The Mahdavi movement, also called Mahdavia or Mahdavism, is an Islamic movement founded by

Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri Sayyid Muhammad Jaunpuri (; 9 September 1443 – 23 April 1505) was an Indian religious leader and the founder of the Mahdavia movement. He claimed to have been divinely appointed as the promised ''Mahdī'', in fulfillment of the Islamic proph ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in the late 15th century. Syed Muhammad claimed to be

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

at the holy city of

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, in front of the

Kaaba The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...

in 1496, and is revered as such by the Mahdavia community.

Beliefs

Mahdavis are followers of Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri who declared himself to be the Mahdi. The Mahdavis had strictly adhere to the Five Pillars of Islam,

Sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

, and

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

, while having high respect and reverence for the House of Muhammad and his immediate progeny ('' Ahl-e-Bayt''), the

Rashidun Caliphs The Rashidun () are the first four caliphs () who led the Muslim community following the death of Muhammad: Abu Bakr (), Umar (), Uthman (), and Ali (). The reign of these caliphs, called the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661), is considered in ...

, and the Companions of Muhammad (''

Sahaba The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...

''). Mahdavis also respect all four schools of Islamic jurisprudence, but widely follow traditions similar to Hanafi jurisprudence. They offer prayers five times a day led by their

Murshid ''Murshid'' () is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Spiritual director, spiritual guide. The term is freque ...

s, or spiritual guides; fast during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

; offer special thanks on ''Dugana Lailat-al-Qadr'' past midnight between 26 and 27 Ramadan; perform ''

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

''; and pay ''

Zakat Zakat (or Zakāh زكاة) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Zakat is the Arabic word for "Giving to Charity" or "Giving to the Needy". Zakat is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam a relig ...

''. They also attach great significance to ''

Zikr (; ; ) is a form of Islam, Islamic ibadah, worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God in Islam, God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi tariqa, order typically adopts a specific ...

'' (remembrance of Allah), after dawn '' Fajr'' prayers, and in the evening after '' Asr'' prayer. Syed Muhammad was disturbed by the spiritual and moral degradation of Muslims. He preached a message of non-materialism and spirituality. Mahdavis follow the seven obligations of sainthood, known as ''Faraiz-e-Vilayat-e-Muhammadiya''. These obligations are: rejection of material lust (''Tark-e-Dunya''), quest for divine vision (''Talab-e-Deedar-e-Ilahi''), company of truthfuls and renunciants (''Sohbat-e-Sadiqeen''), migration (''

Hijrah The Hijrah, () also Hegira (from Medieval Latin), was the journey the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers took from Mecca to Medina. The year in which the Hijrah took place is also identified as the e ...

'') from place to place to avoid materialist lust, retreat and solitude (''Uzlat-az-Khalq''), resignation to the will of God (''

Tawakkul In the Arabic language, tawakkul () is a verbal noun of the verb tawakkala (), meaning "to put trust" or "to rely" (into or on something or someone). It is also the word for the Islamic concept of the reliance on God or "trusting in God's plan". I ...

''), Remembrance of God (Z''ikr-e-Ilahi'') and distributing tithe (''Ushr''). Followers of Jaunpuri strictly follow some of these obligations in their day-to-day life. Most of them initiate renunciation in the advanced stage of their lives, after getting retirement from the jobs or by handing over business to their heirs. Their renunciation is in any way not related to celibacy, because almost all of them get married. Mahdavi community centers are known as ''Da'iras.'' Mahdavis engaged in extensive missionary activity. Mohammad Jaunpuri declared himself to be the Mahdi, and as such a "Caliph of Allah." He claimed to teach the true inner meaning of the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

and strictly adhere to the

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. Jaunpuri's declaration was ignored by the

Ulema In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

, but after he repeated his declaration in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, he gained a group of followers and established a line of caliphs who led the movement after his death.

History

After Jaunpuri's demise in 1505, the Mahdavi movement went through a militant phase, lasting during the reign of the first five Mahdavi caliphs. The movement was persecuted under the Sultan

Muzaffar Shah II Shams-ud-Din Muzaffar Shah II or Muzafar II, born Khalil Khan, was a Sultan of the Muzaffarids (Gujarat), Muzaffarid dynasty, who reigned over the Gujarat Sultanate from 1511 to 1526. He was the eldest son of Sultan Mahmud Begada. He briefly ...

(r. 1511–1526) of

Gujarat Sultanate The Gujarat Sultanate or Sultanate of Gujarat was a late medieval Islamic Indian kingdom in Western India, primarily in the present-day state of Gujarat. The kingdom was established in 1394 when Muzaffar Shah I, the Governor of Gujarat, decla ...

. The second Mahdavi caliph, Bandagi Miyan Syed Khundmir and his ''Fukhra'' disciples (the persons who renounce the world and keep remembering Allah with ''Zikr''), faced organised persecution by the regime of Muzaffar at the behest of his court-appointed Mullas and was killed in 1523 along with hundreds of unarmed and peaceful disciples.

Syed Khundmir Bandagi Mian Syed Khundmir (AH 887– 14 Shawwal AH 930; AD 1482/3 – 15 August 1524) was a companion and second of five caliphs (successor) of Mahdavi movement, Mahdavia sect of Islam founder Muhammad Jaunpuri. Called as Mahdi-e-Mauood ...

's tomb is located in the town of

Champaner Champaner is a historical town in the state of Gujarat, in western India. It is located in Panchmahal district, 47 kilometres from the city of Vadodara. The city was briefly the capital of the Sultanate of Gujarat. At an early period Champan ...

in the

Panchmahal Panchmahal, also rendered as Panch Mahal, is a district in the eastern portion of Gujarat State western India. ''Panch-mahal'' means "five tehsils/talukas" (5 sub-divisions), and refers to the five sub-divisions that were transferred by the Mahar ...

district of the western Indian state

, where thousands of seekers and followers, from different parts of India and other countries, arrive to pay tribute. After the 1799 siege of Seringapatam, the British government invited the Mahdavis to re-settle in

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

Community

Anjuman-e-Mahdavia is a Mahdavia community center in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, Telangana, India, established in 1902. L. K. A. Iyer in 1930 reports the existence of a community of "Mahdavia Musalmans" in Mysore Donabaghatta,

Channapatna Channapattana or Chennapattana is a city and taluk headquarters in Bengaluru South District, Karnataka, India. Channapatna is approximately 60 km from Bangalore and 80 km from Mysore. Channapatna toys are popular all over the world ...

, Kirugavalu. There is a village named Donabaghatta in Karnataka. Large groups of Mahdavis resided in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, etc. The 1962 Gazette of Karnataka State has recorded the Mahadavia Sect of Islam in the state. Mahdavis of Gujarat state mostly lives in Tai Wada area in

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

district along with majority Sunni Muslims. They also have a small presence in

Bharuch Bharuch () is a city at the mouth of the river Narmada in Gujarat in western India. Bharuch is the administrative headquarters of Bharuch District. The city of Bharuch and surroundings have been settled since times of antiquity. It was a shi ...

. A Mahdavi center in north

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

at (N Western Ave) was established by a group of South Asian immigrants in January 2016..

References

External links

* https://khalifathullahmehdi.info/
"The Imam Mehdi"
Treasure of Mahdavia books, audios and videos.
"Mahdavia Foundation"

"Jamiat-e-Mahdavia, Bangalore"
{{Islamic Theology, schools

Beliefs

History

Community

See also

Others who claimed to be
Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

References

External links

Beliefs

History

Community

See also

Others who claimed to be Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

References

External links

Others who claimed to be
Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...