Haji Shariatullah was a prominent religious leader and Islamic scholar from Bengal in the eastern subcontinent, who is best known as the founder of the Faraizi movement.
22 Facts About Haji Shariatullah
2.
Haji Shariatullah's father was Abd al-Jalil Taluqdar, a landowner of limited means.
3.
At around eight years old, Haji Shariatullah lost his father and was then taken care of by his uncle, Azim ad-Din, who nurtured him in a very loving manner and made Haji Shariatullah's youth "carefree" with little concern for discipline.
4.
However, when he reached the age of twelve, Haji Shariatullah ran away to Calcutta supposedly due to being reprimanded by his uncle on a certain occasion.
5.
Ali had a crucial impact on the direction of Haji Shariatullah's life, encouraging him to study the Arabic and Persian languages.
6.
Haji Shariatullah reached proficiency in these two languages in two years.
7.
Haji Shariatullah continued to enhance his proficiency in the two languages during the twelve months he spent with his uncle and aunt.
8.
Haji Shariatullah was so disturbed by this calamity that he headed back to Calcutta returning to his teacher, Basharat Ali.
9.
Haji Shariatullah expressed his strong desire of accompanying him, and was given permission by Ali to join the journey to Arabia in 1799.
10.
Haji Shariatullah studied Arabic literature and fiqh during his time with Murad.
11.
The second phase of his stay was the most notable and spanned over a 14-year time period in which Haji Shariatullah studied under a prominent Hanafi jurist known as Tahir al-Sumbal Makki where he was introduced to tasawwuf and the Qadiriyya.
12.
Haji Shariatullah was unable to attend his uncle's funeral due to disagreements he had with the local villagers on the manner in which the Islamic funeral had to be conducted.
13.
Haji Shariatullah became concerned after finding that many Muslims were indulging in superstitious and Hindu-influenced practices which he viewed as un-Islamic.
14.
Surprisingly, Haji Shariatullah faced a lot of opposition from the Muslim elites in Bengal who tried to entrap him into legal matters.
15.
Haji Shariatullah believed that his efforts of purifying Islam in Bengal had met failure because he had not formally requested permission from his teacher Tahir al-Sumbal Makki for moving ahead with this step in his life.
16.
Haji Shariatullah wanted the Muslims to focus on the teachings of the Quran in an orthodox manner, and he effectively devoted the later portion of his life towards his movement.
17.
The beliefs of Haji Shariatullah had a significant overlap with those of Wahhabism and continue to be very popular to date.
18.
Haji Shariatullah instructed his followers to assimilate every religious duty required by the Quran and Sunnah.
19.
In 1837, these Hindu landlords accused Haji Shariatullah of attempting to build up a monarchy of his own, similar in lines to Titumir.
20.
Haji Shariatullah was placed under the detention of the police in more than one instance, for purportedly inciting agrarian turbulences in Faridpur.
21.
Haji Shariatullah's grave was washed away in a flood, but his tomb inscription has been preserved by the Asiatic Society of Pakistan.
22.
Haji Shariatullah is very well known and acknowledged by Muslim communities of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan with his Faraizi Movement as being the epitome of his legacy and services.