Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi | |
|---|---|
| Title | Allama |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1796 or 1797 Khairabad, Awadh |
| Died | 19 August 1861(1861-08-19) (aged 64–65) Andaman Islands, British India |
| Known for | Assisting theIndian Rebellion of 1857 |
| Occupation | Mufti, scholar, theologian and poet |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Creed | Maturidi |
Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi (1796/1797 – 19 August 1861) was aHanafimufti,Kalam scholar,Maturiditheologian, andpoet. He was an activist of theIndian independence movement and campaigned against British colonialism. He issued an early religious edict in favour of doing militaryjihad against British colonialism during 1857 and inspired various others to participate in the1857 rebellion. He wroteTahqeeq al-Fatwa Fi Abtal al-Taghwa in refutation ofIsmail Dehlvi'sTaqwiyat al-Iman and authored books such asal-Thawra al-Hindiyya.
Fazl-e-Haq was born in 1796 or 1797 inKhairabad, Sitapur.[a 1][1][2] His father wasSadr al-Sadur, the chief advisor to the Mughals regarding religious matters. He became a teacher by the age of 13. In 1828, he was appointed to the position ofmufti in the Department of Qaza.[2]
Besides being a scholar of Islamic studies and theology, he was also aliterary persona, especially of Urdu, Arabic and Persian literature. More than 400 couplets in Arabic are attributed to him. He edited the firstdiwan ofMirza Ghalib on his request.[citation needed] He followed theHanafi school of thought and was a theologian of theMaturidi school, he was also a poet.[3][4]
On account of his deep knowledge and erudition, he was bestowed with the title of "Allama" and later was venerated as a greatSufi. He was also called the Imam of logic, philosophy and literature. He was considered by scholars to be the final authority on issuing fatwas or religious rulings.[5]
He possessed a great presence of mind and was very intelligent. There are many stories about his repartee with Mirza Ghalib and other contemporary eminent poets, writers and intellectuals. He and his son Abdul al-Haq Khairabadi established Madrasa Khairabad in northern India, where many scholars got educated. He wroteRisala al-Thawra al-Hindiyya in Arabic language and wrote an account of the rebellion calledal-Thawra al-Hindiyya.[2]
Khairabadi, in his career, had written variousMasnavis againstWahhabis.[6] In 1825, Khairabadi issuedfatwas againstIsmail Dehlvi for his doctrine of God's alleged ability to lie (Imkan al-Kidhb).[7] Ismail is considered as an intellectual ancestor of Deobandis.[8] Darul Uloom Deoband, founderRashid Ahmad Gangohi later accepted Dehlvi's doctrines ofImkan al-Kidhb by stating that God has the ability to lie.[9] This doctrine is calledImkan al-Kidhb.[10][9] According to this doctrine, because God is omnipotent, God is capable of lying.[10] Gangohi supported the doctrine that God has the ability to make additional prophets after Muhammad (Imkan al-Nazir) and other prophets equal to Muhammad.[10][9]
Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi refuted these theories and wrote that, according to theQur'an andHadith, Muhammad is the final prophet, and there can be no other prophet or "messenger" after him. To believe that there can be another Muhammad would necessitate that Allah did something apart from what he has stated in the Qur'an, that is, that Allah has lied. Lying is a flaw, and it is impossible for Allah to have a flaw.[11][12]
As the Indians started to struggle against British occupation, Khairabadi conducted several private meetings with the Mughal emperorBahadur Shah Zafar, which continued until May 1857. On June 26, 1857, when GeneralBakht Khan along with his army of 14000, reached Delhi from Bareilly, Khairabadi gave aFriday sermon, attended by a plethora of Muslim scholars and issued a religious edict supportingjihad against the colonial government. Thefatwa was signed by Sadruddin Azurda, Abdul Qadir, Faizullah Dehalvi, Faiz Ahmed Badayuni, Wazir Khan, and Syed Mubarak Shah Rampuri. Through this edict, he inspired people to participate in1857 rebellion.[13][14] Subsequently, the Britishers deployed an army of some 90,000 around Delhi to protect its interests and to curb spread ofjihad, following the issuance of Khairabadi's edict.[15][16] Later, he was sent into exile toKalapani jail in theAndaman and Nicobar Islands.[17][18][19][11]
He was arrested by the British authorities on January 30, 1859, atKhairabad for inciting violence.[20] He was tried and found guilty of encouraging murder and role in the rebellion.[20] The authorities considered him "extraordinary intelligence and acumen who should be reckoned as the most dangerous threat to the British presence in India, and therefore must be evicted from the Indian mainland. He was accused of being the major force behind the mutiny, persuading masses to rise in revolt against the authority of the Company, campaigning and motivating masses to join the mutiny by calling it war of independence and issuing Fatwas inciting violence and making provocative speeches.[15][16]
He had chosen to be his own counsel and defended himself utilizing arguments and a manner in which he defended his case that was so convincing that the presiding magistrate was writing a judgement to exonerate him, when he confessed to giving the fatwa, declaring that he could not lie. He was sentenced to life in prison in theAndaman Islands, and his property was confiscated by the judicial commissioner ofAwadh court. He reached Andaman Island on October 8th, 1859, aboard the steam frigateFire Queen. He would remain imprisoned there until his death in 1861. One of the major reasons for the outbreak of war was the fear among the people that the Christian British government was going to destroy their religions and convert Indians to Christianity.[15]
Khairabadi wroteTahqeeq al-Fatwa Fi Abtal al-Taghwa refutingIsmail Dehlvi'sTaqwiyat al-Iman.[21] His other works include:[21]
He wasFarooqui. His father was Imam Fazl-e-Iman. One of his sons, Abdul Haq, was also a leading and respected scholar and was given the title ofShams al-Ulama. His grandson wasMuztar Khairabadi. Renowned poet and lyricistJan Nisar Akhtar was his great-grandson andJaved Akhtar,Farhan Akhtar andZoya Akhtar all are his descendants.[22]
Among his sons, Abdul Haq Khairabadi was a rational scholar and a teacher ofMajid Ali Jaunpuri.[23][1]
He stayed for 22 months in captivity at Andaman, Allama wrote a number of eyewitness accounts in the form of verses in Arabic (Qaseeda), apart from a bookal-Thawra al-Hindiyya which is an analysis of the war and events of 1857. This is also the first ever book on the events of 1857.[15] Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi died on August 19, 1861, in exile on theAndaman Islands.[1]
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