Religious Thinkers - 14 Marks Question

Did Syed Ahmad Barelvi contribute more to the spread of Islam than anyone else in the subcontinent before 1840? Explain your answer.

Syed Ahmad Barelvi (1786-1831) was a great religious thinker who spread Islam before 1840 through the Jihad Movement. This movement became an armed struggle to liberate the Punjab and the North-West Frontier from non-Muslim oppression and was the example of a movement to restore Muslim power. It grew largely because, as at this time, the Muslim communities were not allowed freedom of worship; they were banned from prayer and had to undergo humiliation, because of which Muslims found it difficult to practise their religion. Consequently, the mujahideen, Jihad Movement’s followers, fought campaigns, e.g. Battle of Akora, Hazara and Balakot, to achieve religious and spiritual freedom. His work was a uniting force for Muslim groups and an inspiration.

However, before 1840, there were other religious thinkers as well. Haji Shariatullah (1781-1840), like Syed Ahmad Barelvi, spread Islam through his own movement, called the Faraizi Movement. This movement aimed at removing Hindu practices from worship and called on Muslim groups to perform their proper observation of Islamic duties (faraiz). It also aimed to restore the pride of the Muslim community. The movement was able to gain a huge group of followers called the ‘Faraizis’. The movement alarmed the Hindu landlords of East Bengal, as the Faraizis in Bengal united against the treatment they had received.

Shah Waliullah (1703-1762) was another religious thinker and one of the first to believe that the Muslims faced problems because of their incomplete knowledge of Islam and the Holy Quran. To reverse the decline in Muslim power he taught that there needed to be spiritual and moral regeneration based upon the principles of Islam. He encouraged the Muslim community to concentrate on Quranic teachings and translated the Holy Quran into Persian, which was the main language of Muslim groups at that time. He wrote many books, e.g. Izalat-Akhfa and Hujjut Allah Al-Baligha, which were designed to spread the principles of Islam amongst the Muslim community in order to unite them.

Nevertheless, it can be said that Shah Waliullah’s contribution to the spread of Islam was more important than others. Like all great reformers, Shah Waliullah’s influence continued long after his death. Many future Islamic leaders, e.g. Syed Ahmad Barelvi and Haji Shariatullah, were inspired by him to fight for the good of the Muslim community.