Abd al-Haqq al-Dihlawi
- Died
- 1052 AH
- Born in
- Delhi
Abd al-Haqq al-Dihlawi (958–1052 AH / 1551–1642 CE) was an Indian Hanafi jurist, hadith scholar, and Sufi based in Delhi, renowned for his hadith scholarship and his commentary Lamaat al-Tanqih fi Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih.
Lineage and Early Life
His full name was Abd al-Haqq ibn Sayf al-Din ibn Sa'd Allah al-Bukhari al-Dihlawi, and he bore the kunya Abu Muhammad and the pen name Haqqi. He was born in Delhi in the month of Muharram 958 AH. He was raised in Delhi and began his education under his father, reading the Quran with him in two or three months and learning writing and composition in a single month. Under his father's tutelage, he studied Persian literature as well as Arabic morphology and grammar.
Travels and Education in the Hejaz
In 996 AH, al-Dihlawi traveled to the Hejaz, where he remained until 999 AH. In Mecca, he joined the circle of the hadith scholar and ascetic Abd al-Wahhab al-Muttaqi in Ramadan 996 AH, studying under him and reading Mishkat al-Masabih. With his teacher's permission, he traveled to Medina in Rabi al-Thani 997 AH and remained there until late Rajab 998 AH before returning to Mecca to complete his study of Mishkat al-Masabih and receive spiritual instruction.
Following the advice of Abd al-Wahhab al-Muttaqi, al-Dihlawi streamlined his narrations into two core chains reaching the Prophet ﷺ through the paths of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Although he wished to remain in the holy sanctuaries and visit Baghdad, his teacher directed him to return to India to care for his family and serve the community.
Teaching, Students, and Standing
Upon his return to Delhi, al-Dihlawi dedicated himself to teaching prophetic traditions and combating innovations. He is recognized as the foremost figure to systematically spread the teaching and compilation of hadith across India.
His prominent students included his sons Nur al-Haqq al-Dihlawi and Hashim ibn Abd al-Haqq, who received a general license (ijaza) from him after studying major texts. Other students included Shakar Muhammad ibn Wajih al-Din al-Dihlawi, who studied under him for an extended period, and Sulayman Abu Ahmad al-Kurdi al-Gujrati, who traveled from Kurdistan to study jurisprudence and hadith with him.
Among his best-known contributions are his Arabic commentary on hadith, Lamaat al-Tanqih fi Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih, its Persian counterpart Ashi'at al-Lama'at, and his biographical work Akhbar al-Akhyar.
Death
Al-Dihlawi died in Delhi in 1052 AH (1642 CE).
Answer updated
List of Works
Muqaddima fi Usul al-Hadith (Introduction to Hadith Methodology) is a concise Arabic manual on hadith terminology and classification. Designed as an introductory primer to clarify fundamental principles and concepts for students of prophetic traditions, it provides definitions and methodological assessments of transmitted reports and transmission chains.
Lamaat al-Tanqih fi Sharh Mishkat al-Masabih (The Flashes of Clarification in the Commentary on the Niche of Lamps) is an Arabic hadith commentary written to explain al-Khatib al-Tabrizi's hadith compendium, Mishkat al-Masabih. Structured as an intermediate commentary, it combines concise expression with necessary detail to provide deeper analytical discussions, linguistic and juridical examinations of vocabulary, and reconciliation of narrations.