jihad of Shamli

Rajendra Kumar (UK).-
Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi As other elders had participated in the jihad of 1857 against the English, Maulana Nanautavi too had personally taken part in the jihad of Shamli and had also been wounded. When the tyrannous English issued warrants of arrest for Maulana Haji Imdadullah, Maulana Nanautavi and Maulana Gangohi and rewards too were announced for arresting them, people started searching for them. But since Allah Most High had endowed Maulana Nanautavi with perfect intrepidity, perseverance and courage, he used to go about publicly, unconcerned with all sorts of consequences. However, when relatives and sympathisers intensely insisted upon him to go into hiding in view of the critical nature of the time, he went into hiding for three days, but as soon as three days were over, he emerged from the hiding and began to go here and there openly. When people again begged him earnestly to go underground, he said: "To go into hiding for more than three days is not proven from the sunnah, because the Holy Prophet too had remained hidden in the Cave of Thaur, at the time of migration, for three days only". -----------------(provide by Rajendra Kumar (UK).-
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here is some historical stuff on shamli and kairana; Battle of Shamli In September, 1765 a force of 20,000 Sikhs under the command of Baghel Singh, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Tara Singh and Sham Singh, again ravaged the territories belonging to Najib-ud-Daulah. When the news of plunder of his territories reached Najib-ud-Daulah at Rohtak, he immediately came back to combat the Sikhs, but before his arrival there, the Sikhs had turned back towards Amritsar with the plunder to celebrate the Diwali festival on the 14th October, 1765. Diwali festival was celebrated by the Khalsa with great eclat.26 After the celebration of Diwali festival Baghel Singh, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, Tara Singh and Sham Singh once again entered the territory of Najib-ud-Daulah in December, 1765 and commenced plundering Najib's villages. Najib-ud-Daulah who had anticipated this eruption and had been making preparations since their last departure from his country, marched to oppose their advance and met them near Shamli, 20 kms east of Karnal.27 Najib-ud-Daulah with his full preparedness marched towards Shamli and on reaching there his army attacked the Sikhs. Nur-ud-din, the bioghrapher of Najib-ud-Daulah, gives a vivid and graphic pen-picture of this battle. He writes that every day there were many Skirmishes between the two sides, one day a severe battle was fought. It raged the whole day. About four gharis after nightfall, the Sikhs took shelter in the neighbouring sugarcane plantations and plied their matchlocks from there. From time to time they came out, and band after band emptied their matchlocks and went off. This kind of warfare continued for three hours, when the Sikhs retired to their place of rest. The next morning Najib got up early and marched towards the Sikhs in an organised form. Najib had not gone far when the Sikhs surrounded them on all four sides and the fight began one hour after dawn. The fire of battle raged till noon, when a dry nullah intervened in their path, and certain loaded carts of Najib found it difficult to get over it. The Sikhs, just at this moment came up running and clashing with the division of Zabita Khan in a mango garden, performed excellent barqandazi. Many men were wounded on the two sides. The Sikhs wished to contrive things in such a way as by keeping the Rohillas engaged in fighting they would detain them from advancing for sometime and utilise this delay in setting their own camp on the march and carry it towards the river. But Najib did not at all stop his advance, and in the division of Zabita Khan many men were slain. The battle raged furiously till late in the afternoon. The Sikhs formed the plan of gaining a little respite by any means, so that their camp might cross the river with ease, and in that event their entire property and baggage would escape plunder. They fell upon the rear. Najib's soldiers being hard pressed asked him to permit them only once to attack the Sikhs at full gallop and repel them, otherwise the Rohillas would die silently under the enemy blows but Najib wanted to attack Sikh camp and wanted much booty from their plunderer. On the other hand a severe scuffle ensued between the Sikhs and Najib's rear, in which the former gave a very hard time to the latter. Every time the Sikhs fell on the Rohillas with renewed vigour, making a great noise and tumult, shouting, "Wah Guru, Wah Guru!" Najib then himself came to the rescue of the rearguard with the Zamburaks and his household squadron. The Sikhs, on seeing Najib's flag went to a greater distance and stood on a mound emptying their matchlocks. Najib-ud-Daulah attacked them there and drove them away from the hillock. By this time night had approached. Najib stayed where he was standing while the Sikhs crossed the Jamuna with all their baggage and camp in the darkness. In the morning not one horseman of them was seen anywhere.28 Battle of Sikhs and Afghans between Shamli and Kairanah On May 11, 1767, Ahmed Shah Abdali gave leave to Najib-ud-Daulah from the banks of the river Satluj in view of the weak state of his health. Just then the news arrived that the Sikhs, who a week ago had managed to give the Durrani troops the slip in passing by their camp, had entered Najib's country. They had first ravaged the Sarhind territory under the very eyes of the Abdali. Then leaving their families and effects in the jungle of Rohi, had crossed the Jamuna at Buriya Ghat. They had sacked Najib's districts of Saharanpur, Ambetah and Nanautah. Afterwards they directed their attention to the Barah Sadat settlement or a cluster of twelve sayyid villages around Miranpur in Muzaffarnagar district. Then they stormed Meerut, Najib at once approached Ahmed Shah and sought his assistance against the Sikhs. The Durrani ordered Jahan Khan to punish the Sikhs. The Afghan general, taking Najib's son Zabita Khan with him, travelled by forced marches and reached Meerut, about 300 kms distant, in three days. The Sikhs got news of Jahan Khan's arrival an hour and a half in advance. Most of them immediately rushed back across the Jamuna. Those who remained behind were all killed, and their booty was seized.29 Another body of the Sikhs had reached the Ganga. On hearing the news of their pursuit by the Afghans and Rohillas they hurried back towards the Jamuna. They were overtaken between Shamli and Kairanah, two important towns on the western side of Muzaffarnagar district. The leader of the Sikhs was slain. Baghel Singh was wounded, and most of them were killed.30