User:MatthewVanitas/Barelvi draft

'''THIS PAGE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, TO DEVELOP THE ARTICLE Barelvi WHILE THE MAIN PAGE IS CURRENTLY LOCKED. THE INTENT IS TO PROVIDE A PROOFREAD, ORGANISED, PROPERLY FOOTNOTED VERSION OF THE ARTICLE TO PROPOSE AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE CURRENT ARTICLE AS OF 30 JUNE 2010. ALL ARE WELCOME TO EDIT THIS ARTICLE WHO ARE FOCUSED ON PROVIDING FACTUAL, CITED, NPOV INFORMATION, BUT I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REVERT ANY POV EDITS.''' MatthewVanitas (talk) 08:34, 30 June 2010 (UTC) Barelvi (बरेलवी,, ) is a movement of Sunni Islam originating in the Indian subcontinent. The Barelvi movement was started in 1880 to defend contemporary traditionalist Islamic beliefs and practices from the criticisms of reformist movements like the Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith. This included a defence of many traditional practices and rites associated with popular Sufism. The movement in British India was greatly shaped by the writings of Ahmad Raza Khan (1856-1921).

Etymology
To its followers the movement is known as Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat ("People of the traditions of Mohammed and the broad community"), as a means to lay exclusive claim to be the legitimate form of Sunni Islam, in opposition to its reformist rivals like the Deobandi, Ahle Hadith and Nadwa movements. This is a contested claim and outside of the movement it is commonly referred to as the Barelvi movement, derived from Bareilly, the name of the hometown of the movement's founder Ahmed Raza Khan.

Presence
India Today estimates that the vast majority of Muslims in India adhere to the Barelvi movement, and The Times (London) writes that a majority of Muslims in the United Kingdom adhere to the movement as well. Similarly, the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation gives such estimates for the vast majority of Sunni Muslims in Pakistan.

Beliefs
Like most other Muslims, Barelvis base their beliefs on the Quran and Sunnah, and believe in monotheism and the prophethood of Muhammad. Barelvis follow the Ashari and Maturidi schools of aqidah, the Hanafi school of fiqh, and the Qadri, Chishti, Naqshbandi or Suhrawardi Sufi orders.

Beliefs regarding Muhhamad
Barelvis have several beliefs regarding the nature of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which distinguish them from non-Barelvi Muslims in South Asia:


 * He is made of noor (light), rather than bashar (human). This conflicts with the Deobandi depiction of Muhammad as insan-e-kamil, a perfect but mortal human being.
 * He is hazir (present in many places at the same time)
 * He is nazir (witnessing all that goes on in the world)
 * He has ilm-e-ghaib (knowledge of the unseen/unknown)
 * He is mukhtaar kul (having the authority to do whatever he desired) <-- FINDING LOTS OF MENTION ONLINE, BUT TROUBLE FINDING REPUTABLE SOURCES

Criticism by Deobandis
Among the Barelvi beliefs objected to by the Deobandis, their primary competitors in South Asia, key among them are those beliefs which the Deobandis believe focus excessive veneration on Muhammad. '''<--- GETTING CITES TO BACK THIS UP; THERE'S ALSO SOME ISLAMIC TERM THAT MEANS 'EXCESSIVE' WHICH IS USED BY SOME GROUPS TO DERIDE OTHERS THEY THINK PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO MUHAMMAD. THIS APPEARS TO BE A KEY OBJECTION BETWEEN THESE TWO, SO BEARS LOOKING INTO

Practices

 * Praying to auliya (Muslim saints) for God's intercession on behalf of the living
 * Recitation of Urdu and Arabic praise poems following Fajr (dawn) and Jummah (Friday) prayers
 * Visting tombs of notable Muslims to pay respects/veneration/to gain blessing (???? best way to phrase?)

Competition with other movements
The major opposition to the Barelvis in the Indian subcontinent comes from the Deobandi movement, which has also been condemned by the Barelvis as extremist and misled.

Ahmad Raza Khan, along with other religious figures, issued fatwas of takfir (heresy) against the founders of the Deobandi sect. Raza Khan strengthened his argument further by obtaining confirmatory signatures from other Islamic scholars in India, as well as prominent ulema of Mecca. }}

In addition to his opposition to the Deobandis, Ahmad Raza Khan also spoke out against Wahabism, Shiism and "Qadianism" (Ahmadiyya). '''<-- POV EDITOR HAD ADDED THESE GROUPS TO THE ABOVE, EVEN THOUGH THE ACTUAL CITE JUST COVERS HIS FATWAS AGAINST DEOBAND. I KNOW ARK SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE AHMADDIYA (CAN FIND A CITE LATER), BUT HAVEN'T PERSONALLY SEEN ANY FATWAS, ETC. AGAINST THE WAHABI (AS DISTINCT FROM DEOBANDI?) OR SHIA.'''

Opposition to the Taliban
The Barelvi movement has taken a stance against Taliban movements in South Asia, organising rallies and protests in India and Pakistan, condemning what they perceive as unjustified sectarian violence. The Sunni United Council (SUC), an amalgamation of eight Sunni organizations, launched the Save Pakistan Movement to stem the process of Talibanisation. Terming the Taliban a product of global anti-Islam conspiracies, the leaders of SUC charged it with playing into the hands of the United States to divide Muslims and bring a bad name to Islam.

Supporting this movement, the foreign minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said: The Sunni Tehreek has decided to activate itself against Talibanisation in the country. A national consensus against terrorism is emerging across the country.

Sectarian violence
In the 1990s and 2000s, sporadic violence resulted from disputes over control of Pakistani mosques between Barelvi and Deobandi. In May 2001, sectarian riots broke out after Sunni Tehreek leader Saleem Qadri was assassinated by the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a Deoband-affiliated terrorist group. In April 2007, Sunni Tehreek activists attempted to forcibly gain control of a mosque in Karachi, opening fire on the mosque and those inside, resulting in one death and three injuries. On February 27, 2010, Barelvis celebrating Mawlid in Faisalabad and Dera Ismail Khan were attacked by militants believed to be affiliated with the Taliban and Sipah-e-Sahaba, again sparking tensions among the rival sects.

Early scholars

 * Mustafa Raza Khan
 * Hamid Raza Khan
 * Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi
 * Abdul Aleem Siddiqi
 * Syed Abdullah Shah Naqshbandi
 * Shah Ahmad Noorani Siddiqi — Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and World Islamic Mission
 * Abdul Wahab Siddiqi — United Kingdom
 * Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari
 * Muftī Justice Sayyid Shujaat 'Alī Qadri - Pakistan
 * Shams Barelwi - Pakistan
 * Arshadul Qaudri - Jamia Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya
 * Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi - Lahore

Present scholars

 * Muhammad Akhtar Raza Khan, Grand Mufti of India Aaal e Gaus - India
 * Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada, founder of Muslim Charity
 * Muhammad Ilyas Qadri, Dawat-e-Islami
 * Turab-Ul-Haq Qadri
 * Ameen Mian Qaudri, Barkatiya Silsila
 * Ahmad Saeed Kazmi
 * Aboobacker Ahmad, All India Sunni Jamiatul Ulma, Kerala

Notable organizations

 * British Muslim Forum
 * Sunni Tehreek Pakistan
 * World Islamic Mission, London
 * MSO of India, New Delhi
 * Raza Academy, Mumbai
 * Imam Ahmad Raza Academy, South Africa
 * Sunni Students' Federation (SSF), India
 * Dawat-e-Islami
 * Sunni Dawat-e-Islami - worldwide Islamic mission
 * Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, Uttar Pradesh, India