Qari Abdur Rahman was born in the distinguished Ansari family in Panipath, India in 1227 Hijri. He lost his father at the age of 13. He had no one to look after him except his mother. Over time, Abdur Rahman became addicted to hunting where his only activity was to travel through the jungles in search of prey. Abdur Rahman became so much engrossed in hunting that he started to miss reciting the Holy Qu’ran in the Tarwabi prayer in the holy month of Ramadan.
His pious mother became alarmed at this and tried to discourage him from hunting through a combination of gentle and harsh words. She resorted to crying when everything failed. However, the mother’s prayers were soon answered.
One night, Abdur Rahman dreamed of his father. In the dream, his father took hold of his hand and took him straight to the Beloved Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa sallam). The father said: “Oh Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihe wa sallam)! Let my parents be sacrificed for you. Abdur Rahman is at your service!” At this, the Beloved Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) pulled Abdur Rahman to him and hugged him.
Abdur Rahman woke up in the morning completely transformed. He became profoundly thoughtful and started to show superior knowledge and understanding. Abdur Rahman started to understand and master even the most difficult of texts with complete ease. What is amazing is that he received great love and affection from all of his teachers. In 1250 Hijri, he went to Hazrat Shah Mohammed Ishak Dehlavi (rahmatullahi alaihe) and became one of his most beloved disciples. He also studied several subjects under the renowned Islamic scholar Maolana Mamluk Nanutabi (rahmatullahi alaihe).
Subsequently, many renowned Islamic scholars went to Qari Abdur Rahman in search of knowledge and wisdom. The list of his disciples is long. Among the most prominent of his disciples are Khwaja Altaf Hossain Hali (rahmatullahi alaihe), Syed Pir Jamaaat Ali Shah Alipuri (rahmatullahi alaihe), Maolana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (rahmatullahi alaihe), Sheikul Hind Hazrat Maulana Mahmudul Hasan (rahmatullahi alaihe), Hazrat Maolana Yakub Nanutabi (rahmatullahi alaihe), Habibur Rahman Khan Sherwani (rahmatullahi alaihe), and Sadriar Jang (rahmatullahi alaihe).
Qari Abdur Rahman passed away on the 15th day of Rabi' al-awwal, 1314 Hijri in Panipath, India. In the Gregorian calendar, it was the 13th day of December, 1896.
