Mujaddidin of Islam

A Mujaddid is a person who renews or renovates the religion of Islam. According to a Hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), which has been recorded by Abu Da'ood, renovators will appear during every century of Islam:

"Verily, God shall raise for this community, at the beginning of every century, one who will renovate for it its religion".

Many a venerable Muslim saints who lived among the members of the Community since the advent of Prophet Muhammad (sa) either declared themselves to be the Mujaddid of their respective age or else had honored some other sage with this appellation. And the Muslims have, by consensus revered, them as such. For the benefit of our readers, we are providing below the following information on the question of Mujaddidiyat in Islam available at the official website of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

It is reported by Hadhrat Hafiz Jalal-al-Din Suyuti (ra) that Hadhrat Umar ibn 'Abd al Aziz (ra) claimed to have been the reformer of his age.¹ Hadhrat Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (ra) is stated to have declared that Hadhrat Umar ibn 'Abd al Aziz (ra) was the Mujaddid of the first century Hijra [Inset: Grave of Hadhrat Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (ra) in Aleppo, Syria]

Hadhrat Imam Shafi (ra) is considered the Mujaddid of the second century.² [ Inset on the right: Maqbarah of Imam Shafi (ra) ]

Hadhrat Shah Wali Ullah Dehlavi (ra), who lived in Mughal Delhi in the Eighteenth Century of the Common Era also claimed to have been honored with the robe of a Divine Reformer.³ Likewise, Hadhrat Sayyid Ahmad Shah Barelvi (ra) claim the leadership of the Muslim Ummah in the capacity of a Mujaddid. ⁴

Hadhrat Sheikh Ahmad (ra) of Sirhind is popularly known as Mujaddid Alif Thani because of his claim that he was the Mujaddid of the second millennium.⁵ [Inset: Maqbarah of Hadhrat Sheikh Ahmad (ra) of Sirhind] 

Hadhrat Imam Ghazali (ra) also alluded to how he came to be a Mujaddid of his age.⁶ Hadhrat Imam Taimiyya (ra) referred to himself as the Mujaddid of his age.⁷ Hadhrat Imam Jalal ud Din Suyuti (ra) stated that he hoped he was a Mujaddid.⁸

1.      Aziz, [Hadhrat] Umar ibn. vide. Tarikh al Khulafa

2.      Hanbal, [Hadhrat] Imam Abu 'Abd Allah Ahmad ibn. vide. 'Aun al Ma'bud,
         Sharh Abu Daud, vol. 4, p. 148

3.      Shah, [Hadhrat] Sayyid Wali Ullah. Tafhimat llahiyya

4.      Barelvi, [Hadhrat] Ahmad Shah. vide. Swanih Ahmadi, p. 245

5.      Sirhind, [Hadhrat] Sheikh Ahmad. Maktubat, vol. 2, Letter 4

6.      Ghazali, [Hadhrat] Imam. Al Munqidh min al Dalal

7.      Taimiyya, [Hadhrat] Imam. vide., Imam Ibn Taimyya

8.      Suyuti, [Hadhrat] Imam Jalal ud Din. vide. Hujaj al Kirmah, p. 138

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