Luminaries of the Indian subcontinent and their contribution

Luminaries of the Indian subcontinent and their contribution

Over the last decade, al-Ḥamdulillāh, I have had the honour and privilege of writing about some of the luminaries of the Indian subcontinent and publishing their writings. Some of these writings are in the form of published books whereas other writings are in the form of articles published on our website. In a recent article on Mawlānā Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī (d. 1323/1905), I had originally included a list of these writings for ease of reference. My dear friend, Mawlānā Khalīl Aḥmad Kāzī (b. 1389/1970), who kindly proofread the article, suggested that I feature the list into a standalone article due to its length. The list is thus presented here as follows:

1. Shāh Ismāʿīl Shahīd (d. 1246/1831) and his book Taqwiyat al-Īmān. This is available on the following link: islamicportal.co.uk/taqwiyatul-iman-by-shah-ismail-shahid.
2. Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Ḥayy Laknawī’s (d. 1304/1886) view on the language of the Jumuʿah Khuṭbah. The translation of his position is available on the following link: islamicportal.co.uk/allamah-lakhnawis-view-on-the-language-of-jumuah-sermon.
3. Glimpse into the biography and views of Mawlānā Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī (d. 1323/1905). This is available on the following link: islamicportal.co.uk/glimpse-into-the-biography-and-views-of-mawlana-rashid-ahmad-gangohi.
4. The Farewell Advice of Shaykh al-Hind Mawlānā Maḥmūd Ḥasan Deobandī (d. 1339/1920). This is a transcript of an English speech at Madina Academy, Dewsbury which was subsequently published and printed. The book is available on the following link: islamicportal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-Farewell-advice-of-Shaykh-al-Hind-Mawlana-Mahmud-Hasan-Deobandi-speech-by-Dr-Mufti-Yusuf-Shabbir.pdf. Some aspects of Shaykh al-Hind’s life and in particular his imprisonment in Malta are also detailed in two of my travelogues of Malta, which are available on the Islamic Portal website and also published in my book 12 Countries in the Company of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (www.islamicportal.co.uk/new-book-12-countries-in-the-company-of-mufti-muhammad-taqi-usmani).
5. Some of the jurisprudential positions of ʿAllāmah Anwar Shāh Kashmīrī (d. 1352/1933) which are detailed in an Arabic article entitled Al-Ikhtiyārāt al-Fiqhiyyah li al-ʿAllāmah al-Kashmīrī Raḥimahullāhu Taʿālā. This article was written for a seminar on ʿAllāmah Kashmīrī held in Darul Uloom Deoband (Waqf) in December 2025 and will be published soon.
6. 100 Discourses of Ḥakīm al-Ummah Mawlānā Ashraf ʿAlī Thānawī (d. 1362/1943). This English article was published online in 2017 islamicportal.co.uk/100-discourses-of-shaykh-ashraf-ali-thanawi and is currently being printed in book form alongside a brief profile of Ḥakīm al-Ummah.
7. An amazing book on Shaykh al-Islām Mawlānā Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madanī (d. 1377/1957). This English article and book review was published online islamicportal.co.uk/an-amazing-book-on-shaykh-al-islam-mawlana-husayn-ahmad-madani featuring some invaluable gems. The article also has a brief but useful section on Mufti Kifāyatullāh Dehlawī (d. 1372/1952) who deserves a standalone article.
8. Shaykh al-Islām Mawlānā Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madanī kī Ḥayāt key Chand Tābnāk Pehlū (Some radiant aspects from the life of Shaykh al-Islām Mawlānā Ḥusayn Aḥmad Madanī). This is a transcript of an Urdu talk by his son, Sayyid Mawlānā Arshad Madanī (b. 1360/1941) delivered at Darul Uloom Blackburn, in March 2024. The transcript was published by Madina Academy, Dewsbury and is available online: islamicportal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Life-of-Mawlana-Husayn-Ahmad-Madani-by-Mawlana-Arshad-Madni-Urdu.pdf.
9. Short profile of Mawlānā Muḥammad Badr ʿĀlam Mīrtī (d. 1385/1965). This was published online: islamicportal.co.uk/profile-of-mawlana-muhammad-badr-alam-mirti.
10. Hadiyyat al-Mahdiyyīn fī Āyat Khātam al-Nabiyyīn by Mufti Muḥammad Shafīʿ (d. 1396/1976). This Arabic book on the important subject of the finality of prophethood was published several decades ago from Pakistan. However, it was not known to most scholars and contained many typing errors. Al-Ḥamdulillāh, the book is now published from Beirut by Ismaeel Books, alongside my Arabic treatise Ṣifat al-Ṣafwah fī Khatm al-Nubuwwah.
11. A-Khilāf am Shiqāq by Mufti Muḥammad Shafīʿ. This short but invaluable Arabic booklet on the topic of disunity was published many years ago from Pakistan. I have recently worked on this and Inshāʾ Allah it will be published from Beirut soon.
12. Mufti Maḥmūd Ḥasan Gangohī’s (d. 1417/1996) valuable advice for teachers. This English article is available online: islamicportal.co.uk/mufti-mahmud-hasan-gangohis-valuable-advice-for-teachers.
13. More than ten articles in Arabic, Urdu and English featuring discourses and views of Muḥaddith al-ʿAṣr Shaykh Muḥammad Yūnus Jownpūrī (d. 1438/2017). Many of these are available online, refer to: islamicportal.co.uk/discourses-of-muhaddithul-asr-shaykh-yunus-jownpuri. Some Arabic and Urdu articles are also published in Nibrās al-Sārī fī Riyāḍ al-Bukhārī and other books.
14. Ḥaḍrat ʿAllāmah Dr Khālid Maḥmūd Raḥimahullāh key Sāth Bītey Huwey Kuch Lamaḥāt (Some moments with Dr ʿAllāmah Khālid Maḥmūd (d. 1441/2020) Raḥimahullāh). This Urdu book was published by Madina Academy, Dewsbury and is available online: islamicportal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Some-gatherings-with-Allamah-Dr-Khalid-Mahmud-by-Mufti-Yusuf-Shabbir-Urdu.pdf.   
15. Sayyid Mawlānā Arshad Madanī’s (b. 1360/1941) UK visit in March 2024. This English article is available online: islamicportal.co.uk/sayyid-mawlana-arshad-madanis-uk-visit-march-2024.
16. Various articles featuring discourses of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (b. 1362/1943) and travelogues are available online and also published in book format as mentioned above.
17. Book Foreword: A Biography of Barakat al-ʿAṣr Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Hashim Patel Ṣāḥib (b. 1363/1944). This English article is available online: islamicportal.co.uk/book-foreword-a-biography-of-hadrat-mawlana-hashim-patel-sahib.
18. A Memorable Week with Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Mufti Raḍāul Ḥaq (b. 1369/1950) in the UK and Barbados. This English travelogue is available online: islamicportal.co.uk/a-memorable-week-with-mufti-radaul-haq-in-the-uk-and-barbados.
19. Few days in Morocco with Mufti Raḍāul Ḥaq (May 2026). This English travelogue is available online: islamicportal.co.uk/few-days-in-morocco-with-mufti-radaul-haq-may-2026.
20. Obituaries in English that are published online, of various luminaries including:
    • Mawlānā ʿUmarjī (d. 1435/2014).
    • Mawlānā Muḥammad Yūnus Jownpūrī (d. 1438/2017).
    • Mawlānā Muḥammad Dīdāt (d. 1439/2018).
    • Mawlānā ʿAbdullāh Kāpodrawī (d. 1439/2018).
    • Qārī Ayyūb Maẓāhirī (d. 1440/2019).
    • Mawlānā Yūsuf Motālā (d. 1441/2019).
    • ʿAllāmah Khālid Maḥmūd (d. 1441/2020).
    • Mufti Saʿīd Aḥmad Pālanpūrī (d. 1441/2020).
    • Mawlānā Muḥammad Salmān Maẓāhirī (d. 1441/2020).
    • Mawlānā Muḥammad Ṭāhā Kārān (d. 1442/2021).
    • Mawlānā Yaʿqūb Munshī Kāwī (d. 1444/2022).
    • Mawlānā ʿAlī Māyat (d. 1444/2022).
    • Mawlānā Junaid ʿAbd al-Rashīd Mūsā (d. 1444/2023) of Malawi.
    • Mawlānā Muḥammad ʿĀqil Maẓāhirī (d. 1446/2025).
    • Mawlānā Gulām Muḥammad Wastānwī (d. 1446/2025).
    • Mawlānā Muḥammad Sulṭān Zawq Nadwī (d. 1446/2025).
    • Mufti Mūsā Badāt (d. 1447/2025).
21. Detailed profiles in Arabic of my respected father Mufti Shabbīr Aḥmad (b. 1376/1957) (islamicportal.co.uk/profile-of-mufti-shabbir-ahmed) and my respected teacher Mufti Muḥammad Ṭāhir Wādī (b. 1376/1957). They have been published in the Arabic book Aʿlām al-Sādah al-Ḥanafiyyah fī Shibh al-Qārah al-Hindiyyah by my dear friend and learned scholar of Bangladesh, Mawlānā Ḥifẓurraḥman Kumillāʾī.
22. Brief profiles of Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (b. 1362/1943) (islamicportal.co.uk/profile-of-mufti-muhammad-taqi-usmani-arabic) and Mufti Aḥmad Khānpūrī (b. 1365/1946) (www.islamicportal.co.uk/profile-of-mufti-ahmed-khanpuri).
23. Maktūbāt -e- Mashāyikh, a collection of Urdu letters written by senior scholars to my respected father Mufti Shabbīr Aḥmad. This book was published by Madina Academy, Dewsbury and is available on the following link: islamicportal.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Maktubat-Mashayikh-Letters-of-elders-to-Mufti-Shabbir-Ahmad-second-edition.pdf.
24. Discourses of senior scholars. This is a collection of discourses and statements of various scholars. The online version (islamicportal.co.uk/discourses-of-senior-scholars) is out of date. An up to date and much more detailed version will be published online soon Inshāʾ Allah.
25. Travelogues featuring details of travels to different countries in the company of Sayyid Mawlānā Arshad Madanī (b. 1360/1941), Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani (b. 1362/1943), Mufti Aḥmad Khānpūrī (b. 1365/1946), Mufti Raḍāul Ḥaq (b. 1369/1950), Mufti Shabbīr Aḥmad (b. 1376/1957) and others. Most of these travelogues are published on the Islamic Portal website and some have been published in book form as mentioned above.

In addition to this, many of our published Fatwas, research papers and books feature the views and statements of many luminaries including Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥaq Muḥaddith Dehlawī (d. 1052/1642), Shāh Walīyullāh Muḥaddith Dehlawī (d. 1176/1762), Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Ḥayy Laknawī (d. 1304/1886), Mawlānā Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī (d. 1323/1905), Mawlānā Khalīl Aḥmad Saharanpūrī (d. 1346/1927), ʿAllāmah Anwar Shāh Kashmīrī (d. 1352/1933), Mawlānā Ashraf ʿAlī Thānawī (d. 1362/1943), ʿAllāmah Shabbīr Aḥmad ʿUthmānī (d. 1369/1949), Mufti Kifāyatullāh Dehlawī (d. 1372/1952), Mawlānā Ẓafar Aḥmad ʿUthmānī (d. 1394/1974), Mufti Muḥammad Shafīʿ (d. 1396/1976), Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Mawlānā Muḥammad Zakariyyā (d. 1402/1982), Mufti Maḥmūd Ḥasan Gangohī (d. 1417/1996), Mufti ʿAbd al-Raḥim Lājpūrī (d. 1422/2001), Mufti Rashīd Aḥmad Ludyānwī (d. 1422/2002) and others.

May Allah Almighty grant these luminaries and all our pious predecessors an abode in the highest stations of Paradise and grant us the ability to appreciate their contribution and follow in their footsteps. Āmīn.

Yusuf Shabbir

17 Dhū al-Qaʿdah 1447 / 5 May 2026

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