Barelvi Movement (Ahl-e-Sunnat wa Jama'at)

البريلوية

Late 19th century CE (Ahmad Raza Khan, 1856-1921 CE)

A Hanafi-Maturidi Sufi-oriented movement in South Asia associated with Ahmad Raza Khan of Bareilly, emphasising love and veneration of the Prophet ﷺ and defending traditional devotional practices.

Biography

Ahmad Raza Khan, a prolific Hanafi jurist, defended practices such as Mawlid, intercession and visiting shrines, and held strong positions on the Prophet's attributes (e.g. knowledge of the unseen granted by Allah). Followers prefer the name 'Ahl-e-Sunnat wa Jama'at'.

It is the largest Sunni denomination in Pakistan and influential in India and the diaspora; organisations include Dawat-e-Islami.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

No specific verses cited for this node.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

No verified hadith attached yet. Only references checked against sunnah.com are listed.

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Presented neutrally; Mirza's widely known slogan explicitly names Barelvi among the labels he declines (see methodology node). Specific critiques are unverified here.

Empires in their lifetime

British Raj 1858 – 1947 CE
The Barelvi movement arose in late 19th-century British India.

Further references

Historical consensus

Connections

Comes from

Hanafi School offshoot — Hanafi Sufi tradition

Linked with

Maturidi School of Theology related — Creed
Major Sufi Orders (Qadiriyya, Chishtiyya, Suhrawardiyya, Naqshbandiyya) related — Sufi devotion
Deobandi Movement related — Rival South Asian Sunni movements
Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's 'Ilmi-Kitabi' Non-Sectarian Approach related — Declines sectarian label; engages critically