Abdul Rasheed Nomani

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Abdul Rasheed Nomani
عبد الرشيد نعماني
Black & white personal image
Personal details
BornMuhammad Abdul Rasheed
(1915-09-28)28 September 1915
Jaipur, Rajasthan
Died12 August 1999(1999-08-12) (aged 83)
Karachi, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani (1947 – 1999)
Children4
Alma mater
ProfessionProfessor, Writer
Main interest(s)Hadith studies, Abu Hanifa
Notable work(s)Lughat al-Quran
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
MovementDeobandi
Senior posting
TeacherHaydar Hasan Khan Tonki
Ijazah in hadith from:
Students

Abdul Rasheed Nomani (28 September 1915 – 12 August 1999) was a 20th-century Pakistani Islamic scholar known for his expertise in the classical sciences of hadith and Islamic jurisprudence. The surname 'Nomani' was adopted to reflect his affection for the Hanafi school, rooted in the lineage of Abu Hanifa. His scholarship primarily focused on the history of Hadith compilation and its terminology, as well as the defense of Abu Hanifa's positions, an approach that drew criticism from some who labeled him a Hanafi fanatic. He began his career as a member of Nadwatul Musannifeen, and following the partition of India, he migrated to Pakistan, where he taught at institutions such as Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia and Islamia University of Bahawalpur. At the same time, he served as the founding editor-in-chief of periodicals published by these institutions, including Bayyināt. Nomani published his research in both Urdu and Arabic, advancing the view that Abu Hanifa was the first to organize Hadith within a juristic framework. Two of his works, focusing on Abu Hanifa and Sunan ibn Majah, were edited by Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda and published in the Arab world. Some scholars have described him as Khātam al-Muḥaddithīn, or the last of the hadith scholars of the Indian subcontinent.

Formative years

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Muhammad Abdul Rasheed was born on 28 September 1915 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, British India, to Munshi Abdur Rahim.[1] At the age of four, he began learning the Quran from his uncle, Abdul Karim, and studied elementary Persian texts with his father. After completing basic lessons at Madrasa Anwar-e-Muhammadi, he enrolled at Madrasa Talimul Islam near Ajmeri Gate, where he studied advanced Persian works under Munshi Irshad Ali Khan, Munshi Sattar Ali Khan, Munshi Abdul Qayyum Nateq, and Munshi Saeed Husain. Under Qadir Bakhsh Badauni, he completed the curriculum from Mizan al-Sarf to Mishkat al-Masabih in less than five years (1928–1932) and studied portions of Sahih al-Bukhari, while also engaging with the writings of Abd al-Hayy al-Lucknawi and al-Dhahabi's Mizan al-Itidal.[2] In 1934, he entered Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama,[1] where he studied for two years under Haydar Hasan Khan Tonki, then the Sheikh al-Hadith of the institution, from whom he learned Sahih al-Bukhari, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, and the Muqaddima of Sahih Muslim.[2] He also received degrees in Islamic studies, Persian, and Arabic from University of the Punjab.[3]

Haydar Hasan Khan Tonki, a disciple of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki, also became his Sufi guide, and Nomani pledged allegiance (bay'a) to him shortly after their meeting.[2] Alongside him, Nomani received spiritual authorizations from Zakariyya Kandhlawi, Abdul Qadir Raipuri, and Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi.[4] He attended gatherings of leading scholars and Sufis, including Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Hussain Ahmad Madani, and Asghar Hussain Deobandi, and completed Sufi training during a year and a half spent with Ilyas Kandhlawi and his son, Yusuf Kandhlawi.[5] At the direction of Haydar Hasan, Nomani moved to southern Hyderabad, where he collaborated with Mahmud Hasan Tonki for four years in compiling and editing the bibliographical work Mu'jam al-Musannifin.[2] He also received ijazat (authorizations) in hadith from a number of scholars, including Abul Wafa al-Afghani, Zakariyya Kandhlawi, Yusuf Banuri, Habibur Rahman Azami, Abd al-Aziz al-Ghumari, and Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda.[4] While his intellectual orientation carried traces of Nadwatul Ulama, Nomani developed an independent scholarly identity, choosing not to identify himself with Nadwi but rather as 'Nomani.' Nevertheless, among the major intellectual currents of the Indian subcontinent, his closest associations were with figures linked to the Deobandi tradition.[5]

Career

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From 1942 to 1947, Nomani was a member of the Nadwatul Musannifeen in Delhi.[2] In 1948, under the supervision of Abul Wafa al-Afghani and with the support of his associates, a committee was established for the revival of Nomani sciences, early texts of the Hanafi school, called Lajnat-u-Ihya al-Ma'ārif an-No'maniyyah. The committee's objectives were to preserve the heritage of Hanafi jurist scholars and to publish the works of early jurists and mujtahid scholars. Nomani was a founding member of this committee.[6]

After the Partition of India, he migrated to Pakistan and taught for two years at Darul Uloom al-Islamiyya in Tando Allahyar, covering advanced texts in fiqh, usul, and hadith sciences. In 1955, upon his resignation, Yusuf Banuri invited him to Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia in Karachi, where he taught hadith, fiqh, and usul until 1963. During this period, he initiated the publication of the monthly magazine Bayyināt and served as its editor-in-chief for nearly a year.[2]

In 1963, with the establishment of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Nomani joined the institution, serving first as deputy head of the Hadith Department and later as head of the Tafsir Department until 1976.[2] He also served as editor-in-chief of the university's Jamia al-Islamia Magazine.[7] Returning to Karachi in 1976, he assumed responsibilities as a member of the Majlis al-Da'wah wa al-Tahqiq al-Islami and as overseer of higher research and educational departments. He continued in these roles until 1992, when he retired due to age-related infirmity. During his tenure at Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, he supervised and reviewed the theses of all students completing studies in the Hadith and Fiqh departments.[2]

In 1409 A.H., following the death of Ziya al-Hasan, Sheikh al-Hadith of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Nomani was invited to teach temporarily and assumed responsibility for Sahih al-Bukhari. His teaching closely followed the methods of his teacher, Haydar Hasan.[8] From 1412 A.H. until his death, Nomani resided in the staff quarters of University of Karachi at his son Abdul Shahid Nomani's residence, while continuing to teach Sahih al-Bukhari and Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar at Ayesha Siddiqah Madrasa.[2] He also conducted weekly study circles every Thursday after Asr at his mosque in Karachi University, covering hadith terminology, the history of hadith compilation, and related topics.[7]

Nomani served as a member of the Board of Honor Trustees of the Higher Scientific Assembly for Islamic and Arabic Sciences in Damascus and the Islamic Dawah and Research Council in Karachi.[9] Over more than fifty years of teaching, he trained thousands of students. Among his students were his brother Abdul Haleem Chishti, Habibullah Mukhtar, Abdur Razzaq Iskander, Hifzur Rahman, and Muhammad Abdul Malek.[10]

Defending hanafism

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Nomani's writings demonstrate an independent scholarly approach. Rather than merely compiling or transmitting the views of others, he incorporated his own juristic reasoning, critical assessments, and original research.[11] His works, which include critical editions, introductions, and essays, cover a wide range of fields, particularly the history of hadith compilation and its terminology, Quranic vocabulary, the defense of Abu Hanifa and his companions, refutations of Nasibi positions, and the defense of the Ahl al-Bayt.[12] Ahmad Reza Bijnori, a student of Anwar Shah Kashmiri, compared his method of verification and critique to that of al‑Kawthari.[5] Among his most debated arguments was his rejection of the view that Abu Hanifa did not compile a hadith collection. He maintained that Abu Hanifa produced an independent work, but because it was transmitted under the names of his students—particularly Muhammad al-Shaybani, who introduced additions—the book later became associated with them rather than its original author. The absence of manuscripts explicitly attributed to Abu Hanifa reinforced this shift, yet Nomani concluded, on the basis of research, that Abu Hanifa was the first to compile hadith in a juristic framework.[11] Malek later noted that Nomani was the first to advance this claim through systematic investigation.[2]

A distinctive aspect of Nomani's scholarship was his engagement with hadith in the Hanafi tradition. He studied the musnads and works attributed to Abu Hanifa and highlighted the role of Hanafi scholars in hadith sciences. He argued that criticisms of Hanafi narrators in rijal literature should be approached with caution and that the methodological principles of the Hanafi school in hadith should be considered. He further maintained that certain views of Ibn al-Salah and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani warranted closer examination.[13] His strong defense of Hanafi scholarship led some contemporaries to label him a fanatic in favor of Hanafism, most notably Al-Albani.[1] However, his students responded that Nomani's positions were not based on blind sectarian loyalty but on research, verification, and evidence.[13]

Nomani also engaged with methodological debates about continuity in hadith transmission. He explained Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj's position that if two narrators were contemporaries and the possibility of meeting existed, their narrations could be regarded as connected without requiring proof of an actual encounter. In contrast, Muhammad al-Bukhari held that such narrations required evidence of at least one meeting.[14] Nomani interpreted Muslim's view as treating contemporaneity as sufficient, and on this basis, he classified Abu Hanifa as a Tabi', since he lived during the time of several Companions.[14] He also criticized Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Ibn al-Jawzi, and Ibn Abi Shaybah for their unfavorable assessments of Abu Hanifa, questioning the grounds of their judgments.[15]

In his biographical studies, Nomani considered Masud ibn Shaybah al-Hanafi a respected scholar and cited Hanafi historians who referred to him as an imam.[16] He defended Masud's reliability and rejected the criticism of Ibn Hajar, who had classified him as 'unknown' on the basis that his teachers and students were unidentified, that his transmission chain was unclear, and that his book al-Ta'lim allegedly contained disparaging remarks about Malik, Al-Shafi'i, and even the Prophets. Nomani argued that Ibn Hajar's judgment was shaped by bias, pointing out that other historians, including Ibn Daqiq, Al-Maqrizi, al-Ayni, and Ibn Tulun, all recognized Masud ibn Shaybah as a known and respected figure.[17]

Publications

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Nomani authored sixteen books in Urdu and Arabic and wrote more than seventy articles, many of which appeared in Bayyināt and Burhan.[18][2] His writings often engaged with contemporary debates, including responses to figures such as Ghulam Ahmed Perwez.[1] Two of his works were later edited and published by Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda in the Arab world.[18]

Among his books, Ma Tamassu ilayhi al-Hajah li-man yutali Sunan Ibn Majah is identified as a key work. Written in Arabic, it examines the development of hadith scholarship and the compilation of Sunan ibn Majah.[19] First published in 1953, it was reissued in 1999 in Beirut under the title al-Imam Ibn Majah wa kitabuhus-Sunan.[20] An Urdu version, Imam Ibn-i Majah aur Ilm-i Hadis (Karachi, 1956), was prepared separately for Urdu readers.[21] In correspondence, Abul Wafa al-Afghani noted that the book includes numerous discussions not found even in the works of earlier scholars such as al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar.[2]

Another study, Makanat al-Imam Abi Hanifa fi al-Hadith, discusses Abu Hanifa's role and status in hadith scholarship. Portions of the work were first printed with al-Suyuti's Tabyid al-sahifa (Karachi, 1990) before the complete edition appeared in Beirut in 1996, later translated into Turkish.[1] Earlier versions of the study had been published in journals including Al−Dirasat Al−Islamiyyah (International Islamic University, 1409 AH), Al-Baas El-Islami (Lucknow, 1411 AH), and by Idarat al-Quran wal-Ulum al-Islamiyya (1412 AH).[22] With revisions and additions, it was reissued in Beirut in 1416 AH. The text surveys assessments of Abu Hanifa's position by a range of later scholars, including Abu Dawud al-Sijistani, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Ibn al-Nadim, and al-Dhahabi.[22]

Nomani also prepared several specialized works on hadith criticism and commentary. These include Tabsira bar al-Madkhal fi usul al-hadith lil-Hakim al-Nisaburi, a critical analysis first published in Burhan (Delhi); al-Taqibat ala al-Dirasat, a critique of Muhammad Muin al-Tattawi's Dirasat al-Labib; and al-Taliqat ala Dhabb dhubabat al-Dirasat, a set of notes on Abd al-Latif al-Tattawi's response to Muin al-Tattawi. He also published al-Taliq al-qawim ala Muqaddimat Kitab al-Talim, an edition of Masud ibn Shaybah al-Hanafi's treatise on Abu Hanifa with introduction and annotations, and Fath al-Aazz al-Akram li-takhrij al-Hizb al-azam (Karachi, 1980), which traces the hadith sources of Ali al-Qari's devotional compilation al-Hizb al-azam wal-wird al-afkham.[1]

In the field of Quranic studies, he wrote Lughat al-Quran, a dictionary in Urdu that evaluates the derivations and explanations of Quranic words in relation to disciplines such as tafsir, fiqh, history, and kalam.[23] Nomani prepared the first four volumes, while the remaining two were completed by Abdul Daim al-Jalali.[24] He also authored several treatises in Urdu addressing Nasibi perspectives in Pakistan, including Yazid ki Shakhsiyyat Ahl-i Sunnat ki Nazar me (Karachi, 1982), Shuhada-i Karbala par Iftira (Karachi, 1988), Akabir-i Sahaba par Buhtan (Karachi, 1988), Nasibiyyat Tahqiq ke Bahis me (Karachi, 1962), Nasibi Sazish (Karachi, 1984), and Hazrat-i Ali or Qisas-i Uthman (Karachi, 1998).[1] His unfinished or unpublished works include Ma Khalafa fihi Abu Hanifa Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, Tartib Kitab al-Athar bi-riwayat Muhammad ala'l-masanid, Rijal Kitab al-Athar riwayat Muhammad, Rijal Jami' al-masanid, and Tarjama Kitab al-Athar.[1]

Death

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Nomani died on 12 August 1999 in Karachi, Pakistan.[25] His funeral prayer was led by his brother, Abdul Haleem Chishti, and he was interred at the Karachi University cemetery.[25] Nomani married in 1940 and had four children, including two daughters. His elder son died during childhood, while his younger son, Abdul Shahid Nomani, later served as the head of the Arabic Department at University of Karachi.[5] Some scholars have described Nomani as the Khātam al-Muḥaddithīn, meaning 'the last of the hadith scholars' of the Indian subcontinent.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Özşenel, Mehmet (1988–2016). "NU'MÂNÎ, Muhammed Abdürreşîd". TDV Encyclopedia of Islam (44+2 vols.) (in Turkish). Istanbul: Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, Centre for Islamic Studies.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Abdul Malek, Muhammad (2017). "Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Abdur Rashid Nomani Rh". Monthly Alkawsar. 13 (6). Archived from the original on 6 February 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  3. ^ Ahmed, Sardar; Ullah, Syed Hayat; Ahmed, Khalil (2022). "Muhammad Abdul Rasheed Nomani And His Educational Efforts". International Journal of Islamic Business, Administration and Social Sciences (in Arabic). 2 (3): 32. ISSN 2788-4325. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b Özşenel, Mehmet (2004). "Obituary: Muhammed Abdürreşîd en-Nu'mânî" (PDF). Journal of Hadith Studies. 2 (1): 228. ISSN 1304-3617.
  5. ^ a b c d Özşenel 2004, p. 229.
  6. ^ Ahmed, Ullah & Ahmed 2022, p. 40.
  7. ^ a b Ahmed, Ullah & Ahmed 2022, p. 39.
  8. ^ Kamal, Mohd Arif (2020). Ulema e Hind ki Bisween Sadi Nisf Awwal mein Khidmat e Hadith Tanquidi Mutala (PhD) (in Urdu). India: Department of Sunni Theology, Aligarh Muslim University. p. 242. hdl:10603/364940. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  9. ^ Ahmed, Ullah & Ahmed 2022, p. 41.
  10. ^ Özşenel 2004, p. 226.
  11. ^ a b Yusuf 2021, p. 19.
  12. ^ Ullah, Syed Hayat; Ahmed, Sardar; Ahmed, Khalil (2022). "Sheikh Nomani And His Approach To The Languages Of The Quran". International Journal of Islamic Business, Administration and Social Sciences (in Arabic). 2 (1): 19. ISSN 2788-4325. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  13. ^ a b Özşenel 2004, p. 227.
  14. ^ a b Yusuf 2021, p. 21.
  15. ^ Yusuf, Ikramullah Khan (2021). "Maulana Abdur Rasheed Nau'mani And The Originality Of His Research Contributions In Ilm Al-hadith (Hadith Sciences)". The International Research Journal of Usooluddin (in Urdu). 5 (1): 24. ISSN 2664-4940.
  16. ^ Yusuf 2021, p. 25.
  17. ^ Yusuf 2021, p. 26–27.
  18. ^ a b Kamal 2020, p. 244.
  19. ^ Khatoon, Aaisha (2017). Aazadi ke Baad Hindustan ki Khidmaat e Hadith (PhD) (in Urdu). India: Department of Sunni Theology, Aligarh Muslim University. p. 143. hdl:10603/364027. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  20. ^ Özşenel 2004, p. 228.
  21. ^ Ahmad, Muhammad; Chisht, Ali Asghar (2021). "Contribution of the Sindhi Scholars to the Hadith Sciences: A Study of Mawlana Abdur Rasheed Numani". Al Khadim Research Journal of Islamic Culture and Civilization (in Urdu). 2 (3): 172. doi:10.53575/arjicc.v2.03(21)u12.168-181. ISSN 2710-0235. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  22. ^ a b Ahmad & Chisht 2021, p. 173.
  23. ^ Ali, Hashem (2025). "The Development of Arabic Lexicography in the 20th Century Indian Subcontinent" (PDF). The Faculty Journal of Arts, University of Rajshahi. 38 (2024): 75. ISSN 1813-0402. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  24. ^ Khan, Abdul Waris (1999). Islāmi Uloom mai Nadwatul Musannifeen ki Khidmāt: Ek mutāla [The contribution of Nadwatul Musannifeen in Islamic studies: A study] (in Urdu). New Delhi: Islamic Book Foundation. p. 47. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  25. ^ a b Ahmed, Ullah & Ahmed 2022, p. 42.
  26. ^ Özşenel 2004, p. 225.
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