Barelvi movement - Misplaced Pages

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Barelvi (Template:Lang-hi, Template:Lang-ur, /bəreːlviː/) is a term used for a movement of Sunni Islam originating in the Indian subcontinent.The name derives from the north Indian town of Bareilly where its founder Ahmed Raza Khan (1856–1921) shaped the movement by his writings. The followers of movement often prefer to be known by the title of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. The movement is much influenced by Sufism and defends the traditional Sufi practices from the criticisms of Islamic movements like the Deobandi, Wahhabi and Ahl al-Hadith

Etymology

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

Presence

India Today estimates that the vast majority of Muslims in India adhere to the Barelvi movement. The Heritage Foundation gives a similar assessment for the vast majority of Sunni Muslims in Pakistan.

Beliefs and practices

Like other Sunni Muslims, Barelvi base their beliefs on the Qur'an and Sunnah, and believe in monotheism and the prophethood of Muhammad. Barelvis follow the Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of aqidah, any one of the four school of fiqh, and the Qadri, Chishti, Naqshbandi or Suhrawardi Sufi orders.

Beliefs regarding Muhammad

Barelvis have several beliefs regarding the nature of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, which distinguish them from Deobandi, Salafi and Shia groups in South Asia:

He is noori bashar: a human made from God's light (noor).
He is hazir (present in many places at the same time).
He is nazir (witnessing all that goes on in the world).
He has ilm-e-ghaib (knowledge of the unseen/unknown).
He is mukhtaar kul (having the authority to do whatever he desires as granted to him by God).

Practices

Veneration of, or intercessional prayers offered at, shrines and the graves of saints, a practice which opponents call “shrine-worshipping” and “grave-worshiping” and consider to be un-Islamic.
Use of devotional music (Qawwali).
Public celebration of the Mawlid (Muhammad's birthday).
Asking auliyā' (Muslim saints) for intercession to God on behalf of the living.
Ziyarat (visiting) the mazar (tombs) of notable Muslims.

Mosques

North Manchester Jamia Mosque, UK North Manchester Jamia Mosque, UK
Largest Jama Masjid in England,Ghamkol Sharif
The Manchester Central Mosque
Makkah Masjid, Hyderabad,India
The Haji Ali Dargah Masjid, Mumbai
Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri, India
Na Khoda Masjid, Calcutta, India
Islamic Center of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Al-Rashid Mosque Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Masjid-an-Noor, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Salaheddin Islamic Centre, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Ottawa Mosque Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Relations with other movements

Support

This movement is working in line with more traditional Sufi Islam, which is established in other parts of the world. The views and ideologies shared by them are also similar. The All India Ulema & Mashaikh Board, representing Ahle Sunnat movement of South Asia, has demanded protection and reconstruction of shrines in Hijaz MAKKAH and MADINAH, destroyed in 1803 and 1804 by the Saudis, such as the shrine built over the tomb of Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, and even intended to destroy the grave of Muhammad himself as idolatrous. Even in 1998 the Saudis bulldozed and poured gasoline over the grave of Aminah bint Wahb, the mother of Muhammad, causing resentment throughout the Muslim world.

Opposition

Islamic Scholar Ahmad Raza Khan, along with other religious figures, issued fatāwā of apostasy against the founders of the Deobandi, Wahhabism, Shia Islam and "Qadiani" (Ahmadiyya. 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 subcontinent, 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.

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 United Council (SUC), 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.

Sectarian violence

In the 1990s and 2000s, sporadic violence resulted from disputes over control of Pakistani mosques between Barelvi and Deobandi. In May 2001, 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 to celebrate the mawlid (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 February 27, 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.