Biography of Allamah Abul Barakat Ahmad Madrasi

Birth and family

Shaykh Abul Barakat Ahmad was born in Chamnad (Madras, South India) in 1926 (1345H). His father was named Muhammad Ismaeel and his grandfather, a famous scholar of his area, was named Muhammad.

His father’s two elders brothers were also scholars, and likewise his father’s maternal uncles. His mother had memorised the Quran.

His education

Shaykh Abul Barakat learned the Quran from his noble mother and went to primary school where he studied sciences and English.

Afterwards he turned to religious knowledge and learned preliminary books from his paternal uncle Muhammad Abdullah.

Shaykh Abul Barakat learned books of Arabic grammar and morphology from Shaykh Muhammad Abbas, who was a teacher in Madras College. Shaykh Muhammad Abbas was a Shafii scholar and this school of though was prevalent in this area.

Afterwards the joined the Madrasah of Allamah Muhammad Al-Katangarhi, who was a Shafii scholar, but not a blind follower. Allamah Katangarhi had studied “Nayl Al-Awtar”, “Tuhfatul Ahwazi”, “Awn Al-Ma’bud” and others.

Shaykh Abul Barakat learned Shafii beginner books from him, also “Al-Fiyah” (ibn Malik), “Mishkat Al-Masabih”, and “Jalalayn”.

Afterwards Shaykh Abul Barakat studied from Shaykh Muhammad Abu Bakr Shafii books and Sahih Muslim.

Afterwards he studied from Allamah Jadiri, who was an expert of Mantiq, Falsafah and Shafii Usul Al-Fiqh. With studying books of Mantiq from him, he also studied from him the Shafii books “Fath Al-Mu’een” and “Sharh Al-Muhalla”, which is a 4 volume explanation of “Al-Minhaj” of Imam Nawawi. He also studied from him “Jam’ Al-Jawami” and its explanation in two volumes.

Afterwards Shaykh Abul Barakat joined Madrasah Al-Aliyah (Arabic College Madras). He completed there all subjects, Ma’ani, Bayan, Badee’, Mantiq, Falsafah and other scientific subject. He also studied some English books.

Among his teachers in Madrasah Al-Aliyh, we count Allamah Mahar Muhammad and Allamah Abu Salah from which he took “Sahih Al-Bukhari”.

During his time in Madrasah Al-Aliyah, Shaykh Abul Barakat took a Hanafi book of Fiqh and Usul Al-Fiqh from a Hanafi scholar.

At the end of his studies in Madrasah Al-Aliyah, Shaykh Abul Barakat would be able to speak and write in Arabic.

After completing his studies in Madrasah Al-Aliyah in Madras at around the age of 20, Shaykh Abdul Barakat Ahmad wanted to go to Egypt to study in Jamiyah Al-Azhar. His parents agreed so he travelled to the capital Delhi. He informed Shaykh AbdusSattar Dehlwi about his desire to study at Al-Azhar, so Shaykh AbdusSattar Dehlwi told him that he would prepare with the Egyptian Embassy for this. In the meantime, Shaykh Abul Barakat joined the Madrasah of Shaykh AbdusSattar Dehlwi, named “Dar Al-Kitab wa Sunnah” of the Jamaat Ghuraba Ahl e Hadith.

Shaykh Abul Barakat learned the Sahihayn from Shaykh AbdusSattar Dehlwi and at this time, Pakistan came to existence and there were lots of troubles in many cities of India. Bengali students struggled to travel back to South India and the travel was perilous, so Shaykh Abul Barakat decided to go with Shaykh AbdusSattar Dehlwi to Karachi in Pakistan.

Afterwards Shaykh Abul Barakat went to Odanwala where he remained a little time in the Madrasah Ta’lim Al-Quran of Sufi Muhammad Abdullah. Seeing his knowledge and piety, Sufi Muhammad Abdullah advised him to join Jamiyah Islamiyah Gujranwala and study there from Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi.

Hence Shaykh Abul Barakat went to GujranWala and studied from Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi the following books: Sahih Al-Bukhari, Muwatta Imam Malik, Siraji, Muthalam Ath-Thubut and Sharh Aqaid

After he had completed his studies in Gujranwala, his parents advised him to return to Madras as the situation was better. Shaykh Abul Barakat wrote to some parliamentarians from the Muslim League in Madras but the Indian Government did not allow him back. While he was still trying to return to India, his parents passed away one after the other, and thus Shaykh Abul Barakat decided to make Pakistan his country.

His teachers:

1) His paternal uncle Muhammad Abdullah

2) Shaykh Muhammad Abbas (Shafii)

3) Allamah Muhammad Al-Katangarhi (Shafii)

4) Shaykh Muhammad Abu Bakr (Shafi)

5) Allamah Jadiri (Shafii)

6) Allamah Mahar Muhammad (Shafii)

7) Allamah Abu Salah (Shafii)

8) Shaykh AbdusSattar Dehlwi

9) Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi

His Teaching Career

After completing his studies in Jamiyah Islamiyah Gujranwala, his teacher Hafiz Muhammad Gondlawi, seeing his skills, asked him to teach in Jamiyah Islamiyah. Hence Shaykh Abul Barakat started to teach in Jamiyah Islamiyah Gujranwala in 1951, and he taught there up to his death in 1991 for 40 years. After Hafiz Muhammad Gondalwi moved to Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad few years later, Shaykh Abul Barakat became the principal of Jamiyah Islamiyah Gujranwala and occupied this position all his life.

In his first year of teaching, Shaykh Abul Barakat taught Tafsir Baydawi, Itqan, Hujjatullah Balighah, Jami Bayan, Muslim Al-Ulum, Nur Al-Anwar, Tawdih At-Talwih, Muhadarat Tarikh Al-Adab Al-Arabi, Diwan Mutanabbi, Diwan Hamasah. Afterwards he taught Sahih Al-Bukhari, Bulugh Al-Maram and other books.

Shaykh Abul Barakat was offered a better salary to teach in Jamiyah Salafiyah Faisalabad but he preferred to remain in Jamiyah Islamiyah Gujranwala. Likewise Shaykh Dawood Ghaznawi wanted Shaykh Abul Barakat to teach in his Madrasah Taqwiyatul Ulum in Lahore, but Shaykh Abul Barakat would prefer to stay in Gujranwala.

His famous students

Shaykh Abul Barakat Ahmad in his long teaching career had a great number of students, we count among his most famous students:

1) Allamah Ihsan Elahi Zaheer

2) Shaykh Irshadul Haq Athari

3) Shaykh Mahmood Ahmad Mirpuri (UK)

4) Shaykh Sanaullah Sialkoti (UK)

5) Shaykh Muhammad Ali Janbaz

6) Shaykh Basheer Numani

7) Shaykh Sanaullah Zahidi

8) Shaykh Muhammad Basheer Sialkoti

9) Hafiz AbdusSalam Bhutvi

10) Qari Naeem ul Haqq Naeem

11) Qari Muhammad Idrees Aasim

12) Hafiz Ahmad Shakir

13) Shaykh Abbas Anjum Gondalwi

14) Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Gondalwi

15) Shaykh Muhammad Ilyas Athari

16) Shaykh AbdulWahab Ropri

17) Shaykh Hafeez Ar-Rahman Lakhvi

18) Shaykh Farooq Ahmad Rashdi

19) Shaykh Muhammad A’zam

20) Shaykh Ataullah Sajid

21) Mian Muhammad Jameel

22) Shaykh Muhammad Siddiq Begumkoti

23) Professor AbdusSattar Hamid

24) Shaykh Shamsad Ahmad Salafi

25) Shaykh Khalid Hayat Mahmood

26) Hafiz Aziz Ar-Rahman (US)

27) Shaykh Ayub Nu’mani (UK)

28) Shaykh Muhammad Siddiq Khokar

29) Hafiz Asad Mahmood

30) Shaykh Muhammad Aslam Shaidrawi

31) Shaykh AbdusSamad Riyalwi

His Family

Shaykh Abul Barakat married in 1953, and had 5 sons and 4 daughters. His 5 sons:

1) AbdulHameed: religious studies, computerising

2) AbdulMajeed: religious studies, book seller

3) Abdul Aziz: worked in Jeddah

4) AbdusSamee: teacher and Khateeb in Gujranwala

5) AbdulBaseer: Business

His Writings

a) Shaykh Abul Barakat’s Fatawa were published in 1988 under the name “Fatawa Barkatiya”

b) Shaykh Abul Barakat wrote many articles in different magazines. His student Qari Muhammad Idris Aasim gathered these articles and started working on them but he passed away from injuries after his house fire incident. Qari Muhammad Idris Aasim’s son Qari Awais Idrees Aasim completed the work and published it under the name “Sawanih wa Maqalat Allamah Abul Barakat Ahmad” in 451 pages (Aasim Islamic Books Lahore). Qari Muhammad Idris’s Aasim’s son Qari Abu Bakr Aasim (US) introduced this work.

His Death

While teaching Sahih Al-Bukhari, Shaykh Abul Barakat started to cough and feeling pain. He was taken to hospital where he remained bed ridden for some days before passing away on the 29^th July 1991. Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Rajiun.

His Akhlaaq

Shaykh Ahmad Shakir wrote that Shaykh Abul Barakat would love his students like his children, in each student, with knowledge, he would emphasize on action.

Shaykh Ahmad Shakir also mentioned that Shaykh Abul Barakat would pray Tahajjud and had no concern of the world

Shaykh Abdul Barakat would look at the Tarbiyah, hygiene and health of his students, visit ill students and emphasize on teaching them Tazkiyah alongside knowledge.

Shaykh Abul Barakat also inculcated in them the passion of reading books and research.

Allah (Ta’ala) brought a generation of scholars through the efforts, care, administrative and teaching skills of Shaykh Abul Barakat Ahmad.

Sources:

“Sawanih wa Maqalat Allamah Abul Barakat Ahmad” of Qari Muhammad Idrees Aasim, and “Dabistan Hadith” of Shaykh Ishaq Bhatti