Izaz Ali Amrohi

Izaz Ali was born in November 1882 in Amroha.[1] He studied Quran with Qutbuddin, and memorized Quran under the supervision of Hafiz Sharfuddin. He learnt Persian from his father and studied early books of Dars-e-Nizami in Madrasa Arbi Gulshan Faiz, Tilhar, Uttar Pradesh with Maqsood Ali Khan. He then moved to Madrasa Ayn-ul-Ilm, where he studied most books including Mulla Jami and Kanzud Daqaiq from Qari Basheer Ahmad and Persian and Fiqh books like Sharah Wiqayah from Kifayatullah Dihlawi.[2] At the request of Qari Basheer Ahmad and Kifayatullah Dihlawi, Amrohi moved to the Darul Uloom Deoband where he studied under Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad, the then vice chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband and Muhammad Sahool Bhagalpuri. [2]

Amrohi was about to complete one year in Deoband, that he travelled to Meerut, where he met Aashiq Elahi Meerthi. At Meerthi's request, Izaz Ali Amrohi stayed at Meerut and studied the books of "aruuz" and "usool" from Meerthi, while books of logic, philosophy, and all books of Kutub al-Sittah, except Sahih Bukhari from Abdul Momin Deobandi.[2]
He moved to Deoband again and studied books like Sahih Bukhari, Tirmidhi, Sunan Abu Dawud and Baydawi from Mahmud Hasan Deobandi. Amrohi studied fatwa from Azizur Rahman Usmani and literature from Muizuddin Ahmad.[2] He graduated from the Darul Uloom Deoband in 1903.[3]

After his graduation from the Darul Uloom Deoband in 1903, Mahmud Hasan Deobandi sent him to Madrassa Nomaniyah, Pureni, Bhagalpur where he taught for over seven years. Then he moved to Shahjahanpur and established Afzal al-Madaris in a mosque where he taught for nearly three years without taking any fees. Amrohi was appointed as a teacher in the Darul Uloom Deoband in 1911, he taught elementary books of Arabic like Ilm al-Sigha, Nur al-Izah in the first year. His academic career in the Darul Uloom lasted for over 44 years. [3]

Amrohi served the post of Ifta (Grand Muft) twice: first time from 1928 to 1929 and second time from 1944 to 1946 and about 24,855 fatwas were written under his authority. He used to teach Sahih al-Bukhari in the absence of Hussain Ahmad Madani and in the last phase of his life, he also taught the second volume of Tirmidhi for several years.[3] His notable students include Muhammad Shafi Deobandi,[4][5] Anzar Shah Kashmiri,[6] Muhammad Salim Qasmi[7] and Rasheed Ahmad Ludhianvi.[8]

Izaz Ali wrote Nafhat al-Arab, a book taught in the contemporary dars-e-nizami curriculum including Darul Uloom Deoband.[3][9]His other books include al-Ahadith al-mawdu’ah [10]

Amrohi died in 1955 and was buried in Qasmi graveyard of the Darul Uloom Deoband.[3] Anzar Shah Kashmiri has written his biography Tadhkiratul Izaz.[11]

• Anzar Shah Kashmiri
• Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani