Mawlana Karamat Ali and his Projects of Reforms

Abstract

This Thesis attempts to study the life and works of Mawlana Karamat Ali of Jaunpur who passed 51 years of his life in Bengal for preaching Islam in this region. He came to Bengal with his family and moved from place to place in a special boat to preach Islamic ideology and morality among the general mass. He whole heartedly devoted himself to reform his co-religionists and revive the ideals of Islam thereby.

The first chapter briefly discusses the religious, social, economical conditions of the Muslims of Eastern India in the nineteenth century when Mawlana Karamat Ali came to Bengal. It shows that with the loss of political power the condition of the Muslims was weakened and worsened in all respects. Subsequently they were divided into many sections and there grew many un-Islamic customs and ceremonies which led them astray.

The second chapter deals with a brief life sketch of Mawlana Karamat Ali and his valuable works in Arabic, Persian and Urdu which he left as a great treasure for the next generations. These works are the primary sources of information regarding his activities and views on different fields and controversial points.

The third chapter gives a brief account of four contemporary Islamic movements – Jihad movement, Ahl al Hadith movement Fara’idi movement and Titu Mir’s reform movement. These movements had interrelation with one another and Mawlana Karamat Ali had concern with all those movement directly.

The fourth chapter is devoted to the projects of reforms of the Mawlana in the changing situations in British India. In this chapter it is shown as to how Mawlana Karamat Ali preached Islam in this riverine Bengal and what problems and difficulties he had to face in his preaching tour place to place.

The fifth chapter focuses on the doctrines of Sufism of Mawlana Karamat Ali and his opinion about different theories of Sufism. In this chapter it is also shown, in brief, the practice of Mawlana in his mystic life.