The Legacy of Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri.
“The Past five hundred years of Islamic history cannot produce the like of Moulana Kashmiri” (Dr. Muhammad Iqbal-Ra).
A recent viral video maligning the esteemed personality of Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri prompted me to study about his life and legacy, which offer abundant opportunities for learning and inspiration. The British colonial policy of “divide and rule” profoundly affected the religious and cultural dynamics of the Indian subcontinent. One manifestation of this policy was the emergence of the Qadiyani sect, designed to sow doubt among Indian Muslims regarding Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as the final prophet and seal of the prophets. Mirza Qadiyani claimed to be the messiah of Allah, even going so far as to declare that jihad had become obsolete and that Quranic verses on jihad were nullified. Unbeknownst to many, Mirza was backed by the British to pacify the Muslim populace, undermining the influence of contemporary Muslim scholars. One such scholar was Hazrat Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri, who ardently opposed British rule, resulting in his repeated imprisonment.
Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (26 November 1875–28 May 1933) was an Islamic scholar from Kashmir renowned for his mastery of hadith, exceptional memory, and distinctive interpretative approach. As the fourth principal of Darul Uloom Deoband, he continued a legacy of religious scholarship that traced its roots to Baghdad. He received his Islamic education at Darul Uloom Deoband under the mentorship of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi and embarked on a spiritual journey with Rashid Ahmad Gangohi. Starting his career as the first principal of Madrasa Aminia, he performed hajj in 1906, during which he deepened his study of hadith in Medina. Later, he served as Sheikh al-Hadith at Darul Uloom Deoband for nearly thirteen years before concluding his academic career at Jamia Islamia Talimuddin.
Despite his limited inclination towards writing, Moulana Kashmiri’s legacy endures through the transcriptions of his students who documented his lectures, discourses, and sermons. His scholarly work primarily defended the Hanafi school while adopting a relatively liberal stance on various religious issues. His contributions were recognized by Majlis-i Ilmi, a scholarly institution established in Delhi in 1929. His most notable work, *Fayd al-Bari*, a four-volume Arabic commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, was published in Cairo with financial support from Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal.
Moulana Kashmiri’s literary endeavors covered diverse subjects, including the Quran, fundamental beliefs, metaphysics, Islamic jurisprudence, zoology, poetry, and political thought, primarily in Arabic and Persian. He composed approximately 15,000 couplets of poetry and trained around two thousand hadith scholars during his eighteen-year tenure at Deoband. In the political arena, he was a staunch opponent of British colonialism and encouraged Muslims to resist British rule as a member of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. He is particularly remembered for his 1927 presidential address at the Peshawar annual meeting. Towards the end of his life, he focused on countering the Qadiyani movement, producing approximately ten works on the subject. His intellectual influence extended to inspiring figures like Muhammad Iqbal to explore Islam and Ahmadism. The government of Jammu and Kashmir has designated his house as a heritage site.
Moulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri’s (RH) contributions to the Islamic sciences, particularly hadith, are monumental. His belief in the public dissemination of Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) life and teachings drove him to write and lecture extensively. He staunchly defended the honor and legacy of the Prophet (SAW) against Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s claims, which were supported by the British to divide the Muslim community. Moulana Anwar (RH) published several texts to clarify Sunni Islam’s stance on Ahmad’s claims, significantly curbing the spread of Ahmadism.
In light of this, it is crucial for religious preachers to thoroughly study before making statements about past scholars. History reveals that pride and prejudice can destroy nations, as they cloud judgment and lead to miscalculations. Therefore, I humbly propose that the public should not be misled by so-called scholars, especially when we have the Quran and Sunnah to guide us.
