Shah Ahmad Noorani

Shah Ahmad Noorani Siddiqi (1 October 1926 – 11 December 2003) was a Pakistani Islamic scholar and politician. He was the founder and first president of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) from 2002 until his death in 2003. He served as the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) from the 1970s until his death.

The JUP was the main Barelvi political party of Pakistan until the establishment of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan in 2015. Siddiqi was a co-founder of the World Islamic Mission. Assuming the presidency of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), he was known to use tough rhetoric against Musharraf and formed a public support against Musharraf's policies in the country.

Early life and education Ahmad Nurani was born in Meerut, British India (now Uttar Pradesh, India), into an Urdu-speaking Siddiqui Shaikh family on 31 March 1926 (17 Ramadan 1344).

He received his BA degree in Arabic language from the Allahabad University, and certified from the Darul-Uloom in Meerut in Islamic jurisprudence. He became a hafiz-ul-Quran at the age of eight.

He has been described as a polyglot who "was conversant with 17 languages and eloquent in six, Urdu, Arabic, English, Persian, French and Swahili."

Political career

Member of National Assembly Nurani was elected as member of the National Assembly from Constituency NW-134 (Karachi-VII) after participating in general elections held in 1970 on Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan's platform.

The second time he was elected as MNA from Constituency NA-167 (Hyderabad-II) in 1977 Pakistani general election. Since then, his influence on national politics further grew and he became a Senator in 1980s.

Religious views Nurani argued with ideologies such as the Deobandism and Wahhabism and most strictly with the Qadiani. He spent his scholarly life in promoting Barelvism and Ahmad Raza Khan as the Mujaddid (Islamic reviver) of the 14th Islamic century.

Theological and doctrinal writings Shah Ahmad Noorani Siddiqi was a prolific author of theological works rooted in the Sunni-Hanafi (Maturidi) tradition, defending traditional Barelvi positions, and exploring key doctrinal questions. The following are notable among his works:

اسما و صفات (Asmāʼ wa Ṣifāt) – Published by the World Islamic Mission (Karachi) in the 1980s–1990s, this work deals with the divine names and attributes of Allah in accordance with Ashʿari and Maturidi theology. Noorani refutes literalist and anthropomorphic interpretations, emphasizing the transcendence of God.

عظمتِ مصطفیٰ (ʿAẓmat‑e‑Muṣṭafā) – A devotional-theological treatise upholding the exalted status of the Prophet Muhammad. The book elaborates on his spiritual rank, miracles, and intercessory role (tawassul), reflecting core Barelvi positions.

رؤیتِ باری تعالیٰ (Ruʾyat‑e‑Bārī Taʿālā) – A theological defense of the Sunni belief in the beatific vision (ruʾya) of God in the afterlife. The book argues against anthropomorphism while maintaining the orthodox position affirmed by the majority of Ahl al-Sunnah.

رسالہ فی علم الغیب (Risāla fī ʿIlm al‑Ghayb) – A concise Urdu treatise supporting the belief in the Prophet's knowledge of the unseen (ʿilm al-ghayb). Noorani affirms that such knowledge is divinely granted and not comparable to divine omniscience

Many of these works were published in pamphlet or booklet format and distributed through the World Islamic Mission, which Shah Noorani co-founded. Their influence persists within Barelvi madrasas and among Urdu-speaking Sunni communities worldwide.