Amin Ahsan Islahi
Encyclopedia
Amin Ahsan Islahi was a Pakistan
i Muslim scholar, famous for his Urdu
exegeses of Qur'an, Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
—an exegesis that he based on Hamiduddin Farahi
's (1863–1930) idea of thematic and structural coherence in the Qur'an.
, United Provinces
(now Uttar Pradesh), British India (now India). After graduating from Madrasah al-Islah in Azamgarh in 1922, he entered the field of journalism. First he worked as an associated editor in "Khoonch" a children magazine. Then he edited a newspaper "Madinah" at Bijnawr and also remained associated with "Sach", a newspaper taken out by Abdul Majid Daryabadi
.
After Farahi’s death, Islahi studied Hadith from a celebrated scholar of this discipline, Abdu’l Rahman Muhaddith Mubarakpuri. In 1936, Islahi founded the "Daira-i-Hamidiyyah", a small institute to disseminate the Qur’anic thought of Farahi. Under the auspices of this institute, he brought out a monthly journal "Al-Islah" in which he translated many portions of Farahi’s treatises written in Arabic. The journal was published till 1939, after which it was discontinued.
, a religious party founded by the eminent Islamic scholar Mawdudi in 1941. During his seventeen year stay in the party, he represented the intellectual element and remained a member of the central governing body, Majlis-i-Shura. During this period, he did the groundwork needed to write a commentary of the Qur’an – an objective which he had set before him early in life. In 1956, when the Government of Pakistan
set up the Islamic Law Commission, Islahi - also an eminent expert on Islamic law
- served as a member until the commission was abolished in 1958 by the martial law regime of General Ayub Khan. In 1958, he abandoned the party after serious differences arose between him and Mawdudi on the nature of the constitution of the party.
, he finally got the chance to achieve his goal of writing a commentary of the Qur’an. He also launched a monthly journal Mithaq in which portions of this commentary, Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
were published. In 1961, he established a small study circle Halqa-i-Tadabbur-i- Qur’an for college students to whom he taught Arabic language and literature, the Qur’an and Sahih Muslim
. In 1965, a tragic incident brought an end to the journal as well as to the study circle: Islahi’s eldest son Abu Saleh died in a plane crash. However, work on the commentary continued. In 1970-71, Islahi fell severely ill and had to discontinue all his intellectual pursuits. Later, he recovered quite miraculously. In 1972, he shifted to a countryside village near Sheikhupura
, where he continued to work on the commentary till 1979, when he shifted back to Lahore. It was on the 29th of Ramadan 1400/August 12, 1980 that he finished his work on Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
that took twenty-two years to complete.
In 1981 Islahi founded the Idara-i-Tadabbur-i Qur’an-o Hadith, and appointed his close pupil Khalid Masud as first Nazam of the Idara. Now it is working under the supervision of Abdullah Ghulam Ahmed in Lahore Pakistan. It remained the centre of all his intellectual activities until his death (15 December 1997). A quarterly journal Tadabbur was taken out in 1981 as its organ. Khalid Masud was appointed its first editor and in charge till his death in Oct 2003. He gave weekly lectures on the text of the Qur’an. Later, he took up deep study on the principles of Hadith and began teaching the Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik in weekly sittings to a close circle of students and associates. After completing Al-Muwatta, he also taught some portions of Imam Bukhari’s Sahih Bukhari
. Many of these lectures have been transcribed and published in the Tadabbur. Khalid Masud played a major role in coverting his speeches and lectures into publication for benefits of the islamic scolars and public.
Amin Ahsan Islahi is survived by two daughters and a son, as well as numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
, Islahi has written a number of articles and authored a number of books on various topics of Islam, which includes:
Islahi also translated Farahi’s commentary consisting of fourteen Surahs of the Qur’an, as well as his following books from Arabic:
are Khalid Masud
, Javed Ahmad Ghamidi http://al-mawrid.org/pages/research_detail.php?research_id=5, Mahbub Subhani, Mahmud Ahmad Lodhi, Majid Khawar, Abullah Ghulam Ahmad, Saeed Ahmad and Muhammad Da'ud.
After his death Janab Khalid Masud was made responsible for his school of thought as his successor. Being in charge of Idara Taddabur e Quran o Hadith, Janab Khalid Masud made a remarkable job in converting and presenting Islahi's school of thought to general public.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i Muslim scholar, famous for his Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
exegeses of Qur'an, Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
Tadabbur-i-Qur'an is a tafsir of the Qur'an by Amin Ahsan Islahi based on the concept of thematic and structural coherence, which was originally inspired by Allama Hamiduddin Farahi. The tafsir is extended over nine volumes of six thousand pages...
—an exegesis that he based on Hamiduddin Farahi
Hamiduddin Farahi
Hamiduddin Farahi was a celebrated Islamic scholar of Indian subcontinent known for his groundbreaking work on the concept of Nazm, or Coherence, in the Quran...
's (1863–1930) idea of thematic and structural coherence in the Qur'an.
Early life
Islahi was born in 1904 at Bamhur, a small village in AzamgarhAzamgarh
Azamgarh is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is headquarters of Azamgarh district and Azamgarh Division.-History:Azamgarh, one of the easternmost districts of the State, once formed a part of the ancient Kosala kingdom, except the north-eastern part of it which was included in the...
, United Provinces
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
(now Uttar Pradesh), British India (now India). After graduating from Madrasah al-Islah in Azamgarh in 1922, he entered the field of journalism. First he worked as an associated editor in "Khoonch" a children magazine. Then he edited a newspaper "Madinah" at Bijnawr and also remained associated with "Sach", a newspaper taken out by Abdul Majid Daryabadi
Abdul Majid Daryabadi
Abdul Majid Daryabadi was an Indian Muslim writer and exegete of the Qur'an. He obtained his BA in Philosophy from Canning College, Lucknow in 1912. In his academic career, he edited the Urdu weekly Sach and then Sidq . Amin Ahsan Islahi, another Indo-Pak Muslim scholar, also worked with him on...
.
Inspiration from Hamiduddin Farahi
It was sometime in 1925 when Farahi offered Islahi to come and study the Qur’an with him. Islahi abandoned his journalistic career to benefit from this opportunity. It was in this forming period of his life in which he learnt from Farahi the principles of direct deliberation on the Book of Allah. During this time, he also taught the Qur’an and Arabic literature at the Madrasah.After Farahi’s death, Islahi studied Hadith from a celebrated scholar of this discipline, Abdu’l Rahman Muhaddith Mubarakpuri. In 1936, Islahi founded the "Daira-i-Hamidiyyah", a small institute to disseminate the Qur’anic thought of Farahi. Under the auspices of this institute, he brought out a monthly journal "Al-Islah" in which he translated many portions of Farahi’s treatises written in Arabic. The journal was published till 1939, after which it was discontinued.
Association with Jamaat-e-Islami
Islahi was among the founder members of the Jamaat-e-IslamiJamaat-e-Islami
This article is about Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other organizations of similar name see Jamaat-e-Islami The Jamaat-e-Islami , is a Pro-Muslim political party in Pakistan...
, a religious party founded by the eminent Islamic scholar Mawdudi in 1941. During his seventeen year stay in the party, he represented the intellectual element and remained a member of the central governing body, Majlis-i-Shura. During this period, he did the groundwork needed to write a commentary of the Qur’an – an objective which he had set before him early in life. In 1956, when the Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
set up the Islamic Law Commission, Islahi - also an eminent expert on Islamic law
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
- served as a member until the commission was abolished in 1958 by the martial law regime of General Ayub Khan. In 1958, he abandoned the party after serious differences arose between him and Mawdudi on the nature of the constitution of the party.
Completion of Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
After leaving the Jamaat-e-IslamiJamaat-e-Islami
This article is about Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan. For other organizations of similar name see Jamaat-e-Islami The Jamaat-e-Islami , is a Pro-Muslim political party in Pakistan...
, he finally got the chance to achieve his goal of writing a commentary of the Qur’an. He also launched a monthly journal Mithaq in which portions of this commentary, Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
Tadabbur-i-Qur'an is a tafsir of the Qur'an by Amin Ahsan Islahi based on the concept of thematic and structural coherence, which was originally inspired by Allama Hamiduddin Farahi. The tafsir is extended over nine volumes of six thousand pages...
were published. In 1961, he established a small study circle Halqa-i-Tadabbur-i- Qur’an for college students to whom he taught Arabic language and literature, the Qur’an and Sahih Muslim
Sahih Muslim
Sahih Muslim is one of the Six major collections of the hadith in Sunni Islam, oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. It is the second most authentic hadith collection after Sahih Al-Bukhari, and is highly acclaimed by Sunni Muslims...
. In 1965, a tragic incident brought an end to the journal as well as to the study circle: Islahi’s eldest son Abu Saleh died in a plane crash. However, work on the commentary continued. In 1970-71, Islahi fell severely ill and had to discontinue all his intellectual pursuits. Later, he recovered quite miraculously. In 1972, he shifted to a countryside village near Sheikhupura
Sheikhupura
Sheikhupura or Shekhupur , formerly Kot Dayal Das or Singhpuria or Virkgarh , is an industrial city in the province of Punjab slightly northwest to Lahore in Pakistan. It is known for its historical places, and is commonly known locally as Qila Shaikhupura, because of the fort in the city,...
, where he continued to work on the commentary till 1979, when he shifted back to Lahore. It was on the 29th of Ramadan 1400/August 12, 1980 that he finished his work on Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
Tadabbur-i-Qur’an
Tadabbur-i-Qur'an is a tafsir of the Qur'an by Amin Ahsan Islahi based on the concept of thematic and structural coherence, which was originally inspired by Allama Hamiduddin Farahi. The tafsir is extended over nine volumes of six thousand pages...
that took twenty-two years to complete.
In 1981 Islahi founded the Idara-i-Tadabbur-i Qur’an-o Hadith, and appointed his close pupil Khalid Masud as first Nazam of the Idara. Now it is working under the supervision of Abdullah Ghulam Ahmed in Lahore Pakistan. It remained the centre of all his intellectual activities until his death (15 December 1997). A quarterly journal Tadabbur was taken out in 1981 as its organ. Khalid Masud was appointed its first editor and in charge till his death in Oct 2003. He gave weekly lectures on the text of the Qur’an. Later, he took up deep study on the principles of Hadith and began teaching the Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik in weekly sittings to a close circle of students and associates. After completing Al-Muwatta, he also taught some portions of Imam Bukhari’s Sahih Bukhari
Sahih Bukhari
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī , as it is commonly referred to, is one of the six canonical hadith collections of Islam. These prophetic traditions, or hadith, were collected by the Persian Muslim scholar Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, after being transmitted orally for generations. Muslims view this as one of...
. Many of these lectures have been transcribed and published in the Tadabbur. Khalid Masud played a major role in coverting his speeches and lectures into publication for benefits of the islamic scolars and public.
Amin Ahsan Islahi is survived by two daughters and a son, as well as numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
Works
Besides Tadabbur-i-Qur’anTadabbur-i-Qur’an
Tadabbur-i-Qur'an is a tafsir of the Qur'an by Amin Ahsan Islahi based on the concept of thematic and structural coherence, which was originally inspired by Allama Hamiduddin Farahi. The tafsir is extended over nine volumes of six thousand pages...
, Islahi has written a number of articles and authored a number of books on various topics of Islam, which includes:
- ‘تزكيہ نفس’ (Tazkiyah-i-Nafs: Purification of the Soul)
- ‘حقيقت شرك’ (Haqiqat-i-Shirk: The Essence of PolytheismPolytheismPolytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
) - ‘حقيقت توحيد’ (Haqiqat-i-Tawhid: The Essence of MonotheismMonotheismMonotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
) - (Haqeeqat-e- Risalath: The Essence of Prophethood)
- Haqeeqath-e- Ma-aad : The Essence of Herafter
- ‘دعوت دين اور اس كا طريقہ كار’ (Da‘wat-i-Din awr us ka Tariqah-i-Kar: Islamic Message and the Mode of its Preaching)
- ‘اسلامى قانون كى تدوين’ (Islami Qanun ki Tadwin: Codification of Islamic lawShariaSharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
) - ‘اسلامى رياست’ (Islami Riyasat: The Islamic StateIslamic StateAn Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law...
) - ‘اسلامى معاشره ميں عورت كا مقام’ (Islami Mu‘asharay mayn ‘Awrat ka Muqam: The Status of Women in an Islamic Society)
- ‘حقيقت نماز’ (Haqiqat-i-Namaz: The Essence of the PrayerPrayerPrayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
) - ‘حقيقت تقوى’ (Haqiqat-i-Taqwah: The Essence of Godliness)
- ‘اسلامي رياست ميں فقہى اختلافات كا حل’ (Islami Riyasat mayn Fiqhi Ikhtilafat ka Hal: Solution of Juristic Differences in an Islamic State)
- ‘مبادي تدبر قرآن’ (Mabadi Tadabbur-i-Qur’an: Principles of Understanding the Qur’an)
- ‘مبادي تدبر حديث’ (Mabadi Tadabbur-i-Hadith: Principles of Understanding the HadithHadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
)http://al-mawrid.org/pages/download_books.php - ‘تنقيدات’ (Tanqidat: A collection of critical essays)
- ‘توضيحات’ (Tawdihat: A collection of general explanatory essays)
- ‘مقالات اصلاحي’ (Maqalat-i-Islahi: A miscellaneous collection of articles)
- ‘قرآن ميں پرده كے احكامات’ (Qur’an mayn Parday kay Ahkamat: The Directives of HijabHijabThe word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
in the Qur’an) - ‘تفہيم دين’ (Tafhim-i-Din: Understanding Islam)
- ‘فلسفـے كے مسائل قرآن كى روشنى ميں’ (Falsafay kay Matha’il Qur’an ki Rawshani mayn: Philosophical Issues in the Light of the Qur’an)
- Tadabbur -e- Hadeedh http://al-mawrid.org/pages/download_books.php
Islahi also translated Farahi’s commentary consisting of fourteen Surahs of the Qur’an, as well as his following books from Arabic:
- ‘في من هو الذبيح’ (Fi man huwa al-Dhabih: Which of AbrahamAbrahamAbraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
’s son was Sacrificed?) - ‘اقسام القرآن’ (Aqsamu’l-Qur’an: Oaths of the Qur’an)http://al-mawrid.org/pages/download_books.php
Legacy
Some of the notable students in PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
are Khalid Masud
Khalid Masud
Allama Khalid Masud was a Muslim scholar of Pakistan. He spent the major part of his life with Moulana Amin Ahsan Islahi. He conveyed ideas and thoughts of his teacher and Imam Farhi to general public...
, Javed Ahmad Ghamidi http://al-mawrid.org/pages/research_detail.php?research_id=5, Mahbub Subhani, Mahmud Ahmad Lodhi, Majid Khawar, Abullah Ghulam Ahmad, Saeed Ahmad and Muhammad Da'ud.
After his death Janab Khalid Masud was made responsible for his school of thought as his successor. Being in charge of Idara Taddabur e Quran o Hadith, Janab Khalid Masud made a remarkable job in converting and presenting Islahi's school of thought to general public.