KEY QUESTION: HOw SUccESSfUl wErE THE rElIgIOUS THINKErS IN SprEadINg

ISlam IN THE SUbcONTINENT dUrINg THE 18TH aNd 19TH cENTUrIES?

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SHAH WALIULLAH

bIOgrapHY

 1703-1762.
 His real name was Qutub-ud-Din Ahmed.
 His father was Shah Abdur Rahim (who founded the Madrasa-e-Rahimiya).
 He memorized Quran at the age of seven.
 He was well-versed in Arabic and Persian.
 He went to Arabia to perform Hajj in 1724.
 In Arabia, he studied under Sheikh Abu Tahir bin Ibrahim.
 He returned to Delhi in 1732.
 He had four sons: Shah Abdul Aziz, Shah Abdul Qadir, Shah Abdul Ghani, Shah
Rafiuddin.
AT TEMPT Q1 NOW

bElIEfS

 Shah Waliullah was born at the time when the great Mughal empire was at its decline.
Thus, he believed that weak Mughal leadership in Delhi was incapable of bringing any
sort of reform and that the local Indian Muslims had to work on their own if they
wanted to have any sort of revival.
 He believed that Indian Muslims had partial knowledge of Quran and Islam and thus
he wanted the Quranic teachings to become more accessible. He believed that this
would make Muslims united.
 He believed that all aspects of human life—political, social, economic—should be
dealt according to Islamic principles. In other words, he believed that the foundations
of the Indian society should be based on Islamic jurisprudence.
 He believed that sectarianism was a root cause of all evils in the society and Muslim
downfall. He believed that unislamic principles were persisting in the society as
Muslims were disintegrating into sects and turning away from Islamic laws.
AT TEMPT Q2, Q3, Q4 NOW

wOrKS

 He translated Holy Quran into Persian, a language understood well by Indian Muslims
who could not read and understand Arabic properly. This Persian translation was
later used by Shah Abdul Qadir and Shah Rafi to translate Holy Quran intro Persian.

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KEY QUESTION: HOw SUccESSfUl wErE THE rElIgIOUS THINKErS IN SprEadINg
ISlam IN THE SUbcONTINENT dUrINg THE 18TH aNd 19TH cENTUrIES?

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 He wrote more than 51 books in Persian (28) and Arabic (23). Examples: Hujjat Allah
al-Baligha, Izalat-Akhfa, Tawil-e-Ahadthis, Al-Khayr al-Kathir etc. This attracted
Muslims from different backgrounds to listen to his teachings.
 He wrote an account (Khilafat-ul-Khulafa) on the 4 Islamic caliphs in such a manner
that it was acceptable to both Shi’a and Sunnis. This united the Indian Muslims.
 He invited the Afghan ruler Ahmed Shah Abdali (Durrani) who joined the local Muslim
forces to defeat the Marathas in the battle of Panipat in 1761. This was important
because the Marathas, by the time of Aurangzeb’s death, had concentrated in the
Deccan (Southern India) and were exerting negative influence on the Indian Muslims.
 He wrote letters to the later Mughal kings, asking them to shun all the vices like
gambling, drinking, extravagance and return to the Islamic way of life.
 He urged the peasants and farmers to work hard and adopt fair practices in trade and
business under the guidance of Islam.

aHmEd SHaH abdalI/dUrraNI

 Also known as Ahmed Khan Abdali, he was an Afghan leader and the founder of the
Durrani empire.
 He was also called Ahmed Shah Baba.
 His title was Shah Dur-e-Duran (Pearl of pearls).
 He defeated the Marathas (leader: Sadashivrao Bhau) in the battle of Panipat.
 He invaded India about 9 times.
 He wrote poetry in his native Pashto language. He also wrote Persian poetry.
AT TEMPT Q5, Q6, Q7 NOW

SUccESSES

 He was one of the pioneers amongst Muslim reformers in India. He inspired Syed
Ahmed Shaheed and Haji Shariatullah. For instance, Syed Ahmed Shaheed believed
that his works were in line with those of Shah Waliullah. The former’s Jihad movement
was inspired by the Jihad undertaken by Shah Waliullah against the Marathas.
 Madrassa-e-Rahimiya continued to play a key role in educating future Muslim leaders
like Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi.
 Persian translation allowed his sons to make Urdu translation of the Holy Quran
which made Quranic teachings widely accessible to the Muslims.
 His Persian and Arabic writings gave Muslims sound knowledge about their faith and
religion. It helped them unite on the basic Islamic principles which reduced
sectarianism and increased unity.

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KEY QUESTION: HOw SUccESSfUl wErE THE rElIgIOUS THINKErS IN SprEadINg
ISlam IN THE SUbcONTINENT dUrINg THE 18TH aNd 19TH cENTUrIES?

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faIlUrES

 His Persian translation of the Holy Quran was heavily criticized by the Ulemas, who
claimed that he had disturbed the purity of the holy book which was meant to be
read in its original language.
 Ahmed Shah Abdali’s invasion proved that Mughals had no more power left. This
ruined the Muslim image and power in India.
AT TEMPT Q8, Q9, Q10 NOW

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SYED AHMED SHAHEED BARELVI

bIOgrapHY

 1786-1831
 He was born near Lucknow in the small town of Rai Bareli.
 His father died in his youth.
 He moved to Delhi in 1806.
 He studied from Madrasa-e-Rahimiya under the sons of Shah Waliullah, especially
Shah Abdul Aziz.
 In 1810, he joined the forces of Amir Khan, a Pathan military leader.
AT TEMPT Q1 NOW

bElIEfS

 He believed that the freedom of Muslims could only come after an armed struggle
against the foreign and non-Muslim forces which were oppressing them.
 He believed that unislamic principles were crept into the Indian society and those
need to be eradicated if Muslims wanted to prosper. This was particularly in the
context of Punjab that was ruled by the Sikhs.
 He believed that his Jihad movement was inspired by the works of Shah Waliullah,
especially latter’s efforts against the Marathas.
AT TEMPT Q2 NOW

wOrKS (JIHad mOVEmENT)

 By the end of 1820, Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi toured India and met Muslims to
spread his beliefs about Jihad.
 In 1821, Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi went for Hajj.
 In 1823, he returned from Hajj.
 He toured Punjab and NWFP to enlist men to fight against the Sikhs. These men formed
the Mujahideen force. He also visited Sindh, Baluchistan, Rajasthan, and Afghanistan
(people here were doubtful and not truly supportive of his ideas).
 In 1826, he set up his headquarters near Peshawar and sent an ultimatum to the then
Sikh ruler of Punjab, Ranjit Singh, asking him to give up his oppressional activities
against Muslims.

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 KEY QUESTION: HOw SUccESSfUl wErE THE rElIgIOUS THINKErS IN SprEadINg
ISlam IN THE SUbcONTINENT dUrINg THE 18TH aNd 19TH cENTUrIES?

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 When Ranjit Singh rejected his warning, Syed Ahmed Barelvi attacked at Akora on
December 21st, 1826. Soon afterwards, he attacked at Hazrothe. On both situations,
Sikhs were badly defeated.
 After these two victories, Syed Ahmed got popular and different Muslim tribes joined
his forces and the Mujahideen force now counted to 80,000 men. Seeing this, the Sikhs
launched a propaganda against him, trying to show him as a man of destruction so that
the Muslims might withdraw their support. However, Muslims cleverly declared him
as their leader (Imam) in 1827.
 Syed Ahmed was then preparing to attack Sikhs at the fort of Attock. However, in the
way he encountered a Sikh army of 35000 men near Akora. In this encounter, Muslims
lost because of the role played by Yar Muhammad Khan, a pathan military chief of Syed
Ahmed’s army. Yar Muhammad Khan had been bribed by the Sikhs. He tried to poison
Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi and deserted the battlefield as well. He was later killed.
 Afterwards, he moved to Panjtrar, near Kashmir. Yar Muhammad Khan’s brother,
Sultan Muhammad Khan, waged war against Syed Ahmed. This disheartened Syed
Ahmed as he did not want to fight against fellow Muslims. He thus moved to Balakot,
hoping to liberate Hazara and Kashmir.
 Balakot was protected from three sides, so it was thought to be a safe place. However,
the local traders were bribed by Sikhs and told them the place where Muslims were
hidden. Sikhs made a surprise attack on Muslims in 1831 and fought a battle called
battle of balakot. In this battle, Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi and his commander, Shah
Ismail, were killed in addition to the 600 Mujahideen.
 In addition to his Islamic social agenda, Syed Ahmad also attempted to collect the
Islamic tithe (usher) of ten per cent of crop yields. He also asked Muslims to pay their
due Zakat.
 He also helped Shah Ismail to complete his work called “Sirat al-Mustaqeem”.

SUccESSES

 It was the first example of Jihad in the history of the Indian Muslims. Muslims learnt
how to stand up for their rights in line with the Quranic injunctions. It gave Muslims
religious and spiritual freedom up to a great extent.
 Jihad movement united Muslims against non-Muslim parties (Sikhs and British). For
example, Muslim tribes in NWFP continued fighting unitedly until 1863 against the
British.
 Jihad movement inspired many other Muslim leaders to fight for themselves and for a
separate homeland. Thus, many historians have labelled this movement as the
forerunner of the Pakistan movement in India.

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faIlUrES

 Different Sufi groups stood against Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi. This was a religious
rivalry within different Sufi Muslim groups operating in India.
 He was not able to completely defeat the Sikhs, instead lost his life in the struggle. After
his death, Mujahideen force got divided into factions.

Yar mUHammad KHaN

 He was the Barakzai (Pashtun) ruler of Peshawar.

 He was made the governor of Peshawar by Ranjit Singh.
 He died in 1829.
 His brother was Sultan Muhammad Khan.
SUlTaN mUHammad KHaN

 1792-1861.
 He was an Afghan aristocrat.
 His brother was Dost Muhammad Khan and Yar Muhammad Khan.
 He belonged to the Barakzai tribe.
 He ruled Kandahar, Afghanistan.

raNJIT SINgH

 1780-1839.
 He was known as “Sarkar Khalsaji”, “Lion of Punjab” etc.
 He lost his left eye in infancy.
 He was born in Gujranwala.
 His son was Kharak Singh.
 Ranjit Singh annexed Punjab, Kashmir, and most of Afghanistan
 He was a founder of Sikh rule in the Punjab
 He signed a treaty with Britain in 1809 in Sindh
 His expansion into Afghanistan worried Britain. Only after his death was British able
to take over Punjab.

SHaH ISmaIl

 1779-1831.
 He was the grandson of Shah Waliullah through his son Abdul Ghani.
 He studied from Madrasa-e-Rahimiya under Shah Abdul Aziz (another son of Shah
Waliullah).
 He wrote “Taqwiyat-ul-Imaan” (strengthening of the faith) AT TEMPT Q4-Q13 NOW

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 KEY QUESTION: HOw SUccESSfUl wErE THE rElIgIOUS THINKErS IN SprEadINg
ISlam IN THE SUbcONTINENT dUrINg THE 18TH aNd 19TH cENTUrIES?

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HAJI SHARIATULLAH

bIOgrapHY

 1781-1840.
 Born in Faridpur district in East Bengal.
 His father was a poor farmer.
 In 1799, he travelled to Arabia on pilgrimage and stayed there for the next 19 years.

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 KEY QUESTION: HOw SUccESSfUl wErE THE rElIgIOUS THINKErS IN SprEadINg
ISlam IN THE SUbcONTINENT dUrINg THE 18TH aNd 19TH cENTUrIES?

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 In Arabia, his inspiration was Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Wahab.
 His son was Mohsinuddin, also called Dudu/Dadu Miyan.
 He learnt Arabic and Persian under Maulana Basharat Ali.
 He studied philosophy at the Al-Azhar university, Cairo.
AT TEMPT Q1 NOW

bElIEfS

 He believed that India had become Dar-ul Harb, a land under non-Muslim rule where
Friday and Eid prayers could not be offered, due to the growing influence of the British
and the decline of the Mughal empire.
 He believed that Muslims had moved away from their religious obligations called
Faraiz which has caused their decline and backwardness in everyday walk of life.
 He believed that Faraizi movement was like Jihad movement, and both were launched
for the betterment of the Muslim community of India.
AT TEMPT Q2, Q3 NOW

wOrKS (faraIZI mOVEmENT)

 He launched the Faraizi movement. He asked Muslims to return to their true Islamic
obligations and seek pardon from Allah for the previous sins. He urged Muslims not to
repeat the past sins in the future and lead a pious life. He encouraged Muslims to pay
Zakat and object the payment of taxes to greedy Hindu landlords of East Bengal (and
elsewhere) and the British.
 His son, Mohsinuddin, introduced economic measures in East Bengal. He divided East
Bengal into areas called circles and appointed caliphs (who were responsible for the
social and spiritual welfare of the Muslims). He asked the poor peasants to oppose the
payment of taxes.

SUccESSES

 Muslims were encouraged at a time when they were highly oppressed, treated as
second class citizens, and demoralized at the hands of the British and the Hindus.
 Islamic was freed from Hindu and British influences. Muslims returned to their
religious obligations. This benefitted them spiritually and religiously.
 His works were important as they had positive economics and political impact,
especially on the poor Muslims of East Bengal who got united in their opposition to
the harsh treatment they received. Muslims got politically aware of their rights which
helped them later when they demanded for a separate homeland.

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 KEY QUESTION: HOw SUccESSfUl wErE THE rElIgIOUS THINKErS IN SprEadINg
ISlam IN THE SUbcONTINENT dUrINg THE 18TH aNd 19TH cENTUrIES?

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faIlUrES

 Haji Shariatullah was thrown out of East Bengal to Nawabganj in Dhaka district where
he died in 1840.
 After Mohiuddin’s death in 1860, Faraizi movement ended.

dar Ul Harb

 It means land under non-Muslim rule or house of war.

 India was declared Dar-ul-Harb by Haji Shariatullah.
 On such a land, Muslims cannot offer Friday and Eid prayers.
 Muslims are allowed to do Jihad in Dar-ul-Harb.
 This concept was later revised in 1920 when Hijrat movement was made by Muslims
to support the cause of the Khilafat movement. mOHSIN Ud dIN

 1819-1862.
 His full name was Mohsinuddin Ahmad but was known as Dadu Miyan/Dudu Miyan.
 He died in Decca.
 He went to Arabia to get secondary education.
 He was arrested by the British many times as he organized Muslims against the
payment of taxes and British rule.

ZamINdarS

 They were mainly greedy Hindu Landlords.

 Many of them had made peace alliances with the British.
 They oppressed the Muslim poor peasants and farmers, especially in East Bengal.
 The East India Company under Lord Cornwallis made Permanent Settlement in
1793 with the zamindars and made them proprietors of their land in return for a fixed
annual rent and left them independent for the internal affairs of their estates.