Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi

Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi}} (14 June 1856–28 October 1921) was an Indian Islamic scholar who is considered as one of the founders of the Barelvi movement. His students include Amjad Ali Aazmi, Abdul Aleem Siddiqi, Ziauddin Madani and several others.

Born in Bareilly, British India into the Qadiri order, Khan studied under his father Naqi Ali Khan. He was authorized in Sufism by Shah Al-i Rasul and founded the Manzar-i Islam in Bareilly in 1904. He was a staunch critic of the Ahmadiyya, Deobandi and Wahhabi movements, denouncing their beliefs in his book (1906). His poetic work, (1907), and translation of the Quran into Urdu, (1911), are among his well-known works. Khan's magnum opus is a compendium of (legal edicts) of the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam.

In 1920, Khan initiated the Jama'at Raza-i Mustafa aiming to propagate Islam via dawah. After his death, his eldest son Hamid succeeded him as organization's president. while his other son Mustafa published his father's questions and answers during his lifetime as . Khan is often viewed as the (reformer) of his time by Barelvis. His shrine lies at the Bareilly Dargah and frequently visited by Barelvis during his annual urs (death anniversary) in the Islamic month of Safar. He influenced millions of people, and today the Barelvi movement has more than 200 million followers. Provided by Wikipedia