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Famous
Personalities of the Global Islamic Movement Throughout History
Muhiyuddin Ahmed
(11 November 1888 – 22 February 1958) was an Muslim
scholar and a senior political leader of the Indian
independence movement. He was one of the most prominent
Muslim leaders to support Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing
the partition of India on communal lines. Following
India's independence, he became the first Minister of
Education, Government of India. He is commonly rememberd
as Maulana Azad; he had adopted Azad (Free) as his pen
name.
As a young man, Azad composed poetry in Urdu as well as
treatises on religion and philosophy. He rose to
prominence through his work as a journalist, publishing
works critical of the British Raj and espousing the
causes of Indian nationalism. Azad became a leader of
the Khilafat Movement during which he came into close
contact with Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi. Azad became
an enthusiastic supporter of Gandhi's ideas of
non-violent civil disobedience, and worked actively to
organise the Non-cooperation movement in protest of the
1919 Rowlatt Acts. Azad committed himself to Gandhi's
ideals, including promoting Swadeshi (Indigenous)
products and the cause of Swaraj (Self-rule) for India.
He would become the youngest person to serve as the
President of the Indian National Congress in 1923.
Azad was one of the main organisers of the Dharasana
Satyagraha in 1931, and emerged as one of the most
important national leaders of the time, prominently
leading the causes of Hindu-Muslim unity as well as
espousing secularism and socialism. He served as
Congress President from 1940 to 1945, during which the
Quit India rebellion was launched and Azad was
imprisoned with the entire Congress leadership for three
years. Azad became the most prominent Muslim opponent of
the demand for a separate Muslim state of Pakistan and
served in the interim national government. Amidst
communal turmoil following the partition of India, he
worked for religious harmony. As India's Education
Minister, Azad oversaw the establishment of a national
education system with free primary education and modern
institutions of higher education. He is also credited
with the foundation of the University Grants Commission,
an important institution to supervise and advance the
higher education in the nation.
Early life
Azad's family descended from a line of eminent Ulama or
scholars of Islam, hailing from Herat in Afghanistan and
had settled in India during the reign of the Mughal
emperor Babur. His mother was of Arab descent, the
daughter of Shaikh Muhammad Zahir Watri and his father,
Maulana Khairuddin was of Afghan origin. The family
lived in the Bengal region until Maulana Khairuddin left
India during the Indian rebellion of 1857 and settled in
Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, where he met his wife.
The family returned to Kolkata (then Calcutta) in 1890
where his father earned a reputation as a learned Muslim
scholar. Azad's mother died when he was 11 years old.
Azad was raised in an environment steeped in Islamic
religion. He was given a traditional Islamic education,
tutored at his home and in the neighbourhood mosque by
his father and later religious scholars. Azad mastered
several languages, including Urdu, Persian, Arabic,
Hindi. He was also trained in the subjects of
mathematics, philosophy, world history and science by
reputed tutors hired by his family. An avid and
determined student, Azad succeeded in completing the
traditional course of study at the young age of sixteen,
nine years ahead of his contemporaries. At the age of
thirteen, he was married to a young Muslim girl,
Zuleikha Begum. Azad was a follower of the Ahl-i Hadith
school and compiled many treatises reinterpreting the
Qur'an, the Hadith, and the principles of Fiqh and Kalam.
His erudition led him to repudiate Taqlid, which
asserted the tradition of conformity and accept the
principle of Tajdid, which stood for innovation in
transforming society and solving modern challenges.
A young man, Azad was also exposed to the modern
intellectual life of Kolkata, the then capital of
British-ruled India and the centre of cultural and
political life. He began to doubt the traditional ways
of his father and secretly diversified his studies. Azad
learned English through intensive personal study and
began learning Western philosophy, history and
contemporary politics by reading advanced books and
modern periodicals. Azad grew disillusioned with Islamic
teachings and was inspired by the modern views of Muslim
educationalist Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who had promoted
rationalism. Increasingly doubtful of religious dogma,
Azad entered a period of self-described "atheism" and
"sinfulness" that lasted for almost a decade.
Revolutionary and journalist
Azad developed political views considered radical for
most Muslims of the time and became a full-fledged
Indian nationalist. He fiercely criticised the British
for racial discrimination and ignoring the needs of
common people across India. He also criticised Muslim
politicians for focusing on communal issues before the
national interest and rejected the All India Muslim
League's communal separatism. Azad developed curiosity
and interest in the pan-Islamic doctrines of Jamal
al-Din al-Afghani and visited Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt,
Syria and Turkey. But his views changed considerably
when he met revolutionary activists in Iraq and was
influenced by their fervent anti-imperialism and
nationalism. Against common Muslim opinion of the time,
Azad opposed the partition of Bengal in 1905 and became
increasingly active in revolutionary activities, to
which he was introduced by the prominent Hindu
revolutionaries Sri Aurobindo and Shyam Sundar
Chakravarthy. Azad initially evoked surprise from other
revolutionaries, whose cause had been opposed by most
Muslims, but Azad won their praise and confidence by
working secretly to organise revolutionaries activities
and meetings in Bengal, Bihar and Mumbai (then Bombay).
Azad's education had been shaped for him to become a
cleric, but his rebellious nature and affinity for
politics turned him towards journalism. He established
an Urdu weekly newspaper in 1912 called Al-Hilal and
openly attacked British policies while exploring the
challenges facing common people. Espousing the ideals of
Indian nationalism, Azad's publications were aimed at
encouraging young Muslims into fighting for independence
and Hindu-Muslim unity. His work helped improve the
relationship between Hindus and Muslims in Bengal, which
had been soured by the controversy surrounding the
partition of Bengal and the issue of separate communal
electorates.
With the onset of World War I, the British stiffened
censorship and restrictions on political activity.
Azad's Al-Hilal was consequently banned in 1914 under
the Press Act. Azad started a new journal, the Al-Balagh,
which increased its active support for nationalist
causes and communal unity. In this period Azad also
became active in his support for the Khilafat agitation
to protect the position of the Sultan of Ottoman Turkey,
who was the caliph for Muslims worldwide. The Sultan had
sided against the British in the war and the continuity
of his rule came under serious threat, causing distress
amongst Muslim conservatives. Azad saw an opportunity to
energise Indian Muslims and achieve major political and
social reform through the struggle. With his popularity
increasing across India, the government outlawed Azad's
second publication under the Defence of India
Regulations Act and arrested him. The governments of the
Bombay Presidency, United Provinces, Punjab and Delhi
prohibited his entry into the provinces and Azad was
moved to a jail in Ranchi, where he was incarcerated
until January 1, 1920.
Non-cooperation
Upon his release, Azad returned to a political
atmosphere charged with sentiments of outrage and
rebellion against British rule. The Indian public had
been angered by the passage of the Rowlatt Acts in 1919,
which severely restricted civil liberties and individual
rights. Consequently, thousands of political activists
had been arrested and many publications banned. The
killing of unarmed civilians at Jallianwala Bagh in
Amritsar on April 13, 1919 had provoked intense outrage
all over India, alienating most Indians, including
long-time British supporters from the authorities. The
Khilafat struggle had also peaked with the defeat of the
Ottoman Empire in World War I and the raging Turkish War
of Independence, which had made the caliphate's position
precarious. India's main political party, the Indian
National Congress came under the leadership of Mahatma
Gandhi, who had aroused excitement all over India when
he led the farmers of Champaran and Kheda in a
successful revolt against British authorities in 1918.
Gandhi organised the people of the region and pioneered
the art of Satyagraha — combining mass civil
disobedience with complete non-violence and
self-reliance.
Taking charge of the Congress, Gandhi also reached out
to support the Khilafat struggle, helping to bridge
Hindu-Muslim political divides. Azad and the Ali
brothers warmly welcomed Congress support and began
working together on a programme of non-cooperation by
asking all Indians to boycott British-run schools,
colleges, courts, public services, the civil service,
police and military. Non-violence and Hindu-Muslim unity
were universally emphasized, while the boycott of
foreign goods, especially clothes were organised. Azad
joined the Congress and was also elected president of
the All India Khilafat Committee. Although Azad and
other leaders were soon arrested, the movement drew out
millions of people in peaceful processions, strikes and
protests.
This period marked a transformation in Azad's own life.
Along with fellow Khilafat leaders Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad
Ansari, Hakim Ajmal Khan and others, Azad grew
personally close to Gandhi and his philosophy. The three
men founded the Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi as an
institution of higher education managed entirely by
Indians without any British support or control. Both
Azad and Gandhi shared a deep passion for religion and
Azad developed a close friendship with him. He adopted
Gandhi's ideas by living simply, rejecting material
possessions and pleasures. He began to spin his own
clothes using khadi on the charkha, and began frequently
living and participating in the ashrams organised by
Gandhi. Becoming deeply committed to ahimsa
(non-violence) himself, Azad grew close to fellow
nationalists like Jawaharlal Nehru, Chittaranjan Das and
Subhash Chandra Bose.
Criticism and legacy
During his life and in contemporary times, Maulana Azad
has been criticised for not doing enough to prevent the
partition of India. He was condemned by the advocates of
Pakistan and by religious Muslims, especially of the
Deobandi order for his perceived affinity and proximity
to Hindus. During and after partition, Azad was
criticised for not doing enough for Muslim security and
political rights in independent India. However, Azad is
remembered as amongst the leading Indian nationalists of
his time. His firm belief in Hindu-Muslim unity earned
him the respect of the Hindu community and he still
remains one of the most important symbols of communal
harmony in modern India. His work for education and
social upliftment in India made him an important
influence in guiding India's economic and social
development.
Maulana Azad is the namesake of many public institutions
across India such as the Maulana Azad Medical College in
New Delhi, the Maulana Azad National Institute of
Technology in Bhopal, the Maulana Azad National Urdu
University and the Maulana Azad College in Kolkata. He
is celebrated as the one of the founders and greatest
patrons of the Jamia Millia Islamia. Azad's tomb is
located next to the Jama Masjid in Delhi. In recent
years great concern has been expressed by many in India
over the poor maintenance of the tomb. On November 16,
2005 the Delhi High Court ordered that the tomb of
Maulana Azad in New Delhi be renovated and restored as a
major national monument. Azad's tomb is a major landmark
and receives large numbers of visitors annually.
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The
Khilafah Movement