Shahwaliullah
Life History of Hazrat Shah waliullah
(1704-1763)
The Moghul Empire had progressed from strength to strength for about 150 years after its establishment in India and in that period reached a high degree of centralisation. Its subjects, both Hindus and Muslims, owed loyalty to the Emperor, whose orders were obeyed as they were held to be the commands of a person holding the highest authority in the land. So long as this attitude prevailed, the integration and power of the Empire were assured. Aurangzeb was now the 'Emperor at Delhi, and he was the repository of the powers vested in the central authority. He was "magnificent in his public appearances, simple in his private habits, diligent in business, exact in his religious observances, an elegant letterwriter, and ever ready with choice passages from the Kuran". After his death in 1707, the Moghul Empire had entered its period of decadence and was in the process of disintegration. The history of the Moghul Empirefrom that period onwards presents a dismal picture of ruin, brought about by an impossible thirst for intrigue and treachery. Of the six emperors that succeeded Aurangzeb, two were under the thumb of Zulfiqar Ali Khan, a general who knew no scruples, and four were willing tools in the hands of a couple of political adventurers, the Sayyid brothers.
Deterioration and disintegration had set in, and in 1720 Nizamul Mulk succeeded in securing the Deccan from the control of the central authority at Delhi. The Governor of Oudh, a Persian merchant by origin, established his own dynasty, independent of the control of the Emperor at Delhi. "The Hindu subjects of the Empire were at the same time, asserting their independence". The Sikhs were rising as a power to be reckoned with. "The Marathas having enforced their claim to blackmail (chauth) throughout Southern - India."forced the Emperor to agree to the cession of Malwa Gujrat and Orissa. The Rohillas were soon to set up independent chieftainships. The weakening of the central authority had a damaging effect on the economic life of the Empire whose revenues began to dwindle at an alarming rate. Security on the roads while travelling, so essential for the free flow of trade and industry, had been badly affected, and this in turn tended to depress the economic prosperity of the people, giving rise to a serious law and order problem. The mighty Empire of the Moghuls, so assiduously built up, was faltering, and, split up into fragments, it had lost its certainty to successfully oppose encroachments on its territories from its external foes, and on its powers from internal foes.
Every one was concerned more with accumulation of private wealth, than with the accumulation of national power and glory. Noblemen and politicians were intriguing with the enemies of the realm, in order to squeeze out certain advantages for themselves, in case the intrigue and the adventure succeeded. "None of them was willing to face the Marathas and they minted excuses when ordered to proceed against the recalcitrant Raja of Jodhpur." The example set by the upper echelons of society were proving to be contagious, and the common people were infected by the malady of lack of loyalty and a general feeling of demoralisation. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, sectarian antagonism had created a gulf between various sects of Islam in India, the inevitable consequence of which was that it was difficult for the Muslim Emperor to keep his grip over his subjects, who were preponderantly non-Muslim. “The raggedness of character, the determination and the will to meet and overcome all administrative and political difficulties, were no longer at the level achieved in the periods when the Empire was still in the process of expansion." This antagonism had enabled open hostility to creep in, and the Muslims of India were a house divided against itself, and the foundation.
And fabric of Muslim rule stood badly shaken. To add to this difficulty, there existed social and economic causes, which also worked to their detriment. Beginning as a small minority, Muslims had increased in numbers, but this advantage had been more than offset by the disadvantages it produced, breeding as it did division and quarrels, rather than giving birth to strength through unity. The patronage extended to Muslims had resulted in accelerating the prosperity of Muslim zamindars, noblemen, workers and artisans, but the dispersal of wealth among the various sectors of society not being evenly distributed, this patronage had accentuated maldistribution of wealth, bringing in its wake evil consequences of its own making. The decadent conditions that were apparent to every eye at the beginning of the eighteenth century had brought to the surface chaotic trends, and the entire edifice of the one time glorious Empire was screened by a blinding fog of social, political, administrative and economic disorder.
Those who were supposed to run the Government machinery, thereby ensuring justice and fair play, law and order, economic prosperity and social cohesion, had degraded themselves to the level of parasites, who fattened their personal power, to the utter neglect of their duties and responsibilities. Under such conditions, tyranny over poor and unfortunate members of society was the order of the day, and, bribery and extortion, favouritism and nepotism, were the demons that stalked the land. The Muslims were as much subject to these humiliations and tyrannies as the Hindus, and the persons that held the whip of authority in their hands lashed the backs of both with equal ferocity. “The Muslims had not only lost their leaders; they had lost their integration. Form a well integrated community, they had degenerated into a helpless crowd". When a ruling class is bent on forcing obedience from their subordinates, then they in actual fact are destroying the growth of intelligence and self-respect among their peoples. This briefly sums up the relationship that subsisted at this time between the classes and the masses. The edifice of social integration and unity among the Muslim of india was built on the foundation of a common faith, islam, without which it.
Would certainly topple over. When spiritual confusion blurs the vision of a people, their political disintegration, invariably follows soon. It is, therefore, that loyalty to a leader and religious enthusiasm have at many periods of history proved to be the best means of preserving social cohesion and integration. Agreement among a people tends to increase cooper. ation among them, and those that are in agreement in their " religious belief are better able to work in harmony than those that are quarrelling over their beliefs. At such a time, sometimes, a religious reformer takes upon himself the duty of bringing about unity among his co-religionists over essentials, leaving each side free to differ on non-essentials. Historic causes tend to answer their own needs, and so it was for the Muslims of India at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
The times cried out loud for a benevolent and bold religious reformer who could once again bring about unity among the Muslims to give a united front to the common foe, and the times produced such a great one in the person of Shah waliullah. The place and date of his birth are a matter of controversy and historians and scholars continue to differ. “He was born - in a small village named Pulth in District Muzaffargarh, U.P."' Whereas another authority says, “He was born in Delhi in (1703 (1114 A.H.)". Dr. I. H. Qureshi writes, “He was born in (1703), " while Jalbani writes that Shah Waliullah “was born on the 4th of Shawwal, 1114/1702". On the other hand, Al-Rahim of February, (1968), a magazine published by the Shah Waliullah Academy of Hyderabad West Pakistan) gives the year of his birth as (1704). The original name given to him at the time of his birth was Qutubuddin. "The name Waliullan was given to him by his father who probably having found in him true signs of 'the friend of God' had given him such name". Shah Waliullah was of illustrious parentage; he writes in his book, Anfas-al-Arfin, that his family traces its lineage from Hazrat Umar, the second Caliph.
His forefather migrated to India, and they are said to have been mostly occupied in the profession of soldiering. Shah Waliullah's grandfather, Shah Wajuddin was an officer in the army of Aurangzeb. In one of the battles between the imperial forces and those of the enemies of the empire, Shah Wajuddin is reported to have shown exceptional bravery, riding on his horse, penetrating into the thick formation of elephants in the defences of the enemy, and killing many with his sword. On another occasion, single-handed he fought three Rajputs and killed all of them. Unlike his ancestors, the father of Shah Waliullah, Shah Abdur Rahim, had no heart in soldiering as a career, giving up the sword and taking in his hand the pen to write books. He was deeply religious and spent most of his time in religious studies. Although Shah Waliullah was not a professional soldier, he had inherited the martial spirit from his ancestors and he would stand his ground in the face of great adversity. One day, while he was going to Fathehpuri Masjid along with a few of his friends, his enemies set against him some hired trouble-makers to assault him the fight was unequal, many pitched against a few, but Shah Sahib accepted the challenge. His bravery won the day, and his adversaries ran away in fear.
Shah Abdur Rahim was a deeply religious man, a sufi and a scholar. When some learned men at the court of Alamgir were preparing a voluminous book, Fatawa-e-Alamgiri, Shah Abdur Rahim was closely associated with the project. But his heart was in his books, and he left the royal atmosphere of the court in order to live in his own world of meditation and studies. Working with single-minded devotion, he established a school Madrasah-e-Rahimyah, where he devotedly taught the pupils that thronged the portals of his school. He was not an extremist in his religious views and his searches in the realm of sufism had mellowed his thinking, making his teachings the voice of synthesis rather than that of antithesis. "The essence of the teachings of Shah Abdur Rahim and his brother was an effort to discover a path, which could be traversed together by Muslim philosophers and the Muslim jurists".
His wise teachings and his attitude of tolerance deeply impressed the minds of those that came to study under him. Due to the decadent condition of the Moghul court, Shah Abdur Rahim made certain political predictions, which have been carefully recorded by his son, Shah Waliullah, and many of these proved to be true. Shah Waliullah spent his early years studying under his father, who grounded him thoroughly in the Quran and Hadith. Influenced by his father's precepts and practice, he started offering prayers and fasting regularly from a very early age. A the age of fourteen, he had completed his studies in Madrasah-i-Rahimyah in the Quran, Hadith, Fiqah, Philosophy and Jurisprudence and had also acquired some basic knowledge of medicine. His father found the young Shah Waliullah now competent enough to impart knowledge to others, and Shah Waliullah was engaged as a teacher in his father's college, being the youngest member of the staff. He continued as a teacher for about twelve years, and these proved to be of great benefit to him, equipping him fully for the great role that he was to play for the religious renaissance of the Muslims of India.
"When I was five, this faquir entered school. At seven my father taught me namaz, and I started fasting during the months of Ramzan. By then I had completed reading the Holy Quran. At fourteen, at the instance of my father, I came to be married. It was too early for marriage. At fifteen, I made baiat at the hands of my father, who initiated me into the fascinating study of sufism, particularly in the Naqshbandi silsilah. My father invited me to teach at his madresah, when I was seventeen. I continued to teach for twelve years, during which I also engaged myself in acquiring a good grounding in all branches of learning". At this time, he was overpowered by a desire to visit the Hijaz, in order to perform the Haj, and so he took a boat and was on his way to Mecca and Medina. Due to his sound and comprehensive education he was already a good scholar of Islam, and he looked upon his visit to the Hijaz as one more opportunity to pursue his studies further. He stayed in that country for about fourteen months, and performed the Haj twice.
His thirst for knowledge took him to many scholars of Islamic learning, but he decided to accept Shaikh Abu Tahir bin Ibrahim of Medina as his teacher, mentor and guide. The ka Shaikh was a man of vast knowledge and profound insight, and he discovered in Shah Waliullah a pupil of great promise. The pupil was devoted to his teacher, and the latter deve,oped, a special liking for his pupil. Shah Waliullah records about the Shaikh, "He was gifted with the virtues of the godly faith, like piety, independence of judgment, devotion, attachment to knowledge, and fairness in controversy. Even in minor matters of doubt he would not offer any opinion, until he had pondered deeply, and checked up all references". Having been taught and influenced by his father and Shaikh Abu Tahir, who were both men of broad sympathies and imbued with a spirit of tolerance, Shah Waliullah's mind was influenced in his most impressionable years on the same lines. This was to be of immense benefit to him, and his work and teachings were to give proof of the catholicity of his religious views.
"During his stay at Mecca, Shah Waliullah saw a vision in which the Holy Prophet blessed him with the good tidings that he would be instrumental in the organisation of a section of the Muslim community".1 India was in a state of socio-economic and political turmoil, and life and property were in constant jeopardy. Some of his relatives wrote letters to him, entreating him not to return to India, but to be permanently settled in the Hijaz. Shah Waliullah could not listen to these entreaties. He felt he had a mission to perform, and that the centre from where he could disseminate his message was Delhi. Recording his impressions about his stay in the Hijaz, Shah Waliullah writes, "During my stay in the Hijaz, I met many learned and interesting persons. I was fortunate in being a disciple of Shaikh Abu Tahir, who very kindly taught me in many branches of learning. I performed the Haj once again at the end of the year, 1145 A.H., and reached home safe and sound on a Friday, the fourteenth". Back home, he was determined to embark on his life's work to awaken the Muslims of India to the realities of their fallen situation.
"He returned to Delhi on 9th July, (1732)". In addition to teaching at his father's school, Madrasah-e. Rahimyah, Shah Waliullah now devoted much of his time to writing, which he continued until the end of his life, with the result that we have numerous books written by him on a number of subjects. He was gifted with a robust constitution, and was capable of writing for long hours at a stretch without tiring. "Once he sat down to work after ishraq, he would not change his posture till mid-day. He was rarely ill” His fame as a religious teacher of a very high order spread far and wide, and the Emperor Muhammad Shah, in acknowledgement of the great work being done by Shah Waliullah, gifted Madrasah-e-Rahimya with a spacious building within the fortified walls of Delhi. Besides being a versatile scholar, Shah Waliullah pondered deeply over the social, economic and political problems of the Muslims of India and, having a sensitive mind that was keenly alive to Muslim suffering, he was deeply disturbed at the fallen condition of his co-religionists. He found individuals comprising Muslim society extremely self-centred and keen on personal aggrandisement to the utter exclusion of the interests of the nation as a whole. The weakened fabric of the social order had resulted in moral degeneration, the worst consequence of which was that the Muslims continued existence in their little grooves, quite oblivious of the dangers that obviously lay ahead of them.
Shah Waliullah was alive to these perils, and he now devoted himself to kindling the light of awakening, so that the Muslims may become aware of these dangers, and prepare to meet the challenge of the times. It was about seven years that he had returned, when Naidir Shah invaded India, and his triumphant army sacked Delhi for a number of days. "India received such a crushing defeat at the hands of Nadir that the like of it cannot be found in history. Delhi lay exposed to the pillage and savagery of Nadir and the atrocities commited by the invading hordes went to such an extent that the respectable families had made up their minds to perform jauhar (burning oneself). Shah Sahib, however, went to prevent them from doing so by narrating to them the story of Imam. Husain. In fact, some twenty years before the devastation of Delhi in the year (1131 A.H.,) after the cruel murder of Prince Farrukh-Sair, the country had turned into a veritable hell. There was no security and no order anywhere".The people of Delhi found life unbearable, insecure and humiliating.
"Frequent panic among the citizens whenever any attack was expected, the flight of the rich, the closing of the shops, the looting of the unprotected houses by the ruffians of the city population who took advantage of the public alarm and confusion; the utter spoliation of the peasantry and the ruin of the surrounding villages by organised hordes of brigands or soldiers out foraging and consequent famine prices in the capital; the incurable intrigue, inefficiency and moral decay of the imperial court". This was the pitiable state of the central authority at Delhi, and such was the miserable lot of the Muslims of Delhi. Shah Waliullah had developed a sentimental attachment to that city, and his mind was aggrieved at the suffering of the Muslims of his day and, while other minds were stricken with despondency and terror, Shah Waliullah faced them boldly. His analytical mind began to analyse the causes that had brought about this sad state of affairs, and he was already formulating bold policies which he would like to place before the Muslims to follow, if they wanted to bring about their spiritual and material regeneration.
He began to write open letters to the Moghul rulers, bitterly criticising them for their inefficiency, indolence and corruption, calling upon them to give up their life of selfishness and to manfully shoulder the burden of their responsibility in a spirit of righteousness. Pleasures pursued by them would lead them to a temporary paradise, and then would follow the inevitable nemesis of history. "Oh Amirs, do you not fear God? You have so completely thrown yourself into the pursuit of momentary pleasures, and have neglected those people who are committed to your care. The result is that the strong are devouring the weak people..... All your mental faculties are directed towards providing yourselves with sumptuous food and soft-skinned and beautiful women for enjoyment and pleasure. You do not turn your attention to anything except good clothes and magnificent palaces". Shah Waliullah also addressed the Muslim soldiers.
Ridiculing them for living a life of ease and in forgetting to inculcate within themselves the spirit of Jihad. He criticised them for their un-Islamic practices, such as drinking wine and oppressing the people in order to extort monies from them. To the artisans and workers and peasants, Shah Waliullah gave a message of awakening, saying that they must realise that on their efforts depended the economic prosperity of the nation, and, therefore, they must devote all their attention to their work in a spirit of dedication, to the utter exclusion of immoral pleasures. "Spend your mornings and evenings in prayer. Devote the major part of the day to your professional work. Always keep your expenditure less than your income. Whatever you save, you must spend on helping travellers and the needy. Keep something in reserve for unforeseen expenses and sudden calamities". At a time when moral values were at a discount, the exhortations of Shah Waliullah came as the voice of moral regeneration.
His open letters to the princes, to the army, to the masses in general reveal a burning desire within him to rouse the Muslims from their lethargy, and bring them back from the path of sin and deviation to the path of utility and righteousness. His insistence was on the theme that the Muslims learn to distinguish between things which are enjoined upon them by Islam and those that are forbidden by religion. He was confident that until and unless every Muslim proves himself to be a useful citizen, earning an honest living, looking after his wife and children, and putting some savings from his wellearned income into the national pool, political life of the nation would be fragile, prone to snap at the slightest touch of calamity and adversity. A healthy mind can only live and flourish in a healthy body, similarly a healthy society can progress only by a healthy and honest living. The greatness of the work and teachings of a figure of history must be examined in the light of conditions prevailing when those statements were made. Keeping this in mind, one cannot but admire the courage of conviction of this great reformer of society, who was not afraid to tell the truth to the people.
He would not cringe before Emperors for favour, or be afraid to tell them of their faults, in their conduct as rulers of the people. His greatness as a fearless champion of what was good for the people and for the rulers is borne out by the following excerpt from one of his books: "The state is in a state of ruin, due to two main reasons. First, it is due to the pressure on the public treasury. People extort from the public treasury money without having put in a corresponding service to the public. They justify it by saying either that they were soldiers or ulema, and, therefore, they have a claim on the public treasury. Or they claim that they belong to that group of society on whom the King confers rewards. For instance, people who call themselves superior poets or some other groups, who receive emoluments, without rendering any service to the State. Those people diminish the source of other people's income and are a burden on the economy". This was a terrible indictment of the state of affairs prevailing in those days. Shah Waliullah continues.
“The second course of this widespread desolation is the crushing taxation on peasants, merchants, and workers, and unfair and unjust dealings with these groups. The consequences of this are that those that are loyal to the State and obey its orders me are being slowly impoverished and ruined. Those that indulge in tax evasion are becoming more and more incorrigible, and they continue their nefarious practice of not paying any taxes. The prosperity of a country is linked with a system of taxation which is light, bearable, and just, so that the necessary appointments could be made in the army and in the administration. This is a fact that people must necessarily under-t stand". His teachings and his letters were at first ignored, but as they became more pronounced and more persistent, they began to be respected. Shah Waliullah was not concerned with the question whether his teachings were bringing about a change or not. Like a true reformer, he kept on sending out his messages and his warnings. The Jats were threatening.
The prestige of the empire, and Shah Waliullah wrote to the Emperor, "The Jat strongholds should be brought under control and a lesson should be taught to the miscreants, so that there may be no recurrence of such disturbances". In another letter he wrote, “Delhi has suffered a cataclysm. The Jats plundered old Delhi. The Government was too weak to defeat them and to crush them and to prevent their depredations. They plundered the people. They violated their honour. They put the houses on fire".1 In another letter he warns the Emperor not to be in the clutches of his governors, nor to give jagirs to mansubdars. Those that are traitors to the community and to the country should be severely dealt with, and their properties confiscated. Reforms should be introduced in the organisation of the army, and the soldiers should be paid regularly and promptly. A satisfied army is a great national asset. Those holding religious offices, such as kazis and imams, should be free from blemish, and those of them who are guilty of corruption should be dismissed immediately.
Shah Waliullah had no love or respect for the effete and corrupt Emperors, but he realised that it was only when the central authority was fair and strong that stability and prosperity could be maintained. His mission could only succeed if there was peace in the land, political turmoil and political plots would jeopardise the success of his mission. So he went on writing letters, advising the rulers what they should do. "The strengthening of the Mughal Empire was, however, only one of the means to an end. His real aim was the establishment of a socio-political structure on the lines and traditions of early Islam". The plight of the Muslims was pitiable indeed, and their Social life was in a deplorable state of disunion. The Hindus controlled and manipulated Government machinery and its administrative policies, although the titular head of Government was a Muslim. Prosperity seemed to gravitate and infiltrate into the coffers of the Hindus, while poverty and hunger howled in Muslim homes.
Like many others that have worked in the field, Shar Waliullah believed that without a literary and intellectual renaissance it would be difficult, if not impossible, to bring about a political regeneration of the Muslims. He also believed, basically speaking, that a society that is divided within itself cannot hope to rise and give a lead to others. These were the goals to which his life and work came to be dedicated from now on. He went on writing tirelessly literature that would kindle the necessary spark of moral and political awakening. In those days of poor means of communication, he thought it best to train a deyoted band of workers through whom he could spread his message to the Muslim masses. In one of his writings he warned the Muslims, "The Muslims of Delhi and of other places have suffered so much and so often, they have been pillaged and plundered so frequently, that the knife has now begun to touch the bones".1 National calamities and defeats, when essential commodities of life go underground, tend to shoot up their prices. This was the case in his time in Delhi.
Food grains were scarce and their prices had gone sky high. "Even medicines became very dear and scanty on account of the exactions of the Marathas". Concerned and worried at this state of affairs, which heaped hardships on the populace, Shah Waliullah wrote to Asaf Jah, “Please exert your influence to check the rising trend of prices. Stop the loot and plunder that is going on all round". He also advised the rulers to keep an effective preventive force in all places, in so that the forces of disruption and anti-socialism could be ch effectively crushed, without which it would be well nigh impossible to bring about the economic prosperity of the nation. In this regard Shah Waliullah proved to be a reformer, who was centuries ahead of the times in which he lived. He lived in the eighteenth century, but in his outlook on and approach to the problems of his age he belongs to the twentieth century.
His voice was the voice of a visionary, who is able to see above the dust and din of contemporary confusion the approaching sceptre of defeat and chaos, if bold remedial measures are not immediately taken. While he exhorted the kings and princes to be aware of their responsibilities, he equally forcefully warned the masses to be conscious of their duties, before they could demand their rights. With this end in view he pursuaded the soldiers workers, peasants, businessmen and artisans that they must through their continued efforts, work unitedly for the solidarity, integrity and prosperity of the nation. Above all they must have faith in themselves and in their future. Only a people that have faith in their future can regain their moral and material freedom. Living in an age plagued and dominated by personal authoritative rule of kings, he was brave enough to expose their misdeeds and mistakes, and by insisting on the rights and opportunities for all, he proved to be politically as progressive as any modern democrat. It is a sign of his progressive view on socio-political problems, when it is remembered that he thundered with the voice of a reformer in that far-off period that without a happy, contented and well-looked after labour force production would suffer, thus jeopardising the economic wellbeing of the nation. He demanded a fair deal for workers and for peasants in the days.
When they were looked upon as merely deaf and dumb driven cattle. “Excessive taxation on peasants, merchants and artisans, those that produce wealth-ruins a nation". "If you allow wealth to be accumulated in the hands of a particular class, you are inciting social discontentment and chaos". He was both a religious reformer and an advanced political thinker. "The task before the modern Muslim is immense. He has to rethink the whole system of Islam without completely forgetting the past. Perhaps the first Muslim who felt the urge of the new spirit in him is Shah Waliullah of Delhi". Shah Waliullah always thought ahead of his times, and was in that respect a true visionary and pioneer. The Holy Quran was the book of God in the Arabic language, and it would be best to study it in that language. But those that were not well versed in that language would not be in the same advantageous position as those who could understand Arabic. Shah Waliullah was far-sighted enough to believe that the Holy Quran must be translated in other languages for the benefit of those who could not follow it in the original, “Since the literary language of the period was Persian, many Muslim countries were not thoroughly conversant with the contents of the Holy Book".
It was a bold conception, and he matched his conception with his deeds. Five years after his return from the Hijaz, he undertook the task of translation of the Holy Quran in Persian, a task not hitherto undertaken by any one in the long history of Islam. It was a pioneering work of great importance. "Shah Waliullah would have occupied a high place in the religious history of Muslim India if he had done nothing besides being the first translator of the holy Quran, but he did much more". Shah Waliullah was a prolific writer, having written twentysix and twenty-five major works in Persian and Arabic, respectively, besides many minor works. Among these his Maktubat reveal a mind that is unafraid of princes and kings; they reveal a soul thirsty to rouse the Muslims to play their heroic role as the followers of the great Prophet of Islam. His teachings have a catholicity in their approach to theological problems, as he was eager to work for Muslim unity and Muslim solidarity. Besides his monumental translation of the Holy Quran in Persian, his Hujatullah-ul-Balighah in Arabic is in a sense a veritable encyclopaedia of religious science. His works also dealt with Hadith, Sunna and Islamic Jurisprudence. Then father and uncle of Shah Waliullah were well known sufis, and he learnt from them the mysteries of mysticism. However, he was against such teachings of Tasawuf as tended to make Muslims decadent.
"And the next wasiyat is that you should not entrust your affairs to and become disciples of those saints, who are practising a number of irregularities". He wrote about introducing reforms and discipline in the theory and practice of sufism. In one such book, (Faisla-e Wahadat-ul-Wujud Wa Wahadat-ul-Shuhud, )he has tried to analyse and explain the views held by Ibn-ur-Arabi and - Mujaddid Alph-e-Thani's conception of Wahadat-ul-Shuhud. He was now over sixty, and he was in indifferent health But he kept on working hard, as the candle must keep on burning, until the dawn took over. He was old in years, old in wisdom, and rich in the unforgettable services that he had rendered to the Muslims. The end was near, and he was prepared for the last journey. He died on the twentyninth in the month of Muharram in the year 1176, equivalent to (1763 A,D). He was survived by four sons—Shah Rafiuddin, Shah Abdul Qadir, Shah Abdul Aziz, and Shah Abdul Ghani. His two sons, Shah Rafiuddin and Shah Abdul Quadir, were the first to translate the Holy Quran in Urdu, thus following in the footsteps of their illustrious father.
He had an encyclopaedic mind, and a heart that beat in unison with compassion for his fellow-men. He has left a mark on his times, and has bequeathed a rich legacy of learning to the Muslims of India. “Here then was a genius, who reached the greatest heights in many different fields appropriate to the intellect of man. He was a theologian, a philosopher, a thinker-a man who could see deep into the roots of the evils that were present around him. He was a sociologist, an economist, a critic of all matters pertaining to the administration of a central imperial government. A great and prolific writer, he has left behind him for succeeding generations a volume of writings, setting out his appreciation of the problems of his time and the remedies, which he proposed for the defects which he saw. Finally, he was a man whose deep adherence to his Faith enabled him to see with extreme clarity that the fundamental need was for integration of the Muslim people through adherence to the tenets of their Faith, by which alone their moral character could be re-built to meet the hard
necessities of the time.
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