The features of the Wahabi movement were as follows: Firstly, the movement initiated by Syed Ahmed was designed to revive the ways of the Prophet. Along with this he put forward the objective of driving the British out of the country.
For, according to him, India under the British had become an unholy land or ‘Dar- ul-Harb’, and it was Syed Ahmed’s desire to convert the Dar-ul- Harb’ into ‘Dar-ul-Islam’, that is the land of Islam.
Indeed, the anti- British aspect of the movement had given it a political overtone. Secondly, another important feature of the movement was that it no longer remained confined within the narrow fold of religion exclusively.
Syed Ahmed did not even hesitate to appeal to Hindurao, the Maratha leader, for help in his fight against the British. Thirdly, under his instructions training centers were established in different parts of the country where the Wahabis received some sort of military training.
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Fourthly, as peasantry formed the core of the Wahabis, the movement was also directed against the oppressors like the zamindars, indigo farmers, money-lenders etc.