Rahmatullah Kairanawi رحمة الله الكيرانوي

Mawlana Rahmatullah Kairanawi rahimahullah (1818-1891) was a prominent Indian Muslim scholar and founder of one of Makka's most notable Islamic institutions. Born in the town of Kairana in Muzaffarnagar District, Uttar Pradesh, he pursued traditional Islamic education from an early age, memorizing the Qur'an in his youth. He later studied in Delhi, where he also engaged with mathematics and medicine. He became renowned for his polemical engagement with Christian missionaries operating in British India, and in 1864 he composed Izhar ul-Haq in Arabic, a comprehensive refutation of Christian arguments against Islam - specifically targeting the arguments of the Reverend Karl Gottlieb Pfander's Urdu work Mizan al-Haq. The work remains internationally recognized as one of the most authoritative Muslim responses to Biblical criticism. Following the 1857 uprising against British rule in which he participated, Kairanawi was forced to flee India. He traveled to Yemen and then walked to Makka, a journey of nearly two years. He settled in Makka and founded Madrasah as-Sawlatiyya, an Islamic school that continues to serve students to this day. He died on 22 Ramadan 1308 AH (1891 CE) in Makka and is buried in Jannat al-Mu'alla.