AL ASHARI SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

 After the death of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, the central authority in India began to weaken, and provincial governors in different regions emerged as independent rulers. The beginning of the 19th century did not bring good changes for Indian Muslims; there were Muslim nobles and princes who fought against the enemies of Muslims and the Mughals. He was born in 1786 in a small town, Raebareli, in the state of Awadh. Despite not being very interested in studies, he read some basic books on religion. At a young age, he went to several cities in search of a job, including Delhi, where he stayed with the family of a Muslim scholar, Shah Waliullah, for 4 years. Later, he stayed with Amir Khan (1834) for 7 years, who became the Nawab of Tonk. After that, Syed Ahmad started a reform movement aimed at purifying the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. This movement was his own initiative, although Shah Waliullah's teachings had shaped his thinking to some extent. He chose his two main disciples, Shah Ismail Dehlavi Shaheed (1831) and Abdul Hai (1828), from Shah Waliullah's family. The Khadi Khan of Hund invited Syed Ahmad to establish his center in Hund; his declaration of 'Imarat' in Hund in January 1827 created several problems, and the Mujahideen had to face the consequences until the incident of Balakot. The Mujahideen wanted to make Kashmir the center of their activities. It was one of the richest provinces of the Mughal and Durrani empires. Syed Akbar Shah of Sirhana and Paiynda Khan of Amb agreed to help the Mujahideen. Despite several attempts, the Mujahideen failed to capture Kashmir. In the initial stages, this movement was a reform movement called 'Rah-e-Suluk-e-Nubuwat', although it sometimes became communal.