Mujaddid


A mujaddid, is an Islamic term for one who brings "renewal" to the religion. According to the popular Muslim tradition, it refers to a person who appears at the turn of every century of the Islamic calendar to revive Islam, cleansing it of extraneous elements and restoring it to its pristine purity. In contemporary times, a mujaddid is looked upon as the greatest Muslim of a century.
The concept is based on a hadith, recorded by Abu Dawood, narrated by Abu Hurairah who mentioned that Prophet Muhammad said:
Ikhtilaf exist among different hadith viewers. Scholars such as Al-Dhahabi and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani have interpreted that the term mujaddid can also be understood as plural, thus referring to a group of people.
Mujaddids can include prominent scholars, pious rulers and military commanders.

List of claimants and potential ''mujaddids''

While there is no formal mechanism for designating a mujaddid in Sunni Islam, there is often a popular consensus. The Shia and Ahmadiyya have their own list of mujaddids.

First Century (after the prophetic period) (August 3, 718)

Mahiuddin Aurangzeb Alamgir

Twelfth Century (November 4, 1785)