The Wahabi Movement, founded by Sayyid Ahmad in Rae Bareli around 1820, was a socio-religious reform movement aiming to restore the purity of Islam. Influenced by Shah Walliullah and Abdul Wahab’s teachings, the movement opposed British rule and Sikh dominance in Punjab. It later turned into a political challenge for the British, who suppressed it through trials and military actions by the 1870s.

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• Wahabi Movement started in 1820 by Sayyid Ahmad in Rae Bareli, India.
• Aimed to revive Islam and oppose British and Sikh influence.
• Viewed British India as Dar-ul-Harb (land of non-believers).
• Movement based on Quran and Hadis, opposing un-Islamic practices.
• Shifted base to North-West Frontier; fought Sikhs in Punjab.
• Sayyid Ahmad killed in Balakot (1831); followers continued under Wilayet and Enayat Ali.
• Played a role in spreading anti-British sentiment during 1857 Revolt.
• British launched military and legal crackdowns between 1863–65 (Ambala and Patna trials).
• Movement weakened and ended by the 1870s under British pressure.
• Left legacy of reform and early resistance in Indo-Islamic society.