Ahmad Sirhindi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ahmad Rabbani Faruqi Sirhindi |
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Ahmad's name in Arabic calligraphy
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| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
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| Born | 26 May 1564 Sirhind, Punjab, Mughal Empire |
| Died | 10 December 1624 (aged 60) Sirhind, Punjab, Mughal Empire |
Ahmad al-Fārūqī al-Sirhindī (1564–1624) was an important Islamic scholar and a Hanafi jurist from Mughal India. He was also a member of the Naqshbandī Sufi order. Many of his followers called him a Mujaddid, which means a "reviver" of Islam. He worked to bring back Islamic teachings and opposed new ideas, like the religion of Din-i Ilahi created by the Mughal emperor Akbar.
Ahmad Sirhindi's ideas helped shape Islamic thought in India. Today, many Naqshbandī groups, like the Mujaddidī and Khālidī, follow his spiritual path.
His tomb, known as Rauza Sharif, is in Sirhind, Punjab, India.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Ahmad Sirhindi was born on May 26, 1564, in the village of Sirhind. He learned a lot from his father, 'Abd al-Ahad, and his brother, Muhammad Sadiq. He also memorized the entire Qur'an.
He continued his studies in Sialkot, a city known for its scholars. There, he learned about logic, philosophy, and theology. He also studied advanced texts on tafsir (Qur'an explanation) and hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad). A scholar named Yaqub Sarfi Kashmiri taught him these subjects. Another teacher, Qazi Bahlol Badakhshani, taught him Islamic law, the life story of Prophet Muhammad, and Islamic history.
Sirhindi quickly became skilled in other Sufi traditions, like the Suhrawardī and Qadirī orders. By age 17, he was allowed to teach and guide his own followers. He later joined the Naqshbandī order through the Sufi teacher Khwaja Baqi Billah. He became a very important leader in this order. His students traveled across the Mughal Empire to spread the Naqshbandī teachings.
His Ideas
Ahmad Sirhindi believed that the Sufi path and sharia (Islamic law) must always go together. He said that anything outside the path shown by the Prophet is forbidden. For him, sharia included not just outward acts of worship but also faith and the Sufi journey. He felt that Sufi practices were a necessary part of following Islamic law.
Sirhindi also wrote about his strong views on different interpretations of faith. He believed it was important to uphold what he saw as the "true religion." He criticized those who he felt were distorting Islamic beliefs.
Sufism and Islamic Law
Some scholars say that Sirhindi always stressed following strict Islamic rules. They point to his focus on the shariah and encouraging people to obey it. Others note that while he talked a lot about Sufi experiences, his advice on following sharia was often very general. They suggest he was mostly interested in mysticism.
Sirhindi wrote a letter to the Mughal emperor Jehangir. In it, he explained that he was trying to correct the path taken by Jehangir's father, Emperor Akbar.
Oneness of Appearance and Oneness of Being
Ahmad Sirhindi taught about wahdat ash-shuhūd (oneness of appearance). This idea means that the feeling of being one with God and creation is a personal experience. It happens in the mind of a Sufi who has reached a deep spiritual state. Sirhindi thought this idea was better than wahdat al-wujūd (oneness of being). He saw wahdat al-wujūd as an early step on the way to understanding the Absolute Truth.
Even though he had different ideas, Sirhindi still used some of the same words and ideas as another famous Sufi, Ibn al-'Arabi. Sirhindi believed that Ibn al-'Arabi was a good person, but that some of his ideas were mistaken.
The Quran, Ka'ba, and Muhammad
Sirhindi once said that the spiritual reality of the Quran and the Ka'ba (the sacred building in Mecca) were higher than the spiritual reality of Prophet Muhammad. This caused a lot of disagreement, especially among some Sufis and scholars in Hijaz. They felt that the Ka'ba should not have a higher spiritual "rank" than the Prophet.
Sirhindi explained that he meant the true, uncreated essence of the Ka'ba, not just the stone building. He argued that the Prophet's reality is superior to any created thing. Over time, many in the Naqshbandi community began to see the Prophet's spiritual reality as closer to God than other divine realities. This helped avoid arguments with other Muslims who deeply loved Prophet Muhammad.
Sufi Lineage
Naqshbandi Sufis believe that Ahmad Sirhindi's spiritual teachings come from a long line of "spiritual masters." This line goes all the way back to prophet Muhammad.
- Muhammad, d. 11 AH, buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia (570/571–632 CE)
- Abu Bakar Siddique, d. 13 AH, buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia
- Salman al-Farsi, d. 35 AH, buried in Madaa'in, Saudi Arabia
- Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr, d. 107 AH, buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
- Jafar Sadiq, d. 148 AH, buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
- Bayazid Bastami, d. 261 AH, buried in Bastaam, Iran (804 - 874 CE).
- Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani, d. 425 AH, buried Kharqaan, Iran.
- Abul Qasim Gurgani, d. 450 AH, buried in Gurgan, Iran.
- Abu ali Farmadi, d. 477 AH, buried in Tous, Khorasan, Iran.
- Abu Yaqub Yusuf Hamadani, d. 535 AH, buried in Maru, Khorosan, Iran.
- Abdul Khaliq Ghujdawani, d. 575 AH, buried in Ghajdawan, Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
- Arif Riwgari, d. 616 AH, buried in Reogar, Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
- Mahmood Anjir-Faghnawi, d. 715 AH, buried in Waabakni, Mawarannahr, Uzbekistan.
- Azizan Ali Ramitani, d. 715 AH, buried in Khwarezm, Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
- Mohammad Baba As-Samasi, d. 755 AH, buried in Samaas, Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
- Amir Kulal, d. 772 AH, buried in Saukhaar, Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
- Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari, d. 791 AH, buried in Qasr-e-Aarifan, Bukhara, Uzbekistan (1318–1389 CE).
- Ala'uddin Attar Bukhari, buried in Jafaaniyan, Mawranahar, Uzbekistan.
- Yaqub Charkhi, d. 851 AH, buried in Tajikistan
- Ubaidullah Ahrar, d. 895 AH, buried in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
- Muhammad Zahid Wakhshi, d. 936 AH, buried in Wakhsh, Malk Hasaar, Tajikistan
- Durwesh Muhammad, d. 970 AH, buried in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
- Muhammad Amkanagi, d. 1008 AH, buried in Akang, Bukhara, Uzbekistan
- Khwaja Baqi Billah, d. 1012 AH, buried in Delhi, India
- Ahmad al-Farūqī al-Sirhindī
Images for kids
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Tomb Of Ahmad Sirhindi, Sirhindi's shrine, known as Rauza Sharif
See Also
In Spanish: Ahmad Sirhindi para niños
References
- ʿUmdat al-Maqāmāt
- Zubdat al-Maqāmāt
- Ḥaḍrāt al-Quds, by Shaykh Badruddīn Sirhindī
- Silsiḻa Mashāikh Mohrā Sharīf
- Rauḍat al-Qayyūmiya (volume 1), by Shaykh Muhammad Iḥsān Mujaddidī
