Allama Maulana Naqi Ali Khan was born in Jumada al-Aakhir 1246 A.H. (1830). He was the son of the great mystic & scholar, Allama Khwaja Raza Ali Khan son of Allama Muhammad Kazim Ali Khan son of Allama Shah Muhammad Azam Khan son of Allama Sa'adat Yaar Khan son of Allama Sa'eedullah Khan (alaihmur rahmah).
Their ancestors had migrated from Qandahar (located in present-day Afghanistan). Allama Naqi studied under the auspicious gaze of his noble father (1809-1866), who was a student of Allama Maulana Khalil-ur-Rahman Rampuri, (alaihir rahmah). Maulana Raza Ali earned certificates of distinction in various fields of sacred knowledge including the science of tasawwuf. He was held in high regard & esteem for his strict adherence to the Qur'an & Sunnah. He was a sagacious Sufi & a valiant freedom fighter. Malik al-Ulama Allama Zafar ud-Din Bihari, (alaihir rahmah), relates the following miracle in volume one of his Hayat-e-Ala Hazrat:
"After the tumult of 1857, the British tightened the reins of power & committed atrocities toward the people & everybody went about feeling scared. Important people left their homes & went back to their villages. But Maulana Raza Ali Khan continued to live in his house as before & would go to the mosque five times a day to say his prayers in congregation. One day some Englishmen passed by the mosque & decided to see if anyone was inside so they could catch hold of them & beat them up. They went inside & looked around but didn’t see anyone. Yet the Maulana was there at the time. Allah had made them blind, so they would be unable to see him... he came out of the mosque, they were still watching out for people, but no one saw him".
"& We have set a wall before them & a wall behind them & covered the top - so they are unable to see anything". (Surah Yaseen, 36:9)
Allama Naqi Ali Khan (alaihir rahmah) was a great Mudarris (Teacher) & a prolific writer. Most of his time was spent in teaching & instilling the excellence of knowledge in the hearts of the people. His students posed intricate questions to him thinking that the Ustaaz will not be able to reply to them. But to their amazement, the Master replied instantaneously with a smile. His deep insight in complicated matters dazzled the contemporary Ulama of his time so much so that they conferred the title of Ra'ees-ul-Muhaqqiqeen (The Master of the Research Scholars) on him. Indeed, this title befitted him.
Allama Naqi was a disciple (Mureed) & successor (Khalifah) of Sayyid Aal-e-Rasool, the celebrated student & hadith expert of Shah Abdul Aziz son of Shah Waliyullah, (alaihim rahmah). He also received authorization to narrate hadith in Makkah from the illustrious Ustaz al-Ulama, Shaykh al-Haram Sayyid Ahmad Zayni Dahlan Makki, (alaihir rahmah). Allama Naqi produced a number of texts defending Islamic orthodoxy & laid the foundation of Darul-Ifta in Bareilly Sharif, which became a citadel of faith , knowledge ('Ilm), blessing & awareness of Allah. It remains an imperturbable stronghold for the Ahl al-Sunnah to the present day.
His son, Imam Ahmad Raza, (alaihir rahmah), relates the following anecdote about his respected father from his Al-Malfuzat:
"(In a dream) Maulana Barakaat Ahmed (alaihir rahmah) accompanied my father to visit me in sickness. They both asked me how I was feeling. I replied, ‘I am now tired of the severity of sickness, so please make du'a for me to now leave this duniya with Iman." On hearing this, my father's face turned red & he said, ‘There is still 52 years in Madina Munawwarah." Allah, the Exalted, knows best what he was referring to. I could not understand what this meant.
Later in my life, the interpretation of this dream unfolded. My second trip to Haramain Shareefain, I was in my 52nd year. Actually, my age was 51 years & 5 months. My father (alaihir rahmah) had foretold this trip 14 years ago . Allah, the Exalted, entrusts Ilm-e-Ghaib to the servants of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) & these Wahhabis reject the Ilm-e-Ghaib of the Beloved Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam).
A few years ago in the month of Rajab, I dreamt of my father, who said, "You will fall very sick in this Ramadan, but you must not leave the fast." It happened so. The physician & doctors forced me not to keep fast but I ignored them. By the Grace of Allah (Almighty & Glorious is He) I kept my entire fast & I got better. The Hadith Shareef clearly states: Fast & you will get healthy."
Allama Naqi Ali (alaihir rahmah) was a great lover of the Beloved Habib Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) & also remained engrossed in this love all his life. Once he fell very ill & was confined to bed. He laid there in a very depressed mood. The beloved Habib (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) saw the state of pain & depression of his true Aashiq & blessed him. One night, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) appeared in his dream & compassionately gave him a cup of water to drink. As soon as he drank it, he was instantly cured. He awoke the next morning totally cured & once again healthy. It seemed if he was never sick.
He wrote more than 50 books on various subjects, among them:
- Suroor al-Quloob fi Zikri Mawlood al-Mahboob
- Al-Kalaam al-Awdah fi Tafseer Surah Alam-Nash'rah
- Wasilat-un-Najaah
- Jawahar al-Bayaan
- Hidayat-ul-Bariyah
- Ahsanul Wi'a li Aadabi Du'a & etc.
Allama Naqi Ali (alaihir rahmah) passed away on 29th Dhu al-Qa'dah 1297 A.H. (1880) at the time of Zohar & was laid to rest besides his illustrious father, Taaj al-Aarifeen Imam Muhammad Raza Ali (alaihir rahmah). His Mazaar Shareef is in Bareilly Shareef, India. Allama Naqi Ali Khan devoted every moment of his life to Allah the Exalted & His Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). He preserved the scholarly tradition & defended Islamic orthodoxy & mainstream Sufism.
Due to this sincerity, the last thing that he wrote on a piece of paper was "Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem". The last word that he uttered before he passed away was "Allah". May Almighty Allah sanctify his soul & grant him proximity to his Creator.
May Allah Most High sanctify his soul and grant him proximity to his Creator, Almighty & Glorious is He... Aameen!
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