Shaykh Ahmad was released from his enforced captivity after one year,
but was asked to remain in the custody of the army for another two years.
Being a missionary, he exploited every opportunity to introduce to his
fellow detainees as well as the soldiers he came into contact with the true
picture of Islam. A number of non-Muslims converted to Islam under his
guidance.
For three or four years he travelled extensively along with the army,
during which period he continued his
dawah
activities. He carried on, for
example, writing letters to a number of different people, which were
intended to bring them closer to the real face of Islam. These letters show
his great concern for the revival of the faith. He believed that it was possible
for a true Muslim to share in God’s blessings in this world as well as in the
Hereafter solely by following the
sunnah
. He succeeded in his efforts to
bring not only common men but also nobles and courtiers into his fold, and
was to see the influence of these nobles help change even the emperor’s
attitude.
When Ahmad Sirhindi became physically weak and felt that the hour of
his death was drawing near, he took the king’s permission to leave for
Sirhind. Soon after he died at the age of 63 in 1624 and was buried in
Sirhind.
Shaykh Ahmad is called
Mujaddid,
or ‘The Reviver’,
because he believed
himself to be called to revive Islam. This was to be done by purifying it of
all the anti-Islamic practices prevalent among Indian Muslims as a result of
indigenous influences. Indeed, Akbar’s liberal religious policy aggravated
the situation to the point where people did not hesitate to indulge in un-
Islamic practices. That was why Shaykh Ahmad felt it necessary to take
bold steps to purge society of these elements. His method of bringing
about a religious renaissance was far-sighted and he had a remarkable
