Shams-ul-haq Azeemabadi
Encyclopedia
Imam
Shams-ul-haq Azeemabadi (July 1857 – March 21, 1911) was considered one of the most important Islamic scholars and authors in India
.
He was born at Azimabad (the city's name was later changed to Patna
) and received his Islamic education from Imam Syed Nazeer Husain
. In 1894 he traveled to Mecca
and Medina
to perform the Hajj
, and while there, he also had a chance to meet a number of notable scholars. Among the most important contributions of Imam Azeemabadi was the popularization and distribution of hadith
and its literature. Imam Azeemabadi was also an active member and leader of the Salafi
Organization in India. He had a broad knowledge of importance of Islam, literature, logic, history and full understanding of the controversies among the schools of thought (madhab) set by the Imams of fiqh
and their arguments. His writings are witness to his wide knowledge and deep insight.
Imam Azeemabadi had a very extensive library of Islamic manuscripts, which was considered to be among the best in India. He is the author of many books, but his most well known are the commentaries of Sunan Abi Dawood, which is called Ghayat ul-Maqsood (32 Volumes) and Awn ul-Maboob (4 Volumes). Al taleeq ul-mughni ala sunan al-Darqutni is also great work. In 1910-11 the entire country was in the grip of an epidemic of plague
. In Bihar
, Imam Azimabadi’s district, Patna was severely hit by this disease. After visiting the city of Dianwan on March 15 he had himself an attack of plague and after six days, on March 21, 1911 he expired at the age of 56. Sheikh Muhammad Ozair Shams and Mohammad Tanzeel-ul-siddiqi al-husaini
both wrote biographies on the life of Imam Shams-ul-haq Azeemabadi.
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
Shams-ul-haq Azeemabadi (July 1857 – March 21, 1911) was considered one of the most important Islamic scholars and authors in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
He was born at Azimabad (the city's name was later changed to Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
) and received his Islamic education from Imam Syed Nazeer Husain
Syed Nazeer Husain
Imam Syed Nazeer Husain was one of the most important figures in Islamic religious leaders in India. He was born in Mongyr . He was the student of Shah Mohammad Ishaq Dehlawi and his students are numerous Islamic scholars and leaders. He died at Delhi...
. In 1894 he traveled to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
to perform the Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
, and while there, he also had a chance to meet a number of notable scholars. Among the most important contributions of Imam Azeemabadi was the popularization and distribution of hadith
Hadith
The 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....
and its literature. Imam Azeemabadi was also an active member and leader of the Salafi
Salafi
A Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
Organization in India. He had a broad knowledge of importance of Islam, literature, logic, history and full understanding of the controversies among the schools of thought (madhab) set by the Imams of fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
and their arguments. His writings are witness to his wide knowledge and deep insight.
Imam Azeemabadi had a very extensive library of Islamic manuscripts, which was considered to be among the best in India. He is the author of many books, but his most well known are the commentaries of Sunan Abi Dawood, which is called Ghayat ul-Maqsood (32 Volumes) and Awn ul-Maboob (4 Volumes). Al taleeq ul-mughni ala sunan al-Darqutni is also great work. In 1910-11 the entire country was in the grip of an epidemic of plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
. In Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, Imam Azimabadi’s district, Patna was severely hit by this disease. After visiting the city of Dianwan on March 15 he had himself an attack of plague and after six days, on March 21, 1911 he expired at the age of 56. Sheikh Muhammad Ozair Shams and Mohammad Tanzeel-ul-siddiqi al-husaini
Mohammad Tanzeel-ul-siddiqi al-husaini
Mohammad Tanzeel al-siddiqi al-husaini is a Pakistani Islamic scholar and writer and the son of the Muslim scholar Mohammad Ahsanullah Dianwi Azeemabadi. He has written at least 12 books and over 100 articles relating to Islamic scholars, faith, history, current affairs and other topics...
both wrote biographies on the life of Imam Shams-ul-haq Azeemabadi.