Syed Ahmad Shaheed A Partisan of Allah and His Jihad Movement

Syed Ahmad Shaheed

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore and critically examine Syed Ahmed and his movement’s role in the motivation and awakening the Muslim of Subcontinent. The decline of the Mughal Empire started with the demise of Aurangzeb Alamgir in the beginning of the 18^th century and it accelerated in the early 19^th century. The contemporary of Muslim society was, on the other hand, declining rapidly. The latter Mughal rulers had become so weak, incompetent and unimpressive that they could not present even a mere shadow of the sterling qualities of their great grand fore-fathers and were unable to stop the inevitable. The British were casting vicious looks towards the throne of Delhi and dreaming to succeed as future rulers of India, while the Sikhs were dominating the Punjab where the Muslims were at their mercy. During this unfortunate period of despair and distress, Syed Ahmad Brelvi came to the limelight on the horizon of Muslim India., launched the Jihad Movement to rid the Muslims of the impending danger of their extinction; replace the government of corrupt, hereditary and autocratic rulers with an Islamic state based on the principles of the Quran and Shariah and frustrate ambitious designs of the British and the Sikhs. The objective of this study is to highlight the aims of the movement, its hazardous course, causes of its failure and its impact on the future generations.