Life and works of 'Allamah Muhammad Anwar Shah Kashmiri.

Abstract

'Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri (d.1933) was one of the most distinguished Islamic scholars of the Indo-Pak Subcontinent. He was recognised as an authority on 'Ilm al-Hadith (the science of Hadith). His works on Hadith won him the title of Shaykh al- Hadith (an expert in the field of Hadith) and was also acclaimed as a Muhaddith (scholar of Hadith). Although 'Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri's speciality was primarily in the field of the science of Hadith, he was equally competent to teach and write in other relevant Islamic sciences such as, al-Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) and 'Ulum al-Qur'an (Qur'anic Sciences), etc. His research and findings sometimes led to him engaging into intense intellectual debates with other Muslim scholars in various parts of India. He had a passion for Hadith and he spent all his life teaching the Sihah Sittah (The Six Authentic Collections of Hadith). Students used to flock to the institutions where he taught and it was considered an honour and privilege to study under him. 'Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri's contribution in the field of Hadith benefited and continue to benefit scholars and students alike to this day. To date no systematic study on the life and works of 'Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri has as yet been accomplished in the English language. Biographies on him exist in the Urdu language and they are mostly of a popular nature and have generally not discussed in detail his academic uniqueness and peculiarities. Thus, the objectives of this study will be to: 1. Discuss the evolution of the Islamic institutions of Islamic learning in India and what impact it had in moulding and shaping the intellectual pursuit of 'Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri. 2. Analyze his literary works and assess his contributions in the field of the science of Hadith and Hadith literature. 3. Examine his unique position and individual stance on matters pertaining to Tafsir al-Qur'an (Qur'anic Exegesis), 'Ilm al-Hadith (the Science of Hadith) and some Fiqhi (legal) issues.