The Reflection of the Freedom Movement in the Persian Letters of Sayyed Ahmad
Abstract
Sayyed Ahmad Barelawi or Sayyed Ahmad Shaheed (1731-1831) was anIndian Muslim revivalist from Ray Barley, part of the historical UnitedProvinces of Agra and Owadh, now called Uttar Pradesh, present-day India.Sayyed Ahmad Shaheed pledged allegiance to India, preachedmodernization and Islamic ideology, and established a highly advancednetwork of personal followers and partisans formed in Northern parts of theIndian Subcontinent to recruit and influence the individuals and moreoverto persuade them to donate money. In 1826 he started a freedom movementagainst the British colonial regime. He was martyred at the Battle ofBalakot in 1831 along with hundreds of his troops and followers by the Sikharmy, in Balakot, Manshara, present-day Pakistan. Sayyed Ahmad Shaheedis the first modern Islamic scholar turned politically motivated ideologist tolead a religious-political freedom movement. He may be considered aprominent religious-political preacher and leader of the early 19th centurywho inspired his followers to great extent through his writings, particularlythe letters written in Persian language to the prominent personalities of thatage. In this research article his emphasis on freedom, found in his Persianletters, has been analyzed and evaluated.Keywords: Sayyed Ahmad Shaheed, 19th century, Freedom movement,British Colonialism, Persian letters, Analysis
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