British expansion and rule 1784-1898

The Role of Religious Reformers (1700-1840)

INTRODUCTION:
Shah Wali Ullah was born on 21 February 1703 during the reign of Aurangzeb his real
name was Qutub-ud-din but became famous as Shah Wali-Ullah his father was Shah
Abdul Rahim who founded Madrassa Rahimiya in Delhi his father died in 1718.In 1724
Shah Wali Ullah went to Arabia to perform Hajj. He studied under famous scholar Sheikh
Abu Tahir bin Ibrahim and returned to Delhi in 1732. After 14 months of stay in Arabia,
two hajj pilgrimages and learning the books of hadith from the scholars of the holy
cities, Shah Waliullah finally returned to India in early 1145 reaching home, he started
teaching again and writing until his death three decades later.
● BELIEFS:
He believed that the Muslims were facing decline not because of weak leadership but
because of Muslim community itself. He believed that many Muslims did not have
complete knowledge of Quranic teachings. A major problem was that Muslims were
divided into Shias and Sunnis and fought with themselves. It was necessary to follow
Islamic teachings into every aspect of life.

● WORK:
He worked hard to ensure that he was a role model for every Muslim. He translated
Quran into Persian because many people were unfamiliar with Arabic. Later his sons,
Shah Abdul Qader and Shah Rafi, translated Quran into Urdu so more and more people
could gain Islamic knowledge. He wrote fifty-one books in Persian and Arabic. Amongst
the most famous were Hujjatullah-ul-Baligha and Izalat-Akhfa. He also wrote an account
of the first four caliphs of Islam in a way that was acceptable to both Shias and Sunnis. In
economics he emphasized the need for social justice and for peasants and craftsmen to
be truly valued for their contribution to the economy. His 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. It was to call together the
divinities among Muslims and unite them for Jihad. He wrote a letter to Afghan King
Ahmad Shah Abdali and joined local forces with local Muslim leaders and defeated the
Marathas in the Battle of Panipat in 1761. However, despite encouragement from Shah
Wali Ullah, the Muslim leaders did not unite to take advantage of the defeat of the
Marathas. Perhaps if they had done so, the Muslims would not have soon found
themselves under Non-Muslim rule.
 ● IMPORTANCE:
Shah Wali Ullah was one of the first thinkers to state that the decline of Mughal Empire and the
vulnerable position of the Muslims were due to a neglect of the principles of Islam. He showed
how this regeneration might take place. The Madrassa continued to play a vital role in teaching
Islamic principles and researching Islamic thought. He believed that Muslims could prosper if
they followed proper Islamic customs and did not indulge in social evils. His writing gave large
number of Muslims a chance to study their religion and understand its teachings. He gave
Muslims inspiration to lead a pure simple Life. He showed that Muslims had to concentrate
more on basic principle rather than finding the difference which would lead them in the conflict
among them. He tried to oppose Maratha and unite the Muslim under a common enemy. Many
future leaders were inspired by his teachings. And fight for the good of Muslim community.
Why he wished to revive Islam in the subcontinent:
>He believed that most of the problems of Muslims was due to their incomplete
Knowledge and understanding of the Holy Quran. As the Holy Quran is in Arabic
whereas common Muslims knew Persian. He wanted that the Quranic teachings be
made accessible to the common people so they may act on them
>The Muslim community was divided into sects, such as Sunni and Shia. Thus they
were vulnerable to attacks on their religion. SWU wanted them to put aside them
differences so that a more united and strong community could be created.
>Many Un Islamic practices had entered Islam due to constant interaction with Hindus
and other no Muslim communities. Thus they had forgotten the moral and spiritual
principles of Islam. Hence SWU wished to revive Islam to purify the Islamic Society.

SYED AHMED SHAHEED BARELVI

● INTRODUCTION:
Syed Ahmad was born in a small town of Rai Bareli near Lucknow. He moved in Delhi in
1806 and Studied in Madrassa Rahimya for two years. In 1810 in joined a Pathan
Military Leader and learned to use European weaponry. In 1817 He returned to Delhi
trying to make Islam to its original purity.

● BELIEFS:
He believed that Muslims could achieve their freedom by having arm struggle against
the British and Sikhs. He believed that the evil in the Islamic Society had to be cured. He
called for Jihad Movement to over throw the non-Muslim force which was oppressing
them. Only then Islam could be rescued from the evil customs of other societies.
● WORK:
 In 1821 He went for Hajj and returned from Arabia in 1823 ready for action. At this time
Punjab and NWFP was in the control of Sikh and Muslims were unable to live according
to their faith. He traveled many hundred miles to raise a mujahideen force. In 1826 Syed
Ahmad established his headquarters near Peshawar and sent a messenger asking Ranjit
Singh the ruler to allow muslims follow their religion but the request was turn down so
he had no choice but to attack at Okara on 21 December 1826 and after that Hazarothe
and defeat the Sikhs. He was successful military leader and the mujahideen force soon
reached 80,000 men, but there was a major problem as the force had people from
different area they quarreled on how the camping should run. Sikhs tried to exploit the
army by calling it un-Islamic but it was considering jihad by Muslim leaders. When Syed
Ahmad was about to attack the fort of Attock he encountered the army of Sikh of 35000
men’s. What he did not know was that Yar Muhammad Khan a Pathan chief was bribed
by the Sikh and even his servant tried to poison him. Then Yar Muhammad deserted him
on the battle field along his men and thus this creates chaos and lead to defeat. Syed
Ahmad had no choice but to move his headquarters to safety of Panjtar near Kashmir
but was again betrayed when a person in his army told the British a secret way to attack
them. In battle of Balakot 1831 a surprise attack was led by Sikh and Six hundred
Muslims were killed along with Syed Ahmed.
● IMPORTANCE:
The Defeat of the mujahedeen in the Battle of Balakot was a serious setback for the
Jihad movement still it survived. The movement continued on the hills of NWFP until
1863 when the British sent large force to deal with it still it survived through
determination of its followers. The work of Syed Ahmad was important because it was
the first arm struggle of a movement to free Muslims from non-Muslim rule. It was not a
movement for a leader but it was to achieve religious freedom. Jihad of Syed Ahmad
inspired many Muslims. It is the fore-runner of Pakistan movement as the aim of this
movement was to safe-guard Muslim interest and achieves a homeland where they can
practice their Religion, Culture and Freedoms.

Why he launched the Jihad movement against Sikhs of Punjab.

>The Sikh rulers of Punjab were not letting the Muslims practice their religious freely
and even the Azaan was banned. This angered SASB and he launched the Jihad
movement against the Sikhs for Muslim religious freedom.
>He launched it against the two main anti Muslim forces, British in Bengal and Sikhs in
Punjab. He was aware that British were hard to defeat as a superpower, and thus hard
to defeat. Therefore, he launched the Jihad against the Siks first as they were a relativel
weaker force and he thus was more likely to win against them
>SASB knew that Punjab was surrounded by Muslim tribes, which encouraged him to
fight against the Sikhs as these could help him
HAJI SHARIATULLAH

● INTRODUCTION:
He was born in 1781 in Faridpur district in east Bengal. His family was poor. In 1799 He
went to Arabia on pilgrimage and stayed there for nineteen years. He was greatly
influenced by the teaching of Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Wahab.
● BELIEFS:
He believed that the miserable condition of the Muslims in India led to the country
being Dar-Ul-Harb (Country under Foreign Rule). He told that Friday prayer and Eid
prayer cannot be offered here. He also believed that Muslim community had moved
away from Islamic practice. He wanted them to return to what he thought was the
proper observation of Islamic duties called Faraizi. This was why he started his
movement was called Faraizi Movement. The Faraizi Movement supported the idea of
Jihad against the non-Muslims who were undermining the true principles of Islam.
● WORK:
He started Faraizi movement to restore the Pride of the Muslims and remove what he
thought were the Hindu practices. Emphasis was placed on praying for past sins and
promising to lead a righteous life in the future which had crept into their worship. The
success of this movement caused British and Hindu Landlord’s and they did not want
Haji Shariat Ullah to create difficulty for them by uniting a desire to improve their lives
and purify their religion so they drove Haji out of the reign to Nawabganj in Dhaka
where he died in 1840. His work however was carried by his son Mohsin-ud-Din who
continued to improve the position of Muslim in East Bengal and introduced important
economic measures. He divides East Bengal into circle under control of each Khalifa to
carry out religious activities. He helped the peasants to oppose land taxes and he
threatened to declare Jihad against the British so he was captured and put in prison
where he died in 1860.
● IMPORTANCE:
Work of Haji Shariat Ullah was important to Faraizi Movement because it gave
encouragement to Muslims at a time when they demoralised by oppression suffered
from Hindus and British. It also brought about a spiritual revival which led to a revival in
Islamic religion in East Bengal. Hindu influences were removed from Islamic practices. It
might be said that some seeds for the Pakistan Movement were sown by the Faraizi
Movement.

COMPARISIONS OF RELIGIOUS THINKERS

Islam was widely spread in subcontinent by Shah Wali Ullah Syed Ahmed Shaheed
Barelvi and Haji Shariat Ullah.
Shah Wali Ullah was a religious scholar. He taught Islamic teachings in the Madrassa
Rahimya. This produced a number of scholars in the sub-continent and therefore
increased spread of Islam. Shah Wali Ullah also translated the Quran in Persian. Arabic
was not very much understood in the sub-continent so translating Quran revived
Quranic teachings in the subcontinent because Muslims and also other people could
understand Quranic teachings. Shah Wali Ullah also wrote to all Muslim leaders in the
subcontinent to unite and defeat the Marathas it was partly due to his persuade that
Ahmed Durrani came to subcontinent and defeated the Marathas. Thus by writing
letters he decreased the non-Muslim influence of Marathas and united Muslim leaders
which revived Islam in subcontinent. Shah Wali Ullah wrote several books about 51.
These books were extremely popular. These not only converted many people to Islam
and increase understanding of religion for Muslims of Islam but also united the different
Muslim sectarian such as the Shias and Sunnis.
Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi also played part in reviving Islam. He started the Jihad
Movement. The Jihad Movement was a Movement started by Muslims to defeat the
non-Muslim oppressors. The Movement united all the different Muslim against one
common enemy. This showed the power of the Muslims and united the Muslim
community which spread Islam.
Haji Shariat Ullah started the Faraizi Movement. It indicated tht Muslims should return
to their religious teaching and perform their religious obligations. This particularly
became popular in Bengal and Muslims were revived back to their religious teachings.
His movement also united the Muslims of Bengal.
However, there were failures
Shah Wali Ullah was not able to bring Muslim power back to subcontinent and Muslims
were still being oppressed by Marathas who prevented them from obeying their
religions law.
Syed Ahmed eventually failed to defeat the British and the oppressing Sikhs and
Muslims once again returned to their torturing lives.
Haji Shariat Ullah could only bring rejuvenation in Bengal and so could not reach the
entire subcontinent. The failure of the Jihad Movements discouraged Muslims to rise up
against the enemy which weakened Islam.
● CONCLUSION:
Although every religious thinker was quite successful in spreading the message amongst
the people, Shah Wali Ullah through writings, Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi through his
Jihad Movement and Haji Shariat Ullah through his Faraizi movement, yet in my
opionion Shah Wali Ullah was most successful as his work was ever lasting and sowed a
seed for the later "Pakistan Movement".

COMPARISION OF THEIR WORKS

There were many Muslims reformers at that time. SWU was one of them. He believed
that the Muslims were not able to understand Islam because they weren’t able to
 understand the Holy Quran because it was in Arabic. He translated Holy Quran from
Arabic to Persian. Later it was translated to Urdu by his sons. He wrote 51 books. They
include Hujjatullah-ul Baligha and Izalat al Akhfa. He also wrote an account on the four
Caliphs of Islam to decrease differences between Sunnis and Shias. (he also fought
against the Marathas)
Another reformer was SASB. He was a man of action. He was a great Muslim warrior. He
gathered an army of mujahedeen to fight against the Sikhs and Ranjit Singhs forces. He
did Jihad against the Ranjit Singh army at many times. Although many people left him he
still continued the fight against the Sikhs. He fought the Battle of Balakot in 1831. It was
the first example of a movement formed to free Muslims from non-Muslims leaders. It
was a uniting force for the Muslims and inspiration for future Muslims.
Another reformer was HSU. He believed that the country was now Dar-Ul Harb where
non-Muslims ruled. He also believed that the Muslims had moved away from true
Islamic practice so he started a movement called the Faraizi Movement. It supported
the idea of Jihad Movement. The Faraizi Movement was started to restore the pride of
Muslims and remove non-Muslim practices in Islam. This Movement encouraged the
Muslims. It brought a spiritual revival. It also had much economic impact. The Bengal
peasants became united in opposition to the British and became aware of their rights
and unity became to grow between them and they realized their rights that should have
been given.
Conclusion
To conclude, SWU was the most important reformer because he was one of the first
persons to realize the main thing of Muslims problems. He did the major thing of
translating Holy Quran to Persian so that more people could understand it.

th
Q The work of Shah Wali Ullah were more important in the spread of Islam during 18 and
th
19 century in the Sub-Continent; [16]
You may use the following in your answer:
 Syed Ahmed Barelvi
 Haji Sariat Ullah
You must also use information of your own.

The Islamic revivalism began in Bengal in the 19 th century by Haji Shariat Ullah (H.S.U).
He began his reform movement known as the Faraizi Movement which was started as a
reaction to the anti-Islamic policies of the British and the Hindus. The movement insisted upon
the fulfillment of Faraiz i.e. religious obligations imposed by God and His Prophet (s). His
followers came to be known as the Faraizis on account of their insistence on the fulfillment of
one’s duties. As a consequence, many Muslims dedicated themselves to the performance of
their duties and became staunch followers of Islam.

H.S.U also brought the Muslim peasantry together against the cruel exploitation by the Hindu
Zamindars. It infused a sprit among the peasants who got together to direct Jihad against the
then religious and social oppression to fight for their rights. This confidence and awakening of
the Bengalis from their sleep prepared the ground for future works of his successors like Titu
Mir and Dadu Mian for the revival of Islam.

Haji Shariat Ullah also worked towards the elimination of Hindu customs that had crept into
Muslim society due to their continuous interaction. It was significant as he attempted to purify
the lives of Muslims so that they could not only distinguish Islamic rituals and Hindu practices
but also follow the true Islam.

Another important reformer was Syed Ahmad Shaheed Barelvi

Being a military man Syed Ahmed Shaheed Bralvi launched Jihad Movement against the
Sikhs in Punjab who were not letting the Muslims practice their religion freely. He gathered an
army and launched war on them. Although the Mujahedeen’s were later defeated but this
shows his commitment to liberate Muslims from oppressive rules and grant them their due
rights.

His Jihad movement not only infused a great deal of moral courage and determination amongst
his followers but also had its far reaching and increasing influence on the future generations as
well who got a source of religious and political guidance and inspiration from S.A’s efforts for
the Islamic cause. As a result, it acted as a forerunner for the upcoming Islamic movements
including the Pakistan Movement.
Also, at this battle, the Sikhs greatly outnumbered the Muslims. Therefore they were stronger
then Mujahedeen enabling them to defeat the “few” Muslims. Moreover, SASB was killed in
this battle. This meant that the Jihad movement had almost come to an end, as now the
guidance of a strong military leader was missing.

Shah Walli Ullah also made many contributions for the revival of Islam.

Shah Walli Ullah’s efforts to revive Islam in the subcontinent include his translation of the
Quran into Persian, the local language, despite the opposition of the ulema, so that it was much
easier for the common Muslim to understand and act upon golden Later, when SASB was
moving his forces to Balakot, traitors informed Sikhs of the Muslims route. This provided the
Sikhs with an opportunity to prepare themselves and strengthen their forces which made it
easier from them to defeat the Muslims. So, when they launched their surprised attack at
Balakot. Muslims unprepared for this unexpected event found it difficult to fight and were
defeated.

Q Was lack of Military training the main reason for the failure of Jihad
Movement? Explain your answer.
Ans:
Firstly, SAB’s army was not well trained in military tactics. Most of the fighters were
teachers or spiritual leaders. This made difficult for Muslims forces to fight against the Sikhs and
come up with clever strategies to defeat them. On the other hand, the Sikhs tough and very
well trained under their strong military ruler, Ranjit Singh. Thus, it was easier for the Sikhs to
compete against the untrained Muslims.

Secondly, there was lack of unity between Muslims as the force consisted of Muslims from
different backgrounds. Soldiers often mistrusted each other and were often reluctant to agree
with other. As a result, due to internal conform there wasn’t always full support from
everybody, which weakened the Muslims forces.
Also the Pathans could not tolerate being in any army that they themselves weren’t ruling. They
weren’t ready to compromise which strained their relationship with other Muslims. This
weakened the Muslims forces as there was less support from the Pathan tribes, making the
Muslims more vulnerable to their defeat.

Then SASB imposed taxes on local population to bear military costs. However, many people
were angry as they had never paid such as tax before and therefore resented with SAB. As a
result, SAB lost support of the local people which further weakened his forces.

So now with the reduced taxes the funds became limited and therefore not all military cost
could be afforded. As a result, SASB’s army did not have new and improved war equipment that
could make it easier for them to fight the Sikh. Thus it contributed to the failure of Jihad
Movement.

Moreover, SAB’s army was not as sincere to him. Firstly, there were attempts by Yar
Muhammad Khan to assassinate SAB. Hence, now SAB also had to tackle with internal threats in
addition to the external ones. Thus diverted SAB’s attention from his major goal, which was to
defeat the Slikhs. When fighting Sikhs in Akora, Yar Muhammad left the battle field in mid
fighting. As a result SAB’s forces became increasingly weaker and were thus defeated.

Q The translation of the Holy Quran was the most important

contribution of Shah Wali Ullah for the Revival of Islam in the
subcontinent.
Shah Walli Ullah’s efforts to revive Islam in the subcontinent include his
translation of the Quran into Persian, the local language, despite the
opposition of the ulema, so that it was much easier for the common Muslim to
understand and act upon golden Islamic teachings hence Islam revived among
the locals. This endeavor of his later paved way for translation of Holy Quran
into Urdu by his sons who were inspired by him and made the teachings of the
Holy Quran accessible to greater number of people who could only understand
Urdu.

Shah Walli Ullah also made efforts to stop the Muslim from dividing into
religious sects. He studied the differences between the Sunnis and Shias
objectively and also wrote on account of four Caliphs of Islam which was
acceptable to both the sectarian groups. Thus he tried to reconcile between
them so as to unite the Muslims.

Shah Walli Ullah also contributed to the revival of Islam by writing

51books on different aspects of Islam like Fiqh and Hadis. Among them were
Hujjatullah-ul-Baligha and Izalat-ul-Akfa were significant. This helped the
Muslims to understand the Islamic principles and therefore acted upon them.

Shah Walli Ullah also taught at Madrassa-e-Rahimiya for many years.

This was important as it meant that Shah Walli Ullah paved way for the youth
to familiarize themselves with the fundamental principles and the glorious past
of Islam hence inducing solidarity and pride in them regarding their religion
which helped them mould their lives according to the teaching of Islam. It was
also due to his such efforts that Syed Ahmed Shaheed, a student of Madrassa-
e-Rahimiya, later worked for the rights of Muslims and founded the Jihad
Movement.

He also tried to unite the Muslims against Marathas and Sikhs so that
Islam could be both protected and revived. It was him who invited Ahmed Shah
Abadli from Persian. He defeated the Marathas and therefore the Muslims were
saved from the tyrannical rule of Non-Muslims who were ready to fight united
for a common cause.
 Shah Walli Ullah also emphasized on correcting the unIslamic principles
e.g. spending huge amounts of money on weddings and festivals etc. Thus he
emphasized on the practice of pure Islam. Islamic teachings hence Islam
revived among the locals.
Shah Walli Ullah revived Islam in the prevalent economic system by stressing
on social justice and equilibrium. He made the laborers and craftsmen more
aware by stressing that they should be paid justly and urged the traders and
businessman to adapt a fair Islamic system of trading thus eliminating sense of
corruption in Business activities.

Shah Walli Ullah recommended the application of Ijtihad i.e. the judgment of
an individual on the basis of Quran and Sunnah as against the blind following
of the four Muslim schools of thought. Hence, he tried to resolve the problems
of the Muslims of that time by interpreting Islam in a modernized way.

Possible Examination Questions

Shahwaliullah

Q state two problems Muslims were facing during the time of Shahwaliullah.[2]

Q state two important task done by SWU for the revival of Islam. [2]

Q State two ways in which SWU work important for Muslim renaissance. [2]

Q Why did SWU wish to revive Islam in the sub-continent? [6]

Q Why were the writings of SWU important? [6]

Syed Ahmed Barelvi

Q state two problems Muslims were facing during the time of SAB.[2]

Q state two important task done by SAB for the concept of Jihad. [2]

Q State two ways in which SAB work important for Muslim of the Sub-continent. [2]
Q Why did SAB wish to revive Islam in the sub-continent? [6]

Q Why did jihad movement of SAB fail? [6]

Haji Sariatullah

Q state two problems Muslims were facing during the time of HSU. [2]

Q state two important task done by HSU for the Muslims. [2]

Q State two ways in which Faraizi Movement important for Muslim of the Sub-continent.
[2]

Q Why did HSU wish to revive Islam in the sub-continent? [6]

Q How important was HSU and Faraizi movement? [6]