ÿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Dehlawë (1551âÂÂ1642) was one of the most influential Islamic scholars of Mughal India, renowned primarily as a muhaddith who laid the foundations of hadith scholarship in the Indian subcontinent. Born in Delhi, he travelled to the Hijaz, where he studied hadith extensively in Mecca and Medina before returning to India to revive rigorous hadith studies. He was affiliated with the Qadiriyya Sufi order, yet firmly grounded in Sunni orthodoxy. Al-Dehlawë authored numerous works in Arabic and Persian, including commentaries on hadith, biographies of scholars, and treatises that integrated fiqh, hadith, and tasawwuf without diluting doctrinal discipline.
He was born in 1551 (958 AH) in Delhi, hence the suffix Dehlavi to his name. In 1587 (996 AH), he made the pilgrimage to Mecca, where he remained for the next three years studying hadith and Sufism under various scholars. Upon his return to Delhi, he taught for half a century, and authored more than 100 works, including a history of Medina, and a work on the lives of saints.
He died in Delhi, in 1642 (1052 AH). His mausoleum is located at the edge of Hauz-i-Shamsi near Qutub Minar, Mehrauli, Delhi.