He has served as librarian for five years, and as head of the education department for about a decade. In 1986 (Shawwal 1406 AH), he was appointed chief mufti of the institution.{{Sfn|Rampuri|2022|p=223}}{{Sfn|Mukhtar|Mahtab|2022|p=863}} His collection of legal opinions has been published in eight volumes under the title ”Maqmood al-Fatawa”, also translated into Gujarati in five volumes.{{Sfn|Rampuri|2022|p=223}}{{Sfn|Mukhtar|Mahtab|2022|p=877}}
He has served as librarian for five years, and as head of the education department for about a decade. In 1986 (Shawwal 1406 AH), he was appointed chief mufti of the institution.{{Sfn|Rampuri|2022|p=223}}{{Sfn|Mukhtar|Mahtab|2022|p=863}} His collection of legal opinions has been published in eight volumes under the title ”Maqmood al-Fatawa”, also translated into Gujarati in five volumes.{{Sfn|Rampuri|2022|p=223}}{{Sfn|Mukhtar|Mahtab|2022|p=877}}
His notable students include [[Ebrahim Desai]], Abbas Dawood Bismillah, and Mahmood Sulaiman Bardoli.{{Sfn|Qasmi|2012|p=335}}
His notable students include [[Ebrahim Desai]], Abbas Dawood Bismillah, and Mahmood Sulaiman Bardoli.{{Sfn|Qasmi|2012|p=335}}
Since 2012 (1433 AH), Khanpuri has been a member of the [[Darul Uloom Deoband]] governing council. He is also a member of the administrative board of [[Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama]], the [[All India Muslim Personal Law Board]], and the [[Islamic Fiqh Academy, India]].{{Sfn|Khalili Qasmi|2020|p=675, 759}}{{Sfn|Mubarakpuri|2021|p=29}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 September 2021 |title=Mufti Ahmed Khanpuri (Profile) |url=https://www.ifa-india.org/pdfs/pdf-20210902121834.pdf |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=[[Islamic Fiqh Academy, India]]}}</ref>
Since 2012 (1433 AH), Khanpuri has been a member of the [[Darul Uloom Deoband]] governing council. He is also a member of the administrative board of [[Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama]], the [[All India Muslim Personal Law Board]], and the [[Islamic Fiqh Academy, India]].{{Sfn|Khalili Qasmi|2020|p=675, 759}}{{Sfn|Mubarakpuri|2021|p=29}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 September 2021 |title=Mufti Ahmed Khanpuri (Profile) |url=https://www.ifa-india.org/pdfs/pdf-20210902121834.pdf |access-date=2025-10-24 |website=[[Islamic Fiqh Academy, India]]}}</ref>
|
Sheikh al-Hadith, Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri |
|
|---|---|
| Born | September 24, 1946 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Main interest(s) | Fiqh, Hadith, Tasawwuf |
| Notable work(s) | Maqmood al-Fatawa, Maqmood al-Mawaiz, Maqmood al-Rasail |
| Alma mater | Darul Uloom Deoband, Jamia Islamia Talimuddin |
| Occupation | Islamic scholar, jurist, teacher |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni Islam |
| Movement | Deobandi |
Ahmad Khanpuri (born 24 September 1946) is an Indian Islamic scholar and jurist associated with the Deobandi movement. He is the senior Hadith professor (Sheikh al-Hadith) and head mufti at Jamia Islamia Talimuddin, Dabhel. He has authored several religious works and serves on the governing boards of Darul Uloom Deoband, Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, and the Islamic Fiqh Academy, India.
Early life and education
[edit]
Ahmad Khanpuri was born on 27 Dhu al-Qa‘dah 1365 AH (24 September 1946) in Khanpur, Gujarat. His father, Muhammad Khanpuri, pledged allegiance (bay‘ah) to Hussain Ahmad Madani during a 1956 visit to Khanpur. Khanpuri met Madani on that occasion.
He received his early religious and modern education in Khanpur up to seventh grade. On 8 May 1958 (Shawwal 1377 AH), he enrolled at Darul Uloom Ashrafia, Rander, where he studied the Dars-i Nizami curriculum for over nine years and graduated in 1966 after completing the study of Hadith.
His teachers in Rander included Ahmad Raza Ajmeri, Saeed Ahmad Palanpuri, Abdul Ghani Kavi, Muhammad Adam Palanpuri, Habibullah Palanpuri, Habibur Rahman Balyawi, Muslihuddin Barodvi, Mohiuddin Qazi Randeri, and Muhammad Yusuf Budhaniya.
After graduation, he attempted to enter Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama but was unsuccessful. On the advice of Saeed Ahmad Palanpuri, he joined Darul Uloom Deoband in January 1967 (Shawwal 1386 AH) for advanced studies. He completed Takmil al-Funun and then Ifta studies there until 1968. His teachers at Deoband included Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi, Wahiduzzaman Kairanawi, Sharif Hasan Deobandi, Naseer Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Husain Bihari, Islamul Haq Azmi, Mahmood Hasan Gangohi, and Nizamuddin Azami.
Spiritual affiliation
[edit]
During his student days, Khanpuri pledged allegiance to Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi, who later authorized him in the Sufi order through Mahmood Hasan Gangohi. He received ijazah (authorization) for spiritual training and initiation from Gangohi and named his Sufi lodge Khanqah Mahmoodiyyah in his honor. His major work of fatwas, Maqmood al-Fatawa, and his residential area Mahmood Nagar are also named after Gangohi.
Following his studies, Khanpuri began teaching at Jamia Islamia Talimuddin, Dabhel in January 1969 on the instruction of Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi. He advanced through various teaching levels and joined the senior faculty in 1974. He has taught several major Hadith texts including Mishkat al-Masabih, Muwatta Malik, Sunan Ibn Majah, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, and Sahih al-Bukhari.
He has served as librarian for five years, and as head of the education department for about a decade. In 1986 (Shawwal 1406 AH), he was appointed chief mufti of the institution. His collection of legal opinions has been published in eight volumes under the title Maqmood al-Fatawa, also translated into Gujarati in five volumes.
His notable students include Ebrahim Desai,[21] Abbas Dawood Bismillah, and Mahmood Sulaiman Bardoli.
Since 2012 (1433 AH), Khanpuri has been a member of the Darul Uloom Deoband governing council. He is also a member of the administrative board of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, and the Islamic Fiqh Academy, India.[24]
Although not primarily a writer, Khanpuri’s works include compilations of his lectures, sermons, and legal opinions, often edited by his disciples. These include:
- Mabadiyat al-Hadith ala Nahj Muqaddimat Mishkat al-Masabih (compiled by Mahmood Bardoli)
- Tashil al-Siraji (on Kitab al-Fara’id al-Sirajiyyah)
- Hadith ke Islahi Mazamin (15 volumes)
- Fath Allah al-Ahad bi-Tawdih al-Adab al-Mufrad
- Maktubat Faqih al-Ummat binam Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri
- Maqmood al-Fatawa (8 vols)
- Maqmood al-Mawaiz (4 vols)
- Maqmood al-Rasail (10 treatises, compiled by Abdul Qayyum Rajkoti)
He also participated in the Urdu translation of Fatawa Rahimiyyah from Gujarati as part of a three-member committee. Additionally, he has contributed regularly to Gujarati-language journals such as Insan, Hayat, and Iblagh.
- Rampuri, Riyasat Ali Qasmi (2022). “Mufti Ahmad Khanpuri”. Faqīh al-Ummat Muftī Maḥmūd Ḥasan Gangohī aur Unke Khulafā’-e ʿĀlī Maqām [Faqih al-Ummat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi and His Eminent Spiritual Successors] (in Urdu) (First ed.). Amroha: Maktaba al-Āfiya. pp. 211–227.
- Khalili Qasmi, Muhammadullah (October 2020). Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Jame O Mukhtasar Tareekh (in Urdu) (2nd ed.). India: Shaikh-Ul-Hind Academy. pp. 674–675, 759. OCLC 1345466013.
- Mubarakpuri, Arif Jameel (2021). Mausoo’a Ulama-u- Deoband [The Encyclopedia of Deobandi Scholars] (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Deoband: Shaikhul Hind Academy. pp. 28–29.
- Mukhtar, Asad; Mahtab, Ahsan, eds. (1–15 January 2022). “Akābir-e-Darul Uloom Deoband Number (Vol. 2)”. Fortnightly Fikr-e-Inqilab (in Urdu). 10 (228). Delhi: All India Tanzeem-e Ulama-e-Haq, Fikr-e-Inqilab: 860–884.
- Rajkoti, Abdul Qayyum (January 2017). Jamia Islamia Talimuddin Dabhel Ke Asātidha-e-Hadith [History of Jamia Islamia Dabhel] (in Urdu). Dabhel, Gujrat: Jamia Islamia Talimuddin. p. 53.
- Qasmi, Nizamuddin (September 2012). Tadhkira-e-Akābir (in Urdu) (2nd ed.). Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom, Akal Kawa, Nandobar, Maharashtra. pp. 334–335.
