Role of Ahrar Movement
- Ahrar Movement was established in 1910, under the leadership of Maulana Muhammad Ali and Hakim Ajmal Khan. Other founders were Hasan Imam, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, and Mazhar-ul-Haq.
- The movement was started as an anti- Aligarh movement and Ahrar movement founders objected to the Aligarh movement’s loyalist policies.
- The Lucknow Pact, which favored the representation of religious minorities in provincial legislatures, was vehemently opposed by these leaders.
- The movement members encouraged active involvement in the nationalist movement and were inspired by the ongoing concept of self-government.
- The Ahrar movement prepared the way for Majlis-e-Ahrar-e Islam (MAI), a traditional Sunni political party that took part in the Indian National Movement and was founded in 1929.
- An anti-imperialist, anti-feudal, and nationalist ideology propelled the party.
- After the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919 and the Khilafat Movement in 1922, this party—which was formerly a member of the unsuccessful Khilafat Movement—emerged as a religiopolitical party.
- In Punjab province, the party was very active and become an important political force by the early 1930s. Additionally, the party concentrated on Punjab’s social and religious issues.
- In addition to these activities, Ahrar took part in British India’s mainstream political growth from 1931 to 1947.
Role of Ahrar Movement and Ahmadiya Movement in Muslim Reform
Muslim Socio-Religious Reform Movements first began to emerge in the nineteenth century. This was brought about by the impact of modern education, western ideas, and Christian missionaries. Also, the Muslim community was affected by the religious diktats and fatwas issued by the Muslim clerics. Elite and well-educated Muslims in India felt a loss of influence. This was primarily brought about by the transfer of authority from the Mughals to the British and the substitution of English for Persian as the language of employment and promotion in the new political system. As a result, they committed themselves to advancing Islamic principles and purifying and bolstering Islam.