Shah Ismail Dehlvi
Indian Islamic scholar
Shah Isma’il Dehlvi (26 April, 1779 – 6 May, 1831) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, Naqshbandi Sufi reformer, Hanafi jurist, and theologian. He, alongside Syed Ahmad Barelvi, was a founding figure of Tariqah-i-Muhammadiyah, an Islamic reformist and jihad movement against the Sikh Empire, which later spearheaded decades-long anti-colonial uprisings across various regions of British India. He is considered as an important influence on the Ahl-i Hadith and the Deobandi movements.
Early life and career
Shah Isma’il was born on 26 April 1779. He was the grandson of famous Islamic scholar and leader Shah Waliullah Dehlvi, through his son Shah Abdul Ghani. When a new Islamic religious revivalist movement known as Tariqah-i-Muhammadiyah appeared in northern India under the leadership of Syed Ahmad of Raebareli (1786 – 1831), Syed Ahmad was joined by two members of the Shah Waliullah family: Shah Isma’il Dehlavi and Maulvi Abdul Hai (died 1828), due to the shared mission and objectives. The aim of the new movement was to purify the tenets of Islam from non-Islamic customs, traditions and cultural practices.
According to Barbara D. Metcalf, the objectives and teachings of the new reformist movement were outlined in two texts. First was the Sirat'ul Mustaqim (the Straight Path), compiled by Shah Isma’il in 1819. Originally written in Persian, it was later translated into Urdu in order to reach a wider audience.
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