Introduction

“Maulana Ahmad Ali Badarpuri is a great gift of Allah Ta’ala and a man of extreme virtue and piety (taqwa) like him shall be found nowhere even if you search with a flambeau or light.”- Hussain Ahmad Madani (RA)

Qutub-ul ‘Alam, Sultanul ‘Arifeen, Mujahid-e-Millat Hazrat Maulana Shaykh Ahmad Ali Badarpuri (Ra), also known as Ahmad Ali Assami or Ahmad Ali Banskandi and popularly as Banskandi Huzur, was one of the greatest or legendary Sufi saints ever born. He was an Indian Islamic scholar, a freedom fighter and an educationist.He served as the president of Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e Hind for 44 years. He dedicated his life to the poor, the downtrodden, and particularly for the orphans. He tried to maintain peace in society by spreading the message of love and social harmony. He was a man of great personality occupying profound love and honor in the hearts of millions of people all over the country.

Birth and Early life

Shaykh Ahmad Ali (Ra) was born in 1915 in Badarpur town of Assam into a sufi and respectable family. His parents were highly pious and God-fearing persons. They attained him by praying to Allah for twelve years. Thus, he was a born saint whose noble lineage reaches back to Hazrat Manowar Khadim Yemeni, the attendant of Sikandar Khan Ghazi (ra), a distinguished colleague of Shah Jalal Yemeni (ra).
He lost his mother at an early age and was raised by his step mother with special care and attention. He was not like the other children who spent their time in play and amusement. Rather, he used to spend his time listening to the Qur’an recitation by a local Hafiz.

Education and bai’ah

Ahmad Ali completed his primary education in Badarpur and then enrolled at Sylhet Government Alia Madrasa (now in Bangladesh). From there, he appeared in the Matriculation Examination in 1938 and came out in first position securing high marks in all subjects. In 1940, he completed his graduation (Daura-e-Hadith) in Islamic studies and took the oath of allegiance (bai’ah) at the holy hand of Hazrat Madani (ra). In the same year, he went to the greatest Islamic university, Darul Uloom Deoband, to re-complete his graduation and to study Daora-e Tafsir in accordance with the will of his Shaykh. There, he surprised all the teachers and students with his extraordinary scholarship on Hadith and relentless pursuit. He was constant in offering salat. He placed himself as the most favorite of Hazrat Madani (RA) and the other teachers, overcoming all the students. He achieved the titles of Jinne Mumin and Imam Bayhaqi for his life practice, devoutness, and memory power. He completed his Hifz-e-Quran only in two and a half months.

Participation in the freedom struggle

During that time, the freedom struggle was at its peak, and Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib participated in the movement being inspired by the saying of the Prophet (saws), “Love of your own country is a part of your faith.” He was arrested and imprisoned in various jails for his anti-British activities. He always opposed the partitioning of India and stood in support of Madani’s composite nationhood. He also took a bold step to get Sylhet into India during the Sylhet Referendum. Though India gained independence in 1947, its partition brought with it a scourge of violence that swept many parts of India, including Assam. During that critical period, Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib stood before the minorities as a barrier of protection and tried to maintain peace among the different sections of the people. For his lifelong effort to spreading the message of peace, many of his contemporaries called him Messenger of Peace.

Spiritual training and khilafat

In 1952, Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib went to Harmain-Sharifain for the enrichment of his Elm-e Ma’rifat. He spent one year near the Roza Mubarak of the Prophet (saws) and then returned to his own country with the treasure of knowledge and gnosis (ma’rifat). Arriving in India, he directly met Hazrat Madani (ra) who gave him the sabak on Muraqabah. Through this spiritual striving, he went on attaining the last sufi maqams one after another and ultimately the pinnacle of spiritual glory. In 1954, he achieved spiritual successorship (khilafat), or the authority to initiate others on the Sufi path from Shaykhul Islam, in a large meeting held at his own home.

Service to Masjid-e Nabawi

His staying in the holy city of Madina gave him a great opportunity to serve Masjid al Nabawi. In 1953, King Saud ascended the throne of Saudi Arabia and paid a visit to the holy cities of Makkah and Madina Sharif. Upon arriving in Madina, he arranged a meeting with a view to extending Masjid-e Nabawi and laid the foundation stone for it. The meeting was concluded with a du’a program where Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib was present too. Later, he brought stones along with the labourers on a daily basis for the construction of the mosque.

Career

Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib started his career as a teacher at Darul Uloom Banskandi. In 1955, Hazrat Madani (ra) selected him for Banskandi Madrasa, declining all other offers for him from the reputed madrassas of India and Pakistan. He then sent him there from Madina Sharif without any invitation from the institution. Thus, Ahmad Ali reached Banskandi Madrassa as an uninvited guest. The madrassa authority refused to appoint him as a teacher. However, they later accepted him after they had obtained a letter from Madani (RA). Soon after, he had to take over the charge of the institution. Thereafter, Hazrat Madani (ra) spent there his last two Ramadhans and inaugurated the Prophetic Tradition (Hadith). In 1957, he was appointed to the post of Shaykh al-Hadith. Under his patronage, the institution went up in leaps and bounds and turned into an Islamic university from a simple cottage. He was just like the director general of the seminary and controlled all sides remaining on the post of Shaykh al-Hadith. He retained the position until his last breath. Thus, his glorious teaching career at Darul Uloom Banskandi lasted for over 45 years.

Jamiat president and fight against injustice

In 1957, he was unanimously elected the president of Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and continued in the same office for 44 years until his last breath. He worked day and night and proved his exceptional leadership quality by placing the state Jamiat as the strongest branch in all India level.As a Jamiat leader, he took bold steps against the so-called Pakistani Deportation Movement, also known as the Bongal Kheda Movement which intensified in the 1960s and continued into the 1970s and 1980s. Thousands of minorities including male, female, and children were inhumanely driven away to East Pakistan in the name of foreigners under the scheme, Prevention Of Infiltration from Pakistan. Muslim houses were looted, burnt and the occupants were beaten up, knifed, and driven out. In fear, they had to leave home and take shelter in  jungle. The minority Muslims of Dhubri, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Cachar, and Nowgaon districts were mainly the victims of this torture. During that critical period, it was only Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib who along with his Jamiat strongly protested against this inhumane torture and persecution. He along with his Jamiat companions Maulana Abdul Hoque Sahib, Abdul Jalil Rageebi Sahib, Kafiluddin Qasmi Sahib, Maulana Sikandar Ali Sahib, and some others, created an intense agitation against the government holding a series of protest meetings in different parts of Assam. He frequently met ministers like Moinul Hoque Choudhury, Fakruddin Ali Ahmed, Debakanta Barua, Sarat Chandra Singha, and many others and forced them to protest against it on the floor of the assembly. Thus, his five year continuous protest compelled the then Chaliha government to stop this inhumane torture and to declare in assembly that there was no foreigner in Assam. In 1969, the state government even wrote a letter to Hazrat Shaykh (RA) with a solemn promise that this type of inhumane torture upon the legal Indian citizens would never happen again. Thus, he was able to save the minorities from catastrophic danger. Remembering his strong leadership quality, former president Mr. Fakruddin Ali Ahmed Saheb once said in a public meeting, “If Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib had not protested against the Bongal Kheda Movement, it might have endangered the Muslims in Assam.” However, the minorities could remain no longer in peace. In 1979, AASU started another movement known as the Assam Movement or Assam Agitation which peaked in 1983 with the massacres of Nellie, Gahpur, Chaulkhowa, Bahbari, and some other places where more than 3,000 minority people including men, women, children and infants were brutally killed. During this critical time, Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib and his Jamiat again came out in protest of this massacre. He along with his followers rushed into the affected areas and stood by the victims providing immediate relief to them. He forced chief minister Hiteswar Saikia and law minister Abdul Muhib Mazumdar to discuss the matter with the then prime minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi and also to arrange a meeting where he would present himself. Mr. Saikia then accompanied Hazrat Shaykh (RA) and Mazumdar Saheb in a discussion with Indira Gandhi. There, the Maulana Saheb demanded them to provide some special protections against undue harassment to the minority Muslims and Bengali Hindus affected by Assam agitation. Mr. Mazumdar also made a proposal for a new legislation instead of the Foreigners Act, 1946, to detect illegal immigrants. The result was the IMDT Act, 1983. After the Assam Agitation, the minority people of lower Assam fell a victim to the cruelty of the Bodo Movement. Though it began in the 1960s, it intensified in the early 1990s.

Autonomous Bodoland was the main claim of this movement. Initially, all the non-bodos were mostly targeted. But later, the movement turned into an anti-Muslim agitation. In October 1993, the Bodo mob attacked Muslim settlements and killed more than hundreds of Muslim people. Houses belonging to the Muslims were burned, looted, and vandalized. During this crucial period, Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (RA) was the first person to stand by the victims. He intensely protested against this cruel massacre from his Jamiat platform and raised the demand to the government for their security and rehabilitation. He even shouldered the burden of six hundred (600) homeless orphans affected by this movement and sheltered them in Banskandi Madrasa with food, lodging and education.

His enthusiasm for work had never come down till his last breath. In 1998, he protested against the report of Governor S. K. Sinha regarding illegal migration which was full of misinformations. Of course, many other parties, organizations, and intellectuals accompanied him in this protest. As a result, the report could not harm the minority people of Assam.

Shortly after that, the then chief minister of Assam made a communal remark in a press conference at Guwahati where he called the Islamic institutions stations of ISI. Soon after this remark, new harassment came down upon the Ulama in different places of Assam. In protest of it, Hazrat Shaykh (ra) arranged a large Jamiat meeting at Guwahati on 1st April, 2000. Amirul Hind Hazrat Maulana Syed As’ad Madani (RA) also accompanied him. Through this historical meeting, he warned the government against their communal remarks describing the unimaginable sacrifices of the Islamic scholars in the Freedom Struggle. His revolutionary cry, just three months before his death, compelled the government to stop their false propoganda and the harassment on Ulama. Thus, he sacrifices his entire life for the interests of minorities which will be long remembered. He seems to be happy in their happiness and sad in their sadness.

Imprisonment in Tihar Jail

Hazrat Shaykh (RA) and Maulana Syed As’ad Madani (RA) used to work together for the interests of minorities whenever they were in distress. In 1979, he was imprisoned in Tihar Jail for some days along with his colleagues due to his participation in “Mulk O Millat Bachaw Tahreek” (Save the country and the nation movement), led by Fida-e-Millat Hazrat Maulana Syed As’ad Al Madani Saheb (ra).

Badarpuri as Amir-e-Shariat

In 1990, he was selected unanimously as Amir-e-Shariat of North East India and continued on the post till his death. He visited many places and founded 34 Mahqamay-e shariahs (Islamic Lower Courts) in different parts of the North-Eastern Region to handle cases related to Islamic shariah such as marriage, talaq (divorce), jumma prayer, etc. Being satisfied with his works, Maulana Habibar Rahman Azmi (ra), the then president of All India Imarat-e-Sharia, made a high remark on him and called his works ‘an unparalleled deed’.

Religious and Qaumi services

Hazrat Shaykh (ra) spent his entire life in the service of his qaum (nation) and Islam. His Islamic mission is able to affect Europe, Africa, and the continent of America by crossing India. He travelled to various cities and villages with a view to reforming people and founded thousands of mosques, khanqahs, madrasas, and maktabs for their religious education. He created a new era, spreading the message of the Holy Qur’an and Hadith in the time of great deterioration in the following of the Sunnah.
He also opposed the hypocrisy and deviance (gumrahi) of the Qadianis and warned people not to be tempted by their satanic doctrines. He even wrote a book named “Irrefutable Proofs of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat and the Deviances of the Qadianis” and proved Hazrat Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam as the last in the series of prophets. To eradicate Qadiani blashphemy, he visited many places, including Barpeta, time and again.
He kept a sharp eye on the so-called Ahle-Hadith too. As soon as he saw any criticism from them, he replied to it and saved people from their gumrahi.

Foundation of Gauhati Khanqah

In 1996, Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (Ra) founded a permanent khanqah at Dispur (Hatigaon), the capital city of Assam, where millions of people from all over the country and outside India visited him to take spiritual guidance during every Ramadhan. Under his expert guidance, many people became sufi, pious, virtuous, true and practicing Muslims. He taught his visitors to strengthen their relationship with Almighty Allah. Upon hearing his sweet voice, any sitter in his Majlis could feel that he was hearing the words of a true successor (Naib-e-Nabi) of the Prophet (saws).

His pursuit and ibaadat

He proved the Quranic āyah “Wa maa khalaqtul-jinna wal-insa illa liya’budūn” in his own life. He used to remain absorbed in deep meditation and worship of Almighty Allah, and thus reached the highest peak of spirituality. Zikr ran with his respiration. Nafl prayers, recitation of the holy Quran, and zikrullah were ornaments of his life. He even performed Salat-ut-tasbih every night during his youth. His continuous awakening of nights in prayers led a great sufi of Deoband to ask Madani (ra): ” Is Maulana Ahmad Ali a jinnat or an insaan?” His backbone bent for performing excessive salaat.
After Isha, he got some sleep and stood up before Allah for tahajjud which he never missed in life. He surprisingly carried on his spiritual pursuit until the last day of his life.

Salah in congregation

Hazrat Shaykh (ra) never performed his obligatory salah without congregation (jama’ah) in his whole life. Sometimes he performed it at home with two or three persons if he could not go to the mosque due to his physical illness. Many times he went to the mosque for a congregation supported by others.

Hospitality

Hospitality was one of the outstanding qualities of Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (ra). He used to offer respect, love, peace, and cordiality to his guests and take special care of them himself. None of his visitors could come back without taking any food or drink.

Dislike of worldly possessions

The main feature of his life was – his dislike of worldly possessions. His contemporary people knew that he transacted billions of rupees in his lifetime but nobody had ever seen him being tempted for the slightest of any earthly possession. He was self-sufficient and generous. He never felt a shortage of anything in his personal life. All of his needs were unknowingly generated by the grace of Allah. Whatever he received, he gave it away to the poor and needy. He was seen completely indifferent to this material world. He directly rejected the memberships of the Assam Assembly (MLA) and Indian Parliament (MP), though he was offered these ranks time and again. Former law minister Abdul Muhib Mazumdar has said about this in his article on Hazrat Shaykh (ra).

His piety (taqwa)

He was a man of extreme virtue and taqwa (fear of Allah) which he maintained at every moment of his life. Some events of his taqwa are mentioned below.

1. He was then studying at Darul Uloom Deoband. One day he was in his class, and a student came to his room and took a rest for a while on his bed. After coming back, when he came to know that a man having no beards sat on his bed, he immediately sold it and brought another. He considered his use of the bed irrelevant to his taqwa.
2. Once, the honorable Bibi Sahiba of Hazrat Shaykh (ra) saved a little money from their daily expenses in many days. One day, she gave him the money and asked him to purchase a frock for one of his daughters. He then asked her, “Where have you got this money?” In reply, she said how she saved the money. Huzur (ra) then deposited the savings in the fund of Banskandi Madrasa, saying that the amount was more than their needs.
3. Hazrat Maulana Shaykh Yahya Sahib has narrated from his second elder sister that his father, Hazrat Shaykh-e Banskandi (ra) had never taken anything, not even a jug of water for ablution (wudu) from his own adult daughter hand in hand. Anything his daughter brought for him, he asked her to put on a table and from there he took it. Because, if any evil intention arises in the mind of either a father or a daughter for accidental touching any of their organs, his wife would be haram for him.
   Thousands of events like these can be seen in his life. So, Hazrat Madani (ra) said that a man of taqwa like Ahmad Ali would be found nowhere in the world.

A Great Ashiq-e-Nabi

He was a true lover of the Prophet (saws) and could never tolerate any work contrary to sunnah. His life was an exact picture of the sunnah of Rasulullah (saws). He was blessed with the ziyarat (spiritual meeting) of the Prophet (pbuh) whenever he wished to have it. He had profound love for the country of the Prophet (S.A.W.). He never used slippers or shoes on the holy land of Hijaz because he considered it an act of disrespect to the Prophet (pbuh). Eyewitness
Hafiz Hikmat Ullah Sahib Muradabadi said that in 1955, Maulana Ahmad Ali Badarpuri (ra) went to Makkah with Shaykhul Islam Maulana Syed Hussain Ahmad Madani (ra) for the performance of Hajj. As soon as their ship reached Jeddah Seaport, he took his slippers off and threw them to the sea before entering Makka Sharif. During his days in Saudi Arabia, he used to walk barefooted across the hot desert for which his legs scaled off.

Badarpuri: A Caller to Allah

Preaching Islam and calling people to the way of Almighty Allah was an essential part of Hazrat Rahimahullah’s life. He prevented the spread of apostasy through his speeches and writings and rooted out the irreligious practices people performed in the name of religion. He will be long remembered as a reformer of the masses and an exemplary spiritual guide (shaykh). According to the ulama, he was the flag-bearer of Islam and sacrificed every second of his life for the revival of the spirit of Iman. His luminous (Noorani) appearance also worked like a magnet and attracted people of different sections to Islam.

Ocean of Ma’rifa

Hazrat Shaykh (ra) was a sound practitioner of the tasawwuf that the other scholars of Deoband, such as Syed Hussain Ahmad Madani (ra), Maulana Rashid Ahmad Ganguhi (ra), Shaykh-ul-Hind (ra), and Haji Imdadullah Makki (ra), advocated. In spite of being a swimmer in the ocean of Ma’rifa, he was able to keep himself under complete control. In the world of Suluk, he was the Paramount Emperor of his time. Mufti Bashir Ahmed Saheb of Banskandi Madrasa who was known as Mufti-e-Azam has been called the Junayed Baghdadi of the modern world in the field of tasawwuf.

Hazrat Shaykh (ra): A rare example

Those acquainted with Hazrat Shaykh (ra) will bear ample testimony to his sincerity, piety, strength of worship and spiritual exercises, generosity, modesty, patience, firm belief, good will, sublime character, abstention from worldly pleasures, compassion, human value, knowledge, as well as many other amazing qualities. The combination of all these great qualities in a single body—Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (ra)—is a rare example in the world.

His literary composition

Quaid-e Millat Maulana Shaykh Ahmad Ali Sahib (ra) was not only a great Sufi saint but also a writer. He wrote a number of books on religion, Jamiat, and the history of Harmain-Sharifain. The main feature of his books is that they speak little but express much. These are:

• Alam-e Barzakh
• Jamiat-er Mul Katha
• Fuyuz-e-Madani
• Pabitra Haram Trayer Etihas
• Faza’il-e-Shaban, Ramadhan
• Elme Ma’rifater Bishista Bahantray O Mashaekh Charit
• Khatm-e Na’buwater Woo Qadianiater Gumrahir Akatya Dalil Samooh
• Salasil-e Tayyibah.
• Zuhur-e Mehdi & Nuzul-e-Isaa (Alai)

His books are small in size, but they have given him immortality and placed him as a prolific writer.

His major contribution

His greatest contribution to the Muslim ummah is Darul Uloom Banskandi which is called the Shantiniketan (abode of peace) of north-east India. The institution has gained a widespread reputation through him and flourished in his hands. So, he is called the maker of this seminary which is blessed with the Ruhani visit of the Prophet (saws) every day. Regarding this madrassa, Hazrat Madani (ra) predicted, “A ray of ilm would come up from here that would shine the world very soon.”
Hakimul Islam Qari Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi Sahib (ra), the former vice chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband, remarked, “I visited Darul Uloom Banskandi on March 23, 1974. The institution was founded by Haji Akbar Ali Sahib, a pious disciple of Haji Imdadullah Makki (ra) and is run by Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib, Khalifa of Hazrat Maulana Syed Hussain Ahmad Madani (ra). It seems to me that the other picture of Darul Uloom Deoband. Actually, it is Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib who can be called the second founder of the institution.”

His visitors

Besides his disciples, a large number of people irrespective of caste, creed, communities, parties, high and low, the rich and the poor, were after him and visited him. As per the narration of eyewitnesses, political leaders of different levels, such as Hiteswar Saikia, Prafulla Kr Mahanta, Abdul Muhib Mazumdar, Debakanta Barua, Tarun Gogoi, Shohidul Alom Choudhury, Nurul Hussain, and many more ministers, MPs, and MLAs, often visited him and waited for his duwa. Mr. Kanak Sen Deka, editor of Dainik Agradoot, has also written that great political leaders like Fakruddin Ali Ahmed, Sarat Chandra Singha, Moinul Hoque Choudhury, Smt. Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi also met him seeking his duwa and valuable advice. Former Vice President of Karimganj District Jamiat Mujir Uddin Saheb said in his article that among the visitors of Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (Ra), the eminent surgeon of the continent of Asia like Anil Kumar Deshmukh was also there. He respected Hazrat Shaykh (ra) and felt proud calling him Baba.
To him, people of all classes and communities were equally welcomed. They got mental peace after coming into contact with him.

Demise:

Badarpuri grew physically much weaker and got infected with various diseases due to his immense hard work and lifelong struggle against injustice. For his increasing kidney and heart disease, he entrusted the responsibility of teaching Bukhari Sharif to Hazrat Maulana Shaykh Abdul Bari Sahib. One night, he predicted with tears in his eyes to Maulana Bashir that I might be no more and have to be brought back in a coffin from Bombay. After a few days, he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, though he expressed his extreme unwillingness to go there. Tilawat-e Quran and du’a were continued for his recovery in every mosque and madrasa, and the Hindus did prayer in their temples. He remained in the same state for fifteen days and passed on to the mercy of his Lord on June 11, 2000, at the age of eighty-six. (Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon.)

Funeral prayer (Janaza)

The news of his death spread immediately all over the country and outside India. In a moment, the whole world had stunned. Millions of people had become speechless, and tears came down from their eyes.
His dead body was flown to Guwahati, and from Guwahati, it was brought by road. The people of Badarpur were preparing to engrave him at Badarpur. On the other side, the students and the people of Banskandi were demanding for taking his dead body and engraving at Banskandi within the campus of Darul Uloom where he spent his whole life with full of activities.
Thus, there was a great tussle among the people of Badarpur and the people of Banskandi pulling the dead body of this untiring Mujahid. At last, a meeting was held to finalize his burial place, and it was decided that he would be buried within the campus of his alma mater, Darul Uloom Banskandi. Accordingly, his dead body was brought from Badarpur to Banskandi. Shaykh Maulana Yahya Sahib (db) performed his second funeral prayer (the first one was done at Badarpur) attended by more than five lakhs grieved people. Then, this great son of Assam and darling of millions was buried there on June 13, 2000. May Allah offer him Jannatul Firdous, the best abode of paradise.
The late Maulana is survived by one son and four daughters, among whom Shaykh Maulana Yahya Sahib (db), Amir-e Shariat of North-East India, is seen as his successor.
Hazrat’s death is a great loss to the Muslim community as well as the nation, which seems difficult to fill.

Comments and condolences

The status of a person and his acceptance amongst the people can easily be gauged from the tributes offered by people after his death. The amount of tribute offered by the various press departments is a clear proof of the acceptance Hazrat Shaykh (ra) had amongst the masses. Articles in his praise were published in various magazines and papers. Besides, many great personalities expressed deep shock in their condolence letters shortly after his death on June 11, 2000. A few comments from those letters and articles are mentioned below:

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, UPA Chairperson, writes in her condolence message, In the death of Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib, the country has lost a great religious leader, a freedom fighter, and an educationist. He was the founder of Banskandi Madrassa, a well-known Islamic cultural institute. He has dedicated his life to the poor, the downtrodden, and particularly for the orphans. His contributions in maintaining peace and social harmony among different sections of people would be long remembered.”

Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the then chief minister of Assam, remarked in his condolence letter (12 June 2000) that Jamiat president Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb was a great freedom fighter and in actuality, a symbol of peace, love, and social harmony. He spent his whole life spreading madrassa education in Assam and for the unity and sovereignty of our country. In his death, the people of north-east India have lost a real well-wisher of them.

Shohidul Alam Choudhury, the then minister of panchayat and rural development, Assam, said that Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb was very popular among the people irrespective of caste, creed, and community. He expressed his deep shock in Dainik Sonar Cachar (2000, June 12), terming him a great humanitarian and an ideal person.
In his condolence message to the family members of Hazrat Shaykh (ra), Mr. Alam writes that the people of Assam, especially the minorities, would be indebted to him forever due to his selfless service. He says that the vacuum created by his demise will not be filled.

Sri Tarun Gogoi, former president of the Assam State Congress (I) Committee, remarks: “Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb, president of Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, was really a symbol of social harmony. His death is a loss to Assam that seems difficult to fill.”

Mr. Santosh Mohan Dev, Indian politician and former union minister of state for Home Affairs, opined in Dainik Sonar Cachar (2000, June 12) that the death of Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb was a loss not only to Barak Valley and north-east India but also to the whole country.

Abdul Muhib Mazumdar, former minister of law and justice, Assam, wrote in his article that Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb was such a person who used to render selfless service to human society and stand by the persecuted. Victims of the Bongal Kheda movement (1960s), victims of the Nellie massacres, and the BTAD riot are living witnesses to it.

Sarat Chandra Singha, former chief minister of Assam, wrote in his article, “It is very hard to evaluate the depth of his knowledge, extra-ordinary working skills, and gigantic personality. While holding discussions on different issues, we became very close to each other.”

Irabat Singha, advocate and social worker, District Bar Association, Cachar, said in Dainik Sonar Cachar how he was impressed by the great personality and kind-heartedness of Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb who possessed the authority of conquering the hearts of people. He called him a man of milk-heartedness.

Haidor Hussain, chief editor, Asomiya Pratidin, said that Peer Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (ra) was a man of rare personality and a humanitarian who used to stand by the minorities whenever they were in dire need and trouble.

Homen Borgohain, eminent intellectual, author, and former editor of the Assamese daily Amar Asom, said, “In the death of Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb, the Muslims of north-east India have become perplexed. His acceptance amongst the masses was so much that it has become difficult to find out a substitute for him.”

Kanak Sen Deka,  eminent journalist, wrote in the Dainik Agradoot, “The Muslims of Assam seem to lose their father in the death of Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb who used to try to strengthen social harmony among different sections of people.”

Dr. Sujit Kumar Nandi Purkayastha, former principal of Silchar Medical College and Hospital, called him a humanitarian and a man of great personality, expressing his condolences in Dainik Sonar Cachar.

Abdul Malik Arif, President, Bangla Muslim Sahitya Parishad & Zakiganj Press Club, Dhaka, Bangladesh, says that the contribution of Maulana Ahmad Ali Banskandi (Ra) touches not only India but also Bangladesh where thousands of his disciples are there  His death is a loss to both countries that seems difficult to fill. He tried to develop the relationship between the two countries.

The members of Jamiatul Ulama, South Africa, also praised the foresight of Shaykhul Islam Hazrat Madani (ra) and the dedication of Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (ra) after paying a visit to this great center of learning, Darul Uloom Banskandi.

All India Radio, Delhi, also termed Hazrat Shaykh (ra), a prominent Islamic scholar, a great sufi of the spiritual world, a patriot and a freedom fighter. His death has created a great vacuum in the entire Northeast that is difficult to fill.

Various Newspapers: Almost all the newspapers of north-east India and also of West Bengal, such as The Assam Tribune, The North-east Daily, Dainik Janambhumi, Dainik Agradoot, Amar Asom, Sonar Cachar, Gana Shakti, Gati Dainik, Ananda Bazar Patrika, and many more, called him a great sufi, a scholar, and an eminent freedom fighter.

Amirul Hind Hazrat Maulana Syed As’ad Madani (ra), former president of All India Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, called him a great Sufi saint whose uloom was so deep and sturdy that it is difficult to explain in language. He termed his death the greatest tragedy of the 20th century.

Kashf and Karamats

His full life, right from his birth until his death, was full of events of kashf and karamats. A few of his miracles are mentioned below:

1. Eyewitness Shamsul Hoque Sahib, a resident of Tripura, has narrated that it was the incident of 1980, and a prolonged drought badly affected the north part of Tripura. All the water bodies dried up, and the animals and plants were about to die due to the crisis of water. The drought-striken farm lands also disheartened the farmers. People belonging to both the Hindu and Muslim communities began to pray for water. But it produced no results. At last, they went to Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (ra) and requested him to visit their place and to do du’a for water. They even arranged a duwa program in the playground of Jher Jheri Madrassa for the purpose of his arrival. Hazrat Shaykh (ra) reached the program in time and did duwa together with the people present there. As Allah wishes, a heavy rainfall immediately started like a bolt from the blue, and within a moment the entire north of Tripura was flooded.
2. Mufti Khairul Islam Saheb, former Amir-e Shariat of north-east India, has narrated an incident

of Hazrat Shaykh (ra). It was probably in the 1970s, once he reached Biswanath Chariali with a view to visiting the erosion-affected areas of the Brahmaputra River. There, he went to a familiar person who had an ambassador car and asked him to have it for his visit. Though the person agreed with high interest, his driver objected because of the shortage of petrol. He informed me that with the petrol in the car, he can’t go even half the way whereas the question of returning doesn’t arise. In spite of his strong objection, Huzur (ra) asked him to come out and said that Allah would help them in performing their visit without interruption. At last, the driver did so, and Hazrat Shaykh (ra) practically performed his visit undisturbedly  without pouring any fuel into the tank. After coming back, Huzur (ra) asked the driver to check the fuel level of the car. It was surprisingly found that there was the same amount of fuel as it was in the tank at first. Everybody was surprised.

3. Maulana Abdul Qadir Saheb has narrated that once a severe drought afflicted the Nakhuti hilly aleca of Nagaon District. Due to the prolonged drought, the water bodies dried up causing an atmosphere of wailing all around. The people of Nakhuti left no stone unturned but failed to get water for them. They then invited Hazrat Shaykh (ra) to do duwa for water. Being invited, Huzur (ra) reached there in time and did duwa with the assembled people. He then spade on the earth in the presence of the public, and as soon as he spaded, water burst out in the form of a fountain and ran through a nearby dead stream. At the same time, people could see water also surprisingly in their wells and hand pumps. Later, the stream was named after Hazrat Shaykh (ra). Water is still existing there, and it is known as the Ahmad Ali Stream.
4. Maulana Ajiruddin Saheb, a resident of Hojai Muslim Patti, narrates that once he had an attack of appendicitis. He felt intense pain and was admitted to Gohain Nursing Home, Nagaon. The doctors instructed him to remove the appendix surgically. Accordingly, he was prepared for the surgery. But he felt ashamed at the act of his pubic hair shaving done by nurses. At night, he regretted with tears in his eyes because of his involvement in such a shameless work. Then he unknowingly fell asleep and saw in his dream that Hazrat Shaykh-e Banskandi (ra) was asking him, “Ajiruddin, let me see what has happened to you,” and then, being closer to him, petted on his belly and went away. The next day, after having gone through the reports, the concerned doctor thought over the case for a little while and said that Ajiruddin would not require any sort of surgery. He released him prescribing only some medicines. Maulana Ajiruddin says that since then he never felt the pain of appendix in his life.
5. Maulana Ahmed Ali Saheb, honorable teacher of Raikata Islamia Madrassa, located at a distance of ten kilometers to the south of Hojai, narrates that once the erosion of the river Kapili had damaged a number of houses of the aleca. By the by Hazrat Shaykh (ra) once appeared there. The public informed him about the miserable conditions caused by the erosion and requested him to do du’a to stop it. He at once went to the place and did du’a, offering two rakat nafl prayers. Surprisingly, the erosion stopped and till now it has not occurred again.
6. Maulana Kafiluddin Qasmi Saheb narrates that Maulana Abdul Hoque Saheb, the former president of Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, has said about the first miracle of Hazrat Shaykh (ra) as follows:
   Khanqah-e Madani was decided to be set up in Banskandi, and so some khalifas of Hazrat Madani (ra) went out for collection. Once, they went to a rich person from Batrashi village of Karimganj who did not have any childre[1] n. As they reached his home, the person had donated all the pragmatic jewelry of his wife and put them in Banskandi Hazrat’s hand. Having seen these, Hazrat Shaykh (ra) said to him, “Oh, we thought, you would like a son but you’ve chosen a daughter. None could understand why Hazrat Shaykh (ra) said so, but later it became clear to them when the couple was blessed with a daughter in the same year.
7. Maulana Mansur Ahmad narrates that people belonging to different faiths gathered around Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (ra) whenever he visited upper Assam. Once he went to Maukhowa where many people requested him to blow over water for saving the fish of their public beel from fish disease. Huzur (RA) then blew into the water of a vessel brought by them and they poured the water into the beel, which surprisingly saved the fish from infection. Thus, fish disease could not harm their beel though it caused harm to the ponds and beel all around. Since then, not a single fish has been infected. The people of Moukhowa were surprised.
8. Maulana Sikandar Ali Saheb Sibsagari (ra), former General Secretary of Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, narrates that sometimes Hazrat Shaykh (ra) was so late for the railway station that the time of the train had passed and his colleagues thought they would surely miss the train. If they reminded him of the railway time, he said, “Yes, my colleagues, you might go”. If he said so, they were sure that the train would be late, and practically having reached the station, they came to know that the train would arrive in no time.
   This type of incident had happened to his life every now and then.
9. Maulana Kafil Uddin Qasmi Saheb, Head of Dergaon Madrassa, narrates that Hazrat Shaykh (ra) paid a sudden visit to Hojai while he was working at Hojai Madrassa. Arriving at Amir Ali’s home, Huzur (ra) sent for him by way of telephone. But Kafil could not meet him for not being able to arrive in time, and after asking someone, he came to know that Huzur (ra) was taking rest after having lunch at the residence of Haji Khalikujjaman Choudhury. Going there, Kafil saw him in a sound sleep and felt very surprised because he had never seen him in such a sleep in his whole life. He then thought to himself that Huzur (ra) had gone to sleep like Ashab al Kahf (a group of seven sleepers who hid inside a cave to escape a religious persecution and emerged some 300 years later). He then came out and waited for him. During Asar, he met Huzur (ra), and at the time of Musafa, Huzur said, “Kafil, today I had  gone to sleep like Ashab al Kahf.” Kafil was surprised.
10. Mr.Irabat Singha, advocate, cum social worker, District Bar Association, Cachar, narrates that in one occasion in a place of Boko area of the Brahmaputra valley, Janab Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb happened to stay for some days where food was prepared only for 15 persons. In the time of actual dinning hour, the members had raised to 45 persons. When the matter was brought to the knowledge of Hazrat Shaykh (ra), the food distribution was instructed by him to cover all the foodstuff so that nobody could see and during the time of distribution, one should not look into the foodstuff of the vessel, and he was simply allowed to take out the food with a big spoon from the covered vessel. Without seeing the foodstuff of the vessel in such a way, only from one corner of the covered vessel, keeping the cover as it was, the foodstuff was to be taken out cautiously from beneath the cover and to distribute it to the guests arrived. Thus, all the 45 guest members could be served with the food so prepared and remained unexhausted.
11. Shamsul Hoque Saheb, resident of Tripura and sofir of Banskandi Madrasa, narrates that Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (ra) was invited to the annual conference of Sonamura Rangamatia Madrassa, Tripura, held in 1982. Because the institution was buried under lots of troubles and almost impossible to exist. As he reached there, the madrassa committee first informed him about the economic crisis of the institution and also their decision to hand it over to the government for its nationalization, i.e., the process of the government taking control. But Hazrat Shaykh (ra) directly rejected the decision and did duwa for its permanency as a koumi madrassa. He, along with a businessman, solved the economic crisis by giving an amount of ₹10,000 and predicted that the madrassa would turn into a large institution within a very short period of time. Then the matter of the erosion of the Gumti River was brought to him, as it was closer to the madrassa and had already damaged more than hundreds of houses. Huzur (ra), then followed by the public, came down from the stage in a state of intense feeling (jazba) and did du’a, standing on the main road near the madrasa. Then, pointing to the river with his right hand, he asked it to stop the erosion towards the madrassa and to change its course in another direction. Within a few days, the erosion stopped, and the river went one kilometer away from the institution as well as the main road.
12. As narrated in Cherag-e-Madani by Maulana Bashir Ahmad, the honorable Maulana Muzammil Ali Sahib taught Dars-i Nizami in Darul Uloom Banskandi after having completed his graduation in Islamic studies from the same institution. Once in a Ramadan of his teaching period, Hazrat Shaykh (ra) predicted him, “O Muzammil, you would be a teacher of Darul Uloom Deoband very soon”. His prediction came true, and Muzammil became a teacher at Darul Uloom Deoband after facing an interview in the same year.
13. Mr. Irabat Singha, advocate and cum social worker, District Bar Association, Cachar, reports also that Haji Ajir Uddin of Chandpur, Banskandi, said an incident of Hazrat Shaykh (ra) on the day of his burial at Banskandi. The incident is as follows:
    Once Hazrat Shaykh (ra) along with some other Maulana went to attend a Jamiat meeting at Kaliganj under Karimganj District and while going by the taxi, the driver happened to be Md. Kala Mia, the younger brother of Haji Ajir Uddin. After attending the meeting while they were coming back at about 8 p.m., their vehicle suddenly stopped on the way before reaching Badarpur. After checking the cause of stopping the vehicle, it was found that there was a shortage of gasoline. Hazrat Shaykh (RA) asked the driver why he did not put fuel in calculating the requirement. He then told him to collect some water from the nearest tank and to pour it into the fuel container. He also asked him to start the vehicle, and thus with this water, they could drive the car up to Banskandi. Everybody was surprised.
    It is a well-known fact that in any journey by car along with Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (ra) and had the matter of containing less quantity of vehicle fuel been brought to the knowledge of him ahead, the driver had to face no problem from the shortage of fuel and could reach the destination safely.

With the Wish of Hazrat Maulana Shaykh Yahya Saheb Janisheen-e Shaykh-e-Banskandi, Amir-e Shariat, North-East India

Composed by Amjed Ali

References

1. Salasil-e Tayyibah, by Maulana Ahmad Ali Sahib (ra).
2. The Life and Works of Maulana Ahmad Ali (R), by Assam State Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind
3. Jnyan Sambhar (magazine), July/October 2000, published by Markaz Sahitya Parishad, Hojai, Nagaon (Assam).
4. Darul Uloom Banskandi, The Largest Islamic Institution of North-East India, by Maulana Tayyib Qasmi, former Principal of Banskandi Madrassa
5. Cherag-e-Madani, Biography of Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (ra), by Maulana Bashir Ahmed, Banskandi.
6. Pabitra Haram Trayer Etihas, by Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (ra).
7. A Memoir of Hazrat Maulana Shaykh Ahmad Ali (ra), by Md. Nazrul Islam, Banskandi Madrassa
8. Khatme Nabuwwater Woo Kadianiater Gumrahir Akatya Dalil Samooh, by Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (ra).
9. Hazrat Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb, How I am Impressed of him’, an article by Irabat Singha, Advocate, Silchar, Cachar.
10. Jamiater Mul Katha, by Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (ra)
11. Purba Bharater Oli-e-Kamil, by Maulana Abdul Jalil Ragibi.
12. Elme Marifater Bishista Bahantray O Mashaekh Charit, by Maulana Ahmad Ali Saheb (ra).
13. Khanqah – A Brief Introduction, pamphlet by Janab Syed Yasin Ali Saheb, Guwahati-6, Hatigaon
14. Eyewitnesses.
15. Various newspapers from June 12, 2000
16. condolence messages and letters from some great personalities shortly after his death on June 11, 2000.
17.  https://www.sentinelassam.com/news/ahmed-ali-baskandi-award-presented/
18. https://www.awazthevoice.in/india-news/assam-revives-awards-in-the-name-of-historic-muslim-personalities-12797.html
19. Hanif, N. (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia. ISBN 9788176250870.

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