Two Walī-Allahs, One Legacy
Two Walī-Allahs, One Legacy: Rediscovering Mullā Walī-Allah Farangī Mahallī
Shāh Walī-Allah Dehlawī is a widely celebrated figure from the Indian Subcontinent, whose scholarly importance is recognised globally. Those unfamiliar with the region recognise the exceptional scholarship of the late Mughal period through their familiarity with Shāh Walī-Allah Dehlawī. This recognition itself serves as a testament to his greatness.
Under the leadership of scholars like Shāh Walī-Allah Dehlawi and his son Shāh ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz Muhaddith Dehlawī, Delhi flourished as a centre of learning. However, this intellectual prominence wasn't confined to Delhi only, Lucknow also witnessed a significant rise in scholarly activity with the emergence of the Farangī Mahall family. Later their curriculum even emerged as the standard for educational institutions across the entire Subcontinent.
Khairabādī: Scholarly Bridge Between Two Traditions
Interestingly, these two families generally maintained close ties. A key figure, Allāma Faẓl-i-Haq Khairabādī, further unified this connection. A proponent of the Farangī Mahall legacy, he was also one of the greatest students of Shāh ʻAbd al-ʻAzīz Muhaddith Dehlawī, thus further connecting the two traditions.
Much can be said about these two well known traditions in the Subcontinent and it deserves another article altogether. But what is far less known is that there was another Walī-Allah that graced the Subcontinent. His contributions to knowledge were so vast that they remind us of his noble predecessor in name & practice & that is Mullāʼ Walī-Allah Farangī Mahallī (d. 1270AH).
Introducing Mullā Walī-Allah Farangī Mahallī : A Scholar of Immense Brilliance
Mullāʼ Walī-Allah Farangī Mahallī (d. 1270 AH) is a direct descendant of the elites from the Farangī Mahallī family like Mullāʼ Anwār al-Haq Farangī Mahallī & Mullāʼ Saīd, brother of Mullāʼ Niẓām al-Dīn.
He is the Son of Mullāʼ Habīb-Allah s/o of Mullāʼ Muhibb-Allah s/o Mullāʼ Ahmad ʻAbd al-Haq s/o of Mullāʼ Saīd s/o Mullāʼ Qutb al-Dīn al-Shahid al-Sihālwī
Mullāʼ Walī-Allah’s continuation of the Farangī Mahallī Legacy
Following Mullāʼ Niẓām al-Dīn al-Sihālwī, Bahr al-Ulūm Mullāʼ Abd al-ʻAlī, and Mullā Mubīn Farangī Mahallī, Mullāʼ Walī-Allah emerged as the fourth prominent author in his illustrious family. He authored over a hundred books, solidifying his place as a prolific writer. Notably, he became the first scholar of the Farangī Mahall to write a commentary on the Holy Qur'an, a multi-volume work titled Maʻdin al-Jawāhir.
Mullāʼ Walī-Allah Farangi Mahallī's brilliance transcended his own generation, illuminating the path for future scholars in the late Mughal Period and thereafter. A prime example is Mullāʼ ʻAbd al-Hayy Lucknowī, another prominent scholar within the Farangi Mahall family. Among the scholars of the Farangi Mahall, Mullāʼ ʻAbd al-Hayy Lucknowī devoted the most personal study to the works of Mullāʼ Walī-Allah Farangi Mahallī, further demonstrating the pivotal role of his works .
Spiritual Wayfaring: Mullāʼ Walī-Allah & the Qādirī Sūfī Order
After Bahr al-ʻUlūm ʻAbd al-Ali Farangī Mahallī left Lucknow, Mullā Anwār al-Haq (d. 1821CE) became the head of the Farangī Mahallī family.
Mullā Anwār al-Haq Farangī Mahallī was himself a student of Mullā Muhammad Hasan Farangī Mahallī, author of the well-known commentary on Sullam al-ʻUlūm which is famously known as Mullā Hasan. Mullā Anwār al-Haq took the pledge of allegiance (bayʻah) with his father, Mullā Ahmad ʻAbd al-Haq Farangī Mahallī, in the Qādirī sūfī order who in turn pledged it on the hands of Shaykh Abd al-Razzāq Bānsawī.
Mullāʼ Walī-Allah, following the Farangī Mahall tradition, embarked on the spiritual path under the guidance of Mullāʼ Anwār al-Haq Farangī Mahallī in the Qādirī sūfī order. This pursuit came after he had mastered both the rational and transmitted sciences. He later wrote Aghşān-i-Arbaʻa documenting the saintly miracles of his spiritual mentor, Mullāʼ Anwār al-Haq Farangī Mahallī.
A Catalogue of Scholarship: Writings of Mullāʼ Walī-Allah Farangī Mahallī
Mullāʼ Walī-Allah lived to the age of 88 and dedicated his entire life to scholarship, both through writing and teaching students of sacred knowledge. A list of his numerous authored works would be a far more compelling testament to his intellectual prowess than any attempt to elaborate on it in further detail. Here are some examples of his writings:
Tafsīr Maʻdin al-Jawāhir (Exegesis in eight large volumes)
Kashf al-Asrār fī Khāsa’is Sayyid al-Abrār (upon him be blessings & peace)
Mir’āt al-Muminīn wa tanbīh al-ghāfilīn fī Manāqib āl al-Sayyid al-Mursalīn (upon him and his family and companions be peace and blessings)
Super-commentary on Mīr Zāhid Mullāʼ Jalāl
Super-commentary on Sharh Hidāyat al-Hikmah of Şadr al-Shirāzī
Super-commentary on Hāshiya Mullāʼ Kamāl on Sharh al-Aqāʼid al-Jalāliyyah
Super-commentary on Hāshiya Sayyid Zāhid on Qutbī
Risāla Īqāz̧āt on Knowledge
Sharh Sullam al-ʻUlūm (known as Nafāʼis al-Malakūt)
Sharh Musallam al-Thubūt (two volumes)
Ādāb al-Salātīn (treatise on government)
ʻUmdat al-Wasāʼil (biographies of Shaykh Abd al-Razzāq Bānsawī, Mullāʼ Qutb al-Dīn, and some of the students of Mullāʼ Niẓām al-Dīn al-Sihālwī, written in Persian)
Super-commentary on Mir Zāhid Sharh Mawāqif
Super-commentary on al-Hidayah (four volumes covering Ibādāt & Muʻāmalāt)
A Takmila on Mullāʼ Ahmad ʻAbd al-Haq’s Sharh Sullam al-ʻUlūm
Aghşān-i-Arbaʻa (on the saintly miracles of Mullāʼ Anwār al-Haq Farangī Mahallī & biographies on MullāʼQutb al-Dīn’s children)
And many more…
Super Commentary on Mullāʼ Şadra by Mullāʼ Walī-Allah Farangī Mahallī
Mullāʼ Walī-Allah Farangī Mahallī’s prolific scholarship is evident in his over one hundred authored books. His calibre can be further demonstrated by the types of books he authored or offered commentaries on.
A recent visit to Khairabadi Institute by the esteemed Shaykh al-Hadīth Muftī Faẓl-i-Subhān al-Qādirī, an heir of Farangī Mahallī tradition provided a remarkable opportunity. The Institute gifted the Shaykh an old copy of Mullāʼ Walī-Allah Farangī Mahallī’s Hāshiya on Mullāʼ Şadra in Philosophy. The Institute also gifted şeyh Ali Kuşçu’s commentary on Tajrīd as well as a one hundred and eighteen year-old manuscript of Mullāʼ Mubīn's commentary on Sullam al-ʻUlūm.
The name ‘Walī-Allah’ echoes twice within the intellectual history of the Indian Subcontinent, calling us to explore the contributions of not just one, but two remarkable scholars of the Mughal Period, Walī-Allah of Delhi & Lucknow.
Stay tuned for some exciting news coming soon!
