Syed Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi (also known as Ali Miyan; 5 December 1913 – 31 December 1999) was a leading Islamic scholar, thinker, writer, preacher, reformer and a Muslim public intellectual of 20th century India and the author of numerous books on history, biography, contemporary Islam, and the Muslim community in India, one of the most prominent figure of Deoband School.
[4][5][6] His teachings covered the entire spectrum of the collective existence of the Muslim Indians as a living community in the national and international context.
[4] He began his academic career in 1934 as a teacher in Nadwatul Ulama, later in 1961; he became Chancellor of Nadwa and in 1985, he was appointed as Chairman of Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.
[4] For decades, he enjoyed universal respect, was accepted by the non-Muslims, at the highest level, as the legitimate spokesman for the concerns and aspirations of the entire Muslim community.
He was the first Alim from Hindustan who was given the key to Kaaba by the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia to allow him to enter whenever he chose during his pilgrimage.
[10] He was the chairman of Executive Committee of Darul Uloom Deoband and president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
[8] Coming from a highly educated family, he was an eminent scholar, writer, an Alim, and a personality of the world of Islam in the last half century.
[5] His father was Abdul Hayy Hasani, author of famous books like Nuzhatul Khawatir (a biographical dictionary of Indian Ulama) and Al-Thaqafah al-Islamiyah fil-Hind (Islamic Culture in India).
[15][5] He was a descendant of Syed Ahmad Barelvi who had led a Jihad movement against the British occupation, established an Islamic state in the North Western Frontier (now in Pakistan) and fell martyr on the battlefield of Balakot in 1831.
[16] Nadwat al-ulama also known as Nadwa, the choice of the name got inspiration from a hall in Makkah, where nobles used to assemble to debate and discuss.
[17] The major turning point in Nadwi's life came in 1934, when he was appointed to teach Arabic and Qur’anic commentary at Nadwat al-ulama, after the completion of his studies.
[18] As Hasan writes, one of his principal concerns as head of the institution was to promote suitable changes in the educational system in accordance with the demand of the modern age.
This historical approach can be traced in his book Saviours of Islamic Spirit; in this book he introduces various figures who can be role models of a Muslim, such as Umar II, Hasan al-Basri, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Ghazali, Abdul Qadir Gilani, Rumi, Ibn Taymiyyah, Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, Ahmad Sirhindi.
[21] According to al-Nadwî, the unfair Law that Europeans applied to other nations seemed to portray enmity and eliminate the principle of justice which is the principle of a law, not just the classical era, this unfair legal fanaticism continues to be applied by the West in strengthening its power as a superpower medieval age.
[22] Al-Nadwî also gave various analyzes that Western Education orientation is a lot of material, wants a high position and earn a large salary without implanting spiritual value.
[22] According to al-Nadwi, Western education is racing to become stronger and then with that power they make other nation tips slumped.
Love of the world has dominated in addition to fighting for honor on the side of King and Sultan, man has turned to matter, position and power...".
Al-Nadwî in some facts, famous as people who closely associate with the community, as much expressed by the surrounding community as well as observations that once the author witnessed one example that al-Nadwî spelled out routinely provide material assistance to Muslims and non-Muslims after each prayer Asr at home, this assistance is expected to be given to 40 people.
[22] This phenomenon as a form of bi al-hâl's preaching to non-Muslims to in turn see Islam as a potentially positive enough to follow.
[22] Al-Nadwi in his ideas in his daily life towards non-Muslims is quite diplomatic in his book, Islam and the World al-Nadwî quotes the Qur'anic verse: It means: "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject Faith in the way of Thaghut, therefore fight the friends of Shaytaan, because in fact the deception of Satan is weak"[Quran 4:76].
[23] Al-Nadwî criticized the social life that denied the concept of Hospitality, amid Western material progress, he saw no strong interpersonal unity among they so not infrequently neighbors do not know each other, do not help each other let alone visit each other.
[25] According to him, exposure to "injustice, oppression, chastisement, extradition, troubles, hardships" and domination by other nations is the destiny of Zionists.
The Zionist heritage, according to Nadwi, was primarily composed of "intrigue and crime, violence and high-handed tactics", "their inborn tendencies which could clearly be discerned at any time or place where they have happened to reside, like a pivot on which their entire intelligence and endeavours have always revolved for the satisfaction of their ulterior motives".
[25] This notion of the superiority of the Jewish race "signally incompatible with the spirit of any universal message of brotherhood and equality of mankind....Such an idea, naturally, delimits even the scope of divine guidance and salvation and places restriction on its dissemination beyond the closed circle of one's blood kin".
[25] He adds: The logical result of such an attitude was that the Zionists should discriminate against other nations and evolve such norms of virtue and vice, right and wrong, which should make allowance for the superiority of one race over the other.
), translated into English as Islam and the World, was largely responsible for popularizing the concept of "modern Jahiliyya"[29][30] The Islamist author Syed Qutb commended Nadwi's writings for his use of the word jahiliyya to describe not a particular age in history (as earlier Muslim scholars did) but a state of moral corruption and materialism.
Similarly, he also urged Muslims living as a minority to maintain peace and create a valuable position for themselves through hard work and exemplary morals.
'[32]After his death, the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI), Pakistan, arranged a seminar in his honor and published the speeches and articles presented therein as ‘Maulana Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi – Hayat-o-Afkar Kay Chand Pehlu’[32] In 1951, during his second pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah the key-bearer of the Kaaba (Islam's holiest building), opened its door for two days and allowed Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi to take anyone he chose inside.
[39] Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi died on 23 Ramadan, 1420 AH (31 December 1999) in Raebareli, India at the age of 85.
[41] Established in 2003, the goal of the center is to uplift the standard of Muslim minorities in economic, religious, social, cultural, and educational fields.