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Why did Shah Wali Ullah wish to revive Islam in the sub-

continent? [7]
[Purifying Islam] During Shah Wali Ullah’s time, Islam had lost its purity in the subcontinent. Hindu
customs, cultures, practices and beliefs had crept into the worships and everyday lives of the Muslims. It
had become very important to tell the Muslims what was Islamic and what were simply myths and
traditions and not to indulge in those. [Protecting Muslim Identity] Shah Wali Ullah wanted to protect
Muslim religion, identity, values and interests. He believed that under the influence of infidels, Muslims
will forget Islam and with the passage of time it would become difficult to distinguish them from non-
Muslims. He therefore wished to revive the teachings of Quran and Sunnah in the subcontinent.

[Cause of Downfall] He believed that the real cause of Muslims’ decline and the vulnerable position was
due to their ignorance from the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. He wanted the Muslims to implement
Islamic teachings in all spheres of their lives – social, political, economic and religious. This would enable
them to restore their pride and improve their living conditions.

Reforming the Society] A number of social evils had corrupted the Islamic society. He wanted to
transform the society in the light of Islamic teachings. He wanted the rulers to enforce Islamic laws e.g.
Islam condemns social injustice and protects the rights of peasants and workers. He urged the rich
Muslims to lead pure life and stay away from luxury and extravagance. He also urged the traders to follow
Islamic laws in their dealings. He wanted to eradicate the sectarian differences that were undermining the
foundations of Muslim unity.

Q: Why did Shah Waliullah have such major influence in


the revival of Islamin the Sub-Continent? [7].
ANS:
Shah Waliullah worked hard to ensure that he was a role model for other
Muslims. His deep understanding about the Quran, Hadith, Fiqah and Tasawuf
made him a highly knowledgeable scholar at an early age. Since he believed that an
emphasis on Quranic teachings was vital to Muslims so Shah Waliullah translated
the Holy Quran into Persian and he wrote 51 books to explain the principles of Islam.
This encouraged the muslims in the subcontinent to understand the quranic teachings thoroughly as it
was now available in Persian language and could be understood. He also wrote an
account about the first for Caliphs of Islam in a way in which it was acceptable to
both Shias and Sunnis. He was successful in making a bridge between both shias and the sunnis and this
helped to heal the division between them. His writings brought him great fame and prestige and enabled
him to have influence in other areas too.
Shah Waliullah wrote letters to the rulers of Muslim states asking them to unite and
rise against non-Muslim forces. He invited the Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Abdali to
deal with Marathas who were threatening Muslims in Delhi and Punjab and to attack india as it was the
only way. His invitation was successful and he was able to convince Ahmad
Shah Abdali who then defeated the Marathas in the battle of Panipat in 1761 so they were
never able to rise again.
Shah Waliullah explained the importance of JEHAD to the Muslims. He gave the
concept of social justice and advised the Muslims that due importance and value
should be given to peasants and craftsmen.

What influence did Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi have in


the revival of Islam
Syed Ahmed had a great influence in the revival of Islam. He was the First person to fight against
the foreign power and rule and the first example in Indian history to free Muslims from the
tyranny of foreign rule. He was the one who himself travelled across India to enlist men for the
mujahideen force and travelled many miles to raise his army. This dedication and determination of his
was a lesson for many.

He founded the jihad movement with which he restored and revived muslim power in India. This
movement of Syed Ahmed is a uniting force for Muslims This movement was not aimed to place
a particular person on a throne but to achieve religious and spiritual freedom. The fact that Syed
Ahmed and his followers were prepared to die for their cause was an inspiration to many
Muslims in defending their religion and culture and taught them the lessons of bravery.

This movement is also regarded as a very important move towards achieving an independent
and separate state for Muslims even though this was very ahead of that time. Those Muslims
who in the future worked for a separate independent state saw Syed Ahmed as an example
because even he wanted a separate independent state for the Muslims.

Why did Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi conduct a Jihad


against Sikhs in the early nineteenth century? [7] (Past
Paper, November 2000: Q1/b)
Freedom is the right of every human being particularly from cruel and oppressive rulers. Muslims peasants
were leading oppressed lives under the exploitation of Hindu landlords and tax collectors. They were
humiliated and ill-treated. Their properties, lives and dignity were not safe from the hands of Hindus and
Sikhs. Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi (SASB) wanted to restore their pride, respect and living conditions.
That is why he started Jihad to win freedom for the Muslims so that they could lead lives according to their
own wishes.

In the Sikh regime under Ranjit Singh in Punjab, Muslims had restrictions in practicing their faith - even the
call to prayers was banned in some places. This was not tolerable! Muslim culture, values and religion were
in danger. Syed Ahmed believed that an independent state was necessary for having religious liberty.
Therefore, he started armed struggle (Jihad) to get rid of the Sikh rulers.

SASB wanted to restore the supremacy of Islamic ideology and to establish a system that was to be based
of Islamic principles. He, therefore, revived the desire of Jihad in the Muslims of India, made an army of
volunteers and gave them military training. Jihad is obligatory part of Muslim faith. A martyr has been
promised very prestigious position in the Hereafter.

Why did Haji Shariatullah start the Faraizi movement?

He wanted people to give up un-Islamic practices and to stick to duties towards religion. He wanted to make
people free from hindu practices that crept into their lives. He wanted to rise for the muslim peasants who were
being oppsed by the british and hindu landlords. This is why he launched the faraizi movement.
Why did Haji Shariat Ullah have such a major influence on the revival of Islam in the Eastern part of
subcontinent?
Firstly, it was influential as the Muslim’s returned to their religious teaching and performed their
religious obligations. It removed un-Islamic and Hindu practices from the lives of Muslim’s in the sub-
continent. This particularly became popular in Bengal and Muslims were revived back to their
religious teachings. His movement also united the Muslims of Bengal.
Secondly work of Haji Shariat Ullah was important as his Faraizi Movement gave encouragement to
Muslims at a time when they demoralized by oppression suffered from Hindus and British. It also
brought about a spiritual revival which led to a revival in Islamic religion in East Bengal.

Thirdly page 10 history book last point

Briefly explain three reasons for the war of Independence of 1857.


[7-J-00]
The war of Independence 1857 was the result of many different causes.
These causes may be divided into three major categories:

Political reasons played an important role. The Muslims had ruled India over
a period of seven hundred years and mentally they did not accept the British
rule. In the same way the British were always fearful of Muslims and the two
nations never came close to each other. However the Hindus accepted this
rule to some extent. In 1857, Bahadur Shah and his family were expelled
from Lal Qila Delhi and were shifted to Qutub Sahib. Muslims took this
decision as an insult to their king. In 1835, English became the official
language in place of Persian and in the same year English education system
was introduced. An English administrator used insulting remarks on Eastern
knowledge. In 1852, under the Doctrine of Lapse, the states of Jhansi,
Satara, Nagpur and Oudh went into the control of the British. All these
events aggravated feelings against the British.

Religious reasons also caused the war. The preaching of Christianity caused
unrest among Indians and many Indians thought that the British government
was supporting missionaries and wanted to convert Indians to
Christianity. In 1838, Indian troops were sent to Afghanistan. Both Muslims
and Hindus did not like this decision because Muslims did not want to fight
against their Muslim brothers and for Hindus it was against their religion to
leave India. Greased cartridge event was also a religious factor. Both the
Muslims and the Hindus refused to accept new cartridges; for Muslims, pig
was unlawful and for Hindus, cow was sacred.

Social and economic causes also created anger among Indians. In services,
officer ranks were reserved only for the British. The development of railway,
roads, postal system and irrigation were taken negatively. Indians were
unhappy about the economic exploitation of India. The British had adopted
the policy of exporting cheap Indian raw material and importing expensive
ready-made goods. In one hundred and fifty years, more than one thousand
million pounds were sent to England. Income from India was more than ten
percent of the British budget. Indians never liked this policy and they called
the British plunderers. The British had an insulting behaviour against Indians.
The British had their own colonies where Indians could not enter. On their
clubs, remarks like “Indians and dogs are not allowed” insulted Indians and
feelings against the British increased day by day.

Why did the War of Independence of 1857 fail

1.Lack of Unity
Although the whole Indian nation faced resentment against the British but the aims
were different. The Muslim wanted to regain control and again set up the Mughal
Empire. Their was no general plan or a Leader. The princes did not want the Imperial
power once again. There was no sense of patriotism and India was too dived for such
a feeling.The only uniting force was Islam but the other groups opposed them which
were Hindus and Sikhs as they did not want the rule of Muslim once again on the
India. These were the reasons as British considered this as “Muslim Revolt”.

2.British Strength:
The most powerful country of that time and because of Industrial Resolution they had
High tech weapons. The British army was well trained and was much disciplined and
they were provided with large weapons and Funds by the British government. The
Perhaps the major reason for the failure of this uprising was the strength of the
British.The Britain was Indians were still fighting with each other and in the mean time
the British use it clever techniques and weapons to crush the rebellion furthermore it
had the support. of some loyal states like Kashmir who sent 2000 troops to support
the British win the war.

Why did the British Government take control of the affairs of the East India Company
in the early nineteenth century?

One important reason of this control was the corruption of the East India
Company. The officials of the Company were taking bribes from local
merchants, local people lost employment opportunities and the Company did
not spend any money for the welfare of locals. In four major famines, fifteen
million people died. Sir Robert Clive had to face a court trial on corruption.
Even the appointments of the British citizens in the company's jobs had to
give bribes. All this corruption came to the extent that even the British felt
embarrassment. It was a scene of anarchy, confusion, bribery and
corruption. The British House of Commons called the Company's
government most corrupt on the face of the earth. This was making the
British nation unpopular and cause of being called a bad nation. Therefore,
the British government took control in their hand.

The British did not want to lose income from India. Since the British control
over Indian lands was increasing day by day, it was not possible for a group
of company directors to control a huge population. Political problems needed
political solutions and for this purpose trained diplomats were needed. The
British never wanted to lose a huge wealth coming from India. In order to
save their interests, the government took control in their hand.
Another reason was a possible Russian invasion. Russia was not far away
from India. The Russians had to cross Afghanistan in order to attack India. The
Russians were equally advanced in weapons and war techniques. The British could
not leave India to that risk and to prevent Russia, a trained team of diplomats was
needed and for this purpose, they took control from the East India Company

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