Walī Allāh, Shāh

Walī Allāh, Shāh
born 1702/03, Delhi
died 1762, Delhi

Indian Islamic theologian.

He received a traditional Islamic education, and after a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1732 he remained in the Hejaz to study theology. Living in a time of disillusionment following the death of Aurangzeb, he believed that Muslim polity could be restored only through religious reform that would harmonize Islam with India's changing social and economic conditions. He was steadfastly monotheistic but otherwise much more liberal than most Islamic theologians that had preceded him. His best-known work is The Secrets of Belief. His synthesis of theology, philosophy, and mysticism so reinvigorated Islam that it became prevalent among Islamic scholars in India until the 20th century.

* * *

▪ Indian Muslim theologian
Allāh also spelled  Ullāh  
born 1702/03, Delhi [India]
died 1762, Delhi

      Indian theologian and founder of modern Islamic (Islāmic world) thought who first attempted to reassess Islamic theology in the light of modern changes.

      Walī Allāh received a traditional Islamic education from his father and is said to have memorized the Qurʾān at the age of seven. In 1732 he made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and he then remained in the Hejaz (now in Saudi Arabia) to study religion with eminent theologians. He reached adulthood at a time of disillusionment following the death in 1707 of Aurangzeb, the last Mughal emperor of India. Because large areas of the empire had been lost to Hindu and Sikh rulers of the Deccan and the Punjab, Indian Muslims had to accept the rule of non-Muslims. This challenge occupied Walī Allāh's adult life.

      Walī Allāh believed that the Muslim polity could be restored to its former splendour by a policy of religious reform that would harmonize the religious ideals of Islam with the changing social and economic conditions of India. According to him, religious ideas were universal and eternal, but their application could meet different circumstances. The main tool of his policy was the doctrine of tatbīq, whereby the principles of Islam were reconstructed and reapplied in accordance with the Qurʾān and the Ḥadīth (the spoken traditions attributed to Muhammad). He thereby allowed the practice of ijtihād (independent thinking by theologians in matters relating to Islamic law), which hitherto had been curtailed. As a corollary, he reinterpreted the concept of taqdīr (determinism) and condemned its popularization, qismat (narrow fatalism, or absolute predetermination). Walī Allāh held that man could achieve his full potential by his own exertion in a universe that was determined by God. Theologically, he opposed the veneration of saints or anything that compromised strict monotheism. He was jurisprudentially eclectic, holding that a Muslim could follow any of the four schools of Islamic law on any point of dogma or ritual.

      The best known of Walī Allāh's voluminous writings was Asrār ad-dīn (“The Secrets of Belief”). His annotated Persian translation of the Qurʾān is still popular in India and Pakistan.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wali Allah, Shah — (1114–76/1703–62)    Qutb al Din Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al Rahim, known more commonly by his honorific title Shah Wali Allah, was perhaps the greatest Muslim scholar in the Indian subcontinent. He benefited from a wide ranging, sophisticated education in …   Islamic philosophy dictionary

  • Allah — /al euh, ah leuh/, n. Islam. the Supreme Being; God. [ < Ar Allah, akin to ilah god] * * * I (Arabic; God ) Standard Arabic word for God, used by Arab Christians as well as by Muslims. According to the Qurān, Allah is the creator and judge of… …   Universalium

  • shah — shahdom, n. /shah, shaw/, n. (often cap.) (formerly, in Iran) king; sovereign. [1560 70; < Pers: king] * * * (as used in expressions) Ahmad Shah Durrani Khwarezm Shah dynasty Masjed e Shah Nadir Shah Nasir al Din Shah Naser od Din Shah Pahlavi… …   Universalium

  • Shah Inayat Qadiri — was a Sufi saint most well known for being the spiritual guide (murshid) of the famous Punjabi poet Bulleh Shah. He belonged to the Arain caste and earned his living through agriculture or gardening. He also lived in Kasur for some time, but due… …   Wikipedia

  • Shah Nimatullah Wali — Qutb, Muslim scholar Hazrat Sayyed Nur uddin Kermani Title Shah Nematollah Vali Died 1431 A.D (835 Hijri) Influences Ibn Arabi and Abd Allah Yafe i …   Wikipedia

  • Shah Waliullah — (* 21. Februar 1703 in Phulat bei Muzaffarnagar; † 20. August 1762 in Delhi) war ein sunnitischer Theologe während der Mogulzeit in Indien. Shah Waliullah wurde 1703 als Sohn eines Juristen geboren. Seine Familie war schon seit mehreren… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shah Nimatullah — Infobox Muslim scholars | notability = Muslim scholar| era = | color = #cef2e0 | | image caption = | | name = Shah Nematollah Vali| title= | birth = | death = | Maddhab = Sunni, Sufi, Nimatullahi | school tradition= | Ethnicity = Region = |… …   Wikipedia

  • Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali — Sheikh Noor ud din, also known as Nund Rishi, was a famous Kashmiri saint who belonged to the Rishi order. He belonged to a Rajput lineage of Kisthwar. He was born in 1377 CE, corresponding to 779 Hijri and he died at the age of 63 years in… …   Wikipedia

  • Naseeruddin Shah — نصیرالدین شاہ नसीरुद्दीन शाह 225px Naseeruddin Shah Born 20 July 1950 (1950 07 20) (age 61) Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India Occupation Actor …   Wikipedia

  • Mohammad Nadir Shah — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Muhammad Shah. Mohammad Nadir Shah محمد نادر شاه Titre …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”