Barelvi is a term used for a movement within Sunni Islam of Hanafi school of jurisprudence,
originating in Bareilly with over 200 million followers in South Asia. The name derives
from the north Indian town of Bareilly, the hometown of its founder and main leader Ahmed
Raza Khan. 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
South Asia, having formed as a reaction to the reformist attempts of the Deobandi movement,
which was influenced by the Wahhabi movement in Arabia.
Etymology To its followers, the movement is known as
Ahle Sunnat wal Jama'at. This terminology is used to lay exclusive claim to be the only
legitimate form of Sunni Islam in South Asia, in opposition to the Deobandi, Ahl al-Hadith,
Salafi and Nadwatul Ulama movements. History
The Barelvi movement was founded by Ahmad Raza 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.
The Barelvi movement formed as a defense of the traditional mystic practices of South
Asia, which it sought to prove and support. 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.
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, Time
and The Washington Post both give a similar assessment for the vast majority of Muslims
in Pakistan. Political scientist Rohan Bedi estimates that 60% of Pakistani Muslims are
Barelvis. In Pakistani, many Barelvis have switched to Deobandi movement due to Islamization
and radicalization of the society after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.
The majority of Pakistani and Kashmiri immigrants to the United Kingdom are descended from Barelvi-majority
villages. The Barelvi movement in Pakistan has received funding from Barlevis in the
UK, in part as a reaction to rival movements in Pakistan also receiving funding from abroad.
According to an editorial in the English-language Pakistani newspaper The Daily Times, many
of these mosques have been however usurped by Saudi-funded radical organizations.
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 Maturidi school of Islamic theology and the Hanafi school of jurisprudence,
in addition to choosing from the Qadri, Chishti, or Suhrawardi Sufi orders.
Beliefs regarding Muhammad Barelvis have several beliefs regarding Muhammad's
nature, which distinguish them from Deobandi, Salafi and Shia groups in South Asia:
He is a human being but created from light like angels, rather than from clay like other
human beings. He is present in many places at the same time.
He is still witnessing all that goes on in the world.
He has knowledge of that which is unknown, including the future.
He has the authority to do whatever he desires as granted to him by God.
Practices Public celebration of Muhammad's birthday.
Veneration of the dead, specifically those who lead pious/righteous lives. This consists
of the intervention of an ascending, linked and unbroken chain of holy personages claimed
to reach ultimately to Muhammad, who Barelvis believe intercede on their behalf with God.
Visiting the 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, but which opponents
call "shrine-worshipping" and "grave-worshiping" and consider to be un-Islamic.
Use of devotional music. Leaving the beard to grow for men; the movement
views a man who trims his beard to less than a fist-length as a sinner, and shaving the
beard is considered abominable. Mosques
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. According to New Delhi analyst Sushant Sareen,
in contrast to the substantial financial support given by Saudi Arabia to the Deobandi, the
Barelvi movement in Pakistan receives very little of that kind of foreign support, thus
being the likely reason why Barelvi jihadist groups have been unable to get involved in
the Islamist and sectarian politics of that country. Having been supportive of the creation
of the republic of Pakistan, the Barelvi movement has traditionally held a strong following
in the country. Conflicts with the Deobandi
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.
Historically, relations between the Barelvi movement and Britain have been better than
those of other Islamic movements with the country. 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 R. Upadhyay writing on behalf of the India-based South Asia Analysis
Group has described as a myth the idea that Barelvism is more tolerant and moderate than
Deobandism. According to the same SAAG analysis, the "Deobandi-Barelvi rivalry is also known
to be rooted to their ethnic rivalry." Conflicts with 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, 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 SIC 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 4 January 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:
Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan Sunni Ittehad Council
Jamaat Ahle Sunnat Dawat-e-Islami
Sunni Tehreek In India:
Sunni Dawat-e-Islami, Islamic preaching movement All India Ulema & Mashaikh Board, a body of
Khanqaah of Kichawcha Shareef. Main institutions
Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, Uttar Pradesh, India Manzar-e-Islam, Bareilly, India
See also Kanzul Iman, an English/Urdu Quran translation
by Ahmad Raza Khan Notes
References Riaz, Ali. Faithful Education: Madrassahs
in South Asia. Rutgers University Press. Geaves, Ron. "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. Sufism in the West. Routledge. pp. 142–157.
Jones, Kenneth W.. Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British India, Part 3 1. Cambridge
University Press. Malik, Jamal, ed.. Madrasas in South Asia:
Teaching terror?. Routledge. Sanyal, Usha. "Ahl-i Sunnat Madrasas: the
Madrasa Manzar-i Islam, Bareilly, and Jamia Ashrafiyya, Mubarakpur". In Malik, Jamal.
Madrasas in South Asia: Teaching terror?. Routledge. pp. 23–44.
Sanyal, Usha. Ahmed Riza Khan Barelwi: In the Path of the Prophet. Makers of the Muslim
World. Oxford: Oneworld. Sirriyeh, Elizabeth. Sufis and Anti-Sufis:
The Defense, Rethinking and Rejection of Sufism in the Modern World. Routledge. ISBN 0-7007-1058-2.
Sirriyeh, Elizabeth. "Sufi Thought and its Reconstruction". In Taji-Farouki, Suha; Nafi,
Basheer M. 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