Masihullah Khan

Indian Islamic scholar (1911/1912–1992)

Muhammad Masihullah Khan محمد مسیح الله خان
Title	Maulana, Masih al-Ummah
Personal
Born	1911/1912 Barla, Aligarh District, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died	13 November 1992 (aged 79–81) Jalalabad, Muzaffarnagar District, India
Resting place	Jalalabad
Religion	Islam
Nationality	Indian
Denomination	Sunni Islam
Jurisprudence	Hanafi
Creed	Maturidi
Movement	Deobandi
Main interest(s)	Sufism
Notable work(s)	The Path to Perfection, Shariat-o-Tasawwuf
Alma mater	Darul Uloom Deoband
Tariqa	Chishtiya-Sabiriya-Imdadiya
Occupation	Islamic scholar, Sufi shaykh
Muslim leader
Disciple of	Ashraf Ali Thanwi
Influenced by Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Muhammad Ilyas Kandhalvi, Husain Ahmad Madani
Influenced Muhammad Taqi Usmani

Muhammad Masihullah Khan Sherwani Jalalabadi (Urdu: محمد مسیح الله خان شیروانی جلال آبادی; 1911/1912 – 13 November 1992) was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar known as an authority in Sufism. He was among the senior authorised disciples of Ashraf Ali Thanwi, who gave him the title Masīh al-Ummah (transl. Comforter of the Ummah).^[1]

Early life and education

Muhammad Masihullah Khan was born in 1329 or 1330 AH (1911/1912) in Sarai Barla, a village in the Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India.^[2]^[3]^[4] His family was of the Sherwani tribe, a Sayyid tribe of Pathans. His father's name was Saeed Khan.^[4]

He was known for piety in his youth, and he often sat in the company of scholars and Sufis.^[4] He developed a close companionship with Muhammad Ilyas Kandhalvi, who introduced him to the books and lectures of Ashraf Ali Thanwi.^[5]^[2]

He received his early and secondary education in Barla, Aligarh, and enrolled in Darul Uloom Deoband in 1347 AH (1929 AD)^[6] and graduated from there in 1349 AH (1931 AD).^[4]^[7] He continued there for another two years after graduation, spending time on Islamic logic and philosophy.^[8]

His teachers at Deoband Seminary included Husain Ahmad Madani, Izaz Ali Amrohi, Asghar Hussain Deobandi, Ibrahim Balyawi, Rasool Khan Hazarvi, and Murtaza Hasan Chandpuri.^[9]

He was an authorised disciple of Ashraf Ali Thanwi in Sufism. During his student days, he pledged allegiance to Thanwi, and in 1351 AH, Thanwi gave him permission to pledge allegiance.^[4]^[10]^[11]

Career

In 1357 AH (1938/1939 AD), Thanwi sent him as a teacher in a madrasa (an Islamic school) named Madrasa Miftahul Uloom in Jalalabad, Muzaffarnagar (now Jalalabad, Shamli). At that time, this madrasa was only established as a school. But within a few years, due to the hard work of Masihullah, this madrasa started to be counted among the big Islamic seminars in India.^[4]^[12]

Literary works

Shariat-o-Tasawwuf^[13]^[8]
The Path to Perfection^[14]

Death

Masihullah died on Friday, November 13, 1992 AD (Jumada I 17, 1413 AH), and was buried the same day after the Friday prayer.^[15] The funeral prayer was led by Mufti Inayatullah, and his funeral was attended by over 250,000 people. He was buried in the cemetery next to the madrasa.^[2]^[16]

References

Citations

^ Kaleem, Mohd (2017). Contribution of Old boys of Darul uloom Deoband in Hadith Literature (PhD) (in Urdu). India: Department of Sunni Theology, Aligarh Muslim University. pp. 249–253. hdl:10603/364028. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Maulana Masihullah Khan Sherwani". White Thread Press. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
^ Qasmi, Muhammadullah (October 2020). Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Jame O Mukhtasar Tareekh (in Urdu) (3rd ed.). India: Shaikh-Ul-Hind Academy. pp. 732–733. OCLC 1345466013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Rizwi, Syed Mehboob (1980). History of Dar al Ulum Deoband. Vol. 2. Translated by Murtaz Hussain F Qureshi (1st ed.). Darul Uloom Deoband: Idara-e-Ehtemam. pp. 119–120.
^ Allahabadi 2005, pp. 30, 47–48.
^ Allahabadi 2005, pp. 30–33, 39.
^ Bukhari, Akbar Shah (1999). Akabir-i-Ulama-i-Deoband (PDF) (in Urdu). Lahore, Pakistan: Idara Islamiah. pp. 306–308.
^ ^a ^b Mubarakpuri, Arif Jameel (2021). Mausoo'a Ulama-u- Deoband [The Encyclopedia of Deobandi Scholars] (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Deoband: Shaikhul Hind Academy. p. 456.
^ Allahabadi 2005, pp. 40–41.
^ Allahabadi 2005, pp. 52–57.
^ Saeed, Ahmad (25 May 1975). Bazm e Ashraf Ke Chiragh (in Urdu). Lahore: Al Ashraf Matboo'āt. pp. 35–36.
^ Allahabadi 2005, pp. 72–79.
^ Muhammad Masihullah Khan. Shariat-o-Tasawwuf (in Urdu). Maktaba Fakharia Khanquah Imdadia, Gilat Bazar, Varanasi Cantt, Uttar Pradesh.
^ Khan, Dr Mamnun (22 April 2019). Being British Muslims: Beyond Ethnocentric Religion and Identity Politics. UK: AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-7283-8266-1.
^ Allahabadi 2005, p. 152.
^ Bukhari, Akbar Shah (2001). Tadhkira Auliyā e Deoband (in Urdu). Urdu Bazar, Lahore: Rahmania Book Depot. pp. 632–634.

Bibliography

Allahabadi, Ghayasuddin (February 2005). Sawāneh-e-Masīhu al-Ummat [Biography of "Masīh al-Ummah"] (in Urdu). Jalalabad, Shamli: Department of Broadcasting, Jamia Miftahul Uloom.