Abū Ismāʿīl al-Harawī | |
|---|---|
 Abdullah Ansari portrayed on a stamp in Tajikistan (2010) | |
| Title | Shaykh al-Islām, Sage of Herat |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1006 |
| Died | 1088 (aged 81-82) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni Islam |
| Jurisprudence | Hanbali[3] |
| Creed | Athari[1] |
| Movement | Sufi[2] |
| Muslim leader | |
Influenced | |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | ʿAbd Allāh (عبد الله) |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | Ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī ibn Jaʿfar ibn Manṣūr ibn Matt (بن محمد بن علي بن محمد بن أحمد بن علي بن جعفر بن منصور بن مت) |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū Ismāʿīl (أبو إسماعيل) |
| Toponymic (Nisba) | al-Harawī (الهروي) |
Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Harawi al-Ansari or Abdullah Ansari of Herat (1006–1088) (Persian: خواجه عبدالله انصاری) also known as Pir-i Herat (پیر هرات) "Sage of Herat", was a Muslim Sufi saint [7][8] who lived in Herat (modern-day Afghanistan). Ansari was a commentator on the Qur'an, scholar of the Hanbali school of thought (madhhab), traditionalist, polemicist and spiritual master, known for his oratory and poetic talents in Arabic and Persian.[9]
Ansari was born in the Kohandez, the old citadel of Herat, in 1006. His father, Abu Mansur, was a shopkeeper who had spent several years of his youth at Balkh.[9]
Ansari was a direct descendant of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, being the ninth in line from him. The lineage is described, and traced in the family history records,[10] as follows;
Abu Ismail Khajeh Abdollah Ansari, son of Abu Mansoor Balkhi, son of Jaafar, son of Abu Mu'aaz, son of Muhammad, son of Ahmad, son of Jaafar, son of Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i, son of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari.[11]
In the reign of the third Rashid Caliph, Uthman, Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i took part in the conquest of Khorasan, and subsequently settled in Herat, his descendant Khwajah Abdullah Ansari died there in 1088.[11]
Ansari was a disciple of Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani.[citation needed] He practised the Hanbali school of Sunni jurisprudence. The Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah, built during the Timurid dynasty, is a popular pilgrimage site. He excelled in the knowledge of Hadith, history and ʻilm al-ansāb (genealogy). He wrote several books on Islamic mysticism and philosophy, in Persian and Arabic.
Abdullah Ansari had 5 children in total: Khwaja Jabir, Khwaja Abdurrahman, Khwaja Hashim Buzurg, Qazi Mohd Yusuf and Qazi Mohd Naimat.[12]
The descendants of the sons of Abdullah Ansari had migrated to other regions in South Asia, some remained in Herat. Some settlements of the descendants of Abdullah Ansari are in, Gorakhpur, Yusufpur, Saharanpur, Punjab, Kakori and the scholars at the famous university in Lucknow, Firangi Mahal.[13][14][15][16]
He was one of the first Sufis to write in Persian, which he wrote in a local dialect, thus indicating that he wanted to spread his teachings to the general populace instead of just to the ulama, who knew Arabic.[17]
Ansari's most famous work is "Munajat Namah" (literally 'Litanies or dialogues with God'), which is considered a masterpiece of Persian literature. After his death, many of his sayings recorded in his written works and transmitted by his students were included in the 10-volume Tafsir of Maybudi, "Kashf al-Asrar" (The Unveiling of Secrets). This was among the earliest complete Sufi Tafsir (exegeses) of the Quran and has been published several times.
The Hanbali jurist ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya wrote a lengthy commentary on a treatise written by Ansari entitled Madarij al-Salikin.[18] He expressed his love and appreciation for Ansari in this commentary with his statement, "Certainly I love the Sheikh, but I love the truth more!".[19] Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya refers to Ansari with the honorific title "Sheikh al-Islam" in his work Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyab [20]
