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The Barelvi movement became known as Barelvi due to their leader Ahmad Raza Khan who established Islamic schools in 1904 with the Manzar-e-Islam. This terminology is used to lay exclusive claim to be the only legitimate form of Sunni Islam in South Asia, in opposition to the Deobandi, Ahl-i Hadith, Salafis and Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama followers. To its followers, the Barelvi movement is the Ahle Sunnat wal Jama'at, or "People of the traditions and the community," and they refer to themselves as Sunnis. The Barelvi movement is named after the town of Bareilly, India, from where this movement was originated.
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The movement emphasizes personal devotion to God and the Muslim prophet Muhammad, adherence to Sharia, and Sufi practices such as veneration of saints. Although Barelvi is the commonly used term, the followers of the movement often prefer to be known by the title of Ahle Sunnat wa Jama'at (Urdu: اہل سنت وجماعت) or as Sunnis, a reference to their perception as forming an international majority movement. The name derives from the north Indian town of Bareilly, the hometown of its founder and main leader Ahmed Raza Khan (1856–1921). The majority of Muslims in India and Pakistan are Barelvis. Barelvi ( Urdu: بَریلوِی, Barēlwī, Urdu pronunciation: ) is a movement following the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, with over 200 million followers in South Asia.
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