Muhammad Idris Kandhlawi

Muhammad Idris Kandhlawi was a prominent Pakistani Sunni scholar who lived during the mid-twentieth century. He contributed extensively to Islamic studies through his expertise in hadith, Quranic studies, theology, and Islamic jurisprudence. As a respected teacher and writer, he held prestigious academic titles including Sheikh al-Hadith and Sheikh al-Tafsir.

Early life and education

Kandhlawi was born on 20 August 1899 in Bhopal, which served as the capital of the princely Bhopal State. He was the son of Maulana Muhammad Ismail Kandhlawi, an Islamic scholar who previously worked for the State's Forest Department. The family maintained a strong religious tradition where even the women knew the Qur'an by heart. Following this custom, Kandhlawi memorized the Qur'an with his father when he was nine years old.

His formal religious education began at Khanqah Imdadiyah Ashrafiyah in Thana Bhawan under the guidance of Ashraf Ali Thanwi. He completed his primary studies in the Dars-i Nizami curriculum alongside Maulana Abdullah Gangohi. To pursue advanced training, he moved to Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur to study under Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri. His teachers at this institution included Maulana Sabit Ali and Maulana Zafar Ahmad Usmani. He received his sanad-i faraghat at the age of 19 after completing the dawrah of hadith.

Kandhlawi later sought further specialization by completing a second dawrah of hadith at Darul Uloom Deoband. During this period, he studied under several notable scholars such as Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri and Allamah Shabbir Ahmad Usmani. His classmates included Muhammad Shafi and Qari Muhammad Tayyib. These academic foundations prepared him for a lifelong career in religious instruction.

Career

The professional journey of Kandhlawi began in 1921 at Madrasah Aminiyah in Delhi. He held this teaching post for one year before receiving an invitation from the leadership at Darul Uloom Deoband. He joined the Deoband faculty in 1922 and taught subjects including Hanafi fiqh and Arabic literature. Later, he was assigned to teach the hadith collection Mishkat al-Masabih and Tafsir al-Jalalayn. He remained at this institution for nine years until disagreements with the leadership led to his departure.

In 1929, he moved to Hyderabad State to take up a new position. This period lasted approximately nine years and provided him with access to the Asafia Library. While residing there, he utilized rare manuscripts to produce Al-Taleeq al-Sabeeh, which is a five-volume Arabic commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih. The first four volumes of this work were published in Damascus. He also engaged in teaching the hadith collection several times during his tenure in Hyderabad.

Kandhlawi returned to Darul Uloom Deoband in 1939 to serve as Shaykh at-Tafsir. After a period of service at Jamia Abbasiyah Bahawalpur between 1949 and 1951, he moved to Lahore. From 1951 until his death in 1974, he held the position of Sheikh al-Hadith wat-Tafsir at Jamia Ashrafia. He also served as the Chancellor of Islamia University of Bahawalpur during its time as Jamia Abbasia.

His literary output was vast and included over a hundred works. He authored Maarif al-Quran, an eight-volume commentary on the Qur'an that utilized the methodology of Bayan al-Quran. He also wrote Seerat-e Mustafa, a biography of Muhammad written in Urdu. The first three volumes were printed in 1941, while the final supplementary volume was published in Deoband in 1966. Additionally, he composed various works intended to refute Christianity and Qadianism.

Personal life

Kandhlawi identified himself through a complex lineage that connected him to significant historical figures. He traced his paternal ancestry to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and his maternal lineage to Umar ibn Khattab. Because of these connections, he referred to himself as both Siddiqi and Faruqi. He was born in Bhopal, which earned him the designation "al-Bawfali."

His spiritual disposition was rooted in the Chishtiyah Sabiriyah order, which incorporates the Naqshbandiyah Mujaddidiyah. He adhered to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence throughout his life. Following the partition of India, he migrated to Pakistan to continue his work. During his time in Hyderabad, he reportedly lived across from Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall and engaged him in conversations regarding Islam.