This is an early draft of a work by Mawlana Abu Zohra Rizwi, which I have translated and modestly supplemented. I welcome any feedback or critical observations, after which I intend to prepare it in PDF format. Looking forward, I want to set up a Medium or WordPress page to host such translations and provide accessible links for wider readership
In the religious, scholarly, juridical, and reformative services of al‑Imām Aḥmad Riḍā Khān, one beholds the very reflection of the pious predecessors [al-salaf al-ṣāliḥ]. Within the ranks of the revivers of the faith [mujaddidīn], there is to be found an astonishing resemblance and affinity between him and the illustrious Mujaddid Alf Thānī, al‑Shaykh Aḥmad al-Fārūqī al-Sirhindī. A striking unity and kinship are perceptible not only in their positions and dignities, but also in their very names and works, their affiliations and honorifics, their birth and passing, and even in their respective labours, achievements, and the enduring influence thereof. Both were prolific writers, whose monumental output was esteemed not only in their own era but also in subsequent centuries. Both adhered firmly to the Ḥanafī school of law, and both were deeply grounded in taṣawwuf – al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī in the Naqshbandī path, and al-Mujaddid al-Baraylawī in the Qādirī path. In time, both emerged as towering figures within their respective salāsil—with al‑Mujaddid al-Sirhindī giving rise to the Naqshbandī Mujaddidī lineage, and al-Mujaddid al-Baraylawī giving rise to the Qādirī Barakātī Riḍawī chain. Their writings frequently converged on similar themes, with al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī often citing al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī in his works, thereby affirming a spiritual and intellectual continuity across the centuries. Doctrinal and Missionary Parallels Dr. Muḥammad Masʿūd Aḥmad observes: In the message and teachings of al-ʿAllāmah Aḥmad Riḍā, one may hear the resounding echo of the great figure of the tenth Islamic century, Mujaddid Alf Thānī, al-Shaykh Aḥmad al-Sirhindī. Both placed emphatic stress upon the doctrine of Divine Unity [tawḥīd] and the ardent love and emulation of the Chosen Prophet ﷺ. Both dedicated themselves to the propagation of the creed and thought of the pious predecessors. Both confronted those who sought to sever the bond between the Shariah and the Ṭarīqah. Both waged, with pen and deed alike, a relentless jihād against the people of innovation and the sects of falsehood. Both pursued the insolent toward the Messenger ﷺ, the claimants to prophethood, and the enemies of the Companions and the noble Ahl al-Bayt. Both revived the doctrine of the Two-Nation Theory. Through the endeavours of mujaddid of Sirhind, an anti-Islamic regime met its end, and an Islam-friendly ruler emerged in the person of Sultan Aurangzeb. Through the efforts of the mujaddid of Bareilly, the Muslim nation ultimately attained an independent homeland. Both undertook the rectification of the elite and the common folk alike. Both had disciples who carried forth their mission, leaving an indelible and revolutionary imprint upon the Indian subcontinent. And both bequeathed to posterity works so profound that they surpass the comprehension of later generations. (Excerpt from Intikhāb Ḥadāʾiq-i-Bakhshish, by Dr. Muḥammad Masʿūd Aḥmad, p. 283) Historical and Biographical Coincidences Between these two august personages, one discerns not only intellectual and ideological harmony, nor merely a uniformity in their religious and national achievements, but also an extraordinary likeness in the breadth of their services and the magnitude of their influence. Beyond this, even in the realm of historical and circumstantial detail, a personal resemblance is manifest. For instance, consider the timing of their births and passings. It is related that on the very day al-Imām al-Aʿẓam Abū Ḥanīfah departed from this world, al-Imām al-Shāfiʿī was born. From this, one may perceive Divine intent – that the era of one mujtahid closes only for another to appear in the world – or that the emergence of the latter is to carry forward the monumental work of the former. Dates of Birth al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī was born on the 14th of Shawwāl; al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī was born on the 10th of Shawwāl. Both in the same blessed month, with dates close to one another. In their centuries, the temporal span was near identical: al-Mujaddid al‑Sirhindī in 971h and al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī in 1272h. Dates of Passing al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī departed on the 28th of Ṣafar; al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī on the 25th Ṣafar. Again, the same month, with only a slight difference in days. al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī passed in 1034h, al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī in 1340h. Geographical Strategy In terms of geography, the parallel becomes even more remarkable. Geography of Sirhind In the era of al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī, the regions of Thaner, Govindwal, Nagarkot, and Amritsar formed a kind of perimeter from which Hindu revivalist movements had arisen – culminating in the emergence of the heretical Dīn-i Ilāhī. By Divine wisdom, Sirhind – situated at the very heart of these locales – was chosen as the place of his birth, so that he might confront such heresies at their very source. Geography of Bareilly Likewise, in the age of al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī, the centres of Deoband, Qadiyan, Saharanpur, Aligarh, Nadwah (Lucknow), and Delhi had given rise to the tribulations of Wahabism, Deobandism, Qadiyanism, Naturalism [Naycharīyat], Anti-Taqlīdism, and Ṣulḥ-i Kullīyat. By the decree of Providence, his birthplace was appointed at Bareilly – strategically central to all these fronts – so that he might contend with every faction simultaneously. Spiritual Lineages and Symbolic Significance Names The name of al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī, Mujaddid Alf Thānī, was Aḥmad; the name of al‑Mujaddid al‑Baraylawī was also Aḥmad. Genealogy al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī’s noble genealogy traces back to the illustrious Companion, Amīr al-Muʾminīn, Sayyidunā ʿUmar al‑Fārūq. In parallel, al-Mujaddid al-Baraylawī’s lineage is reported to extend to the Companion, Sayyidunā Qays ʿAbd al‑Rashīd. Missions and Guides Since al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī was, in essence, divinely appointed to elucidate the creed of Divine Unity [tawḥīd], to affirm the eternity of Islām, and to unveil the verities of the Quran – the spiritual guide [shaykh-i ṭarīqat] granted to him bore in his own name the very Name of Allāh: Ḥaḍrat Khwājah Muḥammad Bāqī bi-Llāh. Conversely, since al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī was sent to champion the creed of Prophethood [risālah], to safeguard the Finality of Prophethood [khatm al-nubuwwah], his own spiritual guide bore in his name the word ‘Rasūl’ – namely, al-Sayyid ʿĀl-i Rasūl al-Mārahrawī. In other words, the Mujaddid appointed to guard tawḥīd was given ‘Bāqī bi-Llāh’ as his guide, and the Mujaddid destined to guard risālah was given ‘Āl-i-Rasūl’. Pseudonyms What a wondrous symmetry it is that the Mujaddid who defended the creed of Divine Unity chose for himself the honorific ʿAbd al‑Raḥmān, i.e., the Servant of the All-Merciful, while the Mujaddid who defended the creed of Prophethood chose ʿAbd al‑Muṣṭafā, i.e., the Servant of the Chosen One ﷺ. Expressions of Love Kaʿbah It was al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī who, in his Maktūbāt, expounded the spiritual truths and gnoses of the Reality of the Kaʿbah [ḥaqīqat al‑Kaʿbah] and the Divine Manifestation upon the Kaʿbah [tajallī al‑Kaʿbah] – subjects upon which, perhaps, no pen had been set before his. Rawḍah In parallel, al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī is seen extolling the superiority of the Rawḍah of the Messenger ﷺ and the sanctity of the radiant city of al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah. بخدا خدا کا یہی ہے در نہیں اور کوئی مفر مقر جو وہاں سے ہو یہیں آکے ہو جو یہاں نہیں تو وہاں نہیں ba-khudā khudā kā yahī hay dar, nahīñ awr ko’ī mafar maqar, jo wahāñ sey ho, yahīñ ākey ho; jo yahāñ nahīñ, to wahāñ nahīñ by god, this alone is the doorway unto god – there is no other refuge, no other abode; whosoever connects from there, arrives here, and whoso is not here, is not there. Testimonies of Their Masters Regarding al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī, his master, Khwājah Muḥammad Bāqī bi-Llāh, once declared: Miyān, al-Shaykh Aḥmad is the sun, and we are but stars – lost in his radiance. So great was the esteem of al-Sayyid Āl-i Rasūl al-Mārahrawī for al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī that he once declared: If, on the Day of Resurrection, God were to ask me, ‘Āl-i Rasūl! What have you brought Me from the world?’ I would present Aḥmad Riḍā. Protégés bringing people to Islam al-Mujaddid al-Sirhindī’s son Khwājah Muḥammad Maʿṣūm al‑Mujaddidī al-Sirhindī, had no fewer than 900,000 people pledge allegiance to him through bayʿah and seek forgiveness. al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī’s son al‑Mufti Muṣṭafā Riḍā Khān brought back to Islam no fewer than 900,000 apostatised individuals during the Shuddhi Movement, blessing them once again with the treasure of the kalimah. This stands as a testament to al‑Mujaddid al-Baraylawī’s keen understanding of the socio-economic challenges of his time, and to the monumental impact of his successors in safeguarding the faith of millions.
