9/19/23, 7:17 PM How successful were the religious thinkers in spreading Islam in the subcontinent during the 18th

e 18th & 19th ce…

History and Culture of Pakistan

khalidriazblog

How successful were the religious thinkers in

spreading Islam in the subcontinent during the
18th & 19th centuries?

What did Shah Waliullah think were the main causes of the problems of the Muslims? [7]

Since this is a [7] mark question; write 3 factors in 3 paragraphs.

By the time Shah Waliullah returned to Delhi from Arabia (in 1732), the Mughal Empire was in decline and
Muslims were vulnerable to attacks on their religion. Marathas had become very powerful and influential.
Therefore the loss of the political power was very important.

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He also believed that many of the problems of the Muslims resulted from their incomplete knowledge of the
Quran and about Islam in general. There was a lack of academic institutions which taught religion to people.
Islam being the uniting factor was important for the community.

Another major problem was that Muslims were divided into sectarian groups, such as Sunnis and Shias.

What did he believe was essential to create a good society? [4]

He believed it was essential to follow the moral and spiritual principles of Islam in order to create a good
society. Un-Islamic principles were not acceptable in any area of society, whether politics, economics or just the
day-to-day lives of the individual Muslims.

Why were the writings of Shah Waliullah important? [7]

Shah Waliullah was a prolific author; he wrote 51 books in Arabic and Persian languages. He also translated
Quran into Persian. His books meant to spread awareness of religion in the Muslim community.

Another purpose served by his books was they made him popular among the religiously motivated section of
the society. He attained importance and influence which he actually used to mobilise the community against the
surge of Marathas effectively in the 3rd Battle of Panipat in 1761.

His writings were not limited to his time; they were read and followed by the next generations which adopted
his ideology in their struggle for independence.

What role did he play in opposing the Marathas? [7]

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One of Shah Waliullah’s most important contributions to the Muslim community was his organization of
opposition to the Marathas, who were threatening to over-run the Mughal Empire from the south. He realized
that the Muslims had to unite to deal with this threat, and that the Sikhs who were attacking in the north.

Shah Waliullah wrote to all the Muslim nobles calling on them to join together to save the Mughal Empire. It
was partly his influence which helped to persuade Ahmad Shah Abdali of Persia to intervene. Because of Shah
Waliullah’s efforts, Ahmad Shah Abdali joined forces with local Muslim leaders and defeated the Marathas at
the Battle of Panipat in 1761.

Due to the defeat in this battle, Maratha dream to establish and all India Empire could not come true.

How did Shah Waliullah influence the next generations? [7]

Shah Waliullah’s struggle to revive the Muslim rule in India revolved around one ideology; which is actually the
ideology of Pakistan.

Shah Waliullah wished to unite Muslims in the fold of Islam; Pakistan was also created in the name of Islam
using the Two Nation Theory. The theory claimed that Hindus and Muslims were two different nations who
followed different ideologies; therefore it was not possible for both of them to coexist peacefully under the same
system. India was partitioned in 1947 under the same idea.

Shah Waliullah directly influenced reformers namely Syed Ahmad Barelvi, Titu Mir, and Haji Shariatullah who
were contemporaries (belonged to the same era). Later reformers like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and the founding
fathers of Pakistan i.e. Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam, although were not religious like Shah Waliullah,
followed the same path and worked to get a state or a governing system for the Muslims.

Why was Syed Ahmad Barelvi a very suitable person to lead opposition to the British? [7]

Syed Ahmad Barelvi was the first person in the British colonial history of India who was able to unite people in
the name of Jihad (religion) for an armed struggle against Non-Muslim rule. He had successfully gathered some
80,000 followers who actually gained ground by defeating the Sikhs in early clashes.

His aim was to establish an Islamic state in the areas ruled by the Sikhs and those next to Afghanistan. He
probably wanted to create a safe zone for the Mujahideen in the North West from where they could expand their
influence. And in doing so they would certainly come into conflict with the British who had occupied the largest
part of India by that time.

If he had not fallen into controversies because of imposing his own interpretation of Islam (the Wahabi school
of thought) upon the tribals, and if people like Yar Muhammad had not betrayed him, he could have posed a
great threat for the British rule in India by collaborating with the Afghans who later achieved comprehensive
victory against invading British troops. It was really possible because he was already effectively opposing the
Sikhs under Maharaja Ranjit Singh who was undefeated by the British.

What role did Syed Ahmad play in opposing the Sikhs? [7]

Syed Ahmad Barelvi was the first person to oppose the Sikhs after the Mughals. Otherwise Ahmad Shah
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Abdali’s forces had destroyed only the Marathas in the 3 Battle of Panipat.

Before beginning his military campaign, he warned Ranjit Singh of a war from mujahideen if did not allow
Muslims freedom of worship. In early clashes he defeated the Sikhs and was able to make a mujahideen force
numbered 80,000 strong.

However, he was not able to gain support from the local leaders who not only betrayed him but also took sides
with the Sikhs. The Sikhs on the other hand used propaganda against him which actually worked. It happened
because he fell into controversies by imposing his interpretation of Islam in a tribal culture which was not
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accustomed to his ideology. He also made a big mistake by fighting wars with the locals who opposed him. It
simply meant that he was not aware of the tribal culture in the North West; instead he should have tried to win
the hearts and minds.

I think he was trying to achieve so many objectives in a short time. His military campaigns began in 1826 and
he was killed in 1831; which means it was a brief struggle which did not last long.

The Sikhs were successful in the end, undefeated by the Mujahideen. They were defeated only after the death of
Ranjit Singh when the British forces beat them in battle.

Jihad Movement is regarded by many historians as the forerunner (precursor) of the Pakistan Movement in
India. Do you agree? Explain your answer. [10] or [14]

Jihad Movement is regarded by many historians as the forerunner of the Pakistan Movement in India. Syed
Ahmad’s efforts were an inspiration to all Muslims in defending their religion, their culture and their freedom.
Those Muslims who later campaigned for their own homeland saw Syed Ahmad as an example of a Muslim
fighting for the Muslim cause in much same way, since he too wanted to see a state which was based on the
principles of Islam.

To differ from the above view, one can say that the first person who actually gave the ideology of Pakistan in its
early form was Shah Waliullah. He also professed Jihad and partly due to his efforts Muslims fought against the
Non-Muslim domination in the 3rd Battle of Panipat.

There is one more contrast of the Pakistan Movement with the Jihad Movement that the former was not totally
led by religion or religious personalities. Pakistan’s struggle was ‘largely’ made on the basis of ‘western
democracy’. India was partitioned because there were elections, people had cast their votes, and Britain decided
to partition India due to the pressure of Muslim representatives who had been elected and who did not want to
live under united India. Pakistan’s founding fathers had gained education from western schools and universities
and not religious seminaries.

For the same reason, since the inception of Pakistan in 1947 until today, the country has not yet adopted an
Islamic system of governance which was the aim of Syed Ahmad Barelvi.

How much Pakistanis follow the ideology of Syed Ahmad can be seen from the condition of his resting place,
compared to the tombs of Allama Iqbal and Jinnah.

Therefore my conclusion is that the Jihad Movement was not actually the forerunner of the Pakistan Movement.
It only served the purpose of Pakistan’s ideology to this extent that Muslims in the subcontinent could not live
under Non-Muslim domination.

Why did Haji Shariatullah declare India as Dar-ul-Harb? [7]

Though the Mughal rule was not purely Islamic but it still allowed Muslims to practice their religion freely.
However, when the Mughals declined, the country gradually fell to the Non-Muslims namely the Marathas, the
Sikhs and the British who interfered with the religion of Muslims, promoted Un-Islamic practices and oppressed
the Muslim community in general.

Haji Shariatullah wanted to officially declare that India was under the Non-Muslim rule as Muslims were being
denied their political, social, economic and religious rights by the Non-Muslim rulers (Hindu zamindars and
their British masters). As a religious leader of his community, he announced that India was Dar-ul-Harb i.e. a
land ruled by Non-Muslims; and therefore Muslims should stop offering Friday and Eid prayers which
according to his interpretation are obligatory only under Islamic or Muslim rule.

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It was undoubtedly an attempt to spread social and political awareness in the Muslim community. This actually
worked and the Sepoy Mutiny started from Barrackpore (West Bengal). In the beginning of the next century,
political leadership of Bengal sat together in Dhaka and founded All India Muslim League which won
independence for the Muslims in the east and the north west of the subcontinent.

Why did Hindu landlords (zamindars) drive Haji Shariatullah out of East Bengal? [7]

Bengal had been under Muslim rule for quite a long time. It fell to the British when East India Company
defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah in 1757 and then a joint Muslim force in 1764 at Buxar. The company rule
entrusted local management to the Hindu landlords who were rich and influential. These landlords had hired
Muslim peasants in their lands.

When Haji Shariatullah began his Faraizi Movement, it spread his influence and Muslim cultivators started
getting united against religious and economic oppression which alarmed the landlords who were not willing to
grant these rights to the Muslims. They collaborated with their British rulers and drove Haji Shariatullah out of
the region to Nawabganj in Dhaka district.

Why did the British imprison Mohsin-ud-Din? [7]

Haji Shariatullah was causing trouble to the influential Hindu landlords, so he was driven out of the region in
order to make him ineffective. He died but his mission was carried on by his son, Mohsin-ud-Din who
introduced important economic measures.

He divided East Bengal into areas and appointed in charges to look after the social and spiritual welfare of the
people in their area. he helped the peasants to oppose the excessive taxes imposed by the Hindu and British
landlords. this opposition to the payment of taxes led to unrest in East Bengal, but he went even further and
threatened to declare a jihad against the British government.

The British had colonised India, and they were not willing to give people their due rights. So they arrested
Mohsin-ud-Din, a troublemaker for them, and put him in prison.

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September 15, 2021October 9, 2021

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