Salafi Research Institute SRI
The ʾAllāmah, Muḥaddith Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī
(1338H/1920 – 1438H/2017)
Compiled, Translated & Annotated
Abu Khuzaimah Ansari
Shaikh ʾAbdullāh Nāṣir Rehmānī said “We are plagued with the loss of the great Muḥaddith of India who possess a short chain, Shaikh Ẓahir ud-Dīn Mubārakpūrī”
One of the last remaining radiant Scholars of the Ahl al-Ḥadīth and Salafī’s, the Muḥaddith ʾAllāmah Shaikh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī passed away a few days and returned to our Glorious Creator.
Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Mubārakpūrī was a formidable scholar, upright, just with exemplary manners, he had profound love for the Qurʿān and Ḥadīth and his love to constantly narrate Ḥadīth. his love of Ḥadīth and its people made him travel continents to spread the divine texts.
Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī was born in his native area of Mubārakpūr approximately between 1338-1339H (one reports mentions 1341H, however we do not know how accurate this is) corresponding to 1920c. The Shaykh began receiving his early education in his native area and eventually in 1940 enrolled at the prestigious and world famous Jāmia Reḥmanyyah Ahl al-Ḥadīth Salafi learning institute in Delhi, India.
Jāmia Reḥmaniyyah was an outstanding learning institute, which essentially focussed on spreading and teaching the Qurʿān and Ḥadīth. Their teachings heavily focussed on Ḥadīth and is sciences and focussed on its meaning, understanding and the extrapolated points of benefit ranging from ʾAqīdah to matters which soften the heart. An example of its love for the pristine divine Ḥadīth, its teaching and people can be highlighted by the following example which Shaykh Ẓafar al-Ḥasan al-Madanī narrated to us in the United Kingdom,
“Once a well known scholar (Salafī inShāʿAllāh) was visiting Jāmia Reḥmaniyyah and he wanted to visit the designated place where the Shaykh ul-Ḥadīth would deliver their lessons explaining the Prophet Hadith. At the time the university had a designated place where they would only teach Ḥadīth. This scholar had a very short beard, (perhaps shorter than a fist), he requested to see the place where they teach Ḥadīth and also wanted to see how a lesson was conducted. At the time the Shaykh ul-Hadith was Shaykh ʾUbaidullāh Reḥmanī Mubārakpūrī who was teaching Ḥadīth at the time. When he was asked such and such person wants to come to this hall and observe the lesson, Shaykh ʾUbaidullāh denied the request and said this place is where we teach the Prophets Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallams Sunnah and Ḥadīth and therefore everything here has to be according to the Sunnah and Hadith and because the guest’s beard is not according to the Sunnah we kindly request that he is shown some other part of the university.”
This was their love for the Sunnah and Ḥadīth, sadly during the years of partition the university was badly desecrated with most of its books, rare manuscripts and manuscripts of unpublished books and teachers notes were all destroyed. The university was later moved to Karachī in Pākistān but it was not the same.
When Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī enrolled in 1940 he learnt the islamic sciences from some of the colossal Salafī Hādīth Masters who were experts in the sacred sciences especially Ḥadīth, thus, while at Jāmia Reḥmaniyyah Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī learnt the sciences from the likes of
1. The Shaykh the ʾAllāmah the Muḥaddith Abul ʾUʾla ʾAbd al-Raḥman Mubārakpūrī (d.1353H/1934)
2. The Usūlī, the Muhaddith Shaykh Ahmadullah Partabghari (d.1362H/1943)
3. The Muḥaddith and ʾAllāmah Shaykh ʾUbaidullāh Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī (d.1414H/1994)
4. The Nāqiḍ, Shaykh Nazir Aḥmad Reḥmānī Amlawī (d.1385H/1965)
After graduating he taught in various institutes in India and then eventually spent a long time teaching in Jāmia Dār us-Salām in Umrabād. Where the students then spread to the various lands in the quest to spread the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. So much so that some of those who learnt from him reside in the west.
The Shaykh would travel extensively throughout the different lands even as far as the USA where he would conduct seminars and lessons in reading the Prophetic Ḥadīth and he would give ijāzāt to the people. These Hadith reading sessions would also be conducted in the Arab lands and the ʾUlamāʿ would flock to his Hadith reading sessions in order to get ijāzahs.
The Shaykh had two routes to Shaykh al-ʾAllāmah al-Muḥaddith Nazīr Ḥussain Dehlawī (d.1320H/1902) with only one person in the chain to him, the first was through Shaykh ʾAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mubārakpūrī and the Usūlī the Muḥaddith, Shaykh Ahmadullāh Partābgharī.
This Chain back to the Messenger of Allāh Sallalahu alayhi Wasallam through Jāmia Reḥmaniyyah is known as Silsilah Reḥmaniyyah and it reaches our Noble Prophet Salalahu Alayhi Wasallam in 25 links and it is the by far the undisputed shortest chain back to Noble Prophet Salalahu Alayhi Wasallam with the complete Samaʾa of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. With 21 links to Imam Muslim from Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī and then the 4 rubaʾiyāt to the Messenger of Allah Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam, making us the 26th link
The Sama’a from Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī to Shaykh Shāh Waliullāh Dehlawī has 5 links
Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī (d.1438H) who narrates the complete Sahih Muslim from
Ahmadullāh Partābgharī (d.1362) who narrates the complete Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from
Naẓīr Ḥusain al-Dehlawī (d.1320H) who narrates the complete Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from
Muhammad Ishāq al-Dehlawī (1262H) who narrates the complete Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from
Shāh ʿAbdul ʾAzīz al-Dehlawī (d.1239H) who narrates the complete Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from
Shāh Waliullāh al-Dehlawī (d.1176H) who narrates the complete Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from
who has 21 chains to
Imam Muslim (d.261H)
with 4 people in the chain
to the Messenger of Allāh Sallalahu alayhi Wasallam
Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī also had complete Samaʾa of Muslim from Shaykh Ahmadullāh Partābgharī who in turn had complete sama’a from the Yemenī Muḥaddith Shaykh Ḥussain ibn Muḥsin al-Anṣārī (d.1327H) and therefore therefore Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī had two chains which strengthens this unique short chain, way shorter than any of the Deobandī’s and Barelwī’s.
Also please note this is only for one book, there are many chains for the other books of Ḥadīth and Samaʾa through other scholars like Shaykh ʾAbd al-Raḥman al-Mubārakpūrī.
This being said brothers at Salafi Research Institute have an even shorter chain than the one above which omits both Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī and Shaikh Ahmadullāh Partābgharī with only a stupendously shortest link of only 23 links, Wa Lillahil Ḥamd
The brothers at Salafi Research Institute had also been trying for last 6-9 months for Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī to come to the UK for Hadith reading sessions for ijāzāt’s and Alḥamdulillāh he agreed however Allah is the best of planners and this Noble Scholar of the Ahl al-Ḥadīth returned to our Creator. Some of the brothers also have ijāzahs directly from the Shaykh wa Lillahil Ḥamd.
We pray and supplicate to Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic, who is above his Throne and has infinite mercy on Shaykh Ẓahīr al-Dīn Reḥmānī Mubārakpūrī, forgives him, his shortcomings and makes his good scales very heavy on Yaum al-Qiyāmah. Amin
