Mullā Ḥasan Farangī Maḥallī
(d. 1199 AH / 1784 CE)
Introduction
The Indian subcontinent has produced some of the greatest experts in the Islamic sciences over the centuries. A significant contributor to this chain of prestige scholarship, especially from the 17th century onward, has been the scholars of Farangī Maḥall and their esteemed Dars-i Niẓāmī curriculum.
Mullā Ḥasan Farangī Maḥallī (d. 1199 AH), the illustrious great-nephew of Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Sihālawī (d. 1161 AH) was one of the pioneering scholars of the Farangī Maḥall and is revered for some of the greatest commentaries written on the sciences, some of which were even added into the traditional Niẓamī curriculum. What follows is a brief synopsis of his life.
Lineage, Student Years & Formidable Intellectual Capabilities
Mullā Ḥasan Farangī Maḥallī was the son of Qāḍī Ghulām Muṣṭafā, the son of Mullā Muḥammad Asʿad, who was the brother of Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Sihālawī and the son of Mullā Quṭb al-Dīn al-Shāhīd al-Sihālawī.
He acquired knowledge in various sciences and disciplines from Mullā Kamāl al-Dīn al-Sihālawī (d. 1175 AH), his maternal uncle and distinguished student of Ustādh al-Hind, Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Sihālawī. However, most of his formal education and completion of the standard academic curriculum of the Farangī Maḥall took place under his great-uncle, Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Muḥammad himself. He completed his studies under his guidance and performed his Fātiḥah-i Farāgh with him aswell.
Mullā Ḥasan was gifted with exceptional intelligence, he was sharp minded and possessed a prodigious memory. Moreover, his intellectual development was shaped by some of the most accomplished scholars of his time, Mullā Kamāl al-Dīn (whom even Bahr al-ʿUlūm, Mullā ʿAbd al-ʿAlī, would consult), and his great-uncle, Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn, the namesake of the Dars-i Niẓāmī. All of this combined, meant that Mullā Ḥasan emerged as one of the most formidable minds of the Farangī Maḥall tradition by God’s grace.
Mawlānā ʿInāyat-Allāh Anṣārī Farangī Maḥallī (d. 1360 AH), praising his mastery of the sciences, wrote that Mullā Ḥasan had so thoroughly grasped the rational disciplines that reliable scholars claimed:
“If Mullā Ḥasan had debated Avicenna (Shaykh Ibn Sīnā) in the rational sciences (maʿqūlāt), he would have outdone him.”
One example of his remarkable intellect was that, once he studied a book, he never needed to consult it again. His memory was so prodigious that he had memorised the texts of the entire academic curriculum. If an error appeared in the transcript of a book like al-Hidāyah, he would correct it precisely from memory.
Once, while discussing a matter pertaining to logic with his teacher Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn, the latter remarked, “Shaykh (Avicenna) has written this in al-Shifā’, the very thing you are disagreeing with.”
Mullā Ḥasan respectfully replied, “There is no blind following in the rational sciences. Whatever it is that Shaykh may have said, I am presenting what I understand to be correct.”
The fact is that, within the entire Farangī Maḥall family, no one surpassed Mullā Ḥasan in memory, intellect, and mastery of logical debate.
The Successor of Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Sihālawī
After the migration of Bahr al-ʿUlūm (the Ocean of Knowledge) Mullā ʿAbd al-ʿAlī Farangī Maḥallī from Lucknow, Mullā Ḥasan’s presence became an important point of reference for students.
Although other prominent members of the Farangī Maḥall family were still present, such as his brother Mullā Muḥammad Wālī Farangī Maḥallī, and his uncle Mullā Aḥmad Ḥusayn (son of Muḥammad Raẓā, son of Mullā Quṭb al-Dīn al-Sihālawī), the responsibility of leadership fell on his shoulders.
Mullā ʿAbd al-Aʿlā Farangī Maḥallī echoing this same point remarks, “After the migration of the fully accomplished Mawlānā (Bahr al-ʿUlūm, Mawlānā ʿAbd al-ʿAlī Farangī Maḥallī), there was no one except Mullā Ḥasan Farangī Maḥallī to take up leadership. Thus, Mullā Ḥasan accepted the responsibility of leadership and became the point of return and authority for the devoted servants and lovers of the Farangī Maḥall.”
Mullā Ḥasan continued to teach at the Farangī Maḥall for approximately twenty years. During this time he gained so much respect among scholars and students, as well as among the elite and the common people, that people began to consider him the successor of Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Sihālawī.
Teaching Years and Migration
Mullā Ḥasan continued teaching and writing at the Farangī Maḥall for many years. A whole world of students of sacred knowledge came to quench their intellectual thirst at his feet, traveling from far and wide to study under him.
However, due to a religious dispute, he was compelled to leave his homeland of Lucknow and set out for Shāhjāhanpur. Upon arrival, he took up residence at the home of Sayyid Shāh Sharafuddīn al-Qādirī al-Jīlānī, a student of Mullā Kamāluddīn al-Sihālawī. Interestingly, at that time, Baḥr al-ʿUlūm was also present in Shāhjāhanpur.
It was a tumultuous time in Shāhjāhanpur, Ḥāfiẓ Raḥmat Khān, it’s ruler, was unable to attend to Mullā Ḥasan in the manner he would have wished. This was because he was fully preoccupied, day and night, with organising jihād against the threat of the Marathas.
Around this time, the son of Najīb al-Dawlah (d. 1184 AH), Zābitah Khān who was the ruler of Najībābād, and a prominent Rohilla chief, requested to host Mullā Ḥasan. He accepted this invitation and was received with great honour. Mullā Ḥasan was appointed to the position once held by his teacher, Mullā Kamāluddīn, at the madrasa in Dāranagar (near Amroha).
Some time later, however, Zābitah Khān was defeated by the Marathas in battle, and control of the state slipped from his hands. Mullā Ḥasan was forced to travel to Delhi (Shāhjahānābād), where he remained for some time as the guest of Mughal Emperor Shāh ʿĀlam.
Eventually Zābitah Khān managed to regain control of his state, he invited Mullā Ḥasan once again and reinstated him to the madrasa at Dāranagar. However, the Marathas remained a constant obstacle for the stability of the state. They (Marathas) and other factors lead to widespread disorder and unrest in the region.
Mullā Ḥasan was thus compelled to leave and made his way to Rāmpur, where he settled permanently. Nawāb Faizullāh Khān, the ruler of Rāmpur, received him with great honour, entrusted him with the state madrasa, and granted him a generous salary in recognition of his stature.
Mullā Ḥasan remained in Rāmpur for the rest of his life, fully devoted to teaching.
Mullā Ḥasan to Imām Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī
Mullā Ḥasan’s scholarly lineage traces back to Imām Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī through 23 teachers. Below is one of his chains of transmission to Imām al-Ashʿarī. It is worth noting that multiple such chains exist, as several scholars within the transmission studied under more than one teacher, each path ultimately leading back to Imām al-Ashʿarī himself:
Mullā Muhammad Ḥasan Farangī Maḥallī
Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Muhammad al-Sihālawī, Ustādh al-Kull (the teacher of all)
Mullā Quṭb al-Dīn al-Shahīd
Mawlānā Dāniyāl
Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Salām al-Dīwī
Mawlānā ʿAbd al-Salām al-Lāhorī
ʿAllāmah Fathullāh al-Shīrāzī
Mawlānā Jamāl al-Dīn Maḥmūd al-Shīrāzī
Imām Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad al-Ṣiddīqī al-Dawwānī
Mawlānā Saʿd al-Dīn Asʿad al-Dawwānī
Al-Sayyid al-Sharīf Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Jurjānī
ʿAllāmah Mubārak Shāh al-Miṣrī
ʿAllāmah Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad Abū ʿAbd Allāh Quṭb al-Dīn al-Rāzī
Qāḍī ʿAḍud al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Aḥmad al-Ījī
Shaykh Zayn al-Dīn al-Hankī
Qāḍī al-Bayḍāwī Nāṣir al-Dīn Abū Saʿīd ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar al-Shīrāzī
ʿAllāmah Tāj al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Urmawī
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar ibn Ḥusayn, Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī
ʿAllāmah Ḍiyāʾ al-Dīn ʿUmar
ʿAllāmah Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā
Imām Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad, Ḥujjat al-Islām Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī
Imām al-Ḥaramayn, ʿAbd Malik al-Juwaynī
Al-Ustād Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Istfarāʾīnī
Shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan al-Bāhilī
Imam Ahl-Sunnah, Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn Ismāʿīl al-Ashʿarī (d. 324 AH)
May Allah have mercy on them all, including those scholars whose names have been omitted due to variations in the chain of transmission.
His Books, Writings and Commentary on Sullam al-ʿUlūm
In addition to his teaching, Mullā Ḥasan Farangī Maḥallī had a deep interest in writing and authorship. He produced a range of works including commentaries, marginal notes, and independent treatises, many of which circulated among scholars across both the East and the West.
His commentary on Mullā Bihārī’s Sullam al-ʿUlūm in logic, famously known as Mullā Ḥasan remains his magnum opus. The work stands as a clear testament to his intellectual brilliance and originality. Anyone serious about formal logic and the rational sciences cannot afford to overlook this commentary or fail to engage with its in-depth discussions on various matters pertaining to the subject. In fact, this commentary also contains numerous discussions related to kalām and falsafat al-Taṣawwuf.
Mawlānā ʿInāyat-Allah remarks that “in terms of logical structure (ṭarz-e-maʿqūlī), no other commentary on Sullam al-ʿUlūm can compare to it.” It continued to be included in the traditional Dars-i Niẓāmī curriculum until recent times. Unfortunately, it is no longer part of modern curricula, though it was once regarded as a skill-building text capable of transforming an advanced student into a research scholar. The commentary extends up to the discussion of the muwajjahāt (modal propositions).
Some of the other works authored by Mullā Ḥasan include:
Sharḥ Musallam al-Thubūt (until the mabādiʾ kalāmiyyah)
Ḥawāshī Zawāʾid Thalāthah
Maʿārij al-ʿUlūm (a treatise in logic)
Madārij al-ʿUlūm (a treatise in philosophy, until the section of mā yaʿumm al-ajsām)
Ḥāshiyah Shams-i Bāziġah (remains incomplete)
Ḥāshiyah Sharḥ Hidāyat al-Ḥikmah liṣ-Ṣadrā
His Noble Students and Children; Scholars of the Farangī Maḥall and South Asia
A great multitude studied under him, so many, in fact, that they are beyond counting. However, he had five sons of his own:
Mullā Ghulām Dūst Muḥammad
ʿAbd al-Razzāq – he passed away during his father's lifetime
Mullā ʿAbd Allāh – he attained a high rank in the sciences
Mawlawī Muḥammad Isḥāq – he completed his studies and remained engaged in teaching and scholarship
Mawlawī Muḥammad Yūsuf – he likewise completed his studies and remained engaged in teaching and scholarship
His Noble Departure
Mawlānā ʿInāyat-Allāh remarks that “the scholarly lineage of the Farangī Maḥall ultimately traces back to Mullā Ḥasan, Mullā Aḥmad Ḥusayn (grandson of Mullā Quṭb al-Dīn al-Sihālawī), and Baḥr al-ʿUlūm (Mawlānā ʿAbd al-ʿAlī), all three of whom were prominent disciples of Ustādh al-Hind (Mullā Niẓām al-Dīn Muḥammad Farangī Maḥallī).”
Mullā Ḥasan passed away in Rampur, in the month of Ṣafar 1199 AH (December 1784 CE).
May Allah ﷻ have mercy upon al-Ustād al-Ḥasan and elevate his ranks.
Al-Fātiḥah.
Bibliography
Āthār al-Awwal min ʿUlamāʾ Farangī Maḥall
al-Asānīd al-ʿĀliyah li-ʿUlamāʾ al-Jāmiʿah al-Qādiriyyah
Mumtaz ʿUlamāʾ Farangi Mahall
Risālah Qutbiyyah
Tadhkirah ʿUlamāʾ-i Farangī Maḥall
Bānī Dars-i Niẓāmī