Faraizi Movement in Bengal: Causes, Objectives, Leaders

The Faraizi Movement holds an important place in the history of peasant movements and socio-religious reform movements of nineteenth-century Bengal. This movement had a widespread influence on Muslim society in Bengal, particularly in East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh). The movement continued from 1818 to 1906 AD.

The founder of the Faraizi Movement was Haji Shariatullah. The main strength of this movement was poor agricultural Muslims. The movement founded by Haji Shariatullah in 1818, aimed at purifying Islam, meaning following the fundamental principles of this religion while rejecting non-Islamic customs. Additionally, it aimed to protect poor Muslim farmers from social injustice and exploitation.

Background of Faraizi Movement

• In the early nineteenth century, Muslim peasants in Bengal were experiencing severe social and economic hardships. At that time, a notable socio-religious movement was needed to address these hardships. To fulfil this need, Islamic scholar Haji Shariatullah started the Faraizi Movement in 1818 in the Faridpur district (now in Bangladesh).
• The Faraizi leaders encouraged farmers to oppose various unjust demands, including excessive taxes by zamindars and forced labour. Meanwhile, Haji Shariatullah wanted to purify Bengali Muslims’ religious practices because he believed that local customs, British influence, and various superstitions had corrupted Islam. These were the reasons why he initiated the Faraizi Movement.

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Objectives of Faraizi Movement

The Faraizi Movement had two main objectives; one was religious reform, and the other was social justice.

Religious Reform

Reforming Muslims’ religious practices while maintaining Islamic faithfulness and removing religious superstitions.

Social Justice

Another major objective of the Faraizi Movement was to establish social justice by confronting the economic and social injustices faced by Muslim peasants who were oppressed by zamindars and British officials. The movement’s leaders united the peasants to resist exploitative measures such as excessive tax burdens, forced labour, and land confiscation.

Nature of Faraizi Movement

• The Faraizi Movement, like the Wahhabi Movement, aimed to transform Islam into a mass religion through purification and fundamental reforms, and through this religious movement, it promoted the message of economic liberation for the peasant and poor classes. The Faraizi Movement attracted not only Muslim peasants but also Hindu peasants who supported this movement. However, conservative Muslims, Hindus, and Muslim zamindars opposed this movement. The main characteristic of this movement was that although it started as a religious reform movement, it later transformed into a peasant movement. The main source of unity among the movement’s leaders was their religious and moral beliefs.
• According to Suprakash Ray, “The Faraizi Movement gave the people’s genuine freedom struggle a fully revolutionary form.” However, the political consciousness of this movement was underdeveloped and unclear. Unlike the leaders of the Wahabi Movement, they did not declare the end of Company rule. Although they had some anti-British sentiments, these gradually weakened. Eventually, communal tendencies began to appear in the ideology of the Faraizi Movement.

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Ideologies of Faraizi Movement

The Faraizi Movement was guided by several ideologies, which were:

• Haji Shariatullah declared that various anti-Islamic superstitions and corruptions had infiltrated Islam. Therefore, he advocated for reforming Islam by properly following the Quran’s instructions.
• Although it started as a religious movement, it soon took on a political form. Haji Shariatullah gave several instructions to his followers. These instructions stated that since India had become ‘Dar-Ul-Harb’ or ‘enemy territory’ due to British rule, the Faraizis would not perform Friday prayers and would not celebrate the two annual Eid festivals in protest. He also stated that this country was not suitable for devout Muslims to live in.
• Haji Shariatullah emphasized the monotheism of the Quran and stated that Allah does not discriminate based on wealth or ancestry. To Him, all people are equal.
• He built public opinion against the oppression of zamindars and indigo planters, and soon hundreds of thousands of poor Muslim farmers, artisans, and unemployed weavers in Barisal, Mymensingh, Dhaka, and Faridpur became his disciples.
• Needless to say, this created an awakening among Bengal’s peasants, and they became courageous in protesting against the injustice and oppression of zamindars. Hindu-Muslim zamindars, indigo planters, orthodox maulvis, and conservative Muslim society became alarmed seeing the unity among peasants under his leadership.

Spread and Influence of Faraizi Movement

The Faraizi Movement had a stronger influence in several regions of Bengal, particularly in areas with larger Muslim populations. Below is a discussion of some important areas where this movement spread:

• Although the Faraizi Movement started in Faridpur, Bangladesh, it gradually spread across vast areas from Dhaka to Bakerganj, Comilla, Mymensingh, Khulna, Jessore, and South 24 Parganas. Secret government reports reveal that the movement spread across one-sixth of Bangladesh. Between 1839 and 1847 AD, the movement intensified. From 1843 AD, it became clear that their objective was not merely religious but to overthrow British rule and re-establish Muslim rule.
• Disturbed by Dudu Miyan’s activities, indigo planters and zamindars united against him. In 1841 AD, he led a campaign against the zamindar of Kanaipur in Faridpur district, and in 1842 AD, against Faridpur zamindars Jaynarayan Ghosh and Madannarayan Ghosh. As a result, the zamindars’ oppression of peasants decreased, and Dudu Miyan’s influence over common labourers and peasants increased.
• In 1846 AD, the Faraizis attacked and burned down Dunlop Saheb’s indigo factory in Panchchar, Faridpur district. They killed Dunlop’s agent Kaliprasad. For these actions, the government imprisoned him at least four times between 1838 and 1847 AD, but the government was forced to release him because no one could be found to testify against him.
• After Dudu Miyan died in 1862 AD, his son Noya Miyan took leadership of the movement. He focused more on religious reform instead of anti-British and anti-zamindar programs. As a result, the movement gradually weakened and eventually transformed into a religious group.

Faraizi Movement Leaders

Distinguished leaders like Haji Shariatullah and Dudu Miyan played crucial roles in the success and spread of the Faraizi Movement.

Haji Shariatullah

• Haji Shariatullah was the founder of the Faraizi Movement. He was born in 1781 AD in a peasant family in Faridpur district. He established a religious community called ‘Faraizi’ in 1820 AD and became a religious reformer. While preaching religious doctrine in East Bengal, he stated that many malpractices had entered into practiced Islam. Therefore, there was a need for the purification of Islam.
• He transformed this movement into a political movement by declaring British-ruled India as enemy territory. Attracted by his ideology, many common people, from farmers to weavers and lower classes, became his disciples. He created a new awakening among Bengal’s peasants.

Dudu Miyan

After Haji Shariatullah’s death in 1840 AD, his son Dudu Miyan (originally named Muhammad Muhsin Ad-Din Ahmad) made this movement more organized and extensive. He organized his movement against oppressive zamindars and indigo planters. The movement gained widespread influence in places like Faridpur, Pabna, Dhaka, Jessore, Noakhali, and Bakerganj. He preached everywhere that “Land is Allah’s gift. Therefore, zamindars have no right to impose taxes.” This ideology inspired poor peasants. Under his leadership, the movement transformed from a religious-social movement into a socio-economic political movement.

He advised his followers to refrain from anti-Islamic activities. He ordered a ban on unnecessary spending on the occasion of Muharram, marriage, and death, and on the worship of saints and fakirs. He told his supporters not to pay zamindars’ rent, not to cultivate indigo for the planters, and not to follow foreign British advice. Thousands of poor peasants united under his leadership against these oppressive zamindars. The skilled organizer Dudu Miyan divided his influenced areas of Bangladesh into several regions, or ‘Halkas,’ with each region having 300 to 500 families.

Each Halka had an appointed Khalifa. The Khalifas’ responsibilities were to unite peasants in their respective regions, resist oppression by zamindars and indigo planters, and collect funds in preparation for upcoming struggles. Dudu Miyan’s headquarters was in Bahadurpur. Emphasizing Islamic equality, he introduced a panchayat system to establish justice. His supporters were committed to helping each other against oppression. If any dispute arose among peasants, he would resolve it himself, and no one could go to court without his permission.

He built an efficient spy network and a formidable lathial (stick-wielding fighters) force. Through them, news from various regions quickly reached him, and he would take action against oppressors. Contemporary police reports reveal that by 1843 AD, he had 80,000 followers who were ready to do anything at his command. With his followers, he would attack the estates and factories of oppressive zamindars and indigo planters.

Significance of Faraizi Movement

• The Faraizi Movement was primarily a peasant rebellion. Although it had religious reform elements, the main force behind this movement was the peasants’ frustration and discontent. That’s why Narahari Kaviraj said, “Although religious sentiment was attached to the Faraizi Movement, it was essentially a peasant movement.”
• By uniting oppressed peasants against zamindars and indigo planters and promoting the message of economic liberation among them, Dudu Miyan inspired peasants with a new consciousness. Not only Muslims but Hindu peasants also joined this movement.
• Although this movement could not expel the British Empire from India, its desire to end British rule in Bengal was clearly evident.

Reasons Behind the Failure of Faraizi Movement

The reasons behind the failure of the Faraizi Movement were:

• The most direct cause behind this movement’s failure was its narrow religious perspective, which made it impossible to establish Hindu-Muslim unity. The leaders failed to understand that they could not influence all Muslims through a purification movement aimed solely at Muslims.
• The leaders of the Faraizi Movement did not call for independence to unite people of all communities.
• The movement’s objectives were also limited. The movement did not make any demands for the abolition of the zamindari system or the complete elimination of indigo cultivation. The Faraizi leaders gradually lost popularity due to their use of force and terror during the movement.
• Finally, after the death of Dudu Miyan, the movement’s momentum slowed down due to the lack of a suitable leader. Therefore, it can be said that this movement was a religion-based peasant movement.

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