Biography of Shaykh Ridhaullah Mubarakpuri (1952-2003)

Birth and family

Shaykh Ridhaullah was born in the province A'zamGhar in the village of Mubarakpur in 1952. His father Haji Muhammad Idrees Jarah was not a scholar but a medical doctor and Hajji Muhammad Idrees Jarah's father Hakeem Muhammad Shafee' was the older brother of Allamah AbdurRahman Mubarakpuri, the author of "Tuhfatul Ahwazi". When Hakeem Muhammad Shafee' passed away, Shaykh AbdurRahman Mubarakpuri married the wodow of his brother and raised his brother's children who became his step sons. So shaykh Ridhaullah was the grand son of Allamah AbdurRahman Mubarakpuri's younger brother but also the step son of Allamah AbdurRahman Mubarakpuri.

His studies and teachers

Shaykh Ridhaullah started his studies in Mubarakpur in Madrasah Arabiyah Dar At-Ta'leem, and after studied in Jamiyah Rehmaniyah in Banaris for 4 years and benefited from:

Shaikh Aziz Ahmad Nadwi,
Shaikh AbdusSalam Gondwi,
Shaikh Qurratul Ayn,
Shaykh AbdusSalam Tibi,
Master Abdul Hameed,
Master Fayrozudin.

After he started in 1970 his studies of Alimiyat in Jamiyah Salafiyah Banaris and obtained his degree in 1974, and he benefited there from:

Shaikh Abdul Mueed Banarsi,
Shaykh Abdul Waheed Rehmani,
Shaykh Idrees Azad Rehmani,
Shaikh Shamsul Haq (father of Shaikh Ozair Shams)
Shaykh Muhammad Abid Rehmani
Dr Muqtada Hasan Azhari
Shaykh Muhammad Rais Nadwi

After Shaykh Ridhaullah entered the course Fazeelat in Jamiyah Salafiyah when Allamah Dr Tadiudin Hilali, who was a student of Shaykh AbdurRahman Mubarakpuri came to visit Jamiyah Salafiyah, and he was very respectful of his teacher's family so he invited Shaykh Ridhaullah to come to Morocco with him, so Shaykh Ridhaullah stayed in Morocco for approximately 2 years where he specialized in Arabic literature.

After Shaykh Ridhaullah was admitted to Madeenah University and he obtained his BA in Kulliyatul Hadith and his MA in 1985, and his PHD in 1989 and his Maqalah was on the Tahqiq of "Al-Fitan" of Abu Amr Ad-Daani ("Tahqiq wa Dirasah As-Sunnan Al-Waridah fil Fitan li Abi Amr Ad-Daani").

After his studies, he became a teacher in Jamiyah Salafiyah Banaris where he taught up to his death.

The different positions he held:

1) He was a member of Rabitah Alam Islami (Muslim world league) on the department of Majma Al-Fiqh Al-Islami.

2) The Saudi embassy established a Jami'yah gathering students from KSA in India and Nepal and they appointed Shaykh Ridhaullah Muabarkpuri as its president

3) He was the Mu'tamad Khas of Jami'yah At-Turath Al-Islami Kuweit, he would regulalry go there in holidays for programs and lectures, as well as Jam'iyah At-Turath's programs in America.

4) He was elected as vice president of Markazi Jam'iyat Ahl e Hadith Hind

5) He was appointed as Shaykh Al-Jami'yah of Jamiyah Salafiyah Banaris

His writings and books edited:

Arabic books that he edited:

1) "Tahqiq wa Ta'liq ala Kitab Ar-Rad ala man Yaqulu Al-Quran Makhlooq li Abi Bakr An-Najad" (Arabic pulished in Kuweit)

2) "Tahqiq wa Ta'liq Kitab Al-Azamah li Abi Shaykh Al-Asfahani" in 5 vol, Arabic published in Riyad.

3) "Tahqiq wa Dirasah As-Sunnan Al-Waridah fil Fitan li Abi Amr Ad-Daani" 3 vol, Arabic, Published in Riyad

4) "Thaqiq wa Ta'liq Kitab Al-Ahwal li Ibn Abi Duniya" Arabic published in Mumbai

His Urdu books:

1) "Aqidah Akhirat"

2) "Qiyamat ki Holnakian"

3) "Abdullah ibn Saba, Aqaid wa Nazriyat ke Aine mein"

4) "Salafiyat ka Ta'aruf or us ke Mutalaiq ba'd Itirazat ka Izalah"

Books that he translated from Arabic to Urdu:

1) "Awrat ke Makhsus Masail" Urdu translation of Shaykh Salih Al-Fawzan's book "Tanbihat ala Ahkam Takhusu bil Muminat"

2) "Mawjudah Hukumton ke Parliemani Intekhabat mein Hisah" Urdu translation of Shaykh AbdurRahman AbduKhaliq book "Mashru'iyatu Dukhul ila Majalis Tashri'iyah wa Qubul Al-Wilayat Al-Aamah fi Zil Al-Anzimah Al-Mua'asarah"

3) "Hadith Nabawi ki Diary", Translation of a collection of 250 Ahadith that he complied, published by Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith Hind, Delhi

Books that he translated from Urdu to Arabic:

1) "Kitab Al-Janaiz" Translation into Arabic of Shaykh AbdurRahman Mubarakpuri's Urdu epistle "Kitab Al-Janaiz". Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith Hind published it.

2)"Wijhatan Mudhadatan fi shaykh Muhammad ibn AbdilWahab" translation into Arabic of the Urdu book "Shaykh Muhammad ibn AbdilWahab ke bare mein do Mutadhad Nazrie" of Shaykh Mahfooz Ar-Rahman Faizi, published by Jamiyah Salafiyah.

His articles in Arabic and Urdu

With these books verified, authored and translated, Shaykh Ridhaullah Mubarakpuri also wrote many articles in Arabic and Urdu, the Urdu ones were published in "Tarjuman" (Delhi), "Isha'at As-Sunnah" (Delhi), and "Muhadith" (Banaris) and the Arabic ones in "Sawt Al-Ummah". The total pages of his Arabic articles is around 600 pages, and the total pages of his articles in "Muhadith" is around 550 pages.

His Urdu articles in "Isha'at As-Sunnah" have been compiled in the form of a book entitled "Mazamin Mubarakpuri" in 461 pages published by "Darul Kutub Islamiyah Dehli"

His death

On the 30 March 2003 there was a conference In Mumbai on the topic "The Religion is Mercy" in which Shaykh Ridhaullah Mubarakpuri delivered a lecture on Qadha wa Qadr, and little after the lecture he felt a pain in his heart and was rushed to Fawziya Hospital in Mumbai but he passed away there. His funeral prayer was led in the conference afterwards by Dr FazlurRahman Salafi Madni and 5000 prayed his funeral prayer and his body was send after to Mubarakpur were he was buried on the 31st March 2003.

Below is a video of his last speech:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dY_naoWLCU&feature=youtu.be

Shaykh Ozair Shams commented at his death: "At the time of lack of men (of quality), the death of someone as sincere and qualified as Shaykh Ridhaullah was, is a great loss for the Jamiyah and Jama'at. He was among our friends the best, the most serious, with a beautiful carachter, a scholar acting on his knowledge, a caller, a Muhaqqiq, an author and an exellent Adeeb"

Source: "Mazamin Mubarakpuri" and others