A Critical Analysis of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi’s Sufi Influences in the Indian Subcontinent

Year 2023, Issue: 15, 23 - 62, 31.12.2023

Dr. Saeyd Rashed Hasan Chowdury Harun Alkan Murat İsmaıloğlu

https://doi.org/10.46231/sufiyye.1382950

Abstract

This article examines the pivotal role of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (1703-1762) in the revival of Islam in the Indian subcontinent through Sufism following the decline of the Mughal Empire. Shah Waliullah, a Sufi affiliated with the Naqshbandi Order, also distinguished himself as an Ash'ari theologian and a Hanafi jurist. Shah Waliullah's distinctive interpretation, which underscores the significance of the Quran and the Sunnah in Islamic sciences and Sufism, has played an essential role in reforming Islamic thought in the region from theoretical and practical perspectives. His works in the fields of fiqh (jurisprudence), theology, and Sufism have profoundly influenced Muslim thought on the Indian subcontinent. Shah Waliullah, a proponent of the idea that Sufism could serve as a powerful tool in the moral and spiritual development of society, not only emphasised the potential risks posed by distorted Sufism but also cautioned against deviating from the path of the Quran and the Sunnah. His understanding of Sufism is based on rejecting any activity beyond the Quran and Sunnah. He made valuable contributions to the Aqidah (Islamic creed) reform, the promotion of hadith scholarship, and the reconciliation of fiqh (jurisprudence) and Sufism. Shah Waliullah also emphasised the importance of Islamic values and culture. In this article, an attempt has been made to offer a perspective for contemporary Muslims striving to reconcile their beliefs with the demands of modern life by analysing the views of Shah Waliullah on the interpretation of Islamic sciences and Sufism.

Keywords

Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, Sufism, Indian Subcontinent, Reform, The Islamic Awakening, The Impact of Colonialism, Transformation of Muslim Society

Şah Veliyyullah Dihlevî’nin Hint Alt Kıtası’ndaki Tasavvufî Etkilerinin Eleştirel Bir Analizi

Abstract

Bu makalede, Şah Veliyyullah Dihlevî'nin (1703-1762) Babür İmparatorluğu'nun çöküşü sonrası Hint alt kıtasında tasavvuf aracılığıyla İslam'ın yeniden canlandırılmasındaki rolü incelenecektir. Nakşibendî Tarikatı'na müntesip bir sûfî olan Şah Veliyyullah aynı zamanda bir Eş'arî kelamcısı ve Hanefî fakihidir. Şah Veliyyullah'ın İslami ilimlere ve tasavvuf'a yönelik Kur'an ve Sünnet'in önemini vurgulayan kendine özgü yorumu, nazarî ve amelî açıdan bölgedeki İslam düşüncesinin ıslahatında önemli bir rol oynamıştır. Onun, fıkıh, kelam ve tasavvuf alanında yazdığı eserler, Hint alt kıtasındaki Müslüman düşüncesini derinden etkilemiştir. Toplumun ahlakî ve manevî gelişiminde tasavvufun güçlü bir araç olabileceğini düşünen Şah Veliyyullah, Kur'an ve Sünnet çizgisinden uzaklaşarak tahrif olmuş tasavvufun tehlikelerine karşı da uyarılarda bulunmuştur. Onun tasavvuf anlayışı, Kur'an ve sünnet'in dışına çıkan her türlü faaliyetin reddini temel almıştır. O, İslam akidesinin ıslahına, hadis çalışmalarının teşvik edilmesine ve fıkıh ile tasavvufun uzlaştırılmasına katkıda bulunmuştur. Şah Veliyyullah ayrıca İslami değerlerin ve kültürün önemini de vurgulamıştır. Bu makalede, İslamî ilimleri ve tasavvufu yorumlama konusunda, Şah Veliyyullah'ın görüşleri analiz edilerek modern hayatın gereksinimleriyle inançlarını uzlaştırmaya çalışan günümüz Müslümanları için bir bakış açısı sunulmaya çalışılmıştır.

Keywords

Şah Veliyyullah Dihlevî, Tasavvuf, Hint Alt Kıtası, Islahat, İslamî Uyanış, Sömürgecilik Etkisi, Müslüman Toplumun Dönüşümü

References

• Afzal, Mohammad. Shah Wali Allah's Philosophy of Education. Islamabad: NIHCR Publication, 2003.
• Ahmad, Muzzammil - Ian Greer. "Shah Wali Allah in Defence of ibn Taymiyyah: A Translation and Reading of Risalah fi Manaqib Ibn Taymiyyah wa'l-Difa "anhu". Islamic Studies 61/1 (2022), 25.
• Al-Qeisi, Marwan Ibrahim. Some Religious and Political Aspects of the Thought of Shah Wali Allah of Delhi (1703-1762). Manchester: University of Manchester, 1977.
• Alim, Muhammad Abdul. Shah Waliullah Muhaddis Dehlavi: A Historical Background. nobojagaran (8 September 2023).
• Athar'Ali, Muhammad. "Shah Wali Allah's Performance as a Mujaddid". Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society 48/3 (2000), 15.
• Aydın, Ahmet. "Bir Bibliyografya Denemesi: Şah Veliyyullah ed-Dihlevi'yi Konu Alan Çalışmalar", Şırnak Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 4/8 (Aralık 2013), 29-77.
• Aydın, Ahmet. Şah Veliyyullah ed-Dihlevî ve Dihlevîlik. İstanbul: Marmara Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Doktora Tezi, 2013.
• Balijon, J. M. S. Religion and Thought of Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi. Leiden: Brill Academic Pub, 1986.
• Chaghatai, M. İkram. Shah Waliullah (1703-1762): His Religious and Political Thought. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2005.
• Chowdury, Saeyd Rashed Hasan. Hint Alt Kıtasında Sûfî-Selefi Mücadelesi Bağlamında İslam'da İç Barışın Korunması. Ankara: Ankara Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Yayınlanmamış Doktora Tezi, 2023.
• Chowdury, Saeyd Rashed Hasan– Göktaş, Vahit. "A Critical Analysis of Imam Rabbani Ahmad Sirhindi's Doctrines on Sufism". Teosofi: Jurnal Tasawuf dan Pemikiran Islam 11/1 (2021), 93-121.
• Chowdury, Saeyd Rashed Hasan. Bangladeş'te Tasavvufun ve Tarikatların Değerlendirilmesi, Sosyal Gelişimleri ve Oynadıkları rol: Yirmi Birinci Yüzyılda bir vak'a Incelemesi. Ankara: Ankara Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Yüksek Lisans Tezi, 2019.
• Chowdury, Saeyd Raashed Hasan. "Bangladeş'te Tasavvuf Kültürü ve Temsilcileri". Tematik Tasavvuf Toplantıları Fikriyat Kişiler Kurumlar. ed. Ahmet Cahid Haksever. 33-52. Ankara: Sonçağ, 2019.
• Daudi, Halid Zaferullah. Pakistan ve Hindistan'da Şah Veliyyullah ed-Dihlevi'den Günümüze Kadar Hadis Çalışmaları. İstanbul: İnsan Yayınları, 1995.
• Dehlawi, Shah Waliullah. The Sacred Knowledge of the Higher Functions of the Mind Altaf Al-Quds. trans. G. N. Jalbani. UK: Octagon Press Ltd, 1982.
• Dehlewi, Shah Waliullah. Al Fauz Al Kabir Fi Usul at Tafsir. trans. Akhter Faruq. Dhaka; Kutub Khanaye Roshidiya, 2004.
• Delhvi, Shah Waliullah Mohaddis. Al-Tafheemat Al۔Ilahiyya. Bijnor: Madina Barqi Press, 1936.
• Dihlawi, Shah Wali Allah. The Conclusive Argument from God: Shah Wali Allah of Delhi's Hujjat Allah Al-Baligha (Islamic Philosophy, Theology, and Science). trans. Marcia K. Hermansen. Leiden: Brill Academic Publication, 1995.
• Geaves, Ron. "A Comparison of the Ideas of Maulana Mawdudi (1903-1980) and Shah Wali-Allah (1703-1762): A Pure Islam or Cultural Heritage." Islamic Quarterly 41/3 (1997), 169.
• Ghazi, Mahmood Ahmad. Islamic Renaissance in South Asia 1707-1867 The Role of Sah Wali Allah His Successors. Islamabad: International Islamic University, Islamic Research Institute, 2002.
• Ghazzali, Muhammad al. The Socio-Political Thought of Shah Wali Allah. ed. Abdul Ahad. Minnesota: Adam Publishers, 2006.
• Göktaş, Vahit vd., "Spirituality in the Context of Tablighi Jamaat and its Implication on Muslim Society: The Sufi Perspective". International Journal of Social, Political and Economic Research 9/2 (2022), 49-66.
• Göktaş, Vahit – Chowdury, Saeyd Rashed Hasan."Freedom of Religion, Faith and Religious Tolerance in Bangladesh: A Case Study on The Islamic Mysticism/Bangladeş'te Din Özürlüğü, İnanç ve Dinî Hoşgörü: İslâm Tasavvufu Üzerine Örnek Bir Araştırma". Disiplinlerarası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 5 (2019), 41-67.
• Göktaş, Vahit - Chowdury, Saeyd Rashed Hasan. "An Evaluation of Mu'in al-Din Chishti's Sufi Influences in the Indian Subcontinent: The Case of Chishti Tariqa". Şırnak Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 31 (June 2023), 47-76. https://doi.org/10.35415/sirnakifd.1244284
• Göktaş, Vahit – Saeyd Rashed Hasan Chowdury. "Districts of Bangladesh Named After Sufis Manifesting the Great Impact of Sufism on Bengal Civilization: A Qualitative Study". Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 13/1 (2023).
• Hermansen, MK. "Shāh Walī Allāh's theory of the subtle spiritual centres (Laṭāʾif): A Sufi model of personhood and self-transformation". Journal of Near Eastern Studies 47/1 (1988).
• Hermansen, MK. "Shah Wali Allah's Arrangement of the Subtle Spiritual Centers". Studies in Islam 1 (1982).
• Hermansen, MK. Shah Walı Allah's Theory of Religion in "Hujjat Allah Al-Balıgha” With A Translatıon of Volume I of" Hujjat Allah Al-Balıgha. Chicago: The University of Chicago, PhD thesis, 1982.
• İlhan, Mehmet. Şah Veliyyullah Dihlevi'nin Kelâmî Görüşleri. Ankara: Araştırma Yayınları, 2007.
• Islahi, Abdul Azim. Islamic economic thinking in the 12th AH/18th CE century with special reference to Shah Wali-Allah al-Dihlawi. Jeddah: Islamic Economics Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, 2009).
• Jalbani, G.N. Life of Shah Wali Allah. India: Kitab Bhavan, 2006.
• Jalbani, G.N. Teachings of Hazrat Shah Waliyullah Muhaddis Delvi. India: Kitab Bhavan, 1997.
• Jabeen, Rukhshinda - Tehmina Talib. "A Comparative Analysıs of Sufi Thoughts of Shah Fakhruddin Dehlvı and Shah Waliullah Dehlvi". PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 20/2 (2023), 1498-1512.
• Junoh, Noraini - Nor Asmira Mat Jusoh. "Falsafah Ibadat Solat Berdasarkan Al-Sunnah: Analisis Pandangan Shah Wali Allah Al-Dihlawi: The Philosophy of Solat Based on al-Sunnah: Analitical Study of Shah Wali Allah al-Dihlawi's". Journal of Fatwa Management and Research 11 /1 (2018), 139-154.
• Kızılgeçit, Muhammed. "Şah Veliyyullah Dihlevî'nin (1703-1762) Bazı Tasavvufî Görüşlerine Felsefî Bir Bakış". Tasavvuf İlmi ve Akademik Araştırma Dergisi 7 (2006), 191-210.
• Khan, Shafi Ali. "Nationalist'Ulama's Interpretation of Shah Wali Allah's Thought and Movement". Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society 37/3 (1989), 209-248.
• Khusru, Ataur Rahman. "Shah Waliullah Dehlavi: A Timeless Muslim Philosopher of the Subcontinent". Kaler Kantho (17 October 2023).
• Kismati, Zulfiqar Ahmad. Philosopher Shah Waliullah Dehlovee and His Thoughts. Dhaka: Adhunik Prokashani, 2000.
• Mannan, Mohammad Abdul. Shah Waliullah Dehlawi: One of The Pioneers of Muslim Awakening in Bengal. Dhaka: Darus Salam Publications, 1998.
• Maududi, Syed Abul A'la. Islamic Renaissance Andolan. Dhaka: Shatadal Publications Limited, 1988.
• Mratkhuzina et. al., "Sufism: Spiritual and cultural traditions in India." Journal of History Culture and Art Research 8/3 (2019), 434-441.
• Muztar, A. D. Shah Wali Allah: A Saint-Scholar of Muslim India. Islamabad: National Commission on Historical and Cultural Research, 1979.
• Naeem, Fuad S. "The Imaginal World ('Ālam al-Mithāl) in the Philosophy of Shāh Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī." Islamic Studies 44/3 (2005), 363–90. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20838978.
• Nadwi, Abul Hasan Ali Hasani. Tareekh e Dawat o Azeemat Life and Works of Hazrat Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlavi: Volume 5. trans. Shah Abdul Halim Hussaini. Dhaka: Muhammad Brothers, 2009.
• Nawaz, Majid Nawaz Majid, and Ghulam Anwar Ghulam Anwar. "Impacts of Struggles of Hazrat Shah Waliullah and Hazrat Mujaddid-e-Alif Sani in Reforming Sufism: An Analytical Study: اصلاح تصوف میں حضرت شاہ ولی اللہؒ اور حضرت مجدد الف ثانی ؒ کی کوششوں کے اثرات: تجزیاتی مطالعہ". Al Ehsan 17/01 (2022), 115-131.
• Nedvî, Ebü'l-Hasan Ali el-Hasenî. el-İmamü'd-Dihlevî. Kuveyt: Daru'l-Kalem, 1985.
• Nizami, K. A. Religion and thought of Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi 1703–1762. By JMS Baljon. (Studies in the History of Religions, [Supplements to Numen] XVIII.) pp. 221. Leiden, EJ Brill, 1986. Guilders 70". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 120/1 (1988), 219-221.
• Othman, Fadlan Mohd et. al., "Hujjat Allah Al-Balighah: The Uniqueness of Shah Wali Allah Al-Dihlawi's Work". Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 6/5 (2015), 403.
• Rizvi, Saiyid Athar Abbas. Shah Wali-Allah, and His Times: A Study of Eighteenth-Century Islam Politics and Society in India. Canberra: Ma'rifat Publishing House, 1980.
• Rumi, Omar Khaled. "Shah Waliullah Dehlavi and his lifelong struggle". bisleshon (August 2023).
• Sami, Kiran et. al. "Shah Waliullah: Synthesis of Pantheism and Apparentism". Journal of Grassroots 46/ 2 (2012).
• Shabbir, Ghulam - Muhammad Ibrahim. "Shah Wali Allah: Father of Muslim Modernism". Journal of Positive School Psychology (2023), 1327-1352.
• Shahed, Abul Kalam Mohammad. "Socio-Political Reform of Muslims in The View of Shah Waliullah and Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi". Islam: Past, Present and Future. Selangor: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 2004.
• Sindhi, Moulana Obaidullah. Shah Waliullah O Tar Rajnaitik Chintadhara (Shah Waliullah and his political thought). trans. Nur-ud-din Ahmed. Dhaka: Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, 1992.
• Stepanyants, Marietta. Sufism in The Context of Modern Politics. Torino: Edizioni della Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli, 2014.
• T, Thanveer. Islamic Political Philosophy: With Special Focus on Shah Wali Allah & Mawdudi. Chennai: Notion Press Media Pvt Ltd, 2019.
• Taimoor, Muhammad Raza. "Mediating the Interpretations to Resolve Sectarian Differences: Shah Wali Allah's Approach to the Quranic Exegesis and His Legacy." AL-Qalam 25/2 (2020), 457-472.
• Waliullah, Shah et.al. Sufism and the Islamic Tradition: The Lamahat and Sata'at of Shah Waliullah of Delhi. UK: Octagon Press, 1980.
• Zhalılov, Eldiiar. "Şah Veliyyullah Dihlevi'nin Tasavvuf Anlayışında Mürşid Olmanın Kriterleri", İlahiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi 19 (Haziran 2023), 132-164.