Haji Shariatullah; Early Biological Details, Beliefs Work, and Influence

Question 1

What are the early biographical details of Haji shariatullah?

Answer 1

1. Haji Shariatullah was born in 1781, in Faridpur district in East Bengal (today part of Bangladesh).
2. His father was a farmer and his family was not very well off.
3. In 1799, he travelled to Arabia on pilgrimage and stayed there for the next nineteen years. 4.He became greatly influenced by the beliefs of Sheikh Muhammad Abdul Wahab.
4. On his return to East Bengal, he started his own reform movement designed to purify Islam of the Hindu influences.
5. Haji Shariatullah died in 1840, but his work was carried on by his son Mohsin-ud-Din.

Question 2

Why was his movement called Faraizi movement?

Answer 2

1. Haji Shariatullah believed that the Muslim community had moved away from true Islamic practice.
2. He wanted them to return to what he thought was the proper observation of Islamic duties called faraiz.
3. This was why his movement was called the Faraizi Movement.

Question 3

What was the work done by Haji shariatullah?

Answer 3

1. Haji Shariatullah found that the Muslims of East Bengal had been oppressed both by the Hindus and by the British.
2. Previously the Muslims had been the ruling class in Bengal, but when the British took over, they worked with the local landowners (zamindars), who were mainly Hindus.
3. The Muslims had also been given few opportunities in education and employment.
4. As a result, many important Muslim families had been reduced to near poverty.
5. Haji Shariatullah started the Faraizi Movement to restore the pride of the Muslims and remove what he thought were the Hindu practices which had crept into their worship.
6. Emphasis was placed on praying for past sins and on promising to lead a righteous life in the future.
7. An important part of this reform would be to follow the religious obligations of a true Muslim.
8. The success of Haji Shariatullah’s movement caused great concern amongst the Hindus of East Bengal.
9. In that region Hindu and British landlords had carried out economic oppression of the Muslim peasants.
10. The landlords did not want Haji Shanatullah creating difficulties for them and were very alarmed that the Muslien cultivators were uniting in a desire to improve their lives
11. And purify their religion.
12. They drove Haji Shariatullah out of the region to Nawabganj in Dhaka district, where he died in 1840.
13. His work, however, was camad on by his son,Mohsin-ud-Din, who continued to work to improve the position of Muslims in East Bengal
14. And introduced important economic measures
    (1) He divided East Bengal into areas called circles, each under the control of Khalifas They were responsible for the social and spiritual welfare of the people in their area
    (2) He helped the peasants to oppose the excessive taxes imposed by the Hindu and British landlords.
    (3) Mohain-ud-Din’s opposition to the payment of taxes led to unrest in East Bengal but he went even further and threatened to declare a jhad against the British government.
15. The British arrested him and put him in prison. After his death in 1860, the Farizi Movement declined.

Question 4

Why was the Faraizi Movement influential?

Answer 4

The Faraizi Movement was influential for a number of reasons:

1. It gave encouragement to Muslims at a time when they were demoralised by the oppression from the Hindus and the British. . 2.It brought about a spiritual revival which led to a revival in the Islamic religion in East Bengal. 3.Hindu influences were removed from Islamic practices.
2. It also had an important political and economic impact.
3. The Bengal peasants became united in their opposition to the harsh treatment they received. 6.They became more aware of their rights and a political unity began to grow amongst them. 7.This was to prove important in later years as the Muslim demands for their own homeland grew.
4. It might be said that some of the seeds of the Pakistan Movement were sown by the Faraizi Movement.