Firangi Mahal

Firangi Mahal (, , literally French Palace from Arabic فرنگی Firangi Europeaner a corruption of Frank), also spelled Farangi Mahal (Hindi: फ़रंगी महल, Urdu: ) is a Religious Higher education school in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Earliest History

The history of the Ansari family of Sehali or Sihali, Barabanki district who later achieved great renown as the Firangi Mahal family or the Ulama-e-Farangi Mahal, is recorded in a book titled, Tazkira-e-Ulama-e-Firangi Mahal.

The ancestors arrived in India from Herat, Afghanistan, and settled mainly in and around Panipat. In the mid-sixteenth century, they further spread to the Oudh province, during the reign of the great Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great. They made their way to, and settled in a small village, Sehali, District Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India.

While the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan was still alive, a war of succession to the Mughal throne ensued. The Emperor's youngest son, and the governor of Deccan, Abu Muzaffar Muhiuddin Aurangzeb, was amongst the protagonists, and was the ultimate victor in this war and deposed his father. The Ansari family of Sehali is said to have professed loyalty to, and supported Aurangzeb Alamgeer during his campaigns in the war of succession as well as during his reign as the Mughal Emperor.

After the assassination of Mullah Qutab uddin Shaheed, (d. 1692) the family leader was Mullah Saeed bin Mullah Qutab Uddin who still saw the hostility of his relatives and decided...
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