thumb|[[Haji Shariatullah, the founder of the movement]]
The Faraizi movement () was an anticolonial Islamic revivalist and reformist militant movement led by Haji Shariatullah in Eastern Bengal to encourage Muslims to give up un-Islamic practices and act upon their duties as Muslims (farāʾiḍ). Founded in 1818, the movement protected the rights of tenants to a great extent.
Views
The Faraizis adhered to the Hanafi school with certain differences in practices.
- Tawbah i.e. to be penitent for past sins as a measure for the purification of soul.
- To observe strictly the obligatory duties of Faraiz.
- Strict adherence to Tawhid
- India being Dar al Harb, Friday prayers and Eid prayers were not obligatory.
- Denouncing all cultural rites and ceremonies, which had no reference to the Quran and Sunnah, as bidah or sinful innovations. However, he became so popular with the peasantry that in the cases, courts seldom found a witness against Dudu Miyan.
The initial victories of Dudu Miyan captured the imagination of the masses and Haji sahib the great sought Dudu Miyan's protection against the oppressive landlords.
Dudu Miyan died in 1862 and before his death he had appointed a board of guardians to look after his minor sons, Ghiyasuddin Haydar and Abdul Gafur alias Naya Miyan who succeeded him successively. The board, with great difficulty, kept the dwindling movement from falling to pieces. It was not until Naya Miyan attained maturity that it regained some of its lost strength. Nabinchandra Sen, the then sub-divisional officer of Madaripur District, thought it prudent to enter into an alliance of mutual help with the Faraizi leaders, who, in their turn, showed a spirit of co-operation towards the government.