09/08/2026
REMEMBERING: Imam Ahmad Rida Khan — The 14th Century Reviver of Islam, “Alahazrat”
Imām Aĥmad Riđā Khān al-Ĥanafī al-Māturīdī al-Qādirī al-Baraylawī was the Grand Mufti of India, the grandmaster of tafsīr, ĥadīth and fiqh, and the peerless Ĥanafī jurist of his time. Born in 1272 AH (1856 CE) in Bareilly, North India, he was authorized to issue fatwa at just fourteen years old — a competence acknowledged not only by his father but independently verified by senior scholars of his time.
Upon his second Ĥajj in 1323 AH, the scholars of Makkah and Madīnah were so struck by his erudition and his tireless efforts to safeguard Ahl as-Sunnah that they hailed him as the Mujaddid — the Reviver of the Religion — for the 14th Islamic century. The philosopher-poet Allamah Iqbal likened him to “the Abu Hanifah of his era.” He himself preferred the title Ábd al-Muşţafā — the slave of the Prophet ﷺ.
A life of scholarship. He mastered fifty-five branches of knowledge — from fiqh, ĥadīth, and Qur’anic sciences to logic, astronomy, trigonometry, and calligraphy — and authored over 600 works across 50 subjects, including his monumental 30-volume Fatāwā ar-Riđawiyyah and Kanz al-Īmān, his celebrated Urdu translation of the Qur’an.
A life of humility and generosity. Despite his stature, he lived simply — wearing plain clothes, eating modestly, and giving away whatever he had to the poor. Visitors often failed to recognize the unassuming man before them as the famous Alahazrat.
Everything he did was in the love of the Prophet ﷺ. He was immersed in this sublime love, and to this day he is identified by it. Insha’Allah, he will be raised on Judgement Day with his beloved ﷺ — for on that day, one shall be with those whom he loves. Some of his sayings:
“Concentrating on Allah Almighty after drifting in thoughts is Jihad al-Nafs (Striving in the way of Allah Almighty), and Jihad against the lower self is the great Jihad.”
“A spiritual shaykh who does not respect and follow the Sharī’ah is himself in darkness and totally incapable of illuminating someone else’s path or guiding them. Such people are disciples of Shaytan and the enemies of Islam.”
“By Allah! Were my heart split into two — one part will have inscribed لا اله إلا الله, and the other part محمد رسول الله.”
He passed away on Friday, 25th Şafar 1340 AH, as the call to Friday prayer sounded — “Come to success…” His final will urged his followers to hold fast to the light of the Prophet’s ﷺ love, to honor Allah’s friends, and to distance themselves, without hesitation, from anyone who disrespects the Messenger ﷺ.
My Pious Predecessors | My Morality | My Religion
Read | Reflect | Act | Forward
Wisaal — 25th Şafar Muzaffar
Al-Fatiha 📿🤲🏼