The great scholar and well known Sufi, Abul Hasan Zayd Ibn Abi al-Khayr Abdullah bin Umar Ibn Ahmad Saeed Ibn Abi Saeed al-Mujaddidi al-Faruqi was born in the city of Delhi, India on the 25th of Ramadan in the year 1324 Hijri/1906.
His lineage extends back to Imam al-Rabbani Shaykh Ahmad al-Faruqi al-Sirhindi (Allah have mercy on him) by means of 9 ancestors.
He was raised in an environment of knowledge and deep spirituality. He began his studies with Shaykh Muhammad Umar and Mulla Amanullah, and studied with him the books of sarf and nahw up to the Kafiyah of Ibn al-Hajib. He read some works such as Nahw Mir and al-Kafiyah with his father.
He then joined the Madrasa Mawlawi Abd al-Rab in Delhi and there studied a number of sciences with Shaykh Abd al-Wahab, Hakim Muhammmad Mazharullah and Shaykh Mahbub Ilahi. He took hadith from Shaykh Abd al-Aliyy and Shaykh Muhammad Shafi.
Shaykh Zayd then travelled to the al-Azhar University in Cairo in the month of Dhul Qadah 1349 Hijri/1931 along with his brother Abul Sa’d Saalim. During his time at al-Azhar amongst others he:
Attended the lessons of Sahih al-Bukhari of Shaykh Yusuf al-Dajawi al-Maliki.
He read the Sharh Ibn Aqil on the Alfiyyah Ibn Malik from Shaykh Ali Shaib Ajiz.
He heard the pattern chained hadith of firstness (musalsal bil awwaliyyah) and gained ijazah from a number of scholars, amongst them being:
Shaykh Muhammad Bukhit al-Muti’i
Shaykh Muhammad Habibullah al-Shinqiti
The Muhaddith of Morroco, Sayyid Muhammad Abd al-Hayy al-Kattani, this was during his stay of a few days in Egypt in 1351 on his way to visit the Holy sanctuaries.
He gained an ijazah in hadith from the major hadith specialist in Syria, Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Hasani. This was my means of letter in the year 1351.
In the year 1350 he travelled to the Haramayn and heard the musalsalat narrations from Shaykh Abil Fayd Abil Isaad Abd al-Sattar al-Siddiqi Ibn Mawlawi Abd al-Wahab al-Dihlawi, then al-Makki, and gained an ijazah from him in the year 1351.
He heard the ten musalsal hadith from Shaykh al-Sayyid Ahmad Sharif al-Sanusi and gained ijazah from him in the year 1351.
He sat the exam from the Alamiyyah certificate of al-Azhar and passed in the year 1354 Hijri/1935.
He returned from Cairo on the 26th of Ramadan in the year 1354 Hijri/1935.
He took bayah at the hands of his father Shaykh Abul Khayr Abdullah in the year 1335 and his father authorised him to guide others in the Naqshabandi Mujaddidi order in the year 1340 Hijri.
He was honoured to perform the Hajj and visitation in the years 1346, 1350 and then in 1386.
He married in 1345 Hijri/1925 and was blessed with 3 sons and 6 daughters.
He had a son Abu Turab Hamid in the year 1358 who died at birth.
He had a son Abul Khayr in the year 1360 who passed away at the age of three.
He had a son Muhammad Abul Fadl in the year 1355 who was a doctor and passed away during his fathers lifetime in the year 1404 Hijri/1984. He left behind a pious grandson named Abul Nasr Anas born in 1391 Hijri/1971 who has sought knowledge and is currently the Shaykh of the Khanqah of his forefathers.
Shaykh Zayd was a poet in the Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages. He authored a number of works indicating to his expertise in the Islamic sciences, as well as Arabic, Persian and Urdu, they are as follows:
- Asanid al-Aliyah in Arabic (unpublished)
- Khayr al-Mazid fi Irab al-Ayah wa Kalimah al-Tawhid in Arabic (unpublished)
- Qawl al-Sanni fi al-Dhab an Shaykh Abd al-Ghani (unpublished)
- Hujja fi Masala al-Layha wal Qabda in Persian (unpublished)
- Bazm Khayr az Zayd Dar Jawab Bazm Jamshaid in Urdu (On his father Shaykh Abul Khayr)
- Majmua Khayr al-Bayan (On the Mawlid al-Sharif)
- Manahij al-Sayr wa Madarij al-Khayr in Persian (On the Naqshabandi Mujaddidi spiritual path)
- Taqwim al-Khayri – On how to calculate the Hijri and CE dates (unpublished)
- Khayr al-Maqal fi Ruyah al-Hilal in Urdu
- Allamah Ibn Taymiyyah aur Un Ki Ham Asr Ulama in Urdu
- Masala Dabt Wilada – On the issue of birth control in Urdu
- Manhaj al-Aba fi Salam ala al-Anbiyah wal-Rida an Awliyah in Persian and Urdu.
- Risala Wahdat al-Wujud in Persian and Urdu
- Nabaqat bin Tabaqan [sic] in Arabic
- Maqamat Khayr on his father and ancestors
- Maqamat Akhyar in Persian
- Aik Ilmi Maqala in Urdu on the life of Imam al-Rabbani.
- Hazrat Mujaddid aur Un Ki Naqidin in Urdu.
- Sawanih Hayat Shah Bilal in Urdu
- Mawlana Ismail Dihlawi aur Taqwiyat al-Iman in Urdu, in which he refuted 7 issues from the Taqwiyat al-Iman.
- Masala al-Masajid al-Mahjura in Arabic
- Sarir al-Yara li Irtishaf Himya al-Sama in Urdu
- Introduction in Urdu to Qawl al-Jalli fi Zikr Athar al-Wali, the biography of Shah Waliullah al-Dihlawi.
- Introduction to Tasawwuf articles of Sayyid Wahid Ashraf al-Ashrafi al-Jaylani.
- Sawanih Imam Azam in Urdu, a biography of Imam Abu Hanifah.
- Zikriyyat Ayam Zayd, stories and incidents from his life (unpublished).
- Naja al-Arib wa Safra al-Labib
Shaykh Abul Hasan Zayd al-Faruqi was from the great Naqshabandi Mujaddidi scholars. A large number of people from India, Afghanistan and Quetta in Pakistan took the spiritual path from him.
He travelled on to the next world on the 15th of Jamadi al-Akhirah in the year 1414 Hijri corresponding to the 1st of December 1994. He was buried next to his noble ancestors in the Zawiyah of Shah Abu al-Khayr in Delhi.
May Allah (most High) have mercy on him and all of the Muslims
Sources
The following biography is based on an article authored by Shaykh Abd al-Hakim Sharaf.
It was provided by Saleh Malik [www.daralhadith.org.uk]