Shah Wali Allah (Qutb al-Din Ahmad al-Rahim) (1703-62)Shah Wali Allah of Delhi, the greatest Muslim scholar of eighteenth-century India, made an immense contribution to the intellectual, economic, social, political and religious life of the Muslim community in India, the effects of which persist to the present day. He lied during a time when the Muslim empire was losing ground on the Indian subcontinent, with the Muslimcommunity diided and at odds. See!ing to gie theological and metaphysical issues a new rational interpretation and labouring to harmoni"e reason and reelation, he tried to reconcile the arious factions of the Indian Muslims, thereby protecting the empire from collapse.Shah Wali Allah contended that the root cause of the downfall of the Indian Muslims was their ignorance of the sacred scripture of Islam. He initiated a moement with the theme #$ac! to the %ur#an#, and translated the %ur#an into &ersian to facilitate its understanding among all the Muslims of India. It is belieed to be the first complete translation of the %ur#an from the Arabic by an Indian Muslim scholar.1. Life2. Intellectual and metah!"ical c#nt$ibuti#n3. %#litical c#nt$ibuti#n1& LifeQutb al-Din Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Rahim, known as Shah Wali Allah, was born in ah 1114/ad 1!3 n"ar D"lhi, a m"mb"r o# a distin$uish"d int"ll"%tual and r"li$ious #amil&. '" r"%"i("d a hi$hl& stru%tur"d "du%ation and s)iritual instru%tion at th" madrasa *r"li$ious s%hool+ "stablish"d b& his #ath"r, Shah 'Abd al-Rahim, at D"lhi. As w"ll as th" Qur'an, h" studi"d Arabi% and ,"rsian $rammar and lit"ratur" and th" hi$h"r )hiloso)hi%al, th"olo$i%al, m"ta)h&si%al, m&sti%al and -uridi%al t".ts. '" $raduat"d #rom th" s%hool wh"n h" was bar"l& #i#t""n &"ars old/ in th" sam" &"ar, his #ath"r initiat"d him into th" #amous 0a1shbandi ord"r. '" b"$an his %ar""r as a t"a%h"r at th" 2adrasa-"-Rahimi&&a und"r th" tut"la$" o# his #ath"r/ a#t"r th" d"ath o# th" latt"r in ah 1131/ad 113, Shah Wali Allah b"%am" th" h"ad o# th" madrasa, t"a%hin$ all th" %urr"nt s%i"n%"s at th" s%hool #or about tw"l(" &"ars. Durin$ th" sam" )"riod h" %ontinu"d his own studi"s, $rowin$ in statur" as a t"a%h"r and attra%tin$ stud"nts to his %ir%l".4n ah 1143/ad 131, Shah Wali Allah w"nt on th" ha'' *)il$rima$" to 2"%%a+, a#t"r whi%h h" r"main"d in 2"%%a and 2"dina, th" sa%r"d %iti"s o# 4slam, #or about #ourt""n months, stud&in$ hadith *a%%ounts o# th" ,ro)h"t+ and "n$a$in$ in int"ll"%tual dis%ussions, m"ditationand s)iritual )"r#"%tion. Durin$ this tim", h" saw th" #ort&-s"("n s)iritual (isions whi%h #orm th" sub-"%t matt"r o# his #amous m&sti%al work 5u&ud al-harama&n *6manations or S)iritual 7isions o# 2"%%a and 2"dina+. A#t"r makin$ his s"%ond ha'', Shah Wali Allah r"turn"d hom"to D"lhi in ah 1144/ad 132. '" s)"nt th" r"st o# his li#" t"a%hin$ hadith lit"ratur" and m"ta)h&si%s and writin$. All but on" or two o# his works w"r" )rodu%"d durin$ his lat"r &"ars. '" di"d in ah 118/ad 182.2& Intellectual and metah!"ical c#nt$ibuti#nShah Wali Allah wrot" in both Arabi% and ,"rsian. '" )ublish"d b"tw""n #i#t& and s"("nt& works, in%ludin$ #i(" %oll"%tions o# l"tt"rs and ")istl"s. 'is writin$s )la&"d a ma-or rol" in th" int"ll"%tual and s)iritual li#" o# th" 2uslims in th" 4ndo-,akistan sub%ontin"nt, a rol" whi%h %ontinu"s toda&. Som" o# th"s" works ha(" $r"atl& %han$"d th" 2uslim a))roa%h to th" stud& o# th" Qur'an.4n addition, Shah Wali Allah tri"d to r"sha)" 4slami% m"ta)h&si%s in $r"at"r %on#ormit& with th" t"a%hin$s o# th" Qur'an and th" sunna o# th" ,ro)h"t. '" ado)t"d a mor" rational a))roa%h to th" %ontro("rsial issu"s o# m"ta)h&si%s, whi%h l"d to $r"at"r harmon& amon$ subs"1u"nt 4slami% m"ta)h&si%al think"rs. '" was %ar"#ul to $i(" a balan%"d %riti%ism o# som" o# th" (i"ws o# his )r"d"%"ssors and %ont"m)orari"s. 'is %onstru%ti(" and )ositi(" a))roa%h to thos" issu"s was alwa&s %onsid"r"d a sin%"r" att"m)t at r"%on%iliation.Shah Wali Allah mad" th" #irst att"m)t to r"%on%il" th" two *a))ar"ntl&+ %ontradi%tor& do%trin"s o# wahdat al-wu'ud *unit& o# b"in$+ o# 4bn al-'Arabi and wahdat al-shuhud *unit& in%ons%i"n%"+ o# Sha&kh Ahmad Sirhindi. Sha&kh 2uh&i al-Din ibn al- 'Arabi, th" ad(o%at" o# wahdat al-wu'ud, was o# th" o)inion that b"in$ in r"alit& is on" and 9od. All oth"r a%tual and )ossibl" b"in$s in th" uni("rs" ar" mani#"stations and stat"s or mod"s o# his Di(in" 0am"s and Attribut"s. :& th" a%t o# %r"ation throu$h th" word !un *b"+, 4bn al-'Arabi m"ans th" d"s%"nt o# Absolut" 6.ist"n%" into th" d"t"rmin"d b"in$s throu$h (arious sta$"s. ;his $radual d"s%"nt o# th" Absolut" 6.ist"n%" is %all"d tana""ulat al-!hamsa *#i(" d"s%"nts+ or ta#ayyunat al-!hamsa *#i(" d"t"rminations+ in Su#i t"rminolo$&. i$ha *;h" 5ull 2oons Risin$ in S)l"ndour+. ;h" introdu%tion d"als with basi% m"ta)h&si%al issu"s su%h as wu'ud in $"n"ral, th" unit& o# 9od, th" "ss"n%" and ".ist"n%" o# 9od and th" r"lationshi) b"tw""n 9od and th" uni("rs". Shah Wali Allah %onsid"rs th" uni("rs" to b" a mani#"station o# th" Di(in" Attribut"s. 4n th" #irst %ha)t"r, h" d"als with th" stud& o# humanit& with r"s)"%t to its so%ial and rational b"in$. ;h" s"%ond %ha)t"r is d"(ot"d to humanit&'s r"lationshi) with th" Ar"ator. At th" "nd o# th" work, Shah Wali Allah d"s%rib"s in d"tail th" r"asons and %aus"s #or th" d"("lo)m"nt and "(olution o# th" (arious shara#i# *r"li$ions or r"li$ious laws+ and milal *r"li$ious %ommuniti"s+.Shah Wali Allah also tri"d to )ro(id" a basis #or brin$in$ th" #our s%hools o# law %los"r to "a%h oth"r. 'is %omm"ntari"s on th" Mu#atta *a %oll"%tion o# th" ,ro)h"t's sa&in$s+ o# 4mam 2alik, %all"d al-Musawwa *Arabi%+ and al-Musaffa *,"rsian+, w"r" writt"n with a (i"w to #indin$ %ommon orthodo. $round #or th" r"%on%iliation o# di##"r"nt s%hools o# 4slami% law. Cik"wis", h" wrot" #A(d al-'id fi a!ham al-i'tihad wa#l-ta(lid with th" )ro)osal that th" door o# i'tihad *-ud$"m"nt+ is o)"n. A%%ordin$ to him, th" ".)"rts o# 4slami% knowl"d$" *#ulama# *r"li$ious s%holars+ andmu'tahidin *l"$ists+ ha(" th" ri$ht to r"s)ond "##"%ti("l& to n"w situations inst"ad o# b"in$ )"r)"tuall& bound to )r"(ious solutions.3& %#litical c#nt$ibuti#nA hallmark o# Shah Wali Allah was his abilit& to r"%on%il" o))osin$ )oints o# (i"w to th" satis#a%tion o# "a%h sid". Standin$ b"hind this as)"%t o# his t"a%hin$s is th" unit& o# th" 2uslim %ommunit& or umma. 'is )ow"r#ul abiliti"s as a r"%on%il"r "nabl"d him to )ro(id" %ommon $round and a stron$ basis #or %o-o)"ration and harmon& b"tw""n th" Sunni and Shi'i.Shah Wali Allah li("d durin$ a tim" o# )oliti%al and moral d"%lin", %haos and d"stru%tion in th" 2u$hul "m)ir". 'is (anta$" )oint n"ar th" %"ntr" o# th" 2uslim stat" $a(" him a %l"ar (i"w o# th" situation. '" did his b"st to brin$ stabilit& to th" tott"rin$ "m)ir" and )rot"%t th" 4ndian 2uslims #rom disast"r. ;hrou$h his writin$s, "s)"%iall& his l"tt"rs, h" a))"al"d to th" 2uslim rul"rs, nobl"s and int"lli$"ntsia to b" awar" o# th" dr"ad#ul situation and its )ossibl" %ons"1u"n%"s. 'is %orr"s)ond"n%" r"("als man& #a%tors o# 4ndian )oliti%s in th" "i$ht""nth %"ntur&. 'is d"tail"d l"tt"r to Ahmad Shah Abdali, th" #ound"r and rul"r o# A#$hanistan, %ontain"d a %om)r"h"nsi(" )i%tur" o# th" )oliti%al situation in 4ndia. Ahmad Shah Abdali h""d"d Shah Wali Allah's %all to in(ad" 4ndia and r"stor" 2uslim )ow"r to th" %ountr&, %ulminatin$ in th" d"#"at o# th" 2arathas and th"ir alli"s at th" battl" o# ,ani)at in 181. Shah Wali Allah hims"l# l"#t a ri%h int"ll"%tual l"$a%& in th" #orm o# lit"rar& works, w"ll-train"d dis%i)l"s in%ludin$ his #our sons - who also b"%am" "min"nt s%holars - and on" o# th" $r"at"st "du%ational institutions o# th" tim".See also, 4slam, %on%")t o# )hiloso)h& in/ 4slami% )hiloso)h&, mod"rn/ 4slami% th"olo$&/ 2&sti%al )hiloso)h& in 4slam'A(I) A& *'A((AR +'A,Ao)&ri$ht D 133E, Routl"d$".Li"t #f -#$."Shah Wali Allah *1!3-82+ Altaf al-(uds )-he Sacred .nowledge+, "d. D. ,"ndl"bur&, trans. 9. @albani, -he Sacred .nowledge, Condon= (i, S. *13E!+ Shah Wali Allah and His -imes, Aanb"rra= 2a'ri#at ,ublishin$ 'ous". *A dis%ussion o# th" links b"tw""n Shah Wali Allah's )hiloso)hi%al (i"ws and th" r"n"wal mo("m"nt in 4ndia.+