Ch#2

What happened at battle of Balakot?(4)

Q. Who was Shah Wali Ullah? [4]

Ans.

He was a Muslim reformer, born in 1703, in Delhi. He was educated at the Madrassa

Rahimiyia in Delhi, founded by his father Shah Abdul Rahim. He went to Arabia in 1724 and

returned in 1732. He was strongly influenced by the famous scholar Sheikh Abu Tahir bin

Ibrahim and made his mind to reform the Muslim society in India. He wrote 51 books, the

most famous being, ‘Hujjat Ullah al-Baligha’ and translated the Holy Quran into Persian. He

worked for promoting unity among Muslims and died in 1762.

Q. Describe the services/achievements of Shah Wali Ullah. [4]

Ans.

Shah Wali Ullah wrote several books in which he analyzed the reasons of the decline

of the Muslim community in India. His most famous book was ‘Hujjat Ullah al-Baligha’. He

also translated the Holy Quran into Persian under the title, ‘Fat’h ur Rahman’. He urged

Muslims to follow the teachings of Quran and Sunnah in order to hope for restoration of their

lost glory. He invited Ahmed Shah Abdali to save the Mughal rule. Abdali defeated the

Marathas in the 3rd battle of Panipat in 1761..

Q. Who was Syed Ahmed Shaheed? [4]

Ans.

He was born in 1786 in Rae Bareli near Lucknow. He studied in Madrassa-i-Rahimiya

and was influenced by the teachings of Shah Wali Ullah’s sons. He served in the army of

Amir Khan and thus acquired military training. He decided to wage Jihad against the Sikh rule

in Punjab. After his return from Arabia, he raised an army of Mujahidin, and founded the Jihad

Movement. After his initial successes in the 1820s, he was defeated and killed by the Sikh

army in the battle of Balakot in 1831.

Q. Describe the Jehad Movement. [4]

Ans.

It was founded by Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barelvi (SASB) to liberate the Muslims of
Punjab from the tyranny of the Sikh ruler Raja Ranjit Singh. The Raja had denied Muslims

any kind of religious liberty and humiliated them. SASB raised an army of volunteers

Mujahideen and defeated the Sikh forces in a number of battles from 1826 to 1830. Later, his

Pathan tribal supporters like Yar Muhammad Khan betrayed him and he was killed in Battle

of Balakot near Abbotabad in 1831. The movement was continued till the 1860’s..

Q. Who was Haji Shariat Ullah? (4)

Ans.

He was born in 1781 in Faridpur district in East Bengal (Bangladesh). He spent many

years in Arabia, and was influenced by teachings of Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Wahab. On

his return, he started the Faraizi Movement. He urged them to fulfill the religious

obligations/Faraiz so that they could hope to improve their religious and socio-economic

conditions. He died in 1840 and his mission was continued by his son Mohsin-ud-Din alias

Dadu Mian.

Q. What was the Faraizi Movement? [4]

Ans.

It was started by Haji Shariat Ullah in East Bengal. The Bengali Muslims lived a hard

life under the oppressive Hindu Zamindars and the British. He advised Muslims to fulfill their

religious obligations/Fraiz so that they could restore their past pride. He emphasized on

praying for past sins and leading a righteous life in the future. After his death in 1840, the

movement was continued by his son Mohsin-ud-Din/Dadu Mian.

Q. Who were Zamindars? [4]

Ans.

It is the Urdu word for rich land owners who often acted as tax collectors too. After

Aurangzeb’s death they gradually became autonomous refusing to send taxes to the central

government, and kept their own armies. Muslims were usually oppressed by the Zamindars

from 1800 onwards, especially in East Bengal. They imposed a special tax on Muslim men

who kept a beard. Haji Shariat Ullah and Titu Mir tried to organize poor Muslims against them.
Note: He is part of the question on “Indian Resistance”.

Q. Who was Titu Mir? [4]

Ans.

He was a Muslim reformer and disciple of Syed Ahmed Shaheed. His real name was

Mir Nisar Ali and he worked for the revival of Islam in West Bengal during the 1800’s. He was

worried over the miserable condition of Bengali Muslims living under the oppressive rule of

the British and the Hindu Zamindars. A tax was imposed on Muslims on keeping beard. Titu

Mir established his own rule in Narkelbaria, near Calcutta and raised his own army. British

defeated and killed him in a battle in 1831..

Q. Why did Haji Shariat Ullah (HSU) start his Faraizi Movement? (7)

Ans. He wanted Muslims to observe religious obligations/Faraiz. He believed that due to

the growing non-Muslim influence in various parts of India, Muslims had moved away

from the genuine teachings of Islam. Therefore, he wanted them to return to the

Islamic teachings. For this, he instructed the poor Bengali Muslims to fulfill their

religious duties or Faraiz as a result of which they could hope an improvement in their

miserable condition.

Bengali Muslims suffered a lot under the dual oppression of the British and the rich

and powerful Hindu land owners/Zamindars who were a beneficiary of the British

rulers. HSU believed that such a scenario demanded India to be declared Dar-ul-Harb

(literally the battle field meaning thereby a land under non-Muslim rule till it is liberated

and becomes Dar-ul-Islam). In such a land the Friday and Eid congregational prayers

could not be offered till its liberation.

In a way HSU supported the idea of Jehad against the non-Muslims (Hindus and

British) who were undermining the true principles of Islam through their oppressive

and coercive policies. Bengali Muslims were restricted to ordinary jobs like workers

on a farm, and they were given few opportunities in education and employment.

Amidst these circumstances, HSU thought it important to launch his Faraizi

Movement..
Q. Why did SASB start his Jehad Movement? (7)

Ans.

He wanted to revive Islam in India by armed struggle, Jehad. He could see the British

establishing their rule over various parts of India as a result of which Muslims were fast losing

their dominant position and importance in India. The EIC had annexed the important Muslim

majority province of Bengal and the neighbouring north-eastern Indian territories and was

advancing towards the north-western Muslim majority province. He thought that Muslims

could achieve freedom by waging Jehad/armed struggle against the non-Muslims.

Being a man of action he could act as a strong leader to work against British power

in India and to struggle to restore the Muslim rule over various Indian territories. He believed

that there was a need to eliminate the evils that were corrupting the beliefs and practices of

the Indian Muslims as a result of growing non-Muslim influence during the 19th century.

SASB could see the British policy of restricting the powers of the Mughal Emperors

and strengthening the non-Muslims in various parts of India. For example, the Punjab was a

Muslim majority province but was ruled by the non-Muslim minority of Sikhs. The ruler, Raja

Ranjit Singh was very hostile towards Muslims. They could not deliver Azan and, therefore,

found it difficult to offer prayer in congregation. The Badshahi Mosque of Lahore was denied

to Muslims and used as a stable by the Sikh forces. Muslims had to undergo may other similar

humiliations. He, therefore, founded the Jehad Movement against the Sikh ruler of Punjab

and began to defeat the Sikh forces 1826 onwards with the help of Pathan tribal chiefs.

Q. Why did Shah Wali Ullah wish to revive Islam in the sub-continent?

(7)

Ans:

Shah Wali Ullah was a great reformer. He was born in 1703, only four years before
the death of Aurangzeb. Therefore, he was a witness to, and worried over the process of the

decline of the Mughal Empire and the deteriorating condition of the Indian Muslims. He

believed that the main reason of the miserable condition of the Muslims was their ignorance

of Quran and Sunnah. Persian, the court language, was understood by the educated Muslim

elite. So, he translated the Quran into Persian language. This way a greater number of

Muslims could understand and follow the Quranic teachings.

In order to create awareness among Muslims regarding the problems faced by them

and the possible solutions to the problems, he wrote several books. The most famous book

was, “Hujjat Ullah al-Baligha” in which he analysed the problems of the Muslim community.

In “Izalat ul Khafa”(usually misspelt as Izalat ul Ikhfa), he tried to remove the differences

between the two major sects of Islam, Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. In this he wrote the

biographies of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs in a way acceptable to both the major sects.

He also advised Muslims to work honestly and with dedication if they really wanted to

come out of a state of helplessness and ignorance that they had inherited from their corrupt,

weak and luxury loving rulers. As a result of this, there were several threats to the Mughal

rule in India both from within and outside. He emphasized the importance of Jihad against a

common enemy. Therefore, he invited Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan to save it.

Accordingly, Abdali broke the backbone of the South Indian militant Hindu community, the

Marathas. He defeated them in the third and last Battle of Panipat in 1761, though he himself

did not stay back in India.

Q.Which of the following was the most important in the spread of

Islam during the seventeenth and 18th century:-

1)Shah Wali Ullah

2)Syed Shaheed Brailvi

3)Haji Shariat Ullah

OR

Q) How important was Shah Wali Ullah in the spread of Islam in the

sub-continent before 1850? Explain your answer.

OR
Q) Was the work of Shah Wali Ullah the most important factor in the

revival of Islam in the sub-continent during the 17th and 18th

century? Give reasons for your answer.

OR

Q) Was the work of Syed Ahmed Shaheed Brailvi the most important

factor in the revival of Islam in the sub-continent during the 17th and

18th centuries? Give reasons for your answer. (14)

Ans: Shah Wali Ullah was a great scholar and reformer. He belonged to a scholarly family.

He was educated at Madrasa-i-Rahimiya that was founded by his father. He was

worried about the declining Mughal rule and the deteriorating socio-economic and

political conditions of Indian Muslims. He analyzed the reasons for the poor condition

of the Muslims. Muslims had started forgetting the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah

and were divided into various sects. He spent many years in Arabia and returned with

a clear vision to revive Islam in India. He translated the Holy Quran into the court

language Persian so that many Muslims could understand and follow its teachings.

He wrote several books in Persian and Arabic. His most remarkable book is Hujjat

Ullah al Baligha. In another book Izalatul Khafa’an Khilafatul Khulafa (Removal of

Ambiguity about the Caliphate of the early Caliphs) he wrote the biographies of the

four successors of the Prophet in a way acceptable to Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. In

order to eliminate the Marathan threat to the Mughal rule he invited Ahmad Shah

Abadali from Afghanistan who defeated the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat,

1761. His mission was continued by his four scholarly sons and several followers.

Syed Ahmed Shaheed Brailvi was dismayed at the fast decline of the Mughal Empire

and the growing influence of non-Muslim forces. He believed that, under a policy,

Muslims were being kept weaker than the Hindus and Sikhs. Being inspired by the

teaching and sons of SWU, he decided to wage Jihad (armed struggle), to liberate

Indian Muslims from the non-Muslim rule. He was especially worried about the Punjabi

Muslims who led a miserable life under the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh. They were

subjected to several humiliations and were denied religious liberty. Azan was banned
and the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore was used as a stable by the Sikh forces. After

returning from Arabia, SASB raised a huge army of volunteer Mujahideen and shifted

to the NWF where he was supported by the Pathan tribes against Sikhs. Under his

Jihad movement he defeated the Sikh forces in various battles till 1830. Finally, due

to the betrayal of the Pathan chiefs, and sectarian divide in his army he was defeated

and killed by the Sikhs in the battle of Balakot in 1831. He gave courage to the Indian

Muslims by inculcating the idea of physical struggle for their survival. Jihad movement

was continued till the 1860s. It is considered to be the forerunner of the Pakistan

Movement as both were aimed at liberating the Muslim majority areas from the non

Muslim rule..

Haji Shari’at Ullah was a reformer from East Bengal. He was very much worried about

the pitiable condition of Bengali Muslims. They suffered a lot under the British rule

and the powerful Hindu Zamindars. He believed that the main reason of the poor

condition of Bengali Muslims was their negligence of religious obligations or Faraiz.

He launched his Faraizi movement that was aimed at urging the Muslims to perform

their Faraiz. He declared Bengal as Dar-ul-Harb (land under enemy rule) and also

believed in the need of Jihad. Noticed by the local authorities he had to go back to his

native town where he died in 1840. His movement was continued by his son Mohsinud

Din popularly known as Dadu Mian.

It may be concluded that the work of SWU was most important because his mission

was not restricted to selected parts of India. Also he left behind him a living legacy in

the form of his books and followers. Above all, he is the trend setter of the noble

tradition of translation of the Holy Quran..

Ch#1

Describe Jizya?

Describe Fine Ilahi?

Who was Nadir Shah?

Who was Ahmed Shah Abdali?

Who was Shivaji?

Q. Why were Marathas defeated after the Mughal decline? [7]

Ans.

Marathas emerged as strong rivals to the Mughal rule. They ruled a greater part of

India than Mughals from 1674 to 1818. Their victorious journey began in 1737 when they

defeated the Mughal army outside Delhi, and soon they were ruling several parts of northern

India up to Bengal. By the middle of 18th century they were the most powerful people in India.

However, in the absence of a sustainable administrative system, they too, like Mughals, found

it difficult to govern such a huge area effectively. The central government gradually began to

lose its control over many provinces.

Maratha families, driven by lust for short term power, started allying themselves with

the local rulers instead of remaining loyal to the Peshwa seated in Pune. This weakened their

power over state affairs, and they became victims of disunity and disloyalty. Bajirao-II, the

son of Raghunathrao was an inefficient Peshwa. He failed in uniting the Maratha Sardars,

and internal conflict among the Sardars weakened the power of the Marathas in various parts

of their kingdom. Another Peshwa Madhavrao granted semi-autonomy to the strongest of

Sardars, and created a confederacy of Maratha states. This policy also backfired, and with

time the semi-autonomous Sardars became fully autonomous.

The Afghan invader Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated Marathas in the third and last battle

of Panipat in 1761. Abdali’s army had 41,800 cavalry and 38,000 infantry along with other

troops. The Marathan army comprised 55,000 cavalry with only 15,000 infantry. Abdali, a

military genius, used his numerically superior army with great tactics, and inflicted defeat on

the Marathas. They lost several soldiers and leaders including the Peshwa. This marked an

end of the Marathan ambitions. The British intervened in 1775 in Peshwa family succession

struggle in Pune. This led to three Anglo-Maratha wars, 1775 to 1818. Finally, by 1818, the

British had completely defeated them.

Q Why were the British able to replace the Mughals as the dominant force in the Sub-

Continent by 1850?

British had experienced Industrial Revolution which made them technologically much moresuperior.

Therefore, they had advanced weapons which gave them edge over the Mughals who made use of

traditional and outdatedweaponry.

The British being the superpower of that time had well trained and confident soldiers who were

commanded by outstanding generals for example Robert Clive, Edward and Neil they made clever

strategies to defeat their oppositions like Dutch, Portuguese and French and ousted them from the

subcontinent. Their superiority could not be matched by scattered and demoralized Mughal and

hence they would easily be defeated by the British.

The victory of the British in the Battle of Plassey and Buxar give them the vast riches of Bengal

and favourable trading rights with the local Nawabs this provided massive new resource which

British used to employ large number of Indians in their army by paying with salaries. This

strengthened their position even further and made it easier to replace the Mughals.

Q Why were the Marathas defeated after the decline of the Mughal Empire?

The Marathas controlled vast lands that had been part of the Mughal Empire, but they found it

difficult to control and administer. This led to problems in fighting off threats from other armies

as the empire was now too big for them to defend.

Maratha families began to show more loyalty to local rulers rather than the Maratha leaders

known as “Peshwas” in the capital city of Pune. As a result, cracks began to show in Maratha unity

and control. Hence, their grip on the empire wasweakened.

The invading Afghans under the command of Ahmed Shah Durrani, defeated the Maratha army

at Panipat in 1761, thousands of soldiers and important administrators were killed, hence, the

Invasion by Ahmed Shah Durrani destroyed the hopes of Maratha Empire.

Q Explain why the Hindu community objected to the Jizya tax.

Jizya tax an Islamic tax which was imposed by Aurangzeb on able bodied non-Muslim adult men and

could be waived off if they take part in the Mughal Army, which angered the Hindu community as they

felt that it was imposed to force them to join the army and fight for the emperor.

Hindu Community resented to pay Jizya tax as it was only targeted the non-Muslim community

and many poor Hindu peasants were converting to Islam to avoid this charge. Hence, they felt that

their religion was under threat.

Hindu Community also objected to the fact that the Jizya tax collected from them was not used

for the welfare of the non-Muslim community but was used for Mughal wars against Maratha in

Deccan. Hence, they felt their hard-earned money was used to further suppressthem.

In some case, it was found out that the Jizya tax was charged more than the charge paid by

Muslim community as Zakat. Hence, they resented the fact that the Mughals were trying to alienate

them and only favoured Muslim community..

Q. Was British expansion in India the most important reason for the decline

of the Mughal Empire? Explain your answer. (14)

Ans.

The British East India Company (EIC) reached India in 1600 AD when the Mughal

Empire was nearing its peak. The British had primarily come for trade in India. Initially, their

trade benefited Indians, too, but gradually the British began to enjoy monopoly on trade. With

time, the money thus earned was used to manufacture more sophisticated weapons. Being

the first beneficiary of the Industrial Revolution, they had more advanced weapons and were

gifted with superior military skills. With this they had a strong sense of success. The Mughals,

on the other hand, did not excel in science and technology. Moreover, the inherent disunity

among Indians was also exploited by the British. In the 18th century, many provinces had
broken away from the central Mughal authority.

Gradually, the British were able to keep their own armies and expand their influence

over various Indian territories that were previously part of the Mughal Empire. Their major

victories started decades after the death of Aurangzeb. They defeated the Indians in such

major battles as Plassey in 1757, Buxar in 1764 and Mysore in 1799 greatly reduced the

Mughal control over various strategic parts of India.

However, there were many other reasons for the decline of the mighty Mughal rule.

Rise of Marathan power also contributed to the Mughal decline. The Maratha Empire was

founded by the ferocious Marathan commander Shivaji in the 1670s. They defeated the

Mughal army in 1737 outside Delhi. During the first six decades of the 18th century, they were

the most powerful and established community in India that was ready to fill in the power

vacuum created by the declining Mughal rule. Aurangzeb spent about 25 years in the Deccan

desperately trying to eliminate the Marathas. On his return, he found the state treasury almost

empty and this added to his difficulties.

Historians also blame the prejudiced and intolerant policies of Aurangzeb, who

adopted strict measures against the non-Muslims. He imposed the tax Jiziya on the non-

Muslims that had earlier been abolished by Akbar. He also demolished a number of Hindu

temples, and adopted a harsh attitude towards the Sikhs. He banned many activities such as

painting, music, drinking, gambling and dance that had been part of the Indian culture and

society. He also tried to ban the Hindu custom of Suttee, burning widow alive on the cremation

of her husband. In order to meet huge expenses of military campaigns, he imposed heavy

taxes. As a result, his successors found it quite difficult to rule the empire.

Weak successors of Aurangzeb fell victim to extravagant and luxurious lifestyles and

paid little attention to the defence and consolidation of the empire. They became morally

corrupt and comfort-loving, and could not overcome the difficulties faced by various parts of

the huge empire. This complacence is the usual result of continued successes of major

empires, and the Mughals were no exception to this. Negligence of the weak later Mughals

to the state affairs also contributed to the fall of the Mughal Empire.

The Mughals did not have a definite law of succession. On the death of an emperor,
the princes got engaged in conspiracies, intrigues and making loyal groups that always led

to regicidal wars of succession. Success of a candidate often depended on the support he

could get from the military and ministers. Thus, state resources were wasted on mutual fights

instead of public welfare and defence of the empire.

Aurangzeb had divided the whole empire between his three sons in order to prevent

a war of succession. However, the three princes began to fight, and eventually, Prince

Muazzam established himself as Emperor. Only after a few years, his four sons fought over

the throne, but the victor, Jahandar Shah was murdered within a year. So, in the ten years

after Aurangzeb’s death, twelve different people claimed to be Emperor at one time. This

greatly destabilized the huge Mughal Empire.

It may be concluded that the British expansion played the decisive role in the decline

of the Mughal rule. British outsmarted the Mughals in military, trade, politics and social

spheres of life. Their exploitative policies remained unnoticed by the Mughals till the British

had established themselves in several parts of India..