CSS Pakistan Affairs Optional History Decline of Muslim Power and British Ascendancy (1707-1857) Syllabus

Name Shah Waliullah's most famous original work on the philosophy and wisdom of Islamic law.

Hujjat-Allah al-Baligha (The Conclusive Argument from God).

What was Shah Waliullah's view on reconciling the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence (fiqh)?

He promoted ijtihad and a balanced, harmonizing (taufiqi) approach that reconciled the differences among the four Sunni madhabs rather than rigid taqlid of one.

Which foreign ruler did Shah Waliullah invite to check the rising power of the Marathas?

Ahmad Shah Abdali, whom he urged to intervene, contributing to the Maratha defeat at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761).

What is the central theme of Shah Waliullah's reform of Muslim society in India?

Revival of pure Islam by returning to the Qur'an and Sunnah, eliminating un-Islamic customs, reconciling sectarian differences, and restoring Muslim political and moral strength.

Who was Shah Abdul Aziz, and what was his contribution to the Waliullah legacy?

The eldest son of Shah Waliullah, who continued his school and issued the influential fatwa declaring India under British rule to be Dar-ul-Harb (an abode of war/non-Islam).

What did the declaration of India as 'Dar-ul-Harb' by Shah Abdul Aziz imply for Muslims?

That India had passed from Muslim to non-Muslim (British) control, providing religious justification for jihad and resistance movements against British rule.

How did the Waliullah school influence later Muslim revivalist and political movements?

It inspired the Jihad movement of Syed Ahmad Barelvi, the Deoband school, and broadly shaped Muslim revivalist and separatist thought leading toward the Pakistan idea.

Which trading company became the dominant British political power in India during the 18th century?

The English East India Company.

Which 1757 battle is considered the foundation of British political power in India?

The Battle of Plassey, where Robert Clive defeated Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula of Bengal.

What role did Mir Jafar play in the British victory at Plassey (1757)?

As Siraj-ud-Daula's commander he betrayed the Nawab by withholding his troops, enabling the British victory; he was then installed as a puppet Nawab of Bengal.

Which 1764 battle confirmed British control over Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa?

The Battle of Buxar, where the British defeated the combined forces of the Nawab of Awadh, the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, and Mir Qasim.

What is the 'Diwani' of Bengal granted to the East India Company in 1765, and by whom?

The right to collect revenue (diwani) of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, granted by Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, making the Company the de facto ruler.

What was the 'Subsidiary Alliance' system and who introduced it?

A policy by Lord Wellesley under which Indian rulers accepted British troops, paid for their upkeep, and surrendered control of foreign affairs, becoming dependent on the Company.

What was the 'Doctrine of Lapse' and who is most associated with it?

A policy by Lord Dalhousie under which a princely state without a natural heir would be annexed by the Company, refusing recognition of adopted heirs.

Name three states annexed under or around Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse.

Satara, Jhansi, and Nagpur (also Sambhalpur and others).

On what pretext, other than lapse, did Dalhousie annex Awadh in 1856?

On the pretext of misgovernment and maladministration by its Nawab, deeply angering the population and the sepoys recruited from Awadh.

What was the 'Permanent Settlement' of 1793, and who introduced it?

A land-revenue system introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal fixing zamindars as landowners with a permanently fixed revenue obligation to the Company.

What administrative reform did Lord Cornwallis introduce regarding the civil service?

He reorganized and 'Europeanized' the civil service, excluding Indians from higher posts and separating revenue and judicial functions to curb corruption.

Which 1813 and 1833 measures opened India to Christian missionaries and increased British control over the Company?

The Charter Acts of 1813 (allowed missionaries, ended trade monopoly except tea/China) and 1833 (centralized administration under a Governor-General of India).

What was the impact of Macaulay's 1835 Education Minute on Indian administration?

It made English the medium of higher education and official business, promoting Western learning and sidelining traditional Persian and Arabic education, harming the Muslim elite.

Who founded the Jihad (Mujahideen) movement of the early 19th century in north-west India?

Syed Ahmad Barelvi (Syed Ahmad Shaheed of Rae Bareli), 1786-1831.

Who was Shah Ismail Shaheed in relation to Syed Ahmad Barelvi's movement?

A grandson of Shah Waliullah and the chief lieutenant and ideologue of Syed Ahmad Barelvi; author of Taqwiyat-ul-Iman.

Against whom was the jihad of Syed Ahmad Barelvi primarily directed, and in which region?

Primarily against Sikh rule under Ranjit Singh in the North-West Frontier and Punjab region, to establish an Islamic state.

In which 1831 battle were Syed Ahmad Barelvi and Shah Ismail killed?

The Battle of Balakot, where Sikh forces defeated the Mujahideen.

Who founded the Faraizi Movement and where?

Haji Shariatullah, in Bengal (East Bengal), in the early 19th century.

What does the term 'Faraizi' mean and what was the movement's core aim?

Derived from 'faraid' (obligatory duties); it called Muslims to perform their obligatory religious duties and abandon un-Islamic practices and Hindu customs.

Who led the Faraizi Movement after Haji Shariatullah and gave it a political-organizational structure?

His son Muhsin-ud-Din Ahmad, known as Dudu Miyan, who organized peasants against oppressive Hindu zamindars and British indigo planters.

How did the Faraizi Movement combine religious reform with social-economic struggle?

It mobilized Muslim peasants against the exploitation of Hindu landlords and European planters, linking religious revival to defense of peasant rights.

By what name is the 1857 uprising known in nationalist and British terminologies respectively?

The 'War of Independence' (or First War of Independence) in nationalist terms, and the 'Sepoy Mutiny' or 'Indian Mutiny' in British terms.

Name three categories of causes generally given for the 1857 uprising.

Political (annexations, Doctrine of Lapse), economic (heavy revenue, decline of artisans), and religious/social (fear of conversion, interference in customs); plus the military grievances of the sepoys.

What immediate incident is said to have sparked the 1857 uprising among sepoys?

The introduction of the Enfield rifle cartridges greased with cow and pig fat, offensive to both Hindu and Muslim soldiers, who had to bite them open.

Where and with whom did the military revolt of 1857 begin?

At Meerut in May 1857, when sepoys mutinied and then marched to Delhi.

Who was proclaimed the symbolic leader of the 1857 uprising at Delhi?

Bahadur Shah Zafar (Bahadur Shah II), the last Mughal emperor, declared 'Emperor of Hindustan' by the rebels.

Name three major centres of the 1857 uprising besides Delhi.

Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, and Jhansi (others include Meerut, Bareilly, and Arrah).

Name two prominent leaders of the 1857 uprising other than Bahadur Shah Zafar.

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, Nana Sahib and Tantia Tope of Kanpur, and Begum Hazrat Mahal of Lucknow (any two).

State two main reasons for the failure of the 1857 uprising.

Lack of unified leadership, central organization, and common aim; limited geographic spread; superior British resources, communications (telegraph, railways), and loyalty of some princes and regions.

What major constitutional change followed the suppression of the 1857 uprising?

The East India Company's rule was abolished and India came under direct British Crown rule by the Government of India Act 1858 (the British Raj).

What did Queen Victoria's Proclamation of 1858 promise the Indian people?

An end to further annexations and territorial expansion, respect for the rights of Indian princes, religious non-interference, and equal treatment of Indians in government service.

Why did the Muslim community suffer most in the aftermath of 1857?

The British held Muslims chiefly responsible (Bahadur Shah Zafar being figurehead), so they faced reprisals, exclusion from services, economic ruin, and educational backwardness.

What long-term political response among Muslims emerged from the post-1857 repression?

A movement of self-strengthening through modern education and political reconciliation, exemplified by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's Aligarh Movement to rehabilitate Muslims.