India's 78th Independence Day: The Role of Sufi Mystics Recalled at All India Ulama & Mashaikh Board's Brainstorming
By
New Age Islam Correspondent
15 august
2024
Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam Columnist
And Indo-Islamic Scholar And Author Recounted: There Are Scores Of Stories Of
How Sufi Saints Struggled To Protect The Soil And The Land Of India From The
Clutches Of The British Colonialism, And How They Helped Or Directly
Participated In The First And The Last War For The Freedom Of India. Thousands
Of Sufi Mystics And Scholars Were Victimized, Brutalised And Many Martyred In
Their Freedom Struggles And Residences.
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On the eve
of 14th August, a pre-independence evening “Ek Sham Azadi Ke Parwanon Ke
Naam” was celebrated and organized on by an apex body of Sufi-Sunni Muslims
in India—All India Ulama & Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) at Minhajul Qur’an’s
Indian chapter, Minhaj Learning & Research Centre (MLRC) in Shaheen Bagh,
New Delhi. It brought together scholars, students and social activists from
various Sufi circles for a brainstorming on the theme: “The Role of Sufi
Mystics in Indian Independence”.
Ghulam
Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam Columnist and Indo-Islamic scholar and author
recounted: There are scores of stories of how Sufi saints struggled to protect
the soil and the land of India from the clutches of the British colonialism,
and how they helped or directly participated in the first and the last war for
the freedom of India. Thousands of Sufi Mystics and scholars were victimized,
brutalised and many martyred in their freedom struggles and residences.
Dehlvi
highlighted the role of Sufi scholars in global freedom movements and then
concentrated on some Sufi scholars who played an important role in struggling
against French colonialism and British imperialism. He argued that most of
Muslim Mystics are obscured for what they have done such as resisting British
and French occupation. While the western orientalists portrayed Sufis as an
isolated people in dark corners who believed imperialism was the fate of a
nation and thus the Divine Writt (Taqdeer) which was to be
accepted unquestionably, there’s also a miasma of misconception about their
role in the Indian Freedom Movement, he said.
But in
reality, Sufis were deeply interested and actively engaged in what they called
“Sufiyana Jihad” against Imperialism. They have fought and struggled to achieve
either liberation or martyrdom in the freedom movements with an inspiration
emanating from the concept of Wilayat conflated with Shahadat of Imam
Ali (AS) and Imam Hussain (RA). Even Mahatma Gandhi said: I learnt from Imam
Hussain how to achieve victory despite being oppressed, Dehlvi averred.
India’s top
Sufi Ulema declared the rebellion for freedom as “Wajib-e-Deeni” (religious
obligation). They issued an anti-British fatwa while actively participating in
the blood-spattered insurgents. Among the most forgotten Sufi Ulema who
valiantly campaigned for an independent India were: Maulana Sadruddin Azurda
Dehlvi, Maulana Ahmadullah Shah Madrasi, Maulana Fazle Haq Khairabadi, Maulana
Kifayat Ali Moradabadi, Maulana Rahmatullah Kairanvi, Imam Bakhsh Sahbai Dehlvi
and Maulana Wazir Khan Akbarabadi. These Ulema were imbued in an Indian strain
of Islam with a pluralistic and nationalistic ideology originally underpinned
by the Sufi mentors such as Mirza Mazhar Jaan-e-Jaanan (1195-1781), Shah Abdul
Aziz Dehlvi (1239-1824), Qazi Sana’ullah of Panipat (1225-1810), Shah Rafiuddin
Dehlvi (1233-1818) and Mufti Sharfuddin Rampuri (1268-1852). Their exhortation
of “Hubb-ul-Watan” (love for the nation) was the driving force behind their
fierce struggles and sacrifices in the Independence movements from 1857 to
1947. Mr. Dehlvi then reproduced prominent examples from the Sufi Ulema’s
traditions and historical accounts.
Maulana ZafruddinBarkati, editor of Urdu monthly Kanzul Imaan highlighted Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi whose Fatwa-e-Jihad propelled the Muslims in India into a mass rebellion against the British. Khairabadi was a Sunni-Sufi classical Islamic scholar and a prolific writer. He rendered various literary services to the country’s liberation cause. A theological refutation of British colonialism titled as Al-Thawra Al-Hindiyya translated into Urdu as “Baghi-e-Hindustan” (Indian Rebels) was his remarkable literary contribution to India’s first freedom war—1857. Khairabadi also countered the Wahhabi onslaught on Indian Islam in his times and wrote “Tahqeequl Fatwa Fi Ibtal al-Taghwa” (a reasoned fatwa in refutation of the evil) with a view to rebutting Ismail Dehlvi's “Taqwiyat al-Imān”.
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He was the
person who drafted the constitution for the Indian Empire led by Bahadur Shah
Zafar in which cow slaughter was banned and other communal issues were dealt
with in a sagacious manner.
Maulana
Barkati said the first person to call for complete non-cooperation with the
British and drive them out of India was noted Sufi scholar Shah Abdul Aziz
Muhaddith Dehlvi. Peer Jhandewala Rashidullah was one of the most important
conspirators of the Silk Movement during the Freedom War I. He was also a Sufi.
Even Bahadur Shah Zafar was also a Sufi devotee with full devotion to the
Chishti Order and was the spiritual guru of Tipu Sultan. In his memoir “Al-Thawra
Al-Hindiya” translated in Urdu as Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind (Causes
for the Indian Revolt), Sir Syed Ahmad has also noted a few more Sufis who
struggled against British imperialism.
Maulana
Abdul Moid Azhari, a graduate of Al-Azhar University of Egypt currently serving
as President of AlUMB Youth Wing, spoke of Sufi Fakir Majnu Shah Burhan of the
Madariya Sufi Order founded by Qutb Shah Madar who played a key role in the
first Indian freedom struggle. Initiated into the 'Deewanagan' branch of
Silsila Madaria, Majnu Shah actively participated in India’s freedom struggle.
Much before the First War of Independence in 1857, he had launched the
'Faqir-Sanyasi' movement against the East India Company. It was in February
1771 when he first encountered the East India Company's army led by Lieutenant
Feltham in Dinajpur, West Bengal. After the British conquest of Bengal in the
Battle of Plassey (1757), when the Zamindars, peasants and commoners stood up
against the British Raj, a Bengali Sufi resistance also rose up against the
foreign colonial power. Maulana Azhari said:
“It was the
movement of Muslim mystics and Fakirs along with some Hindu Sanyasis led by a
non-Bengali speaking Sufi saint. Majnu Shah as a great devotee of Shah Madar
Sufi shrine at Makanpur (U.P) met Pir Hamiduddin who exhorted him: United these
Fakirs and Sanyasis [mystics from among Muslims and Hindus] and throw the
oppressive regime out of India….Take up arms along with them, snatch away rice
and money from the Firangees (the British) and distribute them among the
starving people”.
This is how
Sufi mystics gave a tough fight to British colonialism in India by not just
attacking their treasuries and resources but also bringing them back to those
who owned and deserved them, Azhari concluded.
Dr Syed
Shadab Hussain Rizvi Ashrafi, Delhi-based Sufi activist and Member Delhi State
Haj Committee said, Sufi Ulama took considerable part in freedom movement of
India strengthening social harmony at every level right from Delhi to Lahore,
Badaun to Farangi Mahal, Khairabad to Jaunpur and Deoband to Bareilly. “The
movement which started from 1857 and completed in 1947 is full of thousands of
sacrifices and struggles of the Sufi ulema along with other brothers and
sisters of the country to achieve freedom. Maulana Ahmadullah Shah Madrasi, a
renowned Sufi cleric, and one of the main leaders and planners of the 1857
Indian Revolt (Baghawat-e-Hind) considered a great commander of warriors, led
the Indians to many victories before he was martyred.
Ulema did
not only sacrifice and struggle for freedom; they also played a crucial role
during the partition and afterwards to maintain the social harmony in the
country. Maualana Abul Kalam Azad and all other leading ulema of Sufi, Shia,
Sunni, Deobandi and Barelvi schools had a significant role in their respective
areas being in close contact to the society, community and the government.
Common Muslims would listen to their sermons as they were directly in touch
with common people. Thus, they were able to greatly help in shaping the society
and maintaining the social harmony in better ways, he said.
The host of
the event Advocate Yunus Mohani and the AIUMB office bearer and coordinator Md.
Azeem Ashrafi jointly thanked the scholars and students. They said it was time
to remember the rich contributions of Sufi scholars in the freedom movement,
and the AIUMB is trying to spread awareness about the legacy of Sufi Ulema and
Mashaikh especially in campuses and among the university students. With their
vote of thanks, the I-Day celebration event came to a conclusion.
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