Introduction
The Tajdid (revival) is located at a central place in Islamic history and its intellectual sphere. Islamic reformers have been serving Islam by re-reading the Islamic sources according to context. The 18th-century Muslim community in the Indian subcontinent witnessed tremendous transformation by the attempts of Shah Wali Ullah Al-Dehlawi. His philosophy and socio-political engagements caused unprecedented transitions in the thinking of Muslim scholarship. His endeavors to maintain Muslim political authority led to significant historical events in the Indian Sub-continent.
Islam, Islamic Political Thought
TheTajdid (revival) is located in a central place in the Islamic intellectual sphere. But the revival is not meant to bring something new. Their responsibility is to bring the community back to a proper and strong path. The deviation of the Muslim Ummah, the formidable challenges they face, and the necessity of the time are the main reasons for the presence of the reformers. They will be the guiding lights of the community. History is a big eyewitness of the presence of the reformers. The verdict of the prophet Muhammad about the reformers (mujaddids) is a significant factor in the Islamic reform. Shah Wali Ullah Al-Dehlawi is considered an 18th-century Islamic reformer.
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Shah Wali Ullah Qutb al-din Ahmad known as Shah Wali Ullah was born
in 1114/1703 four years before the death of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. His
genealogy can be traced back to the family of pious Khalifah of Islam Umarul
Faruq. The forefathers of Shah Wali Ullah are said to have migrated to India
and found their settlement here at Rohtak village when the Tatars started the
destruction in Iraq and Iran. His grandfather Sheikh Wajihuddin was a military
officer in the army of Shah Jahan and a deep lover of the Quran. In the war of
succession, he supported Aurangzeb.
Shah Wali Ullah’s father sheikh Abdul Rahman was greatly loved and respected by the people for his profound knowledge of the traditions and Islamic jurisprudence. That is why he was entrusted by the emperor Alamgir Aurangzeb with the delicate and important task of revising the Fatawa-Alamgiri. He established a school in Delhi known as Madrassa Rahmania, the forerunner of the present Darululum Deoband. Shah Wali Ullah soon mastered the different branches of learning. He learned the Quran by heart up to the age of ten. At 14, he read a part of bauzayi and the major part of Mishkawah. He got the graduation from Rahmaniaschool at the age of 15. The prescribed syllabus of the school laid great stress on the Quranic studies and its lesser aid from commentaries.
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He became the teacher of this very school his
father at the age of 17. Only two years later, on his father's death,
ShahWali Ullah occupied his father‟s chair in madrassa Rahmania. He prepared
his lectures after extensive study of various Islamic disciplines and sciences and provided guidance on problems of varied nature. In the year 1143/1731
he went to the Hijaz on a pilgrimage and stayed there for 40 months studying
Hadith and Fiqh under such distinguished scholars as Abu al-Kurdi al-Madani,
Wafq Allah al-Makki, and Tajuddin al-Qali. He returned to Delhi in 1145/1733 where
he spent the rest of his life producing numerous works till his death in
1176/1763 during the reign of Shah Alam II.
Political Thoughts of Shah Wali Ullah
Shah Wali Ullah felt the impact of decay and decline in every walk of life, analyzed the causes of the downfall, and suggested the ways and means to arrest them. Firstly his aim was to restore Islamic political thought. His continual attempts to contemplate Islamic political thought made a huge impact on history. His explanation of Islamic political thought reflects many aspects. Here it can be concluded that
1) The earth belongs to God.
2) Property that nobody has a right to usurp or interfere with another’s property.
3) All men are equal. Nobody is good enough to rule over others or enslave them.
4)The head of the state is just like the manager of a state. He has the right to take as much money from the treasury as it is necessary to pass the life on to ordinary man.
5) The state must provide the means of sustenance, i.e., bread and butter, clothes housing, and other basic facilities so that everyone may keep a family in a befitting way.
6)The above-mentioned rights are fundamental and everybody, irrespective of race, religion, caste, and class is entitled to them.
7)Justice is to be meted out to all. The state should provide protection of life, property, respect, and other civil rights to all the citizens of the state.
8)The language and culture of every class, tribe, or section of people should be promoted.
9) Every state is an independent unit that should be perfectly free in its internal and external affairs. Every unit should be strong enough to defend itself from every sort of aggression, both from without and within Shah Wali Ullah’s revolutionary religious thought led the community to get a clear awareness of Islam and its rules. He reiterated the sovereignty of God must have to obey and the traditions of the holy prophet and his unequal life must have to be imitated. His victory in life and balanced attitudes toward the issues can be found in these sources. The real mission of Shah Wali Ullah was to purify Islamic ideals of all unhealthy influences and provide them a fresh intellectual ground to meet the challenge of the time.
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Apart from that, Shah WaliUllah explained some other significant factors that should be aware of
1. The truth and Din are identical as both of them spring from the same origin
2. The advocates of truth have blessed the earth in every age in every nation, and as such, all of them should be respected
3. Sexual anarchy is a moral crime in every religious sect. I should be curbed as much as possible
4. Jihad (a Struggle for the
betterment of life from a religious perspective) is a sacred duty for every
Muslim. It means that to defend the sanctity of principles and
policies, one should cherish the passions of dedication and devotion so much so
that one should lay down one’s life for them.
Philosophical Interpretation
Shah Wali Ullah’s philosophical interpretation caused the resurgence of Islamic revivalism. His attempts to deviate the Muslim Ummah from the influence of non-Islamic philosophies and exegeses made a wide impact on the Islamic philosophical atmosphere. In the specific conditions of India, Shah Wali Ullah criticized the grass-rooted influence of Hindu mythology and its philosophical interpretation which was embarrassed by many intellectuals. Therefore he clarified the philosophical stand of Islam. The Quran calls for a revolutionary system of life. Those who would follow it in letter and spirit would reap the same harvest as was reaped by the companions of the prophet Muhammad and the era of the four pious caliphs. The life of Prophet Muhammad or the Uswah-i-rasul, should be taken as the life of the three pious caliphs should be emulated (Ali, the fourth caliph is conspicuous by absence.
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The betterment of one's life and life hereafter is based on the following four moral imperatives:
a) Purity of body and soul
b) Worship of only one God through prayers and other recognized rituals and practices
c) Self-restraint or Dabt-i- nafs
D) Justice; there can be no justice in a society
where the bread-earners, laborers, and the working classes are forced to work
and taxed beyond their physical and mental capacities. To resuscitate
the revolutionary Quranic system of life, to its minutest details, implications, and ramifications, one has to follow the moral and economic systems, habits, and
behavior of the illustrious companions of Muhammad.
Socio-Economic Thoughts: the Idea of Irtifaq
Shah Wali Ullah tried to find out the relationship between social ethical and economic systems. He described spirituality that it has two aspects: first, it is a personal relation of man to god, second, it is man‟ 's own relation to his fellow beings. Shah Wali Ullahemphasized the achievements of social justice are a prerequisite for the development of the individual. Al-Adl (justice, balance), in his thought, is the essential feature of the harmonious development of the human race. To narrate the socio-political theory, ShahWali Ullah uses the term Irtifaq (devices). He illustrated four Irtifaq to demonstrate the socio-political evolution of man. The first Irtifaq places human beings in accordance with what Wali Ullah calls a madhab al tabi’i (natural law). The second relates to the organization of the family.
The third describes the political institutions that form the city (Al-Madinah). Under fourth Irtifaq man learns to regulate devices and rules to overcome the conflicts and rivalry between the cities. Shah Wali Ullah discusses the problems of human relations, developments of culture and civilization, agriculture, the art of irrigation, cultivation, the inclemency of weather and seasons, and establishment of state and duties of states like the eradication of all sorts of social evils, e.g., gambling, adultery, usury, bribery, etc. He indicated the balanced socio-economic system and remarked on the causes of the decline of Muslim Ummah: “After careful analysis, I have come to the conclusion that there are two main factors responsible for the decline of the Muslim culture. First, many people have abandoned their own occupations and have become parasites to the government. They are a great burden on the public exchequer. Some of these are soldiers; some claim themselves to be men of great learning and, thus, deem it their birthright to get regular financial help from the state.
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There are not a
few who get regular donations. Gifts and rewards from the court as a matter of
past custom, such as for example, poets and clowns. Many of the people belonging
to these groups do not contribute anything to the welfare of society, yet they
are allowed to suck their blood. Secondly, the government has levied an
exorbitant rate of tax on agriculturists, cultivators, and traders. Added
to this is the cruel treatment meted out to the taxpayers by government
officials at the time of collecting the taxes. The people groan under the heavy
weight of taxes while their economic position deteriorates at an arming speed.
This is how the country has come to ruin”.
Shah Wali Ullah strongly criticized the concept of poverty which was common among Muslims they believed the poverty is loved by God and have no good Muslims should make an effort to become rich. He points out: “Islam teaches that this strong concentrated individuality, sharpened and steeled through a lie of active experience, should not become obsessed with self-aggrandizement; it should rather be devoted to the service of God and through this to the good of mankind. Islam never preaches its followers to submit themselves ungrudgingly to an oppressive social system. It is social justice rather than poverty that is eulogized by the Holy prophet- justice which not only safeguards an individual against an attitude of arrogance and self-conceit, but develops in him a power to spurn the temptations, bribes, and snares with which an unscrupulous ruling clique tries cynically to corrupt the and character of the subjects” Islamic economic system is unequal.
The perfection of transmission of the money and its distribution to society, these are important factors that were considered by Islam. UbadullahSindhi summarized his economic thought:
1. The wealth originates from labor.
2. The laborers and farmers are the fountains of labor and consequently of wealth; the civic and civil life depends on the cooperation of the laborers and the farmers. Christ had once observed that „you will not eat if you do not earn‟. In the same way, Shah Wali Ullah believed that one who would not work for one’s nation or country, would not be entitled to get anything from the national wealth
3. The dens of gambling and the centers of debauchery should altogether be smashed because, in their presence, the system of distribution of wealth could not be organized on right and sound lines. Instead of increasing the national wealth, such evil practices help concentrate wealth into a few hands
4. The laborers, farmers, and those who render intellectual services to the society, rightly and richly deserve a pretty share of the national wealth that they produce. The forces which hinder the performance of the working classes should be crushed mercilessly
5. A government that does not properly and justly manage the system of prices, wages, or salaries of the working classes, should be up-rooted.
6. The working classes should not be exploited; everyone should be paid on the principle of mutual cooperation
7. The production and income which is not based on mutual cooperation are not valid
8. The working hours of the working classes should be fixed. They should get time to improve upon their moral and spiritual life
9. One of the greatest means of mutual cooperation in trade, commerce, and business. No businessman is allowed to indulge in black-marketing, smuggling, hoarding in and price raise, etc., similarly, the government is prohibited from taxing them beyond their capacity
10. The business that helps concentrate wealth into a few hands and hinders the circulation in society is harmful and it should be checked.
11. The royal, aristocratic, or luxurious system of life or standard of living which hinders the right distribution of wealth in society, should be crushed as early as possible.
One of the main contributions of Wali Ullah is his deep-rooted study of the life of various Muslim societies and empires from a sociological point of view. He tried his best for the existence of the Mughal Empire and to restore the sense of unity in the community. Another grave problem that he faced was the religious differences amongst various Muslim factions, especially conflicts between Sunnis and Shias. Shah Wali Ullah was anxious to reduce the Sunni-Shia differences to a minimum. This was possible only if the leaders of the two sects approached the problem in a catholic spirit. Shah Wali Ullah opines that unhealthy conditions that had an impact on Muslim beliefs, thoughts, practices, morality, culture, and socio-political administration, lay in two things:
1) The transfer of political authority from the caliphs to absolute monarchs; and
2) The irrational following of Islam in
the absence of Ijtihad( independent reasoning for the Islamic reform). Without
the Ijtihad, neither the scholars of Islam could adjust to the needs of the Muslim
society nor could Shari‟ be interpreted in such a rational way as to solve the
issue and problems which naturally cropped up with time.
Letters to Leaders
Shah Wali Ullah criticized the contemporary political authority of his time because of their corrupted administration and lack of commitment to the people. He simultaneously struggled to maintain the position of the Mughal Empire. After the death of Aurangzeb, his successors could not control their superiority well. Shah Wali Ullah wrote letters to leaders to escape the Mughal empire and Muslims and non-Muslims from attacks of Jats and Marathas. Those letters are good documentary proof of the then political system.
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In those letters, he bravely criticized the Mughal rulers: Oh Amirs! Do you not fear God? (How is that) you have so completely thrown yourself into the pursuit of momentary pleasures, and have neglected those people who were committed to your care. The result is that the strong are devouring the (weak) people. All your mental faculties are directed towards providing yourselves with sumptuous food and soft-skinned and beautiful women for enjoyment and pleasure. You do not turn your attention to anything except good clothes and magnificent palaces”.
However political leaders did not consider the attempts of Shah Wali Ullah to
sustain the power of the Mughal dynasty. In this
scenario, his letter to Ahmad Shah Abdali, the ruler of Aghan is the most significant
historic turning point for Delhi’s political future. In this letter, Shah Wali
Ullah motivates that great warrior to save the Ummah from decline and to give
them the strong position to stand upon their own legs: “In these days there is
no king except your majesty who wields authority, and power, and competent to
defeat the armies of the kafirs. It is, therefore, obligatory upon your majesty
to invade India and crush the kafirs like the Marathas to liberate the
downtrodden Muslims from their chains. If God forbid, the grip of Kufr remains
firm, the Muslims will forget Islam and become such a nation that cannot
differentiate between Islam and Islam. It is a great calamity, which cannot be
getting rid of through any power except one that is bestowed upon you by God.” Ahmad
Shah Abdali received his invitation and later he invaded Delhi.
Shah Wali Ullah translated the Holy
Quran into Persian despite the prejudice among Muslim scholars against translations of the Holy Quran.Hujjathullahi-l-baligha , Izalatul-khifa,
Tha‟vilul-ahadih, Faizul-kabir, Budur al-bazighah and Al-Insaf are some classic
works of Shah Wali Ullah. His works still hold a higher position among
Islamic intellectual heritage. He bravely challenged the religious-political
authorities. Shah Wali Ullah did not hesitate to analyze the formidable
political atmosphere. His encyclopedic knowledge and steadiness in practical
life are great models for the Muslim world. As Allamah Muhammad Iqbal
remarks, he was the first Muslim to feel the urge to rethink the whole
system of Islam without any way of breaking away from its past.
