Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi: Naqshbandi Scholarship, 1857 Resistance, and Opposition to Wahhabism
By Sahil Razvi, New Age Islam
31 December 2025.
Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi was a leading Naqshbandi Sufi who combined scholarship, spiritual authority, and resistance to colonial rule. A defender of Milad-e-Nabi and orthodox Sunni belief, he opposed Wahhabism and left a lasting legacy in Madinah.
Main points:
A foremost Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi Sufi and spiritual heir of Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi.
Actively supported the 1857 uprising and signed the Fatwa of Jihad against British rule.
Migrated to Madinah to escape colonial persecution, where he trained thousands of disciples.
Authored Saeed-ul-Bayan, firmly establishing the permissibility of Milad-e-Nabi.
Har martaba ān wujood ḥukmē dārad
Gar farq-e-marātib na kunī zindīqī
(Wujood ka har martaba apna ek hukm rakhta hai;
agar tu martabon mein farq nahin karega, to zindeeq ho jayega.)
Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi was among the most revered Naqshbandi Sufi saints of India and the spiritual heir of Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi. He was born in 1802 CE in Rampur, India. He was the eldest son of Hazrat Shah Abu Saeed Mujaddidi Dehlavi, who was the first appointed spiritual successor of Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi.
In Tuhfa-i Zawwariya, in the letters (Letter no. 12), Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed writes:
“Know that according to the Sufis there are two kinds of Tawheed: Tawheed-e-Wujoodi and Tawheed-e-Shuhoodi.
Tawheed-e-Wujoodi means recognizing the Wujood-e-Ittihaadi, that is, the Being through whom existence exists. The One Being who grants existence to all things is the One, Hazrat-e-Haqq Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala. Its meaning is not as some ignorant people have understood it, that the essence of created beings and the essence of Haqq Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala are one and the same.
Rather, what exists is Wahdat-e-Maujood, not Wahdat-e-Wujood. Due to their extreme ignorance, they could not differentiate between Masdar (source) and Mushtaq (derived), and thus fell into misguidance. They themselves became misguided and misled others as well; they themselves were ruined and ruined others too.
The Muhqqiqeen (true investigators) among the Sufis are free from these errors. Even though, according to them, existence is ‘Ayn-e-Haqq, they affirm the Maratib-e-Khamsa (Five Levels of Existence), but they consider it kufr and zindeeqi to apply the rulings of one level to another level or rank.
Tawheed-e-Shuhoodi means seeing only the Essence of Haqq Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala. That is, from the perspective of the salik, multiplicity becomes completely concealed. Seeing multiplicity does not mean that an essential relationship or hierarchical levels between multiplicity and unity are established, as happens in Tawheed-e-Wujoodi.
Thus, Tawheed-e-Wujoodi and Tawheed-e-Shuhoodi are distinct from one another.
However, the intention and purpose of both Tawheed-e-Wujoodi and Tawheed-e-Shuhoodi is, in the sight of the lover, love for the True Beloved.
Daron-deewar kasrat-e-shauq se aaine ki tarah ho gaye
Main jahan kahin dekhta hoon, tera hi chehra dekhta hoon
His father was initially a disciple of Hazrat Shah Dargahi, a renowned Sufi master of that era, and often took his young son into the company of the saint. Later, when Shah Abu Saeed approached Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi for higher spiritual attainment, Shah Ahmad Saeed accompanied him. Thus, from a very young age, Shah Ahmad Saeed entered the spiritual service of Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi.
After completing his spiritual training and attaining the highest stages of wilayah (sainthood), his shaikh granted him authority in seven Sufi orders, with the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi path being the most prominent. He was only twenty-two years old when Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi passed away in October 1824. Before his demise, the shaikh had appointed Shah Abu Saeed as his principal successor. Shah Abu Saeed continued the spiritual mission of the khanqah Mazhariya and trained thousands of disciples over nearly a decade. In 1835 CE, while returning from Hajj, Shah Abu Saeed passed away. His body was brought to Delhi and buried at the same khanqah.
Following his father’s demise, Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi became the sajjada-nashin of the khanqah Mazhariya in 1249 AH. Known for his deep compassion and spiritual insight, he attracted a vast number of disciples, and people benefitted immensely from his guidance and presence.
The uprising of 1857 proved to be a decisive moment in Indian history, marking the end of Muslim political authority in the subcontinent. Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi was among the leading scholars who endorsed and signed the Fatwa of Jihad against British rule, and he is reported to have been the first to affirm it.
This stance brought him under direct threat from the colonial authorities. To avoid persecution, he decided to leave Delhi and migrate to Madinah. During this turbulent period, he sent his family to safer rural areas while he remained at the khanqah until he received spiritual permission to depart. After a night of prayer and meditation, he declared that permission had been granted. The administration of the khanqah was entrusted to his chief khalifa, Haji Dost Muhammad Qandahari.
Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi Faruqi authored a treatise titled “Saeed-ul-Bayan.” In this treatise, Hazrat, with reference to the Milad of the Noble Prophet Muhammad, cites numerous verses of the Qur’an and Ahadith and attempts to establish that observing Milad-e-Nabi is permissible and a commendable act.
In the preface of the treatise, his grandson Shah Muhammad Masoom Mujaddidi writes that Hazrat Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi used to read this treatise (Saeed-ul-Bayan) every year on the 11th of Rabi‘al-Awwal in a public gathering. This proves that every year on the 11th of Rabi‘al-Awwal, a Milad-e-Nabi gathering was held at his Khanqah Sharif in Delhi, that is, Khanqah-e-Mazhariya. On this occasion, Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi Faruqi himself would deliver the address, and he would recite this treatise to the attendees.
Hazrat Mujaddid (may Allah’s mercy be upon him) states in the third volume of Maktubat:
“What objection is there in reciting the Holy Qur’an and the qasidas of na‘at and manqabat in a good voice? What is prohibited is altering or distorting the letters of the Holy Qur’an, strictly adhering to musical modes, turning the voice according to the method of melodies, and clapping hands in accordance with it, all of which are impermissible even in poetry. If Mawlid is recited in such a manner that no distortion occurs in the Qur’anic words, and while reciting qasidas the aforementioned conditions are not present, and it is also adopted for a correct purpose, then what obstacle remains?”
From this it becomes clear that the passage of Hazrat Mujaddid, which the deniers of Milad present as evidence, actually means the following:
“In the recitation of qasidas and na‘at, strict adherence to musical tunes, modulating the voice in the style of melodies, and clapping hands accordingly are prohibited.”
This very point was also mentioned by Imam Ahmad Raza, and he declared musical instruments (mazameer) to be impermissible.
Talib Ghaffari Sahib further writes:
“Shah Ahmad Saeed witnessed the emergence and spread of the Wahhabi sect in India. Before him, Indian Muslims were united in beliefs and practices and largely belonged to the Hanafi school of thought, with a Shia minority that was clearly distinguished from mainstream Islam. However, the teachings of Ismail Dehlavi introduced a major fitnah among Indian Muslims, as a result of which they branched out into many different sects and schools, including Deobandi, Barelvi, Ahl-al-Hadith (or Salafi), Maududi, and others.”
During his journey, he halted for eighteen days at Khanqah Musa Zai Sharif in Dera Ismail Khan, established by Haji Dost Muhammad Qandahari. There, he formally appointed Haji Dost Muhammad as his successor and custodian of the Delhi khanqah, instructing him either to reside there himself or appoint a representative. Haji Dost Muhammad chose to remain at Musa Zai and sent his khalifa, Maulana Rahim Bakhsh Ajmeri, to manage the Delhi khanqah.
Note: A significant portion of the information presented here has been drawn from www.naqshbandi.uk, authored by Anwar-un-Nabi Sahib. Full and due credit for this research and documentation is respectfully acknowledged and attributed to him.
Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed then travelled to Makkah, performing Hajj in 1858 CE, and reached Madinah in Rabi al-Awwal 1275 AH (October 1858). Throughout the journey, scholars and laypersons alike pledged allegiance to him, and his reputation spread rapidly. He lived in Madinah for nearly two years, during which thousands entered his spiritual order. His biographer notes that had he lived longer, the number of his disciples would have multiplied many times over.
While travelling through Punjab earlier, people had flocked to him wherever he passed, seeking blessings and spiritual guidance. During the sea journey, he observed Ramadan at sea, reciting the Qur’an during Taraweeh prayers, without any interruption to his daily spiritual routine. In Madinah, Khalid Pasha, the protector of the city, became his disciple and arranged accommodation for him. Later, he summoned his family from Makkah and settled there permanently.
According to an article published on Maktaba.org, Talib Ghaffari quotes Hazrat Shah Muhammad Mazhar Mujaddidi, son of Shah Ahmad Saeed, from his work Maqamat Ahmadiya, stating that Shah Ahmad Saeed never spoke harshly about anyone except the Wahhabi sect, solely to warn people against what he considered their erroneous beliefs and practices. He further warned that association with them gradually weakens love for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), leaving behind only outward rituals devoid of spiritual essence. In letters addressed to his chief khalifa regarding the permissibility of Mawlid, Shah Ahmad Saeed explicitly condemned those who declared it forbidden, advising strict avoidance of their company.
Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi was also a prolific author. His works, written in Urdu, Persian, and Arabic, dealt with Mawlid, spiritual practices, rabita, and core theological issues. His writings continue to be studied in Sufi circles.
Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed Mujaddidi passed away on 2 Rabi al-Awwal 1277 AH (18–19 September 1860 CE) in Madina. He was buried in Jannatulbaqi, close to the resting place of Sayyidina Usman ibn Affan. His funeral prayer was attended by an unprecedented gathering, and the people of Madina remarked that they had never witnessed such a large funeral procession before.
His life remains a powerful symbol of scholarship, spiritual depth, resistance to injustice, and unwavering devotion to the Prophet of Islam.
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/hazrat-shah-ahmad-saeed/d/138246
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