Jump to content

Abdullah Ansari: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tag: references removed
Monkbot (talk | contribs)
Bots
3,694,069 edits
m Task 20: replace {lang-??} templates with {langx|??} ‹See Tfd› (Replaced 1);
 
(33 intermediate revisions by 17 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|11th-century Sufi scholar and saint}}
{{Short description|11th-century Sufi scholar and saint}}
{{Infobox religious biography
{{Infobox religious biography
| image='Abdullah Ansari with Abu Ahmad, Safavid Shiraz, Iran, second half 16th century.jpg
|image=Stamps of Tajikistan, 2010-09.jpg
| caption=Abdullah Ansari (holding a book) with Abu Ahmad. Folio from [[Kamal al-Din Gazurgahi]]'s ''Majalis al-ushshaq'', created in [[Shiraz]], [[Safavid Iran]], second half 16th century
|caption=Abdullah Ansari portrayed on a stamp in Tajikistan (2010)
|title=''[[Shaykh al-Islām]]'', ''Sage of Herat''
| title = ''[[Shaykh al-Islām]]'', ''Sage of Herat''
|birth_date = 1006
| birth_date = May 4, 1006
|birth_place = [[Herat]], [[Ghaznavid Empire]]
| birth_place = [[Herat]], [[Ghaznavid Empire]]
|death_date = 1088 (aged 81-82)
| death_date = 1089 (aged 82-83)
|death_place = [[Herat]], [[Ghaznavid Empire]]
| death_place = [[Herat]], [[Ghaznavid Empire]]
|religion=[[Islam]]
| religion = [[Islam]]
|name = Abū Ismāʿīl al-Harawī
| name = Abū Ismāʿīl al-Harawī
|denomination = [[Sunni Islam]]
| denomination = [[Sunni Islam]]
|creed = [[Athari]]<ref name="Halverson47">{{cite book|last=Halverson|first=Jeffry R.|title=Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam|url=https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv|url-access=limited|isbn=9781137473578|pages=[https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv/page/n55 47]|publisher=Pelgrave Macmillan|date=2010}}</ref>
| creed = [[Athari]]<ref name="Halverson47">{{cite book|last=Halverson|first=Jeffry R.|title=Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam|url=https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv|url-access=limited|isbn=9781137473578|pages=[https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv/page/n55 47]|publisher=Pelgrave Macmillan|date=2010}}</ref>
|Maddhab = [[Hanbali]]<ref name="Halverson37">{{cite book|last=Halverson|first=Jeffry R.|title=Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam|url=https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv|url-access=limited|isbn=9781137473578|pages=[https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv/page/n45 37]|publisher=Pelgrave Macmillan|date=2010}}</ref>
| Maddhab = [[Hanbali]]<ref name="Halverson37">{{cite book|last=Halverson|first=Jeffry R.|title=Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam|url=https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv|url-access=limited|isbn=9781137473578|pages=[https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv/page/n45 37]|publisher=Pelgrave Macmillan|date=2010}}</ref>
|movement = [[Sufi]]<ref name="Halverson48">{{cite book|last=Halverson|first=Jeffry R.|title=Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam|url=https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv|url-access=limited|isbn=9781137473578|pages=[https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv/page/n56 48]|publisher=Pelgrave Macmillan|date=2010}}</ref>
| movement = [[Sufi]]<ref name="Halverson48">{{cite book|last=Halverson|first=Jeffry R.|title=Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam|url=https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv|url-access=limited|isbn=9781137473578|pages=[https://archive.org/details/theologycreedsun00halv/page/n56 48]|publisher=Pelgrave Macmillan|date=2010}}</ref>
|influenced = [[Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Slitine|first1=Moulay|last2=Fitzgerald|first2=Michael|title=The Invocation of God|publisher=Islamic Texts Society|pages=4|isbn=0946621780|date=2000}}</ref>
| influenced = [[Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Slitine|first1=Moulay|last2=Fitzgerald|first2=Michael|title=The Invocation of God|publisher=Islamic Texts Society|pages=4|isbn=0946621780|date=2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
⚫
<ref>{{cite web
| author = Ovamir Anjum
| author = Ovamir Anjum
| title = Sufism without Mysticism: Ibn al-Qayyim's Objectives in Madarij al-Salikin
| title = Sufism without Mysticism: Ibn al-Qayyim's Objectives in Madarij al-Salikin
Line 21: Line 20:
| url =https://www.academia.edu/2248220
| url =https://www.academia.edu/2248220
| pages = 164
| pages = 164
⚫
}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal
}}
</ref>

<ref>{{cite journal
| author = Livnat Holtzman
| author = Livnat Holtzman
| title = Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
| title = Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
Line 40: Line 36:
| nisba = [[Herat|al-Harawī]]<br />({{lang|ar|الهروي}})
| nisba = [[Herat|al-Harawī]]<br />({{lang|ar|الهروي}})
}}
}}
| native_name = أبو إسماعيل الهروي
| native_name_lang = ar
}}
}}


'''Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Harawi al-Ansari''' or '''Abdullah Ansari of Herat''' (1006–1088) ({{lang-fa|خواجه عبدالله انصاری}}) also known as ''Pir-i Herat'' ({{lang|fa|پیر هرات}}) "Sage of Herat", was a Muslim [[Sufi]] saint <ref>A. G. Ravân Farhâdi, ʻAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad Anṣārī al-Harawī, "ʻAbdullāh Anṣārī of Herāt (1006-1089 C.E.): an early Shia Ṣūfi master", Routledge, 996.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=ʿABDALLĀH ANṢĀRĪ – Encyclopaedia Iranica|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abdallah-al-ansari|website=www.iranicaonline.org|access-date=2020-05-31}}</ref> who lived in [[Herat]] (modern-day [[Herat Province|Afghanistan]]). Ansari was a commentator on the [[Qur'an]], scholar of the [[Hanbali]] school of thought ([[madhhab]]), [[Ashari|traditionalist]], polemicist and spiritual master, known for his oratory and poetic talents in [[Arabic]] and [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref name="Iranica"/>
'''Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Harawi al-Ansari''' or '''Abdullah Ansari of Herat''' (1006–1089) ({{langx|fa|خواجه عبدالله انصاری}}) also known as ''Pir-i Herat'' ({{lang|fa|پیر هرات}}) "Sage of Herat", was a [[Sufi]] saint,<ref>A. G. Ravân Farhâdi, ʻAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad Anṣārī al-Harawī, "ʻAbdullāh Anṣārī of Herāt (1006-1089 C.E.): an early Shia Ṣūfi master", Routledge, 996.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=ʿABDALLĀH ANṢĀRĪ – Encyclopaedia Iranica|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/abdallah-al-ansari|website=www.iranicaonline.org|access-date=2020-05-31}}</ref> who lived in [[Herat]] (modern-day [[Herat Province|Afghanistan]]). Ansari was a commentator on the [[Qur'an]], scholar of the [[Hanbali]] school of thought ([[madhhab]]), [[Ashari|traditionalist]], polemicist and spiritual master, known for his oratory and poetic talents in [[Arabic]] and [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref name="Iranica"/>


[[Image:Herat Ansari tomb.jpg|thumb|Tomb in [[Herat]]]]
[[Image:Herat Ansari tomb.jpg|thumb|Tomb in [[Herat]]]]
[[File: Stamps of Tajikistan, 2010-09.jpg|thumb|right|Abdullah Ansari portrayed on a stamp in Tajikistan (2010). Flags of the three Persian speaking countries displayed on top: [[Iran]], [[Afghanistan]], and [[Tajikistan]].]]


==Life==
==Life==
Line 51: Line 50:
Ansari was a direct descendant of [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]], a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, being the ninth in line from him. The lineage is described, and traced in the family history records,<ref>''The Ulama of Farangi Mahall and Islamic Culture in South Asia'', Francis Robinson, Ferozsons (pvt) Limited, Pakistan. 2002</ref> as follows;
Ansari was a direct descendant of [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]], a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, being the ninth in line from him. The lineage is described, and traced in the family history records,<ref>''The Ulama of Farangi Mahall and Islamic Culture in South Asia'', Francis Robinson, Ferozsons (pvt) Limited, Pakistan. 2002</ref> as follows;


Abu Ismail Khajeh Abdollah Ansari, ''son of'' Abu Mansoor Balkhi, ''son of'' Jaafar, ''son of'' Abu Mu'aaz, ''son of'' Muhammad, ''son of'' Ahmad, ''son of'' Jaafar, ''son of'' Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i, ''son of'' [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]].<ref>Talib Hashmi, Seerat Mezban e Rasool (SAW) Hazrat Abu Ayub Ansari (R.A), Lahore; Taha pub; 2005 https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-e6qHPbxSdNRnZ5Yi1IZmtSaDA/edit?resourcekey=0-GhtDna5jgRtEiPQv1OeNRQ</ref>
Abu Ismail Khajeh Abdollah Ansari, ''son of'' Abu Mansoor Balkhi, ''son of'' Jaafar, ''son of'' Abu Mu'aaz, ''son of'' Muhammad, ''son of'' Ahmad, ''son of'' Jaafar, ''son of'' Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i, ''son of'' [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Seerat Mezban e Rasool Hazrat Abu Ayub Ansari r.a by Talib Al Hashmi.pdf |url=https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-e6qHPbxSdNRnZ5Yi1IZmtSaDA/edit?resourcekey=0-GhtDna5jgRtEiPQv1OeNRQ&usp=embed_facebook |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=Google Docs}}</ref>


In the reign of the third [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rashid Caliph]], [[Uthman]], Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i took part in the conquest of Khorasan, and subsequently settled in Herat, his descendant Khwajah Abdullah Ansari died there in 1088.<ref>Talib Hashmi, Seerat Mezban e Rasool (SAW) Hazrat Abu Ayub Ansari (R.A), Lahore; Taha pub; 2005 https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-e6qHPbxSdNRnZ5Yi1IZmtSaDA/edit?resourcekey=0-GhtDna5jgRtEiPQv1OeNRQ</ref>
In the reign of the third [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rashid Caliph]], [[Uthman]], Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i took part in the conquest of Khorasan, and subsequently settled in Herat, his descendant Khwajah Abdullah Ansari died there in Dhū al-Ḥijjah 481/February-March 1089.<ref name=":0" />


Ansari was a disciple of [[Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani]].{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} He practised the [[Hanbali]] school of [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[fiqh|jurisprudence]]. The [[Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah]], built during the [[Timurid dynasty]], is a popular pilgrimage site. He excelled in the knowledge of ''[[Hadith]]'', history and ''ʻilm al-ansāb'' ([[genealogy]]). He wrote several books on [[Islamic mysticism]] and philosophy, in [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Arabic]].
Ansari was a disciple of [[Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani]].{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} He practised the [[Hanbali]] school of [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] [[fiqh|jurisprudence]]. The [[Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah]], built during the [[Timurid dynasty]], is a popular pilgrimage site. He excelled in the knowledge of ''[[Hadith]]'', history and ''ʻilm al-ansāb'' ([[genealogy]]). He wrote several books on [[Islamic mysticism]] and philosophy, in [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Arabic]].
Line 61: Line 60:
==Descendants==
==Descendants==
The descendants of the sons of Abdullah Ansari had migrated to other regions in [[South Asia]], some remained in [[Herat]].
The descendants of the sons of Abdullah Ansari had migrated to other regions in [[South Asia]], some remained in [[Herat]].
Some settlements of the descendants of Abdullah Ansari are in, [[Gorakhpur]], [[Yusufpur]], [[Saharanpur]], [[Punjab]], [[Kakori]] and the scholars at the famous university in [[Lucknow]], [[Firangi Mahal]].<ref>Ansaris of Yusufpur by: Mahmud Ansari 2013 https://archive.org/details/ANSARISOFYUSUFPUR</ref><ref>Ansari's of Firangi Mahal 2012 https://issuu.com/abdulkidwai/docs/ansarisoffirnagimahal</ref><ref>Ghazipur A Gazetteer Vol.29 by Nevill, H.r. 1909 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.135388/page/n115/mode/2up</ref><ref>Tazkira Ulmaye Firangi Mahal
Some settlements of the descendants of Abdullah Ansari are in, [[Gorakhpur|Jais(Jayas), Gorakhpur]], [[Yusufpur]], [[Mau, Uttar Pradesh|Mau]], [[Saharanpur]], [[Punjab]], [[Kakori]] and the scholars at the famous university in [[Lucknow]], [[Firangi Mahal]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mahmud Ansari |url=http://archive.org/details/ANSARISOFYUSUFPUR |title=ANSARIS OF YUSUFPUR |date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-03 |title=Ansari's of Firangi Mahal by Abdul Kidwai - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/abdulkidwai/docs/ansarisoffirnagimahal |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=issuu.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nevill |first=H. r |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.135388 |title=Ghazipur A Gazetteer Vol.29 |date=1909}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mohammad Inayat Ullah Ansari |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.424928 |title=Tazkira Ulmaye Firangi Mahal |date=}}</ref>
by Mohammad Inayat Ullah Ansari https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.424928</ref>


==Sufism==
==Sufism==
He was one of the first Sufis to write in Persian, which he wrote in a local dialect, thus indicating that he wanted to spread his teachings to the general populace instead of just to the ''[[ulama]]'', who knew Arabic.<ref>{{cite book|title=Afghanistan's Islam: From Conversion to the Taliban|author=Nile Green|publisher=University of California Press|pages=8|isbn=9780520294134|year=2017}}</ref>
He was one of the first Sufis to write in Persian, which he wrote in a local dialect, thus indicating that he wanted to spread his teachings to the general populace instead of just to the ''[[ulama]]'', who knew Arabic.<ref>{{cite book|title=Afghanistan's Islam: From Conversion to the Taliban|author=Nile Green|publisher=University of California Press|pages=8|isbn=9780520294134|year=2017}}</ref>


Ansari's most famous work is "Munajat Namah" (literally 'Litanies or dialogues with God'), which is considered a masterpiece of [[Persian literature]]. After his death, many of his sayings recorded in his written works and transmitted by his students were included in the 10-volume Tafsir of Maybudi, "Kashf al-Asrar" (The Unveiling of Secrets). This was among the earliest complete Sufi [[Tafsirs]] ([[exegeses]]) of the Quran and has been published several times.
Ansari's most famous work is "Munajat Namah" (literally 'Litanies or dialogues with God'), which is considered a masterpiece of [[Persian literature]]. After his death, many of his sayings recorded in his written works and transmitted by his students were included in the 10-volume Tafsir of Maybudi, "Kashf al-Asrar" (The Unveiling of Secrets). This was among the earliest complete Sufi [[Tafsir]] ([[exegeses]]) of the Quran and has been published several times.


The Hanbali jurist [[ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya]] wrote a lengthy commentary on a treatise written by Ansari entitled ''Madarij al-Salikin''.<ref>Livnat Holtzman, Essay on Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, p. 219 (https://www.academia.edu/1057824/Ibn_Qayyim_al-Jawziyya) and Livnat Holtzman, Essay on Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, p. 363 (https://www.academia.edu/1070946/Ibn_Qayyim_al-Jawziyya)</ref> He expressed his love and appreciation for Ansari in this commentary with his statement, "Certainly I love the Sheikh, but I love the truth more!".<ref>Michael Fitzgerald and Moulay Slitine, The Invocation of God, Islamic Texts Society, Introduction, p 4 (quoting Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Madarij al-Salikin fi ma bayna iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in, ed. Ahmad Fakhri al-Rifi and Asam Faris al-Hurstani, Beirut, Dar al-Jil, 1412/1991, II,. 41 and III. 431). Also, Ovamir Anjum, University of Toledo, Ohio, Sufism without Mysticism: Ibn al-Qayyim's Objectives in Madarij al-Salikin p. 164 (https://www.academia.edu/2248220/Sufism_without_Mysticism_Ibn_al Qayyims_Objectives_in_Madarij_al-Salikin)</ref> Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya refers to Ansari with the honorific title "''Sheikh al-Islam''" in his work ''Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyab'' <ref>Michael Fitzgerald and Moulay Slitine, The Invocation of God, Islamic Texts Society, Introduction, p 4. Also, Ovamir Anjum, University of Toledo, Ohio, Sufism without Mysticism: Ibn al-Qayyim's Objectives in Madarij al-Salikin p. 164 (https://www.academia.edu/2248220/Sufism_without_Mysticism_Ibn_al-Qayyims_Objectives_in_Madarij_al-Salikin)</ref>
The Hanbali jurist [[ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya]] wrote a lengthy commentary on a treatise written by Ansari entitled ''Madarij al-Salikin''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holtzman |first=Livnat |date=2009-01-01 |title=Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah |url=https://www.academia.edu/1057824/Ibn_Qayyim_al_Jawziyyah |journal=Essays in Arabic Literary Biography}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Holtzman |first=Livnat |date=2006-01-01 |title=Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya |url=https://www.academia.edu/1070946/Ibn_Qayyim_al_Jawziyya |journal=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia}}</ref> He expressed his love and appreciation for Ansari in this commentary with his statement, "Certainly I love the Sheikh, but I love the truth more!".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Sufism without Mysticism: Ibn al-Qayyim's Objectives in Madarij al-Salikin |url=https://www.academia.edu/2248220/Sufism_without_Mysticism_Ibn_al_Qayyims_Objectives_in_Madarij_al_Salikin |access-date=2024-05-07}}</ref> Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya refers to Ansari with the honorific title "''Sheikh al-Islam''" in his work ''Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyab'' <ref name=":1" />


== Works ==
== Works ==
Line 95: Line 93:
{{portal|Poetry}}
{{portal|Poetry}}
* [[Firangi Mahal]]
* [[Firangi Mahal]]
* [[Abu al-Abbas al-Nahawandi]]
*Ansaris of Saharanpur
*Ansaris of Saharanpur
*[[Ansari (Panipat)]]
*[[Ansari (Panipat)]]
* [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]]
* [[Abu Ayyub al-Ansari]]
* [[Ibn Tahir of Caesarea]]
* [[Hakim Ahmad Shuja]]
* [[Hakim Ahmad Shuja]]
* [[Muhammad Latif Ansari]]
* [[Muhammad Latif Ansari]]
* [https://archive.org/details/ANSARISOFYUSUFPUR/mode/2up Ansaris of Yusufpur] <ref>Ansaris of Yusufpur Book by Mahmud Ansari 2013 https://archive.org/details/ANSARISOFYUSUFPUR</ref>
* [https://archive.org/details/ANSARISOFYUSUFPUR/mode/2up Ansaris of Yusufpur] <ref>{{Cite book |last=Mahmud Ansari |url=http://archive.org/details/ANSARISOFYUSUFPUR |title=ANSARIS OF YUSUFPUR |date=}}</ref>


==Further reading==
==Further reading==

Latest revision as of 01:59, 21 October 2024

Abū Ismāʿīl al-Harawī
أبو إسماعيل الهروي
Abdullah Ansari (holding a book) with Abu Ahmad. Folio from Kamal al-Din Gazurgahi's Majalis al-ushshaq, created in Shiraz, Safavid Iran, second half 16th century
TitleShaykh al-Islām, Sage of Herat
Personal
BornMay 4, 1006
Herat, Ghaznavid Empire
Died1089 (aged 82-83)
Herat, Ghaznavid Empire
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni Islam
JurisprudenceHanbali[3]
CreedAthari[1]
MovementSufi[2]
Muslim leader
Influenced
Arabic name
Personal (Ism)ʿAbd Allāh
(عبد الله)
Patronymic (Nasab)Ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Jaʿfar ibn Manṣūr ibn Matt
(بن محمد بن علي بن محمد بن أحمد بن علي بن جعفر بن منصور بن مت)
Teknonymic (Kunya)Abū Ismāʿīl
(أبو إسماعيل)
Toponymic (Nisba)al-Harawī
(الهروي)

Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Harawi al-Ansari or Abdullah Ansari of Herat (1006–1089) (Persian: خواجه عبدالله انصاری) also known as Pir-i Herat (پیر هرات) "Sage of Herat", was a Sufi saint,[7][8] who lived in Herat (modern-day Afghanistan). Ansari was a commentator on the Qur'an, scholar of the Hanbali school of thought (madhhab), traditionalist, polemicist and spiritual master, known for his oratory and poetic talents in Arabic and Persian.[9]

Tomb in Herat
Abdullah Ansari portrayed on a stamp in Tajikistan (2010). Flags of the three Persian speaking countries displayed on top: Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.

Life

[edit]

Ansari was born in the Kohandez, the old citadel of Herat, in 1006. His father, Abu Mansur, was a shopkeeper who had spent several years of his youth at Balkh.[9]

Ansari was a direct descendant of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, being the ninth in line from him. The lineage is described, and traced in the family history records,[10] as follows;

Abu Ismail Khajeh Abdollah Ansari, son of Abu Mansoor Balkhi, son of Jaafar, son of Abu Mu'aaz, son of Muhammad, son of Ahmad, son of Jaafar, son of Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i, son of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.[11]

In the reign of the third Rashid Caliph, Uthman, Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i took part in the conquest of Khorasan, and subsequently settled in Herat, his descendant Khwajah Abdullah Ansari died there in Dhū al-Ḥijjah 481/February-March 1089.[11]

Ansari was a disciple of Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani.[citation needed] He practised the Hanbali school of Sunni jurisprudence. The Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah, built during the Timurid dynasty, is a popular pilgrimage site. He excelled in the knowledge of Hadith, history and ʻilm al-ansāb (genealogy). He wrote several books on Islamic mysticism and philosophy, in Persian and Arabic.

Abdullah Ansari had 5 children in total: Khwaja Jabir, Khwaja Abdurrahman, Khwaja Hashim Buzurg, Qazi Mohd Yusuf and Qazi Mohd Naimat.[12]

Descendants

[edit]

The descendants of the sons of Abdullah Ansari had migrated to other regions in South Asia, some remained in Herat. Some settlements of the descendants of Abdullah Ansari are in, Jais(Jayas), Gorakhpur, Yusufpur, Mau, Saharanpur, Punjab, Kakori and the scholars at the famous university in Lucknow, Firangi Mahal.[13][14][15][16]

Sufism

[edit]

He was one of the first Sufis to write in Persian, which he wrote in a local dialect, thus indicating that he wanted to spread his teachings to the general populace instead of just to the ulama, who knew Arabic.[17]

Ansari's most famous work is "Munajat Namah" (literally 'Litanies or dialogues with God'), which is considered a masterpiece of Persian literature. After his death, many of his sayings recorded in his written works and transmitted by his students were included in the 10-volume Tafsir of Maybudi, "Kashf al-Asrar" (The Unveiling of Secrets). This was among the earliest complete Sufi Tafsir (exegeses) of the Quran and has been published several times.

The Hanbali jurist ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya wrote a lengthy commentary on a treatise written by Ansari entitled Madarij al-Salikin.[18][19] He expressed his love and appreciation for Ansari in this commentary with his statement, "Certainly I love the Sheikh, but I love the truth more!".[20] Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya refers to Ansari with the honorific title "Sheikh al-Islam" in his work Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyab [20]

Works

[edit]

Arabic

[edit]
  • Anwar al-Tahqeeq
  • Dhamm al-Kalaam
  • Manāzel al-Sā'erīn
  • Kitaab al-Frooq
  • Kitaab al-Arba'een
  • Resala Manaqib Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (Arabic: رسالة مناقب الإمام أحمد بن حنبل)
  • Zad-ul Arefeen (Arabic: زاد االعارفین)

Persian

[edit]
  • Munajat Namah (Persian: مناجات نامه)
  • Nasayeh (Persian: نصایح)
  • Kanz-ul Salikeen (Persian: کنز السالکین)
  • Haft Hesar (Persian: هفت حصار)
  • Elahi Namah (Persian: الهی نامه)
  • Muhabbat Namah (Persian: محبت نامه)
  • Qalandar Namah (Persian: قلندر نامه)
  • Resala-é Del o Jan (Persian: رساله دل و جان)
  • Resala-é Waredat (Persian: رساله واردات)
  • Sad Maidan (Persian: صد میدان)

See also

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
  • Stations of the Sufi Path, The One Hundred Fields (Sad Maydan) of Abdullah Ansari of Herat, translated by Nahid Angha www.archetypebooks.com

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Halverson, Jeffry R. (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. Pelgrave Macmillan. pp. 47. ISBN 9781137473578.
  2. ^ Halverson, Jeffry R. (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. Pelgrave Macmillan. pp. 48. ISBN 9781137473578.
  3. ^ Halverson, Jeffry R. (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. Pelgrave Macmillan. pp. 37. ISBN 9781137473578.
  4. ^ Slitine, Moulay; Fitzgerald, Michael (2000). The Invocation of God. Islamic Texts Society. p. 4. ISBN 0946621780.
  5. ^ Ovamir Anjum. "Sufism without Mysticism: Ibn al-Qayyim's Objectives in Madarij al-Salikin". University of Toledo, Ohio. p. 164.
  6. ^ Livnat Holtzman (January 2009). "Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah". Essays in Arabic Literary Biography. Bar Ilan University: 219.
  7. ^ A. G. Ravân Farhâdi, ʻAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad Anṣārī al-Harawī, "ʻAbdullāh Anṣārī of Herāt (1006-1089 C.E.): an early Shia Ṣūfi master", Routledge, 996.
  8. ^ "ʿABDALLĀH ANṢĀRĪ – Encyclopaedia Iranica". www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  9. ^ a b S. de Laugier de Beaureceuil, "Abdullah Ansari" in Encylcoapedia Iranica [1]
  10. ^ The Ulama of Farangi Mahall and Islamic Culture in South Asia, Francis Robinson, Ferozsons (pvt) Limited, Pakistan. 2002
  11. ^ a b "Seerat Mezban e Rasool Hazrat Abu Ayub Ansari r.a by Talib Al Hashmi.pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  12. ^ "Ansaris of Yusufpur". November 2013.
  13. ^ Mahmud Ansari. ANSARIS OF YUSUFPUR.
  14. ^ "Ansari's of Firangi Mahal by Abdul Kidwai - Issuu". issuu.com. 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  15. ^ Nevill, H. r (1909). Ghazipur A Gazetteer Vol.29.
  16. ^ Mohammad Inayat Ullah Ansari. Tazkira Ulmaye Firangi Mahal.
  17. ^ Nile Green (2017). Afghanistan's Islam: From Conversion to the Taliban. University of California Press. p. 8. ISBN 9780520294134.
  18. ^ Holtzman, Livnat (2009-01-01). "Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah". Essays in Arabic Literary Biography.
  19. ^ Holtzman, Livnat (2006-01-01). "Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya". Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia.
  20. ^ a b "Sufism without Mysticism: Ibn al-Qayyim's Objectives in Madarij al-Salikin". Retrieved 2024-05-07.
  21. ^ Mahmud Ansari. ANSARIS OF YUSUFPUR.
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Abdullah Ansari.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abdullah_Ansari&oldid=1252375677"