Hazrat Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi (rh) was born in Raebareli.

He studied books in Arabic and Persian and began his preaching at Allahbad mosque. He was a vanguard for rejuvenating the faith and for jihad for freedom in the first quarter of the 19th century. Several people took the initiation of bai’at in his hand, and through his preaching, thousands of people converted to Islam.

He waged a physical war against some of the Sikh rulers on account of their persecution. On 6 May 1831, he and his brave companions became martyrs in Balakot.

He served as a forerunner before the advent of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as).