Muḥammad Mazhar Nanautawi | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1821 (1821) |
| Died | 3 October 1885(1885-10-03) (aged 63–64) |
| Alma mater | Zakir Husain Delhi College |
| Relatives | Siddiqi family of Nanauta |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
Muḥammad Mazhar Nanautawi (1821–1885) was an Indian Muslim scholar and afreedom struggle activist who played a crucial role in the developmentMazahir Uloom. He participated in theBattle of Shamli.
Muḥammad Mazhar was born into theSiddiqi family of Nanauta in 1821.[1][2] His father Lutf Ali was a cousin brother ofMamluk Ali Nanautawi.[3] Mazhar memorized theQuran and received his primary education from his father.[2] He studied with Mamluk Ali Nanautawi at theDelhi College.[1] He studiedMuwatta Imam Malik and few otherhadith books with Shah Abd al-Ghani Dehlawi andSahih Bukhari with Shah Muḥammad Ishāq Dehlawi.[4] He was an authorized disciple ofRashid Ahmad Gangohi in Sufism.[5]
Mazhar was appointed the head teacher of Arabic department of the Government College inVaranasi byAloys Sprenger.[6] He later headed the Arabic department ofGovernment College, Ajmer.[7] He also taught at theAgra College.[8] Mazhar participated in theIndian freedom struggle and fought alongsideImdadullah Muhajir Makki in theBattle of Shamli.[9] His views about working in government institutes changed after 1857.[10] He joined theNawal Kishore Press as a copy editor and worked there for more than seven years. His copyedited works includeAl-Ghazali'sIhya al-Ulūm and Tāhir Patni'sMajma' al-Bahhār; the latter being the major academic work of that time.[11] In February 1867, Mazhar joined theMazahir Uloom; where he taught the subjects includingtafsir,hadith,fiqh, literature and history.[12][13] He is credited as the founder of Mazahir Uloom for his role in its development.[5]
Mazhar died on 3 October 1885.[14] His students includedMuhammad Qasim Nanautawi andKhalil Ahmad Saharanpuri.[15]