Biography of Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti

The name of the father of Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti was Shaykh Ghulam Muhammad and his grandfather’s name was Nanak. Shaykh Ghulam Muhammad had 5 sons and 4 daughters. The names of his sons are: Hajji Muhammad Aslam, Hajji Muslim, Hajji Muhammad Yusuf, Ihsanullah and Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti.

Shaykh Ghulam Muhammad used to leave in Gurdaspur in India before the partition and he emigrated from India after the partition and settled with his family members in a village near Sialkot called Ladhar. His family was from the Rajput family and Shaykh Ghulam Muhammad was a scholar, with being a farmer, he would also be Imam and Khateeb in the Masjid. When he arrived in Ladhar, there was almost no Ahl e Hadith and he established a Masjid there. He was very active and by the grace of Allah, there are now 7 Ahl e Hadith Masajid in this village. Shaykh Ghulam Muhammad had a great religious fervour and would when living in India go to the talks of Shaykh Al-Islam Sanaullah Amritsari, and when he settled in Pakistan, he invited many scholars in his village to deliver lectures and as a result by the grace of Allah, many people in the village became Ahl e Hadith.

Shaykh Ghulam Muhammad was very much impressed by Shaykh Al-Islam Sanaullah Amritsari and wanted to have a son who would become a scholar like him, and Allah (Ta’ala) on the 4^th April 1948 (24 Jumada Ula 1367) gave him a son and he named him Sanaullah after Shaykh Al-Islam Sanaullah Amritsari.

His studies

At the age of 5 Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti joined school and studied up to Primary school. Afterwards his father inscribed him in 1960 in Madrasah Dar Al-Hadith which was in the Masjid of Shaykh Hakeem Sadiq Sialkoti in Deputy Bagh Sialkot. This Madrasah was established by the students of Imam Al-Asr Ibrahim Mir Sialkoti such as Shaykh Hakeem Sadiq Sialkoti (rah) and Hafiz Muhammad Shareef (rah). This Madrasah Dar Al-Hadith was then transferred in Masjid Ibrahimi in Mianapurah and was renamed Jamiyah Ibrahimiyah after Shaykh Ibrahim Mir Sialkoti, and afterwards it was moved to Nasir Rd in Sialkot and nowadays it is called Jamiyah Rehmaniyah.

Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti studied for 2 years in this Madrasah and afterwards he joined Jamiyah Islamiyah in Gujranwala in 1963 and completed Dars Nizami there and obtained his degree in 1969. He had studied there Sahih Bukhari and Tafsir of the Quran from Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi. There he became friend with other students of the Jamiyah such as Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri who was 2 years above him and Shaykh Hafiz Ar-Rahman Lakhvi.

Afterwards he completed his Fazil Arabic in 1970 and passed the exams of middle. Afterwards he passed the exam of AOT and became Khateeb in the army and passed in this time his Matric. In 1982 he completed his Qadhi course from Lahore and in 1986 he passed the exams of Wafaq Madaris Salafiyah and became teacher on Government High School and he also passed his BA from Punjab University.

His teachers:

We count among his teachers:

1) Shaykh Muhammad Ali Janbaz (author of Injaz Al-Haajah Sharh Sunnan ibn Majah, Arabic)

2) Professor AbdulQayum

3) Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi

4) Shaykh Abul Barakat

5) Shaykh Fazl Ar-Rahman Lahori

6) Shaykh Sayid Muhammad Mateen Hashmi

7) Shaykh AbdulMajeed Sohal

8) Shaykh AbulMalik Hanafi

9) Shaykh AbdurRahman Lakhvi

10) Professor Qadhi Maqbool Ahmed

11) Colonel AbdulGhafur

12) Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri

His moving to UK

Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri, who was the general secretary of Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK, brought his close friend Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti to UK in 1988. Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti has been the Imam in Skipton North Yorkshire for 15 years and participated fully in the works of the Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith. After the death of Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri in a car accident,  Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti was elected president of Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK on 3 times.

Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti was also an excellent writer and Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri trained him to write columns. After the death of Shaykh Mahnood Ahmed Mirpuri, he would write the column “Talkh Shiri” in the magazine “Sirat e Mustaqeem” of Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK.

His compilation of 3 books of Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri

Shaykh Sanullah Sialkoti compiled the Fatawa, Maqalat and columns of “Talkh Shiri” and published 3 books from them:

1) “Fatawa Sirat e Mustaqeem” in 570 pages, published by Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK and afterwards by Maktabah Quddusiyah Lahore containing the Fatawa of Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri published in the magazine “Sirat e Mustaqeem” of Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK. A summarised version of this book has been translated in English by Shaykh Abdul Hadi Umri and was published by Darussalam under the name “Islamic Verdicts Fatawa Sirat e Mustaqeem)

2) “Talkh Shiri”, the columns of Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri in “Sirat e Mustaqeem”. Hafiz Hamood Rahman Sharakpuri also played a role in the publication of this work. The Second half of the book contains columns of Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti and other scholars. This book was published in 1998 by Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK.

3) “Maqalat” comprising many essays in Urdu of Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri. One of this essay has been translated in English by SRI under the name “Every Innovation is misguidance” published by SRI.

His authored books

Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti authored many books as well such as:

1) “Talkh Shirin”: The Shaykh compiled the remaining of his columns published in “Sirat e Mustaqeem” in 2 other volumes. The second volume was published in 2003 by Idarah Sirat e Mustaqeem and the third volume in 2017 published by Suwayr Academy London.

2) “Sache Khwabon ke Sunhere Waqi’at” 216 pages book on stories of interpretation of many dreams of companions and scholars published by Darussalam.

3) “Asfar An-Nabi (saw)”: compiling the travels and expeditions of the Prophet (saw) and the lessons and inspiring events in many of them. 308 pages published by Suwayr Academy London in 2018

4) “Ache Bure Logon ke Waqiat”: stories of good and bad people, 172 pages, published by Suwayr Academy in 2019.

5) “Phool or Kante”

6) “Pakistan ki Ahmiyat”

7) “Ghurbat ke Waqi’at”

 8) “Mukafat ke Amal” published by Maktabah Baitussalam Riyadh.

With this Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti also introduced the first volume of “Tahreek Khatm e Nubuwat” of Shaykh Baha Al-Din for which he prepared its publication from Pakistan under Idarah Sirat e Mustaqeem.

His Milli and journalistic Services:

Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti established the “Thamar Trust” in 1911 with his children. He requested Allah that if one of his children was to become a Doctor, he would spend a certain amount of his income towards welfare works and Allah (Ta’ala) made 3 of his children into Doctors. Shaykh Sanaullah was the chairman of this trust and his son Sami’ullah was working with him in it. Through this trust, 27 filter plants and 150 hand pumps have been established in Pakistan in poor areas of Punjab, Khaybar Pakhtunkhwah, Sindh and Balochistan. With this many free dispensaries are running in different areas giving free medical treatment to poor people. Food is provided in Ramadan in many Masajid and hospitals. Also many schools teaching sewing have been established to train poor people. Also many Masajid and Madaris for memorising the Quran have been established.  

With being active in calling to Tawheed and Sunnah, Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti was very active in journalism. Like his friend and mentor Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri who wrote to make a common front of parities against Benazir Bhutto in elections, Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti would also wrote a lot on Pakistani Politics and call scholars to unite on common issues as we can see in his “Talkh Shirin” vol 2 p 256 in the article “Ullama e Kiram ka Ittihad” in which he wrote at the end “They (scholars) should manifest Ittihad in common Masail”, in vol 3 p 138 the article “Kash Ullama Muttahid ho Jaen” in which he wrote at the end: “At least in common matters, we should manifest Ittihad”. With this, like Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri’s active journalism, Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti wrote many articles raising awareness against oppression of Muslims in the whole world.

His death

Shaykh Sanullah Sialkoti passed away due to covid on Friday 12 February 2020, may Allah Ta’ala bestow Jannah Al-Firdaws and accept his efforts. His Janaza was prayed by Shaykh Aqeel Mahmood, son of Shaykh Mahmood Ahmed Mirpuri. Many Masajid of Markazi Jamiat Ahl e Hadith UK prayed Ghaibana Janaza (funeral prayer in Absentia) and likewise in his home village of Ladhar, his funeral prayer in absentia was conducted.

He left behind 5 sons and a daughter. His sons are named: Engineer Ziaullah, Samiullah (running affairs of Thamar Trust), Dr Mutiullah, Dr Kaleemullah and Dr Zabeehullah. All his children are highly educated (one electrical Engineer and 3 medical doctors) and they all learned Tafsir and Hadith from their father.

His son in law Hafiz AbdulWaheed is also very active Imam in London and in publishing books.

Source: Urdu biography written by Qari Liaqat Ali Bajwah and other sources.