Majlis-e Ahrar-e Islam ( ur, مجلس احرارلأسلام), also known in short as Ahrar, is a religious Muslim political party in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...

that was formed during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Q ...

(prior to the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

) on 29 December 1929 at

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

. The group became composed of Indian Muslims inspired by and supporting the

Khilafat Movement The Khilafat Movement (1919–24), also known as the Caliphate movement or the Indian Muslim movement, was a pan-Islamist political protest campaign launched by Muslims of British India led by Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim ...

, which cleaved closer to the Congress Party. The party was based in

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

and gathered support from the urban lower-middle class.

Chaudhry Afzal Haq Chaudhry Afzal Haq (1891–8 January 1942) was born in a Muslim family, a writer, humanitarian, leader and co-founder of Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam, and a senior political figure in the history of Indian subcontinent. He worked to help the poor a ...

, Maulana Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, and

Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari (Urdu سید عطاء اللہ شاہ بخاری) (23 September 1892 – 21 August 1961), was a Muslim Hanafi scholar, religious and political leader from the Indian subcontinent. He was one of the Majlis-e-Ahrar- ...

were the leaders of the party.Ahmad, Syed N.
Origins of Muslim consciousness in India: a world-system perspective
'. New York u.a: Greenwood Press, 1991. p. 175 Religious leaders from all sects Sunni

Barelvi The Barelvi movement ( ur, بَریلوِی, , ), also known as Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaah (People of the Prophet's Way and the Community) is a Sunni revivalist movement following the Hanafi and Shafi, Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, with str ...

Deobandi Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law, formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanau ...

Ahle Hadith Ahl-i Hadith or Ahl-e-Hadith ( bn, আহলে হাদীছ, hi, एहले हदीस, ur, اہلِ حدیث, ''people of hadith'') is a Salafi reform movement that emerged in North India in the mid-nineteenth century from the teach ...

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the ...

Progressive and politically

Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

were the members of Majlis-e-Ahrar.

, Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, Mazhar Ali Azhar, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan and Dawood Ghaznavi were the founders of the party. The Ahrar was composed of Indian Muslims disillusioned by the

, which cleaved closer to the Congress Party.Christophe Jaffrelot.
A history of Pakistan and its origins
'. Anthem Press, 2004. , The party, being a member of the

All India Azad Muslim Conference The All India Azad Muslim Conference ( ur, ), commonly called the Azad Muslim Conference (literally, "Independent Muslim Conference"), was an organisation of nationalist Muslims in India. Its purpose was advocacy for composite nationalism and a uni ...

, is associated with

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * '' The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Com ...

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

and establishment of an independent Pakistan. Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah was the only ahrari leader who actively participated in the Pakistan independence movement. After 1947, it separated into the Majlis-E-Ahrar Islam Hind (مجلس احرارلأسلام ہند), based in

Ludhiana Ludhiana ( ) is the most populous and the largest city in the Indian state of Punjab. The city has an estimated population of 1,618,879 2011 census and distributed over , making Ludhiana the most densely populated urban centre in the state. ...

and was led by descendants of Maulana Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, as well as the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam (مجلس احرارلأسلام اسلام), based in

and was led by descendants of

History and activities

Ideology and philosophy

Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam or simply called 'Ahrars' had an anti-imperialist, anti-feudal and Indian nationalist ideology. It worked to free India from the British rule. This party, before fading away, was highly active in

Punjab Province (British India) Punjab was a province of British Raj, British India. Most of the Punjab region was annexed by the East India Company in 2 April 1849, and declared a province of British Rule, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall und ...

and left an impact on major cities of Punjab like

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Maj ...

Sialkot Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Kas ...

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the olde ...

and

Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the Indian state of Punjab, between the rivers Beas and Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the district, which shares a border with Pakistan. T ...

. The Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam, was originally part of the failed

Khilafat movement The Khilafat Movement (1919–24), also known as the Caliphate movement or the Indian Muslim movement, was a pan-Islamist political protest campaign launched by Muslims of British India led by Shaukat Ali, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim ...

and emerged as a religio-political party after the

Jallianwala Bagh massacre The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, to protest against the Rowlatt Act and arrest of pro-independence ...

of 1919 and the disintegration of the Khilafat movement in 1922.

presided over the meeting and

Maulana Mazhar Ali Azhar Mazhar Ali Azhar (13 March 1895 – 4 November 1974) was a politician in British India and later Pakistan, and one of the founders of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. He was elected three times to the Punjab Assembly, took part in the Madhe Sahaba Agi ...

delivered the manifesto of an All India Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam. It became first line offending party against Ahmadi Muslims by declaring that their objectives were to guide the Muslims of India on matters of nationalism as well as religion. Ahrar spearheaded the movement to have

Ahmadi Muslims Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

officially declared as non-Muslims. By the early 1930s, the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam (hereafter called Ahrars) had become an important

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abra ...

in the

. The activists' agitation centered on the princely states, and was predicated on mobilisation around socio-religious issues. Besides these campaigns, the Ahrar also participated in the mainstream political developments of British India between 1931 and 1947. Its political career can be divided into two parts; the AHRAR's response to political and constitutional issues, and its performance in electoral politics. The Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam stood strongly against the partition of India, with its leader Afzal Haq stating that the "Partition of India is, in fact, the cry of upper classes …. It is not a communal demand as some people think but a stunt in order that the poor classes may not concentrate their thought and energies on all important questions of social and economic justice." It was a member of the

, which gathered to show support for a united India.

Activism in Pakistan

In November 2012, the Government of Pakistan banned Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema, leader of Tehreek-e-Khatme Nabuwwat and Secretary General of Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam, from delivering a speech in the

Chichawatni Chichawatni ( pa, , ur, ) is a city in the Sahiwal District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the administrative center of Chichawatni Tehsil. Situated near the old main road called Grand Trunk Road, it lies approximately from the di ...

and district

Sahiwal Sahiwal (Punjabi and ur, ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city of Pakistan by population and the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approx ...

area due to the security situation in

Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after ...

. The president of Majlis-e-Ahrar

Syed Ata-ul-Muhaimin Bukhari Syed Ata-ul-Muhaimin Bukhari (1 July 1944 – 8 February 2021) (سید عطاء المہیمن بخاری ) was a Pakistani politico-religious leader, President of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam and the son of Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari Sye ...

was also banned from delivering any speeches for three months in

. In Pakistan, the party opposed the

Ahmadiyya Movement Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

.The early champions of anti-Ahmadi cause
Herald (Dawn Group of Newspapers), Published 3 November 2018, Retrieved 19 December 2018 This culminated in the

1953 Lahore riots The Lahore riots of 1953 were a series of violent riots against the Ahmadiyya Movement, a faith marginalized in Pakistan, mainly in the city of Lahore, Pakistan as well as the rest of Punjab, which were eventually quelled by the Pakistan Army ...

; in 1954 Majlis-e-Ahrar was banned. The associated Islamist religious movement Tehreek-e-Khatme Nabuwwat remains.

List of party leaders

, founder, 1st presidentMajlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam, History, Introduction, Achievements, published from Multan edited by Syed Kafeel Bukhari editor of Naqeeb-e-Khatme Nabuwwat *

, co-founder, 2nd president,

Member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...

, 1934–1942 *

, co-founder, secretary General,

, 1934–1942 * Maulana Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, third President, 1942–1944 * Syed Muhammad Kafeel Bukhari, President * Professor Khalid Shabbir Ahmad, Vice president * Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema, Secretary General * Mian Muhammad Awais, Secretary Information *

Master Taj-ud-Din Ansari Master Taj-ud-Din Ansari was a figure in the history of Indian subcontinent and a leader of All India Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. After the partition of India he left politics and struggle for Khatm-e-Nubuwwat movement with Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukh ...

* Sheikh Hissam-ud-Din *

Agha Shorish Kashmiri Agha Shorish Kashmiri (1917–1975; ) was a Pakistani scholar, writer, debater, and a leader of the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam party. He was a figure of the freedom movement in the British Raj, as well as the chief editor of the weekly ''Chattan'' ...

* Janbaz Mirza, official Ahrar historian

Notable members and leaders

Presidents

, founder and first President, 1929–1930, 1946–1948 *

, second President, 1931–1934

* Maulana Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, third President, 1935–1939 * Sheikh Hissam-ud-Din, 1939–1940, 1942–1946, 1962–1966 *

, 1948–1952 * Ghulam Ghaus Hazarvi, 1958 * Maulana Ubaid Ullah Ahrar, 1966–1974 *

Syed Abuzar Bukhari Syed Abu Muawiyah Abuzar Bukhari (سید ابو معاویہ ابوذر بخاری, died 24 October 1995) (real name: ''Syed Ata-ul-Mun'im Bukhari'') was a Muslim Pakistani scholar, intellectual, orator, poet, writer, and a former president of ...

, 1975–1978, 1993–1994 * Malik Abdul Ghafur Anwari, 1979–1980 * Mirza Muhammad Hassan Chughtai, 1981–1992 * Maulana Abdul Haq Chauhan, 1995–1997 *

Syed Ata-ul-Mohsin Bukhari Syed Ata-ul-Mohsin Bukhari (سید عطاء المحسن بخاری) (also known as Mohsin E Ahrar, 21 January 1939 – 21 November 1999) was as a Pakistani leader of Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam. He was the son of Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari and a Mus ...

, 1998–1999 *

, President 1999-2021 president of Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam, PakistanKhatm-e-Nabuwwat oath: Religious parties flay govt for challenging verdict
The News International (newspaper), Published 14 July 2018, Retrieved 19 December 2018 * Syed Muhammad Kafeel Bukhari, President 2021-present

Secretary Generals

* Maulana Dawood Ghaznavi, founder, 1st Secretary General, 1929–1932 *

, founder, 2nd Secretary General, 1932–1933, 1933–1938, 1941–1945

, 1939–1940, 1945 secretary Ahrar Punjab *

Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan ( ur, نواب زاده نصر الله خان) (13 November 1916 – 27 September 2003) was a senior politician in British India and later Pakistan. He was also a prominent Urdu poet. He was the only West Pakistani to h ...

, 1946–1947 * Sheikh Hissam-ud-Din, 1948–1953 *

, 1962–1963, 1965–1973 * Janbaz Mirza, 1964–1965 * Chaudhry Sana Ullah Bhutta, 1973–1974 *

, 1975–1983, 1990–1995 * Maulana Abdul Aleem Raipuri Shaheed, 1984–1986 * Syed Ata-ul-Momin Bukhari, 1987–1989 * Maulana Ishaq Saleemi, 1990–1995 * Professor Khalid Shabbir Ahmad, 1998–2008 * Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema, 2008–2011, 2012-today's Secretary General of Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam, Pakistan

Other

* Janbaz Mirza, journalist * Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh, Secretary, Punjab, 1937 * Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah, scholar * Haji Abdul Jabar Khan Abbottabad NWFP.