Abstract
The disintegration of the Mughal Empire after Aurangzeb (d.
1707) generated a sense of worry among the South Asian Muslims in
general and nobility in particular. Among others, the religious elite
were faced with multifaceted problems. Their concern was not only the
breakdown of the Muslim rule but also losing their position in the set
up which was erected by the Marathas, Sikhs and English East India
Company. Among such people Shah Wali Ullah (d. 1763) appealed to
the Ahmad Shah Abdali, ruler of Afghanistan and Muslim nobility of
India to restore their lost glory. However, Sayyid Ahmad Barailvi
(1786-1831), a disciple of Shah Abdul Aziz, did not rely on nobility
and initiated a movement, aimed at reforming the Indian Muslim
society according to his understanding of Islam and revival of Muslim
rule in India through jihad. 1 The strategy he adopted included
preaching tours, initiating his disciples and appointing them for
preaching to other people. The khulafa—representatives, he appointed
in different areas before his migration to the Frontier who carried on
the mission according to his directions. 2 After his migration to the
North-West Frontier, he sent his trusted associates to important places
like Bombay, Madras, Haiderabad and Bengal. They included Sayyid
Ali Rampuri, Wilayat Ali, Inayat Ali, Qutb-ud-Din, Sayyid Aulad
Hasan Qanoji, Sayyid Hamid-ud-Din and Sayyid Abul Qasim. 3 The
network, Sayyid Ahmad had established, worked for some time but
with the passage of time it lost its vitality. It needed a complete
overhauling after the Balakot episode (1831)
Altaf Qadir, Naseem Khattak. (2015) Roving Preachers, Fund Raising and Jihad: Organization of the Mujahidin Movement in Northern India (1830s-1858), Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, Volume 52, Issue 1.
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