By
Saquib Salim, New Age Islam
2 March
2023
The formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885 was aimed at regrouping the Indians under one banner after the failure of the First War of Independence in 1857. Indian nationalists saw a ray of hope in Congress while British loyalists felt threatened. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, one of the most ardent advocates of British rule, opened a frontier against Congress. He expressed his views coated with the religious language of Islam, at Meerut in 1888.
Unity of faiths: A Representational image
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Sir Syed
claimed that Hindus and Muslims were two different Qaum (nations/societies)
with separate interests. He claimed that Christians were natural allies of
Muslims while Hindus were enemies. He told a gathering of more than 800
Muslims, “We ought to unite with that nation with whom we can unite. No Mohammadan
can say that the English are not ‘People of the Book’. No Mohammadan can deny
this: that God has said that no people of other religions can be friends of Mohammadans
except the Christians.” He went on to suggest that Muslims should develop
business relations with the British and not the Hindus.
Sir Syed
asked Muslims to boycott Congress because of its Hindu members.
Ulema,
Islamic Scholars, were at the forefront of anti-British war of Independence in
1857. They collaborated with Hindu Rajas, Zamindars, and chieftains to free
India. This collaboration was in sync with the brand of Islam they used to
teach.
A
screenshot of the Book Nasratul Abrar.
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Three Ulema
from Ludhiana: Maulana Muhammad Ludhianvi, Maulana Abdullah Ludhianvi, and
Maulana Abdul Aziz Ludhianvi issued a fatwa against Sir Syed’s call to boycott
Hindus and Congress. Inspired by Sir Syed, a Muslim resident of Bombay (now
Mumbai) Ali Muhammad asked if it was permissible to engage in trade and other
activities with Hindus. He also asked if Muslims should join the association
founded by Sir Syed instead of the ‘Hindu’ Congress.
Maulana
Abdul Aziz replied to this query while delivering a sermon that was documented
in the form of a fatwa by his brother Maulana Muhammad Ludhianvi. It must be
noted that both of them had fought against the British in 1857.
The fatwa
categorically said, “In worldly affairs, it’s completely alright to have
relations with Christians, Jews, and Hindus”. Islamic scriptures were quoted to
prove that the Prophet Muhammad and his companions maintained business
relations with Jews. The fatwa addressed Sir Syed’s claim that the Quran
directs Muslims not to befriend non-Muslims.
Maulana
said, “the meaning of this particular sentence of the Quran should be
understood in a sense that friendship with non-Muslims which hurts Islam and
Muslims is illegitimate”. It was told that only those Hindus who were trying to
kill or harm Muslims, could be boycotted otherwise Muslims should maintain
relations with Hindus.
The fatwa
told Muslims that it was fine to join Congress and that the call of Sir Syed to
boycott it was baseless. Rather, Maulana asked people not to join Sir Syed's
association. It went on to say that Muslims should not deal with Sir Syed and his
followers in worldly affairs. They should not have a business or marital ties
with his followers because they were not true to Islam. The boycott call made
by Sir Syed against Congress, Maulana said, applied to him and his associates.
Ulema of
Ludhiana then wrote letters to hundreds of Ulema in India and abroad to get
reiteration over this fatwa. A few of the most respected Islamic scholars of
the time gave their assent to the fatwa. These included Maulana Rashid Ahmad
Gangohi, Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi, Maulana Mahmud Hasan Deobandi,
attendants of Rauza al-Nabi Salallahu Alaihai Wasallam (sacred chamber
of the Prophet, Madina) and Rauza Abdul Qadir Jilani (Baghdad), etc.
Rashid
Ahmad Gangohi fought in 1857 and was one of the founders of Darul Uloom,
Deoband. He said that it was completely permissible for Muslims to maintain
friendly relations with Hindus. In his view even if Sir Syed genuinely wanted
good for the Muslim community he should not be supported and must be boycotted.
Ahmad Raza
Khan Barelvi went on to say, “they (Hindus) cannot be called Kafir-I-Harbi”.
He wrote that Hindus and Muslims enjoy similar rights under Islamic rule.
Barelvi believed that Muslims should maintain relations with Hindus "which
are beneficial for the whole nation”.
All these
endorsements to the original fatwa were fatwas in their own right and Maulana
Muhammad Ludhianvi and Maulana Abdul Aziz Ludhianvi compiled them in a book
named Nasratul Abrar. Though Ulema ruled in favour of Congress and against Sir
Syed’s Association yet they didn’t join Congress. It was due to their belief in
full freedom which was not the stand of Congress. The party demanded full
freedom almost four decades later.
The book is
a reflection on Islamic scholarship which denounces the usage of Islamic
vocabulary for political usage, as Sir Syed was trying to achieve. It further
proves that Islamic teachings are in agreement with Hindu-Muslim unity and a
united nation. The fatwa also points out that the invocation of certain politicians
that Muslims should have their political outfits has no Islamic basis otherwise
hundreds of Ulema wouldn’t have endorsed a ‘Hindu’ leadership of Congress for
Muslims.
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/fatwa-ulema-hindu-muslim-unity/d/129230
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