Section I  Why did SWU wish to revive Islam in
Subcontinent? [7]
Cultural and Political Background to
the Pakistan
Unit 1
HOW SUCCESSFUL WERE THE RELIGIOUS
THINKERS IN SPREADING ISLAM IN THE
SUBCONTINENT DURING THE 18TH AND 19TH
CENTURIES?
The work of Shah Waliullah
(1703-1762)
 Who was Shah Wali Ullah? [4]
 SWU was born on 21st February 1703 during the
reign of Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir.
 His real name was Qutab-ud-Din.
 His father was Shah Abdul Rahim, who founded
Madrassa Rahimiya in Delhi.
 In 1724 SWU went to Arabia to perform Haj and to
further studies.
 Describe the achievement/work of Shah Waliullah
in reviving Islam. [4]
 SWU deep understands about Quran, Hadith,
Fiqah and Tasawuf made him highly
knowledgeable scholar at an early age.
 SWU translated Holy Quran into Persian so that
large number of Muslims could understand
teachings of Islam.
 SWU wrote fifty one books in Persian and Arabic.
Especially he wrote an account of four caliphs of
Islam in a way that was acceptable to both Shias
and Sunnis to remove division between them.
 SWU organized and united Muslims against
Marathas who were threatening to over-run the
Mughal Empire from the south.
One of the reasons was that SWU believed that many
problems of Muslims resulted from their incomplete
knowledge of Holy Quran. As the Holy Quran was written in
Arabic it was not fully understood by the people of Sub-
Continent as their native language was Persian. Therefore,
SWU thought that if he translated the Quran Muslims would
be able to understand its true teaching and so they would
be able to overcome many problems.
Another reason was that the Muslims of Sub-Continent
were divided into different sects e.g. Shias and Sunnis.
Shah Wali Ullah wanted them to be united and put aside
sectarian differences because it was weakening them.
Therefore, he tried to unite these two sects so that a strong
community could be created.
Another reason was that many Un-Islamic Practices had
corrupted the Muslim Society. Due to constant interaction
with Hindus and other non-Muslim communities the
Muslims deviated from the right path of Islam. Their social,
political and economic aspects of lives were polluted and
they had also forgotten the moral and spiritual principles of
Islam. Therefore, SWU wished to revive Islam to purify the
Muslim society from evil practices.
Syed Ahmad Shaheed Barelvi
(1786-1831)
 Who was Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barailvi?
[4]
 Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barailvi (SASB) was born
near Lucknow in the small town of Rai Bareli in
1786.
 His father died in his young age. He moved to
Delhi in 1806 and joined Madrassa Rahimiya.
 He studies under the guidance of Shah Waliullah
sons for two years.
 He joined the forces of Amir Khan, a Pathan
military leader in 1810.
1
 What are the beliefs of Syed Ahmed Shaheed
Barailvi? [4]
 SASB was an ideal person to act as a leader to
work against British Power in India and try to
ensure that Muslims were ruled by fellow Muslims.
 SASB believed that the freedom of Muslims could
only come as a result of armed struggle against
the foreign and non-Muslim forces which were
opposing them.
 SASB believed that there was a need to end the
evils that had corrupted Islamic Society.
 He believed that armed struggle is the only
solution to restore Muslim power. Once it’s done
then Islam could be rescued from beliefs and
customs contrary to Islamic beliefs.
 Describe the achievements/work of Syed Ahmed
Shaheed Barailvi. [4]
 SASB travelled across India and spread his idea
of Jihad and raised a mujahedeen force.
 SASB launched his Jihad against Sikh regime of
Ranjit Singh to rescue the Muslims from non-
Muslim rulers in 1826.
 SASB established himself as successful military
leader and encouraged other tribes to join
mujahedeen.
 SASB in 1827 unanimously accepted by the
Muslims as their Imam.
 Describe the battle of Balakot (1831). [4]
 SASB moved his forces to Balakot to liberate
Kashmir and Hazara.
 Balakot was thought to be safe as it was protected
on three sides by mountains. But once again Syed
Ahmed was betrayed when local leaders told the
Sikhs of a way through the mountains.
 They made surprise attack on the forces of SASB.
 The Sikhs were more in number therefore, killed
six hundred mujahedeen Soldiers including Syed
Ahmed and his commander Shah Ismail.
 Why did Shah Ahmed Shaheed Bralvi (SASB)
wished to revive Islam in Sub-continent? [7]
One of the reasons was that many areas of Sub-continent
were being ruled by Non-Muslims, like Sikhs and British.
SASB wanted that Muslims should only be ruled by Muslim
rulers. Therefore, he launched the Jihad Movement as he
believed that the freedom of Muslim can only come as a
result of armed struggle against Non-Muslims.
The Sikhs of Punjab were not allowing Muslims practice
their religion freely. The Sikhs had banned Azan.
Therefore, to restore the religious freedom of the Muslims
SASB started out with the Jihad Movement.
Un-Islamic practices had crept in the Islamic Society. The
Muslims had started following Hindu practice this was
because of the constant interaction with Hindus. Therefore,
to purify Islamic society SASB launched Jihad Movement.
 Why SASB did launch Jihad Movement against
Sikhs? [7]
The Sikhs of Punjab were not allowing Muslim practice their
religion freely. They had banned Azaan. Therefore, this
angered SASB and he launched Jihad against Sikhs for
religious freedom of Muslims of Punjab.
SASB launched Jihad not only against Sikhs but also
British. The British at that time were the super power and it
was difficult to defeat them. Therefore, SASB launched
Jihad Movement against Sikhs first as they were weaker
force as compared to British. Secondly he believed that if
his forces defeated Sikhs then they would be confident to
fight and defeat the British.
Punjab at that time was surrounded by Muslim tribes. Thus
this encouraged SASB to start Jihad Movement against the
Sikhs as he believed that those tribal people would support
him making more chances of his victory.
The work of Haji Shariat Ullah
(1781-1840)
2

 What do you know about Haji Shariat Ullah? [4]
 Haji Shariat Ullah (HSU) was born in 1781 in
Faridpur District in East Bengal.
 In 1799 he travelled to Arabia on pilgrimage and
stayed there for the next 19 years.
 He was greatly influenced by the beliefs of Sheikh
Muhammad Abdul Wahab.
 Haji Shariat Ullah died in 1840.
 What was the Faraizi Movement? [4]
 According to HSU the proper observation of
Islamic duties for every Muslim was important. The
word duty means farz, that’s why his movement
called the Faraizi movement.
 The Faraizi movement supported the idea of jihad
against the non-Muslims who were undermining
the true principles of Islam.
 This movement brought Muslims back to their true
Islamic practices and removed the influence of
Hindu religion.
 Faraizi movement helped the farmers to oppose
the excessive taxes imposed by the Hindu and
British landlord.
 Describe the achievements of Haji Shariat Ullah in
reviving Islam. [4]
 HSU restored the pride of Muslims and removed
Hindu practices that had crept into their worship.
 HSU encouraged and helped Muslims to follow
religious obligations of Islam.
 HSU developed awareness among the Muslims of
East Bengal about their social, religious and
economic rights.
 He united Muslims against Hindu and British
oppression and gave Muslim the idea of Jihad.
 Why did Haji Shariat Ullah (HSU) wished to revive
Islam in the Sub-continent? [7]
The Muslims of Bengal were oppressed by Hindus and
British. The Muslims were suffering economically because
of Hindus. They were not given their rights. Therefore, to
create a sense of Jihad in Muslims so that they could fight
for their rights, HSU wished to revive Islam in the Sub-
continent.
The Muslims had deviated from the teachings of Islam.
Many un-Islamic practices had crept Muslims society.
Therefore, to purify the Islamic society, HSU wished to
revive Islam in the Sub-continent.
The Muslims had forgotten the basic principles of Islam.
They did not practice their religious obligations i.e. Namaz,
Fasting and Zakat. Therefore, he wished to revive Islam to
remind them of their duties and follow the religious
obligations.
 Which of the following was the most important with
regard to the revival of Islam in the subcontinent?
[14]
1. Shah Wali Ullah
2. Syed Ahmed Shaheed Bralvi
3. Haji Shariat Ullah
Explain your answer with reference to all three of the
above.
H.S.U also brought the Muslim Peasantry together against
the cruel exploitation by the Hindu Zamindars. It infused the
sprit among the peasants who got together to start Jihad
against the then religious and social oppressions to fight for
their rights. This confidence and awakening of the Bengalis
from their slumber prepared the ground for future works of
these successors like Titu Mir and Dadu Mian for the
revival of Islam.
The Islamic revivalism began in Bengal in the 19th century
by HSU. 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 e.g.
religious obligation imposed by God and his prophets. His
followers came to be known as “Faraizi” on account of their
3
persistence 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 worked towards the elimination of Hindu
customs that had crept into Muslim society due to their
continuous interaction. It is significant as he attempted to
purify the lives of Muslims so they could not only distinguish
Islamic rituals and Hindu practices but also follow the true
Islam.
Another important reformer was Syed Ahmed Shaheed
Bralvi.
Being a military man SASB 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 Mujahideen 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 generation as well who got a source of religious and
political guidance and inspiration from S.A.S.B’s efforts for
the Islamic cause. As a result it acted as forerunner for the
upcoming Islamic movements including the Pakistan
movement.
Shah Wali Ullah also made many contributions for the
revival of Islam.
Shah Wali 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 Muslims to understand
and act upon golden Islamic teachings hence Islam revived
among the locals. The endeavor of his later paved way for
translation of Holy Quran into Urdu by his sons who were
inspired by him and made the teaching of the Holy Quran
accessible to greater number of people who could only
understand Urdu.
SWU also made efforts to stop the Muslims for dividing into
religious sects. He studies differences between the Sunnis
and Shias objectively and also wrote an account of for
caliphs of Islam which was acceptable to both sectarian
groups. Thus, he tried to reconcile between them so as to
unite the Muslims.
SWU also contributed to the revival of Islam by writing 51
books on different aspects of Islam like Fiqah and Hadith.
Among them were Hujjatullah-ul-Baligha and Azalat-ul-
Akhfa were significant. This helped the Muslim to
understand the Islamic principles and therefore, act upon
them.
SWU also taught at Madrassa-e-Rahimiya for many years.
This was important as it meant the SWU paved way for the
youth to familiarize themselves with the fundamental
principles and the glorious past of Islam hence including
solidarity and pride in them regarding their religion which
helped them mold their lives according to the teachings of
Islam. It was also due to his efforts that SAS, a student of
Madrassa-e-Rahimiya, later worked for the rights of the
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 Durrani from Persia. He
defeated the Marathas and therefore, the Muslims were
saved for the tyrannical rule of non-Muslims. These efforts
of his induced a sense of Jihad among the Muslims who
were ready to fight unitedly for a common cause.
SWU also emphasized on correcting the Un-Islamic
principles e.g. spending huge amounts of money on
weddings and festivals etc. Thus, he emphasized on the
practice of pure Islam.
SWU revived Islam in the prevalent economic system by
stressing on social justice and equilibrium. He made the
labours and crafts men more aware by stressing that they
should be paid justly and urges the traders and
businessmen to adapt a fair Islamic System of Trading
thus, eliminating sense of corruption in business activities.
4

SWU 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 Muslim of that time by interpreting Islam in
modernized way.
-------------------------------------------
Unit 2
WHAT WERE THE CAUSES AND
CONSEQUENCES OF THE DECLINE OF THE
MUGHAL EMPIRE?
How far was Aurangzeb responsible for the
decline of the Mughal Empire?
How far did the weaknesses from 1707 make
decline inevitable?
What role did the East India Company play in the
decline of the Empire?
How successful was British expansion in the
subcontinent to 1857?
The Mughal Empire before
Aurangzeb
 Who were Mughals? [4]
The word ‘Mughal’ is derived from the word ‘Mongol’. The
Mughals were descended of the Mongols of Mongolia in
Central Asia. Babur was the founder of Mughal dynasty. He
was a descendant of a very famous family which had
included two great conquering generals, Genghis Khan and
Taimur. The dynasty he founded called itself the ‘House of
Taimur’ but it was more popularly known as ‘Mughal’. The
area they ruled was as large as the whole of Europe and
Lasted for more than three hundred years.
 What was Mansabdari system? [4]
Akbar introduced a new system of army officials, called
Mansabdari who were responsible for civil and military
administration. They were appointed by Akbar and were
directly answerable to him. Akbar ensured that they were
not local landowners, who had power in their own right.
Instead they owed their position simply because they had
been appointed by Akbar. They could easily be dismissed
and lose their power, so it was in their interests to remain
loyal.
 What was Jizya tax? [4]
Jizya was a tax imposed on non-Muslims for their
protection. It was abolished by Akbar and reintroduced by
Aurangzeb. It was introduced in the subcontinent by the
Mughals.
 Describe law of succession during Mughal rule?
[4]
The law, through which Emperor, divides his empire among
off springs after his death. Aurangzeb divided the Empire
between his three sons to avoid future succession disputes
but could not succeed. Therefore, in absence of law of
succession, later Mughal successors fought among
themselves for the crown.
The Reign of Aurangzeb (1707)
 Who was Aurangzeb? [4]
Aurangzeb, (4 November 1618 – 3rd March 1707) was the
sixth Mughal Emperor and rule over most of Indian
subcontinent. His reign lasted for 49 years from 1658 until
his death in 1707. Aurangzeb extended the Mughal Empire
to its greatest extent. He was among the wealthiest of the
Mughal rulers.
 What were the reforms of Aurangzeb which led to
his decline? [4]
Aurangzeb was a strict ruler and a staunch Muslim who
implemented staunch Islamic laws on Indians which made
him very unpopular by 1668. He used to live lavish life and
wasted much of the Mughal treasury so, when Mughals got
bankrupt he then implemented high taxation on farmers. He
abolished the system of Suttee which made him very
unpopular among Hindus. He reintroduced the Jizya tax.
5
He even determined the length of beards, stopped singing,
dancing, and banned the consumption of alcohol.
 Why was Aurangzeb blamed for downfall of
Mughals? [7]
One of the reasons was the Aurangzeb started wars
against the Rajput’s and Marathas in order to expand his
empire northwards. Thus, he made the northern
communities his enemy, who later caused the most
damage to the Mughal Empire.
Another reason was Deccan wars. These wars were fought
for 20 years against Mahratta’s, who were in South of India.
During these wars many generals and military experts were
killed. Therefore, military expertise of Mughals was
declined which caused the downfall of Mughals.
As Aurangzeb was busy in fighting with these wars the
affairs of administrators were left unattended which led to
the downfall.
Since these wars were costly so the Mughal treasury was
emptied. Therefore, the downfall of economy caused the
decline of ME.
Another reason was reintroduction of Jizya Tax. This was a
tax which was imposed upon non-Muslims by the Muslim
rulers in return for their security. Thus, this led to hatred
among non-Muslims for the Mughals and they stopped
supporting them, which caused the downfall.
Another, reason was Aurangzeb’s extravagant life style. He
built luxurious places and mosques for his private prayer.
This annoyed the people who were burdened with high
taxes so they stopped supporting the Mughal rule.
Another reason was that Aurangzeb banned Suttee and
destroyed many temples. Suttee was a Hindu practice in
which the widow used to burn herself with dead husband.
The Hindus were annoyed and thought that Aurangzeb was
interfering with their religion and so stopped supporting the
Mughal rule.
The Effectiveness of Aurangzeb’s Successors
Invading Forces
The end of the empire
 Were Aurangzeb’s policies the most important
factor for the decline of the Mughals? Explain your
answer. [14]
Aurangzeb was an important figure in the downfall of the
Mughal Empire. Firstly, he started wars against the Rajput’s
and Pathan in order to conquer more land and make it a
part of his territory. Thus, he made the North his enemy.
The north later caused maximum damage to the empire
which led to the downfall of the empire.
Aurangzeb also started wars against Marathas. This firstly
led to the enmity of Marathas. This meant that the Mughals
now had enemies in the south as well, who would harm
them in future. Secondly, the war against Marathas
continued for 25 years, this was a great wastage of time
which led to the affairs of the state left unattended. This
weakened the administration and thus the empire itself.
Thirdly, these wars were very costly; the wars against the
Marathas almost emptied the treasury, leading to
weakened economic position of the empire. Fourthly,
Aurangzeb increased the taxes in order to cover up the
expense of the war. This made him un- popular among his
empire as people restrained to pay for the useless
adventures of Aurangzeb.
Another reason was that by some historians Aurangzeb
blamed to be intolerant towards other religions. This was
shown in his actions of re-imposing Jazzier Tax and the
destruction of some temples and also the banning of
Suttee. This led to hatred for him among other religious
communities especially Hindus who were in majority. This
decreased support for the empire and thus weakened it.
One of the wrong acts of Aurangzeb was his extravagance.
He build luxurious mosques e.g. Pearl mosque which he
build for his own personal use. Firstly such acts led to the
weakening of the economic condition. Secondly he stood
as the worse of inspiration for the future rulers to come.
They also opted luxury; this weakened the economy,
military and also administration thus led to the downfall of
the ME.
6
BUT HOWEVER THERE WERE SOME OTHER
REASONS FOR THE DISINTEGRATION OF THE
MUGHAL EMPIRE.
One of the reasons was succession disputes. Time to time
when the emperors died their sons fought for the throne.
Firstly, it led to the expenditure of great sums of money.
This eroded the economy having an adverse effect on the
Empire’s stability. Secondly the disputes decreased the
unity in the Empire as it divided Mughals and their
supporters into different groups, thus the empire fell into a
worse decline. The succession disputes also led to the
decline in military expertise as this divided the military into
different faction supporting different princes. This not only
created disunity among the forces of the empire but also
wastage of arms and ammunition, this made the military
and empire more vulnerable to invaders like Nadir Shah
and rebels who played a vital part in the decline of empire.
The succession disputes also led to wastage of time.
Meanwhile the wars on disputes took time when the empire
needed an emperor for guidance and survival. This free
time earned the discontented groups to rebel and to do
maximum damage to empire putting it into a decline.
An administrative weakness was also an important factor
that contributed to the decline of the Mughals. Firstly due to
the huge size of the empire, emperors could not know what
was going on in each part of his empire. Decision often
have to be relayed over thousands of miles when rebellions
broke out it was often many months before emperor could
take decisive actions. Thus the empire started to
disintegrate.
Weak control was also a very important factor that
contributed to a decline. In some cases courtiers proved to
be more powerful than the emperors themselves e.g.
assassination of Alamgir II by his courtiers. This proved that
the system had failed to work properly. With weak control in
the center, the other administrative institutions like the
Mansabdari system also failed to work which added
problems for the emperor and the empire.
Pleasure seeking also contributed to the down fall of the
empire. The Mughals had become more ease loving. They
use to wear fine clothes and Jewelry. Firstly they spent
more time in such activities than administration. Secondly
the extravagance of emperor led to the weakening of the
economy thus leading to the decline of the Mughal’s
empire.
Invaders were also continually weakening the empire.
Some like Ahmed Shah Durani conquered Punjab Kashmir.
This meant that much of the empire’s land was eaten up by
foreign invasions. Thus this was one of the other signs of
the disintegration of the empire. Others like Nadir Shah
were also significant in the decline of the empire. Firstly his
success against the Mughals exposed the weakness of the
Mughal army in front of the British who were encouraged to
take over the empire. Nadir Shah also played an important
role in weakening the empire to its decline.
But the British also hold great importance in the down fall of
the Mughal Empire. Firstly the British economic and military
strength was greater due to the Industrial revolution. British
industries were producing cheap manufactured goods
which were sold all around the world, with this wealth
British could afford military strengths which the Mughals
could not match. Therefore, when the British encroached
into the empire its end was inevitable.
The British army being the super power of that time had
more confident soldiers. There political belief was to only
succeed and never to fail and therefore, the army was more
eager and determined to defeat the Indians. Their spirits
were high and they fought with more courage. As a result
they managed to come up with strong and brave force that
was able to defeat the scattered and weak Mughals quite
easily.
Reasons for the Decline of the
Mughal Empire
 Why did Mughal Empire decline? [7]
 Size of Empire
 Variety of people
 Mughals became over confident on the military
expertise
 Succession dispute
7
  Pleasure seeking behavior The Mughals had increasingly become weaker during the
 Weak control from the center 18th century. Their decline was finalized by the arrival of the
 British military training or expertise British, due to their background military training.

 Explain why the Mughal Empire declined? [7] Enter the British

One of the reasons was the size of empire. It was too large  What was the East India Company (EIC)?
to administer properly. The emperor did not know exactly
what was happening in all parts of the empire. Therefore, East India Company was the merchants who got the
due to administrative inefficiency Mughal Empire declined. monopoly in trade between Britain and areas east of Africa.
In 1600 they got permission from Queen Elisabeth I and
Another reason was that the empire was huge with variety they first landed in Surat in 1608 but it was not till 1612
of people living in it. The Mughal Empire experienced when they got permission to trade from governor of Gujrat
constant rebellions from different groups; the cost of putting Kurram, the future Shah Jehan. The EIC was a trading
down these rebellions was great. Therefore, the treasury company who used to trade in spices, cotton and silk etc.
was emptied causing the decline of ME.
British Expansion from the 1750s
The Mughals became over confident of their military to 1850s
strength due to their military success. They let their military
expertise declined until it was not an effective fighting force.
 Who was Nawab Siraj ud Dula? [4]
Thus, they were not able to counter the foreign invaders
such as Nadir Shah which led to their decline.
Mirza Muhammad Siraj ud Dula, more commonly known as
Siraj ud Daula was the last independent Nawab of Bengal.
Another reason was succession dispute. When the
The end of his reign marked the start of British East India
emperor used to die his successors used to fight over the
Company rule over Bengal and later almost all of South
throne like Aurangzeb divided his empire yet his sons
Asia. Siraj lost the Battle of Plassey on 23rd June 1757. The
fought for the throne. Therefore, due to these succession
forces of the East India Company conquered Bengal under
disputes their family strength was divided which eroded the
Robert Clive. The administration of Bengal fell into the
empire. Secondly different princes were supported by
hands of the Company.
different faction of military force; this led to the decline of
military expertise causing the decline of ME.
 Who was Robert Clive? [4]
Another reason was pleasure seeking behavior, the
Robert Clive, a British Lord had great military skills which
increasing wealth and luxurious lifestyle of the Mughals
enabled EIC to defeat French with Nawab of Bengal in
made the nobility pleasure loving. Thus, the increasing
1757 and take advantage of unsettled conditions in India to
expenditures emptied the treasury and weaken the
grow British influence. After winning the battle of Plassey
economy causing the decline. Secondly they spent more
he was made the governor of Bengal. His opponents in
time in pleasure seeking activities. This weakened the
Britian carreid out various investigations on him but they
administration causing the decline.
were unable to find any point of plundering India. It caused
Another reason was weak control from the center. Nobility
to take his death in 1773 due to addiction to opium.
became more powerful than emperor. E.g. Alamgir II was
assassinated by his own courtiers. Thus, the emperor lost
the control causing the decline.  Why did the British Government take control of the
EIC in the early 19th century? [7]

8

The EIC rulers in Bengal were involved in corruption and
exploited Bengals’ people. This hurt the British prestige as
a civilized nation. Therefore, the British government
intervenes and stopped mismanagement of EIC rulers.
The EIC was earning huge profit because the volume of
trade was high. The British felt that these profits would be
too valuable to leave it to EIC. Therefore, they intervene so
that they could have a share in this profit and to use this
profit for the welfare of English people.
The ME was in decline and there was political instability
since it was an era of colonization for British, the British
intervened in India to make it one of its colonies by
interfering into political matters of India. And by this British
slowly and steadily took control of the sub-continent.
 Did educational reforms introduce by the British
between 1773-1856 have more effect on Indians
than social and religious reforms? Explain. [14]
In 1835 the British decided that education should be in
English language. This was against Indian culture as their
native languages were neglected. Thus this caused
resentment as the Indians thought their languages were
disgraced. Secondly the British introduced co-education
system. This was not acceptable to Indians especially
Muslims as they preferred Parda and did not support the
co-education system so this caused resentment.
The British introduced formal education and changed the
educational language. This helped the Indians to learn the
English Language, which was an international Language.
Therefore, by learning English Language it helped the
Indians to get modern, scientific and formal Education.
Secondly the Indians began to get job appointments in
other foreign country. Thirdly the Indians who were
technological background were now on a path of scientific
advancement.
When British took control of education they changed the
official language to English. The British held their civil
service exam in English while majority of the locals did not
know English. Therefore, the Indians felt annoyed as they
thought that would never get a chance of governance in
their own country. But however there were other reasons
too………………….
Another reason was the greed of British. Some areas of
India had a lot of wealth. But little was shared among the
Indians and instead it went to British rulers’ pocket. Thus
this caused resentment among Indian as they felt exploited.
In 1829 British banned Suttee. This made Hindus furious
because Suttee was their religious custom and a part of
their culture. In which the wife used to be burnet herself
with dead husband. Thus, this annoyed the Hindus as they
thought that British were interfering in their custom and
religion.
The British introduced many technological ideas such as
trains and railway. The Indians thought that their lifestyle
was now being changed and feared that the British was
trying to make their country into one of their colony.
The British introduced trains which caused resentment
among the Indians. The Indian thought that this had been
done without the permission of Indians and the British were
trying to change their lifestyle. However it helped Indians in
many food shortages especially in Bengal, food stuff was
transported from other areas to Bengal. Therefore, it helped
the Indians to reduce the food shortages and saved many
lives.
Another reason was the banning of Suttee. The British had
banned Suttee in which the women used to burn herself
with her dead husband. It was an inhuman and cruel act.
Therefore, banning of Suttee saved many innocent lives of
women. Secondly, banning of Suttee proved that in future
human rights and lives will be protected.
 What was Sati? [4]
A Hindu tradition, ritual burning of widows on funeral pyre
of husbands. British tended to ignore the practice because
of the fear of offending high caste Hindus serving in the
British army and civil service. In 1813 it was stated that
Sattee was voluntary and would only be banned if Hindu
9
religion opposed it, the widow was under 16 or intoxicated
or pregnant. Practice outlawed (banned or forbidden) by
EIC in Bengal in 1829 and later in rest of India by Governor
General Lord Bentinck. Suttee remained legal in some
Princely states. Isolated cases occurred in 20th Century.
 How successful were the Indians resistance to
take control of Indian lands? (14 mark) or How
successful was the Indian resistance to British
attempts to take control of the lands in the
Subcontinent? Explain your answer. [14]
In 1686 the British refused to pay taxes to the Mughal
Empire and introduced their own coins in Bengal. This was
not acceptable to Aurangzeb and he became angry and so
he sent strong forces against the British and defeated
them, who return had to apologize and pay heavy fine to
the Mughal Empire therefore, this attempt of Aurangzeb to
stop EIC/British was strong enough to defeat the British.
This shows Indian resistance was strong enough to defeat
the British. (L3/7 – success of Indians)
In 1756, the French motivated Nawab of Bengal, Nawab
Siraj-ul-Daula, to attack the EIC base at Calcutta; he was
successful to do so. Thus a local ruler was able to defeat
the mighty British. (L3/8 – Success of Indians)
In 1757 the British attacked Bengal, to take revenge from
Siraj-Ul-Duala of their defeat in 1756. They were successful
in defeating him with the help of treason of Mir Jafer
(General of Siraj-Ul-Duala). Due to this victory British were
able to capture one of the Indian’s biggest provinces and
increase their influence. (L4/9 – Success of British)
In the Battle of Bexar in 1754 British not only defeated
Nawab of Bengal Bexar and Orissa, but also the Mughal
Emperor Shah Alam. By this battle, the British influence
even further extended as they got a lot of revenue which
helped them to remain a strong army. (L4/9 – Success of
British)
In 1782, the first Governor General of India Warren
Hosting, signed a treaty ending the first Marathas war
between Marathas and the British. This gave an opportunity
to extend their influence elsewhere as due to this treaty
Marathas threat was over. However, it was a success too
as the British had signed with the Marathas. It shows that
some Indian groups were still strong enough to defeat
them.
In 1799 the Governor General Weslie invaded Mysore. This
was beneficial for British not only a strong enemy was killed
but his lands were now under control. (L4/11 – Success of
British)
The ruler of Mysore Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan fought and
defeated British many times and so proved to be a strong
resistance against British expansion as they did not allowed
British to capture Mysore during their life time. (Success of
Indians)
In 1893 the British entered Delhi and forced the Mughal
Emperor Shah Alam that he was ruling under their
protection. This showed that British were now masters of
India as they had the capital of India and the Mughal
Emperor under their control. (L4/12 – success of British)
The ruler of Punjab Ranjit Singh did not allow British to
capture Punjab. During his presence the British dared not
to enter Punjab. In fact they signed a treaty of friendship in
1809. Thus, Ranjit Singh’s mere presence was a threat and
resistance for the EIC. (Success of Indians)
The British appointed efficient governors in different areas.
These governors were trained on British lines of
administration and therefore, their efficient skills not only
helped them to administer these areas but they were also
able to expand their control. (L4/13 – success of British)
The Annexation of Sindh – How
did the British take over the area
of modern day Afghanistan?
 How were Sindh and Punjab annexed by British?
[4]
In 1843, British provoked the Amirs of Sindh to attack the
British Presidency when they failed to take over
Afghanistan they got the chance to fight the Amirs of Sindh
and took over Sindh in 1843 which was a shameful act. In
1849, after the death of Ranjit Singh and dissolution of
Treaty of Lahore, British got a chance to annex Punjab.
10
  Why did British annex Sindh in 1843? [7]
When the British tried to capture Afghanistan they were
badly defeated. The British felt that their pride and prestige
as a super power was hurt and so they captured Sindh to
regain their prestige.
The Sikh rulers were following their policy of expansion.
They were trying to expand their empire from Punjab
onwards and could capture Sindh anytime as it was close
to Punjab. Therefore, the British captured Sindh before the
Sikhs as the British were also following the same policy.
Secondly, the British feared that after their defeated against
Afghanistan they thought that India might also rise against
them in rebellions so, they immediately captured Sindh to
show the Indian that they were still powerful.
In 1843 the British general sir Charles Napier provoked the
rulers of Sindh, a group of Amir’s so much that they
attached the British residency in Sindh which the Sindhi’s
did, although they had an agreement with British.
Therefore, the British now had an excuse to attack and
annex Sindh.
Annexation of the Punjab and the
North West Frontier
 Who was Lord Dalhousie? [4]
Lord Dalhousie was a British viceroy who implemented
Doctrine of Lapse which said that if any of the rulers dies
without natural heir, his land will be given to British or if
anyone proves to be a bad ruler his land will be taken by
British too. This was a clever act taken by Lord Dalhousie
to grape the land of India under control of British rule.
 What was the doctrine of Lapse? [4]
Doctrine of Lapse was imposed by Lord Dalhousie before
the war of independence and became to be a great reason
for the revolt of Indians; it said that if any ruler dies without
any natural heir his land will be given to British. It was
implemented in 1852. Jhansi, Sitara etc., were taken into
control under this policy. Indian Rulers resented for loosing
power to an alien nation.
Why were the British able to
conquer India?
British Rule
 Q: Who was Lord Macaulay? [4]
Lord Macaulay was the British Viceroy who made the
official language of the subcontinent English, and all future
education was to be in English. He implemented “Minutes
on Education Policy” in 1835. He made co-education
system in the institutions.
 Why was the British rule highly unpopular in the
first half of the 19th century? [7]
The locals thought that due to the warfare between the
local rulers and British many monuments were destroyed.
There monuments were a sign of remembrance of the great
rulers who had built them, moreover they were a sign of
cultural Heritage for the Indians. Therefore, the destruction
of the monuments was a sign of disrespect of their cultural
identity which lead most of the Indians turns against the
British.
Another reason was that the British interference in the trade
and agriculture which lead economic loss. This weakened
the Indian’s economically leading to the resentment of
Indians for the British during the first half of 19th century.
Another reason was the increasing greed of the British.
They had begun imposing high taxation on the Indian and
they had started to confiscate more and more Indian lands.
Therefore, this anger the Indians as they felt exploited by
the British leading to the British to their unpopularity
In 1829 the British banned suttee. This was a cultural
tradition of Hindus in which the widow used to burn herself
along with the dead husband. The British thought it was an
inhuman act so they banned suttee. Therefore, Hindus
thought that British were intolerant among their religion
creating resentment among Hindus masses leading to the
unpopularity of the British.
11
Another reason was the change of the official language
from Urdu/Persian to English. The British held civil service
examination in English. Therefore, this created resentment
as the Indian felt that they have only a little chance in their
country governess although they were in majority so
leading to the unpopularity of British among the local
people.
In 1835 British decided that Education should be in English
Language. This was against the Indian culture as their
native language was neglected. Thus, leading to the
resentment as the Indians had begun to think that they
were being disgraced leading to British unpopularity among
the people.
-------------------------------------------------
Unit 3
WHAT WERE THE CAUSES AND
CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR OF
INDEPENDENCE 1857-58?
What were the long-term causes of the war?
What were the immediate causes of the war?
Why was independence not achieved?
What were the immediate consequences of the
war?
The causes of the War
 Q: List the reasons for the outbreak of the war of
independence in 1857.
Political: The political rights of Indians were seized by the
British therefore, the war of independence started.
Religious and Social: The Indians were religiously and
socially oppressed by the British government and army
therefore, the Indians started war of Independence.
Economic: The British policy to deprive the Indians
economically created resentment among the Indians
therefore, they started war of Independence.
Military: The discriminatory attitudes of British created deep
seated resentment among Indian soldiers and they started
war of independence.
 Why did WOI start? [4]
Political Reasons
One of the reasons for the outbreak of WOI was the
“Doctrine of lapse”. This policy had been introduced by
Lord Dalhousie. According to this policy the British use to
annex the lands of those Indians who did not have legal
heirs. Therefore, the Indians thought that it was a mere
excuse to grab their ancestral lands and so they resented.
Secondly the Indians thought they were being deprived of
their lands and thus they rebelled.
Another reason was the seizure of Oudh in 1856. The large
territory of Oudh was also captured by the policy of
Doctrine of Lapse. Therefore, this created resentment
among the Indians about land grabbers.
Another reason was mistreatment of the Mughal emperor,
Bahadur Shah Zafar. The British had shifted the Mughal
Emperor from Red Fort of Delhi to the more obscure Qutab
Sahib. Thus, Indians thought it was a sign of disrespect for
the Indians and so they rebelled leading to the outbreak of
WOI.
Another reason was the lack of opportunities for native
Indian in the civil services. The Indians were not given the
opportunity to take part in the government. Therefore, they
thought they were being neglected as they were not given
opportunity to run their own country.
Economic Reasons
One of the reasons was imposing high taxation. The British
imposed high taxation. The economic position of Muslims
was already poor and worsened the condition more. The
poor tenants could not pay the high taxation. Therefore, this
caused resentment.
Another reason was the corruption of tax collector. The tax
collectors use to keep some money by the taxes for
themselves. At the same time the ratio of taxation was
increasing. Therefore, this offend the offended Indians as
they felt exploited because the British were taking
advantage for themselves, this created resentment among
the local people and lead to the outbreak of WOI.
The British had kept the salary of sepoys low. The Indian
soldiers were being used to fight for the EIC. Moreover,
they were being recruited to various parts of Sub-continent
12
as per policy of British army. As compare to British officers
the Indian soldiers were neither given extra money for the
wars which they were fighting nor were they given extra
money for recruitment. This created resentment among the
military because economically the soldiers were weaker
than the British officers.
Military Reasons
One of the reasons was the discrimination between British
and Indian soldier. Most of the soldiers in the EIC were
Indian and most of the sepoys and sawars were Indians
whereas officer class was almost of British. Thus, as the
most of the work was done by Indian sepoys but their
designations/positions did not improve and so this became
the major reason of the outbreak of WOI.
Another reason was the issue of grease cartridges. British
introduce a new rifle by the name of “Enfield” rifle. The
cartridges to be used in this rifle had to be bitten by mouth
before use. There was a rumor that the fats used were of
cow and pig which was unacceptable to both Hindus and
Muslim. Therefore, this created on uprising in the army
because they consider this as an insult of their religion.
Social Reasons
Sattee was a Hindu tradition in which the widow had to
burn herself with the dead body of her husband. British
banned Sattee. Although this custom was inhuman and
cruel but Hindu emotions were attached to it and they were
very annoyed when it was banned as they felt that British
were trying to interfere in their traditions.
Another reason was the official language, Persian to
English. Persian had remained a native language of Indians
for a long period of time. It was widely spoken and
understood. Therefore, this created frustration among the
Indian as they thought their mother tongue was being
disgraced as many Indians did not know English.
British introduced coeducation system in the subcontinent.
Indians generally Muslims did not like this concept because
Muslims observe Purdah for women and that could not be
observed when boys and girls both study together.
Another reason was the conversion of Indian group into
Christianity. There were rumors that Muslim, Hindus and
Sikhs soldiers were being converted to Christianity as they
were been derived that by doing so they would be send
abroad. Therefore, this was unacceptable for the Indians to
convert from these religions and caused a great deal of
resentment leading to the outbreak.
 Was the issue of Grease Cartridges the most
important reason for the outbreak of the war of
independence 1857? Give reasons for your
answer.
 “The war of Independence of 1857 was caused by
the greased cartridge incident”. Give reasons why
you might agree or disagree with this statement.
In January 1857 the British announced that they were
introducing a new rifle with a paper cartridge covered in
grease to keep the powder dry. Before the cartridge could
be loaded, the end had to be bitten off. However, it was
rumored that the grease on the cartridge was made from
the fat of both cows and pig. As cow was scared for Hindus
so sepoys refused to use the cartridge whereas for
Muslims, pigs were haram (forbidden) hence Muslim
sepoys also rejected the use of cartridge. In Meerut,
sepoys court-martialed and put in the prison. Hence the
greased incident was an important cause in the outbreak of
the revolt in 1857.
Besides this, there were other reasons of the 1857
uprising……
As the British extended their control, the local leaders saw
their authority decline. Lord Dalhousie’s use of the
“Doctrine of Lapse” was particularly unpopular as it said
that if the area has no heir then the areas will be under the
British. The seizure of Outh in 1856 convinced the leaders
that British were greedy land grabbers. Hence people of
subcontinent wanted end of British control therefore they
started war of independence in 1857.
Thirdly, there was also resentment (anger) at the lack of
opportunities for native Indians in the civil service. Added to
this, English had replaced Persian as the official language
of the administration and as the language in which
education would be given. Hence, by not providing job
rights and changing the native language was another cause
of the Indian Mutiny.
13
From religious point of view, many Indians feared that
Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism were under threat from the
British rule from the British rule. British treated the Indians
as inferior race. Christian missionaries came to the
subcontinent to convert the local population to Christianity.
Socially British were trying to have an impact on the native
Indians. They set up missionary schools. In these schools
Christianity was taught and expected locals to give up their
religion and follow the Christian teachings. As British
political control grew so did the spread of the British culture.
British considered their duty to spread their “superior’
culture, Hence Indians were feeling socially betrayed hence
started the uprising in 1857.
British merchants made considerable profits from the
trading goods such as textiles. The British also imposed
high taxation to ensure that they exploited India’s wealth to
the fullest. Peasant and small land owners found
themselves in difficult situation to pay the increasing taxes.
Not only this but the British were also keeping the salary of
the sepoys (infantry) low, Hence the resentment of British
rule was obvious.
There were also regular rumors that Muslims, Hindus and
Sikh soldiers would be forced to convert to Christianity and
they might be send to fight abroad which was unacceptable
to the Hindus. The use of Indian troops in Afghanistan had
also proved unpopular as Hindu soldiers did not want to
leave ‘Mother India’. Had the British not treated Indian
badly there would not be any revolt in 1857.
In my opinion greased cartage was the main reason for the
war of independence 1857 because it helped Indians to be
united and fight against the British rule. As a result of this
revolt Indian soldiers marched to different areas like Delhi,
Meerut, Jhansi, Allahabad, Aligarh, Lucknow etc. and
captured few major areas.
 ‘Economic reasons were more important than the
social reasons for the outbreak of the WOI’
Explain why you might both agree disagree with
the statement.
There were numerous economic reasons for the outbreak
of WOI…..
British officers used to tax Indians very heavily. The
economic condition of Indians was already poor and was
worsened by such taxation. The tenant especially could not
afford to pay the taxes and this caused resentment among
them and caused unrest later.
Many British officers were corrupt. The tax collectors often
cheated and kept most of the tax money to themselves.
This offended the Indian as they felt exploited and
subjugated because the British were taking advantage of
them even though they were poor.
British promoted their own trade in the subcontinent. British
policies favored the British goods. British goods were sold
in large quantities whereas Indian goods were deemed to
be substandard. Thus, local income went into loss and this
affected the Indian economy. Economic situation of Indians
worsened and bitterness for the British in the hearts of
Indians increased.
MANY SOCIAL REASONS ALSO CONTRIBUTED IN THE
OUTBREAK OF WOI……
…………… 1) Sattee, 2) coeducation, 3) British
discrimination towards Indians 4) Forceful conversions 5)
Replaced Persian with English…………… from above
responses.
 ‘Political reasons were more important than the
military reasons for the outbreak of the WOI’ Do
you agree or disagree? Give reasons.
Political reasons were very important for the outbreak of
WOI…..
The British introduced Doctrine of Lapse according to which
they could confiscate the territory of any local ruler who did
not have a real heir. This did not please the Indian
landlords as they were being deprived of their lands and
therefore they rebelled.
14
By 1857 the Mughal Emperor had little power left but was
still an important symbolic figure. The British moved the
Royal family from the Red Fort of Delhi to a more obscure
Qutab Sahib. The Indians saw this act as disrespect for
their leader and hence such a mistreatment resulted in
unrest.
Furthermore, at a lower level in society there was also
resentment at the lack of opportunities for native Indians in
the Civil Service. This resulted in more hatred for the British
as their rights were not considered. Hence, this finally
resulted in rebellion against the British.
In addition, in 1834 English replaced Persian as the official
language of administration. This created resentment
because it was not only seen as cultural intervention but
also increased unemployment for Indians as most of them
did not know English.
MANY MILITARY REASONS ALSO CONTRIBUTED IN
THE OUTBREAK OF WOI……
…………… 1) Grease Cartridge incident, 2) Sepoys Indian
and Officer class British, 3) British sent Indian troops to
Afghanistan 4) Forceful conversions …………… from
above responses.
The events
 Describe the events of the War of Independence.
The Muslim and Hindu sepoys refused to use new rifle
cartridge made up of cow and pig fat. The cow was scared
for Hindus and pig forbidden in Islam. It hurt the religious
feelings of sepoys and they refused to use new cartridges.
Sepoys named MangalPandey defied his British officers
and were executed. This annoyed the other fellow sepoys
and they rebelled against British.
The Mughal emperor became unifying symbol for the
uprising, winning the support of both Muslims and Hindus.
In Cawnpore, Indian troops led by Nana Sahib rose up
against the British and kept their forces trapped for over
three weeks.
Sepoys led by Lakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi assisted by
Tatya Topee an Indian general of great ability also resisted
against British get freedom.
Why did the war fail?
 ‘A lack of unity and coordination was the main
reasons for the failure of the war of independence
by 1858’ do you agree? Give reasons for your
answer.
Although resentment of the British was a single cause to
fight for the Indians but a lack of unity and coordination did
not help them to achieve the aim of independence. There
was no general plan and no attempt to work together. In
different places different groups fought for different
reasons. Perhaps the only uniting force in the war was
Islam as Muslims were keen to see Bahadur Shah to regain
his power. Muslims were in minority and they were more
prepared than any other groups to oppose the British.
However any degree of unity amongst the Muslims alarmed
the Hindus and Sikhs who were not prepared to fight to
reverse power to the Muslim Mughal Empire. Hence we
can say that lack of unity and coordination was the main
cause for the failure of the war of Independence by 1858
Besides this there was another reason for the failure of the
WOI in 1857. British was one of the most powerful nation in
the world at that time and its troops were experienced in
warfare and highly trained in modern methods of war. They
were discipline and had advanced arms. They were skilled
diplomats and they knew that most of the Indian rulers were
fighting to restore their own rights and not to establish a
united India. Hence we can say that British strength was
more than the Indians. Therefore, revolt in 1857 failed.
Furthermore some of the Indian princes were interested
only in restoring their own feudal powers. Sometimes their
powers actually depended on the support of the British.
This explains why the ruler of Kashmir sent 2000 troops to
help British win the war. His position was closely tied to the
continuation of British rule. Hence every one fighting in the
war had a difference of opinion hence we can say that
absence of the agenda was another reason for the failure
of war in 1857.
15
 Had the Indian a common goal and target they would have
Apart from above reasons there was lack of national won the war.
patriotism. India was too divided for such feeling. For
example the Punjab and Sindh had been conquered by The effects of the war
troops from Bengal and Central India under the command British Rule
of British officers. So when these troops rebelled against
The Muslims
the British, it is not surprising that Punjab was not
interested in supporting them, hence the war of The British of Nationalist Ideas
Independence was bound to fail. -------------------------------------

Lord canning adapted a peacemaking policy towards the

rebels. He allowed much concession for them. Therefore,
the war of Independence failed in its objectives as many
leaders left the battle field to join the table for negotiations
with the government.
HOWEVER, THERE WERE OTHER REASONS AS
WELL…………
……………………… write any 2 or 3 reasons of your
choice from above responses………………
In my opinion lack of unity and coordination was the main
reason for the breakdown of war of independence in 1857.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-
1898)
 Why was Sir Syed Ahmed Kahn accused of being
pro-British?
Unit 4
HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE WORK OF SIR
SYED AHMAD KHAN TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE PAKISTAN MOVEMENT IN THE 19TH
CENTURY?
What was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s contribution to
education, politics and religion?
How important was his ‘Two-Nation Theory’?
What was the Hindu-Urdu Controversy?
How successful was the Aligarh Movement?
with the British as they consider the British as invaders
moreover the Muslims thought that by taking up
western education they would deviate from the true
teaching of their religion. Therefore, due to contrast of
views SSAK was considered as a traitor and thus
accused to be a pro-British.

During war of Independence SSAK saved the lives of Contribution (Educational, Religious & Political)
many English women and children. This made the
Muslims angry because they were fighting against the NOTE: The following table is for students to practice
British. Therefore, they accused SAK as pro-British as writing 7 mark questions.
they thought that he was supporting their enemy.
SS believed that arm uprising against the British would The British Muslim Relationship
be pointless. SSAK believed that the British were far Brief
Identification Analysis
more powerful than the Indians, they were the super Description
power and far more military advanced. Therefore, the The Loyal In this pamphlet Therefore, they
Indians thought that the SSAK was supporting the Mohammaden of he gave detail urged upon the
British and so they accused him as pro-British. India account of the British to end their
loyal services hostility.
SSAK encouraged the Muslims to adapt the western which Muslims
education. The Muslims did not want to co-operate had given and

16
 various Muslims members of
who had shown both the
of cooperation
particular community
and
loyalty to the could interact
Association understanding
British. with each other
between the two
and could
Therefore, his communities
discuss various
pamphlet helped
He pointed the issues
to convince the
main reasons
British that they Thus, he urged
for the war of In this pamphlet
were wrong in upon the Muslims
independence he pointed that
putting the full of India to the
Essay on the e.g. less He wrote “Food Muslims and
blame of uprising British then the
causes of Indian representation laws of people of Christians were
on Muslims so Hindus with whom
Revolt of Indians in the Book” allowed by their
their sympathy they were
government, religion to dine
grew and reluctant to eat
forcible together
decrease their together.
religious
hostilities towards
conversion etc. Educational Services
Muslims
community. The journal
The British included articles
Thus, SS cleared from influential Thus, this journal
thought that the
the Muslims who played a major
Sir Syed Cleared word was an He wrote a
misunderstanding agreed with part in bringing an
the insult but SS Journal Tehzeeb
of this term as it SSAK that there intellectual
misunderstanding pointed that the Ul Ikhlaq
was a reflection of was a need for revolution among
over the word word came from
positive image a new approach the Muslim.
“Nadarath” positive image
Muslims had for regarding
“Nasir” meaning
British. education
helper.
The British had Its main
very less purpose was to
knowledge Therefore, he make scientific
writings Hence, majority of
about Islam and tried to convince
Sir Syed wrote a available by Muslims started to
moreover he British that their
book title Tabyin He founded translating into take interest in
wanted to knowledge about
ul Kalam on the scientific society Urdu, Arabic or scientific
Correct the Islam was limited
life of Holy at Ghazipur in Persian from Education.
errors of the and they needed
Prophet PBUH. 1863 English. So that
book which he to remove Thus knowledge
had read about misunderstanding. Muslims for science
the life of Holy understand and improved
Prophet. acquire
scientific
In his book knowledge.
In his book he Therefore, his
Tabyin ul Kalam
wrote efforts proved He opened a In these Therefore, these
he wrote a
similarities worthwhile for school to provide schools efforts of SS
commentary on
between Islam improving British education to education was showed his
Bible and Holy
and Christianity Muslim relations Muslims (school imparted upon commitment
Quran
in Muradabad & religious and towards
He established It was a This helped to Ghazipur) scientific line. expanding
British Indian platform where improve the level The main educational

17
 purpose for gathered to form
imparting the first political
education in party of the
opportunities for
these schools Muslims by the
Muslims.
was to uplift name of Muslims
Muslim league.
community.
Political Services
Therefore, this
school/institution Although this Therefore, this
proved beneficial organization alarmed SSAK
for Muslims as it claimed to be and he asked
provided quality Formation of the Muslims not to
education to the Indian national representative join it and like this
Muslims of India congress in 1885 of all Indian but he tried to prate
which would later in reality it was Muslims from
This school working for Hindus
help them in
provided Hindus interest exploitation.
acquiring better
Western and
Mohammaden jobs. Secondly Therefore, SSAK
Islamic
Anglo-Oriental this became a opposed this and
Education on This sounded
School in 1875 symbol of unity for suggested to
the pattern of fair but since
Muslims in Congress British that
English School there were four
absence of demanded Muslims should
system. times as many
Muslim League. political system in be given separate
Thirdly many Hindus as
India based on electorate in the
future leaders of Muslims they
British lines council so that
Pakistan such as would win every
they could have
Liaquat Ali Khan election.
enough political
and Ayyub Khan representation.
were from this
institution. Therefore, SSAK
opposed this idea
He set up Its aim was to Therefore, this Since Muslims
and insisted upon
Mohammaden publicize the helped to improve were not
the British that
Educational new educational receiving a
Congresses Muslim should be
Conference educational standards of similar status of
demanded given separate
methods which Muslims. education to
competitive seats in the
were to be used Secondly this that given to the
examinations for government for
as MAO conference also Hindus. This
government jobs jobs so that they
played a major would greatly
would not be
role in disadvantage
politically and
establishment of for them.
economically
Muslim political handicapped.
platform before
the establishment Hindi Urdu In 1867 the Therefore, this
of Muslim League. controversy Hindus wanted attempt made
It was after 20th to replace Urdu SSAK realized
session of this which was the that Hindus
organization that cultural wanted to
in December 1906 language of dominate Muslims
at Dhaka that its Muslims with and so he
major leaders Hindi opposed this.

18
 Secondly this SSAK advocated separate seats for the Muslims in the
controversy proposed local council because the Hindu Muslim ration
forced him to give (4:1) meant that Hindus would win every election. Thus, he
the “Two Nations was the first Muslim to speak of the ‘Two Nation Theory’
Theory” which
which later inspired many other Muslims such as Chaudhry
later became the
base of Pakistan Rehmat Ali and Iqbal formed the basis of Pakistan
Movement. movement.
Therefore, it
This was As SSAK strongly believed that congress was established
SSAK helped in
established to to protect the interests of Hindu only, he organized the
established protecting
counter ‘United Patriotic Alliance’ to counter the congress which
“Mohammaden Muslims’ interest
congress
Defense as there was no later gave way to the ‘Mohammedan Defense Association.
propaganda
Association” Muslim political It was formed to protect Muslim interest. This was a very
against Muslims
party at that time. important contribution because it formed the basis of All
India Muslim League.
 Was an essay on “the causes of Indian Revolt” the
Besides this, the Congress also suggested that
most important contribution of SSAK to improve
employment in government service should be according to
“British Muslims relation”? [14]
competitive examination. SSAK rejected this idea as the
Muslims were not receiving education of a similar standard
 Which of the following was the most important
as the Hindus did. Hence, SSAK realized that the Hindus
contribution of SSAK for the Muslim of India:
would certainly dominate Muslims in the government jobs
as they were receiving modern education. So to prevent
o His efforts to improve British India
Muslims from such domination, he rejected the idea of
relation
Competitive Examination and stated that Muslims should
o His educational services
be allotted fixed quota in government jobs.
o His political services
Explain your answer with reference to all three above. However, SSAK’s educational developments were also
very important ….

SSAK’s political services were the most important for the SSAK encouraged the Muslims to adopt Western
Muslims of India….. Education to improve their financial status. He went to

England to study the educational system practiced at
Cambridge and on his return, he laid the foundation of the
Aligarh College. It was a symbol of Muslim unity and many
future Muslim leaders like Liaquat Ali Khan were educated
there. This college contributed most to the creation of
Pakistan.
SSAK also realized the desperate need to have more
schools for as many Muslims throughout the subcontinent
and so in 1866 ‘Mohammedan Educational Conference
‘was organized to popularize the new educational methods
at Aligarh. The Conference became a permanent body and
served the very useful purpose of debating and considering
all new educational ideas.
He also set up an Urdu Journal called ‘Tahdhib-ul-Ikhlaq’.
Along with other influential Muslims, SSAK tried to show
how the Muslims needed to master modern science to
bring the full majesty of God to light. He pointed out the
contribution that the early Muslims themselves have made
in the field of sciences and that the Quran emphasized the
need to study and acquire knowledge. This step brought
about intellectual revolution among Muslims.

19
Another of SSAK’s educational efforts was the
establishment of a Scientific Society at Ghazipur. The
purpose of this college was to make scientific writings
(including English, Persian and Arabic) available to the
Muslims by translating them into Urdu. This translation
proved very beneficial to the Muslims as most of the
Muslims could easily understand the Urdu language and
therefore, increased their knowledge.
Moreover, SSAK’s efforts to improve British Muslim
relations were also important……
SSAK wrote a pamphlet called an Essay on the causes of
the Indian revolt. In this pamphlet he pointed out the main
reason of the war of Independence e.g. poor management
of the Indian army, the forcible conversion of Muslims to
Christianity etc. His pamphlet helped to convince the British
that they were wrong to put the full blame of uprising on
Muslims. Therefore, some British read it with sympathy and
decreased their hostility towards them.
In 1860 SSAK wrote the ‘Loyal Mohammaden’ of India in
which he defended the Muslims from the British charge that
the Muslims had been guilty to disloyalty. Also, he named
various Muslims who were loyal to the British government
and urged the British to end their hostility towards the
Muslims.
SSAK wanted to make the Muslims realize that they were
much closer to the British religiously than the Hindus. For
this purpose he wrote ‘Tabyin ul Kalam a sympathetic
commentary on the Bible, in which he tried to show the
similarities between Islam and Christianity and to eliminate
the deep seated hostility that Muslims felt towards the
British.
Another of SSAK’s contribution was the pamphlet ‘Ahkaam-
e-Taame Ahle kitab (food laws of the people of the book).
By this, he showed that the Muslims and the British could
dine together and this was not against the Islamic laws. By
doing this, he tried to decrease the hostility which both the
Muslims and the British felt towards each other.
The British were given the title of ‘Nadarath’ by the
Muslims. The British thought that this was an insult as they
were not aware of the correct meaning of this word. SSAK
tried to remove the false view from the minds of the British
and told them that this word was in fact not an insult but a
compliment meaning ‘helper’. Thus, he tried to improve the
image of Muslims in the sight of the British.
 Q: Why did SS assist upon the Muslims of Indians
to acquire Western Education? [7]
SS wanted Muslims to acquire Western Education
which would help them to gain jobs in government
sectors so that their social and economic condition
would improve. Therefore, to improve the socio
economic status of Muslims SS wanted them to
acquire western education.
Hindus had eagerly begun acquiring western
education. Their position was becoming better than
that of the Muslims. Therefore, SS convinced the
Muslims to acquire Western Education so that Muslims
could come at par of Hindus.
SS believed that emphasis on knowledge and the
explanation of Universe which can be easily accessible
because Western Knowledge was in line with the
Teaching of Quran. Thus, SSAK encouraged Muslims
to acquire Western Knowledge so that, they can
understand their religion.
 Why SSAK wanted to improve British Muslim
relations? [7]
The British considered Muslims the sole starters for the
war of Independence. The British had started policy of
repression against them. SS wanted to end this
tyranny. Therefore, to restore back the position of
Muslim Community Sir Syed tried to improve British
Muslim relation.
Muslims considered British as foreign invaders. The
Muslim community was reluctant to acquire Western
Education, whereas SSAK believed that Western
Education was important for the Muslims to live a
prosperous life. Therefore, he tried to bridge the gap
20
 between the two communities so that the Muslims
would accept British ideas.
SSAK was afraid that Hindus would dominate the
Muslims. The Hindus had begun cooperation with the
British and they were developing economically, socially
and politically. Thus SSAK tried to improve British-
Muslim relations so that the Muslims should come at
par with the Hindus.
Two nation theory
 What was the Two Nation Theory?
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan gave Two Nation Theory. He
realized that Hindus are dominating Muslims and not
acknowledging them as a community. SSAK emphasized
that Muslims and Hindus are two separate communities
with different religions, cultures and languages. He is
considered the father of two nation theory.
 Why did SSAK give his “Two Nation Theory”?
One of the reasons was Hindi/Urdu controversy. Urdu had
been the official language of India for many years.
However, Hindus wanted to change it into their language
Hindi. This view was not shared by Muslims. Therefore, this
provoked SSAK to give two Nation Theory as he realized
that Hindus and Muslims were two different nations
because they had opposite demands.
Another reason was that Hindu wanted parliamentary
system. SSAK however, rejected this by saying that Hindus
were in majority they would dominate upon the Hindus as
they were only one fourth of total population. Therefore, SS
advocated his “Two Nation Theory” as he realized that both
these nations could not live in harmony.
The Congress spoke of open competitive examination for
government jobs. SS rejected this as Muslims were not
educated to pass these exams and so most of the posts
would be taken over by the Hindus. Therefore, as he
realized that Hindus wanted to suppress Muslims
economically.
Aligarh Movement
 Why SAK did establish Aligarh Movement?
One of the reasons was that SAK wanted to improve the
British Muslim relation. The British were blaming the
Muslims for the WOI and they were being ill-treated by the
British. Therefore, SSAK wanted to end this tyranny by
removing British doubt about Muslim loyalty and Muslim
doubt about British intention.
SSAK wanted the Muslims to receive Western Education.
SSAK believed that through Western Education Muslims
would be able to get Jobs in the government sector.
Therefore, in this way he thought that the Muslims would be
able to improve their social and economic relation.
SSAK did not want Hindu domination to create political
awareness among the Muslim and to make them realized
that they had to stand up for their rights therefore, SSAK
started of with Aligarh Movement.
Urdu- Hindi Controversy
 What was the Urdu- Hindi Controversy?
Urdu was the main language of the Muslim-dominated
provinces in the north-west of the subcontinent. In 1867 the
Hindus demanded that Hindi should be mad the next official
language in place of Urdu. Muslims saw this attack on their
rights and strongly resisted Hindu demand. Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan set up a society to support Urdu and relations
between the Hindus and Muslims suffered during this
“Urdu-Hindi Controversy”.
------------------------------------------------
Unit 5
TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE URDU AND
REGIONAL LANGUAGES CONTRIBUTED TO
THE CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF
PAKISTAN?
Why did Urdu become the national language?
How successful has the promotion of regional
languages been since 1947?
21
 Languages
 What is the importance of a language in the
development of a country?
Language is extremely important in the development of any
state or national culture. The acceptance of one single
language as the ‘national language’ helps bring about
uniformity and a cultural identity by binding ‘people’
together. A common language increases understanding
and helps build a shared understanding of what a nation
believes in.
Urdu
 Why did Pakistan choose Urdu as its national
language? [7]
See the response on page No. 47 on your book.
 How successful has Pakistan been in promoting
Urdu? [14]
Successes
Urdu is the medium of national media since media is well
known to everyone and the people watch television with
interest for information and entertainment. Therefore, the
language gets promoted as more people are exposed to
the language. L3/7
Urdu was made medium of instruction in many schools.
This develops interest in students towards their national
language as all subjects are taught in Urdu and they
frequently use it in their reading, writing and
communication. L3/8
Urdu is being taught up to M.A and M.Phil. and PhD level in
various institutions for example Urdu University in
Islamabad. Thus, scholars research in the language and
explore difficult aspects of its poetry and prose which helps
to modernize Urdu. L3/9
Urdu is also a compulsory subject to pass grades from one
to twelve in educational institutions. Therefore, the
language is promoted as students get familiar with its
literature and grammar.
Urdu is also the judicial language of courts (along with
English). This helps its promotion as it is frequently used in
judicial proceedings e.g. judges use it in their judgment and
lawyer use in their arguments.
Urdu Mushairas are frequently held in Pakistan in which
they recite poetry in front of Public who appreciate their
poetry which encourages them to write in Urdu. Therefore,
they are motivational even further when given reward for
their work.
Urdu is the national language of Pakistan which is being
frequently used in all four provinces thus it is not only a
unifying force but is also being promoted by people due to
their regular use.
Failure
When Urdu was made the official language after
independence, East Pakistan strongly opposed it as
Bengali was their language and was spoken by 54% of the
population whereas Urdu was spoken by a minority group.
Therefore, this offended them to the extent that it eventually
led to the creation of Bangladesh. So Urdu instead of
unifying Pakistan rather disintegrated it.
The local language e.g. Punjabi is used by 62% of total
population (after 1947) so when Urdu was made the mother
language which was the language of 8%people this led to
resentment among Punjabis as they were not comfortable
in speaking Urdu due Punjabi dialect. Therefore, this gave
rise to the feeling of uneasiness among Punjabis.
In Urban areas, the people prefer English over Urdu and
send their children in English medium school for better
future as they are well-aware of the higher examinations
taken in English. Therefore, Urdu has been side-lined. On
the other hand in remote areas people mostly use local
language instead Urdu. Thus, this hinders Urdu
development as many of them even don’t know it.
22
  Why regional language has been promoted by
Pakistan since 1947?
It was full of literature and work undertaken by the authors
in area as Sindh should be kept alive and the government
set up institutions to promote it e.g. Singh Literacy Board.
Many languages have played an important role in the
history of the region e.g. Pashto literature has an important
role in creating opposition to British rule and the Movement
for Independence. Thus, it was promoted to preserve
history in future generation.
Balochi has little development before 1947 and its literature
was in decline however, the government felt that it should
be kept alive and not lost forever. Therefore, language was
promoted to bring it at par with other regional language.
Sindhi
A number of steps were taken to promote Sindhi language:
 In 1948 the Sindhi Literary Board was set up and
this has printed many books and magazines in
Sindhi. Amongst important Sindhi authors are Pir
Ali Muhammad Rashid, Faqir Nabi Bux and G.
Allana.
 Several important books have been written on
Sindhi folk literature.
 In 1954 Bazm-e-Talib-ul-Muala was set up to
promote Sindhi literature.
 A Sarmast academy had been established in the
memory of Sachal Sarmast.
 A Sindhiology department has been established at
Sindh University Jamshoro.
Balochi
 What steps have been taken to promote Balochi
language?
A number of steps were taken to promote Balochi
language:
 Radio Pakistan Karachi began broadcasts in
Balochi.
 The Balochi Literary Association was set up and
there are now weekly and monthly magazines
published in the language.
 The Quetta Television Station broadcasts in
Balochi.
 Modern Balochi literature has shown rapid
progress. There are many poets most notable are
Atta Shad and Ishaq Shamin. Other writers, such
as Gul Khan Nazir and Azad Jamal Din are also
working to promote the Balochi language.
Balochi has also been developed in Pakistan. Broadcasts
in Balochi on Radio Pakistan. Karachi and Quetta television
station helped to make the language important as source of
entertaining people and creating more understanding about
it.
The Balochi literary association was setup and there are
now weekly and monthly magazines published in Balochi
language under it. Nan Kissan and Ollasis being two of
them. Thus, this association promoted Balochi by
encouraging different writer and helping in gaining more
readers who were interested in the language. Many notable
poets and writers such as Atta Shad, Isaac Shamim and
others are also making waves in Balochi poetry and prose
making it widely available to the interested people.
Pashto
Pashto has also promoted in Pakistan. The establishments
of Peshawar University and post graduate Pashto literature
classes promote the language and literature and make the
language widely known to the students.
The academy for promotion of Pashto literature was setup
in 1954 and this prepared a widely accepted Pashto
dictionary, which crated more understanding of this
language. Thus, it helped in promoting its development
through improving Pashto vocabulary among the people.
Punjabi
 “Punjabi is the most developed regional language
of Pakistan” Explain why you might both agree
and disagree with the statement?
23

After Pakistan’s creation, Punjabi has been developed
much as regional language….
Books on academic subjects like law, medicine, science,
history and philosophy have been published in Punjabi
language, using it as a means of imparting education and
so contributing to its development.
The Punjab University also took Punjabi up to the masters’
level showing that it is an important language as any other
and is not just a medium of communication but also a
proper literary subject.
Radio and television has also promoted Punjabi where
news, stage shows and drama serials using it as a source
of entertainment and information, it has led to a wide
understanding of Punjabi among the masses.
Punjabi theatre and films are also widely appreciated by
people because of their comedy, action and the music,
‘bhangra’ being solely in Punjabi. Therefore, this language
has been promoted much by the entertainment industry.
Quran’s translation in Punjabi made it available for
everyone who understood the language. So it has also
been promoted on religious lines using it as a way of giving
people religious education and bringing them closer to
Islam through understanding of Punjabi.
The Punjabi poetry recitation sessions are also held where
people recite poetry in such a manner that is very
entertaining and it promotes Punjabi poetry increasing the
interests of people in this language side by side
encouraging the poets to work more in Punjabi.
However, Punjabi is not the only regional language
developed in Pakistan where Sindhi, Balochi and Pashto
have also been promoted…….
The setting up of the Sindhi literary board was a step
towards Sindhi’s development as it published different
books and magazines in Sindhi. Many pronounced literary
figures like Fakir Nabi Bakhsh and G. Allama became
known because of their services to Sindhi literature thus
promoting it. The setting up of the Bazm-e-Talib-ul-Maula
also promoted Sindhi literature among the masses, which
became keen to learn this message.
The Sarmast Academy, which was established as a tribute
to the great Sindhi poet Sachal Sarmast, also promoted the
language by encouraging potential authors and capable
poets in the language increasing the urge of the people to
know more about Sindhi.
The Sindhiology dept. at the Sindh University Jamshoro
also promotes Sindhi language and literature providing it as
a proper medium of education as well as a language in
which people can express their feelings and thoughts.
Sindhi is also the court language of Sindh and is promoted
as a means of communication in workplaces and schools
thus helping to make it known widely to all Sindhi masses
who take great pride in their language. Sindhi is also a
compulsory language subject in schools along with Urdu
thus promoting its importance among the students and
fostering their interests in Sindh.
I believe that Punjabi is, no doubt, the most developed
language of Pakistan especially because of its rich
literature, entertaining music and film industry and because
it is the language of a large population of Pakistan in a very
developed province helped its publicity. Its closeness to
Urdu is also the fact, which made people find it interesting
as well as easy to understand.
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