Syed Sulaiman Nadvi
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Allama Sayyed Sulaiman Nadvi (Urdu: سید سلیمان ندوی) (November 22, 1884 - November 22, 1953) was an eminent Pakistani historian, biographer, littérateur and scholar of Islam. He is the author of monumental works, Sirat-un-Nabi (Life of Holy Prophet) and Khutbat-e-Madras.
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[edit] Early life and education
Sulaiman Nadvi was born on November 22, 1884 in Desna village of Patna, British India. His father, Hakeem Sayyed Abdul Hasan was a pious Sufi.
His first teachers were Khalifa Anwar Ali of Desna and Maulvi Maqsood Ali of Ookhdi. Later he received his education from his elder brother, Hakeem Sayyed Abu Habeeb and his father, who was a physician at Islampur near Patna. In 1899 he went to Phulwari Sharif (Bihar) where at the famous Khanqah-e-Mojeebia he became a disciple of Maulana Mohiuddin and of Shah Sulaiman Phulwari. From there he went to Darbhanga where he studied for a few months at Madrasa-e-Imdadia.
In 1901, he was admitted into Dar-ul-Uloom Nadva at Lucknow. He studied for seven years at Nadva. Young Sulaiman's first article, Waqt (Time) was published in the monthly Urdu Journal Makhzan edited by Sir Sheikh Abdul Qadir. In 1905, Maulana Shibli came to Lucknow as Secretary of Nadva. Sulaiman came under the influence of Shibli whose literary heir he was destined to be. There was another student at Nadva at this time who came from Calcutta. He was none but Abul Kalam Azad. Both Sulaiman and Azad were favourite pupils of Maulana Shibli Nomani. Soon Sulaiman was chosen to carry on Maulana Shibli's work. In 1906, he graduated from the Nadva. Shibli appointed Sayyed Sulaiman sub-editor of journal, An-Nadwa. In 1908, Sulaiman Nadvi was appointed an instructor of Modern Arabic and Dogmatic Theology at Dar-ul-Uloom Nadva.
Aligarh Muslim University conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctorate of Literature (DLitt) in 1940.
[edit] Contribution to Islamic literature
In 1910, Shibli Nomani had begun the monumental task of writing Sirat-un-Nabi (biography of Muhammad in Urdu). Sulaiman Nadvi became Shibli's literary assistant in the writing of Sirat. But Maulana Shibli Nomani could not complete the Sirat in his life. After death of his mentor on November 18, 1914, Sulaiman Nadvi left the job of Professor in Deccan College, Pune and came over to Azamgarh. Sulaiman edited and published the two volumes of Sirat-un-Nabi penned by Shibli and himself wrote and published third, forth, fifth and sixth volume of this Magnum Opus. The work started through the munificence of late Nawab Sulatan Jehan Begum of Bhopal and later through the aid of Nizam of Hyderabad. It is the grandest biography of Muhammed ever attempted in any language of the world.[citation needed]
In October-November 1925, Sulaiman Nadvi delivered a series of eight lectures on the life of Muhammad at Madras. These lectures which are a masterpiece of erudition later published as Khutbat-e-Madras.
In 1940, he published Rahmat-e-Aalam, a book written for children on the life of Muhammad.
In 1933, he brought out his monumental work, Khayyam. The nucleus of this book was an article on noted Persian scholar and poet Omar Khayyam.
His mentor, Maulana Shibli Nomani had made plans for Dar-ul-Mosannefeen (Academy of Authors) but could not implement this scheme. After his death, Sulaiman Nadvi founded Dar-ul-Mosannefeen at Azamgarh. The first book published was Ard-ul-Quran (2 volumes).
[edit] Migration to Pakistan
After partition of India, Sayyaed Sulaiman Nadvi migrated to Pakistan in June 1950 and settled in Karachi. He was appointed Chairman of Taleemat-e-Islami Board to advise the Islamic aspects of Pakistan's constitution. He died on November 22, 1953 in Karachi at the age of 69.
