أشرف علي التهانوي
Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi (RH)
Also known as: Ashraf Ali Thanvi, Hakim al-Ummat, Mawlana Thanawi
1280–1362 AH · 1863–1943 CE
Fiqh Hanafi Sufism
Hanafi jurist and Sufi guide of India, called Hakim al-Ummat, author of Bahishti Zewar.
Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi was born in Thana Bhawan, north of Delhi, and studied at the Dar al-Ulum of Deoband. He took the Sufi path with Hajji Imdad Allah, who had moved to Makkah, and taught in Kanpur before returning to lead his master's lodge in Thana Bhawan for the rest of his life.
He was called Hakim al-Ummat, the physician of the community, for his practical guidance to the people who wrote to him and visited him. His hundreds of works include Bayan al-Quran, an Urdu Quran commentary, and Bahishti Zewar, a handbook of belief, worship and daily life written for women and still found in many South Asian homes. He also oversaw I'la' al-Sunan, a collection of hadith supporting Hanafi rulings.
Life journey
- 1863 CE Thana Bhawan تهانه بهون
- 1878 CE Deoband ديوبندStudied at the Dar al-Ulum of Deoband.
- 1883 CE Kanpur كانفورTaught at a madrasah in Kanpur for about fourteen years.
- 1897 CE Thana Bhawan تهانه بهونDied 1943 CE · 1362 AHReturned to lead the Sufi lodge (khanqah) of his master Imdad Allah, and stayed until his death.
Teachers
- Shaykh al-Hind (RH) 1851–1920 CEThanawi studied at Deoband from 1878 to 1883, when Mahmud Hasan was among its teachers.
Key works
- Bahishti Zewar بہشتی زیورHeavenly OrnamentsAn Urdu handbook of belief, worship, conduct and household life, written for women.
- Bayan al-Quran بیان القرآنThe Explanation of the QuranAn Urdu translation and commentary of the Quran.
Sources
- Barbara D. Metcalf, Perfecting Women: Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi's Bihishti Zewar (1990)
- Barbara D. Metcalf, Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband, 1860–1900 (1982)