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{{Short description|Islamic religious movement in South Asia}}
{{about|the modern South Asian movement|the early Islamic movement and theological school|Ahl al-Hadith}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=July 2019}}
{{Salafi|all}}
{{Sunni Islam|Movements}}
{{Islam}}
'''Ahl-i-Hadith''' or '''Ahl-e-Hadith''' ({{langx|ur|{{unq|اہلِ حدیث}}}}, ''people of [[hadith]]'') is a [[Salafi]] reform movement that emerged in [[North India]] in the mid-nineteenth century from the teachings of [[Syed Ahmad Barelvi|Sayyid Ahmad Shahid]], [[Syed Nazeer Husain]] and Nawab [[Siddiq Hasan Khan]].<ref>Daniel W. Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'': Vol. 5 of Cambridge Middle East Studies, p. 27. [[Cambridge]]: [[Cambridge University Press]], 1996. {{ISBN|9780521653947}} "In India rejection of taqlīd and preoccupation with hadīth became focused in a single reformist sect, the Ahl-i-Hadīth, which drew directly on the tradition of Ismail Dehlawi and al-Shawkänī. Almost all of the group's early and influential representatives had direct connections with the line of Ismail Dehlawi and especially with the Indian mujāhidin movement, led by Sayyid Ahmad Barēlvī, which carried to an extreme the purificationist tendencies within Shāh Waī Allāh's school."</ref><ref>M. Naeem Qureshi, ''Pan-Islam in British Indian Politics'', p. 458. Leiden: Brill Publishers, 1999. {{ISBN|9004113711}}</ref><ref name="ODI2" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Meijer|first=Roel|title=Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=978-0-19-933343-1|location=New York|pages=127|chapter=Salafism In Pakistan: The Ahl-e Hadith Movement|quote="The Jama'at Ahl-e Hadith, an elitist politico religious movement aimed at islah (reform), has its origins in the early 1870s. Like other Sunni reform movements, it claims to continue the tradition of Shah Waliullah Dehlavi (1703–1762) whom it regards as the first modern Ahl-e Hadith member and draws on ideas of Syed Ahmed Barelvi (Ahmed Shaheed) (1786–1831), follower of Shah Abdul Aziz (1746–1824), the son of Shah Waliullah, and the Yemenite qadi Mohammad ibn Ali al Shawkani (1775–1839)."}}</ref> It is an offshoot of the 19th-century Indian [[Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya]] movement led by [[Titumir]] and tied to the 18th-century traditions of [[Shah Waliullah Dehlawi]] and the [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi movement]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=L. Esposito|first=John|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2003|isbn=0-19-512558-4|location=New York, New York|pages=10}}</ref> The adherents of the movement described themselves variously as "''Muwahideen''", "''Ahl-us Sunnah wal Jamaah''" and as "''Ahl e-Hadith.''"<ref>{{cite book|author1=Muhammad Afzal Upal|author2=Carole M. Cusack|title=Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements |publisher=Brill|year=2021|isbn=978-90-04-42525-5|location=Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands|pages=639|quote="They called themselves variously as Muwahideen (that is, unitarians, the term preferred by Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan), and Ahl e-Ḥadīth (that is, the Followers of the Prophet's Words, the term preferred by.. Syed Nazir Hussain).}}</ref>

Initially coterminous with the so-called (Indian) "Wahhabis", the movement emerged as a distinct group around 1864, having claimed the appellation of "''Ahl-i Hadith''" to highlight its commitment to the body of ''[[ḥadīth]]''—statements attributed to [[Muhammad]], validated through chains of transmission—and its [[Political quietism in Islam|political quietism]].<ref>{{cite book |author1=Dietrich Reetz |title=Islam in the Public Sphere: Religious Groups in India, 1900–1947 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbzXAAAAMAAJ |year=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-566810-0 |page=73}}</ref> The movement was noteworthy for its robust opposition to practices associated with the veneration of saints, which they regarded as a breach of the doctrine of ''[[Tawhid|Tawḥīd]]'' (Islamic monotheism).<ref>{{cite book|author1=Muhammad Afzal Upal|author2=Carole M. Cusack|title=Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements|publisher=Brill|year=2021|isbn=978-90-04-42525-5|location=Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands|pages=521}}</ref> Its adherents profess to hold the same views as those of the early [[Ahl al-Hadith]] school.<ref name="referenceworks.brillonline.com" /> They reject ''[[taqlid]]'' (following legal precedent) and favour ''[[ijtihad]]'' (independent legal reasoning) based on the scriptures.<ref name="ODI2" /> Today, the terms "''Salafi''" and "''Ahl-i Hadith''" are often used interchangeably, the movement shares doctrinal tendencies with the [[Hanbali]] [[Madhhab|school]] prevalent in the [[Arabian Peninsula]], and many of its members have identified themselves with the [[Zahiri]] school of thought.<ref>{{cite book|last=Brown|first=Daniel W.|title=Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6RPcYgx5u_MC&pg=PA32|year=1999|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-65394-7|pages=29–32|quote=Ahl-i-Hadith [...] consciously identified themselves with Zahiri doctrine.}}</ref> Some believe it possesses some notable distinctions from the mainly [[Arabs|Arab]] Salafis.<ref>Dilip Hiro, ''Apocalyptic Realm: Jihadists in South Asia'', p. 15. [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]]: [[Yale University Press]], 2012. {{ISBN|9780300173789}}</ref><ref>Muneer Goolam Fareed, ''Legal reform in the Muslim world'', p. 172. [[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor]]: [[University of Michigan Press]], 1994.</ref><ref name="dan32" />

Holding considerable influence amongst the urban Islamic intellectual circles of South Asia, the ''Ahl-i Hadith'' consolidated themselves into the All India ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' Conference in 1906<ref name="auto1" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Mohsin |first=K. M. |date=2001 |chapter=The ''Ahl-i-Hadis'' Movement in Bangladesh |editor-last=Ahmed |editor-first=Rafiuddin |title=Religion, Identity & Politics: Essays on Bangladesh |location=Colorado Springs, CO |publisher=International Academic Publishers |page=180 |isbn=978-1-58868-080-8}}</ref> and, in [[Pakistan]], formed a political wing in the [[Jamiat Ahle Hadith]] in 1986.<ref name="RaPDJAHP2010">{{cite journal|last1=Ali|first1=Bizaa Zeynab|title=The Religious and Political Dynamics of Jamiat Ahle-Hadith in Pakistan|url=https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/catalog/ac:148287|website=Columbia Academic Commons|access-date=21 July 2017|date=2010|doi=10.7916/D8VH5X2X |s2cid=154070897}}</ref> The movement has drawn support and funding from [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="auto" />

==History==

=== Origins ===
{{See also|Ibn Taymiyyah|Shah Waliullah Dehlawi|Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi|Mughal Empire|Battle of Delhi (1803)|Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi|label 5=British Conquest of Delhi (1803)|label 6=Sayyid Ahmad Shahid}}
Imam [[Shah Waliullah Dehlawi]] (1703 &ndash; 1762 C.E) is considered as the intellectual fore-forefather of the ''Ahl-i-Hadith''.<ref>{{cite book|last=W. Brown|first=Daniel|title=Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1999|isbn=9780521653947|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England|pages=227|chapter=Chapter 2: The emergence of modern Challenges to tradition}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Haroon |first=Sana|title=The Mosques of Colonial South Asia: A Social and Legal History of Muslim Worship|publisher=I.B Tauris|year=2021|isbn=978-0-7556-3444-6|location=London, UK |pages=33 |chapter=1: Tajpur, Bihar, 1891: Leadership in Congregational Prayer |quote="Ahl-i Hadith were those who accepted the teachings of Shah Ismail of Delhi by rejecting unthinking deference to the Sunni jurisprudential tradition and scholarly authority in avor of personal readings and understanding of the Quran and hadith... the Ahl-i Hadith religious position had its origins in the teachings of Shah Wali Ullah and Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi... A large number of scholars (including myself) have historicized the Ahl-i Hadith interventions... Barbara Metcalf considers them the intellectual descendants of Shah Wali Ullah, counterparts in this sense, to the Deobandis."}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Sanyal |first=Usha|title=Scholars of Faith: South Asian Muslim Women and the Embodiment of Religious Knowledge|publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2020|isbn=978-0-19-012080-1|location=New Delhi, India | pages=280|chapter=7: Al-Huda's Intellectual Foundations |quote="The Ahl-i Hadith trace their intellectual roots back to Shah Wali Allah (1703–1762).."}}</ref> After his [[Hajj|Pilgrimage]] to [[Mecca]], Shah Waliullah Dehlawi spent 14 months in [[Medina]], studying ''[[Quran|Qur'an]]'', ''[[Hadith]]'' and works of the classical Hanbali theologian [[Ibn Taymiyya]] (d. 728 A.H/ 1328 C.E) under the [[Muhaddith|''hadith'' scholar]] Muhammad Tahir al-Kurani, the son of [[Ibrahim al-Kurani]]. Upon return to India, he preached ''[[Tawhid]]'' and a return to the ''[[Sunnah]]'', and claimed ''[[Ijtihad]]'' just like Ibn Taymiyya.<ref name="Allen 2005 87–93">{{cite journal|last=Allen|first=Charles|date=2005|title=The Hidden Roots of Wahhabism in British India|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40209967|journal=World Policy Journal|volume=22|issue=2|pages=87–93|doi=10.1215/07402775-2005-3001|jstor=40209967|quote="With the British takeover of the Mughal capital of Delhi in 1803.. Shah Waliullah s eldest son and successor, Shah Abdul Azziz, issued a fatwa, or religious judgment, that Delhi had been enslaved by kufr (paganism). He declared Hindustan to be a dar al-harb or "domain of enmity" and that it was now incumbent on all Muslims to strive to restore India to Islam. This was no more than a gesture, but it set a goal that his student Syed Ahmad did not forget."|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Shah maintained that ''Ijtihad'' is essential for [[Ulama|Muslim scholars]] for all ages since cognizance of Divine injunctions related to the novel issues of each era is obligatory. He also opposed various rituals of saint veneration and customs at saint's tombs which he held to be idolatrous.<ref>{{cite book|last=Oleson|first=Asta|title=Islam and Politics In Afghanistan|publisher=Routledge|year=1995|isbn=0-7007-0299-7|location=Milton Park, Abington, UK|pages=237, 249|chapter=8: The Development of the Islamic Movement from the 1960s}}</ref> Shah's campaigns against ''[[Bidʻah|bid'ah]]'' (religious innovations), emphasis on ''Ijtihad'' as well as his political activities were immensely influenced by Ibn Taymiyya. His precepts for reviving an [[Islamic Caliphate]] modelled on the ''[[Khulafa al-Rashidun]]'' as elucidated in his treatises like ''Izalat al-Khifa'', ''Qurrat al-'Aynayn'', etc. echoed the doctrines propounded by Ibn Taymiyya during the 14th/7th century.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ahmad Nizami|first=Khaliq|title=The Impact of Ibn Taymiyya on South Asia|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26195671|journal=Journal of Islamic Studies|year=1990 |publisher=Oxford University Press|volume=1 |pages=136–137 |jstor=26195671 }}</ref>

After the death of his father, [[Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi|Shah 'Abd al-Aziz]] continued the works of Shah Waliullah. He was a ''Muhaddith'' who emphasized the importance of ''Hadith'' with students all across the subcontinent. As a teacher, preacher and social religious-reformer, Shah 'Abd al-Aziz was closely monitoring the socio-political developments in the subcontinent. [[British Empire|British]] were gaining ascendancy in India by capturing power in [[Bengal]], [[Bihar]] and [[Odisha|Orissa]]. In 1799, British defeated the [[Kingdom of Mysore]] in the [[Fourth Anglo-Mysore War]]. When the British armies entered [[Battle of Delhi (1803)|Delhi in 1803]], the [[Mughal Empire]] was turned into a [[protectorate]] of [[East India Company|British East India Company]], thus gaining political supremacy in the subcontinent. Upon this, Shah 'Abd al-Aziz declared a decisive ''[[fatwa]]'' declaring India to be ''Dar-al Harb'' (abode of war). This was the first significant ''fatwa'' against colonial rule in the subcontinent that gave an indirect call to [[South Asian]] [[Muslims]] to fight colonial occupation and liberate the country.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Naqvi|first=A.Q.|title=The Salafis (History of the Ahle Hadees Movement in India)|publisher=Al-Kitab International|year=2001|location=New Delhi|pages=90–97}}</ref> This decisive ''fatwa'' by Shah Waliullah's eldest son and successor, Shah 'Abd al Azeez, calling upon Muslims to strive to restore India back to [[Islamic state|Islamic rule]], would greatly inspire his student [[Syed Ahmad Barelvi|Sayyid Ahmed Shahid]] and motivate him to plan for future ''[[Jihad]]''. After a brief period as a mercenary, Sayyid Ahmad would further pursue his religious studies and re-appeared as an eminent religious scholar and a visionary leader, gaining many disciples. He came to be widely identified as the inheritor of Shah Waliullah's mantle and numerous [[Sunni Muslims]] volunteered to join his cause.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Allen|first=Charles|date=2005|title=The Hidden Roots of Wahhabism in British India|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40209967|journal=World Policy Journal|volume=22|issue=2|pages=88–89|doi=10.1215/07402775-2005-3001|jstor=40209967|quote="Shah Waliullah's eldest son and successor, Shah Abdul Azziz, issued a fatwa.. that Delhi had been enslaved by kufr (paganism). He declared Hindustan to be a dar al-harb or "domain of enmity" and that it was now incumbent on all Muslims to strive to restore India to Islam. This was no more than a gesture, but it set a goal that his student Syed Ahmad did not forget. After a murky period as a mercenary, Syed Ahmad returned to his religious studies, to reemerge in his early thirties as a visionary revivalist and preacher. He very soon acquired disciples... Many Sunnis now saw him as the inheritor of the mantle of the Shah Waliullah and hundreds flocked to join his cause.."|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

=== Indian Jihad Movement ===
{{See also|Shah Ismail Dehlvi|Wahhabi Movement|Company rule in India|Sikh Empire|Ranjit Singh|Wahhabi-Sikh War|Battle of Balakot|label 5=Raja Ranjit Singh}}
Under these circumstances the call to ''[[Jihad]]'' against [[Company rule in India|British rule]] began becoming popular amongst the Muslim masses. [[Shah Ismail Dehlvi]], the nephew of Shah 'Abd al-Aziz and grandson of Shah Waliullah, would lead a [[Islamic revival|religious revivalist]] movement. In addition to being an excellent orator, he was also a soldier and military commander. Shah Muhammad Ishaq, the grandson of Shah 'Abd al-Aziz would continue his religious reform after Abdul Aziz's death in 1823. Maulana Abdul Haie, son-in-law of Shah 'Abd al-Aziz was also a reputed scholar. These three theologians prepared the spadework of ''Tariqah-i-Muhammadiyya'', the reform movement that would be known as the Indian "Wahhabi movement". During his last years, Shah 'Abd al-Aziz would give his cloak to Syed Ahmed Bareilly appointing him as his successor. [[Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi|Sayyid Ahmed]] would campaign against the corruption of various [[Sufi]] [[Tariqa|orders]], and initiate his disciples into '''Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya''' ("Muhammadiyya Order"). The disciples in this order were required to make a vow that they will strictly abide by ''[[Sharia]]'' and would not follow anything not proven by ''Qur'an'' and ''Hadith''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Naqvi|first=A.Q.|title=The Salafis (History of the Ahle Hadees Movement in India)|publisher=Al-Kitab International|year=2001|location=New Delhi |pages=93–98}}</ref>

One of the prominent disciples of Sayyid Ahmed was Wilayat Ali Khan, a student of ''[[Hajji]]'' Abdul Haq of [[Benares]]; popularly known as the "[[Najdi Arabic|Nejdi]] [[Sheikh]]". Abdul Haq was an Islamic scholar who spent years studying in the remote Central Arabian Province of Nejd, the seat of the [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] movement. Upon his return, he preached many of its militant ideals and had already established Wahhabi doctrines in South Asia before Sayyid Ahmad's ''Hajj'' in 1821.<ref name="auto2" /> 'Abd al-Haqq would later become a member of ''Tariqah-i Muhammadiya'' and join Sayyid Ahmad's ''Hajj'' to [[Hejaz]] in 1821 along with his disciple Wilayat Ali. Unlike other members of the group, 'Abd al-Haqq travelled to [[Yemen]] to study under the theologian [[Al-Shawkani|Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-Shawkānī]] (d. 1834) and would become greatly influential in shaping the teachings of ''Ahl-i Hadith''.<ref name="Islamic Theology" />{{rp|174}} Meanwhile Wilayat Ali Khan, being a disciple of both Sayyid Ahmad and the Najdi Sheikh, emerged as an important leader of Indian "Wahhabi" movement and its military campaigns of ''Jihad''.<ref name="auto2" />

In 1821, Syed Ahmad embarked on a journey for Hajj in Hejaz accompanied by Shah Ismail Dehlvi and Maulana Abdul Haie with 400 disciples. They performed Hajj in 1823 (1237 A.H) and stayed in Hejaz for 8 months. Shah Ismail and Abdul Haie authored the [[Arabic]] book "''Sirat e Mustaqim''" to call [[Arabs]] to their [[Islah|reformative]] movement. They returned home in 1824. The three scholars then charted a strategic plan to wage Jihad against the colonial occupation across India. Many parts of the subcontinent became recruitment centres for the ''[[Mujahideen]]''. When his [[Pashtuns|Pathan]] disciples offered him territory, Syed Ahmed set-up the [[North-West Frontier Province|North West Frontier Province]] as the operations headquarters for the future "Wahhabite" Jihad in 1826 to re-take the subcontinent from the British. However this put the ''Mujahideen'' into conflict with the [[Sikh Empire|Sikh empire]]. In January 1827, Syed Ahmed was elected as [[Imam]] and ''[[Amir al-Mu'minin|Amir-ul-Mu'mineen]]'' (commander of faithful) by religious scholars and tribal chiefs. Soon war broke out between Sikhs and "Wahhabi" Mujahideen.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Naqvi|first=A.Q.|title=The Salafis (History of the Ahle Hadees Movement in India)|publisher=Al-Kitab International|year=2001|location=New Delhi|pages=99–106}}</ref><ref name=":0">Dr. Mubarak Ali, "[https://todayspointonline.com/syed-ahmed-barelvi-and-his-jihad-movement/ Almiyah-e-Tarikh", Chapter 11, pp. 107–121], Fiction House, Lahore (2012).</ref><ref name="Roy-57">{{cite book|last1=Roy|first1=Olivier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m3OfC1ZRq38C&q=barelvi+resistance+to+british+1826&pg=PA56|title=Islam and Resistance in Afghanistan|date=1985|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521397001|pages=57–8|access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref><ref>Altaf Qadir, "'''[[Archive: Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi his movement and legacy from the pukhtun prospective buAltaflQadiradir/page/n89/mode/2up|Sayyid Ahmad Barailvi]]'''", p. 66, SAGE, London (2015).</ref>

On 24 February 1828, one of the three leaders of Jihad, Maulvi Abdul Haei, the chief advisor to Syed Ahmed died as an old and ailing person. In his letters to Sikh ruler [[Ranjit Singh]], Syed Ahmed clarified that he did not seek a confrontation with [[Sikhs]], but only their help in defeating the British. Ranjit Singh, for his part, respected Syed Ahmed as a "courageous, bold and determined person". By 1830, many Pathan tribal chiefs rose against the Wahhabi ''Mujahideen'' and committed massacres against the Wahhabi emigrants. Disillusioned by this, Syed Ahmed lost interest in the movement and made plans to migrate to Arabia. However, senior advisors such as Shah Ismail opposed the idea and sought to complete the objectives of the movement, despite the setbacks.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Naqvi|first=A.Q.|title=The Salafis (History of the Ahle Hadees Movement in India)|publisher=Al-Kitab International|year=2001|location=New Delhi|pages=109–132}}</ref><ref>Qadir, Altaf, "[http://www.sagepub.in/books/Book244992?siteId=sage-india&prodTypes=any&q=Sayyid+Ahmad+Barailvi&pageTitle=productsSearchSayyid Ahmad Barailvi: His Movement and Legacy from the Pukhtun Perspective] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304212347/http://www.sagepub.in/books/Book244992?siteId=sage-india&prodTypes=any&q=Sayyid+Ahmad+Barailvi&pageTitle=productsSearchSayyid |date=4 March 2016 }}, Sage Publications India, 2015|</ref>

On 17 April 1831, Syed Ahmed set out on his last journey for [[Balakot]] with the aim to capture [[Kashmir]], accompanied by Shah Ismail. A Pashtun chieftain named Zabardast Khan who made a secret deal with the Sikh commander [[Sher Singh]] withheld promised reinforcements. On 6 May 1831, an army of 10,000 ''Mujahideen'' faced a strong force of 12,000 Sikh soldiers led by Sher Singh. On that day Syed Ahmed, Shah Ismail and prominent leaders of the Wahhabi movement fell fighting in the battlefield. Sikh victory at Balakot arose jubilation in [[Lahore]]. The defeat at Balakot made a devastating blow to the Wahhabi movement.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Naqvi|first=A.Q.|title=The Salafis (History of the Ahle Hadees Movement in India)|publisher=Al-Kitab International|year=2001|location=New Delhi|pages=132–139, 148|quote=The ill-equipped 1000 Mujahideen were no match to the well-equipped 12,000 strong force of Sikh gunmen (Banduqchis).. The Government of India also sent its message of congratulations to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, through its political agent}}</ref>

After the death and defeats of both Sayyid Ahmed Shahid and Shah Ismail Dehlwi; many of his followers continued the Jihad movement across South Asia. Others became the followers of Shah Muhammad Ishaq (1778–1846 C.E), the grandson of Shah 'Abd al-Azeez and head of the ''Madrasa Rahimiyya'' in Delhi. Some of the disciples of Shah Muhammad Ishaq would formally establish the ''Ahl-i Hadith'' movement.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sanyal |first=Usha|title=Scholars of Faith: South Asian Muslim Women and the Embodiment of Religious Knowledge|publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2020|isbn=978-0-19-012080-1 |location=New Delhi, India |pages=281 |chapter=7: Al-Huda's Intellectual Foundations}}</ref>

=== Establishment of ''Ahl-i Hadith'' ===
[[File:SiddiqHasanKhan.png|thumb|right|[[Siddiq Hasan Khan|Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan]] (1832–1890), one of the founders of ''Ahl-i Hadith'' movement was influenced by Yemeni scholar [[Al-Shawkani]]]]
{{See also|Siddiq Hasan Khan|Syed Nazeer Husain|Muhammad Hussain Batalvi|British Raj|label 1=Sayyid Siddiq Hasan Khan|label 2=Sayyid Nazeer Hussain Dehlawi}}
In the mid-nineteenth century, an Islamic religious reform movement was started in Northern India that continued the ''Tariqah-i-Muhammadiyya'' movement. It rejected everything introduced into [[Islam]] after ''[[Quran|Qur'an]]'', ''[[Sunnah]]'', ''[[Hadith]]'' and the early eras.<ref name="roy-islamism">{{cite book|editor1-last=Olivier|editor1-first=Roy|editor2-last=Sfeir|editor2-first=Antoine|title=The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism|date=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rNrMilgHKKEC&pg=PA27|publisher=Columbia University Press|page=27|isbn=9780231146401}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Naqvi|first=A.Q. |title=The Salafis (History of the Ahle Hadees Movement in India)|publisher=Al-Kitab International|year=2001|location=New Delhi|pages=}}</ref> This was led by [[Siddiq Hasan Khan|Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan]] of [[Bhopal]] (1832–1890) whose father became a Sunni convert under the influence of Shah 'Abd al-Aziz (1746–1824) and [[Syed Nazeer Husain|Syed Nazir Husain]] (1805–1902) who was a student of Muhaddith Shah Muhammad Ishaq (1782–1846), the grandson of Shah 'Abd al-Aziz and his ''Khalifa'' (successor). With the aim of restoring Islamic unity and strengthening Muslim faith, they called for a return to original sources of religion, ''"Qur'an and Hadith"'' and eradicate what they perceived as ''[[Bidʻah|bid'ah]]'' (innovations), ''[[Shirk (Islam)|shirk]]'' (polytheism), heresies and superstitions.<ref name="Meijer 2014 126–127">{{cite book|last=Meijer|first=Roel|title=Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780199333431|location=New York |pages=126–127}}</ref>

Siddiq Hasan's father Sayyid Awlad Hasan was a strong supporter of [[Sayyid Ahmad Shahid]] and had accompanied him to [[Afghanistan]] in [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] to participate in his famous ''Jihad'' movement.<ref>{{cite book|last=Alavi|first=Seema|title=Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2015|isbn=978-0-674-73533-0|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England|page=268|chapter=Chapter 5: Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan and the Muslim Cosmopolis}}</ref> Another major source of influence on Khan was the "[[Najd]]i [[Sheikh]]" 'Abd al-Haqq Benarasi who had returned from [[Yemen]] and became the first scholar to teach the doctrines of Yemeni theologian [[Al-Shawkani]] in South Asia. Benarasi was Khan's Hadith master in Delhi; teaching him doctrines such as rejection of ''shirk'', ''bid'ah'', ''Taqlid'', etc. and became influential in laying the doctrinal foundations of the later ''Ahl-i Hadith''.<ref name="Islamic Theology" /> Khan also had studied under the tutelage of other notable students of Shawkani such as Nāṣir al-Ḥāzimī, ʿAbd al-Qayyūm Buḍhānawī and the Bhopali scholar Ḥusayn b. Muḥsin al-Yamanī.<ref name="Islamic Theology" />{{rp|190–191}}

Syed Nazeer Husain from Delhi and Siddiq Hasan Khan of Bhopal drew primarily on the work of hadith scholars from Yemen in the early years of the movement, reintroducing the field into the Indian subcontinent. Their strong emphasis on education and book publishing has often attracted members of the social elite both in South Asia and overseas.<ref name="hewer">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/understandingisl0000hewe |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/understandingisl0000hewe/page/204 204] |title=Understanding Islam: The First Ten Steps|publisher=SCM Press |first1=C. T. R. |last1=Hewer |access-date=24 September 2012|isbn=9780334040323|year=2006}}</ref> Alongside the Yemeni reformers, the teachings of [[Shah Ismail Dehlvi|Shāh Muḥammad Ismāʿīl Dehlvi]] (1779–1832 C.E) also became highly important in ''Ahl-i Hadith'' circles. Shah Muhammad's ground-breaking theological works like ''Taqwiyat al-īmān'' (Strengthening of the Faith), ''al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm'' (The Straight Path), ''Yak Rūzī'' (One Dayer), etc. elucidated the core doctrines of the ''Ahl-i Hadith'' movement. All these works called upon the believers to uphold the principle of ''[[Tawhid]]'' (montheism), and condemned various practices associated with [[Wali|saint]]-venerations, visitations to tombs, [[Sufism|Sufi]] rituals, etc. as ''shirk'' (polytheism).<ref name="Islamic Theology" />{{rp|174–175}}

Following the teachings of Shah Ismail, ''Ahl-i Hadith'' also rejected ''[[Taqlid]]'' to works of classical [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] ''[[Fiqh]]'' (jurisprudence) and believed in direct understanding of ''Qur'an'' and ''Hadith''. Due to their connections with Shah Ismail and Sayyid Ahmad's ''Jihad'' movement, ''Ahl-i Hadith'' were considered as "Wahhabi" conspirators by the British administration. The [[anti-colonial]] activism of ''Ahl-i Hadith'' religious reformers as well as their sympathies for Jihad made them the primary target more than any other [[Islah|reform]] movement. For the [[British Empire|British imperial]] statesmen, their endeavours were part of a wider "Wahhabi" conspiracy. Apart from the British, many [[Hanafi]]te scholars also were critical of Sayyid Ahmad and his followers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Haroon|first=Sana|title=The Mosques of Colonial South Asia: A Social and Legal History of Muslim Worship|publisher=I.B Tauris|year=2021|isbn=978-0-7556-3444-6|location=London, UK|pages=33|chapter=1: Tajpur, Bihar, 1891: Leadership in Congregational Prayer|quote="Ahl-i Hadith were those who accepted the teachings of Shah Ismail of Delhi by rejecting unthinking deference to the Sunni jurisprudential tradition and scholarly authority in avor of personal readings and understanding of the Quran and hadith... A large number of scholars (including myself) have historicized the Ahl-i Hadith interventions. The earliest British observers termed them Wahhabi conspirators, inspired by visits to Mecca and led by Sayyid Ahmad of Rai Bareily to lead an anti-Sikh jihad... Religious reformist impulses drove a number of teaching and learning movements across colonial north India in the nineteenth century but few, if any, provoked the ire of the colonial state in the manner that the Ahl-i Hadith did. Sayyid Ahmad's jihad produced suspicion and hostility among European statesmen who believed that hostile anti-colonial sentiments motivated this "Wahhabi" conspiracy. The Hanafi 'ulama accused Sayyid Ahmad, Shah Ismail, and their supporters of misleading common people into making financial contributions in their support."}}</ref> Throughout the 19th century, ''Ahl-i Hadith'' scholars were persecuted under various pretexts during the "Wahhabi trails" (of 1850s–1870s). Eventually the leaders of the movement sought pragmatic accommodation with the [[British Raj]] in order to stop the repression campaign against Wahhabis. Upon the petition of ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' scholar [[Muhammad Hussain Batalvi]] to the [[British India|British Indian Administration]], the government of India issued a notification in 1886, stopping the use of the term "Wahhabi" in official correspondence. In a victory to reform movement, the government conceded to referring the community as "''Ahl-i Hadith''".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Naqvi|first=A.Q.|title=The Salafis (History of the Ahle Hadees Movement in India)|publisher=Al-Kitab International|year=2001|location=New Delhi|pages=165–183}}</ref>

[[University of Paris]] political scientist [[Antoine Sfeir]] has referred to the movement as having an elitist character which perhaps contributes to their status as a minority in South Asia.<ref name=roy>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rNrMilgHKKEC&pg=PA92 |title=The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism|editor=Olivier Roy|editor2=Antoine Sfeir |date=26 September 2007 |publisher=Columbia University Press |access-date=24 September 2012|isbn=9780231146401}}</ref> [[Folk Islam]] and Sufism, commonly popular with the poor and working class in the region, are anathema to ''Ahl-i Hadith'' beliefs and practices. This attitude toward Sufism has brought the movement into conflict with the rival [[Barelvi]] movement even more so than the Barelvis perennial rivals, the [[Deobandi]]s.<ref name="art">Arthur F Buehler, [https://books.google.com/books?id=MDsFTw76GZMC&pg=PA179 Sufi Heirs of the Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh], p. 179. Part of the ''Studies in Comparative Religion'' series. [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]: [[University of South Carolina Press]], 1998. {{ISBN|9781570032011}}.</ref>

In the 1920s, the Ahl-i Hadith opened a center for their movement in [[Srinagar]]. Followers of the [[Hanafi]] school of law, forming the majority of Muslims in [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], socially boycotted and physically attacked ''Ahl-i Hadith'' followers, eventually declaring such followers to be [[Apostasy in Islam|apostates]] and banning them from praying in mainstream mosques.<ref>[[Yoginder Sikand]], "Islamist Militancy in Kashmir: The Case of the Lashkar-e Taiba." Taken from [https://books.google.com/books?id=Jc8gvJ7maJIC&pg=PA226 The Practice of War: Production, Reproduction and Communication of Armed Violence], p. 226. Eds. Aparna Rao, Michael Bollig and Monika Böck. New York City: [[Berghahn Books]], 2008. {{ISBN|9780857450593}}</ref> From the 1930s the group also began to be active in the political realm of [[Pakistan]], with [[Ehsan Elahi Zaheer]] leading the movement into a full foray in the 1970s, eventually gaining the movement a network of mosques and Islamic schools.<ref name=roy/> Following other South Asian Islamic movements, the ''Ahl-i Hadith'' now also administer schools and mosques in the English-speaking world. In the modern era, the movement draws both inspiration and financial support from [[Saudi Arabia]],<ref name="auto" /> now being favoured over the rival Deobandi movement as a counterbalance to Iranian influence.<ref>Sushant Sareen, ''The Jihad Factory: Pakistan's Islamic Revolution in the Making'', p. 282. New Delhi: Har Anand Publications, 2005.</ref>

==Tenets==
{{salafi|Ideology}}
{{See also|Salafism|Tawhid|Ijtihad|Taqlid|Madhab}}

Its adherents oppose ''[[Taqlid]]''. They reject being bound by the four mainstream Islamic jurisprudential ''[[Madhhab|Mad'habs]]'', and the four ''Imams''. Hence they are known as ghair muqallidīn (non-conformists). They repudiate the traditions of the schools of jurisprudence and consider it permissible to seek guidance directly from ''Qur'an'' and authentic ''[[Hadith]]''. This set them in opposition to the Sufi sects of the subcontinent with whom they often have arguments, and they disagree with followers of the [[Hanafi]] school of thought due to jurisprudential differences.<ref name="mei.edu">{{cite web |last=Siyech |first=Mohammad Sinan |date=4 February 2020 |title=What Makes a Movement Violent: Comparing the Ahle Hadith (Salafists) in India and Pakistan |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/what-makes-movement-violent-comparing-ahle-hadith-salafists-india-and-pakistan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004035120/https://www.mei.edu/publications/what-makes-movement-violent-comparing-ahle-hadith-salafists-india-and-pakistan |archive-date=4 October 2020 |access-date= |website=Middle East Institute |language=en |quote=Second, the group is opposed to the practice of associating with Sufi saints...}}</ref><ref name="referenceworks.brillonline.com" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Sfeir|first=Antoine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rNrMilgHKKEC&pg=PA27|title=The Columbia World Dictionary of Islamism|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-231-14640-1|location=New York|pages=27}}</ref> Classical treatises of [[Hanbali school of Islamic theology|Hanbali]] theologian Ahmad ibn Taymiyya constitute one of the most important doctrinal references of the ''Ahl-i Hadith''. These works were introduced to them under the influence of prominent Yemeni traditionalist scholar [[Al-Shawkani|Muhammad al-Shawkani]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Weismann |first=Itzchak |title=Taste of Modernity: Sufism, Salafiyya, and Arabism in Late Ottoman Damascus |publisher=Brill |year=2001 |isbn=90-04-11908-6 |location=Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands |pages=279-291, 296-298 |chapter=8: Remolding Religion and Identity under the Populist Regimes (1883-1918)}}</ref><ref name="auto1" />

''Ahl-i-Hadith'' movement continues the reform tradition of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (1703–1762) whom the adherents regard as its first modern member. They also draw upon the teachings of his son [[Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi|Shah 'Abd al-Aziz Muhaddith Dehlavi]], his follower [[Syed Ahmad Barelvi|Syed Ahmed Barelvi]], and the Yemenite ''[[Qadi]]'' [[Al-Shawkani|Muhammad al-Shawkani]] (whom they regard as [[Shaykh al-Islām|Shaykh al-Islam]]<ref>{{cite book |last=al-Shawkani |first=Muhammad |url= |title=A Critique of the Ruling of al-Taqlid |publisher=Dar al Arqam Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-9164756-4-9 |location=Birmingham, UK |pages=3–4, 12–13 |author-link=}}</ref>). Siddiq Hasan Khan's father studied under Shah Abd al-Aziz and Syed Nazir Husain was a student of the Muhaddith Shah Muhammad Ishaq, a grandson of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi.<ref name="Meijer 2014 126–127"/> Due to their reliance on the ''Qur'an'' and ''[[Hadith]]'' only and their rejection of ''[[Qiyas]]'' (analogical reasoning) in [[Sharia|Islamic law]], the modern-day ''Ahl-i Hadith'' are often compared to the older [[Zahiri school|Zahiri]] school of ''[[Fiqh]]'' (Islamic law),<ref>Brown, p. 28.</ref><ref>M. Mahmood, ''The Code of Muslim Family Laws'', p. 37. Pakistan Law Times Publications, 2006. 6th ed.</ref> with which the Ahl-i Hadith consciously identify themselves.<ref name="dan32" />

[[Shah Ismail Dehlvi]]'s book ''Taqwiyat-ul-Iman'' is viewed as the manifesto of the ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' movement. In it he emphasised on the [[Tawhid|pristine monotheism]] of Islam and condemned what he viewed as heretic un-Islamic customs that violated ''Tawhid''. Such customs included celebration of death anniversary of ''[[Awliya'|Awliyaa]]'' (Saints), asking their mercy or invoking Allah's blessing through them.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Metcalf |first=Barbara D. |title=Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband, 1860–1900 |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1982 |isbn=9780691641799 |pages=58}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Naqvi|first=A.Q.|title=The Salafis (History of the Ahle Hadees Movement in India)|publisher=Al-Kitab International|year=2001|location=New Delhi |pages=93–94}}</ref> ''Ahl-i Hadith'' condemned practices such as visiting the Prophet's grave and various customs related to saint veneration fervently, in a tone which rivaled in intensity to that of the [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabian]] ''[[Wahhabism|Muwahhidun]]'' movement.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Metcalf |first=Barbara D. |date=2002 |title=Traditionalist Islamic Activism: Deoband, Tablighis, and Talibs |url=https://hdl.handle.net/1887/10068 |journal=International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World |pages=6 |via=Leiden University Scholarly Publications |hdl=1887/10068}}</ref>

While their educational programs tend to include a diverse array of Muslim academic texts, few adherents of the movement ascribe themselves to one [[Madhhab|school]] of Muslim [[Fiqh|jurisprudence]], placing a greater emphasis on personal responsibility to derive judgments and ritual practice.<ref name=hewer/> While the movement's figureheads have ascribed to the [[Zahiri school|Zahirite]] legal school, with a great number of them preferring the works of Yemeni scholar [[Al-Shawkani|Muhammad al-Shawkani]], the generality of the movement is described as respecting all Sunni schools of Islamic law while preferring to take directly from the Qur'an, [[Sunnah|prophetic tradition]] and ''[[Ijma|<nowiki/>'Ijma]]'' (consensus) of the early generations of Muslims.<ref name=hewer/> While the movement has been compared to [[Salafist movement]] in Arab nations and been branded as [[Wahhabi]]st by the opposing [[Barelwi]] movement,<ref name="roy"/> the ''Ahl-i Hadith'' remain similar to yet distinct from Salafists.<ref>Mathieu Guidère, ''Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism'', p. 177. [[Lanham, Maryland|Lanham]]: [[Scarecrow Press]], 2012. {{ISBN|9780810878211}}.</ref>

According to Islamic scholar [[Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib|Muhammad Asadullah al-Ghalib]], the aim and objective of the ''Ahl-i Hadith'' movement is: <blockquote>"To earn the satisfaction of [[Allah]] by preaching and establishing unmixed Tawheed and by following properly the ''Kitab'' and ''Sunnah'' in all spheres of life. The social and political aim of Ahle Hadeeth Movement is to make all out reforms of the society through the reforms of ''[[Aqidah|Aqeedah]]'' and ''Amal''."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Asadullah al-Ghalib |first=Muhammad |title=Ahle Hadeeth Movement What and Why? |publisher=Hadeeth Foundation Bangladesh |year=2012 |isbn=978-984-33-4799-2 |location=Kajla, Rajshahi, Bangladesh |pages=68}}</ref></blockquote>

==Practices==
{{See also|Islamic jurisprudence}}{{Islamism sidebar|Movements}}
Like other [[Islah|Islamic reform]] movements, the ''Ahl-i Hadith'' are distinguished by certain common features and beliefs. The men tend to have a particular style of untrimmed beard often considered a visual indicator. In regard to ritual acts of ''[[Ibadah|<nowiki/>'Ibadah]]'' (Islamic acts of worship), the movement's practices are noticeably different from the [[Hanafi]] ''[[Madhhab|madh'hab]]'' (legal school) which predominates in South Asia; the men hold their hands above the navel when lined up for congregational prayer, raise them to the level of their heads before bowing, and say "Ameen" out loud after the prayer leader.<ref name="hewer" /> ''Ahl-i Hadith'' call for a return to the first principles and for a revival of "the original simplicity and purity to [[Islamic faith|faith]] and practices." They are also opposed to foreign customs and beliefs that crept into Muslim societies as well as foreign philosophical thoughts and Sufi mystical concepts such as ''[[Ma'rifa]]t''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asadullah al-Ghalib |first=Muhammad |title=Ahle Hadeeth Movement What and Why? |publisher=Hadeeth Foundation Bangladesh |year=2012 |isbn=978-984-33-4799-2 |location=Kajla, Rajshahi, Bangladesh |pages=36, 53, 61}}</ref> The movement also distinguished itself from the [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] movement, which followed the [[Hanbali]] legal school and its rulings, while the ''Ahl-i Hadith'' adherents considered themselves as following no single ''[[Madhhab|madh'hab]]'' (legal school).<ref name="Islamic Theology" />{{rp|165–166}}

Breaking with the dominant Hanafi and [[Sufism in India|Sufi]] customs, they also emphasise the fraternity and equality of all Muslims; such as permitting [[Muslim women]] to pray in ''[[Masjids]]'', addressing the ''[[Khutbah]]'' (Friday sermons) to both villagers and city-dwellers in the native languages, making [[Divorce in Islam|divorce]] procedure easy and accessible to women, rejecting ''[[Triple talaq in India|triple Talaq]]'', authorising marriage contracts between poor and affluent classes of the society, etc. Other key themes include living a pious and disciplined life by working hard; and attainment of ''[[Ihsan]]'' (spiritual perfection) through virtuous deeds. While the movement became popular amongst the affluent urban classes, it also has considerable sway in the rural regions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sanyal |first=Usha |title=Scholars of Faith: South Asian Muslim Women and the Embodiment of Religious Knowledge |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-19-012080-1 |location=New Delhi |pages=283–285 |chapter=7: Al-Huda's Intellectual Foundations}}</ref>

According to Professor Abdul Ali, former chairman and Director of the Department of [[Islamic studies|Islamic Studies]], [[Aligarh Muslim University]]:<ref>{{cite web|title=Educreation Authors|url=https://www.educreation.in/author/abdulali/ |url-status=live |website=Educreation.in |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809175714/https://www.educreation.in/author/abdulali/ |archive-date=9 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=27 April 2019|title=Eminent scholar Abdul Ali addresses MANUU seminar|url=https://www.mpositive.in/tag/prof-abdul-ali-professor-of-islamic-studies-amu/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809175714/https://www.educreation.in/author/abdulali/|archive-date=9 August 2020|url-status=live|website=Mpositive.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=MUHAMMAD MOSLEH UDDIN|title=SHAH WALIULLAH'S CONTRIBUTION TO HADITH LITERATURE: A Critical Study|date=2003|publisher=Department of Islamic Studies: Aligarh Muslim University|location=Aligarh, India |pages=152}}</ref><blockquote>"The ''Ahl-i-Hadith movement'' was inspired by the school of thought of [[Shah Waliullah Dehlawi|Shah Wali Allah]] of Delhi, who in the eighteenth century, imparted renewed emphasis on the study of ''[[Hadith]]'', and raised his voice against the principle of ''[[taqlid]]'' in legal matters by justifying the principle of ''[[ijtihad]]'', which gave Hadith the right of primacy over the rulings of the juristic schools. This particular trend in Shah Wali Allah's thought became the starting point of ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' movement... The ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' movement which was started in India in the nineteenth century was quite different from that of [[Wahhabism]], because it drew its inspiration not from [[Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab|Muhammad bin 'Abd al-Wahhab]] of [[Najd]] but from his Indian contemporary Shah Waliullah of Delhi. At the same time... both these movements had some elements of religious purification in their rejection of ''taqlid'' and innovation."</blockquote>

== Relations with other Reform Movements ==
=== With Wahhabi Movement ===
{{Further|Wahhabism#Ahl-i-Hadith|label1=Relations with the Wahhabi movement}}The [[Wahhabi Movement|Wahhabi movement]] was a revivalist movement that emerged in the [[Arabian Peninsula]] in the 18th century, and shared [[Islah|reformist]], [[Traditionalist theology (Islam)|traditionalist]] heritage of ''Ahl-i Hadith''. During the late 19th century, Wahhabi scholars would establish contacts with ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' and many Wahhabi students would travel to South Asia to study under the ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' ''[[ulama]]'', and later became prominent scholars in the Arabian Wahhabi establishment.<ref name="Lacroix60–62">{{cite book |last=Lacroix |first=Stéphane |chapter=Chapter 2: Between Revolution and Apoliticism: Nasir al-Din al-Albani and his Impact on the Shaping of Contemporary Salafism |editor-last=Meijer |editor-first=Roel |title=Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0199333431 |oclc=5713616619 |pages=60–62}}</ref>{{sfn|Commins|2006|p=145}}

Both the Wahhabis and ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' shared a common creed, opposed Sufi practices such as visiting shrines, seeking aid (''istigatha'') from dead ''[[Awliya'|<nowiki/>'Awliya]]'' (Islamic saints), etc. Both the movements revived the teachings of the medieval Sunni theologian and jurist, Ibn Taymiyya, whom they considered as "''[[Shaykh al-Islām|Shaykh al-Islam]]''". With the resources of Muslim [[Bhopal State|principality of Bhopal]] at his disposal, ''Muhaddith'' [[Siddiq Hasan Khan|Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan]] became a strong advocate the ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' cause in India. Suffering from the instabilities of 19th-century Arabia, many Wahhabi ''ulema'' would make their way to India and study under ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' patronage. Prominent [[Emirate of Nejd|Saudi]] scholars like Hamad ibn 'Atiq would make correspondence with Siddiq Hasan Khan; requesting him to send various classical works, due to scarcity of classical treatises amongst the 19th-century Najdi scholars. He would send his eldest son, Sa'd ibn Atiq, to India to study under Siddiq Hasan Khan as well as [[Syed Nazeer Husain|Sayyid Nazir Hussain]] for over nine years. Sa'd ibn Atiq would become a major scholarly authority in the [[Saudi Arabia|Third Saudi State]]. He was appointed by [[Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia|Ibn Saud]] as the ''[[qadi]]'' of [[Riyadh]] as well as the ''[[Imam]]'' of [[Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque|Grand Mosque of Riyad]] giving him great influence in the educational system. Amongst his students was [[Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz]], who was highly influenced by the Indian ''Ahl-i-Hadith''. Another son of Sa'd Ibn Atiq as well as other prominent Najdi scholars from [[Al ash-Sheikh|Al Ash-Shaykh]] would study with the Indian ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' during the 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref name="Lacroix60–62" />{{sfn|Commins|2006|pp=144–45}}

Ahl-i Hadith leader [[Nawab]] [[Siddiq Hasan Khan|Sīddïq Hasān Khán]] (1832–1890 C.E/ 1248–1307 A.H) nevertheless strongly objected to the usage of the term "Wahhabi"; viewing it as a restrictive regional term primarily rooted in geography and also considered the term to be politically manipulative. According to him, labelling the exponents of ''[[Tawhid]]'' as "Wahhabi" was wrong since it symbolised a form of regionalism that went against Islamic universalism. Khan argues that the term has contradicting, unrelated and narrow localised connotations across different parts of the World. Khan pointed out that the term had been turned by the [[British Raj]] into a political pejorative phrase; abusing its name to castigate its dissidents of being aligned with the movement of [[Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab|Ibn 'Abd-al-Wahhab]] of Arabia, (with which British empire had fought various [[Persian Gulf campaign of 1809|wars]]) and that the colonial authorities in had applied it to a wide range of [[anti-colonial]] [[Islah|Islamic reform]] movements.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Bernard |title=The Shaping of the Modern Middle East |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1994 |isbn=0-19-507281-2 |location=<!--198 Madison Avenue,--> New York |page=103 |chapter=5: The Revolt of Islam}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Tibi |first=Bassam |title=Arab nationalism: A Critical Enquiry |publisher=The Macmillan Press Ltd |year=1990 |isbn=978-1-349-20804-3 |edition=Second |location=London, UK |pages=162 |translator1=Farouk-Sluglett, Marion |translator2=Sluglett, Peter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Atkin |first=Muriel |date=2000 |title=The Rhetoric of Islamophobia |url=https://www.ca-c.org/online/2000/journal_eng/eng01_2000/16.atkin.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925070024/https://www.ca-c.org/online/2000/journal_eng/eng01_2000/16.atkin.shtml |archive-date=25 September 2021 |website=CA&C Press |quote=In political, as well as religious matters, any Muslim who challenges the status quo is at risk of being labeled a Wahhabi. This is how the KGB and its post-Soviet successors have used the term.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Knysh |first=Alexander |year=2004 |title=A Clear and Present Danger: "Wahhabism" as a Rhetorical Foil |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/1571334 |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=9–13 |jstor=1571334 |quote=The use of the term to label all distasteful opponents has become so routine in post–Soviet discourse that Feliks Kulov, then Minister for National Security in Kyrgyzstan, could speak in 1997 of "foreign Wahhabi emissaries, from Iran in particular". People accused of being "Wahhabis" are routinely charged with treason and subversion against the state.}}</ref> He distanced himself as well as the Indian Muslim public from this label, writing:<ref>{{cite book |last=Alavi|first=Seema|title=Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2015|isbn=978-067473533-0|location=Cambridge, MA; London|pages=273–275, 294|chapter=Chapter 5: Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan and the Muslim Cosmopolis}}</ref><ref name="Siddiq Hasan Khan">{{cite journal|last=Alavi|first=Seema|year=2011|title=Siddiq Hasan Khan (1832–90) and the Creation of a Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the 19th century|journal=Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient|location=Leiden|publisher=Brill Publishers|volume=54|issue=1|pages=8–10|doi=10.1163/156852011X567373|jstor=41305791}}</ref>{{blockquote|To call those Indian Muhammadans who do not worship tombs and pirs and prohibit people from unlawful acts by the name Wahabi is entirely false for several reasons: In the first place they do not represent themselves as such, on the contrary they call themselves Sunnis. If there was anything of Wahabism in their creed they would call themselves by that name and should not resent the epithet. Those who worship one God object to being called Wahabis in the Abd al-Wahhab kind of way not only because of his belonging to a different nation and all its politics, but because they consider God as the ruler and protector of the whole world and this [universalist] stance is blunted if they are said to be followers of a territorially rooted Abd al-Wahhab."<ref>{{cite book|last=Alavi|first=Seema|title=Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the Age of Empire|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=2015|isbn=978-067473533-0|location=Cambridge, MA; London|pages=274, 294|chapter=Chapter 5: Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan and the Muslim Cosmopolis}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Alavi|first=Seema|year=2011|title=Siddiq Hasan Khan (1832–90) and the Creation of a Muslim Cosmopolitanism in the 19th century|journal=Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient|location=Leiden|publisher=Brill Publishers|volume=54|issue=1|page=9|doi=10.1163/156852011X567373|jstor=41305791}}.</ref>}}

[[File:The_heart_of_Arabia,_a_record_of_travel_and_exploration_(1922)_(14772538495).jpg|right|thumb|320x320px|An early photo of the [[Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque|Grand Mosque of Riyadh]] circa. 1922.]]
In 1931, ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' scholar Shaykh Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Dehlawi, founded the ''Dar-ul-Hadith'' institute, which would later be attached to the [[Islamic University of Madinah|Islamic University of Medina]]. It encouraged the study of ''Hadith'' across [[Hejaz]] and paved the way for [[Al-Albani|Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani]] and his ''Muhaddith'' factions in the 1960s. With the support of [[Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia|Saudi Grand Mufti]] [[Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz|Ibn Baz]], culminating in the consolidation of the contemporary ''Salafi Manhaj''. Ibn Baz, who was highly influenced by ''Ahl-i-Hadith'', shared the passion for revival of [[Hadith studies|Hadith sciences]]. After the establishment of [[Saudi Arabia|Third Saudi State]] and [[oil boom]], the Saudi Sheikhs would repay their debts by supporting ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' through finances as well as mass publications. [[Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh|Mufti Muhammad ibn Ibrahim]]'s teachers also included students of ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' scholars and he too made efforts to support the South Asian ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' cause. After Mufti Muhammad, Ibn Baz as the [[Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia]] would greatly support the movement. Prominent ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' scholars such as Shaykh Abdul Ghaffar Khan would be appointed to teach in Saudi Universities. His famous students included [[Safar al-Hawali]] and [[Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i]]. With Saudi patronage, a vast ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' networks were expanded in South Asia, experiencing a phenomenal increase from 134 in 1988 to 310 in 2000 (131 percent) and currently number around 500. According to Pakistani estimates 34,000 students studied under ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' [[Madrasa|madrassas]] in 2006 compared to 18,800 in 1996. ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' has had remarkable success in converting Muslims from other schools of thought.{{sfn|Commins|2006|p=147}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Meijer |first=Roel |title=Global Salafism: Islam's New Religious Movement |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0199333431 |location=New York |pages=73–74, 130–35}}</ref>

=== With ''Salafiyya'' Movement ===
{{Further|Salafiyya Movement|Muhammad Rashid Rida|Salafi movement#Evolution|label2=Muhammād Rāshīd Rīdà|label3=Evolution of Salafiyya Movement}}
The early ''[[Salafi movement|Salafiyya]]'' reformers of the [[Arab world|Arab World]] would influence and impart influence on ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' scholars. The Iraqi Salafi scholar [[:ar:نعمان الآلوسي|Khayr Al-Din Al-'Alusi]] (d. 1317 A.H/ 1899 C.E) corresponded with ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' scholar Siddiq Hassan Khan and praised him as a religious reformer. Influenced by ''Ahl-i-Hadith'', Salafi scholars like [[Rashid Rida|Sayyīd Rashīd Ridá]] (d. 1354 A.H/ 1935 C.E) would call for a non-''madhab'' or pre-''madhab'' approach to ''[[Fiqh]]'' (Jurisprudence). 'Abd al-Baqi al-Afghani (d. 1905) who was influenced by ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' in the subcontinent would also be active the [[Islah|reform]] movements in [[Syria]]. Syrian Islamic scholar [[Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani|Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani]] too would be highly influenced by ''Ahl-i-Hadith'' and would be known as an excellent ''[[Muhaddith]]''. The ''Salafiyya'' ''[[Ulama|Ulema]]'' shared with the ''Ahl-i-Hadith'', a common interest in opposing various Sufi practices, denounce ''[[Taqlid]]'' (blind following), reviving correct theology and [[Hadith studies|''Hadith'' sciences]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Commins|first=David|title=The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia|publisher=I.B Tauris|year=2006|isbn=1-84511-080-3|location=New York|pages=145}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Dean Commins|first=David|title=Islamic Reform Politics and Social Change in Late Ottoman Syria|publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1990 |isbn=0-19-506103-9|location=New York|pages=25, 47}}</ref>

==Organizations==
Leading proponents of the movement joined forces against the opposition they faced from established ''[[ulama]]'' (religious scholars) and in 1906 formed the All India ''Ahl-i-Hadis'' Conference.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mohsin |first=K. M. |date=2001 |chapter=The ''Ahl-i-Hadis'' Movement in Bangladesh |editor-last=Ahmed |editor-first=Rafiuddin |title=Religion, Identity & Politics: Essays on Bangladesh |location=Colorado Springs, CO |publisher=International Academic Publishers |page=180 |isbn=978-1-58868-080-8 |quote="It was ... not an easy task for the ''Ahl-i-Hadis'' preachers to go against the powerful sunni ''ulema'' ... They encountered frequent opposition from the latter ... In order to consolidate their efforts, the leading members of the movement decided to form an all-India organization, called the All India ''Ahl-i-Hadis'' Conference in 1906, in Lucknow, India."}}</ref> The ''Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees'' was represented in the [[All India Azad Muslim Conference]], which [[opposition to the partition of India|opposed the partition of India]].<ref name="QasmiRobb2017">{{cite book |last1=Qasmi |first1=Ali Usman |last2=Robb |first2=Megan Eaton |title=Muslims against the Muslim League: Critiques of the Idea of Pakistan |date=2017 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781108621236 |page=2 |language=en}}</ref> One member organization of the All India Ahl-i-Hadis Conference is the ''Anjuman-i-Hadith'', formed by students of [[Syed Nazeer Husain|Sayyid Miyan Nadhir Husain]] and divided into [[Bengal]] and [[Assam]] wings. After the 1947 separation of India and Pakistan, the Pakistani ''Ahle-Hadith'' center was based in and around [[Karachi]].<ref name="Banglapedia">{{cite book |year=2012 |chapter=Ahl-e-Hadith |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Ahl-e-Hadith |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

In 1930 ''Ahl-i Hadith'' was founded as a small political party in India.<ref name=roy/> In Pakistan, the movement formed a political party, [[Jamiat Ahle Hadith]], which unlike similar Islamic groups opposed government involvement in affairs of ''[[sharia]]'' law.<ref name="Roy">Roy, Olivier, ''The Failure of Political Islam'', by Olivier Roy, translated by Carol Volk, Harvard University Press, 1994, p.118-9</ref> Their leader, [[Ehsan Elahi Zaheer]], was assassinated in 1987. The ''Ahl-i Hadith'' opposes Shi'i doctrines.<ref name=roy-islamism/>

===Funding===
Millions of dollars in Saudi funding has also been given into Indian and Pakistani Ahle Hadith madrassas, and educational institutions.<ref name="mei.edu"/>

==Demographics==
[[File:Jamia Masjid Ahl-E-Hadith - Hopwood Lane - geograph.org.uk - 1887705.jpg|thumb|right| Jamia Masjid Ahl-e-Hadith, an ''Ahl-i Hadith'' mosque in [[Halifax, West Yorkshire]].]]
During the rule of the [[British Raj]], no accurate census was ever taken of the movement's exact number of followers.<ref name=art/> The group itself claims 22 million followers in India (out of a population of 1396 million) and 10 million in Pakistan (out of a population of 227 million),<ref>{{cite web|last=Siyech|first=Mohammed Sinan|date=4 February 2020|title=What Makes a Movement Violent: Comparing the Ahle Hadith (Salafists) in India and Pakistan|url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/what-makes-movement-violent-comparing-ahle-hadith-salafists-india-and-pakistan |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201004035120/https://www.mei.edu/publications/what-makes-movement-violent-comparing-ahle-hadith-salafists-india-and-pakistan |archive-date=4 October 2020}}</ref> as well 25 millions in Bangladesh with strongholds in 40 districts of the country.<ref>{{cite book|title=Political Islam and Governance in Bangladesh|publisher=Routledge|year=2010|pages=53}}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, the Ahl-i Hadith movement maintains 42 centers and boasts a membership which was estimated at 5,000 during the 1990s and 9,000 during the 2000s.<ref name="Gilliat-Ray2010">{{cite book |last=Gilliat-Ray |first=Sophie |date=2010 |title=Muslims in Britain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39pZYTUv-jMC&pg=PA105 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=105 |isbn=978-0-521-53688-2}}</ref> Although the movement has been present in the UK since the 1960s, it has not been the subject of extensive academic research and sources on the movement are extremely limited and rare.<ref name="Gilliat-Ray2010" />

== Relationship with other Muslim sects ==

=== Pakistan ===
The Ahl-i Hadith is opposed to practices associated with Sufi ''[[Awliyaa]]'' (Saints). In Pakistan, although many Salafi groups shun violence, some Ahl-i Hadith organizations advocate militant actions. The Ahl-i Hadith militant organizations such as [[Lashkar-e-Taiba]], an armed wing of [[Markaz Dawa wal Irshad|Markaz Dawah wal Irshad]] (MDI), have targeted Indian security forces as well as Barelvis, Shias and Ahmadis. Another organisation, Tehreek e-Mujahideen (an armed Wing of [[Jamiat Ahle Hadith|Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith]]), has targeted Indian security forces in the contested state of [[Kashmir]]. During the [[Afghan jihad|Afghan Jihad]] of 1980s, the Pakistani state encouraged madrassas to fight the Soviet forces, militarizing many organizations including Salafi/Ahle Hadith groups. In sharp contrast, Indian Salafists have been regarded as being "peaceful" and "non-violent."<ref name="mei.edu" /> While the organization Lashkar-e-Taiba has recruited followers of the Ahl-i Hadith movement in the past, the organization's views on jihad alienate the mainstream adherents of the Ahl-i Hadith movement.<ref>Geoffrey Kambere, Puay Hock Goh, Pranav Kumar and Fulgence Msafiri, "Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)." Taken from [https://books.google.com/books?id=lQFhQpE0ye4C&pg=PT106 Financing Terrorism: Case Studies]. Ed. Michael Freeman. [[Farnham]]: [[Ashgate Publishing]], 2013. {{ISBN|9781409476832}}</ref> Lashkar e-Taiba is considered responsible for various attacks on Indian soil including the [[2008 Mumbai attacks]] that killed more than 160 people.<ref name="mei.edu" />

=== India ===
The Indian Ahle Hadith movement has largely remained apolitical, focusing primarily on religious issues and also encourage participation in the democratic process.<ref name="mei.edu" /> 

=== Afghanistan ===
When the [[Deobandi]] [[Taliban]] first came to power in [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Afghanistan]] in the 1990s, they had suppressed Salafist trends. However, after the [[post-9/11]] [[United States invasion of Afghanistan|US Invasion of Afghanistan]], Taliban were forced to ally with Salafists. Many Salafist footsoldiers and ''Ahl-i Hadith'' organisations joined the [[Taliban insurgency|Taliban insurgency (2001–2021)]] under the Afghan Taliban's command.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sayed|first=Abdul|date=20 November 2020|title=Islamic State Khorasan Province's Peshawar Seminary Attack and War Against Afghan Taliban Hanafis|url=https://jamestown.org/program/islamic-state-khorasan-provinces-peshawar-seminary-attack-and-war-against-afghan-taliban-hanafis/|url-status=live|newspaper=Jamestown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120191609/https://jamestown.org/program/islamic-state-khorasan-provinces-peshawar-seminary-attack-and-war-against-afghan-taliban-hanafis/ |archive-date=20 November 2020}}</ref> After Taliban victory in the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|War in Afghanistan]] and [[Fall of Kabul (2021)|Restoration of the Islamic Emirate]], hundreds of ''Ahl-i Hadith'' ''[[Ulama|ulema]]'' would gather to announce their ''[[Bay'ah]]'' (pledge of allegiance) to the [[Afghanistan|Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]]. Number of ''Ahl-i Hadith'' clerics and their representatives held gatherings across various provinces of Afghanistan to re-affirm their backing of the Taliban and officially declare their support to the [[Islamic State–Taliban conflict|Taliban crackdown on IS-K]].<ref>{{cite web|date=1 November 2021|title=Ahl-e-Hadith clerics announce allegiance to Taliban in Nangarhar |url=https://www.afghanislamicpress.com/en/news/93343|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113120514/https://www.afghanislamicpress.com/en/news/93343|archive-date=13 November 2021|website=Afghan Islamic Press}}</ref>

==Prominent Ahl-i Hadith figures==
=== Scholastic ===
{{columns-list|
* [[Syed Nazeer Husain]]
* [[Siddiq Hasan Khan]]
* [[Abdullah Ghaznavi]]
* [[Abdul Mannan Wazirabadi]]
* [[Molvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi|Muhammad Husain Batalvi]]
* [[Sanaullah Amritsari|Sana'ullah Amritsari]]
* [[Dawood Ghaznavi]]
* [[Muhammad Shams-ul-Haq Azimabadi|Shams-ul-Haq Azimabadi]]
* [[Muhammad Asadullah Al-Ghalib]]
* [[Zubair Ali Zai]]
* [[Mohammad Harun Hossain]]
* [[Abdullah al-Baqi]]
* [[Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani]]}}

=== Political/militant ===
{{columns-list|
* [[Ehsan Elahi Zaheer]]
* [[Sajid Mir (politician)|Sajid Mir]]
* [[Hafiz Muhammad Saeed|Hafiz Saeed]]
* [[Abdul Rehman Makki]]
* [[Jamil al-Rahman]]
}}

==See also==
{{columns-list|
* [[Outline of Islam]]
* [[Glossary of Islam]]
* [[Index of Islam-related articles]]
* [[Salafi movement]]
* [[Jamiat Ahle Hadith]]
* [[Bid'ah]]
* [[Wahhabism]]
* [[Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh]]
}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="auto">{{cite book |editor-last=Rubin |editor-first=Barry M. |editor-link=Barry Rubin |date=2010 |title=Guide to Islamist Movements |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wEih57-GWQQC&pg=PA348 |volume=1 |location=Armonk, NY |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |page=348 |isbn=978-0-7656-1747-7}}</ref>

<ref name="auto1">{{cite book |last1=Michael Feener |first1=R. |title=Islam in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives |last2=Rozehnal |first2=Robert |publisher=ABC-CLIO, Inc. |year=2004 |isbn=1-57607-516-8 |location=Santa Barbara, California |pages=109 |chapter=4: Debating Orthodoxy, Contesting Tradition Islam in Contemporary South Asia}}</ref>

<ref name="auto2">{{cite journal |last=Allen |first=Charles |date=2005 |title=The Hidden Roots of Wahhabism in British India |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40209967 |journal=World Policy Journal |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=89 |doi=10.1215/07402775-2005-3001 |jstor=40209967 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

<ref name="dan32">Daniel W. Brown, ''Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought'': Vol. 5 of Cambridge Middle East Studies, p. 32. [[Cambridge]]: [[Cambridge University Press]], 1996. {{ISBN|9780521653947}}</ref>

<ref name="Islamic Theology">{{cite book |author1=Birgit Krawietz |author2=Georges Tamer |author3=Alina Kokoschka |title=Islamic Theology, Philosophy and Law: Debating Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya |publisher=Walter De Gruyter |year=2013 |isbn=978-3-11-028534-5 |location=Berlin, Germany |chapter=Screening Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān's Library: The Use of Ḥanbalī Literature in 19th-Century Bhopal}}</ref>

<ref name="ODI2">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Ahl-i Hadith |editor=John L. Esposito |encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |year=2014 |url=https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00bada|url-access=registration |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001 |isbn=9780195125580}}</ref>

<ref name="referenceworks.brillonline.com">{{cite book |date=2012 |title=Ahl-i Ḥadīth |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/*-SIM_0380 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108115431/https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/*-SIM_0380 |archive-date=8 November 2019 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004161214 |edition=Encyclopedia of Islam, Second |last1=Bianquis |first1=Thierry |author2=Bearman |last3=Bosworth |first3=Edmund |last4=Heinrichs |first4=Wolfhart |last5=Van Donzel |first5=E. J.}}</ref>

}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160815194536/http://www.ahlehadees.org/about-ahle-hadith-hadees/markazi-jamiat-ahle-hadees-hadith-history.html Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160816102529/http://www.ahlehadith.org/ Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Pakistan]
* [https://jahjk.org Markazi Jamiat e Ahlihadith Jammu And Kashmir]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130217043417/http://www.nawdaparamadrasa.ahlehadeethbd.org/ Al-Markazul Islami As-Salafi]
* [http://www.ahlehadeethbd.org/ Ahlehadeeth Andolon Bangladesh]

[[Category:Ahl-i Hadith| ]]
[[Category:Sunni Islamic branches]]
[[Category:Islamism in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Islam in India]]
[[Category:Salafi movement]]
[[Category:Islam in Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Islam in Africa]]
[[Category:Islam in Asia]]
[[Category:Islam in Azad Kashmir]]
[[Category:Islam in Bangladesh]]