Shāh Walīullah, himself wrote an autobiography titled; الجزء اللطيف في ترجمة العبد الضعيف
He writes,
“I was born on Wednesday at the time of sunrise on the 4th of Shawwal in the year 1174. Around the time of my birth many pious people including my father had a number of dreams about me, from them I have included some in a short treatise titled, قول جلی
I began my primary studies at the age of five, at seven years of age my father taught me how to preform prayer and the rulings of fasting, this was also the year I was circumcised. Towards the end of this year I finished the Quran and began studying the beginning texts of the Persian language.
At the age of ten I was studying ‘Sharh Jami’ (A commentary upon Kafiyah, a text in Arabic grammar), I then married at the age of fourteen. When I was fifteen my father had reached old age and illnesses had overcome him, so I took my ‘Bayah’ with him in the Sufi way, specifically in the Naqshbandi order, I was studying Tafsir Baydawi at this age.
I received permissions (ijazat) from my father to begin teaching as I had completed my studies by the age of fifteen. In hadith I had studied the whole of Mishkat with the small exception of ‘Kitab al-Bay upto Kitab al-Adab’ however I received ‘Ijazah’ for this. I more or less heard the whole of Sahih al-Bukhari, except for a small part upto Kitab al-Taharah, and the Shamail of Imam Tirmidhi from my father. In Tafsir I studied parts of Tafsir Baydawi and Tafsir Madarik. Allah granted me great favour whilst studying Tafsir, at times I would ponder over the reasons for revelation and the meanings of certain words whilst researching many tafsirs at the same time and presenting (reading) them to my father.
In fiqh I studied the whole of Sharh al-Wiqayah and Hidayah except for a very small portion. In Usul al-Fiqh I studied Hussami and Tawdih wa Talwih, in Mantiq I studied the whole of Sharh Shamsiyyah and some parts of Sharh Muthala, in Aqidah I studied, Sharh Aqaid Nasafiyyah completely, and some parts of Khiyali and Sharh Mawaqif. In Tasawwuf I studied, Awarif al-Ma’arif, Rasail Naqshbandiyyah. In Haqaiq I studied, Sharh Rubaiyaat, Mawlana Jami, Lawaih, Muqaddimah Sharh Lam’aat and Muqaddimah Naqd al-Nusus. In Nahw, I studied Kafiyah and Sharh Jami. In Ilm al-Ma’ani I studied, Mutawwal, Mukhtasar al-Ma’ani along with Hashiyah Mulla Zadah.
During his final illness, my father granted me permission in Irshad (Meaning he was capable of guiding others and taking disciples). The greatest blessing I ever received was my father being pleased with me at the time he left this world. It is rare to see a father who is a teacher and a guide for his son, to the extent that he taught me the inner and outer sciences. Allah have mercy upon him, for he indeed had mercy upon me as a child. For approximately twelve years after my father had died I was engrossed in teaching, thereafter I travelled to the two holy sanctuaries in the year 1143 to preform the pilgrimage.
In the year 1144 I accompanied Shaykh Abu Tahir and the scholars of the two sanctuaries, attaining licences in transmitting hadith from them. During this time I gained immense blessings from the resting place of the leader of mankind (Peace be upon Him), I was also blessed to have performed the pilgrimage that year also. In the year 1145 I decided to travel back to my home land and I reached home on Friday the 14th of Rajab.
Upon returning home I focused greatly upon serving the sciences of Tafsir and Hadith, excavating great secrets from them.”
The Shaykh left this world on the 29th of Muharram in the year 1176AH which corresponds with the year 1762AD, his name was Ahmad and his fathers name was Abdur Rahim. He left a wealth of knowledge behind, in the form of books and students who illuminated the Islamic world.
Allah have mercy upon him and allow us benefit from him.