A philosophic view to the sufic opinions of Shah Veliullah

Shah Waliullah of Delhi (1703-1762) is one of the most resplendent personalities of Islam ‎during the eighteenth century. His deep erudition, his rare insight into the religious ‎sciences combined with the vigour and dynamism of his thought which could analyse ‎complex sociological situations in the light of religious principles, make him one of the ‎seminal figures in the history of Islamic thought. His Magnum opus Hujjat Allah al-‎Baligha, which ranks with the Ihya ulum al-din of Imam Ghazzâlî as a classic on the ‎religious philosophy of Islam, ushered in the dawn of a new era in the intellectuel history ‎of modern Islam. The task before the modern Muslim is to rethink the whole system of ‎Islam without completely breaking with the past and, as Iqbal has correctly said, ‎‎“perhaps the first Muslim who felt the urge of a new spirit in him was Shah Waliullah of ‎Delhi.” This makes all efforts to understand him and his thought relevant to the needs of ‎present day Muslim society.‎

Keywords

Shah Waliullah of Delhi, India,, modern Islamic thought, eighteenth century, world of ‎prefiguration.‎