A Research Review of the Scholarly and Intellectual Contributions of Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Muḥaddith Rūprī

حافظ عبداللہ محدث روپڑی کے علمی و فکری خدمات کا تحقیقی جائزہ

Abstract

Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh Muḥaddith Rūprī was a distinguished Islamic scholar whose life was dedicated to education, teaching, and literary pursuits. He excelled in various fields, including Hadith, Tafsīr, literature, logic, philosophy, and other advanced sciences, contributing significantly to Islamic scholarship. As a teacher in his madrasa, he imparted knowledge with exceptional clarity and depth. Alongside teaching, he served as a mufti, issuing Islamic legal rulings based on his profound understanding of the Qurʾān, Hadith, and jurisprudence of the imams. Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbdullāh was also a prolific author, addressing academic and ideological issues with a style that was simple, logical, and relatable to the general public. Although 50 of his works are known, his total literary contributions are believed to be much greater. Unfortunately, a significant portion of his library and unpublished manuscripts were lost during the tragic Sikh attack on the Jama Masjid in Amritsar on August 15, 1947, which also resulted in the martyrdom of his family members. This paper provides a detailed review of his surviving works, highlighting his intellectual and scholarly contributions to Islamic thought.