OxfordAQA IGCSE Pakistan Studies: Islam in the Subcontinent — Revision Notes

These notes condense optional topic 3.1.3 of OxfordAQA International GCSE Pakistan Studies 9236, Islam in the Subcontinent (c700–c1831), examined in Paper 1 Section C. For each person you need dates, beliefs or actions, and their importance, because Section C questions ask you both to describe and to judge significance.

Syllabus coverage

9236 topic 3.1.3 (Version 1.9)

• 3.1.3.1 Sufism; Muhammad bin Qasim and the Umayyad expansion; al-Ghazali and The Revival of the Religious Sciences; Ahmad Sirhindi; religious developments under Aurangzeb
• 3.1.3.2 Muslim weakness by the early 18th century; Shah Waliullah’s background, reforms and political impact
• 3.1.3.3 Early 19th-century context; Syed Ahmad Barelvi’s life, beliefs and military service; the Jihad movement, Balakot and its legacy

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Sufism (tasawwuf)	The spiritual, inner dimension of Islam
Silsila	A Sufi order with a chain of masters
Pir / shaikh	Sufi master
Murid	Disciple of a Sufi master
Khanqah	Sufi lodge where travellers and the poor were fed
Dhikr	Remembrance of Allah through repeated prayer
Mujaddid	Renewer of the faith
Din-i-Ilahi	Akbar’s court cult blending religions, opposed by Sirhindi
Jizya	Tax paid by non-Muslims under Muslim rule in return for protection
Tariqa-i-Muhammadiya	Syed Ahmad Barelvi’s reform movement

Timeline

Date	Event
711–712	Muhammad bin Qasim conquers Sindh and Multan under the Umayyads
11th century	Ali Hujwiri (Data Ganj Bakhsh) in Lahore; Kashf al-Mahjub
1058–1111	Life of al-Ghazali; Ihya Ulum al-Din
13th century	Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer; Bahauddin Zakariya in Multan
1564–1624	Ahmad Sirhindi (Mujaddid Alf Thani)
1658–1707	Reign of Aurangzeb; Fatawa-e-Alamgiri compiled
1703–1762	Shah Waliullah
1761	Third Battle of Panipat: Ahmad Shah Abdali defeats the Marathas
1786	Syed Ahmad Barelvi born at Rae Bareli
1826	Jihad movement against Sikh rule begins
1830	Peshawar briefly taken
1831	Battle of Balakot: Syed Ahmad and Shah Ismail killed

People: what to remember

Sufi saints

• Spread Islam by example, service and open khanqahs, not by force.
• Orders: Chishti (Ajmer), Suhrawardi (Multan), Qadiri, Naqshbandi.

Muhammad bin Qasim

• Sent by Hajjaj bin Yusuf; took Debal and defeated Raja Dahir.
• Gave protected status to Hindus and Buddhists; built mosques; linked Sindh to the Muslim world.
• Sindh: Bab-ul-Islam.

Al-Ghazali

• Persian scholar who taught in Baghdad; The Revival of the Religious Sciences.
• Joined Sharia and Sufi spirituality; criticised philosophers who placed reason above revelation.
• Shaped madrasa and Sufi teaching in the subcontinent.

Ahmad Sirhindi

• Naqshbandi; Mujaddid Alf Thani.
• Opposed Akbar’s Din-i-Ilahi; insisted Sufism obey the Sharia; Maktubat letters to nobles.
• Imprisoned by Jahangir at Gwalior, later released.
• Influence linked to orthodox policies under Aurangzeb.

Shah Waliullah

• Studied at Madrasa Rahimiya, Delhi; studied hadith in Madinah.
• Translated the Qur’an into Persian; wrote Hujjat Allah al-Baligha.
• Sought unity between sects and schools of thought.
• Letters to Ahmad Shah Abdali before Panipat (1761).
• Legacy through sons, especially Shah Abdul Aziz.

Syed Ahmad Barelvi

• Student of Shah Abdul Aziz; served in Amir Khan’s cavalry.
• With Shah Ismail Shaheed led jihad against Sikh restrictions on Muslims from 1826.
• Weakened by Pathan rivalries and tax disputes; killed at Balakot (1831).
• Inspired Ahl-i-Hadith and Deobandi movements.

Comparing the reformers

Reformer	Problem they faced	Main method	Lasting importance
Ahmad Sirhindi	Religious syncretism at Akbar’s court	Letters to nobles; insistence on Sharia	Revived orthodox Naqshbandi Sufism
Shah Waliullah	Mughal decline and Muslim division	Persian Qur’an translation; writing; letters to rulers	Reform tradition carried on by his sons and students
Syed Ahmad Barelvi	Sikh restrictions on Muslims; un-Islamic customs	Preaching and armed jihad	Inspired Ahl-i-Hadith and Deobandi movements

Worked example

Question: Explain why Shah Waliullah translated the Qur’an into Persian. [4]

Model answer: Most Muslims in the subcontinent did not understand Arabic, so they relied on others to explain the Qur’an [1]. Persian was the educated and official language of the time, so a Persian translation could reach many more readers [1]. He believed Muslims had become weak because they had drifted from the Qur’an and Sunnah [1], and direct understanding of the text would help them return to correct practice and unite [1].

Common mistakes and exam traps

• Placing al-Ghazali in India. He lived and taught in Persia and Iraq; his influence reached the subcontinent through his books.
• Confusing Sirhindi with Shah Waliullah. Sirhindi opposed Akbar (16th–17th century); Shah Waliullah worked during Mughal decline (18th century).
• Saying Sufis converted people by force. They spread Islam through preaching, example and service.
• Missing the significance. Every “how important” answer needs a judgement, not just a description.

How is this topic examined?

This topic is examined in OxfordAQA 9236 Paper 1, Section C, worth 21 of the paper’s 77 marks; each paper lasts 1 hour 30 minutes. The section mixes short and extended response questions on this optional topic. Short items reward precise named facts, so learn the dates, places and people in the tables above; the extended responses reward a clear line of argument, two or three developed points with evidence, and a judgement that answers the question.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Shah Ismail Shaheed? A grandson of Shah Waliullah who joined Syed Ahmad Barelvi in the jihad movement and died with him at Balakot in 1831.

What links these reformers? Each tried to strengthen Muslims by returning to the Qur’an, Sunnah and Sharia, and each influenced the next generation.

Related pages

• Islam in the Subcontinent study guide
• Mughal Empire revision notes
• Paper 1 practice questions

Source: OxfordAQA, International GCSE Pakistan Studies (9236) specification, Version 1.9, topic 3.1.3.