Mohammad Akram Nadwi
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Akram Nadwi is a scholar of Islam from the India
n city of Jaunpur. He is currently a research fellow
at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
.
, an Islamic institution at Lucknow
. These studies included shari'ah, Islamic law; hadith
, the sayings of the prophet Muhammed; and fiqh
, codified legal rulings. He became a muhaddith, someone who has an in-depth knowledge of the narrators of hadith, and later taught these subjects at that madrasah
.
He has ijaza (licenses or certificates) from numerous scholars, including Shaykh Abul Hasan Ali Al-Nadwi, Shaykh Abdul-Fattah Abu Ghuddah and Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
. He has a doctorate in Arabic from Lucknow University.
He lives in Oxford with his wife and 6 daughters.
and syntax
. Most recently he has completed a 53-volume biographical dictionary
of the muhaddithat, the female scholars of hadith. Expecting to find a handful, after eight years he had discovered more than 8000, from as long ago as Umm al-Darda, the wife of one of the companions of the Prophet
.
Nadwi says he does not advocate unrestricted mixing between the sexes, but acknowledges that Muslim societies and families often limit the potential of their girls and women. He compares this limitation to the "live burial" (i.e. female infanticide) practised in pre-Islamic Arabia
. He attributes to the "decline of every aspect of Islam" an insecurity and weakness which leads to these restrictions on girls' education and women's rights. He works as an alim
(religious scholar), so he reaches a different audience, and has a different impact, than Muslim feminists
such as Fatima Mernissi.
A translation of the muqaddimah (preface) of his magnum opus above.
Abu Hanifah: His Life, Legal Method and Legacy (Leicester: Kube, 2010)
Al-Fiqh Al-Islami: According to the Hanafi Madhab: Purification, Prayers and Funerals v. 1 (London: Angelwing, 2007)
An original compilation of the fiqh of Imam Abu Hanifah and his school. For the first time in English, the detailed rulings of this school are presented together with the evidence on which they are based; every argument is fully and carefully referenced. Nadwi takes current circumstances into consideration, making this book the first authentic, reliable and relevant account of Hanafi
practice in English.
Madrasah Life (London: Turath, 2007)
The translation (from Urdu) of his memoir of a student’s day at Nadwat al-Ulama.
The Garden of the Hadith Scholars (London: Turath, 2007) by Imam Abd Al-Aziz Ad-Dihlawi. Translated from Persian into Arabic and annotated by Mohammad Akram Nadwi. Translated into English by Aisha Bewley.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n city of Jaunpur. He is currently a research fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies is a Recognised Independent Centre of the University of Oxford, England. It was established in 1985 with the aim of encouraging the academic study of Islam and the Muslim world. The centre's Patron is Prince Charles.A new building for the centre is situated to...
.
Education
Nadwi studied Islamic sciences at Darul-uloom Nadwatul UlamaDarul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama
Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama is an Islamic institution at Lucknow, India, which draws large number of Muslim students from all over the country. Nadwa's objective was reaching a middle path between classical Islam and modernity...
, an Islamic institution at Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
. These studies included shari'ah, Islamic law; hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
, the sayings of the prophet Muhammed; and fiqh
Fiqh
Fiqh is Islamic jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the code of conduct expounded in the Quran, often supplemented by tradition and implemented by the rulings and interpretations of Islamic jurists....
, codified legal rulings. He became a muhaddith, someone who has an in-depth knowledge of the narrators of hadith, and later taught these subjects at that madrasah
Madrasah
Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
.
He has ijaza (licenses or certificates) from numerous scholars, including Shaykh Abul Hasan Ali Al-Nadwi, Shaykh Abdul-Fattah Abu Ghuddah and Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Yusuf al-Qaradawi is a controversial Egyptian Islamic theologian. He is best known for his programme, ash-Shariah wal-Hayat , broadcast on Al Jazeera, which has an estimated audience of 60 million worldwide...
. He has a doctorate in Arabic from Lucknow University.
He lives in Oxford with his wife and 6 daughters.
Writing and views
He has written over 25 books, in Arabic, in the fields of hadith, fiqh, Islamic biography, and Arabic grammarArabic grammar
Arabic grammar is the grammar of the Arabic language. Arabic is a Semitic language and its grammar has many similarities with the grammar of other Semitic languages....
and syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
. Most recently he has completed a 53-volume biographical dictionary
Biographical dictionary
Biographical dictionaries – a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information – have been written in many languages. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country...
of the muhaddithat, the female scholars of hadith. Expecting to find a handful, after eight years he had discovered more than 8000, from as long ago as Umm al-Darda, the wife of one of the companions of the Prophet
Abu Darda
- Biography :Abu Darda was a trader in Medina and belonged to the al-Ḥārith clan of the Banu Khazraj tribe. He converted to Islam after the Battle of Badr...
.
Nadwi says he does not advocate unrestricted mixing between the sexes, but acknowledges that Muslim societies and families often limit the potential of their girls and women. He compares this limitation to the "live burial" (i.e. female infanticide) practised in pre-Islamic Arabia
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Pre-Islamic Arabia refers to the Arabic civilization which existed in the Arabian Plate before the rise of Islam in the 630s. The study of Pre-Islamic Arabia is important to Islamic studies as it provides the context for the development of Islam.-Studies:...
. He attributes to the "decline of every aspect of Islam" an insecurity and weakness which leads to these restrictions on girls' education and women's rights. He works as an alim
Ulama
-In Islam:* Ulema, also transliterated "ulama", a community of legal scholars of Islam and its laws . See:**Nahdlatul Ulama **Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama **Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal**Jamiat ul-Ulama -Other:...
(religious scholar), so he reaches a different audience, and has a different impact, than Muslim feminists
Islamic feminism
Islamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. It aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and social justice grounded in an Islamic framework...
such as Fatima Mernissi.
Books available in English
Al-Muhaddithat: The Women Scholars in Islam (Oxford: Interface Publications, 2007)A translation of the muqaddimah (preface) of his magnum opus above.
Abu Hanifah: His Life, Legal Method and Legacy (Leicester: Kube, 2010)
Al-Fiqh Al-Islami: According to the Hanafi Madhab: Purification, Prayers and Funerals v. 1 (London: Angelwing, 2007)
An original compilation of the fiqh of Imam Abu Hanifah and his school. For the first time in English, the detailed rulings of this school are presented together with the evidence on which they are based; every argument is fully and carefully referenced. Nadwi takes current circumstances into consideration, making this book the first authentic, reliable and relevant account of Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
practice in English.
Madrasah Life (London: Turath, 2007)
The translation (from Urdu) of his memoir of a student’s day at Nadwat al-Ulama.
The Garden of the Hadith Scholars (London: Turath, 2007) by Imam Abd Al-Aziz Ad-Dihlawi. Translated from Persian into Arabic and annotated by Mohammad Akram Nadwi. Translated into English by Aisha Bewley.