Yasin wrote:
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I am from a Barelvi background, couple of other points to note here... Traditionally amongst the Barelvi masses there is great affection for the love of and stories of awliyah.
Growing up mostly heard stories of Awliyah, most prominently "Baba Farid" Shaykh khwajah Faridudin Masud Ganj Shakar (RA), as well as Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani (RA) amongst others.
Traditionally many Barelvis have never heard of "Ala Hazrat" or if they have they only know he is the author of the naat recited on at Barelvi gatherings " Mustafah Bazme rahmat Koh Laakhon salaam" given that amongst your average Barelvi someone who is known to have performed "Miracles" is considered of high status and it is these Sufi luminaries were the affection of Barelvi awam has been most strong .
"ALa Hazrat" not having any Miracles to his name has failed to achieve the same affection historically amongst ordinary Barelvis.
But amongst the younger generation over the last 15 to 20 years or so... The name of "ALa Hazrat" is more familiar and greater attachment , and in every gathering they now refer to as "We The Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat, the followers of the Maslik of Ala Hazrat".
The buzz words "Maslik Ala Hazrat" have been promoted heavily to differentiate between true "Ahle Sunnat wal Jamat" that is Barelvis and everyone else. Traditionally Barelvis have been very lax and infact mediocre in delivering an attractive message to the youth they seemed to have very few speakers who were well versed in English, over the last decade or so this has changed, and after seeing many youth attracted by the lectures of Deobandis and Salaafis, they renewed their hostility with added vigour, most prominently against Deobandis. You will find that on their forums the hostility being promoted against Deobandis is greater then everyone else.
The more well known and popular a Deobandi speaker the greater the hostility, years ago it was Shaykh Riyadh Ul Haq (DB) these days its Shaykh Zahir Mahmood (DB)
No gathering of Barelvis is complete unless some mention is made of "Wahabbis" I recently attended a Janazah of a relative, and even in the short talk given by the moulvi before the Janazah was about Wahabbis, in some Masjids every Jummah Khutbah is about the fitnah of Wahabbis.
Despite this I have personally only encountered amongst my relatives and friends only one individual who had developed a blind takfiri attitude after being brainwashed even he after listening to a lecture of Shaykh Riyadh Ul Haq (DB) was forced to admit "I have never heard a lecture like this before", and as he stated whilst the bayaans of the Barelvis are stories parables and rhetoric, lecture by Shaykh Riyadh ul Haq (DB) was based on Ayaats of Quran and Hadith.
