The Ray of Hope
Sha’baan 1423 A.H
Oct-Nov 2002
A Journal By The Students Of Darul Uloom Sabeelus Salam, Hyderabad, India
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_____________________________________________________________________________ Vol.1 No.6 Sha’baan 1423 A.H. Oct-Nov 2002 PATRON: MAULAANAA RIZWAN AL QASMI
SPECIAL ISSUE ON PERSONALITIES Under the guidance of: Master Ameeruddin Sb Chief Editor: Noamaan Bader Editor: Syed Rashid Hussain Sub-Editor: Shamsul Islam
ADVISORY BOARD Maulaanaa Akhtar Imaam Aadil Sb Qasmi Ml Abdul Basit Sb Nadvi Ml Khursheed Anvar Sb Nadvi Madani Ml Md Ayyub Sb Siddiqi Nadvi
C O N T E N T S Preface
2 Noamaan Bader
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Ml Abdul Maajid Dariyaabaadee – a renowned scholar of Islaam Ml Aazaad (Azad) and the struggle for Aazaadee
Shamsul Islam
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The Khaleefah of the Khilaafah movement
Wasi Akhtar Nadvi
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Note: ~ means that the succeeding Christian or Hijree year is equivalent and not exact, while = indicates that it is exact.
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The Ray of Hope
Sha’baan 1423 A.H
Oct-Nov 2002
P r e f a c e We have often come across the old adage “history repeats itself”. Unfortunately, we seem to forget this fact when it is most necessary and beneficial for us to have in mind. Had we realized the significance of this maxim, we would have resorted to our history and its personalities for direction and guidance in times of crises such as the one we are presently in. It appears as if a large number of us, especially our young brethren, are utterly unaware of our multifarious past. Leave alone those who have preferred western education over Islaamic education, even the students of Islaamic institutions are often unfamiliar with our heroes of the past. There is no denying the fact that no people can progress without an epitome and role model. In this respect, we have been blessed with the excellent exemplar of Prophet Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ. Nevertheless, we are equally in need of such leaders and guides from whom we can learn how to follow our prophet’s ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢteachings in times of difficulties such as the present one. Considering these factors, our elders at Darul Uloom Sabeelus Salam asked us to write short essays on three great personalities of our near past, belonging to our own country – Maulaanaa Abdul Maajid Dariyaabaadee, Maulaanaa Abul Kalam Azad, and Maulaanaa Muhammad Alee Jauhar – who had great influence in the political, social, religious, literary and journalistic spheres. Obeying the command, we took up the task and finally succeeded in preparing this short collection of essays. May Allaah benefit all of us from this humble work!
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Sha’baan 1423 A.H
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Ml Abdul Maajid Dariyaabaadee – A Renowned Scholar Of Islaam
Noamaan Bader Maulaanaa Abdul Maajid Dariyaabaadee was born on 16th Mar 1892 (= 16 Sha’baan 1309 AH) in Qidwaaee family of Dariyaabaad town in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. The genealogy of the family displays an interesting line of ancestry descending from Prophet Haaroon ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﺍﻟﺴﻼﻡ. A contemporary of Sultaan Mahmood of Ghaznee, named Qaazee Ma’zuddeen, popularly known as Qaazee Qidwaa, migrated from Israel to India, and settled in Oudh. His descendants adopted the family surname of Qidwaaee, indicating their genealogical tie with Qaazee Qidwaa. In course of centuries, as the Qidwaaee family grew, one branch moved to Dariyaabaad town. Hakeem Noor Kareem (d. Sep 1871~1288AH) and Muftee Mazhar Kareem (d. 1873~1290AH) were two brothers in a Qidwaaee family of Dariyaabaad. Mazhar Kareem happened to be the parental grandfather and Noor Kareem the maternal grandfather of Abdul Maajid, the maulaanaa whose life-story we are talking about at present. Mazhar Kareem was the Sarishtahdaar (head clerk) of Faizabad collectorate and was suspected to have played antiBritish role during the 1857 (~1273) Rebellion, and was transported to the Andamans by the British government. He was released in 1865 (~1282AH) and he spent the rest of his life n religious activities. Mazhar Kareem’s son, Abdul Qaadir was appointed deputy collector. Abdul Maajid is the youngest son of Abdul Qaadir (1848-1912 ~ 1264-1330AH) and Beebee Naseerun Nisaa’ (1852-1941 ~ 1268-1360AH). Starting from lessons in Qur’aan at home, Abdul Maajid was admitted into Sitapur High School (1902-1908 ~ 1320-1326AH) in due course. He was reported to be doing exceptionally good in studies. In 1908 (~1326AH), he was admitted into Canning College of Lucknow, wherefrom he graduated in 1912 (~1330AH). He was then admitted into St. Stephen’s College of Delhi for M.A. in philosophy. Two sorrowful events happened about the same time, namely death of his father and complete loss of the family savings deposited in a bank due to a bank robbery. Abdul Maajid was compelled to leave his studies before completion of the M.A. course. Later in his life, Aligarh Muslim University honoured him by conferring the honorary degree of Doctor Letters in 1976 (~1396AH). Obsessed with the passion for writing literary pieces from his early days in school, he wrote and sent his articles to 'Oudh Times' and thereafter to 'Al Akhbaar' of Gorakhpur and 'Al Islaam' of Amritsar. The subjects dealt with were the burning topics of the day. He also began reading voraciously in different libraries in order to gather materials for his writings. His critical review of Maulaanaa Shiblee’s ‘Al Kalaam’ which appeared in ‘An Nazeer’ journal of Lucknow, took him to the pinnacle of fame as a literary critic. He was invited to take up the editorship of many journals, beginning with ‘Ma’aarif’ of Lucknow and ‘Hamdard’ sponsored by Maulaanaa Muhammad Alee. He then launched his own weekly ‘Sach’ from Lucknow in 1924 (~1342AH). Simultaneously, he started writing books one after another in quick succession.
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Oct-Nov 2002
At one stage, the frustrations of life and the influence of falsehood spread by the West in tempting ways turned him into a sceptic or even an agnostic. He registered himself as a member of the Rationalist Association of London. But his close contact with the most sensible Islaamic thinkers of the time such as Akbar Allahabadee and Maulaanaa Muhammad Alee (1878-1931 ~ 1295-1349AH) revered the tendency of his temporary apostasy. Above all, the enlightened counsels and spiritual influence of Hazrat Ashraf Alee Thaanavee (1863-1943 = 1280-1362) ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﷲbrought him back from the realm of Darkness to the resplendence of Islaamic Faith. He woke up as if from a slumber and started critical study of the Holy Book and all other Islaamic literature with assiduous fervor, wyes open and conscience clear. His faith was then doubly reinforced and strengthened. As a result of intensive study and the spiritual guidance he received from Hazrat Thaanavee, he started writing on Islaam Theology and on scores of other subjects. The most celebrated works produced by his pen, the translations of the holy Qur’aan and the elaborate commentaries known as Tafseer in both Urdu and English, are marvels of erudition and unparalleled scholarship bearing high testimony to the writer’s encyclopedic knowledge of secular sciences, philosophy, history, culture and religions of the world. They eclipsed all other commentaries of the Qu’aan of recent times in consummate diction, lucid style of presentation of abstract concepts and metaphysics. The rationality behind the Qur’aanic philosophy and ethics were clarifies in eloquent language. As a result of these precious features, the copyrights of Dariyaabaadee’s translations and tafseers were rapidly purchased by renowned publishers of Islaamic literature in India and abroad. Besides the translations and the commentaries of the Qur’aan, Maulaanaa Dariyaabaadee has to his credit scores of books on a wide range of subjects: hadeeth, literature, Islaamic faith and practice, philosophy, religion, Sufism, travels, biography, several compendia of prose literature and other topics. Maulaanaa Dariyaabaadee’s commentaries have provided a new line of vision to serve as a beacon of light in the present age of crass materialism. They are meant to restore equilibrium for the bewildered human society, deplorably splintered through sectarian dissensions caused by misinterpretations of Divine injunctions. They will help the seekers of Truth to grasp the inner meanings of Faith and Righteousness and to inculcate obeisance and reverence of God. Maulaanaa Dariyaabaadee, a prolific writer throughout most of his life, lived to the ripe age of 84 (d. 10/6/1978 ~ 4/7/1398AH). May Allaah bless his soul! References: 1. Aap Beetee by Maulaanaa Abdul Maajid Dariyaabaadee 2. Puraane Charaag by Maulaanaa Abul Hasan Alee Nadvee
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The Ray of Hope
Sha’baan 1423 A.H
Oct-Nov 2002
Ml Aazaad (Azad) And The Struggle For Aazaadee
Shamsul Islam To enjoin what is right, to forbid what is wrong, to call the Faithful back to the path of righteousness, to invite the Believers to the Book of Allaah and the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ, to win back the Utopian Islaamic Caliphate along with all its glory and grandeur, majesty and magnificence, Maulaanaa Abul Kalam Ghulaam Muhyiddeen Ahmad Azad Dehlvi launched the Al Hilaal weekly from Calcutta in 1912 (=1330AH). And it had the desired impact on the Faithfuls – the masses and the clergies alike. Greatly influenced by the journal, Shaikh-ul Hind Maulaanaa Mahmood Hasan Deobandee (1851-1920 = 1268-1339AH) remarked, “It si the first journal that has reminded us of our long-forgotten duty of Jihaad.”
Profile of Maulaanaa Azad
Date of birth: 11 Nov 1888 ~ 5 Rabee’-ul Awwal 1306 AH Parents: Maulaanaa Khairuddeen and ‘Aaliyah
Journalism: 1. Published and edited Al Hilaal weekly from Calcutta (13 Jul 1912 – 8 Nov 1914 ~ 26/7/1330-18/12/1332AH) with a readership of nearly one hundred thousand. 2. Published and edited Al Balaagh weekly form Calcutta (12 Nov 1915 – 3 Apr 1916 ~ 3/1/1334-27/5/1334AH) 3. Again published Al Hilaal weekly (10 Jun 1927 – 9 Dec 1927 ~ 9/12/1345-14/6/1346) Books:
1.Tazkirah 2. Tarjumaan-ul Qur’aan 3. Ghubaar e Khaatir 4. India wins freedom Internment: At Ranchi (8 Jul 1916 - 1 Jan 1920 ~ 5/9/13348/4/1338AH) Incarceration: 1. At Alipur Central Jail (1921-22 ~ 1339-40AH) 2. At Meerut for nearly 6 months before Gandhi-Irwin Pact (5 Mar 1931 ~ 15/10/1349AH) 3. At Delhi for about 6 months after the failure of Second Round Table Conference (Sep-Dec 1931 = 1350AH) 4. At Naini Jail (1940-41 ~ 1359-60AH) 5. At Ahmednagar Fort (arrested at Bombay on 9 Aug 1942 (~26/7/1361AH), released on 15 Jun 1945 (~ 4/7/1364AH))
Established: A madrasah at Ranchi, another at Calcutta (1920 ~ 1338AH) Presided over: 1. All India Khilaafah Committee (Calcutta Session, 1920 ~ 1338AH) 2. Majlis e Khilaafah (Agra, 1921 ~ 1339AH) 3. Jam’iyat u Ulamaa e Hind (Lahore, 1921 ~ 1339AH) 4. Indian National Congress (1923, 1939-46 ~ 1341,1358-65AH) 5. Unity Conference (Delhi, 1924 ~ 1342AH) 6. National Muslims Conference (1928 ~ 1347AH)
Demise: 22 Feb 1958 (~ 2/8/1377AH) Through this journal, Azaad urged the Muslims to join hands with their Hindu brethren in India in the struggle against the British government: “Let the seven crore Muslims and the twenty-two crore Hindus of India come to-
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The Ray of Hope
Sha’baan 1423 A.H
Oct-Nov 2002
gether and form one community and nation of India.” When the Khilaafah movement and Non-cooperation movement began in 1920 to protest against the humiliating treatment meted out to the ‘Usmaanee Caliph by Britain and the other Allies after World War I, Azad emerged as a mass leader calling for complete boycott of European of goods: “Any Muslim who buys or uses European trade or consumer products does, in fact, blatantly support the enemies of Islaam and Tauheed (Islaamic monotheism).” Through his strenuous efforts, Azad played an important part in making the movement a success. As in the Khilaafah and Non-cooperation movements (1920-1922), so in the on and off Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934), Azad along with Gandhiji led the Indian masses with strong determination and earnest spirit of sacrifice. Thereafter, when the Cabinet Mission arrived in India in 1946 to work out a formula to grant the Cabinet Mission Plan provided for a federal Indian government in which only defence, foreign affairs and communication would belong to the Central government while the rest would belong to the provincial governments: the whole plan was basically the same as that proposed by Maulaanaa Azad which sought to allay the fear of Hindu domination in Muslim minds and thus to avoid the partition of India. This brilliant plan was soon accepted by all the concerned parties and the dream of a united, free India was close to be realized when some intriguing hands succeeded in scuttling the plan. Having served as Congress president for the longest and most crucial period of national struggle (1939-46), Azad finally decided to step down and have Jawaharlal Nehru as his successor. Then, on 24 Mar 1947 (=2/5/1366AH), Lord Mountbatten became the Viceroy of India and he tried his best to impress upon the Indian leaders that partition could not be done without. Consequently, most Indian leaders including the new Congress president gave into Mountbatten’s persuasions and accepted the partition plan which ultimately led to serious and large scale communal violence involving innumerable incidents of murder, rape, loot, arson etc. that saw Gandhiji undertake fast-unto-death and finally lay down his life on 30 Jan 1948 at the hands of Nathu Ram Godse. Azad continued to serve the nation as an important member of the Indian government and he contributed a great deal in the formulation of the internal and external policies of the nation till the end of his life. Sources: 1. India wins freedom by Maulaanaa Abul Kalam Azad 2. Kuchh Abul Kalam Azad ke baare mein by Malik Ram 3. Maulaanaa Abul Kalam Azad: zihn o kirdaar by Abdul Mughnee § § § § § § § § § §
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The Ray of Hope
Sha’baan 1423 A.H
Oct-Nov 2002
The Khaleefah Of The Khilaafah Movement
Wasi Akhtar Nadvi (Kulliyat-ul Hadeeth) Born on 10 Dec 1878 (~14/12/1295AH) in the state of Rampur, Maulaanaa Muhammad Alee Jauhar, son of Abdul Alee Khaan, son of Shaikh Mahboob Bakhsh was orphaned at the tender age of two when his father passed away on 2 Aug 1880 (~23/8/1297AH) leaving behind a daughter and five sons, the youngest being Muhammad Alee. He was brought up by his sensible and wise mother, Abadi Begum, popularly known as “Bee Ammaa”. Muhammad Alee studied at a school of Bareilly, then moved to Madrasat-ul Uloom at Aligarh where he passed the entrance examination in 1894 (~1311AH) and entered the Aligarh College. In the B.A. examinations in 1898 (~1317AH), he stood first in the whole state. In 1899 (~1317AH), he went to Oxford University to compete in the I.C.S. examinations but could not succeed because of failure in horse-racing. During his brief stay at India for a few months in 1902 (~1320AH), he married Amjadee Begum. On returning to Oxford University, he completed his B.A. (Hons.) in modern history. On his return to India, he served as the Education Officer in Rampur state, then as the officer of the Drug Prohibition Department in Baroda state (for nearly four and a half years), after that as Commissioner of Nausaaree district in Baroda and finally as Principal Assistant of the Crown Prince of Baroda state, Kunwar Fateh Singh. In 1911, Maulaanaa began his journalistic career with the launch of Comrade weekly in English on 14 Jan 1911 (~12/1/1329AH) which was edited by Qaazee Abdul Ghaffaar. There he exhibited his journalistic spirit of which he had the opinion: “Not only does a journalist present the public opinion but also guides it.” However, the attempt to rouse the anti-imperialist feeling among the masses eventually led to a brief internment of both he and his brother Shaukat Alee (1873-1938 ~ 1290-1357AH) – collectively known as the Alee Brothers – on 22 Apr 1915 (~ 6/6/1333) in Rampur for two days which was followed by a long prison-term (11/5/1915-28/12/1919 ~ 25/6/1333-4/4/1338AH). A strong champion of Hindu-Muslim unity, Muhammad Alee played a leading role in the Khilaafah Movement and the Non-Cooperation Movement. He led a delegation of the Indian leaders to Britain to place the view of the Indians on the Khilaafah issue before the British Government. But the delegation returned emptyhanded. Therefore, Muhammad Alee along with M K Gandhi (1869-1948 ~ 12861367AH) and Maulaanaa Azad launched the Non-Cooperation Movement on 31
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Aug 1920 which resulted in great political commotion all over India. As a result, he was arrested in 1921 and sentenced to two years imprisonment. During this period he studied Qur’aan from Shaikh-ul Islaam Sayyid Husain Ahmad Madanee (18791957 = 1296-1377AH), his co-prisoner. When he was released on 29 Aug 1923, he was appointed the Congress president. Muhammad Alee was grieved by the pitiable situation of the Muslims in India. He wanted them to have both Islaamic as well as modern education. So he set up a university Jaami’ah Milliyah Islaamiyah at Aligarh on 29 Oct 1920 (~13/2/1339AH) which was inaugurated by Shaikh-ul Hind Maulaanaa Mahmood Hasan Deobandee (1851-1920 = 1268-1339AH) in the presence of M K Gandhi. He also exhorted the clergies to do their best for the upliftment of the community just as Prophet Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢhad done. Addressing the clergies at a Jam’iyat u Ulamaa e Hind meeting at Moradabad in 1925 (~1343AH), he reprimanded them saying: “Had you done full justice to your solemn obligations, the plight of the community would not have been so pathetic as it is.” The great hero of Indian Freedom Movement did not live long to see his dreams fulfilled. He went to Britain to attend the First Round Table Conference in November 1930 (=1349AH) and on 4 Jan 1931 (~14/8/1349AH), closed his eyes till the Last Day. The great dedicated leader had the honour of being buried at the holy Bait-ul Maqdis in occupied Al Quds (Jerusalem).
References: 1. Maulaanaa Muhammad Alee Jauhar: Ek ‘ahdsaaz shakhsiyat by Muhammad Fazl e Haq 2. Tahreek e aazaadee e Hind mein Muslim Ulamaa aur ‘awaam kaa kirdaar by Muftee Muhammad Salmaan Mansoorpooree 3. Freedom Struggle by Bipan Chandra, Amales Tripathi and Barun De
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