The Writings of Allama Arshad al-Qadri: A Critical Study of Methodology, Style and Intellectual Thought

علامہ ارشد القادری کی تالیفات کا منہج، اسلوب اور فکری جہات: ایک تنقیدی و تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Abstract

This study presents a systematic analytical evaluation of the intellectual, methodological, and literary framework governing the works of Allama Arshad al-Qadri (1923–2002), a prominent South Asian Islamic scholar and reformer. While his institutional and missionary contributions are widely acknowledged, his multifaceted textual corpus requires rigorous academic examination. Employing a qualitative textual and analytical method, this paper investigates Al-Qadri’s methodology across diverse genres, including exegesis (Tafsir), prophetic studies (Seerah and Shamail), biographical portraiture (Khaka Nigari), travelogues (Safarnama), jurisprudence (Fatawa), epistolary prose, and homiletic literature (Khutbat). The findingsThis study presents a systematic analytical evaluation of the intellectual, methodological, and literary framework governing the works of Allama Arshad al-Qadri (1923–2002), a prominent South Asian Islamic scholar and reformer. While his institutional and missionary contributions are widely acknowledged, his multifaceted textual corpus requires rigorous academic examination. Employing a qualitative textual and analytical method, this paper investigates Al-Qadri’s methodology across diverse genres, including exegesis (Tafsir), prophetic studies (Seerah and Shamail), biographical portraiture (Khaka Nigari), travelogues (Safarnama), jurisprudence (Fatawa), epistolary prose, and homiletic literature (Khutbat). The findings indicate that Al-Qadri synthesized classical Islamic hermeneutics with modern analytical prose to address contemporary socio-religious challenges. His exegeses, notably Tafsir-e-Ummul Quran and Asbab-ul-Quran, demonstrate a integration of traditional narrative (Manqūl) and rational discourse (Ma'qūl). Furthermore, his jurisprudential and biographical works exhibit a distinctive balance between strict research rigor and expressive literary stylistics. The study concludes that Al-Qadri’s methodology offers a viable model for bridging traditional Islamic scholarship with contemporary discourse, establishing his oeuvre as a significant contribution to 20th-century South Asian Islamic thought. indicate that Al-Qadri synthesized classical Islamic hermeneutics with modern analytical prose to address contemporary socio-religious challenges. His exegeses, notably Tafsir-e-Ummul Quran and Asbab-ul-Quran, demonstrate a integration of traditional narrative (Manqūl) and rational discourse (Ma'qūl). Furthermore, his jurisprudential and biographical works exhibit a distinctive balance between strict research rigor and expressive literary stylistics. The study concludes that Al-Qadri’s methodology offers a viable model for bridging traditional Islamic scholarship with contemporary discourse, establishing his oeuvre as a significant contribution to 20th-century South Asian Islamic thought.