Rashid Ahmad Gangohi

Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad Ayyūbī Anṣārī

Gangohī (1826 – 11 August 1905) (Urdu: ��� � � ����� � ���� ����
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Rashid Ahmed

��������) was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar, a leading

Gangohi
Personal
figure of the Deobandi jurist and scholar of hadith, author
Born 1826[1][2]
of Fatawa-e-Rashidiya.[2] His lineage reaches back to Abu
Gangoh,
Ayyub al-Ansari.[4][5]
Ceded and
Along with Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi he was a pupil of Conquered
Mamluk Ali Nanautawi. Both studied the books of hadith Provinces,
under Shah Abdul Ghani Mujaddidi and later became Sufi British India[1]
disciples of Haji Imdadullah.[6] His lectures on Sahih al-
Died 11 August
Bukhari and Jami` at-Tirmidhi were recorded by his
1905 (aged
student Muhammad Yahya Kandhlawi, later edited,
arranged, and commented on by Muhammad Zakariya 78)[1][2]
Kandhlawi, and published as Lami` ad-Darari `ala Jami` Gangoh,
al-Bukhari and al-Kawkab ad-Durri `ala Jami` at- United
Tirmidhi.[7] Provinces,
British India

Name Religion Islam

Nationality Indian
In Tazkiratur Rashid his name and nasab is given as Denomination Sunni
follows: Rashīd Aḥmad ibn Hidāyat Aḥmad[note 1] ibn Qāẓī
Pīr Bak͟hsh ibn Qāẓī G͟hulām Ḥasan ibn Qāẓī G͟hulām ‘Alī Jurisprudence Hanafi
ibn Qāẓī ‘Alī Akbar ibn Qāẓī Muḥammad Aslam al-Anṣārī Creed Maturidi
al-Ayyūbī.[8] In the biographical work Nuzhat al-Khawatir Movement Deobandi
he is mentioned with the nisbats "al-Anṣārī, al-Ḥanafī, ar-
Main Aqidah, Tafsir,
Rāmpūrī then al-Gangohī".[9][2] In the introduction to al-
Kawkab ad-Durri he is mentioned as "Mawlānā Abī Mas‘ūd interest(s) Hadith, Fiqh
Rashīd Aḥmad al-Anṣārī al-Ayyūbī al-Kankawhī al-Ḥanafī Notable Darul Uloom
al-Jishtī an-Naqshbandī al-Qādirī as-Suhrawardī".[10] idea(s) Deoband
Military service
His given name was Rashid Ahmad; Abu Masud was his
kunya. His heritage can be traced back to a famous Years of 1857
companion of the Prophet Muhammad, namely Ayub service
Ansari (who died in 674). Ayub Ansari had hosted the Holy Battles/wars Indian War of
Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi Wa Salam in his home in Medina
Independence
city, when he made Hijrah (migration) to Medina city in
622.[1] ▪ Battle of
Shamli
Biography Muslim leader
Disciple of Haji
Rashid Ahmad was born on Monday, 6 Dhu al-Qi'dah 1244
AH (1826 AD) in Gangoh, Saharanpur District, British India Imdadullah
(in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India).[2][8][9][11][12] He was
born in the mahallah of Sarai, close to the tomb of Abdul Disciples
Quddus Gangohi.[8] Both his father Maulana Hidayat Ibrahim Ujani[3]
Ahmad and his mother Karimun Nisa belonged to Ansari
Maulana Syed Shah Waris
Ayyubi families, claiming descent from Abu Ayyub al-
Hasan,
Ansari.[1][8] His ancestral village was Rampur, but his
Shah Peer Muhammad Sahab
grandfather Qazi Pir Bakhsh had settled in Gangoh.[8]
Influenced by
Hidayat Ahmad was an Islamic scholar connected to the
Mamluk Ali Nanautawi
Waliullahi tradition,[8] and in tasawwuf (Sufism) an
Haji Imdadullah
authorized khalifah (successor) of Shah Ghulam Ali
Abdul Ghani Dihlawi
Mujaddidi Dihlawi.[8][12] He died in 1252 AH (1836) at the
age of 35, when Rashid was seven.[8] A few years later Influenced
Rashid's younger brother Sa'id Ahmad also died, at the age Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri
of nine. Ashraf Ali Thanwi
Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi
After the death of Hidayat Ahmad the responsibility for
Rashid's upbringing fell to his grandfather Qazi Pir Bakhsh. Majid Ali Jaunpuri
[8][11] He also had four maternal uncles: Muhammad Naqi, Hussain Ahmed Madani
Muhammad Taqi, Abdul Ghani, and Muhammad Shafi.[8]
He was especially close to Abdul Ghani, who took on a fatherly role for him. He also had a close
friendship with his younger cousin, Abun Nasr, son of Abdul Ghani's.

Rashid Ahmad received his elementary education from a local teacher, Miyanji Qutb Bakhsh
Gangohi.[11] He read the Qur'an in Gangoh, probably at home with his mother.[11] Then he
studied the primary Persian books with his older brother Inayat Ahmad.[8] He completed
Persian studies in Karnal with his maternal uncle Muhammad Taqi,[8][9] and also partly with
Muhammad Ghaus.[8] Afterwards he studied the primary books of Arabic grammar (sarf and
nahw) with Muhammad Bakhsh Rampuri,[8][9] on whose encouragement he then traveled to
Delhi in pursuit of knowledge in 1261 AH (1845), at the age of 17.[8]

After arriving in Delhi he studied Arabic with Qazi Ahmaduddin Punjabi Jehlami. [8][9][2]
Afterwards he attended the classes of different teachers before becoming a pupil of Mamluk Ali
Nanautawi, a scholar of the Shah Waliullah line, and a professor at Delhi College. It was in this
period that Rashid Ahmad met and developed a close companionship with Mamluk Ali's
nephew, Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi. Both were private pupils of Mamluk Ali. After he
completed his studies with Mamluk Ali, he stayed a few more years in Delhi to study under
other teachers. He became a pupil of Mufti Sadruddin Azurdah, with whom he studied some
books of the ulum-i aqliyah (rational sciences).[12] He studied the books of hadith and tafsir
under Shah Abdul Ghani Mujaddidi. Shah Ahmad Sa'id, the older brother of Shah Abdul Ghani
Mujaddidi, was also among his teachers.[8][9][2]

After four years in Delhi, Rashid returned home to Gangoh. He married Khadijah, daughter of
his uncle Muhammad Naqi, at the age of 21. It was not until after his marriage that he
memorized the Qur'an. He then travelled to Thana Bhawan, where he gave bay'ah (allegiance) at
the hand of Haji Imdadullah in the Sufi path. He remained in Imdadullah's company and
service for 42 days. When he prepared to leave for Gangoh, Imdadullah held his hand and gave
him permission to take disciples.

While Nanautawi and Gangohi are often mentioned as co-founders of Darul Uloom Deoband,
Rizvi writes that there is no historical evidence that Gangohi played a role in its establishment
in 1283 AH. However, due to his close relationship with Nanautawi and others involved, it is
unlikely that he was unaware of its founding. Rizvi cites a record of Gangohi's written inspection
of the madrasah on 3 Rajab 1285 AH as the earliest evidence for his formal relationship with the
madrasah. It was also common for graduates of the madrasah to attend Rashid Ahmad's hadith
lectures in Gangoh.

Alongside Muhammad Qasim Nanautvi, Gangohi's efforts were instrumental in fostering a

transnational, pan-Islamic consciousness in the subcontinent amongst the educated middle
classes; during an era of increasing connectivity and arrival of new technologies of
communication. He forbade Muslims from engaging in various customs which he regarded as
stemming from Hindu culture and criticised those Muslims "who retained trappings of ‘Hindu’
culture and lifestyles"; whether in clothing or lifestyle. As a strong opponent of the British rule;
Gangohi also fiercely denounced the singing of patriotic British songs in English schools;
denouncing it as an act of Kufr (disbelief).[13]

In 1297 AH, after the death of Qasim, Rashid was made sarparast (patron) of Darul Uloom
Deoband. From 1314 AH he was also sarparast of the Darul Uloom's sister madrasah, Mazahir
Uloom Saharanpur.[14]

He died on a Friday, 8 Jumada II 1323 AH (1905 AD) after the call to prayer for the Friday
prayer.[1]

See also
▪ Muhammad Mian Mansoor Ansari
▪ Majid Ali Jaunpuri
▪ Hussain Ahmed Madani
▪ Al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad

Notes
1. Arabic: ‫ﻫﺪاﻳﺖ أﺣﻤﺪ‬, Hidāyat Aḥmad, or ‫ﻫﺪاﻳﺔ أﺣﻤﺪ‬, Hidāyah Aḥmad

References
1. Profile of Rashid Ahmad Gangohi on haqislam.org website (http://haqislam.org/m
aulana-rashid-ahmad-gangohi/) Published 14 February 2010, Retrieved 16
August 2018
2. "The Epitome of Shari'ah and Tariqah: Shaykh Rashid Ahmad al-Gangohi" (http://
www.deoband.org/2009/04/history/biographies-of-scholars/the-epitome-of-sharia-
and-tariqa/). Deoband.org website. Translated into English by Ismaeel Nakhuda.
26 April 2009. Excerpted from ‘Abd al-Hayy ibn Fakhr ad-Din al-Hasani; Abu ’l-
Hasan ‘Ali al-Hasani an-Nadwi. Nuzhat al-Khawatir, Published 26 April 2009,
Retrieved 16 August 2018
3. Nizampuri, Ashraf Ali (2013). The Hundred (Bangla Mayer Eksho Kritishontan)
(1st ed.). Salman Publishers. p. 29. ISBN 978-112009250-2.
4. "Al-'Alam by al-Zirikli" (https://shamela.ws/index.php/author/3035). shamela.ws.
5. Ingram, Brannon (2018), Kassam, Zayn R.; Greenberg, Yudit Kornberg; Bagli,
Jehan (eds.), "Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī" (https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1267
-3_860), Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, Encyclopedia of Indian Religions,
Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 580–582,
doi:10.1007/978-94-024-1267-3_860 (https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-94-024-12
67-3_860), ISBN 978-94-024-1267-3, retrieved 15 October 2022
 6. Brannon Ingram (University of North Carolina), Sufis, Scholars and
Scapegoats: Rashid Ahmad Gangohi and the Deobandi Critique of Sufism, p 479.
7. Al-ghazali, Muhammad (1988–2016). "GENGÛHÎ, Reşîd Ahmed" (https://islamansi
klopedisi.org.tr/arama/?q=GENG%C3%9BH%C3%8E%2C+Re%C5%9F%C3%AE
d+Ahmed). TDV Encyclopedia of Islam (44+2 vols.) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye
Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies.
8. ‘Āshiq Ilāhī Mīraṭhī (1908). ‫ ﺗﺬﮐﺮۃ اﻟﺮﺷﯿﺪ‬/ Taẕkiratur-Rashīd (https://archive.org/det
ails/TazkeraTurRasheedPartI) (in Urdu). Sāḍhaurah: Bilālī Sṭīm [Bilali Steam].
9. ‘Abd al-Ḥayy ibn Fakhr ad-Dīn al-Ḥasanī; Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī al-Ḥasanī an-Nadwī
(1999). "‫ اﻟﺸﻴﺦ اﻟﻌﻼﻣﺔ رﺷﻴﺪ أﺣﻤﺪ اﻟﮕﻨﮕﻮﻫﻲ‬/ ash-Shaykh al-'Allāmah Rashīd Aḥmad al-
Gangohī". ‫ ﻧﺰﻫﺔ اﻟﺨﻮاﻃﺮ وﺑﻬﺠﺔ اﻟﻤﺴﺎﻣﻊ واﻟﻨﻮاﻇﺮ‬/ Nuzhat al-khawāṭir wa-bahjat al-
masāmi' wa-al-nawāẓir (in Arabic). Vol. 8 (1st ed.). Bayrūt: Dār Ibn Ḥazm.
pp. 1229–1231.
10. Muhammad Yahya ibn Muhammad Ismail al-Kandahlawi; Rashid Ahmad al-
Kankawhi; Muhammad Zakariya al-Kandahlawi. "‫ ﻣﻘﺪﻣﺔ اﻟﻤﺤﺸﻲ‬/ Muqaddimat al-
Muhashshi". ‫ اﻟﻜﻮﻛﺐ اﻟﺪري ﻋﻠﻰ ﺟﺎﻣﻊ اﻟﺘﺮﻣﺬي‬/ al-Kawkab ad-durrī 'alá Jāmi' at-
Tirmidhī (in Arabic). p. 12.
11. Muḥammad Zakarīyā Kāndhlawī (1973). "‫ﺣﻀﺮت اﻗﺪس ﻣﻮﻻﻧﺎ رﺷﯿﺪ اﺣﻤﺪ ﺻﺎﺣﺐ ﮔﻨﮕﻮہی‬
/ Haẓrat Aqdas Maulānā Rashīd Aḥmad Ṣaḥib Gangohī". ‫ ﺗﺎرﯾﺦ ﻣﺸﺎﺋﺦ ﭼﺸﺖ‬/ Tārīk͟h
Mashā'ik͟h-i Chisht (in Urdu). Biharabad, Karachi: Maktabatush-Shaik͟h.
12. Sayyid Mahbub Rizvi (1980). History of the Dar al-Ulum Deoband. Vol. 1.
Translated by Murtaz Husain F. Quraishi. Dar al-Ulum, Deoband: Idara-e
Ihtemam.
13. Ingram, Brannon (July 2009). "Sufis, Scholars and Scapegoats: Rashid Ahmad
Gangohi (d. 1905) and the Deobandi Critique of Sufism". The Muslim World.
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 99:
490–491. doi:10.1111/j.1478-1913.2009.01281.x (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1
478-1913.2009.01281.x).
14. Profiles of many founders of Deoband including Rashid Ahmad Gangohi on
darululoom-deoband.com website (http://www.darululoom-deoband.com/english/
introulema/founders3.htm) Retrieved 16 August 2018

External links
▪ Books Collection (https://archive.org/details/UrduBooksCollection_201712)

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