Abbasids established their regime in 136. When the greatest Abbasi, Haroon ar-Rasheed, began his rule, Imam Bukhari's birth was still one year away. When the powerful Mamun ar-Rasheed was ruling, Imam Bukhari had just started his studies and had moved to Makkah, which was outside the Baghdad orbit of Abbasid influence.

Some misled people believe that most Hadith must have been false and hence Imam Bukhari selected so few out of "six million." This idea is based on total lack of understanding of Hadith. In Hadith studies, not only the matn (the text) of what the Prophet said but also each chain of narration (sanad) of that hadith counts as one hadith. Thus the first text in Bukhari's SAHIH:

"Actions shall be judged by intentions ..." had 700 chains of narration; hence in Hadith literature that one text would count as 700 hadith.

Some people justify their own ignorance. They think that Bukhari was a narrator of Hadith which he was not. He was a researcher, compiler and collector.

Still others attack Bukhari to INDIRECTLY ABUSE, INSULT and DISCREDIT the sahaba (again a sectarian hand is often at work here). How come Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) narrated so many hadith? Didn't he live in Ameer Muawiyyah's palace? etc. The life of the Prophet (pbuh) (other than what Imam Bukhari compiled) shows that Abu Huraira used to spend a maximum of his time listening to and collecting the teachings of the Prophet, memorizing and writing down, while others lived more "normal" lives.

Hazrat 'Ayesha, Abu Huraira and other mukassirin (those who have narrated many hadith of the Prophet), lived for far more years than some of the key figures among the Prophet's companions. They were asked questions by newcomers who were flooding into Islam and hence taught much more. Other greats like Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali (Allah be pleased with them) were not available to so many people after the Prophet died. The last three were assassinated. Hence owing to historical reasons, some narrators narrated more than others.

Some readers among our westernized elites object to the pre-scientific and pre-"modern" lifestyle which often appears in the Hadith literature including that of Bukhari. The Prophet had to go out into the desert to urinate, etc. The Prophet bathed out of a bucket along with his wife (shocking! eh). The Prophet talked about women's menses and women among his companions talked about Muslim's duties related to sex and "private" life. On expeditions when food ran out, the Muslims had to decide whether to eat lizards. The Prophet had fine tastes but did not want his companions to starve. What happens if a fly falls into a bucket full of food or solid shortening? Worse, what if a rat falls in? Should the entire food supply be thrown away? (in a culture of scarcity).

Also many readers find Hadith irksome simply because they don't want to study patiently. They rush to the assumption that the headlines provided by Imam Bukhari are also Hadith. Or they take it that the words of a Sahabi and the words of the Prophet are supposedly of equal value because they are in Sahih Bukhari.

Where Imam Bukhari provides a narration which shows the low esteem in which women were held at that time and then a narration from the blessed 'Ayesha which shows the Prophet changing those attitudes with his authoritative words, our misled anti-Hadith people do not see the connection and consider it a "contradiction." Same applies to war time lack of rules in those days (taking slaves, taking part-time mistresses, muta', temporary marriage, etc.). The misled people see the narration about what used to happen and DO NOT SEE what the Prophet did to stop them and how he went about it stage by stage.

Scholarship of HADITH of course preceded Imam Bukhari and he was one of a galaxy of greats, even though the greatest. I am presenting Imam Bukhari because the misled people think they can destroy the entire corpus of Hadith by attacking Imam Bukhari.

And Allah is the only One Who knows all.

INTRODUCTION: Omar Almukhtar’s life was encapsulated in a film titled the Lion of Desert. The film paints him as a freedom fighter that resisted the Italian occupation of his homeland, Libya. However, there is a lot more to our hero Omar Almukhtar than that. To Libyans and Muslims at large, the name Omar Almukhtar represents “the true” fight against the oppression of the Italian crusade whose desire was not only to occupy the land but also to wipe out the deep-rooted Islamic ideals and teachings. In fact the name Omar Almukhtar is synonymous with Jihad in Libya. There are many lessons that can be learnt from his struggle against the Italians from 1911 to 1931.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9VlzLppxOo

BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE: Omer Almukhtar or as often referred to by Libyans as Shaykh A’Shuhdaa (the Shaykh of Martyrs) was born in 1860 in the area of Albutnan, which is located on the western mountains of Libya (known as the Green Mountain). His father died while he was on the way to perform Hajj, when Omer was sixteen years of age. Omar Almukhtar went to the Sanousi Schools (Zawia) where he spent about 8 years learning Quran, and Arabic. He interrupted his education to learn the art of fighting, which included at that time horseback riding and that is when he reportedly developed his leadership skills as well. He was known as a man of his word, very zealous about his religion and one who had a pronounced effect on others. His speeches were very short and to the point. He seldom said anything without quoting a verse from the Quran or a Hadeith to support his speech.

Those surrounding him trusted him; they listened to him and often called upon him to resolve disputes. Bedouin characteristics were evident in his behavior; he was known to be brave, knew the Sahara and its pathways very well, especially routs from Libya to Sudan and Egypt. He also had the knowledge of Nansib (roots) of the tribes and he was very familiar with all medicinal grasses and plants as well and their usage to cure human and animal diseases.

One of those who knew him; Mahmoud Aljahmi, said that "I never seen Omar sleeps till the morning. He sleeps for two hours then wake up, make ablution (Wdu), pray and read Quran until Fajir time”. It was also reported that he used to read the Quran once every seven days. From the period of 1890 to 1911, Omar was appointed as Shaykh of the Jaghboob Zawia (religious school) from which he graduated earlier. During this period, his strong personality and leadership skills became known to influential tribal figures.

HIS JIHAD JOURNEY: The period between 1911 and 1931 was a crucial one, not just because of the life of Omar Almukhtar but for shaping the future of Libya forever. This was the period during which Omar Almukhtar fought the Italian invaders until his capture and later execution in 1931. Omer first heard the news of the invasion during a visit to Kofra, a city in the southern part of Libya, which was the headquarters for the Sounousi movement. Soon after Omar heard the news, he decided to go back to Jaghboob where he gathered every person capable of Jihad and headed towards Benghazi, the first city invaded by the Italians. It was reported that he gathered eighty-three men and marched toward Benghazi to join their fellow Mujahdeen there. There he was immediately given the leadership responsibilities. Some say it was an order of Sir. Ahmed Ashareef, who was the leader of the Sanousi movement at that time, and others say, it was the consciences of the Mujahdeen. Even though this war took place during the Othman Empire, Omar Almukhtar made it clear from the beginning that he was engaging in this war to defend the religion of Allah and resist the Italian occupation of Libya. This was evident from his following quotes “I will not leave this place until I achieve one the Housnayaeen (the two highest levels); martyrhood or victory”, “we will fight the occupiers until we kick them out or we will die in doing so”. It was also reported that when asked to go for Hajj, his reply was “the reward of Hajj does not exceed the reward of defending the religion of Allah and my country”. In Ghretsiani’s book, Barqa Alhadia, (the Calm Barqa), he said that when he was interviewing Omar, after his capture, he asked him: why did you fight us?
O. For the sake of my religion and country.
G. What did you want to achieve from this?
O. Nothing! Except to expel you out of my country. You are occupiers.
Wa ma ansir ela min end Allah (indeed victory is from Allah).

http://www.iiim.info/discover/OmerAlmukhtar2.jpg

After a few years into the war with the Italians, the Turks decided to leave Libya. This had a huge impact on the Jihaad movement in Libya because the supplies from Egypt and Tunis were cut off as a result of the Turks decision. However, Omar and his fellow Mujahideen continued to fight furiously. Also, in 1917, the Ameer of the Sonousi movement decided to go to Turkey and hand the leadership (Imara) to Mohamed Idris Almahdi Asnousi.

After the failure of talks with dignitaries from the Ottoman Empire, in which he asked for assistance, Ameer Mohamed established contacts with the English and the German to help him in his struggle against the Italians. They were able to convince the Italians to give Ameer Momahed a say in the affairs of the western part of Libya, known as Barqa. However, Omar Almukhtar continued to resist the Italian occupation.

The Italians used the late developments to communicate with Omar via what is now labelled in the Libyan history as “traitors”. The Italians were successful in arranging a meeting with Omar Almukhtar during which they offered him a luxurious house and a monthly salary of 900 Italian Franck (about 650 Egyptian Pounds), a salary offered to the top generals in the Italian army. However, Omar Almukhtar refused all these offers as mentioned by Ghretsiani in his book: “Omar not only refused our offer, he did not listen to it”, he continued to say, “Omar was very harsh with the letter carrier. He was lucky Omar did not kill him”. It was also reported that when Omar received a letter from a Lebanese agent working for the Italians, asking him to give up fighting and give himself up to the Italians and that defeat is imminent because the Italian Army was far superior and more sophisticated. Omar’s reply was: “from Omar Almukhtar to Aboud (that was the name of the agent) the translator: if it was not for the obligation of replying, I would have ignored your letter. As for your advice, we say that asking us to give up fighting cannot be considered an advice. We do not need such advice. We will continue to fight and we depend on the strength of our Iman. Allah SWT says: Indeed Allah has bought from the believers their soles and wealth for Junnah in return. Allah knows our intentions and inshaa Allah he will reward us accordingly”. After that incident, Omar lmukhta was called to a meeting, in Zwetena, with the top Italian generals to discuss Omar’s concerns. However as soon as the meeting commenced, the generals started by offering compensation to families whose homes were damaged and appointing Omar Almukhtar a high executive role or if he chose to retire, they will honor their first offer. Omar’s response was negative as usual. He told the generals “I did not come to this meeting to listen to their nonsense. I do not fight you to gain any respect from you or to get any financial reward. We are fighting for the existence of our nation. We cannot forget the blood of our brothers who died for the sake of their faith and this country. If you want to discuss any thing, we should discuss these points (the points proposed before the meeting) and respect our right for existence. “If you have come here for anything else, the meeting should be adjourned” and he walked out of the tent. The one negative impact of these series of negotiations was that a few people accepted the Italian occupation and started working for the Italian government. Historians say this was the turning point in Omar Almukhtar’s Jihaad journey as some of these “traitors” used to fight along side the Mujahdeen

http://www.iiim.info/discover/OmerAlmukhtar3.jpg

HIS CAPTURE: Omar Almukhtar continued to fight the Italian occupation until early September 1931and that is when he was captured by the Italians. It was during the battle in which the Italian army waged an offensive on the Mujahideen. The horse, which Omar Almukhtar was riding, got hit and he fell down. Because of his age, he could not save himself. It was reported that the Italian soldiers did not recognize him at first. In fact, it was one of the traitors that identified him for the Italians. The Italians immediately took him to their headquarters in Benghazi where he met with the leader of the Italian army, General Ghretisiani. The next day Ghertisiani interrogated him, among the questions he asked him:

“How long would it take you to order your fellow fighters to cease their fires?” asked General Ghretisiani "I cannot do anything. We the Mujahids swore to Allah that we would fight until we die one after the other. We do not surrender nor do we quit. I have never surrendered and I will continue to fight” replied Omar Almukhtar. General Ghretsiani said in his book that Omar Almukhtar walked out of his office the same way he walked in; with respect and dignity. He said that he has the highest of respect for Omar Almukhtar.

Soon after that meeting, the Italian government ordered him to a court marshal. The sentence was predetermined as later admitted by A`Sharaf Algheriani, one of the biggest traitors. Algheriani said that his Italian superiors were talking about the sentence before the trial and were preparing for it. When the court announced its decision, on the 15th of September, 1931, Omar Almukhtar was heard saying: ena el Allah wa ena eliehe ragoon (we belong to Allah and to him we shall return).

The court sentence was to hang Omar Almukhtar in public in the city of Slooq. The sentence was carried out the next day, i.e. September 16, 1931. It was done in front of thousands of Libyan who were gathered by the Italians from various concentration camps to witness the hanging. Historian reported that the last words uttered by Omar Almukhtar before his death were: ya aytoha alnafs almutmaena ergee ela rabik radheyatan mardhieya (oh peaceful sole return to your lord, satisfied and obedient).

The Islamic Calendar is based on the Lunar Calendar consisting of 354-355 days annually and is 10-11 days shorter than the western Solar Calendar. The Lunar month is based on the time it takes the moon to complete a single orbit around the earth and it is just over 29 days. There are many advantages to the Lunar calendar. For example, the various dates in the Islamic Calendar such as Ramadan and Hajj rotate every year and are not fixed like the Solar Year. People, therefore, will perform acts of worship in various climatic conditions and in different length of hours in submission to the will of Allah where human imagination plays no part. The new moon marks the beginning of each new lunar month and it is easy for people to see the new moon and know that a new month has begun. This probably explains why most ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians, the Jews, the Greeks and the Egyptians in the Middle East , the Aztecs and the Incas of the West, and the Hindus and the Chinese of the East used this system. Interestingly, the English word ‘month’ is derived from the word ‘moon’.

Origin and Significance of the Hijri Calendar

The Islamic Calendar was started by the second Caliph Umar in 16 AH/ 637 CE [Al-Tabari: Tarikh Al- Rusul 5/22 & Ibn Sa‘d: Tabaqat Al- Kubra 3/281]. The event of the Hijrah, the migration of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE, was chosen to begin the Islamic Calendar because it was the first major sacrifice made by the whole Ummah for the preservation of Islam in its formative period. Ibn Hajar, in his Fath Al-Bari, records that the Caliph Umar is reported to have remarked: “The Hijrah has separated truth from falsehood, therefore, let it become the Epoch of the Era”. The Hijrah year reminds Muslims every year of the sacrifices made by the first Muslims and should prepare them to do the same. The constant use of the Hijri Calendar for acts of worship and as a frame of reference to major historical events will help Muslims keep links with their roots and further enhance their knowledge of their religion and history.

Months of the Islamic Calendar

There are twelve months in the Islamic Calendar as the Qur’an says: “Surely the number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve, in accordance with His decree from the day He created the heavens and the earth, out of which four are sacred” (9:36). These twelve months are Muharram, Safar, Rabi‘ al-Awwal, Rabi‘ al-Thani, Jumada al-Ula, Jumada al-Ukhra, Rajab, Sha‘ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhul Qa‘dah and Dhul Hijjah. The four Sacred Months (al-Ashhur al-Hurum) are Rajab, Dhul Qa‘dah, Dhul Hijjah and Muharram [Bukhari]. The sanctity of these months was also accepted in the Pre-Islamic era when fighting was forbidden.

Determining Islamic Dates

Islamic dates are determined by the actual visibility of the moon as the Prophet (SAW) said: “Fast by seeing it (the moon) and end the fast by seeing it” [Bukhari & Muslim]. Muslim scholars have interpreted this Prophetic saying in two different ways. Some scholars, such as Al- Shafi’i, have held the view that each location has its own sighting of the moon (Ikhtilaf al-Mutali‘) [Sayyid Sabiq: Fiqhus Sunnah 3/112]. But most scholars from the other Schools of Law have taken the words “fast by seeing it” (sumu li ru’yatihi) as a general command to all Muslims and not individual sectors of the community. Hence they regard the sighting of the moon in one region as valid for people of another region, provided the news of sighting the moon reaches them through authentic means [Ibn Taymiyyah: Majmu‘ah Fatawa 5/111].

Muharram

This is the first month of the Islamic Calendar and one of the four Sacred Months (al-Ashhur al- Hurum). It is recommended to fast during this month as there is a Hadith which says: “The best fast, after Ramadan, is in the month of Muharram” [Muslim]. This may be an indirect reference to ‘Ashura and not to Muharram in general because, according to Sayyidah Aishah, the Prophet (SAW) fasted most in Sha‘ban after Ramadan [Bukhari & Muslim].

Yawm Al-‘Ashura

The 10th day of Muharram, known as Yawm Al-‘Ashura, is the most significant day of this month. The Prophet (SAW) said: “Fasting on the Day of ‘Ashura is an expiation of sins for the previous year”. Many events are attributed to this date such as that the Prophet Adam was born and his repentance was accepted on this day, the Prophet Abraham was saved from the fire, the Prophet Ishmael was delivered from the sacrifice, the Prophet Joseph was reunited with his father, the Prophet Job was cured of his illness and the Prophet Solomon was ordained as king. However, such assertions are not always backed by accurate historical evidences [Abdulhaqq Dehlawi: Ma Thabata bis Sunnah p.254].

Ibn Abbas relates that when Prophet Muhammad (SAW) migrated to Madinah, he found the Jews fasting on the Day of ‘Ashura. When asked for the reason of their fasting, they replied that it was the day when Allah Ta‘ala saved the Prophet Moses and the Children of Israel from their enemies.

Moses fasted to thank Allah and they fasted in emulation of him. So the Prophet (SAW) said “We have more of a right to Moses than you” and so he ordered the Muslims to fast on that day [Bukhari & Muslim]. Ibn Al-Qayyim, in his Zad Al-Ma‘ad, explains that the underlying wisdom behind the fast of ‘Ashura is to stress the affinity between the prophets who all came from Allah. This is also one instance where the Shari ‘ah given to Muhammad (SAW) preserved an earlier practice, though abrogating its obligation. However, in order not to follow the Jews, the Prophet encouraged Muslims by saying: “Observe the fast of ‘Ashura and differ from the Jews by fasting a day before it or after it” [Bayhaqi: Sunan Al-Kubra 4/287].

The Prophet’s younger grandson Imam Husayn was tragically martyred on 10th Muharram 61 AH/ 680 CE on the ‘Ashura day. The heroic martyrdom of Imam Husayn demonstrates to Muslims the need to uphold truth and justice and to fight against tyranny and evil and they should be prepared to give their lives in a similar cause if the need arises. Such situations are all too common in our own times when Muslims are being persecuted for their faith in many parts of the world.

Significance of the Hijrah for Muslims

Muharram heralds the beginning of the Islamic Calendar. The Hijrah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his Companions (Sahabah) from Makkah to Madinah was much more than a simple migration. It was a turning point in the history of Islam. It was a revolution and complete transformation of society. The Muhajirun (emigrants) of Makkah gave up their family, property and homeland for the sake of religion and the Ansar (helpers) of Madinah welcomed them with great hospitality. Thus a unique brotherhood (mu’akhah) was created between them, hitherto unknown in human history.

By highlighting the Hijrah, Muslims will re-affirm their need to be in a state where they can practice their religion and make the necessary sacrifices to achieve that aim, including emigration. Hijrah also has a deep spiritual significance where Muslims commit themselves to leave the state of disbelief (kufr) and sin to enter that of Islam and piety. That is why the Prophet (SAW) said: “The best emigrant (Muhajir) is the one who leaves what Allah has forbidden” [Bukhari]

Although the practical usage of the Islamic Calendar is increasingly diminishing, nevertheless the foundation of many acts of worship such as Zakah, Sawm and Hajj revolve around this calendar and it is one of the hallmarks (shi‘ar) of Islam that differentiates Muslims from other communities. Undoubtedly, there is a great need for Muslims to reaffirm their cultural heritage by using the Islamic Calendar on a regular basis and not just during Ramadan and Eid.

(Hafiz Abdullah Muhammad is the author of ‘The Best of Times in Islam: Virtues & Significance of Important Days, Nights, Months and Festivals in Islam’ which is available. The author can be contacted at abdullah19171@ hotmail.com )