Sana’Ullah Amritsari’s Contributions to the Study of Hinduism

Abstract

Abul Wafa Sana’Ullah Amritsari was an eminent and prominent Muslim Indian scholar of the modern era, who played a vital role in the revival of Islam in the subcontinent and the establishment and protection of the Indian Muslim identity. The article aims to explore, elaborate, and analyzed the contributions of Amritsari through the historic record literature review method with a qualitative approach. It can be concluded that he was a key figure in the Muslim community in India who successfully safeguarded the community against cultural absorption from a two-pronged threat: the modern revivalist Hindu movements like the Arya Samaj & Brahmo Samaj and the Christian Missionary Movement. In his struggle against these anti-Islamic elements, Amritsari not only introduced himself but studied in great detail the Hindu & Christian scriptures, successfully employing through his study the same scriptures to prove the superiority of Islam as a religion. His polemical engagements with Hindus and Christians were varying and always tilted the balance in his – therefore, Islam’s – favour. Some of his greatest encounters with religious opponents include the Jabalpur Debate against Arya Samaj leaders and the Hyderabadi debate against Dharam Pal. His struggle to support Islam in the raging polemic encounter of three world religions on Indian soil in the twentieth century cements not only his oratory expertise but also attests to an – unrecognized perhaps but vital nonetheless – role in the struggle for freedom in India.