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→Support: reword to actually fit the available sources. also, barelwis call themselves ahle sunnat, but their usage of the term is disputed by other movements
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===Support===
===Support===
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<!-- DO ANY/MANY OF THESE CITES ACTUALLY VERIFY BARELVI INVOLVEMENT IN THESE EVENTS??? -->
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]] Mecca and Medina, 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.
The Barelwi movement formed as a defense of the traditional mystic practices of South Asia, which it sought to prove and support.<ref name=riaz/><ref name=roy/> The [[All India Ulema & Mashaikh Board]], 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===
===Opposition===

Revision as of 06:39, 20 January 2013

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Barelvi movement
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Barelvi (Template:Lang-ur, /bəreːlviː/) is a term used for a movement of Sunni Islam originating in South Asia. The name derives from the north Indian town of Bareilly where its founder Ahmed Raza Khan (1856–1921) shaped the movement by his writings.[1] Although Barelvi is the commonly used term in 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 self-perception as forming an international majority movement.[2] The movement is much influenced by Sufism and the traditional Sufi practices of the Indian subcontinent, having formed both as reaction to reformist attempts of the Deobandi movement.[3][4]

Etymology

To its followers the movement is known as Ahle Sunnat wal Jama'at ("People of the traditions [of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad] 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.[5]

Presence

India Today estimates that the vast majority of Muslims in India adhere to the Barelvi movement,[6] and The Heritage Foundation gives a similar assessment for the vast majority of Muslims in Pakistan.[7] More than 35% of British mosques are administered by Barelvis as well.[8] Many of these mosques have been usurped by Saudi-funded radical organizations.[9] The switchover from Barelvi Islam to Deobandi Islam has resulted in the conversion of some mystically-minded Kashmiri expatriates to hardline Muslims.[10]

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 Muhammad's nature, which distinguish them from Deobandi, Salafi and Shia groups in South Asia:

  • He is noori bashar: a human (bashar) made from God's light (noor).[11]
  • He is hazir (present in many places at the same time).[12]
  • He is nazir (witnessing all that goes on in the world).[12]
  • He has ilm-e-ghaib (knowledge of the unseen/unknown).[13]
  • He is mukhtaar kul (having the authority to do whatever he desires as granted to him by God).[14]

Practices

  • 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 teacher) reaching ultimately to Mohammad, who intercede on their behalf with God.[17][18]
  • 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.[19][20][21][22]

Mosques

Relations with other movements

Support

The Barelwi movement formed as a defense of the traditional mystic practices of South Asia, which it sought to prove and support.[3][4] The All India Ulema & Mashaikh Board, 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

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.[27] 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.[28]

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.[29] 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.[30]

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.[31]

Sectarian violence

In the 1990s and 2000s, sporadic violence resulted from disputes over control of Pakistani mosques between Barelvi and Deobandi.[32] In May 2001, sectarian riots broke out after the assassination of Sunni Tehreek leader Saleem Qadri.[33] 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.[34][35] 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.[36] 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.[37]

Notable scholars

Early scholars

Present scholars

  • Mufti Mohammad Hanif Qureshi
  • Allama Muzaffar Hussain Shah Qadri

Notable organizations

In Pakistan, prominent Sunni Barelvi religious and political organizations include:

In the United Kingdom:

In the United States:

In India:

South Africa:

Main institutions

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Usha Sanyal. Generational Changes in the Leadership of the Ahl-e Sunnat Movement in North India during the Twentieth Century. Modern Asian Studies (1998), Cambridge University Press.
  2. ^ Understanding Islam: The First Ten Steps - C. T. R. Hewer - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  3. ^ a b Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia - Ali Riaz - Google Books. Books.google.com. 2001-09-11. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  4. ^ a b The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism - Olivier Roy, Antoine Sfeir - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  5. ^ Geaves 2006: 148
  6. ^ Sandeep Unnithan and Uday Mahurkar (2008-07-31). "The radical sweep". India Today. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  7. ^ "Pakistan plays Sufi card against jihadis | World War 4 Report". Ww4report.com. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  8. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deobandi#cite_note-10
  9. ^ http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009/03/26/story_26-3-2009_pg3_1
  10. ^ [title missing]. Daily Times (Pakistan), 28 March 2006
  11. ^ Ahmed Raza. "Noor o Bashar ::Islamic Books, Books Library". Faizaneraza.org. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  12. ^ a b N. C. Asthana & A.Nirmal. Urban Terrorism : Myths And Realities. Publisher Pointer Publishers, 2009 ISBN 81-7132-598-X, 9788171325986. pg. 67
  13. ^ Clinton Bennett. Muslims and modernity: an introduction to the issues and debates. Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005 ISBN 0-8264-5481-X, 9780826454812. pg. 189
  14. ^ Muḥammad Yūsūf Ludhiyānvī (1999). Differences in the Ummah and the straight path. Zam Zam Publishers. pp. 35–38. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  15. ^ Sirriyeh 1999: 49
  16. ^ Sirriyeh 2004: 111
  17. ^ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/islam-barelvi.htm
  18. ^ Martin Parsons (1 January 2006). Unveiling God: Contextualizing Christology for Islamic Culture. William Carey Library. pp. 149–. ISBN 978-0-87808-454-8. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  19. ^ Urban Terrorism: Myths and Realities - N. C. Asthana & A.Nirmal - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  20. ^ Urban Terrorism: Myths and Realities - N. C. Asthana & A.Nirmal - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  21. ^ "outlookindia.com". M.outlookindia.com. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  22. ^ Curriculum in Today's World: Configuring Knowledge, Identities, Work and ... - Lyn Yates, Madeleine Grumet - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  23. ^ The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism - Olivier Roy, Antoine Sfeir - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  24. ^ Tremors of Violence: Muslim Survivors of Ethnic Strife in Western India - Rowena Robinson - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  25. ^ Urban Terrorism: Myths and Realities - N. C. Asthana & A.Nirmal - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  26. ^ Indian Defence Review: April - June 2007 - Bharat Verma - Google Books. Books.google.com.my. 2008-02-19. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  27. ^ Haramayn refers to the Masjid al-Haram ("Sacred Mosque") in Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi ("Mosque of the Prophet") in Medina. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture
  28. ^ Gregory C. Doxlowski. Devotional Islam and Politics in British India: Ahmad Riza Khan Barelwi and His Movement, 1870-1920. The Journal of the American Oriental Society, Oct-Dec, 1999
  29. ^ Indian Muslims protest against Talibani terrorism. TwoCircles.net 17 June 2009
  30. ^ Pakistan’s Sunnis unite against Talibanisation. Thaindian News. May 9, 2009
  31. ^ Clashing interpretations of Islam. Daily Times (Pakistan), May 5, 2009
  32. ^ "Serious threat to Pakistan's civil society". The Hindu. Chennai, India. April 18, 2006.
  33. ^ "Serious threat to Pakistan's civil society". The Hindu. Chennai, India. April 18, 2006.
  34. ^ Bomb carnage at Karachi prayers, BBC Online, 11 April 2006
  35. ^ Special Coverage of Nishtar Park bombing, Jang Group Online
  36. ^ "One dead as ST tries to take control of Ahle Hadith mosque" Daily Times (Pakistan), April 11, 2007
  37. ^ Sectarian clashes kill seven in Pakistan, Agence France-Presse via Sydney Morning Herald, February 28, 2010

References

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