The Reformers of Islam (Mujaddid)

In his short essay entitled Tuhfat al-Mujtahidin bi Asma’ al-Mujaddidin (“The Gem of the Striving Scholars: the Names of the Renewers of the Religion”) al-Suyût.î listed the Renewers as follows:

  • 1st century: Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
  • 2nd century: Imam al-Shafi’i
  • 3rd century: Imam Ibn Surayj and Imam al-Ash`ari
  • 4th century: Al-Baqillani, Sahl al-Su`luki, and Abu Hamid al-Isfarayini
  • 5th century: Imam al-Ghazzali
  • 6th century: Imam Fakhraddin al-Razi and al-Rafi`i
  • 7th century: Ibn Daqiq al-`Id (625-702)
  • 8th century: Al-Bulqini and al-Iraqi
  • 9th century: Imam Jalaluddin al-Suyuti (849-911 A.H)

The above mentioned centuries are according to the birth of those scholars. But a Mujaddid of a century is known to be the one who is born in the previous century but his Tajdid (revival) occurs in the next century. Hence the above names be considered the Mujaddids of the next centuries.

I will continue this list by the century in which the Mujaddid did the revival of Islam.

First Century

The first century of Hijri calendar marks the start of Islam. The line of Mujaddids starts from the 2nd century (after the first hundred years of the demise of Rasoolullah s.a.w.).

Second Century

  • The great caliph of Islam, Imam Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (61-101 AH) is widely acclaimed to be the very first Mujaddid of Islam. He was a caliph for a very short duration (1 to 2 years), but he did great works in that short while.

Other suggested names:

  • Imam Abu Hanifa (80-148 A.H) – the greatest Imam of Fiqh

Third Century

  • The great Imam and founder of the 2nd largest Sunni school of jurisprudence, Imam al-Shafi’i

Forth Century

  • Imam Ibn Surayj and Imam al-Ash`ari

Fifth Century

  • Al-Baqillani, Sahl al-Su`luki, and Abu Hamid al-Isfarayini (considered by Imam al-Suyuti)

Sixth Century

  • Imam al-Ghazzali (considered by Imam al-Suyuti)
  • Hadhrat Abu Yusuf Hamadani (440-535 A.H) – He was the shaykh of Sayyidina Abdul Qadir Jilani, Khwaja Mueenuddin Ajmeri, as well as the grandsheikh of Naqshbandi tariqah Khwaja Abdul Khaliq Ghijdwani. All the major Sufi orders have directly benefited from him.

Seventh Century

  • Imam Fakhraddin al-Razi and al-Rafi`i (considered by Imam al-Suyuti)
  • Khwaja Mueen al-Din al-Hasan al-Sanjri al-Ajmeri (535-633 A.H) – He was the Imam of the Chishti sufi tariqah, and with his efforts a significant part of the Indian population converted to Islam

Eighth Century

  • Ibn Daqiq al-`Id (625-702) (considered by al-Suyuti)

Ninth Century

  • Al-Bulqini and al-Iraqi (considered by al-Suyuti)

Tenth Century

  • Imam Jalaluddin al-Suyuti (849-911 AH)

11th century

  • Shaykh Ahmad al-Faruqi of Sirhind, India (d. 1034) – unanimously accepted as the only Mujaddid of 11th century as well as the 2nd millennium of Islam, hence called Mujaddid Alf Thani (Mujaddid of the 2nd Millenium). He received this noble post of Mujaddid in 1010 AH, exactly after 1000 years of the demise of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. He is the Mujaddid of a millenium, not only a century.

12th century

  • Al-Qutb `Abd Allah al-Haddad of Hadramawt, Yemen
  • The great Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir Mujaddidi Masoomi of Delhi, India. He established the Islamic governance in India, and he was a murid (disciple) of Imam Muhammad Masum al-Sirhindi in the Naqshbandi path, and was also revered by most Sufi saints of his time.

13th century

  • Hadhrat Abdullah Mujaddidi alias Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi of Delhi, India (1158-1240 A.H) – most widely acclaimed, as he was the Shaykh of Khalid al-Baghdadi and lived almost the same times
  • Shaykh Khalid al-Baghdadi al-Mujaddidi of Damascus (1193-1242 A.H) – acclaimed by the Khalidi Naqshbandis
  • Shaykh Muhammad Amin `Abidin (Ibn `Abidin) of Damascus – a student of Shaykh Khalid al-Baghdadi
    (Shaykh G.F Haddad has named both of them, shaykh Khalid and his student Ibn Abidin, as the Mujaddids of 13th century)
  • Shaykh Usman Dan Fodio (1168-1232 AH) who revived Islam in Africa and established Islamic government

14th century

  • Imam Ahmad Rada Khan Barelvi of India, most widely acclaimed for his defending the right path of Ahl as-Sunnah against the widespread fitna of Wahhabism
  • Shaykh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari of Turkey
  • Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Hasani of Damascus, Syria
  • Sheikh Ahmad ibn Mustafa al-Alawi (1869–1934)
  • Hadhrat Pir Fazal Ali Qureshi Naqshbandi of India (d.1934), the greatest Naqshbandi shaykh in India in the fourteenth century

15th century

Today, there are numerous great scholars of Islam continuously reviving the spirit of Islam and working hard day and night to reform the Muslims in the whole world. It is hard to decide or single out one of them, and only time will show the real Mujaddid or Mujaddids of 15th century.

Allah then His Prophet know better!

References:

http://www.livingislam.org/fiqhi/fiqha_e96.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujaddid

http://www.islamimehfil.info/index.php?/topic/10135-concept-of-revivalist-mujaddid-in-islam/

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13 Responses to The Reformers of Islam (Mujaddid)

  1. shaban nafees says:

    what you’re waiting for my brother that who’ll be 15th century muaddid.
    there is no mujaddid of 15th century except Hazrat Mahdi (R.A)
    He will have the knowledge of ten Scholars and there is no one who could claim that he is the Mujaddid of 15th century except Hadhrat Mahdi (R.A) So why do you wait for another……you should be sure about the 15th century mujaddid that the Mahdi (R.A) will be Mujaddid of 15th Century

    • I will be sure that DR. Mohammed tahir ul qadri is mujaddid of 15th century

    • List of Possible Mujaddids (Revivalists)

      First Century (after the Prophetic period) [August 3, 718]

      Ameer al-Mu’minin Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (682 – 720)
      Imam-e-Azam Abu Hanifa an-Nu’man (699 – 767)
      Ibn Sireen (8th century)

      Second Century [August 10, 815]

      Imam Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i (767 – 820)
      Imam Hasan al-Basri (642 – 728 or 737)
      Imam Malik ibn Anas (715 – 796)
      Imam Muhammad bin Hassan Shaibani

      Third Century [August 17, 912]

      Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780 – 855)
      Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari.

      Fourth Century [August 24, 1009]

      Imam al-Bayhaqi
      Imam Tahtaawi
      Imam Isma’eel bin Hammaad Ja’fari
      Imam Abu Jaafar bin Jareer Tibri
      Imam Abu Haatim Raazi

      Fifth Century [September 1, 1106]

      Hudrat Ghawth al Azam Shaykh Abdul-Qadir Gilani
      Imam Al-Ghazali (1058–1111)
      Imam Abu Naeem Isfahani
      Imam Abul Hussain Ahmad bin Muhammad Abi Bakr-il-Qaadir
      Imam Hussain bin Raaghib

      Sixth Century [September 9, 1203]

      Hadrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Garib Nawaz
      Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi
      Shaykh Ahamd Kabir Rifa’ee
      Allamah Imam Umar Nasfi,
      Imam Qaazi Fakhrud’Deen Hassan Mansoor,
      Imam Abu Muhammad Hussain bin Mas’ood Fara’a

      Seventh Century [September 5, 1300]

      Imam Taqiyuddin As-Subki
      Imam Shaykh Shahbuddeen Suharwardi
      Imam Shaykh Akbar Muhi’yuddeen Muhammad ibn Arabi
      Allamah Imam Abul Fadhl Jamaaluddeen Muhammad bin Afriqi Misri
      Imam Abul Hassan Uz’zuddeen Ali bin Muhammad Ibn Atheer,

      Eighth Century (September 23, 1397)

      Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani
      Imam Taaj’uddeen bin Ata’ullah Sikandari
      Kwaja Nizaamuddeen Awliyah Mahboob-e-Ilahi
      Imam Umar bin Mas’ood Taftazaani

      Ninth Century [October 1, 1494]

      Imam Hafiz Jallaluddeen Abu Bakr Abdur Rahmaan Suyuti
      Imam Nooruddeen bin Ahmad Misri
      Imam Muhammad bin Yusuf Karmani
      Imam Shamsuddeen Abul Kheyr Muhammad bin Abdur Rahmaan Sakhawi,
      Allamah Imam Sayed Shareef Ali bin Muhammad Jarmaani

      Tenth Century [October 19, 1591]

      Imam Shahabuddeen Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Muhammad Khatib Qistalaani
      Imam Muhammad Sharbini,
      Allamah Sheikh Muhammad Taahir Muhaddith

      Eleventh Century [October 26, 1688]

      Imam-e-Rabbani Mujaddid Alf Sani Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi
      Sultaanul Arifeen Imam Muhammad Baahu
      Imam Ali bin Sultaan Qaari

      Twelfth Century [November 4, 1785]

      Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Abul Muzaffar Muhiyy al-Din Muhammad Aurangzaib Alamgir
      Imam Abdul Ghani Naablisi
      Sheikh Ahmad Mulla Jeewan
      Al-Qutb Abd Allah al-Haddad
      Allamah Mawlana Imam Abul Hassan Muhammad bin Abdul Haadi Sindhi,

      Thirteenth Century [November 12, 1882]

      Allamah Imam Ahmad bin Ismaeel Tahtaawi
      Allamah Shah Abdul Azeez Muhaddith-e-Delhwi
      Imam Abdul Ali Luckhnowi
      Imam Sheikh Ahmad Saadi Maaliki

      Fourteenth Century [November 21, 1979]

      Shaykh al Islam wal Muslimeen, Mujaddid al-Aazam AlaHadrat Ash-Shah Imam Ahmad Rida Khan al-Qadiri
      Shaykh Yusuf bin Ismail bin Muhammad Nasir al-Din an-Nabhani
      Muhaddith al-Akbar Shaykh Badr al-Din al-Hasani

  2. shaban says:

    15th century’s mujadid yet to come and surely he’s the mahdi (as) because a hadith in which the prophet muhammad(s.a) said that the ummah will not exceed more than 1500 hundred years. Wallahualam

  3. faizan says:

    if world is about to end in this 15th century ,then imam mahdi(a.s) will be mujaddid and not only mujaddid but also a mujtahid.

  4. Muhammmad says:

    It was Imam Abdullaah al-Harariyy al-Abdariyy of the 15 century.

    • Sheikh Abdullah Harari was a scholar and mufti. However he promoted some beliefs contrary to the Aqidah of Ahl as-Sunnah, particularly declaring some of the greatest Sahaba as sinful (fasiq) and ignorant (jahil). He also attributes Kufr to not only the deviant sects but to many of the great Sunni scholars. His extremism is not the right way of Tajdid.

  5. Fahad thekiya says:

    Que:-who is 15th century Mujaddid?
    Ans:-15th century Mujaddid Ibne Mujaddid Tajdaar e Ahle sunnat janasheen Aalahazrat
    Bilashuba
    Huzoor poornoor sarkar Sayyadna Mufti e Azam e Hind Asshah Mohammed Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri Noorie Raziallaho Taala Anho

    Ghousul Waqt, Mufti-e-Azam-e-Hind (radi Allahu anhu) was born on Monday, 22nd of Zil Hijjah 1310 AH (18 July 1892) in the most beautiful city of Bareilly Shareef, India. It was in this very city that his illustrious father, the Mujaddid (Reviver) of Islam, Imam-e-Ahle Sunnat, A’la Hazrat, Ash Shah Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Al Qaderi (radi Allahu anhu) was born (1856 – 1921).

    Reply

  6. Manzoor Ahmed says:

    Sheikh ul Islam Dr. Tahir ul Qadri is the Mujaddid of 15th Century.
    He established Minhajul Quran in 1400 AD, the begining of a new Islamic century.
    See his Mujaddid and Mujtahid work.
    http://www.minhajbooks.com
    http://www.deenislam.com

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