Hazrat Shahbaz-e-Deccan Mufti Mujeeb Ali: Life and Contributions to 20th-Century Sufism

By Sahil Razvi, New Age Islam 26 May 2025 Hazrat Shahbaz-e-Deccan Mufti Mujeeb Ali (1955–2021), a Sufi scholar and institution-builder in Hyderabad, highlighting his role in preserving Sunni-Qadri traditions, countering reformism, and advancing Islamic education in post-colonial India. Main Points: 1. Born in Hyderabad (1955), trained in Quranic recitation and Hanafi jurisprudence at Jamia Hameedia, Sambhal. 2. Pledged allegiance to Mufti Azam-e-Hind, later granted Khilafat in Qadri-Razvi and Rifai Sufi orders. 3. Founded seminaries (Darul Uloom Faiz Raza) and a girls’ school to promote Islamic education. 4. Strengthened Ahl-e-Sunnat identity through adaptive strategies, blending Sufi spirituality with modern institutional frameworks. ----- The Deccan region, particularly Hyderabad, has long been a crucible of Islamic scholarship and Sufi traditions. During the 20th century, the Ahl-e-Sunnat movement faced existential challenges from colonial modernity, reformist ideologies, and shifting socio-political landscapes. Hazrat Shahbaz-e-Deccan emerged as a pivotal figure in this milieu, synthesizing classical scholarship with grassroots activism. His life offers a lens to examine broader themes of religious authority, educational reform, and identity politics in modern South Asian Sufism. Born in 1955 into a Qadri-Razvi family, Hazrat Mufti Mujeeb Ali’s upbringing in Hyderabad, a city celebrated for its syncretic culture and Sufi heritage, profoundly shaped his intellectual and spiritual trajectory. His father, Qari Habib Ali, a distinguished Quranic reciter, instilled in him a reverence for tilawat (Quranic recitation), a skill that later became central to his public identity. Between 1968 and 1973, he pursued advanced Islamic studies at Jamia Hameedia, Sambhal, a seminary affiliated with the Barelvi School of Sunni thought. This institution anchored him in the Fiqh-e-Hanafi tradition and anti-reformist theology, reflecting the broader migration patterns of Deccani students to North Indian centres of learning. At the age of 14, Hazrat Mujeeb Ali pledged allegiance (Bai‘at) to Mufti Azam-e-Hind, Mustafa Raza Khan (d. 1981), a key figure in the Barelvi movement. This allegiance connected him to a hierarchical network of Sunni scholarship and Sufi authority. In 1981, he received Khilafat (spiritual succession) in the Qadri-Razvi order, followed by authorization in the Rifai order in 1986. Such cross-silsila affiliations, as noted by scholars like Nile Green, exemplify the adaptive strategies of South Asian Sufis to navigate fragmenting religious authority in modernity. Hazrat Mujeeb Ali’s legacy is marked by three interconnected spheres: oratory, institutional building, and spiritual mentorship. His oratory, renowned for its emotive power, served as a tool for consolidating Sunni identity and critiquing reformist groups like the Tableeghi Jamaat. His polemical work, ‘Tableeghi Jamaat Ki X-Ray Report’, aligns with the Barelvi movement’s defence of shrine-based Sufism against Deobandi and Salafi critiques. Institutionally, he established seminaries such as Darul Uloom Faiz Raza and Markaz Ahl-e-Sunnat, which blended classical Dars-e-Nezami curricula with anti-reformist activism. These institutions mirrored broader trends in madrasa modernization, emphasizing grassroots engagement. His founding of Madrasat ul Banat Fatima Jaan, a girls’ seminary, signalled a cautious shift toward female religious education within Sunni orthodoxy. As a spiritual guide, he cultivated a multi-regional following, emphasizing Ruhaniyat (spirituality) over politicized Islam, a contrast to the clerical involvement in electoral politics seen among peers like Syed Ahmed Bukhari. Hazrat Mujeeb Ali’s work exemplifies what scholars term “adaptive conservatism,” resisting theological reformism while embracing modern tools like print media and institutionalized education. His focus on spiritual and educational reform, rather than direct political engagement, echoes the strategies of earlier Deccan saints like Hazrat Khwaja Banda Nawaz. Comparatively, his approach diverged from contemporaries such as Allama Rasheed Turabi, a Shi’a leader in Hyderabad, whose activism intertwined more explicitly with communal politics. Shahbaz-e-Deccan Mufti Mujeeb Ali Qadri united with his Eternal Lord on the 25th of Dhul-Qi'dah 1442 Hijri, corresponding to 7th July 2021, at the time of Fajr (dawn). Hazrat Shahbaz-e-Deccan life underscores the resilience of Sufi traditions in modern India. Through education, spiritual mentorship, and polemical engagement, he fortified Sunni-Qadri identity against reformist and secular challenges. His legacy illuminates the interplay of religion, education, and identity politics in post-colonial South Asia, offering a model of adaptive conservatism that continues to shape Islamic discourse in the region. -------- A regular contributor to New Age Islam, Sahil Razvi is a research scholar specialising in Sufism and Islamic History. He is an alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/mufti-mujeeb-contributions-20th-century-sufism/d/135667 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