Intellectual Harmony and Theological Distinctions in Kalām between Shāh Walī Allāh Dihlawī and ʿAllāmah Kāẓimī

شاہ ولی اللہ دہلویؒ اور علامہ سید احمد سعید کاظمیؒ کی علمِ کلام میں فکری ہم آہنگی اور امتیازات

Abstract

ʿIlm al-Kalām (Islamic theology) is a discipline that articulates Islamic beliefs through rational and textual evidence, aiming to defend the faith against false ideologies using scholarly reasoning. In the intellectual tradition of the Indian subcontinent, two towering figures—Shāh Walī Allāh Dihlawī (d. 1762) and ʿAllāmah Sayyid Aḥmad Saʿīd Kāẓimī (d. 1986)—made significant contributions to the development and preservation of Kalām. Though separated by centuries and shaped by distinct historical contexts, both scholars reflect a profound continuity and harmony in their theological approaches, firmly rooted in the Ahl al-Sunnah tradition. Shāh Walī Allāh Dihlawī, an 18th-century reformer, sought to revive Islamic sciences by integrating ḥadīth, reason, and ijtihād. He responded to the intellectual threats of his era, including Bāṭinī doctrines, Rāfiḍī thought, and atheism, through a balanced synthesis of rational inquiry and scriptural fidelity. In the 20th century, ʿAllāmah Kāẓimī—an eminent scholar of ḥadīth and theology—addressed challenges posed by modernist trends, hadith rejection, and the resurgence of neo-Muʿtazilite thinking, all while defending traditional orthodoxy with academic rigor.

Despite the differences in time and context, both scholars emphasized the centrality of the Qurʾān and Sunnah, upheld rational engagement within the bounds of revelation, and presented theology in accessible terms. This study critically examines their contributions to reveal the theological evolution, diversity, and resilience of Ahl al-Sunnah in South Asia. Their works continue to offer valuable insights for addressing contemporary theological dilemmas with intellectual depth and spiritual clarity.