Question

What was the main objective of the Wahhabi movement?
A. To oust the British from India
B. To overthrow the Sikhs in the Punjab and the British in Bengal and to restore Muslim power in India
C. To eradicate religious corruption from Muslim society
D. To organise the Muslims into a nationalist community

Answer 1

Hint: Wahabi movement was a revivalist movement, a political one which aimed at cleansing Muslim society. It was the movement which had political interests deeply rooted in the ideology of restoring Muslim power in India.

Complete Answer:
Wahabism is the ultra-conservative, branch of Sunni Islam. It’s objectives are to purify the Islamic fold of the malpractices which have seeped into it due to the large number of factors. In India, the Wahhabi movement was launched in 1852 and continued till 1870. It was firstly started by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in Najd, Central Arabia. It had a political backing in India as it was predominant in Punjab, Bengal and North Western areas, and it’s aim was to restore Muslim power in these areas.
Let’s examine the options one by one:
a. To oust the British from India was one of the primary objectives of the Wahhabi movement but it had other political aims to achieve also.
b. To overthrow the Sikhs in the Punjab and the British in Bengal and to restore Muslim power in India, was the main aim of the Wahabi movement in India. They wanted to restore the lost glory and power of Muslims in India.
c. To eradicate religious corruption from Muslim society, was not the major tenet of Wahabi movement of India but it can be seen as the extension of the basic premise of the whole ideology, Wahabism.
b. To organise the Muslims into a nationalist community was not the objective of the Wahhabi movement as it wanted to grasp the power from the hands of any community, alien or native. It wanted to achieve it’s political interests.
The correct answer is ‘b’ as to overthrow the Sikhs in the Punjab and the British in Bengal and to restore Muslim power in India, was the main aim of the Wahabi movement in India.

Note: You should not confuse the objectives of Wahabism with the objectives of the Wahhabi movement of India. Both of them are different with respect to their objectives.