HITEC University

Department of Electrical Engineering

Pakistan Studies
Group Assignment # 01

GROUP # 04
Sayyad Ahmad Shaheed Jihad Against Sikh
Submitted to: Ma’am Zahida Jabeen
Group Members:
Aiman Mamraiz 17-EE-080
M. Sameer Khan 17-EE-084
Fariha Saeed 17-EE-088 (Group Leader)
Muhammad Rawal Ch. 17-EE-092
Sania Saeed 17-EE-147
Ayesha Rafiq 17-EE-175

Section: A

Date: March 8, 2019

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Table of Contents
Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barailvi:....................................................................................................................3
Personal Life............................................................................................................................................3
Work........................................................................................................................................................4
Importance..............................................................................................................................................5
Preparation of Jehad against Sikh................................................................................................................6
Target of Syed Barailvi.............................................................................................................................6
His hajj.....................................................................................................................................................6
Support of Barailvi...................................................................................................................................6
Clah of Sikhs............................................................................................................................................6
Clash of Sikh troops.................................................................................................................................7
Enforcement of Sharia.................................................................................................................................7
Background of Sharia Movement............................................................................................................7
Sharia Movement....................................................................................................................................7
Syed Ahmad as Caliph..............................................................................................................................8
Battle of Balakot......................................................................................................................................8
Death of Syed Ahmad Shaheed...............................................................................................................8
References...................................................................................................................................................8
Group Tasks.................................................................................................................................................9
Fariha Saeed (Group leader)....................................................................................................................9
Aiman Mamraiz.......................................................................................................................................9
Muhammad Sameer Khan.......................................................................................................................9
Rawal Chaudhary.....................................................................................................................................9
Sania Saeed.............................................................................................................................................9
Ayesha Rafique........................................................................................................................................9

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Syed Ahmad Shaheed And Jihad Against
Sikh
Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barailvi:
The name of Syed Ahmed Shaheed caries great importance with regard to the revival of
Islam in the history of the sub-continent. Syed Ahmed Shaheed picked up the course of vigorous
two-pronged struggle aimed at the purification of the Muslim society and the destruction of the
British power in India. His approach to freedom was based on the armed struggle and
confrontation against the foreign and non-Muslim forces.
Syed Ahmed Shaheed the inheritor of the mantle of Shah Abdul Aziz, was born on Nov 29,1786
in a respective family of Rai Baraily. He was the greatly impressed by the preaching and
doctrines of Shah Wali Ullah and was a staunch disciple of his son Shah Abdul Aziz. Syed
Ahmed began his career as a Sawar in the services of Nawab Amir Khan, the ruler of tonk.
During his service, Syed Ahmed learnt military discipline and strategy which made him a great
military commander in a year to come. However, Syed Ahmed Left the service when Amir Khan
refused to fight after Tonk fell on the British. Tonk was declared as Dar-ul-harb by walking 318
miles from Lucknow to Delhi. By now Syed Ahmed had decided to come under the discipleship
of Shah Abdul Aziz.
In 1807 he took the oath of allegiance at the hand of Shah Abdul Aziz and entered the fold of
Naqshbania. Qadriya AND Chistiya sufi order.

In 1818 Syed Ahmed wrote Sirat-i-Mustaim. in this project his two distinguished disciples,
Shah Ismail Shaheed and Maulana Abdul Haye, assisted him in the preparation of the book. The
work is an excellent summary of the philosophies, doctrines and reforms of Shah Wali Ullah
which he had expressed in a number of his doctrines and reforms of Shah Wali which he had
expressed in a number of his famous books.

Personal Life
Syed Ahmad was born near Lucknow in the small town of Rai Bareli in1786.His father died
whilst he was still young and in 1806, he moved to Dehli and enrolled in the Madrassa
Rahimiya. For two years he studied under the son of Shah Wali Ullah learning the Quran and the
Hadith.

For two years he studied under the sons of Shah Wali Ullah learning the Quran and the
Hadith. But Syed Ahmad was more a man of action than a scholar and in 1810 joined the forces
of Amir Khan a Pathan military leader. It was this time that Syed Ahmad learned to use
European weaponry. He showed himself to be so able that he was given command of a group of
soldiers. However, because of his piety he was also made responsible for leading the troops in

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prayer.
In 1817 Syed Ahmad returned to Delhi where his work became important in trying to restore
Islam to its original purity.
Beliefs
As a man of action Syed Ahmad was an ideal person to act as a leader to work against British
power in India and to try to ensure that Muslim were ruled by fellow Muslims. He believed that
the freedom of Muslims could only come as a result of armed struggle against the foreign and
non-Muslims forces which were oppressing them.

Syed Ahmad believed that there was a need to end the evils that had corrupted Islamic society.
Consequently , even when he served as an army officer he surrounded himself with men of great
piety who were prepared to reject worldly wealth and work for improving the moral and
intellectual lives of Muslims.

The British had ensured that the Mughal emperors had little real power and the Sikhs were
dominant in the Punjab Syed Ahmad founded the jihad movement , which called for armed
struggle to overthrow non-Muslim oppression and restore Muslim power .He believed that once
that once this was done Islam could be rejuvenated to Islamic beliefs which had crept into
everyday life.

Work

In 1812 Syed Ahmad left India for Hajj, but took the opportunity to hold meetings on his way
across India. So, he was able to spread his beliefs about jihad. When he returned from Saudi
Arabia in 1823 , he was ready to take action

At this time the Punjab was under the control of the Sikh regime of Ranjit Singh , who had also
extended his authority into the North West Frontier .The Muslims suffered under Sikh rule
because they were un able to carry out many of their religious practices – even the call to prayer
was banned in some places .Syed Ahmad though that this was intolerable and decided that the
Punjab was the place from which to launch his jihad against non-Muslims rulers.

Syed Ahmad toured the Panjab and the North West Frontier to enlist men to fight the Sikhs. He
travelled many hundreds of miles to raise a mujahideen force. His travels took him through
Rajasthan, Sindh, Baluchistan and into Afghanistan. However he found that the Afghan troops
were suspicious of each other and not always prepared to join him In his jihad.

In 1826 Syed Ahmad established his headquarters near Peshawar .He sent a message to Ran jot

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Singh telling him that he must allow Muslims freedom of worship or face the mujahideen .Ranjit
Singh dismissed the ultimate, so Syed Ahmad was forced to attack .First, at Okara on 21
December 1826, and then shortly afterwards at Hazrothe the Sikhs suffered defeat.

Syed Ahmad’s victories established him as a successful military leader and encouraged other
tribes to join the mujahideen. Soon the army numbered over 80,000 strong. A major problem for
Syed Ahmed, however, was that his army consisted from many different communities which
disagreed over how the campaign was fought. The Sikhs tried to exploit these differences by
calling his army un-Islamic. They claimed that by following the teachings of Shah Wall Ullah,
Syed Ahmad’s forces were not true Muslims.

This view was not accepted by the Muslim leaders. In 1827 it was unanimously agreed that
Syed Ahmad should assume the authority of an Imam. His word on religious matters was
considered binding and his increased authority helped to unite the various Muslim groups
forming the mujahideen force.

Syed Ahmad was preparing to attack the fort of Attock when he encountered an army of
35,000 Sikhs near Okara. What he did not know was that Yar Muhammad Khan, a Pathan chief
who had joined his army, had been bribed by the Sikhs. First one of his servants tried to poison
Syed Ahmad, then Yar Muhammad Khan deserted in battle and Sir Ahmad’s forces were
defeated. He was forced to move his headquarters to the safety of Panjtrar near Kashmir.

Although Yar Muhammad was later killed in battle against the mujahideen, his brother,
Sultan Muhammad Khan also waged war against Syed Ahmad. This constant campaigning
against fellow Muslims was not what Syed Ahmad wanted, so he moved his forces to Balakot,
hoping to liberate Kashmir and Hazara. Balakot was thought to be safe as it was protected on
three sides by mountains. But once again Syed Ahmad was betrayed when local leaders told the
Sikhs of a way through the mountains. They made a surprise attack on the forces of Syed
Ahmad. The Battle of Balakot (1831) was a fiercely contested one. Although the mujahedeen
had been taken by surprise by a much larger Sikh army, they fought bravely but were heavily
outnumbered and unable to resist the Sikhs. Six hundred mujahideen soldiers were killed,
including Syed Ahmad and his commander, Shah Ismail.

Importance

The defeat of the mujahideen in the Battle of Balakot, ‘was a serious setback for the Jihad
Movement and it struggled to survive in the following years. The movement continued on in the
hills of the North West Frontier until 1863 when the British sent a large army to deal with the
mujahideen threat. Even then the movement survived through the determination of its followers.
The work of Syed Ahmad had been very important because:

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It was the first example in Indian history of a movement formed to free the Muslims from the
tyranny of non-Muslim or foreign rulers. It was not a movement in order to place a particular
leader in power but, instead, to achieve religious and spiritual freedom.

The Jihad Movement was a uniting force for Muslims, Many of Syed Ahmad’s soldiers had
been spiritual leaders or teachers. The fact that they were prepared to die for their cause was an
inspiration to all Muslims.

The Jihad Movement is regarded by many historians as the fore-runner of the Pakistan
Movement in India. Syed Ahmad’s efforts were an inspiration to all Muslims in defending their
religion, their culture and their freedoms. Those Muslims who later campaigned for their own
homeland saw Syed Ahmad as an example of a Muslim fighting for the Muslim cause in much
the same way, since he too wanted to see a state which was based on the principles of Islam.

Preparation of Jehad against Sikh

Target of Syed Barailvi
His first target was the Sikh-ruled kingdom of Ranjit Singh, which was expanding further into
Muslim land towards Afghanistan. It is thought that Barailvi intended to establish a Muslim
bastion on the north-west frontier in the Peshawar valley from whence to attack the British
colonialists after defeating Sikh forces.

His hajj
Prior to this he performed the hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca in 1821 with many supporters and
spent two years organizing popular and material support for his Peshawar campaign.[8] He
carefully developed a network of people through the length and breadth of India to collect
funds and encourage volunteers, traveling widely throughout the subcontinent of India
attracting a following among pious Muslims. He returned from Haj in 1823.

Support of Barailvi
Syed Ahmed's supporters were strong at Sithana in the North-Western tribal belt and at
Patna, but were also present in Hyderabad, Madras, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bombay. His
movement spread very rapidly in Bihar, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and North-Western India.

Clah of Sikhs
Sayyid Ahmad declared jihad against the Sikh Empire of Punjab ruled by Ranjit Singh.

Arriving in Peshawar valley in late 1826, Sayyid Ahmad and one thousand followers made
their base in Charsadda village in Hashnagar Barailvi preached jihad amongst the local
Pashtun tribes, demanding they renounce their tribal customs and adopt the sharia. The

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 traditional khan was replaced by ulama (clerics) and a system of Islamic taxes was
established to finance the jihad. Only after this evangelist campaign and sharia system was
had set up was jihad declared the jihad did not succeed however, due to the "treachery of
the local khan".

Clash of Sikh troops

In December 1826 Sayyid Ahmad and his followers clashed with Sikh troops at Akora but
with no decisive result. The inability of Sayyid Ahmad to shape local Pakhtun villagers into a
disciplined and effective military force led to an 1827 decision consistent with his sense of
proper relationship between religious and secular leadership. "It was accordingly decided by
all those present at the time, faithful followers, sayyids, learned doctors of law, nobles and
generality of Muslims that the successful establishment of 'Jihad ' and the dispelling of
disbelief and disorder could not be achieved without the election of an 'Imam'". This
moment of religiously inspired unity attracted the allegiance of maliks.

Enforcement of Sharia
Background of Sharia Movement
Syed Ahmad understood that it was not possible to fight the British. They were better
organize, better equipped and in firm control of most of the northern India. He therefore decided
to migrate to what is today the NWFP in Pakistan and wage a Jihad from there. After beating the
Sikhs in the NWFP and Kashmir, he imagined, he could then take on the British.
Sharia Movement
Total faith in his mission and trust in God, Syed Ahmad and devotees left their homes and
families and embarked on a difficult and circuitous journey to Peshawar, via Sindh, Quetta,
Qandahar and Kabul. Among his companions was also Shah Ismail, a grandson of Shah
Waliullah of Delhi.
After reaching Peshawar, Syed sahib tried to enter into alliances with the local chiefs and
khans, often unreliable, to gain their support for his jihad. He managed to raise an “Army” of
mujahedeen, who engaged in a few skirmishes with the Sikhs and also launched nighttime raids
on a few towns, notably an Akora Kathak and Hazro.
After occupying Peshawar Syed Ahmad paid his attention toward the introduction of sharia.
By this time a large number of sardars and khans had submitted to Syed Ahmad and had taken an
oath of allegiance at Syed’s hand. It was decided at a general meeting of sardars, khans and local
people that everyone should take an oath of baia at Syed’s hand for the staunch and strict
adherence to the sharia.
Syed Ahmad as Caliph

Syed Ahmad was declared as a caliph whose orders were binding on all subjects. The
establishment of Islamic system of government greatly reduced the influence of the tribal chiefs.

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He also introduces social reforms and asked the local people to abandon their old customs and
life patterns. He urged them to adopt Islamic way of life and be refrained from taking
intoxicants.
Battle of Balakot
The mujahideen of obliged on May 6, 1831. It was a Friday. A bizarre incident occurred that
morning, which precipitated the battle. While the mujahedeen were having breakfast and, at the
same time, keeping a wary eye on the movement of the enemy at Mitti kot.
In November, 1831, after nearly two months of occupation of Peshawar, Syed Ahmad
withdrew from Peshawar in favor of sultan Muhammad khan who promised to pay a fixed to the
mujahedeen as tribute. After relinquishing Peshawar Syed Ahmad, shifted to Balakot and began
his movement from raja Uri in 1831. Balakot is the small town in the Mansehra division and
false in the Hazara district.
Death of Syed Ahmad Shaheed
The mujahedeen fought valiantly but could not stand the much stronger and superior forces.
The Muslims were defeated in the battle in which Syed Ahmad Shaheed, shah Ismail Shaheed
and many other followers of Syed sahib laid their lives and died as martyrs while fighting for the
cause of Islam. With the death of Syed Ahmad, the jihad movement fell into disarray and could
not be carried out with the old enthusiasm.

References
Book
Pakistan Studies by M. Ikram Rabbani

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Group Tasks
Fariha Saeed (Group leader)
Assign tasks to all group members and then collect documents from all group members and
combine them and make a final assignment. Also check either all of the group members have
done their task correctly or not.

Aiman Mamraiz
Search and write a document about Enforcement of Sharia. She has done a great job.
Muhammad Sameer Khan
He has done the part of assignment on Preparation of Jihad against Sikh. He also has done his task
properly.

Rawal Chaudhary
He has worked on Declaration of War (half).
Sania Saeed
She has written a document on life of Syed Ahmad Barailvi and historic background. She has written a
good document.

Ayesha Rafique
She has done the second part of Declaration of War.