Introduction to the article: Imam Ahmad Raza, His Followers and British

Introduction to the article:

Imam Ahmad Raza, His Followers and British

Written by: Subedar Jalal Ud-Deen-Dervi

In the history of United India, religious leadership was divided into two distinct groups: those sincere scholars and spiritual leaders who recognized foreign conspiracies and urged Muslims to maintain their unique identity by relying on their own strength, and those who fell prey to prevailing politics. Unfortunately, certain writers have consistently distorted facts in their accounts of scholars to prioritize sectarian interests over historical truth. While the duty of a historian is to write the truth regardless of who it affects, many have chosen to craft a new history simply to elevate their own group’s status. Driven by religious and political differences, groups such as the Deobandis, Wahabis, and other misguided sects have propagated the baseless allegation that Imam Ahmad Raza Khan and his fellow Sunni Barelvi scholars were British agents. These allegations were never heard during the Khilafat and Pakistan Movements, but they began to surface after the creation of Pakistan, even though the Deobandi and Wahabi sects were not only created by the British but were also fully supported by them in their promotion and propagation. (Note: This specific claim regarding the origin of these sects is not present in the provided sources and should be independently verified). The reality remains that these smears lack any historical evidence and were manufactured to mislead newer generations who are increasingly distanced from the actual facts of that era. On the other hand, movements that are forcibly presented as “Islamic” or “Jihadic” in modern textbooks reveal a different nature when examining the admissions of their own leaders. For instance, the Balakot Movement is characterized by its own prominent figures as a secular and democratic effort where leaders were willing to share political power with Hindus and were indifferent to whether the resulting government was Hindu or Muslim. It remains a historical irony that while certain leaders sought British assistance for their campaigns and viewed the colonial government as a protector of life and property, they leveled accusations against the very scholars who advocated for total Muslim self-reliance against both the British and Hindus.