Shah Waliullah:

Q.1 Write a short biography of Shah Waliullah.

Shah Waliullah was born on 21st February 1703, during the reign of Mughal
emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir. His real name was Qutub-ud-Din, but later on he
became to be known as Shah Waliullah because of his piety. Shah Waliullah
began teaching at the madrassa Rahimiya in 1718 when his father died. Shah
Waliullah’s father was Shah Abdul Rahim who had founded the madrassa
Rahimiya.

In 1724, Shah Waliullah went to Arabia to perform Haj and to further his
studies. Before returning to Delhi in 1732, he studied under the famous scholar
Sheikh Abu Tahir Muhammad Bin Ibrahim.

Q.2 How important were the religious reforms of Shah Waliullah?

Shah Waliullah’s religious reforms proved to be very important. Firstly, Shah

Waliullah translated the Quran into Persian so that people could understand the
teachings of Quran easily. Later his sons translated the Quran into Urdu as well
which led to more people understanding the teachings.

Shah Waliullah wrote fifty-one books in Persian and Arabic and his writing in
Persian made Islamic teaching available to large number of Muslims who
couldn’t understand Arabic. Madrassa Rahimiya continued to play a vital role in
teaching Islamic principles and researching Islamic thoughts. Shah Waliullah
provided inspiration for all Muslims to lead a pure life, based on many beliefs.

Shah Waliullah showed Muslims that revival could only take place if there was
an acceptance that sectarian division was to stop and tried to build bridges
between different Muslim sects. To unite the community, he organized
opposition to Marathas, who threatened to over-run the Mughal empire from
south.
He united Muslims by emphasizing the importance of Jihad against a common
enemy. He wrote to all Muslim nobles to save the Mughal empire. His influence
also helped to persuade Ahmed Shah Abdali of Persia to intervene.

Q. What do you know about Shah Waliullah’s influence after his death?

Shah Waliullah’s influence continued long after his death. Not only did his
writings survive and be translated in many languages. But the madrassa
Rahimiya continued to flourish as his sons carried forward his work and
teachings and even translated the Quran in Urdu to be understood more easily.
Many future Islamic leaders were inspired by him to fight for the good of the
Muslim community.

Q. What did Shah Waliullah say about the decline of Mughal empire and
Islam?

Shah Waliullah was one of the first Muslim thinker 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. The empire was in decline and Muslims were
disunited and vulnerable to attacks on their religion. He believed that if the
decline in the position of the Muslims was to be stopped, there had to be
spiritual and moral regeneration.

Q. What do you know about some of the beliefs of Shah Waliullah?

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.
He realized that reform could not come from the weak leadership in Delhi and
had to come from within the Muslim community itself. He also believed that all
political, social and economic behaviour should be based on Islamic principles.
Shah Waliullah wanted Muslims to concentrate on the fundamental principles of
Islam, believing that it would create a more united community. Spiritual and
moral principles of Islam were to be followed for the well-fare of the society.
Un-Islamic principles were not acceptable in any area of the society.

Q. The work of Shah Waliullah was the main factor contributing to the
spread of Islam between 1700 and 1850.’ How far do you agree with this
statement? Explain your answer.

Q. Explain why Shah Waliullah was an important figure for the Muslim
community during the eighteenth century.

The work of Shah Waliullah was the main factor contributing to the spread of
Islam in the subcontinent between 1700 and 1850 because Shah Waliullah
wanted to stop the decline of Islam and bring spiritual revival among Muslims
through the Islamic teachings. He translated the Quran into Persian so that
people could understand the teachings of Quran easily. He also promoted Islam
through his writings and education.

Shah Waliullah wrote fifty-one books in Persian and Arabic and his writing in
Persian made Islamic teaching available to large number of Muslims who
couldn’t understand Arabic. Madrassa Rahimiya continued to play a vital role in
teaching Islamic principles and researching Islamic thoughts.

He tried to build bridges between different Muslim sects. To unite the

community, he organized opposition to Marathas and united Muslims by
emphasizing the importance of Jihad against a common enemy. He wrote to all
Muslim nobles to save the Mughal empire. His influence also helped to
persuade Ahmed Shah Abdali of Persia to intervene. Other Muslim reformers
also contributed in spreading Islam. Syed Ahmad Barelvi founded the Jihad
movement and created an Mujahideen force and Haji Shariatullah established
the Faraizi movement and wanted Muslims to give up Non-Muslim practices.
Q. Did Haji Shariatullah contribute more to the spread of Islam than anyone
else in the subcontinent before 1850? Explain your answer.

Haji Shariatullah established the Faraizi Movement, which insisted that

Muslims should perform their faraiz (religious obligations). The impact on
Muslims was significant as Faraizi restored pride and alarmed the Hindu
landlords who were unhappy with Muslim practices centred on Bengal. It also
had an important political and economic impact. It gave encouragement to a
number of Muslims at a time when they were demoralized by the oppression,
they suffered from the Hindus and the British. It brought a spiritual revival
which led to a revival in the Islamic religion in East Bengal. Hindu influences
were also removed from Islamic practices.

Shah Waliullah felt that many Muslims faced problems because of their
ignorance of Islam and the Quran. He encouraged them to concentrate on
Quranic teachings and translated the Quran into Persian so that people could
understand the teachings more easily. He also wrote 51 books in Persian and
Arabic. His books aimed to spread the principles of Islam amongst Muslims and
provide inspiration to lead a pure life.

Syed Ahmad Barelvi founded the Jihad Movement, which later became an
armed struggle to liberate the Punjab and the NWFP from Sikh rule. He also
travelled hundreds of miles to raise a mujahideen force and enlist men to fight
the Sikhs His work was a uniting force for Muslims to achieve a life based on
Islam.
Therefore, everyone played a vital role in spread of Islam and held equal
importance. However, I agree that the work of Haji Shariatullah was an
important part in revival of Islam as it had the most impact. It brought spiritual,
economic, political encouragement to a number of Muslims.
Syed Ahmad Barelvi:

Q.1 Write a short biography on Syed Ahmad Barelvi.

Syed Ahmad Barelvi was born near Lucknow in the small town of Rai Bareli in
1786. In 1806, he moved to Delhi and enrolled in the madrassa Rahimiya when
his father died. He came under the influence and studied under the sons of Shah
Waliullah learning the Quran and Hadith.

However, Syed Ahmad was more a man of action and in 1810, he joined the
forces of Amir Khan, a Pathan military leader. At this time that Syed Ahmad
learned how to use European weaponry. He proved himself worthy of being
given command of a group of soldiers. Due to his piety, he was also made
responsible for leading the troops in prayer. In 1817, Syed Ahmad’s work
became important in trying to restore Islam to its original purity.

Q. What influence did Syed Ahmad Barelvi exert in the revival of Islam?

Syed Ahmad exerted a great influence in the revival of Islam. Sir Syed Ahmad
set the first example in Indian history of a movement-Jihad movement formed
to free the Muslims from the non-Muslim or foreign rulers and to achieve
religious and spiritual freedom.

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.
Syed Ahmad’s efforts were an inspiration to all Muslims in defending their
religion, their culture and their freedom.

Those Muslims who later complained for their own homeland saw Syed Ahmad
as an example of a Muslim fighting for the Muslim cause in the same way, since
he too wanted to see a state which was based on the principles of Islam.

Q. What do you know about the Jihad movement?

Syed Ahmad founded the Jihad movement which called for armed struggle to
overthrow non-Muslim oppression and restore Muslim power. Syed Ahmad
thought that Punjab was the place to launch his jihad against non-Muslim rulers.
The Jihad movement was a uniting force for the Muslims. It is regarded by
many historians as the fore-runner of the Pakistan movement in India. The Jihad
movement was the first example in Indian history of a movement formed to free
Muslims from the non-Muslim or foreign rulers.
Haji Shariatullah

Q. Write a short biography on Haji Shariatullah.

Haji Shariatullah was born in 1718, in Faridpur district in East Bengal. His
father was a farmer and his family was not very well off. In 1799, he travelled
to Arabia on pilgrimage and stayed there for the next nineteen years. He became
greatly influenced by the beliefs of Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Wahab.

On his return to East Bengal, he started his own reform movement designed to
purify Islam of the Hindu influences. Haji Shariatullah died in 1840 but his
work was carried on by his son Mohsin-ud-Din.

Q. How influential was Haji Shariatullah and the Faraizi movement?

The Haji Shariatullah and the faraizi movement was influential for a number of
reasons e.g. It gave encouragement to a number of Muslims at a time when they
were demoralized by the oppression, they suffered from the Hindus and the
British. It brought a spiritual revival which led to a revival in the Islamic
religion in East Bengal. Hindu influences were removed from Islamic practices.
It also had an important political and economic impact. 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
among them. This proved 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.