Ulama Firangi Mahal : Urdu

Ulama Firangi Mahall : Arabic & Urdu, New,
*[A5] Hardback - 478 pages,
by Mawlana Abdul Bari Firangi Mahali,
Edited by Dr Khushtar Nurani,
Published by World View Publishers.

 

Now in Stock May 2022

Description :

Tazkira Ulama Firangi Mahal : This new publication is the urdu translation by Dr Khushtar Nurani of the work (in Arabic) by Dr. Mawlana Abdul Bari Farangi Mahal, rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alayhi.
 

It details the history of the famous institution and its inhabitants, which is situated in Lucknow, India (which once housed French soldiers hence the name Firangi Mahal). It was instrumental in the inaugaration of the Dars e Nizami Islamic scholarship syllabus. It was here in the new premises that a descendent of the family, Mulla Nizamuddin, established a madarasa which soon became famous all over the Islamic world. This syllabus at that time was considered to be progressive as it included subjects like logic (mantiq), philosophy (falsafa), Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), mathematics, history (tarikh), Arabic, Persian (farsi), and Urdu besides training in traditional subjects like Tafsir (Quranic exegesis), Hifz (memorisation of Quran), Islamic law (Shari'ah) and other subjects.

It was easily the biggest Dar al-Uloom in India and was labelled as the 'Cambridge of India,' such was its reputatation and status.

The book is divided into four parts: the first, by way of introduction, is a detailed study of Mawlana Abd al Bari’s life by Khustar Noorani. Part two is the Arabic text of the tazkira, followed by its Urdu translation. The last part consists of the editor’s additional notes on each of the figures mentioned in the tazkira.
 

"A superb new book about a remarkable family
of scholars fills in an important gap in our society’s
spiritual, intellectual, political and literary lineage."
 

The tazkira proper consists of brief accounts of 137 Farangi Mahallis, to which the editor adds considerably in the form of annotations. These 137 include almost all of the major figures of Farangi Mahal, as well as many lesser known ones. Reading through these accounts, one gets a sense of how deeply the Farangi Mahallis are integrated into the wider South Asian world. As the reader works his way through these biographies, the book gradually seems to come alive with the bustle of life — Sufis, scholars, poets, teachers, lawyers, muftis, hakeems, officers and politicians, all rise from these lines to populate a world that is remarkable, not the least for emerging out of a single haveli. Interestingly, Mawlana Abd al Bari includes a touching account of his mother as well, who passed away when he was still writing the book.
 

For each Farangi Mahalli mentioned in the tazkira, Khustar Noorani has added considerable information from his own research, besides mentioning the precise sources for further research. These sources are themselves introduced and described in detail at the end of the work, making it a one-stop resource for those interested in diving deeper into the riches of Farangi Mahal.

Mawlana Abdul Bari :

He is Mawlana Doctor Qayam al-Din 'Abd al-Bari Firangi Mahali (1878 - 1926), rahimahullah. He was a renowned Islamic scholar, influential leader and head of the Firangi Mahal seminary at that time. It is believed he wrote in excess of over one hundred books, including works on Arabic grammar, Islamic jurisprudence, kalam, tasawwuf, hadith and Quranic exegesis. He was also a student of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s Masnavi, and taught it to his students. Unique among his writings is a Risala Science aur Kalam, consisting of no less than 34 volumes, of which only one has been published so far.

Mawlana Abdul Bari was strict on the aqidah of the Ahl al-Sunnah w'al Jama'ah and was an ardent follower of the Qadiri tariqah.

Also see Arabic Books.

*Dimensions : 22 x 15cm (approx).