April 17th, 2009 
Aman The Wahabi movement named after its founder Abdul Wahab originated in Arabia in the 18th century with a view to restoring Islam to its pristine purity and order. In India, the movement was started by Syed Ahmed of Rai Bareilly who was influenced by the Wahabi ideas from Arabia. Syed Ahmed’s aims were at once religious and political. From the religious point of view, he aimed to urge Islam in India of all its accretion, corruptions and superstitions, which he thought were mostly borrowings from Hinduism. Politically, he aimed at bringing about the overthrow of the Sikhs in the Punjab and the British in Bengal and to restore the Muslim rule in India. Syed Ahmed first preached his doctrines in Rohilkhand but later due to political exigencies, he proceeded to North West frontier and established his headquarters at Sittana in Swat valley. He waged a Holy War against the Sikhs whom he considered as the chief oppressors of the Muslims in the Punjab. He fought many battles with Darbar troops till he was slain in the battle of Balakot in 1831 without achieving much success.
Syed Ahmad’s death gave a severe blow to the Wahabi movement but the fire of Holy War once lighted by him was kept burning for half century by the Khalifas of Patna. The British Government inherited this turbulent legacy from the Sikhs. Between 1853 and 1863, it had to send as many as twenty expeditions against the Wahabis in the North West frontier regions of India in which as many as 60,000 troops were engaged.
The Wahabis became again active in the 1850′s in the Punjab. After Sayed Ahmed’s death, ViIayet Ali took over the command of the Wahabis at Sittana camp. He organised various rebellions and a net work of conspiracies to overthrow the British rule. A Wahabi plan to temper with the Frontier Infantry Station at Rawalpindi was unearthed by the authorities in 1856. Mohammad Ali, a regimental Munshi and some other soldiers were tried at Rawalpindi for offences against the state and convicted. The Government also seized certain documents which made it clear that a well-thought of plan for transporting crusader from Bengal and Bihar to Sittana for the purpose of waging a Holy War was in operation. In 1853, the Wahabi leaders enlisted the sympathy and support of the ruler of Swat and made a spirited attack on the territories of Jahan Dad Khan, the pro-British ruler of Amb. Jahan Dad Khan had ostensibly shown sympathy with the Wahabi movement but had secretly appealed to the British for help. In a skirmish with the British troops, the Wahabis suffered heavy casualties; their rear guard and leader Karim Ali were killed. Inayat Ali, another Wahabi leader escaped with great difficulty. The Wahabis now adopted a policy of making suitable preparations before risking a battle with the trained British troops. They began to impart regular military training to the crusaders and recited songs extolling the glories of war with the infidels. They sent another expedition under Mirza Mohammad who occupied Yusufzai villages of Nawakhela and Sheikhjana. But the British troops soon expelled the rebels and recovered those villages. The Wahabis next occupied Narangi, a border village within the British territory, but the British troops drove them away to Chinghai and Bagh. They next secured the help of the tribals, and made a night attack on Lt. Horne, the Assistant Commissioner at Sheikhjana in October 1857. They routed the British troops and returned to their strongholds with a large booty which they distributed among the soldiers. While the Wahabis under Inayat Ali were preparing for another expedition, the mutiny of 1857 broke out in full fury, and their supply lines from Patna were cut off. Inayat Ali moved from Chinghai to Swat where he died of illness in March 1 B58. He was succeeded by Maqsud Ali, a Bihari, who took over the command of Sittana camp.
During 1850-57, the Sittana stronghold of the Wahabis remained a constant source of trouble and anxiety for the British. They sent sixteen expeditions to subdue the rebels and their allies, but they could not be extirpated. In 1858, an expedition was sent under Sir Sydney Cotton with 5000 men to chastise the rebels. The British occupied the Sittana territory but made it over to the tribals on the condition that they would give no shelter to the fanatics nor allow them to pass through their territory to commit depredations within the British frontiers. After the death of Maqsud Ali, the Wahabis under the command of Abdullah continued anti-British campaigns in the North-West frontier territories.
He recruited a large number of recruits through various agencies in India, received the active support of tribal chiefs and also of the Akhund of Swat and recovered the old Wahabi settlement of Sittana in July 1863.
Posted in 
