Questions for Short Answer

1. Who was Shah Waliullah? [4]

2. Describe the achievements of Shah Waliullah. [4]
3. Describe how did Shah Waliullah’s writings help the Muslims./What was ‘the Hajjatullah ul
Baligha’? [4]
4. Describe how did Shah Waliullah organise opposition to the Marathas./What was the jihad
movement of Shah Waliullah? [4]
5. Who was Syed Ahmed Shaheed Brelvi? [4]
6. What was jihad movement? [4]
7. Describe the treachery played by Yar M. Khan. [4]
8. What was the Battle of Balakot of 1831? [4]
9. Who was Haji Shriatullah? [4]
10. Who were zamindars? [4]
11. What was the Fraizi Movement? [4]
12. What is ‘Dar ul Harb’? [4]
13. Who was ‘Dudu Miyan’? [4]
14. Who was Titu Mir? [4]

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 Possible Exam Questions

1. Why did Shah Wali Ullah have such a major influence on the revival of Islam in the subcontinent?
[2010/S] [7]
2. Why did Syed Ahmad Shaheed Barailvi have such a major influence on the revival of Islam in the
sub-continent?[2003/W] [7]
3. Why did Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barailvi wish to revive Islam in the sub-continent?[2002/W] [7]
4. Why did Shah Wali Ullah wish to revive Islam in the sub-continent? [2003/S] [7]
5. Why were there attempts to revive Islam in the sub-continent during the eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries?[2007/W] [7]
6. Did Hajji Shariat Ullah contribute more to the spread of Islam than anyone else in the sub-continent
before 1850? Explain your answer.[2011/W] [14]
7. Did Shah Wali Ullah contribute more to the spread of Islam than anyone else in the subcontinent
before 1850? Explain your answer. [2009/W] [14]
8. Was the work of Syed Ahmad Shaheed Barailvi the most important factor in the revival of Islam in
the sub-continent during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries? Give reasons for your answer.
[2008/S] [14]

Why Jehad Movement failed?

 Syed Ahmad military leader

 Army consisted of different communities
 Sikhs’ exploitation

 Yar Muhammad Khan’s treachery

 Syed Ahmed moved his forces to Balakot
 The Battle of Balakot (1831)
 The movement continued till 1863

Reformers [Importance]

 First Muslim thinker

 His writing in Persian
 Sectarian division
 Importance of Jihad

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  Jihad Movement a uniting force
 Syed Ahmad's soldiers
 Jihad Movement the fore-runner of the Pakistan Movement

 Faraizi Movement
 Bengal peasants became united
 Seeds of the Pakistan Movement

1. Why the ‘Jihad Movement’ failed? [7]

Syed Ahmad's victories established him as a successful military leader with and army of 80,000 strong. A
major problem for Syed Ahmad, however, was that his army consisted of men from many different
communities which disagreed over how the campaign was fought. The Sikhs tried to exploit these
differences by calling his army un-Islamic. They claimed that by following the teachings of Shah Wali
Ullah, Syed Ahmad's forces were not true Muslims.

During an attack on the fort of Attock what he did not know was that Yar Muhammad Khan, a Pathan
chief had been bribed by the Sikhs. First one of his servants tried to poison Syed Ahmad, then Yar
Muhammad Khan deserted the battlefield along with his men which ultimately led to the defeat of Syed
Ahmed Shaheed Brelvi Ahmad's forces. Although Yar Muhammad was later killed in battle against the
mujahideen, his brother, Sultan Muhammad Khan also waged war against Syed Ahmad.

Constant campaigning against fellow Muslims was not what Syed Ahmad wanted, so he moved his
forces to Balakot, hoping to liberate Kashmir and Hazara. Balakot was thought to be safe as it was
protected on three sides by mountains. But once again Syed Ahmad was betrayed when local leaders
told the Sikhs of a way through the mountains. The Battle of Balakot (1831) was a fiercely contested
one. Six hundred mujahideen soldiers were killed, including Syed Ahmad and his commander, Shah
Ismail. The defeat of the mujahideen in the Battle of Balakot was a serious setback for the Jihad
Movement and it struggled to survive in the following years. The movement continued on in the hills of
the North West Frontier until 1863 when the British sent a large army to deal with the mujahideen
threat to ensure that the Mughal emperors had little real power and the Sikhs were dominant in the
Punjab.

2. Why were there attempts to revive Islam in the sub-continent during the eighteenth and early
nineteenth centuries?[2007/W] [7]

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Shah Waliullah believed that many of the problems of the Muslims resulted from their incomplete
knowledge of the Quran and about Islam in general and it was necessary that Quranic teachings become
more accessible to the people. The Mughal Empire was in decline and Muslims were disunited and
vulnerable to attacks on their religion. Shah Wali Ullah realised that reform could not come from the
weak leadership in Delhi and that it had to come from within the Muslim community itself. 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.

At this time the Punjab was under the control of the Sikh regime of Ranjit Singh, who had also extended
his authority into the North West Frontier. The Muslims suffered under Sikh rule because they were
unable to carry out many of their religious practices - even the call to prayer was banned in some places.
Syed Ahmad thought that this was intolerable and decided that the Punjab was the place to launch his
movement to liberate the Muslims from the tyranny of non-Muslim or foreign rulers.

Haji Shariat Ullah found that the Muslims of East Bengal had been oppressed both by the Hindus and by
the British. As a result, many important Muslim families had been reduced to near poverty. He started
the Faraizi Movement to restore the pride of the Muslims. The Faraizi Movement supported the idea of
jihad against the non-Muslims who were undermining the true principles of Islam.

3. How important was Shah Wali Ullah in the spread of Islam in the Sub-Continent before 1850?
Explain your answer. [2004/W] [14]
4. Which of the following reformers had a greater contribution towards revival of Islam I the sub-
continent between 1750-1850?
A. Haji Shariatullah
B. Syed Ahmed Shaheed Brelvi
C. Shah Waliullah
Explain your answer with the reference to all three of the above. [2013/S/02] [14]

Shah Waliullah was one of the first Muslim thinkers to state that the decline of the Mughal Empire and
the vulnerable position of the Muslims were due to a neglect of the principles of Islam. He believed that
if the decline in the position of the Muslims was to be stopped, there had to be spiritual and moral
regeneration.

His writing in Persian made Islamic teaching available to large numbers of Muslims who had not been
able to understand Arabic. He believed that Muslims could only prosper if they followed proper Islamic
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customs and did not indulge in social evils. He also showed that a Muslim revival could only take place if
there was an acceptance that sectarian division was to stop. Muslims had to concentrate more on the
basic principles of Islam, and not allow the differences between them to lead to conflict. He tried to do
this by organising opposition to the Marathas and uniting Muslims by emphasising the importance of
Jihad against a common enemy.

Syed Ahmad founded the Jihad Movement, which called for armed struggle to overthrow non-Muslim
oppression and restore Muslim power. It was the first example in Indian history of a movement formed
to free the Muslims from the tyranny of non-Muslim or foreign rulers. The Jihad Movement was a
uniting force for Muslims. Many of Syed Ahmad's soldiers had been spiritual leaders or teachers. The
fact that they were prepared to die for their cause was an inspiration to all Muslims. The Jihad
Movement is regarded by many historians as the fore-runner 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.

Haji Shariatullah started the Faraizi Movement to restore the pride of the Muslims and remove what he
thought were the Hindu practices which had crept into their worship. The Bengal peasants became
united in their opposition to the harsh treatment they received. They became more aware of their rights
and a political unity began to grow amongst them. This was to prove important in later years as the
Muslim demands for their own homeland grew. It might be said that some of the seeds of the Pakistan
Movement were sown by the Faraizi Movement.

Conclusion: Like all great reformers, Shah Wali Ullah's influence continued long after his death. Not only
did his writings survive and translated in many languages, but the Madrassa Rahimiya continued to
flourish as his sons carried forward his work and teachings. Many future Islamic leaders were inspired by
him to fight for the good of the Muslim community.

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