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Abdullah Ansari

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Arabic

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  • 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

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  • 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

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Further reading

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

References

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  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.
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