Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri

Ahmad Jaunpuri was born in 1834, in the city of Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, to an Indian Muslim family that traced their ancestry to the Arab tribe of Quraysh. He was the 36th direct descendant of Abu Bakr, the first Rashidun caliph. His father, Karamat Ali Jaunpuri,^[3] migrated from Jaunpur in North India with the intention of reforming the Muslims of Bengal. Ahmad Jaunpuri's paternal grandfather, Abu Ibrahim Shaykh Muhammad Imam Bakhsh was a student of Shah Abdul Aziz, and his great-grandfather Jarullah was also a shaykh.^[4]

Ahmad Jaunpuri completed his memorisation of the Qur'an at an early age, which led to him earning the title of Hafiz. He proceeded to gained more knowledge in Islamic studies in Lucknow and Jaunpur.^[5] Many of his family members were also Islamic scholars, for example, his youngest brother Abdul Awwal Jaunpuri.^[2]

He established numerous madrasas and an eidgah in Daulatkhan in Bhola Island. He also provided black seed oil treatment to the locals. He represented the Taiyunis at a debate in 1879 in Madaripur against the Faraizis on the topic of the permissibility of the Friday prayer in British India. The Faraizis discarded Friday and Eid prayers as they considered British India as a Dar al-Harb (house of war). Over five thousand people attended this event and it was dubbed by Nabinchandra Sen as the Battle of Jumuʿah.^{[citation needed]} In 1881, Nawab Abdul Latif gained permission for Jaunpuri to lead the Eid prayer at the Maidan of Calcutta. Over 70,000 Muslims joined the congregation, making it the largest gathering in Calcutta.^[6] He wrote a book on Hajera.^[7]

Jaunpuri had a cordial relationship with Munshi Mohammad Meherullah.^[8]

Jaunpuri contributed to the refurbishment of the Ebadullah Mosque in Barisal. On 26 September 1897, Sir Nicholas Beatson-Bell, the district commissioner of Backergunge, organised a conference at the Barisal Zilla School in which Nawab Sirajul Islam and Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri delivered speeches on the importance of establishing the Bell Islamia Hostel.^[9][10]

He set off to complete Hajj in 1882. During his stay in the Hejaz, he gained a great reception and was acclaimed as an orator.^[2] He brought up his nephew Abdur Rab Jaunpuri, and Abu Yusuf Muhammad Yaqub Badarpuri of Sylhet was also his murid and one of his khalifahs (successors).^[11] Another successor was Abdul Latif Taluqdar of Mirsarai.^[12]