Anwar Shah Shopiani


Anwar Shah Shopiani, commonly known as Mawlawi Anwar Shah Shopiani, was a Kashmiri Islamic preacher, scholar, poet, and the founder of Ahl-i Hadith movement in the Jammu and Kashmir. He also established the first Ahl al-Hadith mosque at Zaldagar, Srinagar in 1897, where he served as imam.
He wrote Islamic poetry in Persian and Kashmiri language, including Taleem Sunnat and Basharatul Mumineen; his later works include Dewan Anwar and Guldasta Anwari, a Kashmiri poetic collection.

Biography

He was born in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. He received his basic islamic education outside the state and is believed to have studied under Hafiz Abdul Manan Wazirabadi, a prominent Muslim scholar of the period.
After completing his education, he returned to the Kashmir Valley and traveled across several regions, including Kishtwar and Turtuk, Nubra, and Ladakh, to propagate a puritan form of Islam.

Criticism and controversy

Anwar's teachings, particularly his criticism of shrine veneration and clerical authority, drew opposition from religious leaders. He criticized clerics, reportedly stating that "mullas are misleading people." He was reportedly involved in several legal cases and was charged under the blasphemy law for allegedly insulting revered shrines and Sunni practices, though later released. He was also imprisoned at different times on accusations of inciting sectarian discord.

First period (1857–1890)

During the reign of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, the Wahhabi movement began to influence Kashmir. According to Walter Roper Lawrence in The Valley of Kashmir, the Maharaja closely monitored reformist groups and often imprisoned their activists.
Around this time, Anwar traveled to undivided Punjab for further studies, where he met Islamic scholars from Bengal, including Molana Yaqoub of Dinajpur, an admirer of Shah Ismail Shaheed Dehlvi. This period marked a turning point in his intellectual development. After returning to Kashmir, he preached a puritanical interpretation of Islam and opposed practices such as shrine veneration, which he referred to as "asthana wa qabar parasti". His views provoked opposition, and there were reportedly several unsuccessful attempts on his life.
The Kashmiri literary figure Akhtar Mohiuddin later described him in Indian Literature :
Molvi Anwar Shah of Shopian belonged to the Wahhabi sect of Muslims. His poetry was devoted to religious themes and his creed. While he versified hadith and Islamic codes of conduct, he denounced grave worship and superstition. He urged people to fear none but Allah and wrote satires against outdated customs, often targeting clerics whom he accused of preaching superstition instead of true religion.

Second period (1890–1939)

By the early 20th century, Anwar had gained support for his movement, and in 1912 the first Ahl-i Hadith mosque in Kashmir was built at Zaldagar, Srinagar. He later visited Qadian in Punjab, where he met Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, and opposed his prophetic claims. After returning to Kashmir, he actively campaigned against the Ahmadis, who were commonly referred to by opponents as "Qadianis."
The Kashmiri political leader Molana Mohammad Sayeed Masudi later wrote of him:
Had Molana Anwar not been active in Kashmir, the southern part of the valley would have professed the Qadiyani faith. It was his spirit and endeavour which blocked the activities of the Qadiyanis.

Works

  • Dewan-e-Anwar published in 1935 in Lahore.
  • Taleem-e-Sunnat.
  • Guldaste-Anwari first published in 1937 or 1942.
  • Usool-e-Hadith.
  • Salam-e-Anwar Mae Kalam-e-Anwar first published in 1938.
  • Jang-e-Badr
  • Jang-e-Uhad
  • Al Qawlul Maqbool fi Meraj-U-Rasool.
  • Sheikh San’an
  • Haleema bar wazne Karima.
  • Nehrul Irfan.
  • Virdul Muwahideen