Religious Thinkers and the Mughal Empire Lecture Notes

This set of flashcards covers vocabulary and key figures from the history of religious reform movements and the rise of British influence in the Indian subcontinent.

Shah Waliullah ($1703-1762$)

An important Muslim scholar and reformer in the sub-continent born in Delhi during the decline of the Mughal Empire.

Hijaz

The region in Arabia where Shah Waliullah traveled in $1724$ for religious studies before returning to Delhi in $1732$.

Shah Abdul Rahim

The father of Shah Waliullah who taught him and was a great Islamic scholar.

Persian

The language into which Shah Waliullah translated the Quran to make it more accessible for common Muslims to understand.

Ahmed Shah Abdali

The leader invited by Shah Waliullah to save Muslims and crush the Marathas in $1751$.

$$51$$

The number of books written by Shah Waliullah to guide Muslims and remove un-Islamic practices.

Faraizi Movement

A movement started by Haji Shariatullah in Bengal to encourage Muslims to follow their religious duties ($faraiz$) and remove un-Islamic practices.

Haji Shariatullah

A $19^{th}$ century reformer born in Bengal and educated in Makkah who focused on the spiritual and moral conditions of Muslims.

Mohsin-ud-din

The son of Haji Shariatullah who led the Faraizi movement, divided East Bengal into circles under Khalifas, and declared Jihad against the British.

Khalifas

Leaders responsible for the social and spiritual welfare of the people in specific areas of East Bengal under the Faraizi movement.

$$1860$$

The year the Faraizi movement declined following the death of Mohsin-ud-din.

Syed Ahmed Braveli

A reformer who worked from $1823$ to $1831$ and started the Jihad Movement to protect Muslims from oppression and establish an Islamic State.

Battle of Balakot

The battle in $1831$ where Syed Ahmed Braveli was killed while fighting against the Sikhs and the British.

East India Company

A British trading company started in $1600$ by Queen Elizabetht for trade and profit in goods like spices, cotton, silk, and indigo.

Battle of Plassey

A battle fought in $1757$ between the British and the Nawab of Bengal, won by the British under the leadership of Robert Clive.

Battle of Buxar

A battle fought in $1764$ where the British defeated the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shah Alam II, and Shuju-ud-Daula.

Diwani rights

Rights granted by the Mughal Emperor to the British after the Battle of Buxar, allowing them to collect taxes in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.

Divide and rule

A clever policy used by the East India Company to control states by keeping Indian rulers divided.

Government of India Act $1858$

The act passed by the British government to end company rule and take direct control of India after the War of Independence in $1857$.

Taj Mahal

A large white marble building with a central dome and four minarets, built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Charbagh style

A symmetrical garden design with water channels that represents the Islamic concept of Paradise.

Aurangzeb

The son of Shah Jahan whose death in $1707$ marked the beginning of the downfall of Mughal power in the subcontinent.