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{{Citation style|date=April 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{short description|19th-century Muslim scholar}}
{{Infobox religious biography
|era =
|image =
|caption =
|name = Muhammad Hussain Batalvi
|title = [[Mawlawi (Islamic title)|Mawlawi]], [[Shaykh]]
|birth_date = 1840
|birth_place = [[Batala]]
|death_date = 1920
|death_place= Batala
|ethnicity =
|region = [[Punjab]], India
|religion=[[Islam]]
|denomination = [[Sunni]]
|Madhhab =
|school_tradition =
|movement = [[Ahl-i Hadith]]
|main_interests =
|notable_ideas =
|works =
|influences =
|influenced =
}}
'''Abū Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn Baṭālvī''' (c.1840-1920) was a leading [[Ahl-i Hadith]] religious scholar in the Punjab (British India) during the late 19th and early 20th century. He was a student of [[Syed Nazeer Husain|Syed Nazir Husain Dehlawi]] and one of the founders of the Jamaat Ahl-i Hadith alongside him and [[Siddiq Hasan Khan]]<ref>{{cite book|author1=Charles Allen|title=God's Terrorists: The Wahhabi Cult and the Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad|date=2006|publisher=Abacus|isbn=978-0-349-11879-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dKK0_bM-4n8C|pages=205}}</ref> Batalvi was the editor of the magazine ''Isha'atus Sunnah'' and is best known for being a major antagonist to [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]], the founder of the [[Ahmadiyya]] movement..<ref>Mir Qasim Ali, ''Batalvi ka Anjam'', 1931</ref>

==Early life==
Muhammad Hussain Batalvi was born around 1840. His father, Sheikh Rahim Bakhsh, was an apothecary. In his childhood, he received elementary education, from Molvi Gul Ali Shah, a Shia, these were the times when [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]] also attended the same teacher. The two were to become lifelong friends, but intellectual foes.<ref>A R Dard, ''The Life of Ahmad'', (1948) p. 36</ref> He received further religious education from [[Abdullah Ghaznavi]] at Amritsar, before proceeding to Delhi where he studied [[Hadith]], logic and grammar from [[Syed Nazeer Husain|Syed Nazir Husain]].<ref> Biography of Batalvi, Fadl Hussain, Akbari Press, Agra, 1908.pp. 81, 307).</ref>
After completing his religious studies, he returned to Batala in 1868. <ref>[Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya] Part IV, p.520, Ruhani Khazain Vol-01, page 621]</ref><ref>Life of Ahmad, by A R Dard (1948) p. 54</ref> Muhammad Hussain married twice, he had seven sons and three daughters.<ref>The Life of Ahmad, by A R Dard, page. 368.(1948).</ref>

==Literary career==
In 1878 he started publishing the magazine ''Isha‘atus Sunnah''. It was a voice of the [[Ahle Hadith]] movement in the Punjab of the time. The magazine became quite popular and was recognized by notable scholars and Government Officials. When Sir [[Charles Umpherston Aitchison]], Governor of the Punjab from 1882-1887,<ref>[[List of Governors of Punjab (British India)|List of Governors Punjab]]</ref> left the area in April 1887, he gave Muhammad Hussain, a certificate testifying to his ability and learning. Muhammad Hussain proudly records this fact.<ref>[See ‘ Isha‘atus Sunnah’ Vol. 20, No. 3 ]</ref> Batalvi was also involved in theological debates with scholars of the [[Deobandi]] school and the [[Quranist]] scholar Abdullah Chakralawi.<ref>{{cite book|last=Metcalf|first=Barbara D.|title=Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband, 1860-1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BdH_AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA207|year=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-5610-7|pages=212–213, 289}}</ref>

===The term Ahle-Hadith===
The Punjab had been a seat of violent insurgent activities by the [[Wahhabi]]s for about fifty years from 1830 till 1880. The government had to send twenty expeditions to subdue the [[Wahhabi]] movement.<ref>"The great Wahabi Movement covered a period of over 50 years and was spread from the North-West Frontier to Bengal and Bihar. It was not an ephemeral or sudden upheaval: without any definite aim or organization, like the Revolt of 1857. The movement continued well over forty years after the death of its leader Saiyid Ahmed in 1831. The British sent over twenty expeditions before they were able to crush the movement. Important leaders of the movement-Yahya Ali, Ahmadullah, Amiruddin, Ibrahim Mandal, Rafique Mandal and their comrades were tried at the state trials of Ambala (1864), Patna (1865), Malda (Sept. 1870) and Rajmahal (October 1870), convicted and transported for life." .{{cite web |url=http://www.aicc.org.in/new/india-struggle-for-freedom.php |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-04-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318133559/http://www.aicc.org.in/new/india-struggle-for-freedom.php |archive-date=18 March 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The term Wahhabi had assumed a rather derogatory connotation in India and in the later parts of the Nineteenth Century. Wahhabism had been associated with militant insurgency in the Punjab and North West Frontier of British India. It was in this context that Batalvi requested that they be 'un-linked' from an unwanted impression of being Wahhabis. Batalvi wrote an application to the then [[Viceroy of India]] [[Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton]] that they be called [[Ahl-e-Hadith]] rather than Wahhabi, which was granted on 19 January 1887.<ref>Magazine ''Isha'at-as-Sunnah'', (محمد حسين بٹالوي، اشاعۃ السنۃ،ص:47، لاہور،ج:11,شمارہ،2)</ref>

===Views on [[Jihad]]===
Batalvi advocated "to wield the pen" rather than resorting to the use of force and militant means, He wrote:
<blockquote>Some of our Muslim brothers believe that the present misfortunes of the followers of Islam cannot be removed without the sword. It is no use acquiring worldly education. However, looking at the present condition of the Muslims, this belief appears improbable."..."Brethren! the age of the sword is no more. Now instead of the sword it is necessary to wield the pen. How can the sword come into the hands of the Muslims when they have no hands. They have no national identity or existence. In such a useless and weak condition, to consider them as a nation is to exceed the imagination of Shaikh Chilli [a proverbial, comical figure in Urdu fiction].<ref>[http://mpacuk.org/content/view/2038/51/ ''Isha'at-as-Sunnah'', vol. vi, no. 12, December 1883, p. 364] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513213524/http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/2038/51/ |date=13 May 2008 }}</ref></blockquote>

In his book, ''Iqtisaad-fi-Massaiil-Jihad'' Molvi Muhammad Hussain wrote: "It is haram [prohibited] to wage [[Jihad]] against the British."<ref>Jihad is prohibited for the Muslims in the British territories, "Iqtisaad-fi-Massaiil-Jihad" pp: 47-50 [https://www.scribd.com/doc/117687401/Al-Iqtisaad-Fi-Masayil-e-Jehad-by-Muhammad-Hussain-Batalvi-Guru]</ref><ref>[http://www.alahazrat.net/library/englisharticles/aqeedah/wahabi.htm Verdict about Jihad]</ref>

===Hostility to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad===
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who later claimed to be the Promised [[Messiah]] and [[Mahdi]] in Ahmediyya, was a lifelong friend of Muhammad Hussain Batalvi. They had been attending the same teacher in childhood. Batalvi's father Sheikh Rahim Bakhsh also used to visit Qadian.<ref>Life of Ahmad, by A R Dard (1948) p.77</ref> When Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote his magnum opus, the [[Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya]], Batalvi wrote a very favourable review upon it, covering a good two hundred pages, being serially published in his magazine. Muhammad Hussain Batalvi wrote:
<blockquote>In our opinion, from the point of view of the modern age, this book stands unique in the history of Islam. No book has ever been published like it in the past, and we cannot say anything about the future, which is known only to God. The perseverance of the author in the service of Islam, through his life, his energy, pen, tongue, and every form of activity is almost unprecedented amongst Muslims. This should not be taken as Asiatic exaggeration. We challenge anyone to show us the like of this book.<ref>[Isha‘atus-Sunnah (vol. 6, Nos. 6-11)]</ref></blockquote>
Batalvi's opinion of Ahmad changed in 1891, when Ahmad published his various spiritual claims and declared that [[Jesus]] son of Mary had died his natural death and the [[Second Coming]] was a metaphor, referring only to the coming of a disciple of [[Muhammad]] who would be appointed to the spiritual station of [[Messiah]]. This prophecy, he claimed, had fulfilled in his very own person. This marked the end of a lifelong friendship and Batalvi turned into an arch enemy of Ahmad and his [[Ahmadiyya]] Community in his later life.

On 31 January 1891, Muhammad Hussain Batalvi wrote a letter to Ahmad asking him whether Ahmad had really claimed to be the promised Messiah. Ahmad thought it sufficient to write only "Yes" in answer. Because Muhammad Hussain had asked him to say "Yes or No".<ref>Ahmad’s reply is dated 5 February 1891. (Isha‘atus Sunnah, Vol. 12, No.12).</ref><ref>Maktobaat e Ahmad, Vol-1, P.311 (Letter no.5) (2008)</ref>

In his later life Muhammad Hussain Batalvi took it for his life-mission to undo whatever Ahmad intended to do. He organised a [[Fatwa]] [religious verdict] signed by hundreds of [[Ulema]] religious scholars that Ahmad was an unbeliever, or [[kafir]].<ref>Fatwas were published all over the country excommunicating him and declaring him to be an infidel. He was called Dajjal, Mulhid,Zindiq, Makkar, Mal‘un, etc. [Life of Morning, by A R Dard, (1948) p.371]</ref> He wrote about his former friend in his magazine ''Isha’t-us-Sunnah''; that Ahmad was a "raving drunkard, intriguer, swindler, accursed, the one-eyed Dajjal, slave of silver and gold, whose revelation is nothing but a seminal discharge, shameless, the ring-leader of sweepers and street vagabonds, dacoit, murderer, whose followers are scoundrels, villains, adulterers, and drunkards."<ref>Bhangar, makkar, fareibi, mal‘un, a‘war dajjal, abdud-darahim waddananir, jiska ilham ihtilam hai, bei-haya, bhangiyun aur bazari shuhdun ka sargaruh, daku, khunreiz, jis ki jama‘at badma‘sh, badkirdar, zani, sharabi [original] in Ishat-us-Suna, Vol. 16. And ''The Life of Ahmad'', by A R Dard. Page. 575]</ref>

::"That the Qadiani is a [[Dajjal]] of this time, a second [[Musaylimah]], perfidious, deceiver, cheat, liar and impostor, and that he is the enemy of the faith of Islam and all other heavenly faiths."
He also admitted [In the Court the District Magistrate Gurdaspur (1899)] having published the following:
:: "Had we been under Muslim rule, we would have given you (Ahmad) a proper reply. We would have at once cut off your head with a sword and made you a dead body".<ref>Isha'at-us-Sunnah, Vol. 18, No. 3, p. 95</ref>

In the alleged murder lawsuit<ref>[http://www.alislam.org/library/history/ahmadiyya/18.html Law Suit by H M Clark]</ref> against Ghulam Ahmad, instituted by [[Henry Martyn Clark]] in the Court of District Magistrate Captain [[Montagu William Douglas]] Muhammad Hussain Batalvi, appeared on the side of the prosecution, and sided with Dr Clark of the [[Church Mission Society]] against Ghulam Ahmad<ref>Life of Ahmad, A R Dard (1948), P. 553</ref> Batalvi also accused Ghulam Ahmad of [[sedition]] and rebellious intentions towards the British Government,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.alislam.org/library/book/truth-about-ahmadiyyat/ahmadiyyat-and-the-british/ | title=Truth about Ahmadiyyat, ''Ahmadiyyat and the British'' |publisher=London Mosque | author=B.A Rafiq | year=1978 |isbn=0-85525-013-5}}</ref> likening him to the [[Muhammad Ahmad|Mahdi of Sudan]] and warning the Government in the following words:

{{Quotation|His deception is proved by the fact that in his heart he considers it lawful to put an end to the authority of a non-Muslim government and to plunder its belongings … Therefore, it would not be proper on the part of the Government to rely on him and it would be necessary to be aware of him, otherwise such harm might be suffered at the hands of this Mahdi of Qadian as was experienced at the hands of the Sudanese Mahdi.|Ishaatus Sunnah, Vol VI, 1893}}

It is not possible to write about Muhammad Hussain Batalvi, without mentioning his lifelong struggle against the Ahmadiyya Movement of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Batalvi remained his major antagonist throughout his life. The Ahmadiyya missionary [[Abdul Rahim Dard]] who wrote the ''Life of Ahmad'' (1948) has termed him as the '[[Caiaphas]]' of the latter days.<ref>The Life of Ahmad, by A R Dard. (1948) p.559</ref>

==The Ludhiana debate==

This debate is known as the "Ludhiana Debate". It took place between Molvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi and [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]], lasting for twelve days, from 20 July – 31 July 1891.The venue was the ‘Masjid Awanan’ (Awana's Mosque) at Ludhiana.

As stated above, the claims of [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]] to be the Promised [[Messiah]] and declaring the death of [[Jesus]] son of Mary, had very much perturbed Muhammad Hussain Batalvi. A lengthy correspondence between the two, finally led to an agreement upon holding a debate, on the basic issue or dispute: i.e. If [[Jesus]] son Mary had died a mortal death OR was yet alive (to descend in the Latter-days [[End time]]).

It was also agreed upon, that the debate had to be in the form of written papers, no oral argument or discussion will be allowed. It will be held in ongoing sessions, in the presence of the audience and judges. The papers would be read out and handed over to the other party for writing of a rebuttal. The debate lasted for twelve long days, and was attended by about 300 persons, including the local gentry and dignitaries like the editors of the Punjab Gazette, Sialkot, and the Nur Afshan, Ludhiana. Kh. Ahsan Shah, Hon. Magistrate of the town; M. Miran Bakhsh, accountant; Shahzada Abdul Majid, Dr. Mustafa Ali, Kh.Muhammad Sattar Shah, Kh. Abdul Qadir, Master Charagh Din, Munshi Muhammad Qasim, Master Qadir Bakhsh, and Miyan Shair Muhammad Khan.<ref>The Life of Ahmad, by A R Dard, (1948) Page: 274]</ref> The sessions were presided over by independent Judges.

The issue of the life and death of Jesus did not come under discussion at all. The whole time was consumed by settling down the relative authority of the [[Hadith]] and the Qur'an. Molvi Muhammad Hussain wanted the status of [[Hadith]] to be clarified first, before taking up the real subject of the debate. The debate appeared to have reached a dead end on 31 July 1891. The written papers of both sides were later published by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as ''Al-Haq Mubahathah Ludhiana'' (Urdu). [i.e. Truth: the Ludhiana Debate]<ref>[http://www.alislam.org/library/browse/volume/Ruhani_Khazain_Computerised/?l=Urdu&p=4#page/1/mode/1up Online Reading Urdu ‘Ludhiana Debate’ ]</ref><ref>[http://www.alislam.org/urdu/rk/Ruhani-Khazain-Vol-04.pdf Urdu Ruhani-Khazain Vol-4, ‘Al Haq Mubahisa Ludhiana’]</ref>

===The Prayer Duel===
After the unfruitful debate, and the unceasing antagonism of Batalvi towards Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the contest entered the domain of a ‘Spiritual Duel’.
Muhammad Hussain Batalvi, used to say [as he] had raised [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]] to the status of a [[Saint]] and ‘Wali’ by attesting to his [[Revelation]]s (Divine Converse); and by writing a ‘Review’ over his [[Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya]], in the Isha’at-us-Sunnah; and had thus raised him in the eyes of the masses, so now he was under obligation to bring Ahmad down for his fresh claims.<ref>Isha’at-us-Sunnah, Vol-13, No.1, page. 4</ref> He had challenged Ahmad to Mubahala:
:::'If you are a man and have any courage, then prove both your claims in an assembly of learned men—you will not come into the field—I challenge you to a Mubahala. Come out into the field of Mubahala and take an oath'.
<ref>Isha’at-us-Sunnah, Vol. 14, No. 12 p. 338</ref>
He had prophesied punishment and destruction for Ahmad when he said:
:::'Otherwise He [God] would send down the severest punishment upon you and drive you to destruction'<ref>Isha’at-us-Sunnah, Vol. 15, No. 1, p. 15. and also Vol 18, No. 7, p. 215</ref>

[[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]] asked Batalvi's permission to publish his ‘[[Revelation]]s’ [Divine Converse] about Batalvi's tragic end<ref>[Letter of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad dated 31 December 1892]</ref> Muhammad Hussain Batalvi happily granted this permission.<ref>Permission to Publish any prophecy, ["Isha‘atus Sunnah Vol. 15, No. 8. p. 170.]</ref>
[[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]] predicted:
:::اے پے تکفیر ما بستہ کمر، خا نہ ات ویران تودر فکردگر
[Transcription-Persian: ''Aye paye takfeer e ma bastha kamar, khana ath veeran too dar fikre digar'']
:::'O thou, who hast girded up thy loins to have me declared an infidel, thine own house is desolate and ruined and thou art thinking of something else.'<ref>Book: ‘Zia ul Haq’ (The Light of Truth), by Ahmad, P. 46 (1895)[Ruhani Khazain, Vol 9, page 309 . [http://www.alislam.org/library/browse/volume/Ruhani_Khazain_Computerised/?l=Urdu&p=9#page/309/mode/1up]</ref>

==Death and legacy==
In December 1991, Hadi Ali Chudhryi,<ref>The Book, ‘ Visit to Qadian 1991’ pp: 233-236. (2011) by Hadi Ali Chaudhry; [http://www.alislam.org/urdu/pdf/Daora-Qadian-1991.pdf]</ref> conducted a research to locate the tomb of Muhammad Hussain Batalvi . A large number of important and elderly people were interviewed. However, no clues were found of Batalvi's tomb. It was found that the Cemetery where Batalvi was reportedly buried (which was situated in the vicinity of ‘Baring Union Christian College’<ref>[http://www.bucc-batala.org/college-profile.html Baring Union Christian College Batala ]</ref> is now under use as agricultural land. Among the many important people interviewed, besides businessmen, local elders, News paper reporters, Government officials of the city of Batala, was also the eminent personality Prof Dr K N Thomas. Another significant Government Official of the Batala Wakf Board, Mr Basit Ahmad Khan, expressed his complete ignorance of Batalvi's name or his Mosque, in the city of Batala.<ref>Basit Ahmad Khan, Estate Officer, Punjab Wakf Board, Batala: 11-B/125, Krishan Nagar, Batala [Contact: Wakf Board, Batala. Ph:01871-285133]</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batalvi, Muhammad Hussain}}
[[Category:1840s births]]
[[Category:1920 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian wahhabists]]
[[Category:Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam]]
[[Category:19th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]]
[[Category:Islam articles needing attention]]
[[Category:Critics of Ahmadiyya]]

Muhammad Hussain Batalvi - Revision history

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