Syed Ahmad Shaheed

Syed Ahmad Shaheed was born in Rai Bareilly in 1786. Syed Sahib was an Islamic scholar and warrior of his time who studied in the Madrassa of Shah Abdul Aziz (Son of Shah Wali Ullah). After his graduation from the Madrassa he joined the military force of a Pathan military leader (Ameer Khan) but soon he parted his way from him due to his reconciliation with the British. This service in the military for some time made him a man of action and battles.

In 1821, Syed Sahib left India for Hajj and met many people on the way to prepare them to strive for the renaissance of Islam in the sub-continent. In 1823, he returned to Delhi, where he started preaching a more strict and orthodox form of Islam. Syed Sahib proclaimed Jihad against Sikhs in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in 1826 his Mujahid force attacked Sikhs in Akora.

Mujahideen attacked Sikh force at Hazro afterward and in both these battles, Sikhs were defeated.
In 1930, Peshawar was captured by the forces loyal to Syed Ahmad Shaheed where he implemented strict Sharia laws. Though he won the hearts and minds of the common public yet at the same time some people found it difficult and harsh to pay Islamic taxes. He adopted a method of implementation of Sharia which was not favorable for that time. It is very difficult to bring a radical change when people have not been prepared for that and same was the case with Tehreek-e-Mujahideen, who did not bring a change from bottom.

Ranjith Singh also activated his propaganda tools to brand Syed Sahib as Wahabi which ultimately led to some mistrusts between Syed Sahib and the local people. Sikhs also bribed Sardar Yar Muhammad Khan (Pathan Sardar) to revolt against Mujahideen and as a result, Sardar Yar Muhammad Khan was killed fighting Mujahideen. One of his servants also tried to poison him. Syed Ahmad Shaheed upon seeing such a situation, in which Muslims were fighting against each other, turned his tide towards Kashmir.

He moved towards Hazara and made Balakot as the hub of his movement. Traitors within the army of Syed Ahmad Shaheed informed Sikhs that they are stationed in Balakot with serious flaws in the defensive system. Sikhs attacked the Mujahid force of Syed Ahmad Shaheed in 1932 where both the armies fought a decisive battle. Syed Sahib and his force were ill-prepared and hence resulted in the martyrdom of Syed Ahmad Shaheed, Shah Ismail Shaheed, and his 6,000 fellow comrades. This movement continued for sometimes challenging both the Sikhs and the British but ultimately died out due to the fact that none of its leaders was as charismatic and pious as Syed Ahmad Shah Bralvi was.

Though this movement did not produce any solid results militarily but has continued to influence a section of society which struggles to uphold the dignity of Islam and Muslims in dire consequences. His thoughts can be translated into Religious movements such as Deoband and Nudvatul Ulema. Through these renaissance movements, Muslims ultimately achieved the destiny of a separate Homeland for themselves in the form of Pakistan.