Sayyid Muhammad Quli Musawi Hindi
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sayyid Muhammad Quli Musawi Hindi Neyshaburi |
| Well-Known As | Allama Kunturi |
| Lineage | Musawi Sayyids |
| Well-Known Relatives | Mir Hamid Husayn (his son) |
| Birth | Dhu l-Qa'da 5, 1174/June 8, 1761 |
| Studied in | Lucknow |
| Death | Muharram 9, 1260/January 30, 1844 |
| Burial Place | Lucknow |
| Scholarly Information | |
| Works | Taqrib al-afham fi tafsir ayat al-ahkam, Tathir al-mu'minin an nijasat al-mushrikin, Risala in taqiyya, Risala in major sins |
| Scholarly Activities | Establishing Nasiriyya Library |
Sayyid Muḥammad Qulī Mūsawī Hindī Neyshābūrī (1174-1260/1761-1844) known as Allāma Kuntūrī was a Shi'a scholar in hadith, jurisprudence and theology and a historian in India. He was a Sayyid and his lineage reached Imam al-Kazim (a). He began his education in Lucknow and reached high scientific levels especially in theology. Sayyid Muhammad wrote several works and built Nasiriyya Library in India. He was the father of Mir Hamid Husayn, the author of Abaqat al-anwar.
His Birth and Family
Sayyid Muhammad Quli Musawi was born in Kantor on Dhu l-Qa'da 5, 1174 or 1188/June 8, 1761 or January 7, 1775. His lineage reached Musa b. Ja'far (a) through twenty five generations.
He was born to a great family of Sayyids of Nishapur who had a scholarly history. His father Sayyid Muhammad Husayn (known as Allah Karam) was among the jurists in his time and learned many sciences under Mawlawi 'Abd al-Rabb Hadrat Puri and transcribed the Qur'an and many other hadith books such as Tuhfat al-za'ir and Haqq al-yaqin written by al-Allama al-Majlisi and Jami' Abbasi written by Shaykh al-Baha'i.
His Education and Positions
Sayyid Muhammad Quli studied primary books in Lucknow under scholars of that period. He benefitted the presence of Sayyid Dildar Ali Naqvi (d. 1235/1819-20) and became an expert in most sciences and skills especially in theology.
He taught and judged in Mirthe of Lucknow, near Delhi and had the position of issuing fatwa.
Students
- His son Mir Hamid Husayn (1246/1830 - 1306/1888), the author of Abaqat al-anwar
- His elder son, Mawlana Sayyid Siraj Husayn (1211/1796 - 1273/1856-7), philosopher, Physician, Mathematician and the outhor of Risala in Makhrutat
- His middle son, Sayyid I'jaz Husayn (1240/1824 - 1286/1869), the author of Kashf al-hujub and Shudhur al-aqiyan
- His son in-law, Sayyid Ghulam Hasanayn Kanturi (1247/1831-2 - 1337/1918-9), the author of Intisar al-Islam
- Sultan al-'ulama Sayyid Muhammad Naqwi Nasir Abadi (1199/1784-5 - 1284/1867), the author of Ta'n al-rimah wa al-darbat al-haydariyya
His Works
Sayyid Muhammad had several works in different sciences including jurisprudence, tafsir and hadith, but, since he was a researcher and authority in theology, most of his available works are in this field.
His Demise
Sayyid Muhammad Quli returned to Lucknow toward the end of his life and was occupied in writing and scientific and religious services. He passed away at the age of eighty four on Muharram 9, 1268/January 30, 1844 in Lucknow and was buried in his own Husayniyya.
Nasiriyya Library
This library was founded through the efforts of Sayyid Muhammad Quli Musawi in India. After the demise of Sayyid Muhammad, it was managed by his children, Mir Hamid Husayn and I'jaz Husayn. They began developing the library and collected manuscripts in Islamic countries. "Nasiriyya Library" in Lucknow is among the famous Shi'a libraries of the Islamic countries and India due to its rare manuscripts.
References
- The material for this article is mainly taken from سید محمدقلی موسوی هندی in Farsi WikiShia.