Faraizi movement
Topic: Peasant and Tribal Resistance under Company Rule · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Faraizi movement was a Muslim reform movement in eastern Bengal. Haji Shariatullah started it in c. 1818. The name comes from faraiz, meaning the duties that Islam makes compulsory. He asked Muslims to drop practices he saw as un-Islamic and to follow these duties strictly. Under his son Dudu Miyan, the movement became a peasant struggle. It matters because it shows how religious reform and peasant anger could join together under Company rule.
Example
Dudu Miyan taught that land belongs to God. So, he said, no one had the right to collect rent or extra taxes on it. He organised the peasants of eastern Bengal against zamindars and indigo planters. He even set up his own system for settling disputes among his followers.
Don't confuse with
- Titu Mir revolt: This was also a Muslim-led peasant rising in Bengal. But it took place near Barasat, and Titu Mir was inspired by Sayyid Ahmad of Rae Bareli. It was not led by Shariatullah's family.