“Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri and the Mahdavi Movement: A Historical, Religious, and Intellectual Analysis”

DoI:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17498850

Abstract

Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri (Born 842 AH / 1443 CE – Died 910 AH / 1505 CE) was born in the city of Jaunpur, India. After completing his early education, he excelled in religious sciences and became a disciple of Sheikh Daniyal Chishti. Later, through his claims of spiritual visions and divine inspirations, he came to believe that he was the Promised Mahdi. He declared himself as such in Makkah and began preaching his message across India and Afghanistan.

His followers came to be known as the Mahdaviya. This movement spread its influence in Ahmadnagar, Gujarat, Deccan, and Sindh. Initially, some rulers—such as Ahmad Nizam Shah Bahri—supported him, but later, due to the protest of scholars and the sermon of Maulana Shah Tahir of Turkistan, Burhan Nizam Shah expelled the Mahdavis from his kingdom.

The paper elaborates on the beliefs of the Mahdaviya sect, according to which:

Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri considered himself superior to all prophets (except Prophet Muhammad

His followers regarded all prophets, saints, and even the Companions of the Prophet  as inferior to him.

They believed that some commandments of the Shariah of Muhammad  had been abrogated by the “Shariah of Jaunpuri.”

Books such as Shawahid al-Wilayah and Panj Fazail equated his sayings with divine revelation.

In conclusion, the author notes that the Mahdavi movement was strongly opposed by the Islamic rulers of Gujarat, Deccan, and Sindh, and that its founder eventually died in exile in Ferah (Afghanistan).

This paper explores one major aspect of the figure known as the “Indian Mahdi,” while other researchers argue that there exists another perspective on his personality, which is discussed in a separate article.