|
Mahdwiya sect developed from Sunni
Hanafi as
a devout Islamic movement. It was
mostly concentrated in Hyderabad Deccan
state in South Asia. After the military
invasion of Hyderabad Deccan state
by India, in 1948, and its incorporation
as the state of Andhra Pradesh, many
Mahdwis Muslims migrated to Pakistan.
Karachi has
a sizable number of the Mahdwis. They
are now also found around the globe.
This religious movement started by devout
Muslim Syed Mohammad Jaunpuri as a
reaction to the worldly pursuits of
the Muslim elite and the British colonial
rule in Islamic lands. His group withdrew
from the urban excesses and did Zikr
or Dhikr, like other Sufis.
The name Zikr comes from the Arabic
word 'dhikr' (pronounced 'Zikr' in
Farsi (Persian) and Urdu.)
that refers to remembrance, usually
of Allah. The group was persecuted
at times and they moved to rural areas
to created religious communes. The
Mahdwiya movement slowly lost it's
zeal and it's members came back to
the cities took on the same (or similar)
activities for acquiring and showing
off wealth. It must be emphasised
that such pursuits are not by the
majority of Muslims, or of the Mahdwis.
Just an observation that reform movements
often end up in deviance from the
reformer's aims.
A very important Mehdwi in later years
was Nawab Bahadur Yar Jang, who was
a trusted lieutenant of Quaid-e-Azam
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder
of Pakistan.
Nawab Bahadur Yar Jang insisted that
the Mehdwiya is not a separate sect
but a movement within Sunni
Hanafi.
The Mahdwi sect is slowly being reabsorbed
back into Sunni
Hanafi.
Page last updated:
Thursday, February 02, 2006 19:51:21 -0500
|
