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Ahl Hadith, literally meaning the "People of Hadith", is an Islamic reformist movement[1] and school of thought. The term Ahl Hadith refers to the adherent's belief that they are not bound by taqlid (as are Ahl al-Rai, literally "the people of rhetorical theology"), but consider themselves free to seek guidance in matters of religious faith and practices from the authentic hadith which, together with the Quran, are in their view the principal worthy guide for Muslims. The term Ahl Hadith is often used interchangeably with the Salafi dawah,[2] and proponents prefer to call themselves `Salafis,` although they are often called Wahhabis by their adversaries[1].
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History
Early proponents ascribe the authority of Ahl al-Hadith to specific hadith of Mohammed Salalaho Alayhi Wasalam. Ibn Hajar mentioned the people of hadith in his commentary of the hadith, "And this nation will continue, established upon Allah’s command, unharmed by those who oppose them until the arrival of Allah’s order." He stated that Muhammad ibn Ismael al-Bukhari was adamant that those referred to in this hadithwere the people with knowledge of the narrations, Ahl al-Athar, i.e. the people of hadith. And then quoted Ahmad ibn Hanbal as saying, "If they are not Ahl al-Hadith, then I do not know who they are." Al-Qadi ‘Iyyad explained that Ahmad was referring to Ahl al-Sunnah and those who share the beliefs of the people of hadith.[3]
The followers of the Ahl al-Hadith movement claim their beliefs and practices to be the same as those of early Muslims and, in particular, the rightly guided caliphs. The movement rose to prominence in the 9th century AD during the Abbasid era to counter the beliefs of Mutazilites.[4] They again drew attention in the post-Mongol era, when Ibn Taymiyyah (1263–1328) started a reformist movement to purge the Islamic community of deviant beliefs.[5]
Noting the academic prowess of the people of hadith, Al-Dhahabi asked the question, "Where is the knowledge of hadith, and where are its people?" Answering his own question, he said, "I am on the verge of not seeing them except engrossed in a book or under the soil."[6]
Claimants to the Ahl al-Hadith methodology in India
The contemporary movement that refers to itself as Ahl-e Hadith was founded in the 1830s and grew significantly in Bengal.[7] It was inaccurately classified as "Wahhabi" by the British,[1], though at the time the Ahl-e Hadith had no relationship with that group.
In Pakistan, the movement formed a political party, Jamiat Ahle Hadith, which unlike similar Islamic groups opposed government involvement in affairs of sharia law.[1] Their leader, Ehsan Elahi Zaheer, was assassinated in 1987.
Some of the organizations of the Ahl-e-Hadith are the All India Ahl-e-Hadith Conference, founded sometime on or before 1916, of which smaller organizations in India are members. One member is the Anjuman-i-Hadith formed by students of Maulana Sayyid Miyan Nadhir Husain and divided into Bengali and Assam wings. Another organization, the Nikhil Banga O Assam Jami'at-e-Hadith was formed at Calcutta in 1946 under the leadership of Maulana Abdullahil Kafi (1900-1960). After the 1947 separation of India and Pakistan, the Pakistani Ahle-Hadith center was based in and around Karachi. The next year the Pakistan Markazi Jami'at-e-Hadith was founded at Lahore. The Nikhil Banga O Assam Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, Pabna was given a new name - the 'Purba Pakistan Jami'at-e-Ahl-e-Hadith' in 1953. Lately, the name of the organisation was again changed to Bangladesh Jami'at-e-Ahl-e-Hadith. In India after 1947, the headquarters of the organisation was shifted from Calcutta to Patna and later (1956) to Dhaka. A Anjuman-e-Ahl-e-Hadith was formed in West Bengal in 1951. [8]
The number of Ahle Hadith madrassa in Pakistan has grown from 134 in 1988 to 310 in 2000. The group has 17 organisations active in Pakistan, "looking after their own seminaries," three of them involved in jihad. The groups are described as "puritans" who "are also called wahhabi" and the majority of whom follow the lead of the ulema of Saudi Arabia.
Methodology
According to Allama Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi the Ahl-e-Hadith movement in India has been founded on four pillars: (a) belief in pure tawheed, (b) the Sunnah of the Islamic prophet Muhammad Salalaho Alayhi Wasalam, (c) enthusiasm for jihad (the struggle against one's own immoral desires and/or participation in military campaigns designed to defend Muslim nations against non-Muslims) and (d) submission to Allah. Ahl-e hadith insists on taking all decisions on the basis of the Quran and hadith, and not by applying the methodology of incorrect [[qiyas|analogy]].[8]
Originally, there were theological differences between Ahle Hadith and with the Hanafi school — the dominant Maddhab in the region they lived — with respect to the rules of praying (Salah), which "scandalized" the "generally very orthodox Sunni Hanafi" Afghan Musilms.[1] The movement spread due to Islamic revival in India moving away from British influence.
References
- ^ a b c d e Roy, Olivier, The Failure of Political Islam, by Olivier Roy, translated by Carol Volk, Harvard University Press, 1994, p.118-9
- ^ Rabasa, Angel M. The Muslim World After 9/11 By Angel M. Rabasa, p. 275
- ^ Fath al-Bari, vol. 1, pg. 290; Dar al-Taibah edition
- ^ A Brief History of Islam by Karen Armstrong, Phoenix, London
- ^ The Right Way- By Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, Darrussalam publishers KSA
- ^ Tathkirah al-Huffath, by al-Dhahabi, vol. 1, pg. 4, edited under the supervision of Wizarah al-Ma'arif of the High Court of India by al-Muallimee.
- ^ History of Bengali-speaking People by Nitish Sengupta, p 210, 212-213.
- ^ a b Banglapedia
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