Historical Background of Hadith Studies in Lahore Universities

Abstract

Lahore has long held a distinct identity in the subcontinent, and today Pakistan itself stands as a recognized presence in the world. In the Indo-Pak subcontinent, the history of the sciences of ḥadīth in Lahore represents a luminous chapter in the intellectual journey of Islamic civilization. When Arab traders and warriors brought the light of Islam to this region, the propagation of the Qur’an and the Sunnah formed the core of their message. In the early period, this region was directly connected with the Rightly Guided Caliphate and later with the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. When Arab scholars and jurists arrived in the lands of Sindh and Multan, they brought with them the rich legacy of ḥadīth. For this reason, Sindh is regarded as the earliest center of ḥadīth education in the subcontinent. Subsequently, with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire, the prominence of ḥadīth increased within centers of learning and culture. Scholars began the formal teaching of ḥadīth in madrasahs and mosques, thereby strengthening its academic foundations. With the advent of Islam in the subcontinent, the illumination of the sciences of ḥadīth also entered this land. When Muḥammad bin Qāsim set foot on the soil of Sindh in 93 AH / 711 CE, Arab scholars and Qur’ān reciters accompanied him, giving primary importance to the teaching of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Sindh and Multan were among the regions where, in the early Islamic period, mosques and educational institutions laid the foundations for Qur’ānic and ḥadīth education. During this era, the acquisition of ḥadīth knowledge was largely facilitated through journeys to the sacred lands of Ḥijāz. Scholars and students traveled there, attended the transmission (samāʿ) of major ḥadīth collections such as Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, and then brought this knowledge back to the subcontinent. In the early centuries, Sindh, Multan, and later Delhi played a central role in the teaching and dissemination of the sciences of ḥadīth. Alongside these centers, Lahore also remained a significant bearer of the ḥadīth tradition. When the Ghaznavid dynasty established Lahore as its capital, madrasahs were founded where ḥadīth was taught alongside other Islamic sciences. During this period, the khānqāh (Sufi lodge) system also contributed to the promotion of ḥadīth. Eminent saints such as Ḥaḍrat ʿAlī Hujwīrī (Data Ganj Bakhsh) made the Prophetic traditions an integral part of their teachings, thereby firmly rooting the study and practice of ḥadīth in the religious and spiritual life of Lahore.

Keywords: Lahore's universities, madrasas, teaching, beginnings, evolution, analysis and research of Hadith sciences