Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi

Shah Abdul Aziz Muhaddith Dehlavi (11 October 1746 – 5 June 1824) was an Indian Sunni Muslim Scholar and Sufi Saint. He is known as the Muhaddith and Mujaddid from India. Aziz's dream was to declare India a Darul Harb.

Early life and education Shah Abdul Aziz was born on 25 Ramadan, 1159 AH same as 11 October 1746 AD in Delhi in the reign of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. Aziz was the eldest son of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi.

Aziz was only 17 years old when Waliullah died. He took over as the teacher of Hadith in place of his father. He belonged to Hanafi school of thought. He was a Muhaddith, Mufassir and Mujtahid.

Fatwas

Against British government He declared the British Raj of India to be Dar al-Harb and pronounced that it was obligatory upon Muslims to wage war for freedom, liberty, justice and Inquilab against the British government. In his Fatwa he wrote that ousting the British should be the main objective; after that, it was legitimate for Muslims to hold the reins of power. On its basis, Aziz has been some times viewed as a precursor of the Indian freedom movement.

Fatwa against Tafazzul Husain Khan Aziz declared that the Shia scholar Tafazzul Husain Kashmiri was an apostate (mulhid-i-kamil) because of some of his views. In 1770 AD, Rohilla ruler Najib-ud Daula died and Afghan control over power in Delhi weakened. Mughal Emperor Shah Alam returned to Delhi and adopted secular policy and appointed a Shia general, Najaf Khan. Najaf Khan died in 1782, but his influence had helped Shias resettle in Delhi. This was not acceptable for Shah Abd al-Aziz and he termed it as a Shia conspiracy. To create fear among the majority and incite them, he wrote in Tuhfa Asna Ashariya:

"In the region where we live, the Isna Ashariyya faith has become so popular that one or two members of every family is a Shia". The first Shia response came from Mirza Muhammad Kamil Dihlavi, titled "Nuzha-tu Asna Ashariya (نزھۃ اثنا عشریۃ)". However the book which gained widespread popularity in the scholarly circles was "Abqaat-ul Anwar fi Imamat-i Aaima til Athaar (عبقات الانوار فی امامۃ الائمۃ الاطہار)" by Ayatullah Mir Hamid Husain Musavi containing 18 volumes.

Observance of Muharram Aziz authored a short treatise entitled "Sirr al-Shahadatayn (سر الشہادتین)", in which he described the commemoration of Muharram as God's will to keep the memory of Imam Hussain's martyrdom alive. He also said that the martyrdom of Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain was, in spirit, the martyrdom of Muhammad. He used to arrange public gatherings in Muharram himself, he had criticized performance of Taziya and other arts associated with commemoration of Muharram. But it was also in the 19th century that exclusionary puritanical and revivalist movements started to emerge among Muslims. Muharram was limited to Shias only.

Death and legacy

Death Shah Abdul Aziz died on the morning of 7th Shawwal, 1239 Hijri/ 5 June 1824 in Delhi in the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar Shah II. He was buried in Mehdiyan cemetery.

Legacy Shah Abdul Aziz translated the Qur'an into Urdu, 50 years after the Persian translation by Shah Wali 'Allah, when the Urdu language had started to replace the Persian. He completed the exegesis of his father from Surat Al-Maida to the thirteenth verse of al-Hujurat. He wrote and dictated several books, even if some differ on the number (from fifty to nearly two hundred). He composed several legal opinions, mainly condemning folk religions, especially the veneration of saints in the Shi'ah. In an attempt of integration into the system of the British colonial power he suggested English language learning to the sunni Muslim community, with the long-term objective of entering the public service of the British Empire in India.

Books written Fatawa Aziz Fatawa Aziz, another famous book, is the collection of Fatawa (questions and answers on religious issue). (, "Gift to the Twelvers"), a refutation of Imami Shi‘ism A Sunni site, NazariaPak, states:

Sirush Shahadhatayn Sirush Shahadhatayn

Tafseer Fat'hu-l-'Azeez Tafseer Fat'hu-l-'Azeez (also known as Tafsir-i-Aziz)'' (in Persian)