Syed Waliullah Farrukhabadi

Mufti Syed Waliullah Farrukhabadi (26 August 1752 – 18 November 1933) was an Islamic scholar, Sufi and writer. His most famous work “Tarikh-i-Farrukhabad” was written around 1215 AH (July 1829-June 1930). 
==Early life==
Syed Waliullah, son of Syed Ahmad Ali (died in 1773, aged 51), was born at Sandi, Sirkar Khairabad on 26 August, 1752. The family had been settled for ten generations at Sandi, about twenty six miles south-east of Farrukhabad, on the other side of the Ganges. Before that, ten generations had lived at Duipur, just east of Kanauj and close to the Ganges. 
==Life and works==
The founder of the colony there is said to have come from Lahore. When he was nine years of age, Waliullah came with his father to Farrukhabad. He studied at Farrukhabad, Kanauj and Bareli, finishing under Abdul Basit Kanauji. 
Around March 1775-February 1776, while on his way to Mecca, he visited the town of Rahmatabad (district Nellore, Andhra Pradesh) in the eastern part of the Deccan, where he was initiated into the Naķshbandi and Kadiriya tenets by Khwaja Rahmatullah. 
Between February 1776-February 1777, he spent six months at the holy places. Returning to India he at length in December 1781-December 1782 settled at Farrukhabad. 
From his savings he bought several houses, and joining them together he established a madrassa and named it “Fakhr-ul Maraba o Raba-ul Mufakhir”, which gives the date established in February 1809-February 1810. 
The Madrassa was renamed in 1953 as "Shamsul Uloom". The Madrassa's most famous student was Ramchandra Saxena Maharaja, fondly known as Ramchandra (Lalaji). After his passing, his disciples started many spiritual organisations like Shri Ram Chandra Mission and Ramashram Satsang, the Ram Chandra Mission is said to have 150 branches across the world.
Waliullah had a well-stocked library in the madrassa. On 29 August, 1805, he was appointed Mufti, an office he held till the October 13, 1828, when he was succeeded by his grandnephew, Mufti Wilayat Ali. 
Mufti Waliullah died on the 18 November, 1833. The following tarikhs give the year of his death. 
The first is by Bahadur Ali Sayyad: I. Ganj-z -ma'ni ba -raft zer zamín. II. Dafan kardand ganj-i-ilm ba -khák. 
One of the copies of Mufti Waliullah’s history was lent to British historian William Irvine by Mir Fazl Ali (great grandnephew of Mufti Waliullah) measures 10 inches X 6 inches, and has 370 pages, the number of lines to a page varies. 
The book is divided into two parts. Part I, History of Farrukhabad and the Bangash family (160 pp.) containing an introduction and six books, the first book comprising five chapters.
Part II is divided into five books: (1) Famous personages (2) Shekhs, Sayyads, and Faķirs; ( 3) Learned men (4) Poets, and (5) an account of the author. 
In the historical part there is little or no detail, much being taken from the “Siyar-ul Mutákharin” and similar works, though some facts are added from personal knowledge or inquiry.
The most valuable part is that giving the traditional origin of the Bangash Pațhans. About two-thirds of the work is taken up with biographies of obscure Muhammadan worthies who lived in, or had visited Farrukhabad.
Category:1752 births
Category:1933 deaths
Category:Islamic scholars
Category:Sufis
Category:Writers