Syed Waheed Ashraf

Last updated

Syed Waheed Ashraf
TitleAllama, Shaikhe Tariqat
Personal
Born (1933-02-04) 4 February 1933 (age 91)
Religion Islam
NationalityIndian
EraPresent
Region India
Main interest(s) Sufism
Notable work(s)Sufism, Arabic, English, Urdu and Persian quatrains (Rubai) and Naat, Persian and Urdu literary criticism, Islamic studies

Syed Waheed Ashraf (born 4 February 1933) is an Indian Sufi scholar and poet in Persian and Urdu.

Contents

Education and career

Ashraf received his B.A., M.A. and PhD (1965) degrees from Aligarh Muslim University. The title of his doctoral dissertation was A Critical Edition of Lataife Ashrafi. [1] After serving at a number of Indian universities (Punjabi University at Patiala, M.S. University of Baroda and the University of Madras), Ashraf retired as head of the department of Arabic, Persian and Urdu at the University of Madras in 1993. Fluent in seven languages (Pahlavi, Persian, Arabic, Urdu, English, Hindi and Gujarati), he writes in Urdu, Persian and English, [2] has written, edited or compiled over 35 books.[ citation needed ] Ashraf has focused on upholding and propagating the principles and practices of Sufism.

Biography

Parents

Ashraf traces his lineage to a family of Syeds in Kichhauchha Sharif, a small town in the district of Ambedkar Nagar, eastern Uttar Pradesh. He was born on 4 February 1933, the third child of librarian Syed Habeeb Ashraf and Syeda Saeeda. Habeeb worked in the village library; although he was enrolled at Firangi Mahal, a madrasa in Lucknow, he did not complete his education due to the death of his father. He was well-versed in Ilmul Jafar and Ilmul Ramal (Islamic geomancy). Habeeb wrote to his eldest son, Syed Amin Ashraf (who was stationed in Aligarh), six months before his death asking him to be home on 3 February 1972 for his burial.

Syeda Saeeda was the daughter of a Unani doctor in the village. Before her marriage, she assisted her father in the preparation of drugs in his dispensary and acquired a knowledge of Unani medicine (particularly diseases of women and children).

Siblings

Habeeb and Syeda had four sons and three daughters. The two elder sons were Syed Amin Ashraf and Syed Hameed Ashraf. The youngest son (and their fifth child) was Syed Ashraf. Their daughters were Syeda Mahmooda, Syeda Masooda and Syeda Raheen. Syed Amin Ashraf received his PhD in English literature from Aligarh Muslim University, and later taught in the same department. Amin Ashraf is regarded as an accomplished poet in Urdu ghazals. He has compiled three poetic collections – Jadae Shab, Bahare Ijaad and Qafase Rang – and a collection of his papers in a book, Bargo Bar. He has received[ citation needed ] awards from Ghalib Academy, New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy in Lucknow. Several critical essays about his poetry have been published. Their second son, Syed Hameed Ashraf (who died in 1993), studied Shariah at Al Jamiatul Ashrafia Mubarakpur and Darul Uloom Deoband, received B.A., M.A. and M.Phil degrees in Arabic literature from Aligarh Muslim University and taught at a number of Indian madrasas. The title of his M.Phil dissertation was, 'Allama Syed Mohammad Murtaza Zubaidi Bilgirami: hayat aur ilmi karname'. [3] Syed Waheed Ashraf learned Islamic theology from his brother, Syed Hameed Ashraf.

Education

Ashraf received his primary education from the village madrasa and graduated from middle school in Baskhari, a small town near his home, in 1948. He received his high-school certificate from Mohd. Hasan Inter College in Jaunpur District. After high school, Ashraf suspended his studies for seven years due to poor health. He then earned his undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees (1965) from Aligarh Muslim University.

Professional career

After receiving his PhD, Ashraf was a temporary lecturer at Punjabi University in Patiala for a year before returning to Aligarh University as a UGC senior research fellow. In 1971, he received a permanent faculty position as a lecturer at M.S. University of Baroda in Gujarat. In 1977, Ashraf joined the University of Madras as a reader in Persian. He became a professor in 1982, and retired as head of the department of Arabic, Persian and Urdu at the University of Madras in 1993.

Spiritual odyssey

Ashraf was devoted to Sufi literature. After completing his education at Aligarh Muslim University, he gave spiritual allegiance (baith) to Syed Qadeer Ahmad Ashrafiul Jilani in Kichaucha Sharif. He was initiated into the Ashrafiya order, and Jilani made him his successor (khalifa). Ashraf delivered lectures on Masnavi Maulan Rum at his home in Baroda. As of 2023 he has left Bavamaan, Baroda for his native place Kichaucha Sharif. Mohammed Bilal Ashrafi Qureshi who is a dedicated sufi devotee has been a regular attendee at his lectures.

Works

Books

Sufism and Islamic studies

Urdu
  • Hayate Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (1975) [4] Second Ed.(2017) ISBN   978-93-85295-54-6, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India [5] HAYATE MAKHDOOM SYED ASHRAF JAHANGIR SEMNANI (2nd Ed.), 2017, OL   26384309M
  • Tasawwuf (Part I ) (1988),Reprint (2016) [6] ISBN   978-93-85295-28-7, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India
  • Tasawwuf (Part II ) (2020), [6] ISBN   978-93-85295-13-3, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India
  • Tafsīr-e-Ashrafi (Iradat), Part I
  • Tafsīr-e-Ashrafi (Bayat), Part II
  • Qāal-Alashraf
  • Qāal-Ussufia
  • Me'Rāj Sharīf (2003)
  • Roza (1996)
  • Mumin (2003)
  • Hajje Tamattu (2010)-*Chand Duyain Aur Mukhtasar Aurade Ashrafia (Urdu and Arabic, 2007)
Persian
  • Jawahirus-Sulūk (translated and illustrated)
  • Latāif-e-Ashrafi and Maktubāt-e-Ashrafi As Sources of History of Medieval India (sponsored by the Indian Council of Historical Research)
  • Muqaddema-e-Latāif-e-Ashrafi. Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, 1976.مقدمۀ لطايف اشرفي
  • Latāif-e-Ashrafi, part I (edited and annotated, 2010)
  • Latāif-e-Ashrafi, part II (edited and annotated, 2010)
  • Latāif-e-Ashrafi, part III (edited and annotated, 2010)
English
  • The Exoteric and Esoteric Aspects of Islamic Prayers (2005)

Poetry

Urdu
  • Rubai(1987) [7]
  • Tajalliyāt First Ed.(1996), Second Ed.(2018) ISBN   978-93-85295-76-8, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India
  • Lamhaat First Ed.(1998), Second Ed.(2023) ISBN   978-93-85295-76-8, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India [8]
  • Munājāt First Ed.(2002), Second Ed.(2022) ISBN   978-93-85295-36-2, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India
  • Āyāt First Ed.(1996), Second Ed.(2020) ISBN   93-85295-12-8, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India
  • Saughāt (2005)
  • ChaiNama (2016)
  • Barakaat First Ed.(2021), ISBN   978-93-84434-62-5, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India
Persian
  • Parwaaze Tafakkur (2015) [9]
  • Ruba'i: Part I (2010)
  • Ruba'i: Part II
  • Daryā Bi Qatrah (2009)

Criticism

Urdu
  • Fida (Pupil of Ghalib; Co-Author Malik Ram, First Edition 1983 [10] ))Second Edition (2015)
  • Afsar Maudoodi
  • Mutalae Afsar Maudoodi (2012)
  • Muqaddema-e-RubaiFirst Ed.(2001), Reprint (2019) ISBN   978-93-85295-00-4  Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum, Maktaba Jamia Ltd, Shamshad Market, Aligarh 202002, India [11]
  • Urdu Zaban Mein Na'at Gū'ī Ka Fan
  • Rūh-e-Mahmood
  • Tauzeehāt
Persian
  • Tafheemāt
  • Qasāid-e-Zauqi Vellori (translated, illustrated and edited)

Letters

  • Irtibāt-o-Inekaas (Urdu and English)

Articles

English

Urdu

Persian

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shibli Nomani</span> Indian Islamic scholar and philosopher (1857–1914)

Shibli Nomani was an Islamic scholar, poet, philosopher, historian, educational thinker, author, orator, reformer and critic of orientalists from Indian subcontinent during the British Raj. He is regarded as the father of Urdu historiography. He was also proficient in Arabic and Persian languages. Shibli was associated with two influential movements in the region, the Aligarh and the Nadwa movements. As a supporter of the Deobandi school, he believed that English language and European sciences should be incorporated into the education system. Shibli wrote several biographies of Muslim heroes, convinced that Muslims of his time could learn valuable lessons from the past. His synthesis of past and modern ideas contributed significantly to Islamic literature produced in Urdu between 1910 and 1935. Shibli established the Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy in 1914 to promote Islamic scholarship and also founded the Shibli National College in 1883. Although he collected much material on the life of Prophet Muhammad, he could only complete the first two volumes of the planned work, Sirat al-Nabi. His disciple, Sulaiman Nadvi, added to this material and wrote the remaining five volumes after Shibli's death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulaiman Nadvi</span> Deobandi Islamic scholar (1884 – 1953)

Syed Sulaiman Nadvi was a British Indian, and then Pakistani, Islamic scholar, historian and a writer, who co-authored Sirat-un-Nabi and wrote Khutbat-e-Madras. He was a member of the founding committee of Jamia Millia Islamia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naʽat</span> Poetry in praise of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad

Naʽat is poetry in praise of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. The practice is popular in South Asia, commonly in Bengali, Punjabi or Urdu. People who recite Naʽat are known as Naʽat Khawan or sanaʽa-khuaʽan. Exclusive "Praise to Allah" and Allah alone is called Hamd, not to be confused with 'Na'at'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambedkar Nagar district</span> District of Uttar Pradesh, India

Ambedkar Nagar is a district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Ayodhya division in the Awadh region of the state. This district was established on 29 September 1995 by carving out parts of the erstwhile Faizabad district. It was created by the then Chief Minister Mayawati and named in memory of Bhimrao Ambedkar, who worked for the advancement of the depressed classes. The total area of Ambedkar Nagar district is 2350 Sq. Km.

Ashrafpur Kichhauchha is a town and a nagar panchayat in Ambedkar Nagar District in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is well known worldwide as here the shrine of the famous Chisti Sufi saint Sultan Syed Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani is located, which attracts millions of devotees irrespective of religion, caste, creed and sex all the year round. The nearest railway station is the Akbarpur station which is about 23 kilometers. Akbarpur station is connected by rail to big cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi and Mumbai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahmud Hasan Deobandi</span> Indian Muslim scholar and activist (1851–1920)

Mahmud Hasan Deobandi was an Indian Muslim scholar and an activist of the Indian independence movement, who co-founded the Jamia Millia Islamia university and launched the Silk Letter Movement for the freedom of India. He was the first student to study at the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary. His teachers included Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi and Mahmud Deobandi, and he was authorized in Sufism by Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashraf Jahangir Semnani</span> Indian Sufi saint

Sultan Makhdoom Ashraf Jahangir Semnani (Urdu: سلطان سید مخدوم اشرف جہانگیر سمنانی; was an Iranian Sufi saint from Semnan, Iran. He was the founder of the Ashrafi Sufi order. He is India's third most influential Sufi saint after Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer and Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akbarpur, Ambedkar Nagar</span> City in Uttar Pradesh, India

Akbarpur is a city, municipal corporation, tehsil, and the administrative headquarters of Ambedkar Nagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is a part of Ayodhya division.

Muhammad Masihullah Khan Sherwani Jalalabadi was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar known as an authority in Sufism. He was among the senior authorised disciples of Ashraf Ali Thanwi, who gave him the title Masīh al-Ummah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaul Haq</span> 14th-century Sufi saint

ʿAlā ul-Ḥaq wa ad-Dīn ʿUmar ibn As`ad al-Khālidī al-Bangālī, commonly known as Alaul Haq or reverentially by the sobriquet Ganj-e-Nābāt, was a 14th-century Islamic scholar of Bengal. Posted in Hazrat Pandua, he was the senior disciple and successor of Akhi Siraj, and a Bengal Sultanate government official.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usman Serajuddin</span> 14th-century Sufi saint

ʿUthmān Sirāj ad-Dīn al-Bangālī , known affectionately by followers as Akhi Siraj, was a 14th-century Bengali Muslim scholar. He was a Sufi belonging to the Chishti Order and was a disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi. As one of the senior disciples of Nizāmuddīn Auliyā, he spent long years with him in Delhi and earned the sobriquet of Āinā-e-Hind. His shrine, the Pirana Pir Dargah in Gaur, West Bengal, attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees every year. Siraj and his successor, Alaul Haq, are credited with the rise to prominence of the Chishti order in Bengal.

Syed Abdur-Razzaq Nurul-Ain was a Sufi saint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharfuddin Yahya Maneri</span> Sufi mystic of medieval India

Makhdoom Sharfuddin Ahmed bin Yahya Maneri, popularly known as Makhdoom-ul-Mulk Bihari and Makhdoom-e-Jahan (1263–1381), was a 13th-century Sufi mystic.

Saeed Ahmad Akbarabadi was an Indian Islamic scholar and an Urdu-language author who co-founded the Nadwatul Musannifeen. He served as the dean of the Faculty of Theology in Aligarh Muslim University.

Saeed Ahmad Palanpuri, was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar and author who served as Shaykh al-Hadith and Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. A number of his books are required readings in Darul Uloom Deoband.

Aziz-ul-Rahman Usmani was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar who served as first Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband. He is best known for his Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband. His brother was Shabbir Ahmad Usmani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul Lateef Azmi</span> Urdu litterateur

Abdul Lateef Azmi was an Urdu litterateur and among the close associates of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia. He joined Jamia Millia as a student of B.A. in 1936 and served the university over 50 years in various capacities. He was one of the longest serving editors of Jamia Millia's official magazine, Jamia. He died in Delhi on May 11, 2002. In 1985, Maktaba Jamia, New Delhi, published a book Abdul Lateef Azmi Hayat-o-Khidmat. Several scholars contributed chapters in the book on various facets of Abdul Lateef Azmi and his life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghulam Nabi Kashmiri</span> Indian Islamic scholar (1965–2019)

Ghulam Nabi Kashmiri was a Kashmiri Muslim scholar and jurist who served as the senior professor of hadith at Darul Uloom Waqf. He also taught hadith at Jamia Ziya al-Uloom and Jamiat al-Tayyibat in Poonch. He was among the early graduates of Darul Uloom Waqf and authored books such as Hayat-e-Tayyib, a biography of Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi.

Badre Alam Merathi was a mid-twentieth-century hadith scholar and poet originally from Meerut, initially migrated to Pakistan and eventually settled in Medina. Best known as the interpreter of Anwar Shah Kashmiri's teachings, he was a disciple of both Kashmiri and Shabbir Ahmad Usmani. Educated at Mazahir Uloom and Darul Uloom Deoband, he taught at both institutions and Jamia Islamia Talimuddin. During his tenure at Jamia Islamia Talimuddin, he compiled Fayd al-Bari, a four-volume Arabic commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, published in Cairo with financial support from Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal, considered a masterpiece in hadith commentary. He was also associated with Nadwatul Musannifeen and authored Tarjuman al-Sunnah, a 4-volume hadith explanation designed for contemporary needs, widely acknowledged in academic circles. In his final years, he focused on teaching hadith in Prophet's Mosque, where many South Africans pledged allegiance to him, expanding his spiritual influence in South Africa.

References

  1. Ashraf, Saiyid Waheed (1965). A Critical Edition of the Lajaif-I-AshrafI Fi Bayan-I-Tawaif-I-Sufi (phd). Aligarh Muslim University.
  2. "The Political and Economic Thoughts of Hadrat Saiyed Ashraf Jahangir" in Indo-Iranica, The Quarterly Organ of the Iran Society, Volume 56, March, June, September and December 2003, Numbers 1 to 4. Iran Society, 12 Dr. M. Ishaque Road, Kolkata 700,016.
  3. Search results [ dead link ]
  4. "Hayat-e-Syed Ashraf Jahangir Samnani by Syed Waheed Ashraf Kachhauchhvi". Rekhta. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  5. "حیات مخدوم سید اشرف جہانگیر سمنانیؒ مکمل تحریر". Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 Mumbai Urdu News [ dead link ]
  7. "Rubai by Syed Waheed Ashraf Kachhauchhvi". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  8. "12 Nov 2023 - Page 5". Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  9. "رايزني فرهنگي ج .ا.ا - دهلي نو - اخبار > مجموعه رباعیات فارسی دکتر سید وحید اشرف منتشر شد". Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
  10. "Deewan-e-Fida". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  11. "Muqaddama-e-Rubai Rubai Par Char Maqale by Syed Waheed Ashraf Kachhauchhvi". Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  12. "نعت رنگ ۔شمارہ نمبر 14". نعت کائنات. 20 March 2017. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  13. "رباعیات "امیرخسرو"". Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  14. "Search - نورمگز".