Puritan Shift: Evolution of Ahl-i-Hadith Sect in the Punjab; A Discursive Study (1880-1947) Name: Amir Khan Shahid Session: 2008-2011 Roll No: 85-GCU-PhD-HIS-08 Department: History GC UNIVERSITY LAHORE i Puritan Shift: Evolution of Ahl-i-Hadith Sect in the Punjab; A Discursive Study (1880-1947) Submitted to GC University Lahore in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Ph D In History By Name Amir Khan Shahid Session: 2008-2011 Roll No: 85-GCU-PhD-His-08 Department: History GC UNIVERSITY LAHORE ii iii iv v vi DEDICATED To My Parents and teachers vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, who enabled me to successfully complete this work. Then, first of all, I owe special gratitude to the honourable, Chairperson of History Department, Prof. Dr. Tahir Kamran, for his constant support and encouragement, both during the course work as well as the research work. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor respected Dr. Farhat Mahmud, who helped, encouraged and guided me throughout the process of research. I cannot forget his affectionate behavior during the whole course of my studies. I pay my warmest thanks to my ideal Prof. Dr. Irfan Waheed Usmani who devoted a lot of time in checking my work and giving necessary direction to address the queries suggested by Francis Robinson, Babra D. Metcalf, and Dietrich Reetz. He checked about three initial drafts of my thesis thoroughly and made it possible for final submission. Without the kind favour of Tahir Kamran and Irfan Waheed Usmani, I was unable to complete my research work. I am also very grateful to the whole faculty members of the History Department of Government Collage University, but especially to Dr Hussain Ahmad Khan who helped me in the improvement of my thesis. I am also thankful to all the employees of the libraries, I consulted during my research. I am thankful to Munawar Abbas Shah, Government Talim-ul-Islam College Chinabnagar (Rabwah) who helped me in consultation of literature at Khilafat Library Chinabnagar (Chiniot). I worked at Dar-ul-Dahwa Salafia Libraray, Lahore for many years. I pay special thanks to all the members of this Library. Finally, I am deeply indebted to my family, especially to my parents and wife, then my brothers, whose love, prayers and cooperative support helped me a lot to fulfill this research work successfully, and who looked after my children in my absence. viii Transliteration This thesis utilizes several Hindi, Persian, Urdu and Punjabi words. All the words or terms except the proper nouns or words that are familiar in English, all the other words or terms italicized in the text. I have transliterated foreign terms primarily on the pattern of John T Platts’s A Dictionary of Urdu, Clasical Hindi, and English. I also follow Barbara D. Metcalf‘s scheme which she used in her work Islamic He .چ and غ Revivalism in British India. I differ with Platts in the use of Urdu letters transliterates these letters as ‘g’ and ‘c’ respectively whereas I use ‘gh’ for the and ch for ݘ. I used in this thesis Ahl-i-Hadith instead of Ahl-i-hadīs used غ alphabet by Platts. Furthermore, I used the ezafat by –i- rather than –e-. ix ABSTRACT This study focuses on the puritanical impact of Ahl-i-Hadith revivalist movement on the transition of the Sufi ethos of the Punjab during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century. One can define Shrine-centered Islamic tradition as a defining feature of the Sufi ethos in the Punjab during the medieval period (11th-18th centuries). The Sufi ethos constitutes equality, social justice, Suleh Kul, Wahdat-ul-Wajud ideology, and accommodationist vision. All these factors of the Sufi tradition of the Punjab created pluralistic outlook among the masses. This tradition left indelible imprints on the local culture, particularly imparting values like tolerance, humanism, and social equality. The growth of Shrine-centered Islam in the Punjab was a reaction against the social stratification solidified by the caste system which became more rigid with the passage of time. The origin of this tradition dates back to Vedantic tradition, however, its contours were further sharpened when Ibn Arabi’s (1165-1240) Wajudi ideas permeated in the philosophical discourse of sufis in the subcontinent. In Punjab, Baba Farid Ganj Shakar (1175-1265) emerged as the main exponent of this philosophy. The reform movement of Ahl-i-Hadith ultimately questioned this strong Sufi tradition since later half of the nineteenth century. The study deals with the subsequent religious transition of a reasonable segment of the Punjabi Muslims. It concentrates on the particular aspects of Ahl-i-Hadith Movement i.e.; emphasis on scriptural Islam, direct recourse to Quran and Hadith, opposition to the prevailing four schools of Islamic Jurisprudence, rejection of all sufi forms of Islam (muharram, urs, qawwāli, gyārahwin of Abdul Qadir Jillani, pilgrimage to the graves of the Prophets and saints, majlis-i-milād (birth anniversary of Holy Prophet), simah-i-maota (listening of the dead) and observance of various ceremonies associated with death rites, i.e. Qul sharif, Satavan (seventh day ceremony after death) and Chaliswan (ceremony on the fortieth day after death). Rejection of contemplation and attempts to expunge Sufism remained the hallmark of this movement as they emphasized on this - worldly responsibilities of the Muslims rather than out-worldly asceticism (denial of this world and bodily contemplation) of the Sufis. x They through the establishment of their own religious seminaries in the cities and towns of the Punjab and engaging in munāzara tradition with non-Muslims (Arya Samajis, Christian missionaries,) and Muslim sects (Shias, Barelvis, Deobandis, and Ahmadis) were able to draw a certain segment of the Muslim population towards them. Moreover, this study seeks to establish a connection between the contestation of puritanical Ahl-i-Hadith Movement with the colonial modernity; such as the western type of education and Missionary Agency, translation of scriptures into local languages and technology of printing. This agency of modernity helped in solidifying the literal interpretation of the Quran and Hadith that was the main feature of the Ahl- i-Hadith Movement. By emphasizing this aspect, I do not suggest that this contestation led Ahl-i-Hadith Movement to re-conciliate with modernity rather it highlights how this Movement made use of various tools of modernity for the dissemination of its puritanical teachings. The Ahl-i-Hadith Movement tried it best to adopt those features of the Colonial modernity that helped them in the dissemination of their ideas far and wide of the country. This movement was primarily sprouted from Delhi and spread throughout India and hence in the Punjab. The scholars of this movement stood for the cause of Islam declared the Sufi practices as innovations and created a reasonable following. This thesis attempts to formulate a new and comprehensive analysis of the Ahl-i-Hadith movement. xi TABLE OF CONTENTS Puritan Shift: Evolution of Ahl-i-Hadith Sect in the Punjab; A Discursive Study (1880-1947) INTRODUCTION 0.1 Statement of the problem 01 0.2 Contextualising the Rise of Ahl-i-Hadith Movement: 06 02.1 The Influence of Teachings of Ibn Taymiyya (1263-1328) 06 0.2.2 The Impact of Waliullahi Movement 08 0.2.3: The Advent of Modernity in Indiaand its Encounter with 11 the Waliullahi Movement 0.3 The Ahl-i-Hadith Movement and its Puritanical Streaks 19 0.4 Review of Literature 23 0.5 Approach and Methodology 37 0.6 Organization of the Study 52 CHAPTER- 1 Modernity and the Response of Religious Communities in 56 India during the Post-1857 Era 1.1 Explaining the Term Modernity 58 1.2 The Advent of Modernity in India: An Overview 60 1.3 The Response of Indian Religious Communities to Modernity 64 1.3.1 The Response of Hindu Community to Modernity 64 1.3.2 The Response of Muslim Religious Communities to Modernity 71 1.4 The Engagement of Ahl-i-Hadith with Modernity. 85 CHAPTER- 2 The Growth of Ahl-i-Hadith in Punjab Ulamā, Madaras, and 87 Instruction 1880-1930 2.1 Ahl-i-Hadith in the Punjab in late nineteenth century: An Overview 89 2.2 The Pioneers of Ahl-i-Hadith Movement 97 2.2.1 Sayed Nazir Hussain and Madrasa-i-Naziriyya: Their influence 97 in Punjab 2.3 The Prominent Ulamā of Ahl-i-Hadith 100 2.3.1 Abdullah Ghaznavi and Abdul Jabbar Ghaznavi. 100 2.3.2 Sana Ullah Amritsari and the Dissemination of the Religious 104 Message of Ahl-i-Hadith 2.3.3 Hafiz Abdul Mannan Wazirabadi: Ustad-i-Punjab. 107 2.4 Organization of Ahl-i-Hadith Madrasas in Punjab 108 2.4.1 Amritsar 110 2.4.2 Ferozepur 114 2.4.3 Gujranwala 118 2.5 The Reaction of Barelvi Ulama against the Ahl-i-Hadith 126 2.6 Syllabus of Ahl-i-Hadith Madrasas in Punjab 129 2.6.1 The Syllabi of Traditional Muslim Madrasas in the Eighteenth 131 and Nineteenth Century: A Brief Synoptic View 2.6.2 The Syllabus of Ahl-i-Hadith Madrasas 130 2.7 Ahl-i-Hadith Movement and its Engagement with Print Culture 132 2.7.1 Major Publications of the Ahl-i-Hadith Movement 1880-1920 134 2.8 The Expansion and the Growth of the Ahl-i-Hadith 137 xii 2.8.1 Charting the Course of the Ahl-i-Hadith Movement in the 139 States of the Punjab 2.8.2 The Population Figures of Ahl-i-Hadith in the Punjab 141 CHAPTER- 3 Role of Ahl-i-Hadith in Munāzara Tradition in Punjab 1880-1930 142 3.1 Overview 143 3.2 Activities of Christian missionaries and the rise of Communal 149 Antagonism in Punjab 3.3 Muslims and their responses