Hujjat al-Islam Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi
From Wali-Allahism to Qasimism
The reform movement led by Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi was characterized as theological and socio-religious. Exceptionally some scholars count that his movement had political ambitions for the sub continental Muslims. Al-Nanawtawi’s Deoband movement is characterized as ‘Muslim conservatism’ which was meant to “secure political independence and freedom for religion and culture.” Some believed that Al-Nānawtawī’s Dar al-Ulum merely “attempted to foster traditional religious imaginaries.” But the reality is that the Deoband movement of Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi began to revive Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah; it strongly opposed non-Islamic elements in Islamic culture and society; thus this movement brought a massive revolution of self-assertion in the Muslim community. According to John F Burns, “Deobandism” “has inspired modern revivals of Islamic fundamentalism.”
Nānawtawī’s Deoband movement was forcing Muslims to revert towards their crude and very fundamental religious roots; it had very slight reservations for worldly benefits and gains. It was directly associated with the Islamic Ideological School led by Imam al-Hind Shah Wali-Allah in 18th century Mughal India. According to Atiq Ahmad Bastawi “Hujjat al-Islam Mawlana Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi prolonged Wali-Allah’s movement. The fundamental elements in the Qāsmi thoughts are derived and benefited from the thoughts of Shah Wali-Allah Dihlawi.” In other words,
In the integration of these three elements, the legal, the intellectual, and the spiritual, Nanautvi personifies both the essence of Sunni scholarship in the later centuries, especially in the Indian Subcontinent, as well as the foundations of the school of Deoband, which has often been called reformist or puritanical, but which, in reality, finds its roots in these three elements, and which largely follows an interpretation of the Islamic tradition that has its origins in Shah Wali Allah. (Fuad, p. 31).
In fact, it was the process of renaissance of the Wali-Allahi School. Later Qasmiyat became synonymous to Wali-Allahiyat.
Influence of the Ideology of Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi
Darul-UloomDeoband, founded by Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi, is developed as the major seat of Islamic theological learning in Asia. It brought massive social, religious, educational and political impacts in the lives of millions of the Muslims in the Indian subcontinent. Al-Nanawtawi’s reform movement led Muslims to their religious identity and induced irrevocable fundamentalist Islamic ideology amongst the Muslims. Deoband’s influence became greater than any other movement throughout the Indian history. The institute developed and founded by Al-Nanawtawi in Deoband emerged as one of the most influential ‘school of thought’ in Sunni Islamic world. The intellectual movement of Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi and his disciples were later shaped in a systematic school of thought. These thoughts developed many other reform movements in the Muslim world. The world’s biggest Islamic propagation movement of TablighiJama’at came out of the Deoband movement. The most powerful religious-cum-political organization Jami’atUlama-e Hind is the outcome of the Deobandi thoughts. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board is also an outcome of the Deobandi school of thought. This makes Al-Nanawtawi one of the most influential Islamic revivalist figures in Indian subcontinent.
Literary Contribution of Al-Nanawtawi
Al-Nanawtawi was a philosopher theologian. He wrote in Arabic, Farsi (Persian) and Urdu. His writings are considered of great value in philosophy and theology. He was engaged in religious dialectics and polemics with Hindu and Christian missionaries. His works are categorized in philosophy of religion, Islamic jurisprudence and polemics.
There are numerous literary works available of Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi. All his works are eruditely written and most of his work published during his lifetime. The works are said of high academic quality. A few reviewers have written that his works match the works of Al-Ghazali. Few reviewers of his works believe that he is the founder of modern religious philosophy and modern intellectual dialectics in the Asian Islamic world. The language Al-Nanawtawi used is full of philosophical and logical terminologies, thus, becomes too difficult to understand by a common reader. He uses philosophical, theological and rational method for proving his claims. The most dynamic part in his writing is that neither he supports his claims from the early philosophical gnomic nor does he cite from any book. He puts the foundation of his discussion on pragmatic philosophy and sensory capacity. Throughout the discussion his claims emulates the philosophy of the Holy Quran. If his writings are searched with great care the researcher will find that Al-Nanawtawi has translated the whole paragraph of the Quran philosophically and logically and yet his addressees are unaware of this fact.
A Brief introduction of Qasimi Literature
One of the most voluminous works for introducing the literature of Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi is done by Nurul Hasan Rashid Kandhalwi. Hasan has collected unpublished, original letters, treatises and epistles hand written by Al-Nanawtawi himself. There are one hundred and twelve available treatises of Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-Nanawtawi. All of them are published. These treatises are available in nine of Al-Nanawtawi’s and nine of other scholars’ books. Out of one hundred twelve fifty six, fifty four and two are in Urdu, Farsi and Arabic respectively.
In addition, in his treatises and letters written to different people and scholars, most of them were published later in the form of books; in these letters he exchanged the views with Sayyid Ahmad Khan and refuted his ideas. For replying the inquiries from other scholars he answered some jurisprudential issues, for instance, usury and mortgaged property, profits from the mortgaged land cultivation, difference between theft and illegal occupation including punishment, an answer to an inquiry about inheritance and an investigation about an animal slaughtered for other than Allah and clarification of some condition set for slaughtering. He supported the twenty rakah of Tarawih rationally and theoretically, furthermore, Al-Nanawtawi provided the jurisprudential opinion related to Friday’s congregational prayer and recitation of Fatihah behind the Imam during prayer. He also discussed taqlid (strictly following one of four Sunni jurisprudential schools) in detail. In one of his treatises he also explained the reasons prohibiting copulation during the period of a woman’s menstruation.
On political issues he wrote to his contemporary Ahmad Said and discussed the necessity to support Turkey during the war between Turkey and Russia.
In mysticism he wrote on Wahdat al-Wujud wa al-Shuhud, also he emphasized on training and behavior (tarbiyat wa suluk). The imagination of the Shaykh, but Al-Nanawtawi rejects the belief of master’s (Shaykh) attention on the disciple (murid) from far and Shaykh’s imagination by the disciple. Al-Nanawtawi set an order of piety, knowledge and practice, and investigated the meaning of Bid’ah and Sunnah.
In philosophy Al-Nanawtawi’s letters are based on his research on compound and constituents and further investigation about a compound containing sub-categories, he also wrote precise points regarding the possibility of a precedent and prior to it Al-Nanawtawi investigated means of qualities. The treatises of Al-Nanawtawi further illustrate his investigation of self (Tahqiq Nafs), the wisdom behind heart’s location on the left side and in a separate treatise he explains the wisdom behind ablution. Al-Nanawtawi in one of his letters to Abdur Rahim explains one reason of allocation in the natural system of God. He also wrote on the importance of knowledge. In the Quranic philosophy he wrote a treatise to support the superiority and finality of Muhammad’s prophethood based on the verse ما كان محمد ابا احد من رجالكم ولكن رسول الله و خاتم النبيين (Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah). There is exegesis of the verse هل نجازي الاالكفور (never do We give (such) requital except to such are ungrateful rejecters) and an answer to an inquiry related to the Quranic term al-mauminin. There are also explanations of few miscellaneous verses. He answered the doubts on the verses خالدين فيها ما دامت السموات و الارض (they will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure).
In Islamic doctrines and beliefs he wrote on prescience and a research on hearing capability of a deceased (Sama Mawta). Al-Nanawtawi believed in the life of the Prophet after death and wrote Hayat al-Nabi. He explained prophets’ innocence and no commitment to any sin and mistake including a lengthy discussion on the issues of miracles (maujizat) performed by the prophets. He discussed Islamic decree on the faith and disbelief (Iman wa al-kufr) of Yazid. On the comparative beliefs of Sunni and Shiite he wrote answers of twenty eight questions raised by Shiites. He also gave his opinion on Tusi’s arguments on the twelfth Imam. He also explained the reasons of loud recitation of Quran in three prayers.
Books Authored by Al-Nanawtawi
Ab-e Hayat (published: AH 1298, 1313, 1355 and CE 1905),
Ajwibah Arba’een (pub: AH 1291, 1402 and CE 1895),
Al Ajwibah al Kamilah fil-Usul al Khamilah (pub: n. d. and AH 1322),
Al Dalil al Muhkam ala Qiratul FatiÍah li al-Mu’tam (pub: AH 1302, 1308, 1321 and n.d.),
Anwar al-Nujum (Urdu translation Qasim al-Ulum, pub: AH 1394)
Asrar-e Qurani (pub: AH 1304, 1321, 1334 and CE 1952),
Baraheen-e Qasmiyah (pub: AH 1384, 1387),
Guftugu-e Madhhabi (pub: AH1293, 1300, 1328 and n. d.-5 ed.),
Hujjat al-Islam (pub: AH 1300, 1308, 1321, 1346, 1357, 1359 and n. d.-3 ed.),
Hadiyatul-Shiah (pub: AH 1284, 1301, 1321 and n. d.),
Haq al SariÍ fi Ithbat al-Tarawih (pub: n. d.)
Intabah al-Muminin (pub: AH 1284, 1319, 1330),
Intasar al-Islam (pub: AH 1298, 1307, 1314, 1319, 1322, 1348),
Jawab Turki ba Turki (pub: AH 1297 and n. d.-2 ed.),
Masabih al-TarawiÍ with Urdu Translation (pub: AH 1290, trans. AH 1368),
Mubahithah-e Shahjahanpur (pub: AH 1299, 1334 and n. d.- 2 ed.),
Munazirah-i Ajibah (pub: n. d.),
Qasaid-e Qasmi (pub: AH 1309, 1360 and n. d.),
Qasim al-Ulum (collection of his epistles and treatises) (pub: AH 1292 and n. d.)
Qiblah Numa (pub: AH 1298, 1315- 2 ed., 1325 (1907), 1345 and n. d.)
Tahzir-al-Nas (pub: AH 1291, 1309-2 ed., 1329, 1344, 1385-2 ed., and CE 1939, 1984, 1987 and n. d.-2 ed.),
TasfÊyah al-Aqa’id (pub: AH 1298, 1304, 1353-2 ed., and CE 1902 and n.d.),
Taqirr Dilpazir (pub: AH 1299, 1319, 1346, 1417 and CE 1901 and n. d.)
Taqrir IbÏal Juzu la Yatajazza (pub: n. d.),
Tatammah ×ujjat al-Islam (pub: 1298 AH and n. d.),
Tawthiq al Kalam fil insat Khalaf al Imam (pub: AH 1302, 1308 and n.d.),
Tuhfah Lahmiyah (pub: n. d- 3 ed., and AH 1312, 1322, 1326, 1330, 1332),
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