Protection of Faith in the Gardens of Salvation

Description Attribute Details Title Protection of Faith in the Gardens of Salvation Format (A5) Hardback Type Book Publication Date 15th August 2023 Edition 1st Publisher Madinah Publishing Author Mohammad Nadir Raza Translator N/A Language English ISBN 9781399903486 Length (mm) Width (mm) Depth (mm) Weight (g) 450 Pages 222 Added to our catalogue   Synopsis – Protection of Faith in the Gardens of Salvation Imăm Ahmad Raza Khăn Qadiri (1856-1921 CE) of Bareilly, fondly referred to as Alā Hazrat (Grand Master) by his devotees, was a Mufti (Islamic jurist), ‘Alim (scholar), Sufi (mystic), Shir (poet) and master of many other disciplines who emerged as a central figure for the Ahl-e-Sunnat movement during British India. He played a pioneering role in countering the theological beliefs of other movements that emerged in this period from amongst the Muslims of India, including the Ahl-e-Hadith, Deobandi and Qadiyani movements. It is for this reason that he was regarded by his devotees as a mujaddid – a reviver of Isläm that emerges each century to purify the religion back to its most pristine state and preserve the religion against heresies. In western academia, Imăm Ahmad Raza’s historical significance has previously been explored scarcely and been limited to biographical accounts and references to a handful of his books and fatawa (legal verdicts). A focus on his role as a poet is almost non-existent. Imãm Ahmad Raza’s devotional poetry, found in the collection Hadaiq-e-Bakhshish (Gardens of Salvation), was an instrumental tool in launching his theological defence and disseminating what he considered as the true beliefs of Islam. This is the first study that focusses on Imam Ahmad Raza’s significance as a poet, the theological concepts found in his poetry and the role it played in defending against opposition from other religious movements in British India. It attempts to answer the question: What role did Imăm Ahmad Raza’s poetry play in a period where the Ahl-e-Sunnat’s theological beliefs were challenged by other reform movements in British India? Mohammad Nadir Raza is a doctoral researcher in Theology & Religion at Keble College, University of Oxford. His primary research interests lie in South Asian Islam with specific interests in the Ahl-e-Sunnat movement, the works of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan and Urdu Islamic poetry. Alongside academic study, he has undertaken traditional seminary Islamic learning with teachers in the north of England.   Table of Contents FOREWORD – Hafiz Dr. Ather Hussain al-Azhari ENDORSEMENTS I Mufti Asjad Raza Khan Qadiri (Bareilly al-Sharif, India) II Shaykh ‘Abdul Hādi Qadiri Ridawi (Durban, South Africa) III Shaykh Asrär Rashid (Birmingham, United Kingdom) AUTHOR’S PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION   INTRODUCTION Introduction to Imăm Ahmad Raza Khan Qadiri of Bareilly Poetry in South Asian Islam and Imam Ahmad Raza’s Prominence Structure of the Work and Use of Sources   CHAPTER ONE |THE DEVELOPMENT OF REFORMISM WITHIN SOUTH ASIAN ISLÀM 1.1 Rise and Fall of Muslim Strength in India 1.2 Onset of British Colonialism 1.3 Impact of Colonialism on Modernity and Reform 1.4 Origins of Reformism and the Rise of Puritanism in South Asian Islam 1.5 Influence of the Wahhabi Movement on
Reformist Thinking   CHAPTER TWO | IMÄM AHMAD RAZA, THE AHL-E-SUNNAT MOVEMENT AND THE EMERGENCE OF NEW REFORM MOVEMENTS 2.1 Imăm Ahmad Raza and His Role Within the Ahl-e-Sunnat Movement 2.2 Key Groups of Opposition to the Ahl-e-Sunnat’s
Theological Positions 2.3 Categorisation of Theological Disputes 2.4 Imăm Ahmad Raza’s View of the Other Reform
Movements   CHAPTER THREE | ON THE PRIMARY THEOLOGICAL DISPUTES 3.1 Prophet Muhammad se as the Seal of Prophethood (Khatm al-Nabuwwah) 3.2 The Possibility of Falsehood in Alläh’s a Speech (Imkan al-Kizb) 3.3 Prophet Muhammad sa Possessing Knowledge of the Unseen (Ilm al-Ghayb)   CHAPTER FOUR | ON THE SECONDARY THEOLOGICAL DISPUTES 4.1 Prophet Muhammad’s & Ability as an
Intercessor with Alläh s and a Source of Help
(Wasiläh) 4.2 Prophet Muhammad & Witnessing and
Observing the Matters of the World (Hadhir wa
Nazir) 4.3 Prophet Muhammad & Being Light and Human (Nur wa Bashar) CONCLUSION APPENDICES Appendix A: Bibliography Appendix B: Description of Imam Ahmad Raza’s Most Notable Works Appendix C: Imam Ahmad Raza’s Biographical Timeline of Key Events Appendix D: Dramatis Persona – Overview of Key Individuals in This Work Appendix E: Glossary of Key Non-English Vocabulary