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Barelvi movement
Ideology and influences
Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah Hanafi fiqh Shafi'i fiqh Maturidi theology Ash'ari theology
Key figures
Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi Hassan Raza Khan Naeem-ud-Deen Muradabadi Hamid Raza Khan Jamaat Ali Shah Mustafa Raza Khan Qadri Maulana Abdul Hamid Qadri Badayuni Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Hazarvi Ahmad Saeed Kazmi Amjad Ali Aazmi Ziaul Mustafa Razvi Qadri Akhtar Raza Khan
History/Movement
All India Sunni Conference Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatme Nabuwwat
Notable Scholars
Past Shah Turab ul Haq Muhammad Fazlur Rahman Ansari Khwaja Qamar ul Din Sialvi Shah Ahmad Noorani Abdul Sattar Khan Niazi Arshadul Qaudri Syed Shujaat Ali Qadri Shamsul-hasan Shams Barelvi Maulana Ziauddin Madani Muhammad Alauddin Siddiqui Muhammad Shafee Okarvi Muhammad Waqaruddin Qadri Akhtar Raza Khan Khadim Hussain Rizvi Muhammad Arshad Misbahi Yaseen Akhtar Misbahi Present Qamaruzzaman Azmi Ameen Mian Quadri Syed Shujaat Ali Qadri Hamid Saeed Kazmi Muhammad Raza Saqib Mustafai Kanthapuram A. P. Aboobacker Musliyar Ziaul Mustafa Razvi Qadri Sibtain Raza Khan Asjad Raza Khan Ilyas Qadri
Institutions
India Jamiatur Raza Manzar-e-Islam Al Jamiatul Ashrafia Al-Jame-atul-Islamia Jamia Naeemia Moradabad Jamia-tul-Madina Al Madeena Islamic complex Markazu Saquafathi Sunniyya Jamia Nizamia Jamia Amjadia Razvia Madrasa Faizul Uloom Darul Huda Islamic University Jamia Shahbazia Madrasa-e-Aliya, Rampur Pakistan Hizbul Ahnaf Ashraf ul Madaris Jamia Nizamia Ghousia Aleemiyah Institute of Islamic Studies Jamia Naeemia Lahore Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University Mohi-ud-Din Islamic Medical College Dar-ul-Madinah Schools Minhaj University Lahore United Kingdom Al-Mustafa Islamic Cultural Centre Ireland Bangladesh Jamia Ahmadiyya Sunnia Kamil Madrasa Sri Lanka Madrasa Faiz-e-Raza South Africa Imam Ahmed Raza Academy Darul Uloom Pretoria
Notable Channels
Noor TV (UK) Madni Channel
Notable works
Kanzul Iman-Quran translation Tafsir Zia ul Quran Fatawa-e-Razvia Bahar-e-Shariat Husamul Haramain Zujajat al-Masabih Manaqib-al-Jaleela Zia un Nabi
Notable Organisations
Jama'at Raza-e-Mustafa Dawat e Islami Mohiuddin Trust World Islamic Mission Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan Jamaat Ahle Sunnat Sunni Tehreek Tanzeem-ul-Madaris Sunni Ittehad Council Sunni Students' Federation Aalmi Tehreek-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Khatme Nabuwwat Central Jamaat-e Ahl-e Sunnat Tanzeem ul Madaris Raza Academy Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat All India Sunni Jem-iyyathul Ulama All India Ulema and Mashaikh Board Muslim Charity Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan Idara-e-Shariah
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Barelvi (Template:Lang-ur, Barēlwī, Hindustani pronunciation: [bəreːlʋi]) is a term used for a movement of Sunni Islam originating in South Asia with over 200 million followers. The name derives from the north Indian town of Bareilly, the hometown of its founder and main leader Ahmed Raza Khan (1856–1921). Although Barelvi is the commonly used term in the media and academia, the followers of the movement often prefer to be known by the title of Ahle Sunnat wal Jama'at, a reference to their perception as forming an international majority movement. The movement is much influenced by Sufism and the traditional folk Islam practices of the South Asia, having formed as a reaction to the reformist attempts of the Deobandi movement.

Etymology

To its followers, the movement is known as Ahle Sunnat wal Jama'at ("People of the traditions and the community"). This terminology is used to lay exclusive claim to be the only legitimate form of Sunni Islam, in opposition to the Deobandi, Ahl al-Hadith, Salafi and Nadwatul Ulama movements.

History

The Barelvi movement was founded by Ahmad Reza Khan who, after two failed attempts at establishing Islamic schools, finally succeeded in 1904 with the Manzar-e-Islam. Though very much linked to Pakistan today, the movement's foundation predated Pakistan's nationhood; the movement was, essentially, founded as a defense of traditional Islam as understood and practiced in South Asia. Defense of these beliefs sometimes brought the Barelvis into conflict with other movements and creeds. Unlike most other Muslim movements in the region, the Barelvis opposed the Indian independence movement due to its leadership under Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was a Hindu and not a Muslim. On the other hand, Khan and his movement, being among the foremost campaigners for Sufism, were largely responsible for pulling Muslims into conflict with Hindus and were primary supporters of the Pakistan Movement. The Barelvis were joined in this by all major Islamic movements in the South Asia, including Shi'ites and Ismailis, except the Deobandis, the Barelvis' main rivals.

Historically, relations between the movement and Britain have been better than those of other Islamic movements with the country. The majority of Pakistani and Kashmiri immigrants to the United Kingdom are still descended from Barelvi-majority villages, and the Barelvi movement in Pakistan has received funding from the country, in part as a reaction to rival movements also receiving funding from abroad. Still, according to Western analysts the foreign funding the Barelvi movement receives from abroad is minor, thus being the likely reason why Barelvi jihadist groups have been unable to get involved in Islamist and sectarian politics. Having been supportive of the creation of the republic of Pakistan, the Barelvi movement has traditionally held a strong following in the country.

As a reaction to the anti-Islam film Innocence of Muslims, a conglomerate of forty Barelvi parties called for a boycott of Western goods, while at the same time condemning violence which had taken place in protest against the film.

Presence

India Today estimates that the vast majority of Muslims in India adhere to the Barelvi movement, and The Heritage Foundation and The Washington Post both give a similar assessment for the vast majority of Muslims in Pakistan. More than 35% of British mosques are administered by Barelvis as well. According to an editorial in the English-language Pakistani newspaper The Daily Times, many of these mosques have been usurped by Saudi-funded radical organizations. According to Pakistani journalist Khaled Ahmed, the switchover from Barelvism to Deobandism and the gradual decline of Barelvism in the UK has resulted in the conversion of some mystically-minded Kashmiri expatriates to hardline Muslims, though political analysts in the region have described as a myth the idea that Barelvism is more tolerant and moderate than Deobandism.

Relations with other movements

Having formed as a reaction against the reformist Deobandi movement, relations between the two groups have often been strained. Ahmad Raza Khan, the founder of Barelvism, went as far as to declare not only all Deobandis infidels and apostates, but also any non-Deobandis who doubted the apostasy of Deobandis.

Although conflict has occurred, relations with other Muslim movements in South Asia have not always been hostile. In mid-2012, leaders of both the Barelvi and Ahl al-Hadith movements in Kashmir Valley denied that there was any animosity between the two sects in the region. In more recent times, the Barelvi movement as a whole has begun to mix with Shi'ites more often than before.

Support

The Barelvi movement formed as a defense of the traditional mystic practices of South Asia, which it sought to prove and support. The Raza Academy, a Barelvi institution, has demanded protection and reconstruction of shrines in Mecca and Medina, destroyed in 1803 and 1804 by the Saudis, calls which have been echoed by most practitioners of Sufism in other parts of the Muslim world.

Opposition

The conflict with the Deobandi movement has been particularly heated and uncivil. While both the Barelvi and Deobandi movements tend to prefer the Hanafi school of Islamic law and accept Sufism, their fundamental beliefs and way in practicing Sufism has kept them at odds. Commenting on this, historian Usha Sanyal, in her research entitled Devotional Islam and Politics in British India: Ahmad Raza Khan Barelwi and His Movement, 1870-1920, stated:

Not only did Ahmad Raza Khan obtain confirmatory signatures from other scholars in the South Asia, he managed to get agreement from a number of prominent ulama in Mecca. That occurred in the first years of the twentieth century—long before the Al-Saud and their Wahhabi allies got control of the Haramayn. The feat was, nevertheless, stunning. The antipathy of the Deobandis toward the Ahl-i Sunnah on the emotional level becomes more comprehensible when Ahmad Riza's fatwa receives a full explication.

Although the Nadwatul Ulema council was founded in 1893 to reconcile the South Asia's Muslim sectarian differences, the Barelvis eventually withdrew their support of the council and criticized its efforts.

Opposition to the Taliban

The Barelvi movement has taken a stance against Taliban movements in South Asia, organising rallies and protests in India and Pakistan, condemning what they perceive as unjustified sectarian violence. The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), an amalgamation of eight Sunni organizations, launched the Save Pakistan Movement to stem the process of Talibanisation. Terming the Taliban a product of global anti-Islam conspiracies, the leaders of SUC charged the Taliban with playing into the hands of the United States to divide Muslims and bring a bad name to Islam.

Supporting this movement, the Pakistan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said: "The Sunni Tehreek has decided to activate itself against Talibanisation in the country. A national consensus against terrorism is emerging across the country."

In 2009 another prominent Islamic Scholar of the movement, Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi, issued a fatwa denouncing suicide bombings, as well as criticizing Taliban leader Sufi Muhammad by saying he "should wear bangles if he is hiding like a woman". Naeemi added: "Those who commit suicide attacks for attaining paradise will go to hell, as they kill many innocent people".

Sectarian violence

Analysts and journalists have produced conflicting opinions about the underlying nature of the Barelvi movement, with some describing the group as moderate and peaceful, while others describe it as being effected by intolerance and radicalism in ways similar to other Islamic movements in the region.

In the 1990s and 2000s, sporadic violence resulted from disputes over control of Pakistani mosques between the Barelvi and Deobandi movements, with the conflict coming to a head in May 2001 when sectarian riots broke out after the assassination of Sunni Tehreek leader Saleem Qadri. In April 2006 in Karachi, a bomb attack on a Barelvi gathering in celebration of Muhammad's birthday killed at least 57 people, including several central leaders of the Sunni Tehreek. In April 2007, Sunni Tehreek activists attempted forcibly to gain control of a mosque in Karachi, opening fire on the mosque and those inside, killing one person and injuring three others. On 27 February 2010, militants believed to be affiliated with the Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba attacked Barelvis celebrating mawlid in Faisalabad and Dera Ismail Khan, again sparking tensions among the rival sects.

Reaction to Blasphemy Law

On January 4, 2011, former governor of Punjab Salmaan Taseer was assassinated by a member of the Barelvi group Dawat-e-Islami due to his opposition to the blasphemy law in Pakistan. Over five hundred scholars of the Barelvi movement voiced support for the crime and urged a boycott of Taseer's funeral. According to Time, Sunni Tehreek rewarded the assassin's family and threatened Taseer's family, while another Barelvi group abducted Taseer's son. Supporters attempted to prevent police from bringing the perpetrator to an anti-terrorism court, blocking the way and cheering on the assassin. During the same period, a number of Barelvi scholars also condemned the assassination.

Notable scholars

Early scholars

Present scholars

Notable organizations

In Pakistan, prominent Sunni Barelvi religious and political organizations include:

• Sunni Ittehad Council
• Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan
• Jamaat Ahle Sunnat
• Dawat-e-Islami
• Sunni Tehreek

In the United Kingdom:

• Muslim Charity
• British Muslim Forum
• World Islamic Mission

In India:

• Raza Academy, Mumbai
• Sunni Dawat-e-Islami, Islamic preaching movement
• Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama
• Muslim Students' Organization of India, New Delhi
• All India Ulema & Mashaikh Board, a body of Khanqaah of Kichawcha Shareef.
• Sunni Students Federation, India

South Africa:

• Imam Ahmad Raza Academy, South Africa

Main institutions

See also

• Kanzul Iman, an English/Urdu Quran translation by Ahmad Raza Khan
• Fatwa e Razvia ,compendium of Islamic verdict in thirty Volume
• Zujajat al-Masabih, hadith collection
• Bahar-e-Shariat, complete Islamic Jurisprudence of Hanafi School

Notes

1. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095446664?rskey=cR0074&result=2&q=barelvi
2. Illustrated Dictionary of the Muslim World, pg. 113. Marshall Cavendish, 2011. ISBN 9780761479291
3. Globalisation, Religion & Development, pg. 53. Eds. Farhang Morady and İsmail Şiriner. London: International Journal of Politics and Economics, 2011.
4. Elizabeth Sirriyeh, Sufis and Anti-Sufis: The Defense, Rethinking and Rejection of Sufism in the Modern World, pg. 49. London: Routledge, 1999. ISBN 0-7007-1058-2.
5. Rowena Robinson, Tremors of Violence: Muslim Survivors of Ethnic Strife in Western India, pg. 191. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2005. ISBN 0761934081
6. Usha Sanyal. Generational Changes in the Leadership of the Ahl-e Sunnat Movement in North India during the Twentieth Century. Modern Asian Studies (1998), Cambridge University Press.
7. ^ Understanding Islam: The First Ten Steps - C. T. R. Hewer - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
8. ^ Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia - Ali Riaz - Google Books. Books.google.com. 11 September 2001. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
9. ^ The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism - Olivier Roy, Antoine Sfeir - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. 26 September 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
10. Geaves 2006: 148
11. Roshen Dalal, The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths, pg. 51. Revised edition. City of Westminster: Penguin Books, 2010. ISBN 9780143415176
12. Barbara D. Metcalf, Islam in South Asia in Practice, pg. 342. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009.
13. The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism, pg. 92. Eds. Oliver Roy and Antoine Sfeir, trns. John King. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.
14. Gregory C. Doxlowski. Devotional Islam and Politics in British India: Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi and His Movement, 1870-1920. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Oct-Dec 1999.
15. Barbara Daly Metcalf, Islamic revival in British India: Deoband, 1860-1900 , pg. 312. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 9780195660494
16. ^ R. Upadhyay, Barelvis and Deobandhis: “Birds of the Same Feather”. Eurasia Review, courtesy of the South Asia Analysis Group. January 28, 2011.
17. Yasser Latif Hamdani, Nationalist Mythologies And Nuances Of History. Pak Tea House, May 22nd, 2010.
18. A History of Pakistan and Its Origins By Christophe Jaffrelot page 223
19. Karamat Bhatty, Religious groups find lucrative sources abroad. The Express Tribune, September 7, 2011.
20. Sushant Sareen, The Jihad Factory: Pakistan's Islamic Revolution in the Making, pg. 282. New Delhi: Har Anand Publications, 2005.
21. Anti-Islam movie: Barelvi parties call for Western boycott. The Express Tribune, October 5, 2012.
22. Sandeep Unnithan and Uday Mahurkar (31 July 2008). "The radical sweep". India Today. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
23. "Pakistan plays Sufi card against jihadis | World War 4 Report". Ww4report.com. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
24. ^ Karin Brulliard, In Pakistan, even anti-violence Islamic sect lauds assassination of liberal governor. The Washington Post, Saturday, January 29, 2011; 9:55 PM. Cite error: The named reference "post" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
25. Deobandi - Misplaced Pages, the 💕
26. Editorial: Britain, Al Qaeda and Pakistan. Thursday, March 26, 2009. Accessed Sunday, May 19, 2013.
27. ^ Khaled Ahmed, SECOND OPINION: The extremism of the expatriate — Khaled Ahmed’s TV Review. Daily Times, March 28, 2006.
28. Kenneth W. Jones, Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British India, Part 3, vol. 1, pg. 71. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
29. Sheikh Qayoom, Kashmir’s Barelvi, Ahle Hadith leaders deny sectarian tension. Thaindian, courtesy of Indo-Asian News Service: Saturday, April 28, 2012.
30. Ashok K. Behuria, Sects Within Sect: The Case of Deobandi–Barelvi Encounter in Pakistan. Strategic Analysis, vol. 32, no. 1. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, January 2008.
31. Haramayn refers to the Masjid al-Haram ("Sacred Mosque") in Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi ("Mosque of the Prophet") in Medina. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture
32. Gregory C. Doxlowski. Devotional Islam and Politics in British India: Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi and His Movement, 1870-1920. The Journal of the American Oriental Society, Oct-Dec, 1999
33. Indian Muslims protest against Talibani terrorism. TwoCircles.net 17 June 2009
34. Pakistan’s Sunnis unite against Talibanisation. Thaindian News. 9 May 2009
35. Clashing interpretations of Islam. Daily Times (Pakistan), 5 May 2009
36. Bombers target two Pakistani cities Al Jazeera
37. Anti-Taliban views cost Mufti Naeemi his life – Daily Times
38. See:
    • Barelvi Activism Against Terrorism. Viewpoint Online.
    • Manjari Mishra, moderates Barelvis take on Deobandis over religious property. The Times of India, January 6, 2010.
    • Graeme Smith, Pakistan's Sufis end their silence. The Globe and Mail, July 9, 2010.
    • Zeeshan Haider, Pakistan clerics speak out against Taliban. Mail & Guardian, May 13, 2009.
39. Syed Hamad Ali, Why are Pakistan's 'moderate' clerics defending Salman Taseer's murderer? The Guardian, Wednesday 12 October 2011.
40. ^ The Jamestown Foundation, Sufi Militants Struggle with Deobandi Jihadists in Pakistan, 24 February 2011. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 9 Issue: 8. Accessed 11 March 2013.
41. ^ Omar Waraich, Why Pakistan's Taliban Target the Muslim Majority. Time, Thursday, Apr. 07, 2011.
42. ^ Pervez Hoodbhoy, A long, sad year after Salman Taseer's killing. The Hindu, January 4, 2012.
43. Rana Tanveer, Rites and wrongs: Mosque sealed after Barelvi-Deobandi clash. The Express Tribune, September 20, 2011.
44. "Serious threat to Pakistan's civil society". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 April 2006.
45. Bomb carnage at Karachi prayers, BBC Online, 11 April 2006
46. Special Coverage of Nishtar Park bombing, Jang Group Online
47. "One dead as ST tries to take control of Ahle Hadith mosque" Daily Times (Pakistan), 11 April 2007
48. Sectarian clashes kill seven in Pakistan, Agence France-Presse via Sydney Morning Herald, 28 February 2010
49. "Assassin linked with Dawat-i-Islami". Dawn (newspaper). 4 January 2011.
50. See also:
    • Carlotta Gall, Assassination Deepens Divide in Pakistan. The New York Times, January 5, 2011.
    • Ayesha Nasir, Pakistan's Police and Army: How Many Enemies Within? Time Online, Saturday, Jan. 08, 2011.
    • Hardline stance: Religious bloc condones murder. The Express Tribune.
51. ST offers Rs200m blood money for Qadris release. The Nation, October 08, 2011.
52. PPI, Sunni Tehreek rejects capital punishment to Mumtaz Qadri. Dawn, 1st October, 2011.
53. Taseer's daughter warned to back off, The Sydney Morning Herald, January 14, 2011.
54. Rana Tanveer, Shahbaz Taseer abduction splits Barelvi group. The Express Tribute, September 4, 2011.
55. "Demonstrators Prevent Court Appearance of Alleged Pakistani Assassin". Voice of America. 6 January 2011.
56. The Assertion of Barelvi Extremism. Current Trends.
57. Taseer no blasphmer, claim Barelvi ulema. The Nation, October 14, 2011.
58. http://www.minhaj.org/english/tid/8718/A-Profile-of-Shaykh-ul-Islam-Dr-Muhammad-Tahir-ul-Qadri.html

References

• Riaz, Ali (2008). Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia. Rutgers University Press.
• Geaves, Ron (2006). "Learning the lessons from the neo-revivalist and Wahhabi movements: the counterattack of the new Sufi movements in the UK". In Malik, Jamal; Hinnells, John R. (eds.). Sufism in the West. Routledge. pp. 142–157.
• Jones, Kenneth W. (1989). Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British India, Part 3. Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press.
• Malik, Jamal, ed. (2008). Madrasas in South Asia: Teaching terror?. Routledge.
• Sanyal, Usha (2008). "Ahl-i Sunnat Madrasas: the Madrasa Manzar-i Islam, Bareilly, and Jamia Ashrafiyya, Mubarakpur". In Malik, Jamal (ed.). Madrasas in South Asia: Teaching terror?. Routledge. pp. 23–44.
• Sanyal, Usha (2005). Ahmed Riza Khan Barelwi: In the Path of the Prophet. Makers of the Muslim World. Oxford: Oneworld.
• Sirriyeh, Elizabeth (1999). Sufis and Anti-Sufis: The Defense, Rethinking and Rejection of Sufism in the Modern World. Routledge. ISBN 0-7007-1058-2.
• Sirriyeh, Elizabeth (2004). "Sufi Thought and its Reconstruction". In Taji-Farouki, Suha; Nafi, Basheer M. (eds.). Islamic Thought in the Twentieth Century. I.B. Tauris. pp. 104–127. ISBN 1-85043-751-3.

External links

• Ahlesunnat Network Pakistan
• Dawat-e-Islami
• Sunni Dawate Islami Of India
• Sunni.org.uk

• Use dmy dates from March 2013
• Barelvi
• Islam in India
• Islam in Pakistan
• Islam in Bangladesh
• Islam in the United Kingdom
• Islam in South Africa
• Bareilly