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Karamat Ali Jaunpuri

For other uses, see Karamat Ali.

Karāmat ʿAlī Jaunpūrī (Urdu: کرامت علی جونپوری, Bengali: কারামত আলী জৌনপুরী; 12 June 1800 – 30 May 1873), born as Muḥammad ʿAlī Jaunpūrī, was a nineteenth-century Indian Muslim social reformer and founder of the Taiyuni movement. He played a major role in propagating to the masses of Bengal and Assam via public sermons, and wrote over forty books. Syed Ameer Ali is one of his notable students.[2]

Shah
Karamat Ali Jaunpuri
Hādi-e-Zamān[1]
Personal life
Born
Muhammad Ali Jaunpuri

(1800-06-12)June 12, 1800 CE (18 Muharram 1215 AH)
Jaunpur, North India
DiedMay 30, 1873(1873-05-30) (aged 72) (3 Rabi' al-Thani 1290 AH)
Rangpur, Bengal Presidency
Resting placeKaramatia Mazar, Munshipara, Rangpur
ChildrenHafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri
Abdul Awwal Jaunpuri
OccupationTheologian and social reformer
RelativesAbdur Rab Jaunpuri (grandson)
Abdul Batin Jaunpuri (grandson)
Rashid Ahmed Jaunpuri (grandson)
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
JurisprudenceHanafi
TeachersShah Abdul Aziz
Shah Ismail Dehlvi
CreedMaturidi
MovementTaiyuni
Muslim leader
PredecessorSyed Ahmad Shaheed
SuccessorHafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri
Disciples
Students
Influenced by
Influenced

Early life and family

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Muhammad Ali Jaunpuri was born in the neighbourhood of Mulla Tola in Jaunpur, North India on 18 Muharram 1215 A. H. (12 June 1800 CE).[3] It is claimed that he was the 35th direct descendant of Abu Bakr, the first Rashidun caliph,[4] with his ancestors migrating from Baghdad to Jaunpur in the early 19th century. His father, Abu Ibrahim Shaykh Muhammad Imam Bakhsh, was the only son of Shaykh Jarullah and Musammat Jamila Bibi. Bakhsh was a student of Shah Abdul Aziz and was employed as a sheristadar at the Jaunpur Collectorate. Jaunpuri's mother, Musammat Bati Bibi, was the daughter of Shaykh Lutf-e-Ali. His younger brother, Shah Rab Ali Jaunpuri, was a faqir and khalifah of Syed Ahmad Shaheed.[5]

It is said that the name Karamat was later prefixed to his name as people started to notice his karamat.[6] From his own books, it can be seen that he used to refer to himself as simply 'Ali Jaunpuri' or 'Ali Jaunpuri better known as Karamat Ali'.[7]

His lineage is recorded as follows: He is Ali, bin Abu Ibrahim Muhammad Imam Bakhsh, bin Jarullah, bin Gul Muhammad, bin Najib ad-Din, bin Muhammad Fazil, bin Muhammad Ali, bin Abu Muhammad, bin Abdullah, bin Abu al-Fath, bin Hamid, bin Muhammad Hafiz, bin Sayadullah Hafiz, bin Hafiz, bin Burhan ad-Din, bin Khwaja Ashraf, bin Khwaja Najib, bin Khwaja Sayfullah, bin Khwaja Shams ad-Din, bin Khwaja Bayazid, bin Khwaja Abdullah, bin Khwaja Sufi, bin Khwaja Muzaffar, bin Khwaja Mus'ab, bin Khwaja Sayf ad-Din, bin Khwaja Nasir ad-Din, bin Khwaja Abu Saham, bin Khwaja Abu Ali, bin Khwaja Umar, bin Khwaja Ibrahim, bin Khwaja Ahmad.[8][5] Khwaja Ahmad is claimed to have been a son of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr although this is not attested.

Education

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Jaunpuri's early education in Arabic and Persian began with his father, and he later started Hadith studies and other Islamic studies under Qudratullah Radaulvi and Ahmadullah Anami. He studied reasoning with Ahmad Ali Abbasi Chiraiyakoti and was taught tajweed and Qur'an by Qari Sayyid Ibrahim Madani and Qari Sayyid Muhammad Iskandarani,[9] eventually mastering all seven qira'at.[3] Jaunpuri was also taught Nastaliq and Tughra calligraphy by Hafiz Abdul Ghani to such a degree that it was said he could write Al-Ikhlas with the basmala on a piece of rice and leave space to write his name as well. Apart from this, he also learned the martial arts and wrestling and the art of running sticks and knots from expert art teachers. Jaunpuri studied fiqh under Shah Abdul Aziz and Shah Ismail Dehlvi.[3] He was also a student of Sakhawat Ali Jaunpuri (d. 1854).[10]

At the age of eighteen, Jaunpuri became interested in tasawwuf. After taking his father's permission, Jaunpuri pledged bay'ah to Sayyid Ahmad of Raebareli, who was the founder of the Tariqah-e-Muhammadiya movement.[4] On the very first week of service, Sayyid Ahmad instructed him to get involved in the work of guidance and bestowed the Khilafah (succession) letter with the spiritual genealogy through Shah Ismail Dehlvi.[11][note 1]

Activism in Jaunpur

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The Jama Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ibrahim Shah Sharqi of the independent Jaunpur Sultanate in 1470.

His religious activities were spread across northern India in places like Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Sultanpur, Ghazipur and Faizabad. At that time, there was no daytime adhan in Jaunpur, it could only be heard with the rising and setting of the sun. He reformed this un-Islamic ritual and with great effort issued adhan in mosques. There were also concerns behind the management of the historic Jama Mosque, Jaunpur. Instead of adhan and prayers, the mosque was used for worldly gatherings like baraat, clubbing and marriage ceremonies regardless of religion. Cattle were also tied in some parts of the Jamia Masjid. It continued for many years after until Jaunpuri managed to re-establish the five daily prayers at the mosque. Similarly, after Jamia Masjid Jaunpur, he started a series of Friday sermons which continued for many years after his death. Due to his preaching efforts, attempts were made to kill him several times but he escaped due to his skill in martial arts. He also established Madrasa Hanafia and Madrasat-ul-Quran in Jaunpur for the publication of religious knowledge. The first teacher of Madrasa Hanafia was Abdul Haleem Farangi Mohali (father of Abdul Hai Lucknowi).[12][9][11]

Migration to Bengal

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Under Sayyid Ahmad's instruction in 1822, Jaunpuri began preaching to the Muslim masses in Bengal and Assam.[4][6][13] He played an important role in Arabic, Urdu and Islamic studies in the country.[14] Starting in Calcutta, he travelled to various places including Dhaka, Mymensingh, Dinajpur, Faridpur, Noakhali, Chittagong, Goalpara, Dhubri, Kamrup and Rangpur.

For most of Karamat Ali Jaunpuri's career, he had to sail in Bengal and Assam for religious activities. For this reason, he established a travelling madrasa within a large boat. His students lived in the boat and Jaunpuri used to bear their expenses and teach them there.[11]

Political views

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The Tariqa-e-Muhammadiya split into two in 1867 with Jaunpuri leading a faction which came to be known as the Taiyunis.[15] The Taiyunis considered cooperating with the British authorities as the more ideal option rather than rebelling. Karamat Ali Jaunpuri and the Taiyunis were also opponents of Haji Shariatullah's Faraizi movement which declared British India as a Dar al-Harb (house of war) and discarded the Friday prayer and Eid prayers. Instead, he issued a fatwa declaring the colonised territory as a Dar al-Aman as the British government allowed freedom of religion. His fatwa was used by other Muslim scholars as well as Muslim modernists of the subcontinent like Nawab Abdul Latif and later Syed Ahmad Khan to justify their loyalty and cooperation to the British Empire.[1] During his lifetime, Jaunpuri engaged in debate with the Faraizis, most prominently Abdul Jabbar Faraizi.[4] The first debate regarding the Friday prayer was held in Barisal in 1867, and this was followed up by a debate in 1879 by his son Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri in Madaripur. Over five thousand people attended the latter event and it was dubbed by Nabinchandra Sen as the Battle of Jumuʿah.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Karamat Ali Jaunpuri married four times. He first married a lady of Jaunpur but she died. He married two women in Noakhali who also died during his lifetime. His fourth wife, originally from North India, settled in Rangpur with him.[1]

Works

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Jaunpuri wrote roughly 46 books. 19 of them were compiled into the three-volume Zakhira-e-Karamat book. The remaining works are scarce. An incomplete list of his works:

  • Miftahul Jannat
  • Zeenat al-Musalli
  • Zeenat al-Qari
  • Sharh-e-Hindi Jazari
  • Kawkab-e-Durri
  • Tarjama-e-Shamail-e-Tirmizi
  • Tarjama-e-Mishkat Sharif
  • Aqaid-e-Haqqa
  • Tazkiratul Aqaid
  • Mafizul Huruf
  • Qawl ath-Thabit
  • Maqami al-Mubtadieen
  • Haqq al-Yaqin
  • Bay'at-o-Tauba
  • Qawl al-Amin
  • Murad al-Murideen
  • Qawl al-Haq
  • Merat al-Haq
  • Imtinan al-Qulub
  • Mokashifat-e-Rahmat
  • Mulakkhas
  • Barahin Qat'iyyah fi Mawlud Khayr al-Bariyyah
  • Farz-e-Aam
  • Hujjat-e-Kateya
  • Nur al-Husa
  • Zad at-Taqwa
  • Kitab-e-Esteqamat
  • Nurun Ala Nur
  • Rahat-e-Ruh
  • Quwwat al-Iman
  • Ihqaqul Haqq
  • Rafiq as-Salikeen
  • Tanweer al-Qulub
  • Tazkiyat an-Neswan
  • Nasim al-Haramain
  • Maulood-e-Khairul Bariyyah
  • Keramatul Haramain
  • Qurratul Wiyyun
  • Resala-e-Faisala
  • Okazatul Mumineen
  • Fath-e-Bab-e-Sabiyan
  • Dawat-e-Majnun[6][7]

Death and legacy

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Jaunpuri was buried adjacent to the Keramatia Mosque in Rangpur, which is named after him.

During his travels in Rangpur in 1873, Jaunpuri fell ill and subsequently died on 2 Rabi' al-Thani 1290 AH (30 May 1873 CE).[3] He was buried near the Munshipara Jame Mosque in Rangpur.[4][6]

Jaunpuri left behind 14 children. Two of his sons, Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri and Abdul Awwal Jaunpuri gained prominence in Bengal later on.[16][17][18]

 
Pabitrajhar Karamatia Madrasa
 
Sayedpur Karamatia Madrasa
 
Buzurg Santoshpur Karamatia Madrasa

Disciples

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Jaunpuri had hundreds of spiritual successors (khalifas) including:

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Eponyms

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Institutions named after him include:

Notes

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  1. ^ This letter is still preserved in his family. A copy is listed at the end of the book "Tazkira Maulana Karamat Ali Jaunpuri" by Mujeebullah Nadvi.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Khan, Muhammad Mojlum (2013). The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal. Kube Publishing Limited. pp. 95–102. ISBN 978-1-84774-059-5.
  2. ^ Aziz, Khursheed Kamal (1998). The Murder of History: A Critique of History Textbooks Used in Pakistan. Renaissance Publishing House. p. 210.
  3. ^ a b c d Siddiqi, K. S. (6 January 2017). বিস্মৃত মাওলানা কারামত আলী এবং উপেক্ষিত মাওলানা শাহ ইয়াছীন. Daily Inqilab (in Bengali).
  4. ^ a b c d e Hoque, Muhammad Inamul (2012). "Jaunpuri, Karamat Ali". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b Abdul Qader, Muhammad U. (2021), হাদীয়ে বাঙ্গাল হযরত মাওলানা কারামত আলী জৌনপুরী (in Bengali)
  6. ^ a b c d Siddiq, Muhammad Abu Bakr. উপমহাদেশের প্রখ্যাত আলিমদের রাজনৈতিক জীবন (in Bengali). Khushroz Kitabmahal. pp. 31–40.
  7. ^ a b Jaunpuri, Karamat Ali. Muradul Murideen (in Bengali). Dhaka: Kara Matiya Library and Publication. pp. 5–6.
  8. ^ Wazifa-e-Hasania, 35-36
  9. ^ a b Chowdhury, Abdul Batin. سیرت مولانا کرامت علی جونپوری (in Urdu). pp. 13, 32–38.
  10. ^ a b Azmi, Nur Muhammad. "2.2 বঙ্গে এলমে হাদীছ". হাদীছের তত্ত্ব ও ইতিহাস (in Bengali). Emdadia Library.
  11. ^ a b c Nadvi, Mujibullah (2009). তাযকেরায়ে হযরত মাওলানা কারামত আলী জৌনপুরী (in Urdu). Raibareli, India: Sayyid Shahid Academy. pp. 35–40.
  12. ^ Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi (1980). Karvan-e-Iman o Azimat (in Urdu). Lahore: Syed Ahmad Shahid Academy. pp. 113–114.
  13. ^ N. Hanif (2000). Biographical encyclopedia of Sufis : South Asia. New Delhi: Sarup & Sons Publishers. pp. 189–190. ISBN 9788176250870.
  14. ^ Muslehuddin, ATM (2012). "Arabic". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  15. ^ Ahmed, Rafiuddin (1996) [First published 1981]. The Bengal Muslims, 1871–1906: a quest for identity (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-19-563919-3.
  16. ^ Afaz Uddin, Muhammad (2012). "Jaunpuri, Abdul Awal". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  17. ^ Nadwi, Mujibullah (2009). Tazkera-e-Hazrat Mawlana Karamat Ali Jaunpuri (in Urdu). Raibareli, India: Syed Shahid Academy. pp. 55–56.
  18. ^ Afaz Uddin, Muhammad (2012). "Jaunpuri, Hafiz Ahmad". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  19. ^ Ahmed, Rafiuddin (1992). Jones, Kenneth W. (ed.). Religious Controversy in British India: Dialogues in South Asian Languages. State University of New York Press. p. 114. ISBN 9780791408285.
  20. ^ Alam, AKM Nurul (2012). "Shamsul 'Ulema, Abu Nasar Waheed". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  21. ^ Sekhar, Saumitra (2012). "Shamsuddin, Abu Jafar". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  22. ^ a b Hanif, N (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia. pp. 401–402.
  23. ^ Islam, Muhammad Ashraful (2012). "Hanafi, Munshi Azimuddin". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  24. ^ Sufi, Motahar Hossain (1989). কাজী মোহাম্মদ ইদ্রিস, 1906-1975 (in Bengali). Bangla Academy. p. 10.
  25. ^ Rizvi, S. N. H. (1969). East Pakistan District Gazetteers: Sylhet. p. 69.
  26. ^ Hossain, Nazir, ed. (1981). কিংবদন্তির ঢাকা (in Bengali). Azad Muslim Club. p. 349.
  27. ^ Faruqi, Ziya-ul-Hasan. The Deoband school and the demand for Pakistan. Asia Publishing House. p. 20.
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