Imam Ahmad Rida Khan

Intro to Mujaddid e Deen o Millat Imam e Ahlesunnat Sarkar Alahazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan Hanafi Qadri Fazil e Baraylavi Alaihir Rahmah (penned by Sayyid Shah Turab ul Haq Qadri, translated by Mufti Salman al-noori and Mufti Asad al-Qadri)

Blessed Birth :
Alahazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, the Baraylawi Fazil, mercy be upon him, was born on the tenth of Shawwal al-Mukarram, 1272 AH (Saturday June 14th, 1856 AD) at the time of Zuhr in Mohalla Jasoli, Bareilly Shareef, India.

His Education :
He received some of his elementary education from Hazrat Mawlana Mirza Ghulam Qadir Bayg, and he learned the majority of books from his noble father, Hazrat Mawlana Muḥammad Naqi Ali Khan. Moreover, he took lessons of a few books from Hazrat Mawlana Sayyid Abu al-Husayn Ahmad al-Noori and Hazrat Mawlana Abd al-Ali Rampuri, mercy be upon them.

Expertise in Sciences:
The state of his intelligence was such that during his studies, while being only eight years of age, he wrote a commentary of Hidayah al-Nahw, a book on syntax, in the Arabic language. At the blessed age of just thirteen years, ten months, and five days, upon the completion of the prevalent sciences and subjects, he received his graduation certificate on the fourteenth of Sha`ban, 1286 AH (November 19th, 1869). On this very day, he issued a fatwa (verdict) on the matter of fosterage and presented it in the court of his honorable father. The honorable father, after seeing the writing and fatwa of his competent and intelligent son, commended him, and from that day, he entrusted the service of issuing legal verdicts to him.
Aside from religious sciences, his expertise in the secular sciences was such that the prominent experts of subjects appeared as pupils in front of him.

His offsprings:
His marriage was in 1291 AH. To him, the two princes, Hujjah al-Islam, Allama Mawlana Muhammad Hamid Raza, and Mufti Azam Hind, Hazrat Allamah Mawlana Muhammad Mustafa Raza Khan, mercy be upon them both, along with five daughters were born.

The Honor of Bay'ah:
In 1295 AH, he pledged allegiance on the blessed hands of Hazrat Allama Sayyed Shah Aal e Rasul Ahmadi Marehrawi mercy be upon him. Upon giving bay`ah, his spiritual guide forthwith gave him ijazah (academic license) and khilafah (spiritual authority)
in all the spiritual chains.

His Students and Khulafa:
Soon after acquiring education, he directed his attention to teaching and ‘iftā’ (issuing verdicts).
Some of his renowned students and khulafa in the Indian subcontinent are : Hujjah al-Islam Mawlana Hamid Raza Khan, Mufti Azam e Hind Mawlana Mustafa Raza Khan, Malik ul-Ulama Mawlana Zafar Uddin Bihari, Sadr al-Shari'ah Mawlana Amjad Ali Azmi, Sadr al-Afadhil Mawlana Sayyid Naeem Uddin Muradabadi, Roving Ambassador of Islam Mawlana Abdul Aleem Siddiqui, Qutub al-Madina Mawlana Ziya Uddin Muhajir Madni, Muhaddis e Azam e Hind Mawlana Sayyed Muhammad Ashrafi Jilani, Prof. Sayyid Sulayman Ashraf Bihari, Mercy be upon them.

Journey of Hajj and Ziyarah:
In 1295 AH, Alahazrat went for the hajj of Allah’s House, with his noble father, where he received certification in Hadith from the senior ulama of Arabia.
He performed the second hajj in 1323 AH with his wife, younger brother, Mawlana Mugammad Raza Khan, and his eldest son Mawlana Hamid Raza Khan, mercy be upon them all. This time when he presented himself in Madinah Munawwarah, yearning for the sight [of the Prophet ﷺ], he continuously recited the blessed salawat in front of the sacred court in this faith that the Master of Lasting Solace will grant [this] honor.
He remained sitting respectfully until he had a twist of fate, and he was honored by the sacred vision of the Master of Lasting
Solace, may Allāh bless him

and upon him be salutation, with his physical eyes in an awake state.
**
Literary Works:
**Alahazrat, mercy be upon him, has
authored more than one thousand books on approximately fifty sciences and subjects. Moreover, he has written marginalia on about one hundred and fifty renowned books of various subjects, which are not subsidiary to original works whatsoever.

His translation of the Quran, Kanz al-Iman, is a clear evidence of his comprehension of the Quran. Whereas, in the field of fiqh and research, it is his great intellectual masterpiece, his collection of verdicts, al-Ataya al-Nabawiyah fi al-Fatawa al-Ridawiyah, which in the old publication comprised of twelve large-sized volumes and spread across several thousand pages. However, in the new publicaion, it is comprised of twenty-six volumes (The latest edition is comprised of 32 volumes).
His third masterpiece is his collection of na`at (prophetic praise), Hadaiq e Bakhshish, which is incomparable in the field of poetry.

Alahazrat mercy be upon him, accomplished such remarkable achievements of which a match is not found. This was the reason why the finest scholars in all of Arabia and non-Arabian lands affirmed that he is the revivalist of the fourteenth century.

The Demise:
Upon completing his mission, he answered the call of death upon hearing the refreshing call of “hayya ala al-falah" precisely during the adhan of the Friday prayer, on a blessed Jumu`ah, the twenty-fifth of Safar al Muzaffar (1340 AH/1921
AD), at 2:38 p.m.

انا للہ و انا الیہ راجعون

Verily, to Allāh we belong, and to Him we shall return