Habib al Ulama Mufti Muhammad Habibullah Ashrafi Nayimi Bhagalpuri [13361395A.H/1917-1975C.E]
Habib al Ulama
Mufti Muhammad Habibullah Ashrafi Nayimi
Bhagalpuri
[13361395A.H/1917-1975C.E]
Umdat ul Muhaqqiqin, Shaykh ul Hadith Mufti Muhammad Habibullah Chishti Ashrafi Nayimi bin Shaykh Nur Muhammad was born in 1336A.H /1917 C.E at Bhagalpur, Bihar.
Habib ul Ulama belonged to a family of scholars, his elder brother Shaykh Abdul Jabbar Nayimi Ashrafi [1908-1992], his another brother Shaykh Muhammad Usman Ashrafi, his maternal uncle Shaykh Rahmat Ali, his Paternal Cousins Shaykh Mufti Muhammad Shahjahan Quadri Razvi [b.1924] and Shaykh Hafiz were all famous Scholars of India.
Islamic Education
Habib ul Ulama learnt Urdu under Shaykh Liyaqat Husayn Quadri and completed the recitation of the Holy Quran under the Imam of Jami Masjid Fatehpur Shaykh Hafiz Abdul Wahid and under his elder brother Shaykh Abdul Jabbar Nayimi Ashrafi.
He joined Madrasa Ashrafiya Nizamiya, Fatehpur in 1928 C.E, which was inaugurated by Shaykh Arif ul Rabbani Sayyid Ahmad Ashrafi Quadri Chishti Ashrafi Jilani [d.1347 A.H]
Here he got an opportunity to study under Ustad ul Ulama Azim Baksh bin Mawla Baksh [1888-1944 C.E] Whom Habib ul Ulama used to respect and love dearly.
Habib ul Ulama joined Jamiya Nayimiya, Muradabad in 1356A.H/ 1938C.E and studied Sharh al Jami to the last of the Sihah Sittah here under the following scholars.
Sadr ul Afazil Sayyid Nayimuddin Quadri Ashrafi Razvi Muradabadi [1882-1942 C.E]
Taj ul Ulama Mufti Muhammad Umar Quadri Ashrafi Nayimi [1893-1966 C.E]
Ajmal ul Ulama Mufti Muhammad Ajmal Quadri Razvi Nayimi.
Imam ul Ma’qulat Hafiz Wasi Ahmad Sahsarami.
Ustad ul Asatizah Muhammad Yunus Nayimi Ashrafi [1901-1973 C.E]
Habib ul Ulama studied Mishkat ul Masabih and Tafsir ul Jalalayn under Ustad ul Asatizah Mufti Muhammad Yunus Nayimi Ashrafi and Mukhtasar ul Ma’ani and Husami under Imam ul Ma’qulat Wasi Ahmad Sahsarami.
‘Sahih al Muslim’ , ‘Sunan al Tirmidhi’, ‘Sunan Abu Dawud’ , ‘Sunan Ibn Majah’ and ‘Sunan Nisai’ under Taj ul Ulama Mufti Umar Nayimi Ashrafi.
Sahih al Bukhari, Tafsir al Baizawi, Qazi Mubarak, Hamdulla, Sadra, Shams ul Bazagha, Sharh ul Aqayid, Khayali etc under Sadr ul Afazil Sayyid Nayimuddin Muradabadi
In 1360 A.H/ 1940 C.E, Habib ul Ulama graduated from Jamiya Nayimiya and was awarded the Sanad and Ijazah in a convocation ceremony which was attended by the following great scholars.
Malik ul Ulama Sayyid Muhammad Zafaruddin Quadri Razvi Bihari.
Muballigh ul A’zam Abdul Aleem Siddiqui Quadri Razvi Ashrafi
Mufti al A’zam Imam Mustafa Raza Khan Quadri Barkati Bareilvi
Makhdum al Millah Muhaddith al A’zam Sayyid Muhammad Ashrafi Kichochavi.
Shaykh Ahmad Husayn Ashrafi Sambhali.
Soon after graduating, he started teaching Hadith and Fiqh in Jamiya Nayimiya itself.
Among his classmates while studying at Jamiya Nayimiya were.
1. Ziya ul Ummah Pir Muhammad Karam Shah Quadri Chishti Nayimi Azhari, Founder Dar ul Ulum Ghawthiya, Sargodha.
2. Ustad ul Ulama Mufti Muhammad Husayn Nayimi Ashrafi, founder of Jamiya Nayimiya, Lahore.
3. Shaykh Riyaz ul Hasan Sambhali.
4. Shaykh Qari Muniruddin Nayimi.
He had intimate and close relations and friendship with.
Mujahid ul Dawran Sayyid Muzaffar Husayn Ashrafi Kichochawi.
Sayyid Fasihuddin Jaunpuri.
Shaykh Sayyid Ghulam Moinuddin Nayimi Ashrafi, Lahore.
Shaykh Athar Nayimi, Karachi
Shaykh Muhammad Jilani Siddiqui Quadri Meruthi, London. [The Eldest son of Muballiqh al A’zam Abdul Aleem Siddiqui Quadri Razvi]
In 1951 C.E, when Taj ul Ulama Mufti Muhammad Umar Nayimi migrated to Pakistan, Habib ul Ulama succeeded him as the Shaykh ul Hadith and grand Mufti of Jamiya Nayimiya.
In 1954 C.E, Habib ul Ulama was appointed the Sadr Mudarris [Principal] of Jamiya Nayimiya when a new committee was formed under Mufti al A’zam Imam Mustafa Raza Khan Quadri Bareilvi and Muhaddith al A’zam Muhammad Quadri Chishti Ashrafi Kichochavi.
Baiyah and Khilafah
Habib ul Ulama was the Disciple [Murid] of Sarkar e Kalan Mufti Sayyid Mukhtar Ashraf Chishti Ashrafi Jilani Kichochavi and had Khilafah in the same tariqa from him.
Seminars and Conferences
1. Habib ul Ulama attended the Banaras Sunni Conferences, 1946, along with Sadr ul Afazil Sayyid Nayimuddin Muradabadi.
2. He so took, part in the ‘Awqaf Conference’ in 1960 C.E on the request of Qayid al Ahl us Sunnah Rayis ul Qalam Ghulam Rashid Arshad ul Quadri [1925-2002]. Rayis ul Qalam told Habib ul Ulama that as we go from Bareily towards the capital of India, New Delhi, Jamiya Nayimiya, Muradabad is the Last Fort of Ahl us Sunnah, therefore it should be part of the delegation of Ahl us Sunnah scholars at the ‘Awqaf Conference’, at this view of Rayis ul Qalam, he readily accepted and asked Rayis ul Qalam to prepare for the conference as he would be bringing some students of Jamiya Nayimiya along with him.
3. Habib ul Ulama also took part in the Kanpur Sunni Conference and Siwan Conference.
Habib ul Fatawa
A compendium of 719 Fatwa of Habib ul Ulama has been published recently in One Volume by Faruqia Book Depot, New Delhi.
Habib ul Ulama under took the responsibility of Ifta of Jamiya Nayimiya after the following great scholars (i) Mufti Abdul Jalil Nayimi Razvi [1934-1989C.E], (ii)Mufti Abdul Jalil Nayimi Ashrafi- Shaykh ul Hadith, Jamiya Sufiya, Kichocha Sharif, Faizabad, (iii) Mufti Muhammad Ayyub Khan Nayimi Razvi, Sadr ul Mudarrisin, Jamiya Nayimiya.
Students
There are no less than 50 great Students of his who are presently spread in the Indian Subcontinent serving Islam. Shaykh Izhar Ashraf Ashrafi Jilani Kichochavi and Ghazi al Millah Sayyid Muhammad Hashmi Miyan Ashrafi Kichochavi are also his students.
Among others, his sons
(i) Mufakkir al Islam Shaykh Shahid Raza Nayimi Ashrafi, [London], (ii) Shaykh Dr. Rashid Ziya Ashrafi, (iii) Shaykh Farukh Ashrafi, (iv) Shaykh Ashraf Ziya Ashrafi, (v) Shaykh Hafiz Ma’rif Raza Ashrafi are also famous scholars.
Demise
Habib ul Ulama passed away in 1395 A.H / 1975 C.E at the age of 58 years. The Funeral prayer was led by Shaykh al A’zam Sayyid Izhar Ashraf Ashrafi Kichochavi
His Respect for Contemporary Scholars
Habib ul Ulama used to celebrate Urs al Nayimi with great enthusiasm, he used to frequently visit the Mazar [Shrine] of his teacher and Mentor Sadr ul Afazil Sayyid Nayimuddin Muradabadi. Habib ul Ulama used to love and respect even the children of Sadr ul Afazil’s family.
He used to visit Urs al Razvi at Bareily each year with a group of students. He didn’t leave these visits even in times of serious illnesses. Once Habib ul Ulama accompanied Mufti Muhammad Ayyub Khan Nayimi Razvi to Bareily to see Mufti al A’zam who was seriously ill and doctors advised him take complete bed rest. Habib ul Ulama stood beside the bed holding the Hand of Mufti al A’zam for a very long time, making Dua [praying] for his health.
Similarly Habib ul Ulama used to take and kiss the hands of Sayyid ul Ulama Barkati Marhervi , Sadr ul Ulama Meruthi and Mujahid al Millah Mufti Habib ur Rahman Quadri Razvi.
Habib ul Ulama was famous for his lectures on Sahih al Bukhari, Aqayid al Nasafi, and Siraji. While teaching Kitab ul Iman of Sahih al Bukhari and Aqayid al Nasafi he used to read out ‘Subhan us Subuh’ of Imam al Akbar Ahmad Raza Khan and explain the position of Ahl us Sunnah on ‘Imkan ul Kizb’ on part of Allah Almighty and the position of Wahhabiya Deobandiya regarding this Aqidah.
Compiled and Edited by
Basharath Ali Siddiqui Ashrafi
Ashrafiya Islamic Foundation
Hyderabad, India.
Source: Extracted from ‘Habib ul Fatawa’.