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Badre Alam Merathi (Urdu: بدر عالم میرٹھی; 1898 – 29 October 1965) was a mid-twentieth-century hadith scholar and poet originally from Meerut, initially migrated to Pakistan and eventually settled in Medina. Best known as the interpreter of Anwar Shah Kashmiri's teachings, he was a disciple of both Kashmiri and Shabbir Ahmad Usmani. Educated at Mazahir Uloom and Darul Uloom Deoband, he taught at both institutions and Jamia Islamia Talimuddin. During his tenure at Jamia Islamia Talimuddin, he compiled Fayd al-Bari, a four-volume Arabic commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, published in Cairo with financial support from Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal, considered a masterpiece in hadith commentary. He was also associated with Nadwatul Musannifeen and authored Tarjuman al-Sunnah, a 4-volume hadith explanation designed for contemporary needs, widely acknowledged in academic circles. In his final years, he focused on teaching hadith in Prophet's Mosque, where many South Africans pledged allegiance to him, expanding his spiritual influence in South Africa.

Life sketch

Badre Alam was born in 1898 in a Sayyid family in the Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh. His father, Tahur Ali, served as a police officer. He received his initial education at an English school in Aligarh, and influenced by a sermon of Ashraf Ali Thanwi at the age of eleven, he developed an inclination towards Islamic studies. Despite initial resistance from his father, he pursued religious education at Mazahir Uloom.

Under the mentorship of Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri for eight years, followed by further studies at Darul Uloom Deoband with Anwar Shah Kashmiri, he continued his educational journey. His notable teachers at Mazahir Uloom included Zafar Ahmad Usmani, and at Deoband, Aziz-ul-Rahman Usmani and Asghar Hussain Deobandi. After completing his studies at Darul Uloom Deoband, he began teaching there in 1925.

In 1927, he, along with Anwar Shah Kashmiri and Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, migrated to Jamia Islamia Talimuddin. For seventeen years, he engaged in teaching hadith at Jamia Islamia Talimuddin, covering texts such as Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya, and Mishkat al-Masabih. He also continued participating in Anwar Shah Kashmiri's classes on Sahih al-Bukhari and Sunan al-Tirmidhi for five years.

After Dabhel, he moved to Bahawalnagar, Punjab, established Jam'ul Uloom, and stayed for a year there. He then came to Delhi and became associated with Nadwatul Musannifeen in 1943. After the partition of India in 1947, he migrated to Karachi, Pakistan, and, under the patronage of Shabbir Ahmad Usmani founded Jamia Islamia at Tando Allahyar. Following Pakistan's formation, he actively participated in the formulation of an Islamic constitution.

After residing for four years in Pakistan, he migrated to Medina. Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda met him in Medina, benefited from him, and later narrated hadiths from him.

Known as Qutb al-Aarifeen, he received Sufi teachings from Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, associated with Aziz-ul-Rahman Usmani, and ultimately received spiritual succession from Muhammad Ishaq Merathi. He died on 29 October 1965, in Prophet's Mosque, and was laid to rest in Al-Baqi Cemetery. His influence extended to Pakistan, India, South Africa, and the Middle East.

Literary works

He scrutinized the intricacies of the Quran and hadith, expressing an understanding of Arabic literature and poetry. His literary works touched various religious subjects. Apart from Fayd al-Bari and Tarjuman al-Sunnah, he authored the three-volume Jawahir al-Hikam, addressing contemporary social issues and the implementation of Islamic law in 1965, translated into French and Gujarati. His annotations for Fayd al-Bari, published as Al-Badr Al-Sari. He wrote an abstract of Rashid Ahmad Gangohi's book Zubdat-ul-Manāsik under the title Khulasa Zubdat-ul-Manāsik, a guide on Hajj issues. One of his books on the descent of Jesus is called Nuzool-e-ʿĪsā, and he has written a booklet in the same series called Awaz-e-Haq. During his time in Pakistan, he translated Ali al-Qari's Al-Hizb al-Azam and wrote some poetry.

See also

• List of Deobandis

References

1. ^ Kaleem, Mohd (2017). Contribution of Old boys of Darul uloom Deoband in Hadith Literature (PhD) (in Urdu). India: Department of Sunni Theology, Aligarh Muslim University. p. 174. hdl:10603/364028. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
2. ^ Riyasathullah, Mohamed (2012). Ahadees Kay Urdu Tarajim (PhD) (in Urdu). India: Department of Arabic, University of Madras. p. 95. hdl:10603/295877. Archived from the original on 25 October 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
3. Rizwi, Syed Mehboob (1981). History of the Dar al-Ulum Deoband. Vol. 2. UP, India: Idara-e Ihtemam, Darul Uloom Deoband. p. 103. OCLC 20222197.
4. ^ Khatoon, Aaisha (2017). Aazadi ke Baad Hindustan ki Khidmaat e Hadith (PhD) (in Urdu). India: Department of Sunni Theology, Aligarh Muslim University. p. 103. hdl:10603/364027. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
5. Ghani, Khwaja Abdul (1979). Allama Muhammad Anwar Shah Kashmiri: Un ke Mutasilin aur Talamzah ki Khidmat (PDF) (PhD) (in Urdu). Jamshoro, Pakistan: University of Sindh. p. 142. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
6. ^ Shabbir, Yusuf (2018). "Profile of Mawlana Muhammad Badr Alam Mirti". Islamic Portal. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
7. Muhammad Tayyib, Qari (June 1965). Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Sad Saala Zindagi [Centenary Life of Darul Uloom Deoband] (in Urdu) (1st ed.). Deoband: Daftar-e-Ihtemam, Darul Uloom Deoband. p. 112. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
8. Qasmi, Muhammadullah Khalili (October 2020). Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Jame O Mukhtasar Tareekh [A comprehensive and brief history of Darul Uloom Deoband] (in Urdu) (3rd ed.). India: Shaikh-Ul-Hind Academy. p. 577–578, 763. OCLC 1345466013.
9. Azami, Fazlur Rahman (1999). Tareekh e Jamia Islamia Dabhel [History of Jamia Islamia Dabhel] (in Urdu). Multan, Pakistan: Idara Tālīfāt e Ashrafia. p. 189, 192.
10. Miftahi, Zafeeruddin (1980). Mashaheer-e-Ulama-e-Darul Uloom Deoband (in Urdu) (first ed.). Deoband: Daftar Ijalas-e-Sad Sala. pp. 93–94. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
11. Merathi, Badre Alam (1968). "Musannif Ki Hayāt-e-Mubāraka Ki Ek Halki Si Jhalak: Aaftab Ahmad" [A brief glimpse of the author's life, by Aaftab Ahmad]. Tarjuman al-Sunnah (in Urdu). Vol. 4. Lahore: Idara-e-Islāmiyyāt. p. 19.
12. Ghani 1979, p. 144.
13. Bukhari, Akbar Shah (1985). Seerat-e Badre Alam (in Urdu). Karachi, Pakistan: HM Sayed Company. p. 64.
14. Kaleem 2017, p. 175.
15. Amini, Noor Alam Khalil (May 2010). Pas-e-Marg Zinda [People who are still alive after death] (in Urdu) (3rd ed.). Deoband: Idara Ilm o Adab. p. 365. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
16. Al Rājihi, Abd al-Azīz (2001). Hady al-Sāri Ilā Asānīd al-Shaikh Ismail al-Ansari (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Maktaba al-Rushd. p. 190. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
17. Ghani 1979, p. 148.
18. Kamal, Mohd Arif (2020). Ulema e Hind ki Bisween Sadi Nisf Awwal mein Khidmat e Hadith Tanquidi Mutala (PhD) (in Urdu). India: Department of Sunni Theology, Aligarh Muslim University. p. 221. hdl:10603/364940. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
19. Akbarabadi, Saeed Ahmad, ed. (November 1965). "Nazarāt". Monthly Burhan (in Urdu). Vol. 55, no. 5. Delhi: Nadwatul Musannifeen. p. 3. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
20. Banuri, Muhammad Yusuf (2020). Yad-e-Raftagāñ (in Urdu). Banuri town, Karachi: Maktaba Bayyinat, Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia. p. 27.
21. Muhammad Tayyib, Qari (1999). Bukhari, Akbar Shah (ed.). Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Pachaas Misali Shakhsiyaat (in Urdu). Deoband: Maktaba Faiz-ul-Qur'an. p. 158. OCLC 45499890. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
22. Ghani 1979, pp. 150–51.
23. Mubarakpuri, Arif Jameel (2021). Mausoo'a Ulama-u- Deoband [The Encyclopedia of Deobandi Scholars] (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Deoband: Shaikhul Hind Academy. p. 347.
24. ^ Bukhari 1985, p. 52.

External links

• Works of Badre Alam Merathi at Internet Archive

• Deobandis
• Hanafis
• 1898 births
• 1965 deaths
• Muhajir people
• Darul Uloom Deoband alumni
• Mazahir Uloom alumni
• Burials at Jannat al-Baqī
• People from Meerut
• People from Karachi
• People from Medina
• Writers from Uttar Pradesh
• 20th-century Indian Muslims
• 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
• Students of Anwar Shah Kashmiri
• Academic staff of Darul Uloom Deoband
• Academic staff of Jamia Islamia Talimuddin
• Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
• Urdu-language writers
• Arabic-language writers