Fazl-e-Haq became a teacher by the age of 13. In 1828, he was appointed to the position of
mufti in the Department of Qaza. On account of his deep knowledge and erudition, he was bestowed with the title of "
Allama" and later was venerated as a great
Sufi. He was also called the Imam of logic, philosophy and literature. He was considered by scholars to be the final authority on issuing fatwas or religious rulings. He possessed a great presence of mind and was very intelligent. There are many stories about his repartee with
Mirza Ghalib and other contemporary eminent poets, writers and intellectuals. He and his son Abdul al-Haq Khairabadi established Madrasa Khairabad in northern India, where many scholars got educated. He wrote
Risala al-Thawra al-Hindiyya in Arabic language and wrote an account of the rebellion called
al-Thawra al-Hindiyya. In 1825, Khairabadi issued
fatwas against
Ismail Dehlvi for his doctrine of God's alleged ability to lie (
Imkan al-Kidhb). Ismail is considered as an intellectual ancestor of Deobandis. Darul Uloom Deoband, founder
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi later accepted Dehlvi's doctrines of
Imkan al-Kidhb by stating that God has the ability to lie. This doctrine is called
Imkan al-Kidhb. Gangohi supported the doctrine that God has the ability to make additional prophets after Muhammad (
Imkan al-Nazir) and other prophets equal to Muhammad.
Jihad against British governance As the Indians started to struggle against British occupation, Khairabadi conducted several private meetings with the Mughal emperor
Bahadur Shah Zafar, which continued until May 1857. On June 26, 1857, when General
Bakht Khan along with his army of 14000, reached Delhi from Bareilly, Khairabadi gave a
Friday sermon, attended by a plethora of Muslim scholars and issued a religious edict supporting
jihad against the colonial government. The
fatwa was signed by Sadruddin Azurda, Abdul Qadir, Faizullah Dehalvi, Faiz Ahmed Badayuni, Wazir Khan, and Syed Mubarak Shah Rampuri. Through this edict, he inspired people to participate in
1857 rebellion. Subsequently, the Britishers deployed an army of some 90,000 around Delhi to protect its interests and to curb spread of
jihad, following the issuance of Khairabadi's edict. Later, he was sent into exile to
Kalapani jail in the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He was arrested by the British authorities on January 30, 1859, at
Khairabad for inciting violence. He was tried and found guilty of encouraging murder and role in the rebellion. The authorities considered him "extraordinary intelligence and acumen who should be reckoned as the most dangerous threat to the British presence in India, and therefore must be evicted from the Indian mainland. He was accused of being the major force behind the mutiny, persuading masses to rise in revolt against the authority of the Company, campaigning and motivating masses to join the mutiny by calling it war of independence and issuing Fatwas inciting violence and making provocative speeches. He had chosen to be his own counsel and defended himself utilizing arguments and a manner in which he defended his case that was so convincing that the presiding magistrate was writing a judgement to exonerate him, when he confessed to giving the fatwa, declaring that he could not lie. He was sentenced to life in prison in the
Andaman Islands, and his property was confiscated by the judicial commissioner of
Awadh court. He reached Andaman Island on October 8, 1859, aboard the steam frigate
Fire Queen. He would remain imprisoned there until his death in 1861. One of the major reasons for the outbreak of war was the fear among the people that the Christian British government was going to destroy their religions and convert Indians to Christianity. ==Literary works==