Barelvi movement - Misplaced Pages

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Barelvi movement
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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
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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
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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
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Barelvi (Template:Lang-ur, /bəreːlviː/) 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 where the movement's main leader Ahmed Raza Khan (1856–1921) shaped the movement by his writings. 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 Indian subcontinent.

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 India. 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 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 Indian subcontinent - including Shi'ites, Ismailis and Ahmadiyya - 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 well.

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. 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.

Beliefs and practices

Like other Sunni Muslims, Barelvis 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 Muhammad's nature, which distinguish them from Deobandi, Ahmadi, Salafi and Shia groups in South Asia:

He is noori bashar: a human (bashar) 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

Public celebration of the Mawlid (Muhammad's birthday).
To Believe in Fatiha(Convey your reward to Deceased).Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi proved in his fatwa that to pray for your deceased parents or other person Including permisibility to offer salah,make fast,perform haj, for your parents is permisible.

Asking auliyā' (Muslim saints) for intercession to God on behalf of the living. This consists of the intervention of an ascending, linked and unbroken chain of holy personages, pirs (Sufi saints) reaching ultimately to Muhammad, who intercede on their behalf with God.

Ziyarat (visiting) the mazar (tombs) of Muhammad, his companions and of pious Muslims, an act the Barelvis claim is supported by the Quran, Sunnah and acts of the Companions by Barelvis, but which opponents call “shrine-worshipping” and “grave-worshiping” and consider to be un-Islamic..
Sajda (prostration) on Shrines and Tombs and to those other than God,Shrine Worshipping and to worship other then God is Strictly Opposed by Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi by calling it UnIslamic and shirk .
Use of devotional music (qawwali)..Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi opposed qawwali with music by calling them UnIslamic.He issued a fatwa in which he quoted the sayings of sufi of Chishtiya and Proved that listioning qawali with mazameer(Musical Instruments) is Haram(Forbidden).People Wrongly relate it to Chishti Saints.

Mosques

North Manchester Jamia Mosque, UK North Manchester Jamia Mosque, UK
The Manchester Central Mosque
The Haji Ali Dargah Masjid, Mumbai
Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri, India

Fatwa against Terrorism

They have issued various fatwas against terrorism and extremism in the name of Islam.

In 2008 an Sunni scholar in Lucknow,India, Shahar Qazi(City head) Mufti Abul Irfan Mian Firangi Mahali, issued a fatwa against Salafi Scholar Zakir Naik, saying that he supported Osama bin Laden, and that his teachings were un-Islamic..

In 2009 another prominent Islamic Scholar of the movement Mufti Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi had issued a fatwā 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 had said “Those who commit suicide attacks for attaining paradise will go to hell, as they kill many innocent people".

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, representing the movement as a whole, has demanded protection and reconstruction of shrines in Hijaz 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, against which the Barelvi movement formed as a reaction, 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 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.

Although the Nadwatul Ulema council was founded in 1893 to reconcile the Indian Subcontinent'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."

Sectarian violence

Analysts and journalists have produced conflicting opinions about the underlying nature of the Barelvi movement, which 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 of time, a number of Barelvi scholars also condemned the assassination.