Muhammad Amjad () (died 1927), was a legal scholar of Qur'an, Hadith, and the Hanafi school of Islamic law.
He was an authority on Muslim jurisprudence. He was also a Sufi of the Chishti Order, and one of the few SufisAccording to David Gilmartin "Rural Punjab had been converted to Islam by the proselytising activities of Sufis, and these Sufi 'saints' were the focus of Punjab's local and fragmented structure of devotional activities. in South Asia who did not establish the 'Khanqah',a spiritual hospice. Khanqah is a Persian word meaning a house or abode of sufis and dervishes. Khanqah is an important institution for Muslim society. Khanqah is the spiritual centre providing a facility for islah al-nafs (self correction). Following the traditions of the ahl al-haqq (people of truth), khanqah follows the traditions of suluk, tazkiya, and tasawwuf while staying clear of all kinds of bid‘as (innovations in religion) and complies strictly with the rules and boundaries prescribed by the shari‘a. Imam al- Dhahabi in his Siyar A‘lam al-Nubala' relates that Hasan al-Basri would have a session in the mosque where he would teach hadith, fiqh, sciences of the Qur'an, language and other disciplines and if he was asked about tasawwuf, he would answer. He would also have a special session in his house where he would only teach the meanings of zuhd (asceticism) and the sciences of the batin (inner-self). There were those among the people who would accompany Hasan al-Basri for hadith, some for the Qur'an and its commentary, some for language and rhetoric and others would accompany him for sincerity and purity of intention; among them were the like of 'Abd al-Wahid ibn Zayd who were known for their piety and worship."Darbar"A centre of sufi mysticism or Astana 'Aliyaspiritual hospice and centre of learning the sciences of shari‘a as well as purification of the inner-self. Another term used for khanqah. and forbade his descendants not to establish Dargah after his death and made a will to bury him in the ordinary grave. He was against all the practices resulting in undue homage to the tombs and graves of Sufis and saints. He believed that Islam was corrupted by Sufism, pantheism, theology (Kalam), philosophy and by all sorts of superstitious beliefs. Belonging to a qadi's family which had, since the 16th century, been prominent among the landed aristocracy of the Soon Valley, he adopted 'Faqr' (spiritual poverty)M. Fethullah Gülen in his Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism quotes the hadith of Muhammad, who said, "Poverty is my pride." According to the poet-philosopher of the East, Sir 'Allama Muhammad Iqbal, faqr does not signify only an attitude of detachment, selflessness and indifference to worldly life, which are all negative in nature. Iqbal's faqr is through and through positive. A faqir or qalandar in Iqbal is not only indifferent to vicissitudes of material life; he is a man of strong will, who has a moral stake in the social and political life of the people around him, motivated by the love for the ideal of moral and spiritual regeneration of mankind. In the attainment of this ideal, he is ready to sacrifice everything. and 'Darwayshi' (asceticism).The term comes from the Persian word dervish, which usually refers to a mendicant ascetic. This latter word is also used to refer to an unflappable or ascetic temperament (as in the Urdu phrase darwayshana tabiyat for an ascetic temperament); that is, for an attitude that is indifferent to material possessions and the like.
The disciple path He was born in Naushera, Swon Valley. He belonged to Awan (Pakistan).Sir Lepel H. Griffin writes in his book The Panjab Chiefs (1865 edition) p.570-571., that "All branches of the tribe (Awans) are unanimous in stating that they originally came from neighbourhood of Ghazni to India, and all trace their genealogy to Hasrat Ali the son-in-law of the Prophet. Kutab Shah, who came from Ghazni with Sultan Mahmud, was the common ancestor of the Awans…….It was only in the Rawalpindi, Jhelam and Shahpur districts that they became of any political importance……..In Shahpur District the Awans held the hilly country to the north west, Jalar, Naoshera and Sukesar, where the head of the tribe still resides." He was a maternal grandson of Kalim Allah,Munaqib-i-Sultani, a biography of Sultan Bahu, by Sultan Hamid.
The jurist path
With the advent of British and downfall of Mughal Empire, the Muslims were deprived of their political authority and their law was replaced by English law. Their language and laws were displaced through the system of English language and law. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 marked the end of Mughal rule. The Muslims in the words of W. W. Hunter, "found their prestige gone, their laws replaced, their language shelved and their education shorn of its monetary value"W. W. Hunter. The Indian Mussulmans , London. According to Tanveer Khalid "The British Government, though gradually, abrogated the Islamic Law. The whole of Muslim Criminal law was superseded by the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Indian Evidence Act and the Indian Contract Act replaced the Islamic law. The Indian Majority Act, 1875, abrogated Muslim Law except in matters relating to marriage, dower and divorce. The Caste Disabilities Act, 1850, 'abolished the civil disabilities which Muslim Law attached to apostasy."Tanveer Khalid, ISLAMIZATION IN PAKISTAN: A POLITICAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL STUDY FROM 1947–1988
In this period of turmoil the Muslims of Soon Valley needed the guidance of Islam for their private and public life. They also needed to obtain fatwa to guide them in everyday life. Belonging to the remote area of Soon Valley, surrounded by high hills and without road connected to District Shahpur, and with low literacy rate, the people of this area began to face numerous changes as a result of the greater socialisation with the advent of British. This has given rise to new issues and problems related to the shariah law and their private and public life. In these circumstances Qazi mian Muhammad being as a son of Qazi family came forward for the preservation of Islamic law in the Soon Valley. It was at this critical juncture that he appeared as 'Mujtahid'.One qualified to form an independent opinion in Muslim Law.
He was a great legal scholar of the Hanafi school of Islamic law.The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Iraqi scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit (Arabic: أبو حنيفة النعمان بن ثابت) (699-767CE /89-157AH), a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani. He preferred this school because, among the fourthe other three schools of thought being Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali. established Sunni schools of legal thought in Islam, the Hanafi school is the oldest. It has a reputation for putting greater emphasis on the role of reason and being slightly more liberal than the other three schools. He knew Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages. His legal scholarship was unparalleled in the area. During the period of British rule, when cases were decided according to English law, Muslims consulted him for his legal opinions on Islamic laws. His verdicts and fatwas were sought and quoted about religious questions on which he was held to be an authority. He rendered a great service to Islamic laws and Fiqah. He was also a Muhaddith (one who specialises in Hadith literature). He issued many fatwa on important issues at the request of the Muslims of his time. Muslims scholars from all the British India asked him for his legal opinion on the important issues concerning Islamic law. The excellence of Qazi Mian Muhammad Amjad as a great jurist had been widely accepted in his time.
He helped the common Muslim not to lose heart in the years of his servitude, poverty and deprivation. He also established a mosque in Naushera; the call for prayers went forth from the minarets five times a day, allegiance was proclaimed to God and Muhammad punctually and persistently. His contribution to the preservation of Islam in the Soon valley in the period of turmoil cannot be forgotten by his people.
The Sufi path
As a Sufi, he was an authority on "Wahdt al Wujud",The English word Pantheism means All is God, while the Arabic word wahdat ul-wujood emphasizes that there is just a single being in existence and this single being is God. However, wahdat ul-wujood maybe closer to panentheism, because it states that while the Universe is part of God or God's mind, God is still greater than his creation. Sufism, and Muslim mysticism. The study of great Sufi, Ibn Arabi, and his masterpiece The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya) in 37 volumesThe Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya), the largest work of Ibn Arabi in 37 volumes originally and published in 4 or 8 volumes in modern times, discussing a wide range of topics from mystical philosophy to Sufi practices and records of his dreams/visions. was his specialisation. In his Anwar Shamsia, Maulvi Ameer Baksh says that he was an ardent reader of Ibn Arabi book The Meccan Illuminations (Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya), and was an authority on his teaching. He acknowledged Ibn Arabi superiority in philosophy and spiritual insight, but he never followed him if he found him deviating from Sunnah. He used his knowledge of Islamic mysticism, Sufism and "Wahdt al Wujud" only for purely academic purposes and never allowed his devotees, followers and descendants to treat him as a Pir. Although, he was capable of creating a 'Khanqah', 'Darbar' a centre of Sufi mysticism, and though Shams-ud-Din Sialvi of Sial Sharif authorised him to do so, he did not create any 'Gadi' or 'Drabar', and also forbade his descendants to do this, as he was also a strong critic of Darbars and "family Gadi Nasheen". He also forbade his descendants not to establish Dargah after his death and made a will to bury him in the ordinary grave. After his death his elder son Qazi Mazhar Qayyum made every effort to stop the people from making Dargah of the grave of his father.However people still considered their descendants as Sajjada Nashin.
He was a Sufi and Alim at the same time. In the words of Sarah F. D. Ansari, "Rigid distinctions have been drawn between ulama (plural of Alim) and sufis. They have been portrayed as antithetical, irreconcilable representatives of the same truth and consequently very different from the point of view of their relationships with governments of the day. As guardians of the Sharia, ulama were officially appointed as muftis and qazis to interpret and administer God's Law. They often came to rely on the state for their livelihood in the form of stipends and grants; they tended to become involved in worldly interests, which could lead them both to be distracted from essentially spiritual matters and to identify with the concerns of rulers rather than those of ordinary Muslims. Sufis, on the other hand, sought to gain knowledge of God in their hearts. By following the path, which meant observing various techniques of spiritual development, they aimed to obliterate self in unison with God. Because they placed greater emphasis on spiritual growth rather than on the letter of God's law, they were often able to reach out to people of other faiths, indeed to draw them towards Islam. For these reasons, and because they depended on the offerings of the pious rather than the gifts of kings, they often tended to stand aloof from state power and its representatives."Fazlur Rahman, Islam (Chicago, 2nd edn., 1979), pp. 128–32, 150–2; Aziz Ahmad, "The Sufi and the Sultan in Pre-Mughal Muslim India", Der Islam, 38 (1963), 142–53. Quoted in SUFI SAINTS AND STATE POWER, by SARAH F. D. ANSARI, Cambridge University Press
In poetry