مولانا Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (may Allah have mercy on him) and Fatawa Rashidiya
By: Muaz Haider
22/ Dhul-Qadah 1447 AH
Among the figures to whom the thought of Deoband is attributed, an important name is "Hazrat Aqdas, Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (may his secret be sanctified)". You have a great favor upon us. Allah had blessed you with countless qualities, bestowed upon you perfection in understanding the religion. You had a natural affinity for jurisprudence, possessed immense breadth in study, had a deep understanding of principles and branches, had a presence of texts, their classification, their correct use in the light of principles, and you had the best ability to remove the conflicts that arose between them. You had such depth in the Quran and Sunnah that from the very beginning, your view reached the correct decision in any event and issue. No matter how much research those who investigate later do, no matter how much they refer to books, ultimately your opinion remains the axis of correctness and accuracy. For this reason, you were given the title "Faqih al-Nafs" (Jurist of the Soul).
You made the internal front your field of action. You paid special attention to the correct training of the people of Islam, the correction of beliefs, the correctness of actions, the safety of hearts, and the nurturing of spirituality. Countless fatwas were issued from your pen. The collection of your fatwas is a collection of the most important issues of the time. "Fatawa Rashidiya" is a manifestation of your deductive and jurisprudential abilities, a sign of firmness in religion, adorned with rational and textual arguments. Countless benefits are obtained from studying it, one becomes familiar with the temperament and taste of Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah, the quality of moderation is created, the direction of thought changes. You used to write comprehensive and concise answers in short and clear words, use definitive expressions, and suffice with pointing out the original issue without being affected by the length of the inquiry. In the answer, you take into account the observance of Sharia, not the desire of the inquirer. Every answer reflects your mujtahid-like heart and mind, every fatwa gives testimony to being a Faqih al-Nafs and a Mujtahid.
Your fatwas have a great place in the maturity of thought, its study is indispensable for the strength of belief, a significant part of it is related to beliefs and intellectual questions, it contains a satisfactory answer to the objections made on the statements of elders, and signatures have also been taken from the elders of the time in sensitive fatwas.
You have extreme caution in declaring anyone a disbeliever. You do not declare those people from among the people of the Qibla as disbelievers who criticize due to their jurisprudential error. You adopt a precautionary aspect in the chapter of beliefs, keep the original cause in mind in the series of preventing customs, choose the path of Azimat (determination) in fundamental issues, and adopt an easy path by keeping the principle in mind in secondary and controversial issues.
You had an immense dominance of reviving the Sunnah, you were given such an identity of the Sunnah that no innovation could change its form and come in the color of Sunnah or Mustahab (desirable). People used to ask questions from different sides, but Hazrat's insight and jurisprudence used to determine the status of every belief and action that was actually in the light of Quran and Sunnah, there was no room for any compromise in it, no matter how much opposition there was.
You strongly rejected the prevailing Milad (celebration of the Prophet's birthday), some scholars of the time also opposed it. Maulana Abdul Sami Rampuri (may Allah have mercy on him) tried to make it reasoned in "Anwar Sati'a", on your suggestion Maulana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (may Allah have mercy on him) collected your benefits related to the topic in "Barahin-e-Qati'a", the "Kitab al-Bid'at" present in your fatwas is the commentary of the same book.
In this collection of fatwas, there is not much attention to the extraction of the fatwa. In 1441 AH, Maulana Muhammad Khalid Hanafi Quetta, a scholar from a neighboring country, has formally extracted it. Alhamdulillah, the publication of this version has been done by Maktaba Hanafia Quetta.