Syncretic Islam: A Captivating Book on the Thoughts of A’la Hazrat Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi and His Paramount Relevance to the Modern day Islam
Reviewing
Syncretic Islam - Life, Characters and Times of Ala Hazrat Ahmad Raza Khan
By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
10 July
2021
Main
Points discussed in the Review
*The
book reports birth, noble family, several mystical events and command of ‘Ala
Hazrat over several branches of knowledge and science
*This
describes some popular beliefs and creeds of mainstream Indian Muslims that
distinguish them from Wahhabism
* ‘Ala
Hazrat’s stance on India being a Darul Islam, anti-Hijrat, and non-cooperation
movement
*The
collection of his Fatawa known as Fatawa Razviyya bears witness that ‘Ala
Hazrat was an encyclopaedia of Islam.
*Syncretic
Islam proved as a book available in the English language for the first time to
discuss with objectivity the Life and Times of Imam Ahmad Raza.
---------
Syncretic Islam, Life and Times of Ahmad Raza
Khan Barelvi
Authors: Anil Maheshwari and Richa Singh
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury India (2021)
----------
If you want to do a fascinating, brilliant, and objective study of the religious thought and career of one of the doyens of Muslim traditionalism and Syncretic Sunni-Sufi revivalism in South Asia called Imam Ahmad Raza and popularly known as ‘Ala Hazrat (1856-1921), Mr. Anil Maheshwari, and Ms. Richa Singh are your authors. “Syncretic Islam Life and Times of Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi” is a masterful narration in this respect by the two authors unlike “most writers who have approached the subject from points of view that are not free from conscious prejudging”. The authors clarify it saying, “It [this book] is not a dissertation of Ahmad Raza Khan’s merits or demerits or those of his contemporaries. It is merely an attempt to see him in a human light, to understand the admiration he garnered from followers as well as the hostility his stance generated among his opponents. A humble attempt has been made to look at him in the context of his life and times and the [Syncretic Sunni-Sufi] legacy he has left behind.”
The
authors beautifully overview the roots of several piercing questions
surrounding the Ahle Sunnat or Barelvi and analyze the multiple facets
constituting Imam Ahmad Raza Khan’s intellectual expansion, theological,
mystical, and jurisprudential augmentation and, in extension, the foundation
for a movement known to his followers as the Ahl-e Sunnat wa Jama’at
(“the devotees of the Sunnah and the broad community) and to all others
as “Barelvi” referring to a city in Uttar Pradesh, India where A’la
Hazrat was born and where he went to glory.
“A Pathan
by descent, Hanafi by religious mores, Qadiri by disposition
and Barelvi by nativity”, Syncretic Islam captures the astounding
contribution of Ahmad Raza Khan and attempts to explain how his highly
intellectual and spiritual influence defended the syncretic version of Islam
deeply rooted among mainstream Indian Muslims since the arrival of Islam in
India. In other words, ‘Ala Hazrat defended the popular spirit of Indian Islam
against the shackles of Wahhabism brought to India by Maulvi Ismael Dehlvi and
others who returned to India after learning the Wahhabi theology under
the patronage of those Arabs who had lost the mainstream Islam and adopted the
theological narratives propounded by Ibn Abdul Wahhab Najdi.
In its
first chapter, Syncretic Islam presents readers with the birth, home, and noble
family of ‘Ala Hazrat, a staunch Hanafi jurist with impeccable
credentials as a Sufi master in the Qadiri order, who “left an
ineradicable mark on the minds and hearts of the people through his piety,
sagacity, wisdom, prolific pen and eloquent tongue” and emerged as the most
prolific and charismatic personality of his era.
Under
the chapter “Baptism”, the book reports several mystical events of ‘Ala Hazrat
that attracted the great Sufi Masters of his era. His spiritual Murshid and pir Sayyid
Ale Rasul Marehrawi clarified why he gave Ahmad Raza both ijazat (spiritual
permission to enlist murids) and khilafat (spiritual ‘right to be
a successor and inheritor to the illustrious order of pirs) so early and
said to his other disciples, “you don’t know Ahmad Raza. The others who come
here need to be prepared and primed before gaining ijazat and khilafat.
But Ahmad Raza has come prepared from the home of the Almighty and through His
grace. All he needed was a link, and that is why I made him a murid immediately”.
His spiritual master Sayyid Ale Rasul “went on to explain that, like all other
men, he too would have to answer to God on the Day of Judgment, and when God
would ask him what he brought in His service, he could reply with a clean
conscience, ‘Lord, I have brought you, Ahmad Raza’. ‘Ala Hazrat was so humble
towards his spiritual master that after the death of his master, ‘whenever Ala
Hazrat went to Marehra to meet his murshid, he would take off his
shoes as soon as he got off the train and walk bare-feet to Shah Ale Rasul’s
abode’. This account is appealing to the readers, and as for the writing style
of the authors in this respect, this is expository and based on accepted
facts.
Syncretic Islam goes on to describe some popular beliefs and
creeds of mainstream Indian Muslims that distinguish them from Wahhabism and how ‘Ala Hazrat defended those beliefs that still binds millions of people
in the Indian subcontinent.
In the
chapter “Hands of Pulse of Politics and Yet…”, the authors discuss ‘Ala
Hazrat’s stance on India being a Darul Islam, anti-Hijrat, and non-cooperation movement. They say, “In his
wisdom and judgment, the fact that Muslims had the freedom to fulfill their
religious duties and obligations, and were free to conduct their personal lives
in accordance with Islamic precepts and law, made India a virtual Darul Islam”. ‘Ala Hazrat “did not agree with other ulama
that India under the British had become a Darul Harb or abode of war”.
On this subject, he wrote a book titled in Arabic, “E’laam-ul-A’alam bi Anna
Hindustan Dar-ul-Islam (declaration of the Ulama that India is an ‘abode of
peace)”. Referring to the theological reasons mentioned in the book, the
followers of ‘Ala Hazrat still maintain that India is Darul Islam and
therefore Hijrat is not mandatory from here.
The
book presents that in ‘Ala Hazrat’s opinion, “The Hijrat Movement, closeness with the Congress, formation of
militant Muslim organizations and other similar activities would only result in
the creation of a volatile and potentially harmful situation for Muslims”. His
stance was pure of religious significance and he never took interest in
misusing the Religion for dubious political interests. In the political
scenario, “He stayed aloof both from the British and Hindus.” His
opponents thereby accused him of being pro-British and anti-Hindu. The authors
report that ‘Ala Hazrat “did not look at the world that he lived in with a
political perspective. He concentrated mainly on religious beliefs and
practices. About the Hindus, he had aversion only when forced into a situation
of conflict, such as the cow slaughter issue, the communal riots, the shuddhi movement, etc.”
This
should also be known that, unlike his opponents, ‘Ala Hazrat was not interested
in binding the Hindu-Muslim relationship on the political friendship and enmity
or nefarious unity and disunity. His theological stance was clear that Hindus
are Hindus and Muslims are Muslims and that ‘there could be no blurring of identities
of the two. The Hindus worship cows, Muslims eat them. Hindus worship stones
and idols’, Muslims do not do so.
In one of my articles published on newageislam.com I said that in ‘Ala
Hazrat’s opinion If there could be any relationship between the Muslims and
non-Muslims, it could be that of peaceful coexistence that could be referred to as ‘Mu’aamalat’.
In his book titled “Al-Mahajjah al-Mu’taminah fi Ayat al-Mumtahinah, (The
Safe haven: in the verse of Mumtahinah)”, ‘Ala Hazrat theologically
outlined a middle path between Muwalat and Muaamalat and said:
“Muwaalat
(bearing Love and affection) is entirely different from Muaamalat
(giving consideration and conducting transactions with someone). The difference
between the two is like the distance between the sky and the earth. It is
permissible to conduct transactions and have dealings with anyone, except with
apostates like Wahhabis and Deobandis, in worldly matters, and
[matters] in which there is no harm for religious obligations.” The Dhimmi
is similar to a Muslim in all such dealings. “They shall have the same rights
and obligations as us”- (لهم ما لنا وعليهم ما علينا). It is permissible to
conduct transactions even with non-dhimmis. Transactions like buying and
selling, leasing and renting, giving and accepting gifts (upon the condition
that these gifts are permitted by the Shariah); and to purchase anything
from them when such goods are of benefit for Muslims; and to sell them anything
except weapons or such things that may be (mis)used to insult Islam. "So
also, it is permitted to employ them to do things that are not contrary to the Shariah,
and to accept employment of non-Muslims in permissible activities that are not
humiliating [to Muslims]; so also is hiring them and getting hired by them. It
is permissible to give them gifts as goodwill (Maslehat-e-Shariah) as
long as such gifts do not honour the rituals and religious customs of infidels,
and to accept their gifts as long as such gifts do not contravene or criticize
Islam. It is even permissible to marry a Christian or Jewish woman. As long as
they make peace with us, we shall be inclined towards them [in amity] – as long
as such treaties do not force us to make Halal (the permissible) as Haram
(the forbidden) and vice versa. So also, [it is allowed] to have contracts with
them, and have peace-treaties with them to a certain extent and when such a
permissible covenant is made, it is obligatory to fulfill it and it is
forbidden to betray or renege from such promises.”-- (Al-Mahajjah
al-Mu’taminah fi Ayat al-Mumtahinah, -The Safe haven: in the verse of
Mumtahinah)
Peaceful Coexistence in Islam: A Middle Path Between Al-Wala And Al-Bara?
‘Ala
Hazrat maintained that “by joining the Khilafat movement, the Muslims
would have to suffer religious, political, social, cultural, and economic
degradation. He did not participate in the Khilafat Movement primarily
for these reasons”. Moreover, in his book on the subject of the Islamic
caliphate (Khilafat), Dawam ul Aaish fi Aai’matil Quraish, ‘Ala
Hazrat laid out rigorous conditions for an Islamic caliph to be appointed.
In the
words of the authors, “A jurist of eminence, Ahmad Raza’s intellect was
penetrating and his rulings commanded respect. His ‘diatribes’ against other
scholars stemmed from the fact that he was far more erudite besides being
blessed with an uncann foresight compared to his contemporaries. His
influence upon his followers was greater than that of other contemporary
theologians in the subcontinent.” However there was a time when ‘Ala Hazrat had
to tolerate “the emotionally outrageous fatwa that pronounced anyone, including
him, a kafir if they did not consider the Turkey Sultanate as Khilafat-e-Sharia
and the Turkish Sultan as Khalifat-ul-Momineen, or the leader of the
believers.” The authors say, “It seems that whatever stance Ahmad Raza took
regarding political issues dominating the minds of most Indian Muslims, in the
long run, he proved to be right. He opposed the Khilafat Movement and
time proved him right. The movement failed badly. When Ahmad Raza opposed the Hijrat
Movement, people assailed him as pro-British but, with time, he was proven
correct. The Hijrat Movement failed as it had few takers. Ahmad Raza’s strident
opposition to the idea of Hindu—Muslim unity too later found a champion in
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the same political figure who shifted drastically from his
former stance and advanced the two-nation theory. All in all, Ahmad Raza seems
to come across as a man who had the intuitive sense to know how the cookie
would crumble. In this, he genuinely proved to a chip off the old block”.
The authors acquaint the readers with some noble traits of ‘Ala Hazrat in a separate chapter. They stress that “A’la Hazrat Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi was the virtual founder of Ahl-e-Sunnat, meaning true adherers of the Prophet’s Sunnat. Ahmad Raza was always preoccupied with issues related to faith, writing and issuing fatwas to resolve contentious matters and offering theological teachings and insight to his large number of followers and admirers……….In defining right and wrong and applying the principles of religious correctness, he neither favoured nor spared anyone. Anyone who came to him for help was never disappointed. As for attending to the needs of those who depended on him, he made it a point to send them regular financial help. This aid was not confined to residents of Bareilly; many people living elsewhere also received financial help from him on a regular monthly basis. To meet these expenses, he delved into his family resources and also drew from the contributions offered by followers”.
Other
traits were also characteristic of him. For instance, Ahmad Raza never burst
into loud laughter and hated it if anybody did so. While yawning, he always
covered his mouth with his hand so that no sound came out………In ablutions and
taking baths, he was a stickler for detail. He took extreme care not to spit or
stretch his feet towards the direction of the Kabah and used his right
hand for doing most things. If anyone offered him anything with the left hand,
Ahmad Raza would decline…………A’la Hazrat’s another characteristic trait was his
refusal to seek concessions for himself or his family.” He bought the things
only when the sellers “accepted the usual market rate price from him”. The
authors narrate a story in which Ala Hazrat said to one of his murids,
“Instead of thinking of punishing anyone, we must think of rewarding. And, if
we do not or cannot reward those who please us, we must not think of punishing
those who may have displeased us”. Syncretic Islam aspires to
provide many other noble traits of Ala Hazrat that must be a matter of great
interest for the readers.
Under the chapter “Intellectual Impulse”, the book draws attention to some events denoting ‘Ala Hazrat’s highly intellectual and God-gifted capability. After his first visit to the Kabah, ‘Ala Hazrat became quite famous in the Arab world and when he embarked upon his next pilgrimage to Makkah, “the Ulama from Hijaz in Arabia were keen on interacting with him”. In the words of the authors, “After he [‘Ala Hazrat] completed the haj, and was busy meeting various ulama of the Haramain, Shaikh Saleh Kamal, a leading theologian of Mecca, approached him with a set of five questions regarding Ilm-ul-Ghaib, or the knowledge of the unknown, with which Ahmad Raza thought the Prophet was blessed with. These questions were posed on behalf of the Wahhabi ulama of Arabia. Shaikh Kamal gave A’la Hazrat two days to frame his answers. Although reeling under high fever, caused by his chronic kidney ailment, and the exertions suffered through the hajj, Ahmad Raza took the challenge head-on. His answers were so detailed, comprehensive, irrefutable and convincing, that they left the Meccan ulama quite dazed. The answers ran into 400 pages and when the ulama learnt he had written them in the short span of eight hours, they were dumbstruck by his prolific pen. Ahmad Raza’s interaction with the ulama of Hijaz was marked by the wiles of the wiles of the Wahhabis’ intent of discrediting him. They tried to win over Muhammad Ratib Pasha, the governor of Mecca, and convince him that an Indian alim was in their midst to corrupt the faith of the Muslims. But the Hijaz ulama were convinced of Ahmad Raza’s piety, sincerity, and deep knowledge. Yet, shortly afterwards, Khalil Ahmad Ambethi, a Deobandi alim, tried to appease Ahmad Raza by offering him a tray full of gold coins. Offering gold coins as a token of respect is a custom among Muslims in several countries. By doing this, Khalil Ahmad tried to kill two birds with one stone. His idea, on one hand, was to soften Ahmad Raza’s stand towards Deobandis and, on the other hand, he wanted to prove to all and sundry that he had been accepted by Ahmad Raza as a supporter. But Khalil Ahmad’s plan boomeranged. Ahmad Raza rejected the offering.”
The
opponents of ‘Ala Hazrat Ahmad Raza made several failed efforts to degrade him.
The authors refer to this fact saying:
“The
campaign against Ahmad Raza did not, however, end there. The Wahhabi group had its supporters among the Meccan and Medinan
ulama too. Having failed in their repeated attempts to denigrate and
deter Ahmad Raza, they resorted to spreading canards. Ahmad Raza had decided to
spend a month in Mecca after the hajj was over. Hence, he sent the women
of his family ahead of him to India. His absence from the return party was
publicized by the Deobandis and Wahhabis as proof that the Meccan authorities had
arrested him and put him in jail. Their rumours got further credence among the
people when a short stay in Bombay after returning to India prolonged Ahmad
Raza’s return to Bareilly further. The Deobandis jeered at him by
spreading rumours of him being sentenced to prison and arguing that he would
never return to India alive. The Barelvis’ worries were, however, set to
rest when their anxious queries were answered by Shaikh Abdul Haque Muhajiri
who told them that Ahmad Raza was safe and he had left Mecca for Bombay.”
‘Ala Hazrat Imam “Ahmad Raza was accomplished in various disciplines and was
initiated into most of them by his father. These included translation of the
Koran, Hadith, and principles of Hadith; Islamic fiqh of all the four
schools—Maliki, Hanbali, Hanafi and Shafai; principles of fiqh;
dialectics; commentaries on Koran; principles of belief, debate, and rhetoric;
Arabic syntax; rhetoric devices; sciences dealing with rhetoric; language and
usage of metaphors; logic; philosophy; politics; physics; mathematics and physical
engineering. From other ulamas, he studied Islamic ethics, mysticism, Quranic
recitation, Islamic history, Arabic language, and literature....... Like his
understanding of the Koran and mastery over fiqh, Ahmad Raza’s command
over the rational sciences was unique. In 1911, the newspaper Dabdabae-
Sikandari carried a mathematical problem relating to quadrangular geometry
along with an appeal from Dr. Ziauddin, a renowned mathematician who was later
to become the vice-chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, to
mathematicians to solve it. A’la Hazrat not only solved the problem, but he set
another question and published it along with his answer. Dr Ziauddin was
surprised that a maulvi had solved his problem and sent another
question. In the meantime, Dr. Ziauddin solved the question sent by Ahmad Raza
but was even more surprised when the latter pointed out some flaws in the vice-chancellor’s
answer”, the authors say.
Syncretic
Islam quotes
some renowned scholars including the ideological opponents of Ala Hazrat, who
appreciated his intellectual impulse:
“Dr. Barbara Metcalf, historian and professor at the University of
California, Berkeley, points out that ‘Ahmad Raza was outstanding from the very
beginning on account of his extraordinary intelligence … was a towering figure
revered for his extraordinary memory, mental agility and intellectual capacity,
and honoured as a Mujaddid and Sheikh … he sought, above all, to guard
what he saw as correct practice and make religion vital in the personal life of
Muslims of his day.’
“When
it came to subjects like Hadith and principles of Hadith, Ahmad
Raza was an authority who knew the names and even the backgrounds of almost all
Hadith narrators. He was able to explain the type of Hadith, its
benefits, and the reasons behind that Hadith.
“Maulana
Abul ala Maududi said, ‘I have great respect in my heart for the knowledge and
status of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan. He has great foresight over the knowledge of
din and even his opponents are forced to accept this.’
“Ashraf
Ali Thanvi, a noted Deobandi scholar, said, ‘We have great respect for
Ahmad Raza Khan. He calls us kafirs, but he says this only on the basis
of his love for the Prophet and not out of any other reason.’
Another
scholar, Moinuddin Nadwai, said that Ahmad Raza Khan in his time was the
‘person of knowledge’. His every fatwa, be it in support or refutation of
anyone, is worthy of being studied.”
The
collection of his Fatawa known
as Fatawa Razviyya bears
witness that ‘Ala Hazrat was an encyclopaedia of Islam. “Syncretic Islam
discloses many accounts of Ala Hazrat’s intellectual impulse and his
irrefutable narratives against his opponents, notably Wahabis and Deobandis.
Other
chapters of the book titled “Ahle Sunnat: Energising Faith in Tough
Times”, “Barelvis’s Bitter Battle for Identity”, “Born to write
and rule through fatwa”, “The Azan Debate”, “Paeans of lord and prophet’s
glory” and “The crushing weight of history”—all provide the readers with the
interesting facts about the roles of Imam Ahmad Raza that largely influenced
the Muslims in South Asia and even inspired the scholars of Arabia. The authors
say, “Ahmad Raza was indeed a great scholar. Even the scholars of Arabia wrote
to A’la Hazrat regarding religious verdicts and received outstanding answers.
The Quran, Tafseer (commentary of the Quran), Hadith and fiqh
were his main fields but it is said that he was an expert in 105 subjects. It
was for these reasons that the ulama of India, for the first time in the
year 1900, began to write mujaddid (revivalist) alongside the name of
A’la Hazrat.”
The
followers of ‘Ala Hazrat today have issued several fatwas
against those groups which are committing terrorism and defaming Islam and
Muslims around
the world. Referring to one of the fatwas in this respect, the authors
say:
“Faced
with modern-day challenges, the seminary of the Barelvi sect issued a
fatwa in August 2016 against Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed
declaring him anti-Islamic. The fatwa was issued against the Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief by Mufti Mohammed Saleem Barelvi, a maulana
with Manzar-e- Islam Saudagaran, the seminary that is associated with Dargah
A’la Hazrat, in a reply to a question asked by Mohammed Moinuddin of Jaipur. It
said Saeed has no connection with Islam.
“According
to the fatwa, Saeed was a man with terrorist ideology, who with his acts has
brought infamy to Islam and Muslims across the world. Therefore, it was
compulsory for every Muslim to not follow him and keep away from his ideology.”
From
the beginning till the end, Syncretic Islam proved as a book available in the English language for the first time to discuss with objectivity the Life and
Times of Imam Ahmad Raza. The finest thing about the book is that the authors
have made an honest and objective approach to reproduce the history of A’la
Hazrat while maintaining its paramount relevance to the modern day Islam. It would be a matter of great interest for the
readers to go through the entire book.
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