Sayyid Abu’l Hasan ‘Ali Nadwi The Fragrance of the East Fades Away
Obituary
Mawlana Abu’l H~asan ‘Ali Nadwi, an Islamic scholar of global repute, breathed his last at his native village in Rai Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on December 31, 1999. He was 85.
President of All India Muslim Personal Board (AIMPLB) and founder member of the Makkah-based Rabitah al-‘A%lam al-Islami, Mawlana Abu’l H~asan ‘Ali, popularly known as ‘Ali Miyan, rendered invaluable services in the various educational, literary and research fields in Arabic and Urdu.
Born in a devout Muslim family of Rae Bareilly in January 1914, Mawlana Abu’l H~asan ‘Ali Nadwi was initiated into theology by his father Mawlana H~akim Sayyid ‘Abdu’l H~a’i H~asani Nadwi, who was himself an eminent scholar of his time. His father died when he was only nine leaving the young ‘Ali under the guidance of his elder brother Dr Sayyid ‘Abu’l ‘Ali H~asani. Besides his brother, those who moulded his personality include his revered mother, Mawlana Ah~mad ‘Ali Lahori, Mawlana ‘Abdu’l Qadir Ra’ipuri, and his teacher Khalil Ibn ‘Arab and Mawlana H~aydar H~asan Khan.
His grasp of Islamic history and brilliant writings earned ‘Ali Miyan~a distinguished position among the Muslim intelligentsia quite early in his life. After completing his education at Lucknow-based Daru’l ‘Ulum Nadwatu’l ‘Ulama, he joined Nadwah as a teacher of Arabic and Tafsir literature and served this premier institution in this capacity for about 10 years. Then he succeeded his elder brother as Secretary of Nadwah and later held the responsibility of Rectorship of Nadwah till the last breath of his life. Besides, he also rendered his services as deputy Editor of the Urdu journal, Al-Nadwah.
Mawlana Abu’l H~asan ‘Ali was a prolific author with about 80 books of scholarly and research nature to his credit, many of which have been rendered into different languages. He made his debut in the literary field at the age of 17 with an Arabic work on Sayyid Ah~mad Shahid which was published in the Egyptian newspaper, Al-Manar. It was followed by Sirah Sayyid Ahmad Shahidin Urdu written in 1939-40. His masterpiece, Ma Dha Khasira al-‘Alam Bi Inhitati’l Muslimin was so widely acclaimed that it carved out a place for him in the literary circles of the Arabic world. His other eminent works include Western Civilisation; Islam and Muslims; Faith versus Materialism; Nabi-i-Rah~mat; Islamic Concept of Prophethood; Muslims in India; Tarikh Da‘wat-u-‘Azimat; Qadiyanism: A Critical Study; Darya-i-Kabul Say Darya-i-Yarmuk Tak; Puranayn Chiragh, besides his biography, Karwan-i-Zindagi.
The late Mawlana was associated with a number of religious, literary, research and cultural institutions in India and abroad. He was president of Dini Ta‘limi Council, UP; chairman of the Managing Committee of Daru’l Musannifin, Azamgarh, UP; president of the Board of Trustees, Centre for Islamic Studies, Oxford University, UK; member of the Academy of Arts and Letters, Damascus; member Higher Council of Madinah University; member Executive Committee of the Islamic Universities Federation, Rabat, Morocco; and member of the Academy of Arabic Language, Amman, Jordan.
He had also been Visiting Professor at the Damascus and Madinah Universities. Some of his works have the distinction of being prescribed in the syllabi of numerous universities.
Mawlana Abu’l H~asan ‘Ali Nadwi was also one of the recipients of Malik Faisal International Award for his services to the cause of Islam in 1980. The Mawlana was also associated with Jama‘at-i-Islami during 1940s but dissociated himself from the Jama‘at fold soon.
Though he was issueless, the late Mawlana left a large number of his associates and disciples behind him.
His funeral prayer was led by Mawlana Rabi‘ H~asan Nadwi and attended by a large number of his associates and well-wishers. He was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard late in the night of December 31.
Courtesy: ‘The Radiance Viewsweekly’, Delhi, India