Syed Ahmed Barelvi

• Syed Ahmed Barelvi was born near Lucknow in a small town named Rai Bareli in 1786.
• Syed Ahmeds father had passed away when he was young.
• Syed Ahmed enrolled in the madrassa Rahimiya in 1806 where he studied under the sons of Shah Waliullah for 2 years learning the Qur'an and Hadith.
• Since Syed Ahmed was more of a man of action than a scholar, he joined the forces of a Pathan military leader, Amir Khan in 1810.
• While with Amir Khan, Syed Ahmed learned how to use European weaponry and also showed himself to be so able that he was given command of a group of soldiers.
• Syed Ahmed left the forces of Amir Khan in 1817 to return to Delhi where his work became important in restoring Islam to its original purity.
• Syed Ahmed believed that the freedom of Muslims can only come from an armed struggle with the non Muslim forces that were oppressing them. Syed Ahmed was ideal for this as he was a man of action.
• Syed Ahmad wanted to work against the British as he believed that Muslims should rule Fellow Muslims.
• Since Syed Ahmed wanted to improve the lives of the Muslims, he surrounded himself with men of great piety who were ready to reject worldly wealth for improving the lives of the Muslims.
• Syed Ahmed founded the Jihad movement which was an armed struggle to over throw non Muslim power as the British had ensured that the Mughals had little real power and the Sikhs were dominant in Punjab.
• Syed Ahmed also believed that after the Jihad movement, Islam could be rejuvenated and rescued from beliefs and customs contrary to Islamic beliefs which had crept into daily life.
• In 1821 Syed Ahmed went for Hajj before which he travelled around India to hold meetings to spread his beliefs about Jihad.
• Syed Ahmad returned from Hajj In 1823 and he was ready to take action
• At the time, Punjab was in the control of the Sikh regime of Ranjit Singh who had extended his control into the North west frontier. Syed Ahmed thought this was the place to launch his jihad.
• Syed Ahmad toured Punjab and the North west frontier to enlist men to fight the Sikhs. To raise the Mujahedeen force, he also travelled to Rajasthan, Sindh, Balochistan and Afghanistan.
• In 1826, he set up his headquarters near peshawar. He sent a message to Ranjit Singh to allow muslims freedom of worship or face the Mujahedeen. Ranjit Singh dismissed the ultimatum.
• On 21 December 1826, Syed Ahmed attacked at Akora and shortly afterward at Hazrothe and the Sikhs suffered defeat.
• Syed Ahmeds Mujahedeen force was of over 80000 people and men of so many different communities disagreed and fought over their differences. The Sikhs tried to exploit these differences, by calling the army un islamic, but Muslim leaders did not accept this view and unanimously decided that Syed Ahmad should assume the authority of an imam. This united the forces and increased authority.
• Syed Ahmad was preparing to attack the fort of attock when he encountered a force of 35000 Sikhs near Akora.
• In the unexpected encounter with 35000 Sikhs in Akora, the Sikhs had bribed one of Syed ahmeds Pathan chief, Yar muhammad Khan. First Syed Ahmed was poisoned and then Yar Muhammad khan deserted the battlefield along with his men, creating chaos and defeat for the mujahideen force.
• After the defeat at Akora, Syed Ahmed moved his headquarters to Panjtrar near Kashmir.
• After his betrayal in the Battle at Akora, Yar Muhammad khan was killed by the mujahideen forces.
• To avenge the death of his brother, Sultan Muhammad khan also waged war against Syed Ahmad and since Syed Ahmad did not want this inconstant campaigning between fellow Muslims, he moved headquarters to Balakot.
• Balakot was was thought to be safe as it was protected by mountains on 3 sides. However, Syed Ahmad was betrayed again as local leaders told Sikh forces a way through the mountains. The Sikhs made a surprise attack on the Muslims. The battle was heavily contested despite the Muslims being heavily outnumbered. This battle is known as the battle of Balakot of 1831 and the Muslims suffered defeat with 600 mujahideen soldiers killed, including Syed Ahmad and his commander Shah Ismail.
• The defeat in the Battle of Balakot was a serious setback for the Jihad movement which slowly declined in the years that followed.
• Syed Ahmads work was very influential as it was the first example in Indian history of a movement formed to free the Muslims from the non Muslim or foreign rulers.
• The Jihad movement was also influential as it was not a movement to place a particular leader in order but to achieve religious and spiritual freedom.
• The Jihad Movement was also a uniting force for the Muslims.
• Many historians regard the Jihad movement as the forerunner for the Pakistan movement. Syed Ahmeds efforts are an inspiration to all Muslims in defending their religion, their culture and freedom. Syed Ahmed was seen as the biggest Inspiration for people to fight for Pakistan.