[Biography] – Shaikh Muhammad Abdur-Rahman Mubarakpuri [1353H]

Compiled, Translated And Annotated

Abu Hibban & Abu Khuzaimah Ansaari

First Published 2004

 

He is the Shaikh al-Imaam al-Haafidh al-Hujjah Abul A’la Muhammad Abdur- Rahmaan ibn Allaamah al-Haafidh al-Haaj ash-Shaikh Abdur-Raheem ibn al-Haaj ash-Shaikh Bahaadur al-Mubaarakpooree.

He was the Aalim and the jurist, an ocean of knowledge and the Imaam in the sciences of hadeeth and Ilmul-Rijaal. He was an expert in narrations and extracting and interpolating from them as well as being one of a kind in mastering the other sciences. He had a strong memory and his preservation of hadeeth was of a remarkable standard. His research and investigation concerning hadeeth and its related sciences was deep and unique.

He had great expertise and was a specialist in the knowledge of hadeeth, Asmaa ur- Rijaal, Jarh Wat-Ta’deel, the tabaqaat of the narrators and scholars of hadeeth, the referencing of hadeeth and their various chains of transmissions. He achieved a great status in the Illal of hadeeth and became known for it. His deep constant and continuous research gave him the status of the possessor of amazing attributes in Ilmul-Hadeeth. He was a Hadeeth Master, He was one of a kind.

He had exemplary manners with desirable characteristics and all the scholars of his time remember him with these attributes. He was soft hearted and compassionate.

This Imaam of Ahlul-Hadeeth was born in 1283H (1867ce) in Mubaarakpoor, the district of A’dhamgardh and A’dhamgardh is a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradessh.

His Teachers.

1. Haafidh Abdur-Raheem Mubaarakpooree (His father)
2. Shaikh Khudaa Baksh A’dhamgardhee
3. Shaikh Muhammad Saleem Faraahee
4. Shaikh Faidhullaah Mu’ee
5. Shaikh Salamatullaah Jaeraajpooree
6. Shaikh Muhammad Farooq Charyakautee
7. Shaikh Haafidh Abdullaah Ghaazeepooree
8. Shaikh Abdur-Rahmaan Jaeraajpooree
9. Shaikh Qaadhee Muhammad bin Abdul-Azeez Machleeshehree
10. Shaikh Sayyid Mian Muhammad Nazeer Dehlawee
11. Shaikh Hussain bin Muhsin al-Ansaari al-Yamaanee.

And others. All of them were Imaams and hadeeth master in their own rights

After completing his studies with his various teachers he started to teach and lecture and he started in his area of Mubaarakpoor where he established a small institute, Daar ut-Ta’leem. After teaching in Mubaarakpoor for a number of years he went to Balraampoor and set up another institute ‘Madrassah Arabiyyah’, where he taught for some time, delivering lectures and more importantly started to explain and teach the Prophetic Ahadeeth.

Thereafter he traveled to Allaahnagar and taught there for a short while and then moved onto to Ghaundah and taught in the institute, Siraaj al-Uloom where he spent a fair amount of time.

After this Muhaddith Mubaarakpooree’s teacher, Haafidh Abdullaah Muhaddith Ghaazeepooree (d.1337H) invited the Muhaddith to teach in the well-known and established Madrassah, Madarassah Ahmadiyyah Araah. The Muhaddith spent a long time under his Shaikh in teaching at this institute.

Whilst teaching the Prophets ahadeeth, explaining them, writing concerning them, delivery lectures on specialist fields and sciences of hadeeth he became known and Allaah Jallo Wa A’la raised his status and he became known to the world as Muhaddith Mubaarakpooree.

Whilst teaching at Madrassah Ahmadiyyah he was invited to teach ahadeeth in Calcutta at the institute of Daar ul-Qur’aan Was-Sunnah, so upon seeking permission from his Shaikh Haafidh Abdullaah Ghaazeepooree, he traveled to Calcutta.

Traveling to Calcutta was the Muhaddith’s last journey to teach at an institute and after this he did not teach at any institute. After this the Muhaddith occupied himself with research and writing.

His Students.

Most of the Shaikhs life was spent in teaching ahadeeth and spreading the Sunnah to hundreds of students whom he taught at the various institutions he taught at. So the list of the number of his students runs into hundreds but from them those who shone and became well known due to their ilm and spreading the Ahadeeth Was-

Sunnah were,

Shaikh al-Imaam Abdus-Salaam Mubaarakpooree.

The famous teacher of hadeeth and the author of the great and manifest work on the life and works of Imaam Muhammad bin Ismaa’eel al-Bukhaari titled Seerah al- Bukhaari. The Shaikh left behind 3 sons, all Shaikhs and Scholars of hadeeth in their own right, from them, Shaikh Ubaid ur-Rehmaan Taalib Rehmaanee and the Imaam Shaikh Ubaidullaah Rehmaanee Mubaarakpooree. (see next)

The Shaikh, the Allaamah, the Imaam Shaikh ul-Hadeeth Ubaidullaah Rehmaanee bin Abdus-Salaam Mubaarakpooree.
The Imaam of Hadeeth of his time and from the Ahlul-Hadeeth scholars of his time. He had a special relationship with Imaam al-Muhaddith Abdur-Rahmaan al- Mubaarakpooree as will be mentioned later. The Shaikh taught hadeeth all his life in Jaami’a Rehmaaniyyah and in Mubaarakpoor. The Shaikh also authored the renowned explanation of Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh titled ‘Mir’ah al-Mafaateeh Sharh Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh.’ The Shaikh Rahimahullah started his explanation in 1950 and completed it in 10 large volumes.

Shaikh Hakeem Muhammad Asghar Mubaarakpooree.

He was the nephew of the Shaikh. He would stay in the company of his uncle and constantly learn from him and after completing his studies he taught in the first institution Muhaddith Mubaarakpooree set up in Mubaarakpoor, Daar ut-Ta’leem. Shaikh Asghar Mubaarakpooree taught at this institute all his life up until he died.

Shaikh Abdus-Samad Hussainabaadee.

Shaikh Abdus-Samad received his primary education from Shaikh Asghar Mubaarakpooree and went onto learn from Muhaddith Mubaarakpooree. He went on to teach at some of the well-known Ahlul-Hadeeth institutes. Shaikh Abdus- Samad was a scholar of hadeeth in his own right and was a strong author and authored many works related to Hadeeth and its intricate sciences. He also had a special relationship with the Muhaddith.

Shaikh Abdul-Jabbaar Khandailwee

Shaikh Abdul-Jabbaar was also from the well-known and famous Ahlul-Hadeeth scholars. He spent all his life teaching and educating the people. He spent almost half a century teaching hadeeth, tafseer and fiqh. The Shaikh left many students who were also major scholars. The Shaikh also authored a number of books.

Doctor Shaikh Taqee ud deen al-Hilaalee al-Marakeshee.

Shaikh Taqee ud deen Hilaalee was the Professor of Arabic in Nadwatul-Ulama. He also learnt from the Muhaddith, he learnt and studied hadeeth and Fiqhul-Hadeeth from him. He died in 1983 in Morocco.

And many many more.

His Works and Books.

Without doubt the Shaikh was a prolific writer. His manner of writing and his extraction of the evidences and then presenting them in the way he did, is such that the reader is astonished at his strength and power of deduction.

He was a mujtahid and a master of hadeeth. His mastery over hadeeth and its sciences is evident from his works and one also comes to know his expertise and specialty in this field.

The Muhaddith helped the Allaamah the Muhaddith Shams ul-Haqq Dhiyaanwee A’dheemabaadee in authoring ‘Au’n al-Ma’bood Sharh Sunan Abee Dawood’ for a period of approximately 4 years.

The Shaikh wrote a number of books but from all of them the one most famous and accepted with all people and Scholars is,

Tuhfatul-Ahwadhee Sharh Jaam’e at-Tirmidhee.

The Muhaddith completed an explanation of Imaam Tirmidhee’s Jaam’e at- Tirmidhee in 4 volumes. This Sharh is one of is kind and has without doubt superiority over all other explanations of Sunan Tirmidhee. Imaam Ubaidullaah Mubaarakpooree mentions the reasons for this and wrtes,

“Shaikh Abul-A’la Allaamah Abdur-Rahmaan Mubaarakpooree, the important and necessary issues he has included and mentioned in this illustrious explanation, then all of them will not be found in any other explanation. This is not the place for its details but we will mentions some of them in brevity,

1. The biography of every narrator of Jaam’e at-Tirmidhee has been included due to the need and in the Muqaddimah an alphabetical index has also been included. The biography of any narrator, on whatever page it is on in the explanation has been indicated with a sign.
2. All the ahadeeth in Jaam’e at-Tirmidhee have been referenced. Ie the other scholars of hadeeth who have also transmitted the ahadeeth that are in Tirmidhee, in their books have also been referenced to those books.
3. The Ahadeeth that Imaam Tirmidhee has indicated under the statement “In this Chapter…” have been referenced in detail and in most places their wording has also been mentioned as well as the referencing of other ahadeeth.
4. The Tasaahil of Imaam Tirmidhee in declaring Ahadeeth to be Saheeh or Hasan is well known and that is why the statements of other Scholars of Hadeeth have also been mentioned and the ahadeeth in which Imaam Tirmidhee has illustrated his Tasaahil, have been clarified.
5. A special attention has been given to problematic texts and chains and resolving and clarifying them
6. Much work is done in explaining and clarifying points from the ahadeeth. The bigoted muqallideen and the people of desires who have figuratively explained and distorted the ahadeeth to make their madhab stronger have also been refuted and their false interpretations exposed. With this the correct meanings of the ahadeeth and the issues from them which were established and understood by the Salaf us-Saaliheen, the scholars of hadeeth and the jurists have been mentioned.
7. In mentioning the differences between madhab’s their evidences have also been mentioned and after this the correct and the position with precedence has been mentioned and then further supported with evidence aswell as thoroughly answering the evidences of the other madhabs.
8. The work Aathaar as-Sunan (of Shauq Nimawee) has also been thoroughly answered.
9. un-necessary discussions have been left out in Tuhfah and the main text of the book has been concentrated on in terms of explanation and clarification.

All the scholars from around the world, from the time Tuhfah was published up until today have praised Tuhfah and said it is one of a kind.

Shaikh Ubaidullaah Mubaarakpooree said, “This is the best explanation of Jaam’e at- Tirmidhee up until this time of the face of this earth and there is none similar to it.”

As mentioned earlier Tuhfah was originally printed in 4 volumes and upon completing two volumes, Imaams Mubaarakpooree’s eyesight became weak. So to help him complete this monumental work he enlisted the help of Shaikh ul-Hadeeth Ubaidullaah Mubaarakpooree Rehmaanee.

Muqaddimah Tuhfatul-Ahwadhee

The Muhaddith also wrote a 2 volume Muqaddimah to Tuhfah. In it he included discussions on the sciences of hadeeth, the books of hadeeth and statements and opinions regarding the Imaams of Hadeeth as well as other important issues.

In the second volume he mentioned issues concerning Imaam Tirmidhee, his biography, sciences related to his book that are very important for the one studying Jaam’e at-Tirmidhee. Also throughout the 2 volumes the Muhaddith included the biographies of approximately 155 Scholars and Imaams of Hadeeth, Tafaseer, Fiqh and Lughah as well as having a detailed index.

The Muhaddith whilst writing this remarkable Muqaddimah passed away and therefore leaving it incomplete, and so one of the illustrious students of the Muhaddith, Shaikh Abdus-Samad Hussainabaadee completed it.

Tahqeeq al-Kalaam Fee Wajoob al-Qiraa’h Khalf al-Imaam

This book again is unique and one of its kind. In it the Muhaddith answered all the evidences of the ahnaaf comprehensively. It is 2 volumes. Recently Shaikh Waseeullaah Abbaasee translated this book into Arabic, which is now available from Saudia.

Abkaar al-Manan Fee Tanqeed Aathaar as-Sunan.

This treatise was a direct answer to Shaikh Zaheer Ahsan Shauq an-Nimawee’s book Aathaar as-Sunan. Nimawee wrote his Aathaar as-Sunan based upon the method of Haafidh Ibn Hajr, which he used to write Buloogh al-Maraam and Nimawee in doing so attempted to answer Buloogh al-Maraam and have a counterpart for it for the Hanafee’s. So Muhaddith Mubaarakpooree answered this aswell as the follow ups of Nimawee which he wrote to his Aathaar as-Sunan in Abkaar and in Tuhfah.

His other books include,

1. Shifaa al-Ghillal Fee Sharh Kitaab al-Illal. This is printed with Tuhfah and his an explanation of Imaam Tirmidhee’s Kitaab al-Illal
2. Noor al-Absaar and its 2 follow ups Tanweer al-Absaar and Dhiyaa al-Absaar.
3. Kitaab ul-Janaa’iz.
4. Khair al-Ma’aoon Fee Man’a al-Faraar Minat-Taa’oon and a follow up to this.
5. Al-Maqaalah al-Husnaa Fee Suniyyah al-Musaafahah Bal-Yad al-Yumnaa and a follow up to this.
6. and this book in your hands, al-Qaul as-Sadeed Feemaa Yata’alaq Bi- Takbeeraat al-Eed.

And others

The Muhaddith died on the 16 of Shawwaal in 1353H (1925) in Mubaarakpoor. The historians wrote there were so many people at his funeral that all the train stations leading into Mubaarakpoor were all filled with people wanting to pray his funeral prayer. The historians also wrote individuals from the other sects and groups also came to pray his funeral prayer. May Allaah grant him Jannatul-Firdaus. Ameen.