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A Brief Biography of Mawlānā Dr. Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Shahīd al-Nuʿmānī (1950-2026)
The following biographical entry draws almost exclusively from an Arabic piece composed by Mawlānā Ḍiyāʾ al-Ḥaqq ʿAbd al-Aḥad, a graduate of Jāmiʿa Dār al-ʿUlūm, Karachi, and a former professor of Arabic literature and rhetoric at the Jāmiʿa Banūriyya ʿĀlamiyya. Mawlānā Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Shahīd al-Nuʿmānī (1950–2026) Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Shahīd al-Nuʿmānī was a Pakistani Islamic scholar, ḥadīth… Continue reading
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Mawlānā Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Shahīd al-Nuʿmānī (1950–2026): A Few Recollections of an Unsung Scholar, Educator, and Ḥadīth Researcher
Three days have passed since I received news of the death of Mawlānā Dr. Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Shahīd al-Nuʿmānī (raḥimahullāh), and I have struggled to put any thoughts to paper since. I had known he was ill in the days before his death, but I had intensely hoped for his full recovery and looked forward to… Continue reading
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A Reading List: Great Books of Islamic Civilization
The intellectual tradition of Islamic civilization is both incredibly vast and delightfully diverse. Within this immense corpus of intellectual wealth, certain works enjoy an authority that endures time because these “great books” shaped entire disciplines, helped form curricula, or preserved modes of thought across centuries. The following list, produced by N.A. Baloch, comprises the table… Continue reading
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First Impressions: Dār al-Maʿrūf’s Recent Print of Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ
By Bilal Ali I had the opportunity to examine the first volume of the new eleven-volume edition of Mullā ʿAlī al-Qārī’s celebrated commentary on the Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ, Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ. My access was brief, limited to a few days before returning the volume to its owner, yet the edition has recently been the subject of discussion… Continue reading
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Khwājā Khān Muḥammad and the Spiritual Legacy of the Khānqāh Sirājīyyah
The following eulogy was composed by my intellectual mentor, Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm Chishtī, on the occasion of the passing of my spiritual mentor, the incomparable Ḥaḍrat Khwājā Khān Muḥammad Ṣāḥib, in 2010. Despite its brevity, it occupies a singular place in my heart due to its connection to two of my most senior and impactful… Continue reading
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Fragrant Flowers: A Brief Biography of My Paternal Grandfather, Muḥammad Muṣtafā
This booklet was written by my father’s first cousin, Ḥāfiẓ Naeem Ahmed (Adeeb), the son of my Dādā’s brother. He resides in our ancestral town of Anwayan, near Belthara Road in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. In it, he records biographical details of my paternal grandfather, Muḥammad Muṣṭafā, drawn from his own interactions with him, though those… Continue reading
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ʿAllāmah al-Kawtharī’s List of Ḥanafī Hadith Masters
The following list a selection from notes that were compiled for one of the appendices to the forthcoming (in shā Allāh) translation of Imam ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Dihlawī’s Muqaddamah fī Uṣūl al-Ḥadīth. The list has had to be refined, edited, and truncated for publishing purposes. I thought the rough notes would still benefit certain interested readers,… Continue reading
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Measuring the Effectiveness of Distance Learning in Islamic Studies Programs
The following is a paper I wrote in 2011 as part of an Applied Behavioral Sciences program at National-Louis University. Much of my study, research, and writing was focused on andragogical theories and practice, in particular those within the Muslim community and in the field of Islamic or Arabic Studies. The paper is basic and also dated, especially given… Continue reading
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The Elevation of Feminine Virtue: Remembering a Life of Selfless Service and the Loss of a Hidden Paragon
By Bilal Ali Ansari It is January 3rd, 2023 (10th of Jumada al-Thani, 1444 AH). Mortality’s cloud has obscured a peerless source of compassion and service from our eyes. For seventy-six years, this archetype of feminine virtue illuminated the world with her blazing light. Now a sizable crowd patiently waits under dark skies and a cold,… Continue reading
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Memories of My Mentor: Mawlānā Dr. ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm al-Nuʿmāni Chishtī
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Mercy-Giving. Upon the passing of my mentor and intellectual guide, Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm Chishtī Ṣāḥib (al-Nuʿmānī), who his students affectionally call Ustādh Jī or just Haḍrat Chishtī Ṣāḥib, I find myself struggling to find the right way of expressing my grief and loss. It is, no… Continue reading