SAYYID AHMAD SHAHID

After the death of Alamgir Aurangzeb in 1707, political chaos, cultural decline and religious decay prevailed in the Indo sub-continent. Only the indefatigable work of the great Mujaddid, Shah Waliullah (1703-1762) provided a gleam of hope in the darkness. The most striking consequence of Shah Waliullah’s struggle for Islamic regeneration was the emergence of a powerful movement to combat British and Sikh forces from without and moral and spiritual corruption from within. The man who strove more than anyone else to fulfil Shah Waliullah’s mission was Sayyid Ahmad Shahid. He was born at Rae Bareli on November 29, 1786. As was customary among the Muslims of those days, he began his education at the age of four. But unlike his brothers, he took little interest in his studies. It is related that during the first three years of his schooling, he learned only a few chapters of Quran by rote and could write but a few words. His elder brothers appeared to be much worried over his lack of interest in his studies but his father asked them not to fret for him.

“Leave him to God. He would do whatever is best for him. There is no use worrying about him….” Later during the course of his studies, Sayyid Ahmad had the peculiar experience that his eyes could not see the written word. Although he showed great enthusiasm in the study of Quran and Hadith, he was not attracted to other subjects. Some thought he was physically ill but this proved to be but a sign from God that he was not meant for reading or writing. However, 2 he did learn enough Persian to speak fluently in that language. He often quoted the verses of the great Persian poet, Hafiz, in his discourses. He also studied some textbooks of Arabic under his elder brother and later took lessons from the Traditions of the Holy Prophet from Shah Muhammad Ismail in Delhi.

Sayyid Ahmad Shahid was very fond of athletics; particularly those sports which involved exertion and contest. He often used to divide his playmates into two teams, each of which he tried to vanquish the enemy in mock battles. The young Sayyid excelled in wrestling, swimming and archery and consequently developed a robust physique. He could practice these exercises for hours without showing any sign of fatigue.

He had several dumb-bells weighing forty, sixty and eighty pounds for gymnastic exercises.

The result was that he had acquired such great physical strength that once he lifted a heavy stone lamp-post and carried it about twenty paces. Then he threw it with such force that it became embedded deep into the ground. As the other wrestlers had only been able to lift it with great difficulty, people found it difficult to believe that the pillar could have been moved from its place by a single man.

He was also a very strong swimmer.

From his childhood days, Sayyid Ahmad was obsessed by desire to wage Jihad.

His elders dismissed this enthusiasm as mere childishness except for his mother who never had any doubts about the capability of her son. As Sayyid Ahmad grew older, he developed a passion for spending long hours in prayers and remembrance of Allah. He often spent the whole night in vigils recollecting Allah and contemplating the injunctions of the Quran. Similarly, social service caught his imagination so ardently that he never hesitated in performing the drudgery of his neighbours nor was there any task too humble for him.

He would regularly visit the widows, old and invalids to perform their household chores. As most of these neighbours held the Sayyid’s family in reverence, they felt embarrassed in taking his assistance but, ignoring what others thought or said about him, the Sayyid fetched water, foraged for fuel from the forest and attended to the domestic duties of the poor, the sick and the crippled. Thus from his earliest years, the Sayyid led a chaste and unblemished life.

In 1803-1804, when Sayyid Ahmad Shahid reached 17 or 18 years of age, he set out for Lucknow with seven companions, mostly relatives, to seek employment. Although they had to cover a long distance, they had only one pack-horse. The Sayyid, however, never took his turn to ride on the horse but always withdrew in favour of somebody else. When they had covered little more than half the distance, everyone was too exhausted to continue the journey with their heavy baggage.

No porter was available. But Sayyid Ahmad tied up the luggage of them all in a big blanket and carried this great load on his head, thanking his companions for giving him an opportunity to be of service to them.

Sayyid Ahmad had only a few copper coins which he decided to spend when his pangs of hunger grew unbearable. He purchased a little coarse brown sugar and parched gram and barley but he had hardly begun eating when a beggar came forward, saying that he had not had anything to eat for two days.

The Sayyid gave away his food and spent the night in prayers and 4 vigil.

Exhausted and suffering from blisters on his feet, he decided to spend a few days in a mosque to regain his strength before resuming his journey. However, a man who had come to perform his prayers enquired about him. On coming to know that he was the son of Sayyid Muhammad Irfan, his spiritual guide, the man took the Sayyid to his home where he gave him food, rest and treated the blisters on his feet.

He also provided Sayyid Ahmad with transportation for the rest of his journey. In this manner, Sayyid Ahmad finally arrived at Delhi.

As soon as he reached Delhi, Sayyid Ahmad went straight to Shah Abdul Aziz, the eldest son of Shah Wali-ullah, who enquired about his family, home and the purpose of his visit. On coming to know that the Sayyid’s maternal grandfather and uncle were those he highly revered, he at once shook hands with him and embraced him warmly. Thereafter Shah Abdul Aziz asked a servant to take the Sayyid to his younger brother’s house near the mosque and that every honour and care should be extended to his guest. Under the guidance of Shah Abdul Aziz, Sayyid Ahmad began studying Arabic and Persian and although he did not distinguish himself as a scholar, he astonished everyone with his powerful intellect and learned enough Arabic to acquire deep insight into the Faith and wrote lucid and chaste Persian.

In 1804, Sayyid Ahmad took Ba’it on the hands of Shah Abdul Aziz, thus accepting him as his spiritual guide. Shah Abdul Aziz carefully guided Sayyid Ahmad to the spiritual ascent of the Chishtiyah, Qadriyah and Naqshbandiya Sufi orders. After he had gone through the initial stages of mysticism, he was instructed by Shah Abdul Aziz to practice concentrated contemplation on the image of his Shaikh. Sayyid Ahmad astonished him by his refusal.

“How does this differ from idolatry?” he asked.

“One has an image carved in stone or painted on paper and the other has a conceptual figure upon which the mental gaze is fixed.”

In reply, Shah Abdul Aziz recited a couplet from Hafiz:

Soak the prayer-carpet with wine if so orders your spiritual guide for the novice, the guide is yet of the journey’s goal.

But Sayyid Ahmad asserted: “I dare not associate anything with God! I only want you to prove that the concentrated contemplation of the image of the Shaikh is not the same as idolatry. I would be convinced if you could cite anything in the Quran, Hadith or the decisions of the jurists to that effect.” Shah Abdul Aziz was so pleased with his disciple that he hugged the Sayyid and kissed his forehead exclaiming: “My son, you have been blessed by God with the highest spiritual enlightenment!”

Sayyid Ahmad spent his stay in Delhi absorbed in mystical exercises, meditation and contemplation in order to attain spiritual perfection. He scrupulously avoided any act which was contrary to the Shari’ah. Often in those days he used to stand so long in prayers during his nightly vigils, that like the Holy Prophet, his feet became swollen. During this period, he was blessed with several beatific visions of the Holy Prophet, Hazrat Ali and Fatima.

Three years later at the end of 1807 or the beginning of 1808, Sayyid Ahmad returned to Rae Bareli. After reaching his home, he went straight to the mosque. When he had left home for Lucknow five years before, he had been but a beardless boy; now he was a fully-grown man with a long thick beard so that his family could only 6 recognize him with difficulty. Tall, fair-complexioned and strongly built with close-knit eye-brows, and pleasing appearance, Sayyid Ahmad was utterly simple in his manners and scrupulously honest in his dealings. Contemplative by disposition, gentle in manners and eloquent in speech, he possessed a warm, affectionate personality which inspired everyone who met him with feelings of love, respect and reverence.

He patterned his dress, manners and conduct as closely as possible in conformity to that of the Holy Prophet.

In this way, he attained absolute reliance and trust in God, austerity in his living habits, courage, magnanimity, nobility of character and serenity of mind.

The speeches of Sayyid Ahmad had a tremendous effect over a large number of persons everywhere he went and became the most dynamic social and religious force in the lives of the multitudes who accepted him as their spiritual guide. He urged the people to renounce superstitious beliefs and practices borrowed largely from their Hindu neighbours and to follow the path of righteousness as shown by the Prophets of God. The Sayyid addressed large gatherings to explain to them how the excessive veneration shown to holymen, to the saints and their tombs and taking out Tazia processions during Muharram amounted to associating partners to God—an unpardonable sin according to Quran. The Sayyid told the people that Islam insisted on the observance of all the obligatory acts of worship and complete conformity and obedience to the injunctions of the Holy Prophet.

Everywhere the people were moved to tears as they repented for their sins, their lives were transformed as if they had been reborn in Islam; Tazias were burnt or destroyed, un-Islamic practices were given up, mosques began to attract a greatly increased number of worshippers and the artificial barriers which had previously separated the rich and poor began to crumble down. The Sayyid taught the people faith and morality through practical personal example which is always more effective than a hundred sermons. After receiving Ba’it at various places, the Sayyid did not leave the people unattended like other wandering preachers to return to their evil ways but charged some of his disciples to teach the new entrants into his spiritual order the fundamentals of faith and to guide their religious and moral life. Many Shi’ahs as well as Sunnis became his devoted followers and even some Hindus helped and supported him.

Since earliest times, the Muslims of the Indo-subcontinent had been known for their enthusiasm for Haj and their numbers of pilgrims to Mecca have been equal, if not more, than those coming from other countries enjoying a Muslim majority.

However, during the 18th century, when the Muslims of India suffered a political and cultural decline resulting in the loss of religious enthusiasm, the Haj had been almost abandoned on the pretext that the journey had become too dangerous. At that time, the seas were infested with English and Portuguese pirates who practiced fiendish cruelty on their victims. The merciless butchery and pillage which characterized sea-voyages in those days had gradually reduced the number of Hajis and to ease their guilty conscience, worldly-minded Ulema and jurists told the people that the Haj could be postponed in case of danger to life or property.

However, Shah Abdul Aziz and Shah

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Ismail severely criticized those who sought to create a dangerous precedent by relinquishing the obligatory acts of worship on these pretexts.

Sayyid Ahmad was determined to revive the practice of Haj and decided to go to Mecca with as many people as possible to resurrect this religious duty in India. Heedless of the perils of the seas as well as the money required for travelling expenses, he invited everybody who wished to make Haj to accompany him. He sent letters to all his leading disciples saying:

“I have decided to go to the House of Allah for Haj. You can take with you whoever wants to go with me but let it be known to all that of wealth, I have none. I am undertaking this journey with complete trust in Allah and I have every hope that He would help us to attain our goal. We will earn our own way through manual labours in case we fall short of provisions along the way. Only the old, the weak and the women will be exempt from this work; they shall look after the encampment while all others shall have to work to raise the funds essential for our trip. Everybody must clearly understand that we are undertaking this journey empty-handed only for the adoration of Almighty Allah; therefore each of us must imbibe the fear of Allah. We must not ask anything from others nor shall we beg anybody to provide our travelling expenses. We shall work and earn a living if need be and we shall spend half of what we would earn and save the remaining half for meeting our expenses along the way. If we fall short of funds, I will send you on in batches from Calcutta and I will take my turn with the last batch. But I trust that Allah will provide us with sufficient means for us to perform Haj all together.”

Although the Sayyid set out from his native town empty-handed, none of his disciples had to suffer any privation during the course of the entire journey though he was accompanied by more than 693 followers. Sayyid Ahmad returned home on the steam-ship to Rae Bareilly in the last week of April 1824 after an absence of two years and ten months. On their return, they treated everybody to hearty meals. Yet despite large expenditures for the entertainment of guests and visitors, when the final accounts of the Sayyid’s Bait ul-Mal were checked, there was a balance of more than ten thousand rupees!

Sayyid Ahmad was always pleased when strong young men bearing arms called upon him. Expressing his delight on receiving them, he told them: “Young men like you are badly needed by me. I do not want the weak and sickly sons of the Pirs.” He never failed to emphasize the need for Jihad which according to him was the highest form of worship one could offer to Allah. Not infrequently he came out of his house into the street armed with a sword, carbine or matchlock in order to encourage his disciples in the use of weapons although most of the mystics of his time were hermits who contemptuously regarded the art of warfare as unbecoming of a religious man. Once in Lucknow, Sayyid Ahmad had presented a carbine to one of his disciples saying, “Make up your mind to participate in Jihad, learn the use of weapons for that purpose and do all you can to improve your health. God willing, we shall fight the infidels.”

Mystical¹ 10 exercises can never excel the virtues of fighting in the way of Allah. Did not our own Prophet take up arms against the infidels to spread the light of Truth? Had he not done so, we would not be Muslims today.”

Shah Abdul Aziz had declared British India as Dar-ul-Harb or enemy territory. Thus Sayyid Ahmad regarded the liberation of his country from foreign oppression as a sacred duty. How to combat the foreign rule of the Sikhs and the British had been agitating the mind of the Sayyid ever since he had returned from the Haj. Rebellion inside British India was out of the question for it could too easily be crushed by effective British forces and all supplies of men and material cut off.

He then chose as his base the rugged mountainous territory of the North in what is today, the North-West Frontier Province among the fierce, independent and freedom loving Pathan tribes who had not yet been brought under British rule. The goal of his Jihad was the establishment of a full-blooded Islamic state functioning in strict conformity to the Shari’ah or divine Law. For that purpose he built up a powerful mass popular movement—the first in the history of India—to emancipate the country from alien rule—which included both the Sikhs (Mahratta) and the British. The Sayyid was not concerned with attaining personal power for himself; he was willing to pass it on to those who would covet it, provided, of course, that they undertook to ensure the supremacy of the Shari’ah and enabled his Muslim subjects to lead their lives strictly in obedience to the precepts of Islam. He welcomed Hindu cooperation and sought their support in his struggle against a common enemy and was prepared to allow the Hindus self-rule over the lands in their

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