Abdullah Ghaznavi

A pupil of Sayyid Nazir Husain,[1] he was exiled from his native Ghazni, Afghanistan on account of his adherence to and propagation of Ahl-i Hadith doctrines and had settled in Amritsar, Punjab, where he soon began attracting his own circle of students and admirers.

[2] According to political scientist Dietrich Reetz, Abdullah Ghaznavi represented the ascetic tradition within the leadership of the early Ahl-i Hadith movement in contrast to those who reflected the sect's increasing popularity among the urban elites.

[7] Ghaznavi subsequently travelled to Delhi with two companions to study Hadith under the distinguished scholar Sayyid Nazir Husain Dehlawi.

[8] Having adopted a reformist and puritanical orientation, he began preaching openly against perceived religious innovations (bid'ah) and against blind adherence (taqlid) to the prevailing Hanafi school.

The traditional Afghan scholars issued a fatwa declaring him to be a kafir (disbeliever)[9] and complained against him to the ruler, Amir Dost Mohammad Khan, who ordered Ghaznavi to be exiled.

[10] During the next fifteen years, Ghaznavi travelled to various places throughout north-western India with his family and pupils facing much hostility on account of his teachings wherever he went.