Ashraf Ali Thanwi (19 September 1863 – 20 July 1943) often referred as Hakim al-Ummat^[a][2] and Mujaddid e Millet^[b][3], a late-nineteenth and twentieth-century Sunni scholar, thinker, reformist and the revival of classical sufi thought from Indian subcontinent during the British Raj,^[4][5] one of the chief proponent of Pakistan Movement.^[2] He was a central figure of Islamic spiritual, intellectual and religious life in South Asia and continues to be highly influential today.^[2] As a prolific author, he completed over a thousand works including Bayan Ul Quran and Bahishti Zewar.^[2] He graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1883 and moved to Kanpur, then Thana Bhawan to direct the Khanqah-i-Imdadiyah, where he resided until the end of his life.^[2] His training in Quran, Hadith, Fiqh studies qualified him to become a leading Sunni authority among the scholars of Deoband.^[6] His teaching mixes Sunni orthodoxy, Islamic elements of belief and the patriarchal structure of the society.^[6] He offers a sketch of a Muslim community that is collective, patriarchal, hierarchical and compassion-based.^[6]

Ashraf Ali Thanwi was born in 19 September 1863 in Thana Bhawan, Muzaffarnagar U.P. His lineage can be traced back to the second caliph ‘Umar bin al-Khattab.^[7] He attained his early education under his maternal uncle Wajid Ali and Fateh Muhammad in Thana Bhawan and also memorized the Quran at a very young age from Hafiz Hussain of Meeruth.^[8] In 1295 A.H he took admission in Darul Ulum Deoband and graduated in 1301 A.H. He practiced Tajvid and Qirat at Makkah under the guidance of Qari Muhammad Abdullah.^[8] After graduation he first became a head-teacher in Madrasa-i Faiz-i-Aam at Kanpur in 1301 A.H and then graced the Masnad of Principal- ship in Madrasa-e-Jamia al-Ulum. His teaching was so famous that student used to flock to him from far off places. In 1315 A.H he resigned from service and took abode in Khanqah-i-Imdadiyah at Thana Bhawan.^[8]

Thanwi was Haji Imdadullah’s spiritual successor. The circle of his allegiance and esoteric guidance is very wide and thousands of people received edification and training from him.^[8]

He died on 16th Rajab 1362 A.H. He was buried in Thana Bhawan, near the grave of Zamin Shahid, in his own garden which he had endowed in the name of Khanqah-e-Imdadiya.^[8]

In 1906, Ahmad Raza Khan and other scholars issued a fatwa against Thanwi and other Deobandi leaders entitled Husamul Haramain (Urdu: Sword of The two Holy Mosques), calling them unbelievers and Satanists.^[9][10][11]

Deobandi elders, including those accused in the fatwa, prepared a reply to questions sent to them by the scholars of Hijaz to clarify the matter in Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri's al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad (transl. "The Sword on the Disproved"), which was written in Arabic and signed by all Deobandi scholars including Thanvi.^[12][13][14] His disciple Murtaza Hasan Chandpuri also wrote articles and leaflets in defence of Thanwi.^[15]

Thanwi stressed adopting the complete way of Islam to attain salvation. He shunned Sufis who emphasised voluntary worshiping but neglected other important commandments of Islam, including fair dealings and fulfilling the rights of others.^[16]At times, he would caution and stress towards matter that are generally thought to be not related to Islam and spirituality but he would explain the forgotten and ignored link. For example, once he encouraged the son of his close disciple, Mufti Muhammad Shafi, to improve his handwriting so that others may read it with ease, and thereafter remarked that he was nurturing him to become a "Sufi".^[17]

Thanwi was a strong supporter of the Muslim League.^[18] He maintained a correspondence with the leadership of All India Muslim League (AIML), including Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He also sent groups of Muslim scholars to give religious advice and reminders to Jinnah.^[19][20]

During the 1940s, many Deobandi ulama supported the Congress but Ashraf Ali Thanvi and some other leading Deobandi scholars including Muhammad Shafi and Shabbir Ahmad Usmani were in favour of the Muslim League.^[21][22] Thanwi resigned from Deoband's management committee due to its pro-Congress stance.^[23]His support and the support of his disciples for Pakistan Movement were greatly appreciated by AIML.^[19][20]

There is no branch of Islam in which his book may not be present. It is said that the number of his works is nearly one thousand.^[8] The rights of printing of all his books were public. He never earned a single paisa from his books. Millions of individual derived educational and practical benefit from his books and predicatory lectures.^[8]

• Thānvī, Ashraf ʻAlī.; ثانڤي، اشرف علي. (2010). A Sufi study of ḥadith. London: Turath Publishing. ISBN 978-1-906949-04-4. OCLC 809075744.

His edicts and religious teachings have been deemed authoritative even by many of his opponents. Muhammad Iqbal once wrote to a friend of his that on the matter of Rumi's teachings, he held Thanwi as the greatest living authority.^[24] In the words of Syed Suleiman Nadvi: “In his effort for reforming the Ummah he kept an eye upon every corner of educational and practical life; from the women folk to the men folk, from the ignorant to the learned, from dervishes to ascetics, from the poor to the rich, he kept all in view for reforming and training. His eyes fell on the particulars of births, marriages, sorrow and other gatherings, and testing them on the criterion of the Shari„ah and separated genuine from the spurious. Removing every block and stone of customs, innovations and crying evils, he showed the straight path. The correct image of religion was before him. According to it wherever there were drawbacks and flaws in the picture of the present day life of the Muslims, he remained engrossed throughout his life in correcting them.”^[8]

• Bibliography of Ashraf Ali Thanwi

• Zaman, Muhammad Qasim, Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi: Islam in Modern South Asia (Makers of the Muslim World), Oneworld, 2007.
• Various Urdu editions of al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad by Shaykh Khaleel Ahmad Saharanpuri on Archive.org
• Various translations of al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad by Shaykh Khaleel Ahmad Saharanpuri on Archive.org
• Ahmed, Muniruddin.

• Collection of Ashraf Ali Thanwi in PDF-format
• esref-ali books