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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A History of Muslim Philosophy Volume 2, Book 8 Chapter 79: Renaissance in Indo-Pakistan: Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi A: Introduction Of the two leaders of thought who appeared during the early years of decadence, Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab of Arabia and Shah Wali Allah of Delhi, the latter occupies a more prominent position.

He was a luminary who during the stormy period of Indian history showed the bewildered Mus­lims the right path, the path of peace and glory. He was possessed of deep insight, profound learning, and heroic nobleness. Not long after his death his thought gave rise to a mighty movement under the leadership of Shah Ismail Shahid and Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi for liberating the Muslims from the clutches of Western imperialism.

B: Life and Works Qutb al-Din Ahmad, popularly known as Shah Wali Allah, was born in 1114/1703, four years before the death of Aurangzib. His genealogy can be traced back to the family of Umar Faruq, the great Caliph. It is difficult to ascertain the exact time when his forefathers left Arabia and settled down in India, but the circumstantial evidence indicates that it was about three hundred years after the great Migration ( Hijrah ).

The historical records speak eloquently of the prominent position which Shah Wali Allah’s grandfather occupied in the Mughul Court. It has been narrated that he played an important role in the struggle for power amongst the sons of Shah Jahan, and that he fought bravely against the Marathas of the Deccan.[^1] Shah Wali Allah’s father, Shah Abd al-Rahim, was greatly loved and re­spected by the people for his great scholarship and piety.

He was entrusted by the Emperor Alamgir with the delicate and important task of revising the Fatawa-i Alamgiri . He acquitted himself creditably of the duty assigned to him and declined to accept any remuneration for the work.[^2] In his booklet al-Juz al-Latif fi Tarjamat al-Abd al-Daif , Shah Wali Allah gives an account of his brilliant educational career. Even a cursory reading of this booklet shows that Shah Wali Allah was precocious as a child.

He soon mastered the different branches of learning, and so great was his command over them that even at the tender age of fifteen he could teach all these with confidence to others. After the death of his illustrious father, we find him busy teaching Tafsir , Hadith, Fiqh , and logic, subjects commonly taught in the madrasahs of those days.