Yihewani
Encyclopedia
Yihewani or Ikhwan ,(also known as Al Ikhwan al Muslimun, which means Muslim Brotherhood, a former branch of Middle Eastern Muslim Brotherhood
) is an Islamic sect in China. Its adherents are called Sunnaiti. It is a Hanafi
, non-Sufi school of the Sunni tradition. It is also referred to as “New Sect” (“新教派”).
, Ningxia
and Gansu
(there in Linxia) and distributed in Beijing
, Shanghai
, Henan
, Shandong
and Hebei
. It was the end of the 19th century when the Dongxiang
imam Ma Wanfu
(1849–1934) from the village of Guoyuan in Hezhou
(now the Dongxiang
Autonomous County was founded in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province) - who had studied in Mecca and was influenced by the Wahabi movement. After his return to Gansu and he founded the movement with the so-called ten major Ahong. The school rejected the Sufism. It claimed that the rites and ceremonies not standing in line with the Quran and the Hadith
should be abolished. It is against grave and Murschid (leader / teacher) worship, and advocates against preaching and da'wa done in Chinese. In 1937 It divided into two groups.
Ikhwan (Yihewani) together with Qadim (Gedimu) and Xidaotang the three major sects of islam of China.
Yihewani sect was labeled as the new teaching (xinjiao).
In the Dungan Revolt (1895)
the Yihewani backed the rebels against the Qing dynasty
. However, the muslim rebels were crushed by loyalist muslims.
, especially hated the Yihewani leader Ma Wanfu
, so much that when the Han general Yang Zengxin
captured Ma Wanfu, Ma Anliang arranged to have him shipped to Gansu so he could execute him. As Qing authority broke down in China, the Gedimu Sunnis and Khafiya Sufis went on a vicious campaign to murder Ma Wanfu and stamp out his Wahhabi inspired teachings. The leaders of menhuans attacked Ma Wanfu, and the Gedimu requested that the Qing governor in Lanzhou inflict punishment upon Ma Wanfu.
, the Yihewani was transformed from an anti assimilationist, fundamentalist brotherhood, into a modernist, Chinese nationalist sect which was supported by the Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang
party, promoting modern secular education and nationalism.
The Yihewani was then backed by the Ma Clique
muslim warlords, who were members of the Chinese National People's Party (Kuomintang)
, which espoused Chinese nationalism
, and the Three Principles of the People
. It was favored over the major Sufi menhuans such as the Sufi Jahriyya
, Sufi Khafiya. The Salafis and Wahhabis were crushed by the Yihewani during this period.
Yihewani Imams reacted with hostility to Ma Debao and Ma Zhengqing, who attempted to introduce Wahhabism/Salafism as the main form of Islam. They were branded as traitors, and Wahhabi teachings were deemed as heresy by the Yihewani leaders. Ma Debao established a Salafi/Wahhbi order, called the Sailaifengye(Salafi) menhuan in Lanzhou
and Linxia, and it is a completely separate sect than other Muslim sects in China.
Salafis have a repuation for radicalism among the Hanafi Sunni Gedimu and Yihewani. Sunni muslim Hui avoid Salafis, even if they are family members, and they constantly fight.
The Kuomintang
Sufi Muslim General Ma Bufang
, who backed the Yihewani, persecuted the Salafi/Wahhabis. The Yihewani forced the Salafis into hiding. They were not allowed to move or worship openly. The Yihewani had become secular and Chinese nationalist, and they considered the Salafiyya to be "Heterodox" (xie jiao), and people who followed foreigner's teachings (waidao). Only after the Communists took over were the Salafis allowed to come out and worship openly.
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
) is an Islamic sect in China. Its adherents are called Sunnaiti. It is a Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
, non-Sufi school of the Sunni tradition. It is also referred to as “New Sect” (“新教派”).
History
It is mainly in QinghaiQinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
, Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
and Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
(there in Linxia) and distributed in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
and Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
. It was the end of the 19th century when the Dongxiang
Dongxiang
Dongxiang may refer to:*China Dongxiang, a sportswear company in China*Dongxiang language, a Mongolic language*Dongxiang people, an ethnic group of China who speak the Dongxiang language*Dongxiang Autonomous County in Gansu, China...
imam Ma Wanfu
Ma Wanfu
Ma Wanfu was a Dongxiang-Imam of the village Guoyuan in Hezhou...
(1849–1934) from the village of Guoyuan in Hezhou
Hezhou
-Administration:Hezhou has 2 urban district, 2 counties, and 1 autonomous county.Urban District:*Babu District *Pinggui District Counties:*Zhongshan County *Zhaoping County -Administration:Hezhou has 2 urban district, 2 counties, and 1 autonomous county.Urban District:*Babu District (八步区)*Pinggui...
(now the Dongxiang
Dongxiang
Dongxiang may refer to:*China Dongxiang, a sportswear company in China*Dongxiang language, a Mongolic language*Dongxiang people, an ethnic group of China who speak the Dongxiang language*Dongxiang Autonomous County in Gansu, China...
Autonomous County was founded in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province) - who had studied in Mecca and was influenced by the Wahabi movement. After his return to Gansu and he founded the movement with the so-called ten major Ahong. The school rejected the Sufism. It claimed that the rites and ceremonies not standing in line with the Quran and the Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
should be abolished. It is against grave and Murschid (leader / teacher) worship, and advocates against preaching and da'wa done in Chinese. In 1937 It divided into two groups.
Ikhwan (Yihewani) together with Qadim (Gedimu) and Xidaotang the three major sects of islam of China.
Yihewani sect was labeled as the new teaching (xinjiao).
In the Dungan Revolt (1895)
Dungan Revolt (1895)
The Dungan Revolt was a rebellion of various Muslim ethnic groups in Qinghai and Gansu against the Qing Dynasty.-Revolt:Rival Sufi Naqshbandi orders fought against each other. They accused each other of various misdeeds, and filed a lawsuit against each other through the office of the Xining prefect...
the Yihewani backed the rebels against the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. However, the muslim rebels were crushed by loyalist muslims.
Repression in the Qing dynasty
The Khafiya Sufi General Ma AnliangMa Anliang
Ma Anliang , a Hui, was born in 1855, in Linxia, Gansu, China. He became a general in the Qing dynasty army, and of the Republic of China. His father was Ma Zhanao, and his younger brother was Ma Guoliang...
, especially hated the Yihewani leader Ma Wanfu
Ma Wanfu
Ma Wanfu was a Dongxiang-Imam of the village Guoyuan in Hezhou...
, so much that when the Han general Yang Zengxin
Yang Zengxin
Yang Zengxin , born in Mengzi, Honghe, Yunnan in 1859, was the ruler of Xinjiang after the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 until his assassination in 1928.-Life:...
captured Ma Wanfu, Ma Anliang arranged to have him shipped to Gansu so he could execute him. As Qing authority broke down in China, the Gedimu Sunnis and Khafiya Sufis went on a vicious campaign to murder Ma Wanfu and stamp out his Wahhabi inspired teachings. The leaders of menhuans attacked Ma Wanfu, and the Gedimu requested that the Qing governor in Lanzhou inflict punishment upon Ma Wanfu.
Cooperation with the Kuomintang in the Republic of China
Eventually, under Imams like Hu SongshanHu Songshan
Hu Songshan , a Hui, was born in 1880, in Tongxin County, Ningxia, China. His father was a Gansu ahong belonging to the Khafiya menhuan, a Chinese-style Sufi order. When he was 18 he joined Wang Naibi of Haicheng. At age 21, he became imam of the Yihewani sect, which was founded by Ma Wanfu...
, the Yihewani was transformed from an anti assimilationist, fundamentalist brotherhood, into a modernist, Chinese nationalist sect which was supported by the Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
party, promoting modern secular education and nationalism.
The Yihewani was then backed by the Ma Clique
Ma clique
The Ma clique or Ma family warlords is a collective name for a group of Muslim warlords in Northwestern China who ruled the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia from the 1910s until 1949. There were 3 families in the Ma clique , each of them respectively controlled 3 areas, Gansu,...
muslim warlords, who were members of the Chinese National People's Party (Kuomintang)
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, which espoused Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism
Chinese nationalism , sometimes synonymous with Chinese patriotism refers to cultural, historiographical, and political theories, movements and beliefs that assert the idea of a cohesive, unified Chinese people and culture in a unified country known as China...
, and the Three Principles of the People
Three Principles of the People
The Three Principles of the People, also translated as Three People's Principles, or collectively San-min Doctrine, is a political philosophy developed by Sun Yat-sen as part of a philosophy to make China a free, prosperous, and powerful nation...
. It was favored over the major Sufi menhuans such as the Sufi Jahriyya
Jahriyya
Jahriyya is a Sufi order in China that once existed in Persia and the Turkish World. Founded by Hadrat Abu Yaqub Yusuf Hamdani, it was brought to China in the 1760s by Ma Mingxin...
, Sufi Khafiya. The Salafis and Wahhabis were crushed by the Yihewani during this period.
Yihewani Imams reacted with hostility to Ma Debao and Ma Zhengqing, who attempted to introduce Wahhabism/Salafism as the main form of Islam. They were branded as traitors, and Wahhabi teachings were deemed as heresy by the Yihewani leaders. Ma Debao established a Salafi/Wahhbi order, called the Sailaifengye(Salafi) menhuan in Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
and Linxia, and it is a completely separate sect than other Muslim sects in China.
Salafis have a repuation for radicalism among the Hanafi Sunni Gedimu and Yihewani. Sunni muslim Hui avoid Salafis, even if they are family members, and they constantly fight.
The Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
Sufi Muslim General Ma Bufang
Ma Bufang
Ma Bufang was a prominent Muslim Ma clique warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the northwestern province of Qinghai. His rank was Lieutenant-general...
, who backed the Yihewani, persecuted the Salafi/Wahhabis. The Yihewani forced the Salafis into hiding. They were not allowed to move or worship openly. The Yihewani had become secular and Chinese nationalist, and they considered the Salafiyya to be "Heterodox" (xie jiao), and people who followed foreigner's teachings (waidao). Only after the Communists took over were the Salafis allowed to come out and worship openly.
Literature
- Shoujiang Mi, Jia You: Islam in China, Chinese Intercontinental Press, 2004; ISBN 7-5085-0533-6 (web)
- Hu Fan: Islam in Shaanxi: Past and Present. Diss. Bonn 2008
- Mikko Suutarinen: The Dongxiang People of Gansu - Ethnic, Religious and Local Identities (Religious Identity) (PDF-Datei; 320 kB)
- Michael Dillon: China's Muslim Hui Community 1999
- Dru C. Gladney: Muslim Chinese: ethnic nationalism in the People's Republic (Wahhabi Muslim Brotherhood, S.55 f.)
Chinese Literature
- Ma Kexun 马克勋: "Zhongguo Yisilanjiao Yihewanyi pai di changdaozhe - Ma Wanfu (Guoyuan)" 中国伊斯兰教伊赫瓦尼派的倡导者——马万福（果园） [The founder of China's Islamic Ikhwan movement: Ma Wanfu (Guoyuan)]. In: Yisilanjiao zai Zhongguo [Islam in China], ed. Gansu Provincial Ethnology Department. Yinchuan: Ningxia Renmin chubanshe 1982 (Chinese)
- Ma Zhanbiao: "Yihewani jiaopei yu Ma Wanfu" (Yihewani and Ma Wanfu), In: Xibei Huizu yu Yiselanjiao. Yinchuan: Ningxia Renmin chubanshe 1994 (Chinese)
See also
- Ma WanfuMa WanfuMa Wanfu was a Dongxiang-Imam of the village Guoyuan in Hezhou...
- IkhwanIkhwanThe Ikhwan was the Islamic religious militia which formed the main military force of the Arabian ruler Ibn Saud and played a key role in establishing him as ruler of most of the Arabian Peninsula, in his new state of Saudi Arabia. The Ikhwan were made up of Bedouin tribes...
- menhuan 門宦
- gongbeiGongbeiThe Gongbei Port is an immigration and customs checkpoint located in Zhuhai of mainland China, on its border with Macao. It is operated by the Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration of the Ministry of Public Security, and the General Administration of Customs.It is located in the Gongbei...
拱北 - Akhund 阿訇