Final answer:
Syed Ahmed Barelvi opposed the Sikhs because of the rise of Sikh sovereignty which was seen as a threat to Islam after the decline of Mughal power. Barelvi's jihad movement was rooted in historical Sikh-Mughal hostilities and the changing religious-political landscape created by British colonialism in South Asia.
Step-by-step explanation:
Syed Ahmed Barelvi started the jihad movement against Sikhs due to the perceived decline of Islamic primacy in the region, particularly after the fall of the Mughal Empire, from which the Sikh Empire had emerged as a significant power. Ahmed Barelvi's movement was partly inspired by the long-standing hostilities between the Sikhs and the Mughals.
Following the policies of Aurangzeb, who had severely persecuted the Sikhs and even executed their guru Tegh Bahadur, there was a greater resistance to Mughal authority, which later translated into Sikh sovereignty in certain regions. Barelvi, a religious leader, saw the rise of Sikh power as a threat to Islam in the Indian subcontinent.
His opposition formed within a larger context where British colonial powers were exploiting religious divisions, and nationalist movements were on the rise, often coupled with religious connotations.
The British later used Sikh collaboration to maintain control over South Asia, overshadowing the large Hindu and Muslim populations. This complex backdrop of religious and political upheaval sowed the seeds for Barelvi's movement against the Sikhs.