The Radiant Heir of Jan-e-Janan: Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi and the Global Renewal of the Mujaddidi Path

By Adnan Faizi, New Age Islam 23 October 2025 Hazrat Shah Abdullah, more widely known as Hazrat Ghulam Ali Dehlavi, stands as the defining Naqshbandi Mujaddid of the 13th Hijri century. A master of tariqah and shariah, his Khanqah in Delhi became an international centre of spiritual guidance, scholarship and social service. Main Points: 1. Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ali Dehlavi was Mujaddid of the 13th Hijri century. 2. Hazrat mastered Naqshbandi, Qadri and Chishti tariqas and all Islamic sciences deeply. 3. He became chief khalifa and spiritual successor to Hazrat Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan. 4. Hazrat nurtured international khulafa, influencing Naqshbandi spread across India, Middle East widely. 5. He authored key works, Malfuzat and treatises preserving Mujaddidi heritage and guidance. ---- Introduction Hazrat Shah Abdullah alias Hazrat Ghulam Ali Dehlavi (1156 A.H. / 1743 C.E. — 22 Safar 1240 A.H. / October 1824 C.E.) occupies a central place in the spiritual history of the subcontinent. He combined rigorous scholarship in Hadith and Fiqh with the highest attainments of Tasawwuf. Recognised by many scholars and the larger circle of Awliya as the Mujaddid of the 13th Hijri century, Hazrat shaped the subsequent century’s spiritual map by training deputies who carried the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi fayd to India, Persia, Central Asia, the Arab lands and the Ottoman domains. This article gathers and arranges all available verified information about his life, lineage, teachings, writings, khulafa and legacy. Early Life And Family Background Hazrat Shah Abdullah (commonly called Hazrat Ghulam Ali) was born in 1156 A.H. in Patiala (present day Punjab). His paternal lineage and home environment were deeply immersed in spiritual devotion. His father was Hazrat Syed Abdul Latif Batalvi, a devout ascetic and a Sufi of the Qadri tariqa, who himself was a murid of Hazrat Shaykh Nasiruddin Qadri. A remarkable portend preceded the child’s arrival: just before his birth Hazrat Syed Abdul Latif experienced a vision of Hazrat Ali who instructed him to name the child “Ali.” Consequently the infant was named Ali at birth; later he adopted the name Ghulam Ali while his uncle named him Abdullah following Prophet’s injunction. Over time both names came into usage: Abdullah as the formal appellation and Ghulam Ali as the popular one. In biographical records both names appear together; commonly in the subcontinent he is referred to as Hazrat Ghulam Ali Dehlavi. From a young age he displayed exceptional memory and piety. It is reported that he memorised the Quran within a month an extraordinary feat that testified to both intellectual facility and spiritual receptivity. His father planned to place him under Hazrat Nasiruddin Qadri’s tutelage in Delhi, but Hazrat Nasiruddin passed away soon after they reached Delhi. Free to choose his mentor, the young Hazrat Ghulam Ali frequented the company (Suhbat) of several Shuyukh in Delhi, absorbing varied strands of spiritual instruction before ultimately committing to bayʿah. Bay’ah, Training And Spiritual Lineage At the age of twenty-two Hazrat undertook Bay’Ah with Hazrat Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan, the pre-eminent Sufi master of Delhi in that generation. Hazrat Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan, himself a luminary in both spiritual practice and early modern Urdu poetry, became the principal spiritual guide of Hazrat Ghulam Ali. Under his tutelage Hazrat Ghulam Ali served and trained for fifteen years, during which he received intensive instruction in both the outward sciences and the inward disciplines. Although initially initiated into the Qadri chain through family connections, Hazrat was principally perfected within the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi method under Hazrat Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan. He later received khilafat from his Shaykh, becoming his chief khalifa and the recognised spiritual successor within the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi silsila. Hazrat’s Naqshbandi chain (as narrated in his works and biographies) traces back through Hazrat Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan to Hazrat Noor Muhammad Badayuni, Hazrat Hafiz Muhammad Mohsin Dehlavi, Hazrat Khwaja Saifuddin Faruqi Sirhindi, Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad Ma’soom Faruqi Sirhindi and ultimately to Hazrat Imam Rabbani Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi (Mujaddid Alf Thani). This unbroken chain furnished Hazrat with authentic Mujaddidi transmission and spiritual authority. Hazrat also received permission and training in the Qadri and Chishti orders. He narrates a formative dream where Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam and Hazrat Shah Naqshband appear in neighbouring houses; Hazrat Ghaus al-Azam permitted movement to Hazrat Shah Naqshband, teaching the aspirant that the ultimate objective is God, not attachment to a particular tariqa. This vision reconciled his multi-order training and helped him attain mastery across silsilas. Character, daily practice and social conduct Hazrat was famed for humility, disinterest in pomp and uncompromising adherence to Sunnah. Anecdotes underline his simplicity: when a street dog entered his dwelling he supplicated, “Who am I to ask intercession of Your friends? Forgive me for the sake of Your creation.” He habitually refused fixed patronage; despite invitations from the wealthy and the royal, he declined permanent financial support for his Khanqah, trusting entirely in Divine provision (Rizq Min Al-Ghayb). He wore simple garments, ate the food of the poor fakir and sustained a large communal household. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan records that around five hundred persons resided in Hazrat’s shrine at times, their living costs borne by the Shaykh through acts of generosity and Divine assistance. Hazrat’s regimen was disciplined. He often recited ten ajza after Fajr, engaged in Muraqaba with disciples, and taught Hadith and Tafsir after the early morning Ishrak. He rarely slept; when sleep overcame him, it was for a few short moments over his Musalla. His Khalifa and disciples would gather in Halqa around him during devotions. He insisted on adherence to Sharī’ah in all matters and discouraged visits from those who acted openly against the Sunnah. Teaching, Spiritual Method And Guidance Central to Hazrat’s teaching was the negation of seeking merely emotional states (Zauq and Shauq), visions or Karamat as ends in themselves. He emphasised Wuquf Qalbi constant vigilance of the heart attentive to the Exalted Being and cautioned seekers to purge distractions that detract from the goal of God-realisation. The seeker’s aim must be purely the Pure Being; any interest in secondary states should be negated. In jurisprudence he followed Hanafi practice yet demonstrated practical benevolence: though Zakat becomes obligatory after a year by strict calculation, Hazrat would pay it immediately upon receiving income, following recommended conduct in the spirit of charity and prompt fulfilment. He combined meticulous adherence to shariah with the Naqshbandi discipline of silent dhikr and heart-centred vigilance. His khalifa report that he could often discern the inner state of listeners and reply with precisely tailored guidance. Khulafa, Deputies And International Reach Hazrat’s Khulafa were numerous and geographically dispersed. He appointed Hazrat Hafiz Shah Abu Saeed Faruqi Mujaddidi Dehlavi as successor to his Khanqah in Delhi; Hazrat Shah Abu Saeed trained thousands and died in 1250 A.H. Hazrat Shah Ahmad Saeed Faruqi Mujaddidi, son of Hazrat Shah Abu Saeed, received Khilafat and later migrated to Madina where he died in 1277 A.H.; he also played a visible role in the 1857 uprising. Perhaps the most internationally renowned of Hazrat’s deputies was Hazrat Maulana Khalid al-Baghdadi Kurdi Shahrazuri (Baghdad, Iraq), who within a short period received Khilafat and then carried the Mujaddidi Naqshbandi fayd into the Ottoman lands and beyond. Other notable Khulafa include Hazrat Shah Rauf Ahmad Raft Faruqi Mujaddidi Rampuri (Bhopal), Hazrat Maulana Basharat-Allah Behraichi, Hazrat Maulana Ghulam Mohiuddin Qusoori (Qusoor, now in Pakistan), Hazrat Maulana Syed Ismail Madani (Madina), Hazrat Maulana Shah Gul Muhammad Ghaznavi (Bukhara), Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Shareef (Sirhind), Hazrat Maulana Pir Muhammad (Kashmir), Hazrat Maulana Jan Muhammad Herati (Herat), and Hazrat Shaykh al-Haram Maulana Muhammad Jan (Makkah). Through these deputies the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Silsila spread widely across the subcontinent, Central Asia, Persia, the Arab world and Ottoman domains. Hazrat himself noted with humility and a smile that his fayd reached Makkah, Madina, Baghdad, Rome and Maghreb, and that Bukhara seemed like an ancestral home. Writings, Malfuzat And Literary Legacy Hazrat authored at least fifteen works and left a rich corpus that combined biography, practical guidance, refutation and Naqshbandi manual. Principal works attributed to him include: Maqamat-e-Mazhari — a comprehensive Persian biography of his Shaykh Hazrat Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan (circa 1211 A.H.). Idah al-Tariqat (1212 A.H.) — on adhkar, terminologies and principles of Naqshbandi tariqa (Persian; Urdu translations exist). Ahwal-e-Buzurgan (after 1225 A.H.) — biographical sketches of notable shaykhs. Maqamat Mujaddid Alf Thani — on the merits and stations of Hazrat Imam Rabbāni Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi. Tariq Bay’ah wa Azkar; Tariqah sharifah Shah-e-Naqshband; Ahwal Shah-e-Naqshband; Risalah Azkar; Risalah Muraqibat. Radd Aetirazat and Radd Mukhalifin Hazrat Mujaddid — polemical works addressing opponents’ claims against Imam Rabbāni and defending Mujaddidi positions. Risalah Mashghuliyah; Kamalat Mazhari (1237 A.H. / 1821 C.E.); Sulook Raqiyah Naqshbandiyah. Makatib Sharifa — a collection of 125 letters compiled by his Khalifa Hazrat Shah Rauf Ahmad Raaft Mujaddidi; these epistles circulated widely and have been published multiple times. Two important collections of his spoken sayings (Malfuzat) were compiled by his Khulafa: Durr al-Maarif by Hazrat Shah Rauf Ahmad Raaft (1231 A.H.) and the forty-day Malfuzat compiled by Khwaja Ghulam Mohiuddin Qusoori. These collections preserve daily guidance, answers to seekers’ problems, narrations of Karamat and practical instruction in the Naqshbandi path. Relations With Contemporaries And Public Role Hazrat maintained relationships with leading scholars and public figures. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan attests to a close familial association: Sir Syed’s father and elder brother took bayʿah with Hazrat, and Sir Syed records that Hazrat regarded his family with paternal affection. Sir Syed’s testimony also provides social-historical detail of Hazrat’s Khanqah life and charitable provisions. Numerous scholars and prominent men, including foreign students from Persia, Transoxiana, Turkey and the Arab lands, sought Hazrat’s counsel and received training or Khilafat. His combination of scholarship, moral rectitude and practical magnanimity made him a central figure for Muslim society in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century India. Demise And Final Rites On 22 Safar 1240 A.H. (October 1824 C.E.) Hazrat Shah Abdullah passed away at the age of eighty-four. He was buried beside his Shaykh Hazrat Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janan in the Khanqah Mazhariya in Delhi. At his death he was reportedly holding the Hadith collection Jamial-Tirmidhi upon his chest — a final testimony to his lifelong devotion to Hadith scholarship. His funeral prayer was performed in Delhi’s Jama mosque, led by his chief khalifa Hazrat Hafiz Abu Saeed Faruqi and attended by thousands of disciples and admirers. Legacy And Continuing Influence Hazrat’s fad persisted through the institutional and personal continuity of his Khulafa. The Naqshbandi Mujaddidi network, reorganised and energised by his training, later radiated across the Islamic world. Maulana Khalid al-Baghdadi carried Hazrat’s influence into Ottoman lands; Hazrat’s deputies consolidated centres in Bhopal, Sirhind, Madina, Makkah, Bukhara, Herat and Qusoor. In the Indian subcontinent the Mujaddidi teachings informed devotional practice, legal instruction and even political mobilisation in later decades. Many of the active Naqshbandi brotherhoods today trace their linkage to Hazrat’s Khulafa — in Turkey and Iraq largely through Maulana Khalid, and in Persianate and South Asian lands through Hazrat Hafiz Abu Saeed Faruqi and his lineage. Scholarly and spiritual appreciation of Hazrat emphasises three enduring contributions: first, his consolidation and authentic transmission of the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi chain; second, his written corpus that preserved practical manuals, biographical notices and polemical defences of Mujaddidi positions; third, his cultivation of a large and geographically extended set of Khulafa who propagated an integrated model of shariat-grounded, heart-centred Naqshbandi practice. His designation as Mujaddid of the 13th Hijri century, while a weighty spiritual claim, is supported by both his widespread fayd and the testimony of contemporaries and later scholars who acknowledge the deep transformation effected by his life and work. ----- Adnan Faizi is a Peace and Harmony activist based in Delhi. He is an alumni of CCS University, Meerut. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/jan-e-janan-hazrat-ghulam-dehlavi-mujaddidi/d/137353 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism