Screening Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān’s Library 163
tury. They wanted to imitate the role model of the Prophet Muḥammad,
whose sayings and actions were regarded as the greatest authority. Their
name also referred to the historical movement of the ahl al-ḥadīth (or
asḥāb al-ḥadīth) of the late eighth and early ninth centuries, which like-
wise claimed that its judgements were based on the prophetic tradition
rather than on personal opinion (raʾy). The Indian Ahl-i Ḥadīth distin-
guished themselves from other movements that had also emerged in the
course of the 19th century mainly by their interpretation of Islamic law
and most visibly by their outward style of prayer. Another aim was to
eliminate every custom from the Indian Muslim society that in their
eyes was not rooted in the Koran and the Sunna of the Prophet. To
the Ahl-i Ḥadīth, certain practices of this community, like venerating
Sufis and visiting the shrines of holy men, were bidaʿ (sg. bidʿa), un-
Islamic innovations potentially leading to hell. The Ahl-i Ḥadīth held
the view that Indian Islam constant mixing with Hinduism had made
it “impure”. They specifically criticised the acceptance of Hindu views
of purity and impurity, as well as “superstitions” like wearing amulets
and charms.^4 According to some Ahl-i Ḥadīth, this would accelerate
the approach of the Day of Judgement (yawm al-qiyāma).^5 The Ahl-i
Ḥadīth did not believe that this process could be stopped and expected
the world to end in the Islamic year 1300 (1883/1884). However, they
regarded it as their (religious) duty to warn the Muslim community of
these upcoming apocalyptic events.
Shortly after the emergence of the Ahl-i Ḥadīth, they took part in
fierce debates on the “correct” interpretation of Islam and the sources
of Islamic law. Since the Central Asian invasions of India in the 13th
4 In his chapter on bidʿa of his work Ḥujaj al-kirāma fī āthār al-qiyāma (The
Noble Proofs of the Signs of the Last Hour), Bhopal 1874, pp. 309–346, Ṣiddīq
Ḥasan Khān criticised Muslims for the construction of separate kitchens out-
side the main houses, which in his opinion was adopted from Hindu neighbours
(p. 317). He also wrote that Muslims should not use cow dung for heating their
oven like the Hindus did (p. 316). The Ahl-i Ḥadīth’s most important ruling in
refuting Hindu concepts of purity and impurity concerned menstruating wom-
en: they stressed that these women were allowed to read (pp. 320–321), recite
and touch the Koran. Some scholars even encouraged women to perform their
prayers in mosques during menstruation. For detailed discussions on menstruat-
ing women, women in childbed and concepts of purity, see Preckel, Islamische
Bildungsnetzwerke, pp. 417–419.
5 See the eschatological books by Muḥammad Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān, e. g. Iqtirāb
al-sāʿa (The Approach of the Last Hour), Kanpur 1301/1883; idem.: al-Idhāʿa
li-mā kāna wa-mā yakūnu bayna yaday al-sāʿa (The Announcement of What
Was and Still Is Attributed to the Last Hour), n. p. n. d., ca. 1980.
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