Identity: Great Islamic thinker, religious scholar, Qur’anic exegete, historian, preacher, writer, and biographer

Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi (born on 24 November 1914 in Takia Kalan, RaeBareli district, Uttar Pradesh) was popularly known as Ali Mian. He belonged to the renowned Hasani Sayyid lineage, tracing his ancestry to Imam Hasan ibn Ali (RA), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Among his eminent forebears were Shah Ilmullah and Syed Ahmad Shaheed. His father, Maulana Abdul Hai Hasani, was a distinguished scholar and the author of the famous eight-volume Arabic biographical encyclopedia Nuzhat al-Khawatir, an invaluable record of nearly eight centuries of Islamic scholarship in the Indian subcontinent.

Maulana Ali Mian was one of the most comprehensive Islamic personalities of the twentieth century, who rendered outstanding services in the fields of knowledge, da‘wah, thought, and authorship at the global level. His early education was completed at home in Urdu, Persian, and Arabic. He later graduated from Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, obtaining the highest degree in Islamic sciences. His mastery of Arabic language and literature developed under eminent teachers and through extensive study. He studied Hadith under Maulana Haidar Hasan Khan Tonki and received instruction in the Qur’an from Maulana Ahmad Ali Lahori.

In 1934, he was appointed as a teacher of Tafsir and literature at Nadwatul Ulama and remained associated with the institution for many years. He later served as Deputy Director of Education and then Director of Education. In 1961, he was appointed Rector of Nadwatul Ulama. His association with Maulana Muhammad Ilyas (RA) strengthened his missionary spirit. In 1954, he launched the Payam-e-Insaniyat Movement, aimed at promoting universal human values, moral awareness, and the universal message of Islam.

Maulana Ali Mian was a prolific author in Arabic and Urdu. His internationally acclaimed book Maza Khasira al-‘Alam bi Inhitat al-Muslimeen (Urdu: Insani Duniya par Musalmanon ke Urooj-o-Zawal ka Asar) played a vital role in intellectual awakening across the Muslim world. The book carried a preface by Syed Qutb. His writings cover history, da‘wah, biography, Islamic thought, and civilizational issues, numbering in the hundreds.

He was associated with several international Islamic organizations, serving as President of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, President of the International League of Islamic Literature, and a founding member of Rabita al-‘Alam al-Islami. His personality was marked by moderation, balance, and sectarian harmony, and he remained a guiding intellectual force for Muslims at national and global levels.

Maulana Ali Mian embodied simplicity, piety, and spiritual refinement. He trained generations intellectually and morally. In recognition of his services, he received prestigious international honors, including the King Faisal Award and the Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award.

He passed away on 22 Ramadan 1420 AH, corresponding to 31 December 1999, and was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard at Takia Rae Bareli.