Wahhabi Movement - General Knowledge of Modern India: Points; Founder of Wahhabi Movement And His Works, Syed Ahmed Barelvi, Wahhabi influence in the North-West Frontier Province, Beginning of the Movement.
Wahhabi Movement
The Wahhabi movement started as an Islamic revival movement. This movement is also known as Tariq-e-Muhammadi or Valliullahi movement. It was an anti-national and armed movement which soon spread across the country. Wahabi movement had become a widespread movement and its branches were established in many parts of the country. This movement got the support of peasant classes, artisans and shopkeepers of Bihar and Bengal. Although it was a religious movement, later on, voices were raised against the British government in this movement. But there was a reason behind this as well which we will read below. The end of the British rule was the aim of this movement, along with the demand for social reorganization and social justice were also the main demands of the Wahhabi movement.
More General Knowledge of Modern India
Founder of Wahhabi Movement And His Works:
Syed Ahmed Barelvi (1786-1831 AD) was the founder of Wahhabi movement. He was a resident of Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh). He was born in a well-known family of the city who believed in the descent of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad. He went to Mecca in 1821 AD and where he befriended a man named Abdul Wahab. Ahmed Barelvi was deeply influenced by Abdul Wahab's ideas and returned to India as a "staunch crusader". This movement was named Wahabi movement after the name of Abdul Wahab.
Syed Ahmed Barelvi:
Syed Ahmed Barelvi was greatly influenced by another person whose name was Sant Shah Valliullah. He lived in Delhi and wanted Islam to reign again in India. They wanted to remove the British from India and bring Islamic rule again. He believed that India has to be made not 'Dar-ul-Harsh (Country of Enemies)' but India 'Dar-ul-Islam (Country of Islam)' for which it is mandatory to wage a crusade against the British. He believed that helping the British in any way is an anti-Islamic act. This thing had a great impact on Ahmed. That's why Ahmed was chosen as the leader of this Jihad (crusade). A council was formed to assist Syed Ahmed, in which two relatives of Abdul Aziz were appointed as assistants. Its institutions were opened in many places in India.
Wahhabi influence in the North-West Frontier Province:
After becoming an Imam, Syed toured the whole of Uttar Pradesh and propagated this movement. Its supporters kept on increasing. Syed Ahmed's thoughts were compiled in a Persian book called Shirat-e-Mustakin. Syed Ahmed made a plan by taking a vow of monotheism and Hijrat i.e. to drive the enemies out of India. Under this plan, three things were considered -
i) our army should be armed
ii) to choose a suitable leader in every corner of India
iii) to choose such a place in India for Jihad where Muslims live in large numbers so that the Wahhabi movement can be emphasized- Noise spread across the country.
For this, the North-West Frontier Province was chosen. There Sithana was made the center in the tribal area and local offices were opened in all Muslim majority cities of India. Calcutta was chosen for the Bengal Presidency and the representation was handed over to the Caliphs.
Beginning of the Movement:
This movement became active from 1826 AD. He went to Peshawar with 3000 of his supporters and established an independent rule there. Later the center was changed to Sithana (Charsadda, Pakistan). To run the government in the border province, weapons, money and people were being sent to the border province. For this Khanqah was built from Bengal to Sithana which was a means of providing help secretly. In the northwestern region, supporters of the Wahhabi movement clashed with the Sikh community, in which Syed Ahmed was killed.
Wahhabi Movement in Bengal:
At the time when Syed Ahmed was fighting with the Sikhs in the north-west, at that time the flow of Wahhabi movement was taking place loudly in the peasant classes in Bengal. Titu Mir was the leader of Wahhabi movement in Bengal. Wahhabi supporters (mostly the peasant class) used to oppose it when the landlord increased the tax. When Krishnarai, the landlord of Nadia (Bengal) increased the amount of rent, Titu Mir attacked him. Many such incidents took place in many places where the landlords had to face opposition. In such a situation, Titu became the messiah of my peasantry. Once Titu Mere along with many Wahabi supporters destroyed the fort built by the English army. But Titu Mir was killed in this struggle. After his death, the Wahhabi movement weakened in Bengal.
Wahabi Movement after the death of Syed Ahmed:
It was not that the Wahhabi movement stopped after the death of Syed Ahmed. This movement continued. The credit for keeping this movement alive after Syed Ahmed goes to Vilayat Ali and Inayat Ali. Again new centers were established. This time Patna was made the headquarters. Inayat Ali was given the charge of Bengal. There were several encounters between the supporters of the Wahhabi movement and the British in Punjab and the North-Western Provinces. The British destroyed Sithana and Mulka, the center of Wahhabi. Many supporters were arrested. Many people were prosecuted and were sentenced to black water and jail. Later on, the center of Patna was also destroyed. Due to this oppressive attitude of the government, the Wahhabi movement became weak and it died by the end of the first war.
Influence and Importance of Wahabi Movement:
The Wahhabi movement may have started as a revival of the Muslim community, but later this movement changed its direction. This movement was started with the thought that Muslim rule should come again in the country, but later this movement mainly became a farmer's movement. When this farmer's movement was formed, many Hindus also joined this movement. It is true that the Wahhabis raised their voice against the English atrocities on the farmers and the lower classes. By running an anti-government campaign, the Wahhabis created an environment for the rebellion of 1857 AD. After the failure of this movement, a new ideology was infused among the Muslim people. In place of religious fanaticism, Muslims now emphasized on modernization. The face of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who wanted modern education and welfare of Muslims, came in front of everyone.
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Modern India