Abstract
Sayyid Ahmad Barailvi (1786-1831) of Rae Baraily, Oudh State (present Uttar
Pradesh, India) started a reform movement in Northern India later migrated to
Peshawar valley to wage Jihad against Sikhs. His Mujahidin Movement set three
attacks against the Sikhs and eight fights with those people whom he had intended
to liberate from the Sikh rule. Sayyid Ahmad fall fighting against the Sikhs at
Balakot in 1831. Much has been written on the movement of Sayyid Ahmad since
then. Many writers have portrayed him a pious soul, leader of the reformist Islam,
pioneer of revivalist notion and a martyr for the cause of Islam. There are
however, writers who have tried to prove him an infidel, an agent of the English
and a traitor. Another category of writers have tried to prove him a disturber of
peace in the Sikh’s domain. The fourth category of writers, mainly locals have
either tried to associate him with English or have raised questions over his cause.
It is pertinent to note that the present paper is neither aimed at discussing the
motives and objectives of the Jihad Movement nor to discuss details of other
primary sources like his letters. The present paper is an attempt to briefly
introduce different categories of writers who have written on Sayyid Ahmad and
his Jihad Movement. However, the major focus of the paper is to analyse the
selected portions of two major sources i.e. Muhammad Wazir Khan and Ghulam
Rasul Mihr’s works on this important episode of South Asian Muslim history. The
discussion is limited to the Sayyid Ahmad’s selection of the North-West Frontier
for hijrat and subsequent jihad; the declaration of imarat; and the battle of
Shaidu.
Altaf Qadir. (2016) Historiography of the Jihad Movement: A Critique of the Selected Portions of Muhammad Wazir Khan and Ghulam Rasul Mihr’s Works, Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, Volume 53, Issue 1.
-
Views
861 -
Downloads
218
Next Article
Article Details
Volume
Issue
Type
Language
