Deobandism Negates Influence of Local Culture on Islam While Barelvism Promotes Indian Islam
By
New Age Islam Staff Writer
21 March
2023
Culture Is the Bone Of Contention between the
Two Indian Sects
Darul
Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh | Commons
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The
Deobandi and the Barelvi sects represent two opposite views of Islam. They
differ on the interpretation of Tauheed and on the issue of assimilation of
local culture in Islamic practices, dress and fine arts. The difference in the
approach of the two schools of thought is rooted in history. Islam was
introduced to the people of the Indian sub- continent first by the Arab
traders, then by Muslim rulers and lastly by sufis. Indians knew about Islam
through the accounts of Arab traders who built the first mosque called Cheraman
mosque during the life time of the prophet of Islam pbuh. Then came Muhammad
bin Qasim in the 8th century who conquered Sindh and established an Islamic
state in Sindh. From then onwards, Sufis travelled to the different parts of
Indian sub- continent and spread the concepts of brotherhood, unity of God,
equality and piety among the people. Till that period, Islamic literature was
not available in compiled form and so sufis or religious teachers used to teach
the basics of Islam. The converts used to follow their cultural practices apart
from following the basic tenets of Islam. Sufis were liberal in their approach
to religion and so they did not oppose cultural practices of the Indian Muslims
so long as they followed the basic practices of Islam. Since Islamic literature
(Quran, Hadith and Islamic jurisprudence) was not available in Indian language,
the neo Muslims largely followed their cultural practices along with the
practices of their newly adopted religion. Literacy was minimum in those days
and so people knew about Islam through word of mouth. This is how what we can
call Indian Islam developed. This version of Islam was not in confrontation of
the dominant culture of India and Hindus and Muslims found many common grounds
to co -exist peacefully. The converted Muslims venerated sufis under whose
influence they converted to Islam as they venerated rishis and munis before
accepting Islam. This is the historical background of venerating shrines of
sufis by the Indian Muslims.
Shah
Waliullah is the first religious scholar who compiled Islamic literature in
India. He translated the Quran in Persian, the lingua franca of Mughal India
and popularised Hadith among the Muslims. The students graduating from his
madrasa, came out with the knowledge of Quran and hadiths and Islamic jurisprudence.
Gradually, Muslims of India became aware of the teachings of Quran and hadiths
in detail and became more aware of their religious identity. Then in 1866,
Deoband madrasa was established which followed and taught Quran, Hadith and
Hanafi jurisprudence which was already compiled at the behest of Emperor
Aurangzeb. Deoband madrasa stressed on the puritanical nature of Islam and
encouraged all dissociation from Indian cultural influences as un-Islamic. This
approach was supported by some hadiths that discouraged any resemblance with
the practices of the Jews. Thus visiting and venerating shrines of Sufis,
dancing and singing and dressing like non- Muslims was declared un- Islamic.
All this was, however, done on the basis of a conservative interpretation of
the Quran and hadith. Singing and music was not strictly prohibited by Islam.
There are instances from the life of the prophet pbuh when he allowed song and
music on special occasions. During the 30s, the rise of the Tablighi Jamaat
promoted this strict interpretation of Islam among the Indian Muslims. It may
have been the need of the hour for the reform of illiterate Muslims who were
not aware of the basic teachings of Islam and practiced what is called Biddat
in Islam. This group became an influential carrier of Deobandism in India.
It aimed at purification of Indian Muslim society from all local cultural
influences.
Ahmd Raza
Khan’s sect called Barelvi Maslak opposed Deobandism and recognised
local cultural influences. It recognised veneration of Sufis and saints and
recognised the stance of some sufis who allowed Raqs (dance) and Mausiqi
(music) as part of Samaa (Qawwali). Barelvism aims at promoting an
Indian version of Islam which respects and assimilates Indian cultural norms
into Islamic society of India.
However, at
some point, both resort to exaggeration which Quran disapproves. Deobandis
stresses on simplicity and strict adherence to piety that this version of Islam
becomes very difficult to follow in the modern scientific world while the Barelvis
sometimes become so liberal in the name of veneration of the holy prophet pbuh
and sufi shrines that elevate the prophet and the Sufis to the status of God.
The difference of opinion goes so far as declaring one another Kafir
(disbeliever). This is an unhealthy approach which both the sects should shun.
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Deobandis Arabising Indian Muslims
in Name of Islam—A Culture War Barelvis Fought For 150 Yrs
By Amana
Begam
18 March,
2023
Majority of
Indian Muslims follow the Barelvi school of thought, many others follow
Deobandism and other sects. Growing up, I didn’t have much of an idea about
schisms within the Muslim community. The Tablighi Jamaat, a non-political
Deobandi missionary organisation, had been reaching out to Muslims since the
1920s to teach the ‘right kind of Islam’, preaching ideas like venerating
shrines is shirk or sin of idolatry and should be avoided at all costs. It was
only in the 1990s that I witnessed conflict at home when some of the family
members went the Deobandi way — there were heated debates about whether or not
certain rituals were prescribed by Islam.
That’s how
I learnt that my family was a follower of the Barelvi version of Sunni Islam.
In fact, there are people who follow neither denomination and many other
diverse Islamic traditions exist in South Asia, I discovered.
The
Fundamental Difference
Barelvi and
Deobandi schools of thought originated in South Asia during the 19th century.
Their religious-political rivalry is considered one of the most significant
schisms within Sunni Islam and in the Muslim world. The most recent
manifestation of this over-a-century-old rivalry has been the debate on the
radicalism of the Deobandis — the alleged use of violence and terror,
especially in Pakistan. The antagonism started from an ideological battle that
saw influencing converts, propagating conflicted visions of the future with a
desire to dominate the new ‘Islamic’ polity.
The Barelvi
subsect emphasises the importance of the veneration of Prophet Muhammad and
Sufi saints. Barelvis believe in celebrating the Prophet’s birthday and are
known for using music and dance in their religious practices. They also believe
in intercession through the last messenger of Islam and his family. More than
two-thirds of India’s 17.2 crore Muslims prescribe to the Barelvi School and
follow Islam enriched by its contact with fertile local cultures and marvel at
Sufi traditions.
Whereas
Deobandi is a revivalist movement that emphasises the return to the original
practices of Islam — a back-to-basics approach to the faith. Deobandis focus on
the study of Islamic texts and the promotion of Islamic education, particularly
through madrasas. They reject the veneration of Sufi saints and emphasise
strict adherence to Islamic law and practice. Deobandism rejects all scientific
theories that are not integral to the study of the Quran and the Hadith. It
also rejects any form of culture, tradition, or even etiquette that does not
have its roots in Islam.
A
Culture War Too
On ground,
the most significant differences between the Deobandis and Barelvis are related
to local customs and traditions. While the Barelvi School never stressed much
on rejecting local customs or labelling them as “Hinduaana” and against
the Islamic spirit, the Deobandi movement always focused on a puritanical
version of Islam and began the Arabisation of Indian Muslims in the name of
Islamisation.
Followers
of the Barelvi School observe Eid Milad-un-Nabi, (the Prophet’s birthday) every
year. However, influenced by the Wahhabism movement, which originated in the
Arab world in the 18th century and is a subset of the broader Salafism,
Deobandi Muslims began to disapprove Eid Milad-un-Nabi celebration, considering
it an illicit religious innovation and calling it Bid’ah. While Barelvi
followers venerate shrines and the graves of their ancestors on Shab-e-Barat,
Deobandis argue that the practice is shirk because it is not observed in the
Wahhabi tradition in Arabia and should be banned in all parts of the world.
The two
schools also have differing opinions on music. Barelvis observe a ritual called
‘group Zikr’, the synchronised movement of the body while chanting the
names of God, and participate in Qawwalis.
Deobandis,
though, see most forms of music as haraam or forbidden. They have also exerted
a cultural influence on Indian Muslims in various ways — earlier, women used to
wear saris, dhotis, Mangalsutras and even Sindoor. Women in my
family never wore a veil but used a black Chaadar (sheet) to travel. Now
we see more and more Muslim women donning the Burqa or Abaya
after the Arabian tradition.
Khan vs
Khan
During the
18th and 19th centuries when Muslim political power was declining in India,
several new Islamic strains began making waves among the Muslim community in
the subcontinent. They can be classified into two principal groups.
One, the
‘purifiers’. They attributed the fall of the Muslims in part to the corruption
of the Ummah (the Muslim community), particularly in the subcontinent,
with the accretion of pagan rituals and philosophy and other ‘false practices’.
They were often erroneously lumped together as the ‘Wahhabis’.
Two, the
‘modernists’. They reinterpreted Islam in light of a “modern” (Western) perspective,
adhering to its science and philosophy. This approach was a direct result of
British rule in India, as most educated, upper-class Muslims struggled with
certain aspects of their faith when Western education, culture, and influence
made inroads into the community. This category is perhaps best represented by
Syed Ahmad Khan’s Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (now Aligarh Muslim
University) cadres.
This
milieu, which had its own wide spectrum of opinions and interpretations, marked
the majority of Indian Muslims’ fight against both the supposed Wahhabism of
the Deobandis (as well as the real Wahhabis) and the blasphemous modernism of
Aligarh. Ahmad Raza Khan, Islamic scholar in Bareilly, emerged as the ‘founder’
of the Barelvi movement.
The Deobandis
established their first madrasa, the Darul Uloom Deoband, in 1866 in Deoband to
impart training in Deobandi Islam. A few decades later, Ahmed Raza Khan founded
the first Barelvi School, the Jamia Razvia Manzar-e-Islam, in 1904 in Bareilly.
Khan spent a lifetime writing fatwas. While it is believed that Barelvi Islam
incorporates local culture, there has been a recent rise of radicalism in some
regions. Pakistan’s far-Right extremist Islamic political party the
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), is an example.
While
navigating the Deobandi-Barelvi rivalry, we forget a key important question:
What is their aim? The rivalry is more about the desire to dominate the Ummah.
And their visions, though differing on the idea of a future Islamic epoch, are
based on the glorious past of Islam. Though Indian Muslims may feel more
comfortable with the Barelvi sect, since it allows them to stay connected with
their culture and traditions, what role does the denomination play in
assimilating them into the mainstream?
-----
Amana
Begam Ansari is a columnist and TV news panelist. She runs a weekly YouTube
show called ‘India This Week by Amana and Khalid’.
Source: Deobandis Arabising Indian Muslims
in Name of Islam—A Culture War Barelvis Fought For 150 Yrs
hURL: https://newageislam.com/the-war-within-islam/deobandism-negates-influence-culture-barelvism/d/129367
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