Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College

Syed Fazlul Hassan Maulana Hasrat Mohani

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Mohsin Aziz

(Residential halls of Aligarh Muslim University: Person behind the name series/ blog 7)

Chupke chupke Raat din ansoon bahana Yaad hai

Humko abtak ashiqui Ka wo zamana Yaad hai

(Maulana Hasrat Mohani)

Hasrat Mohani Hostel

Hasrat Mohani hostel is one of the hostels in Sir Shah Sulaiman Hall. It is a boys hostel.

Birth and Early Life

Syed Fazlul Hassan popularly known as Maulana Hasrat Mohani was born in town Mohan of district Unnao, Uttar Pradesh in 1875. It was the year when Sir Syed was laying the foundation of Madrastul Uloom at Aligarh which later developed into Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College in 1877 and later into Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.

He passed middle school in 1894 from Mohan Middle School and got government scholarship based on his extraordinary performance in the whole district. In September 1894 he was admitted to government high school in Fatehpur in class 2. Within three months on 1st December 1894 he was promoted to class 4th based on his performance. When in May 1895 exams were held he topped the exams and by July 1895 he was again promoted, this time to class 6th. In class 6th the teachers were so impressed that within one month i.e. on 15 August 1895 he was again promoted to class 7th. He again scored highest marks in class 7th. By 1899 Hasrat passed the exam of inter, again securing highest marks in his class (Khalique Anjum, 1994)

At Aligarh

After passing Inter in1899 Hasrat decided to go to Aligarh for higher studies. At that time Sir Dr. Ziauddin Ahmad was professor of Mathematics at Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College. When Sir Ziauddin saw Hasrat’s name in official Gazette as a topper he immediately invited Hasrat to come to Aligarh for higher education (Majrooh Gorakhpuri, 1951).

Hasrat reached college on ekka. He was wearing loose pyjama, old shoes and was carrying his pandaan in one hand. Immediately someone called him khala Jaan. Hasrat had truly arrived at Aligarh in style. But soon he became favourite of students at the college and students gave him title of Maulana which became part of his name till death.

While at college his name was thrice written in discipline book. It became a reason for not allowing Hasrat to stay in College premises. When Hasrat came to Aligarh he was a brilliant student. However Hasrat got himself involved in so many cultural activities at Aligarh that he managed only second division in Graduation.

Urdu e Mualla

After graduation in 1903, Hasrat started a magazine by the name of Urdu e Mualla from Aligarh. Urdu e Mualla published articles against the imperialists. Hasrat had to pay heavy price for this. When in 1908, Hasrat criticized British police action in Egypt in Urdu e Mualla. He was imprisoned for his writings.

When Urdu e Mualla was closed, Hasrat opened Swadeshi Store at rasalganj area of Aligarh. It was called Mohani Swadeshi Store. On his indomitable spirit Allama Shibli said in amazement ‘tum aadmi ho ya Jin? Pehley shayar they phir sayasatdaan baney, ab baniye baney huye ho’. Similarly in his inimitable style Akbar Allahabadi quipped

Bhai Sahab ab tum Rakh do apna qalam

Hath main lo ab tejarat Ka alam

It is generally believed that Swadeshi movement was Started by Congress but the fact is that it was Hasrat who was the first person to not only give the but actually walk the talk by opening the Swadeshi store where only different Indian products were sold.

Politics

In 1904 he joned Congress and in 1905 he joined swadeshi tehreek run by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In 1921 he coined the slogan Inquilab Zindabad which was later popularized by Bhagat Sigh. In fact the slogan became the most popular slogan of the freedom movement and still remains one.

Hasrat was involved in the communist movement in India from the very beginning. He was one of the founders of communist party of India (CPI). CPI’s first office was innaugrated in 1925 in Cawnpur (Kanpur). It was innaugrated by Hasrat Mohani by waving red flag. He was the president of the reception committee of All India Conference of Communists held in Kanpur on December 25-26, 1925 (Raza Naeem, 2018). In his own words he was a Muslim Communist:

Darweshi-o-inqilab maslak hai mera

Sufi momin hoon, Ishteraqi Muslim

He joined Muslim League as well for sometime. He parted ways with Jinnah as Hasrat did not want India to be partitioned. He was also an important member of Progressive Writers Association. He wore many hats at the same time.

Inquilab Zindabad

Hasrat Mohani was the first to propose to propose the concept of complete Independence or purna swaraj in 1921. However, Gandhi accepted the idea only 10 years later as Gandhi thought in 1921 that its time has still not come (Telangana Today, 2022)

Jail

In 1908 Hasrat was jailed for his political thoughts. At that time he was member of Congress. He was given imprisonment for two years and a fine of 500 rupees. To recover the fine police auctioned his personal library which contained some rare handwritten manuscripts. According to Hasrat many of those had no second copy. In Hasrat’s words the valuable books were put in a gunny bag like wood or sawdust and auctioned at a very low price.

After his release from prison he was again politically active. On 10th April 1916 Hasrat attended Aligarh Muslim University committee session at Lucknow. Still it was a college and the committee was holding sessions to press the demand for university status to the college. After attending the event Hasrat reached Aligarh and was arrested on 13th April 1916 from his home in Aligarh. This was his second arrest and imprisonment. He was imprisoned for being invited to be part of the Provisional Government of India-in-exile which was formed in Kabul by some prominent freedom fighters. It was composed of Raja Mahendra Pratap as President, Maulana Barkatullah as Prime Minister, Maulvi Ubaidullah Sindhi as home minister, Maulvi Bashir as war minister and Champakraman Pillai as foreign affairs minister. Before invitation could reach Hasrat, the British government got wind of it and arrested him. However he was allowed home cooked food and visits by family members.

His third arrest was in 1922 from Kanpur. A year earlier in Ahmedabad session of Congress in 1921 he presented the concept of complete Independence. The speech which he delivered in the session was considered revolt by the Raj and he was again imprisoned for two years. He was arrested from Kanpur and brought to Ahmedabad and put in baramati jail. This time sentence was rigorous imprisonment. He has himself described it in the following couplet:

Hai mashqey sukhan jaari, chakki ki mushaqqat bhi

Hai ek turfa tamasha Hasrat ki tabiyat bhi

His imprisonment could not deter him or break his spirits. In his own words:

Rooh azaad hai khayaal azaad

Jism e hasrat ki qaid hai bekar (Dewaney Hasrat Mohani, 1914)

When during his rigorous imprisonment ramzaan came Hasrat did not miss his fast. In his own words:

Kat Gaya qaed main mahey ramzaan bhi Hasrat


Garchey samaan sehar Ka tha na iftari Ka

Krishna loving Maulana

Hasrat never hid his love for Krishna. In fact he went to Mathura to play Holi. In his words

Mathura keh hai Nagar ashiqui Ka

Dam bharti hai aarzoo usi Ka


Har zarrah sarzameen e Gokul

Dara hai Jamal e dilbari Ka

Visit to Europe

In April 1939 Hasrat visited England by ship from Karachi. From Karachi he went to Basra. From Basra he went to Baghdad. From Baghdad he went to Beirut. From Beirut his ship went to Marseilles and onward to London. In London he met many people including Mr. MC Donald and Colonel Muir and discussed various political issues. Hasrat stayed in London for two months. According to Hasrat he travelled third class and spent 16 pounds sterling for his journey by ship. His discussions in London focussed on five topics: Indian federation, Government of Nizam Hyderabad, Albania, Palestine and Hijaz railway (Hasrat Mohani, 1939).

After Independence

Hasrat was among the lucky freedom fighters who saw India’s freedom in their lifetime. After Independence Hasrat became both member of parliament as well as member of Constituent Assembly. Both the memberships allowed him liberal allowances but Hasrat never took allowances. He did not even avail the facility of free housing for which he was entitled. Whenever he attended session of the parliament or Constituent Assembly he would stay in a mosque near parliament or stayed in Dar ul Amaan in Ballimaraan.

Poet

Hasrat was poet par excellence. He knew the art of writing ghazal in very simple language which could be understood by everybody. He considered Mir Taqi Mir as master poet.

Sher merey bhi Hain purdard wa lekin

Meer Ka Sheva e guftaar kahaan se laun

At the same time Hasrat was very proud of his poetry as well and expressed it several times in his poetry.

Hasrat teri is pukhta kalami ki hai kya baat

paya hai kisi aur sukhanwar ne hai kab rang

Hasrat teri shagufta kalami pe aafreen

Yaad a gain naseem ki rangeen bayaniyaan

(Dewaney Hasrat Mohani, 1914)

Wife

Hasrat got married to Nishat un Nisa in 1901. She was daughter of Syed Shabib Hassan Mohani who was lawyer in Hyderabad High Court. She was educated in Urdu, Arabic and Persian languages. She was a huge support to Hasrat. When Hasrat went to jail she wrote “Tolerate the trouble you have faced with like a man. Don’t worry about me or house at all. Beware you should not feel any type of weakness“. She even came to the court and fought the case of Hasrat with bravery.

Death

On 13 May 1951 Maulana Hasrat Mohani breathed his last in Lucknow after prolonged illness. His death was widely covered in national newspapers and journals. Many poets wrote on his death. Asar Rampuri said:

Kaamlaney Adab o Sher pe Aya hai wo Saal


Jis main aksar ne piya sagharey sahbai e ajal

(Asar Rampuri)

Thus ended the life of a freedom fighter who did not give an inch to the Britishers and valiantly fought his entire life for the freedom of India. His frequent visits to the jail could not deter him. He died on his own terms true to what he wrote in one of his jail terms,

Dushman ke mitaaney se na Mita hoon Na mitonga

Aur Yun to main faani hoon, fana meray liye.

References:

Khalique Anjum (1994) Hasrat Mohani. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India: New Delhi.

Hasrat Mohani (1914) Intekhab Deewaney Hasrat Mohani, Matba Faizey Aam, Aligarh.

Telangana Today (2022) Hasrat Mohani: The poet who first called for complete independence, coined ‘Inquilab Zindabad’. 14 August.

Saleem, Anika & Bayat, Ali (2022) Hasrat Mohani’s letter writing from British prison. Zaban o Adab. Vol. 15. No. 1.

Majnoon Gorakhpuri (1951) Hasrat Number, Urdu Adab, p. 81.

Hasrat Mohani (1939). Hasrat Mohani Ka Safar e Europe. Mustaqil (January -August), Kanpur, Pp. 1-4.

Raza Naeem (2018) Protecting the memory of Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Muslim and Communist. The Wire. Available at: https://thewire.in/history/maulana-hasrat-mohani-muslim-communist. Accessed on 25 January 2024.

Shamsul Ulama Allama Shibli Nomani

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(Residential halls of Aligarh Muslim University: Person behind the name series/ blog 5)

Mohsin Aziz

Adab aur mashriqi Tarikh ka ho dekhna makhzan

To Shibli sa waheedey asr wa ektaye zameen dekhen

(Malulan Altaf Hussain Hali)

Shibli hostel is part of Mohsinul Milk Hall. Mohsinul Mull Hall or MM Hall is a male residential Hall of Aligarh Muslim University. The Hall was established in 1963 with the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, laying it’s foundation stone.

Early Life and Education

Shibli was born in extraordinary times. He was born in May 1857 in Bindwal village of District Azamgarh. The first war of Indian Independence was underway and Shibli was born on the day when freedom fighters had broken the gate of Azamgarh Jail and released fighters from there. His fathers family belonged to Rajpoot converts. His given name was Mohammad Shibli which he later changed to Shibli Nomani (Nadvi, Syed Sulaiman, 1986). As per the norm in Azamgarh, all the inhabitants of Bindwal now use the surname of Nomani with their names. Shibli was a poet par excellence. In the beginning he used the takhallus (nom de plume) of tasneem. However, he has often used the takhallus of nomani and shibli also particularly in his Persian poetry. However both the takhallus were used as per the meter of the poem (Nadvi, Syed Sulaiman, 1986). It was due to Sir Syed’s efforts that modern education gained acceptance in the present day eastern Uttar Pradesh. Shibli’s father was also an admirer of Sir Syed. Shibli’s early education was under Hakeem Abdullah of Jairajpur Village. Later he studied under the guidance of Maulvi Shukrullah. Later he studied Arabic from Maulvi Faizullah. Maulvi Faizullah was head of Madrasa Ulum Arbia which was opened by Shibli’s father along with some others in Azamgarh. Later Shibli was admitted to Madrasa Chashmai Rahmat, Ghazipur. Chashmai Rahmat was famous in those days because of Maulana Farooq Chirayakoti who used to teach there. At Chashmai Rahmat, Shibli became student of Maulana Farooq Chirayakoti. Shibli studied both Arabic and Persian from Maulana Farooq Chirayakoti and completed his education under him (Nadvi, Syed Sulaiman, 1986).

After completing his education under Maulana Farooq Chirayakoti, Shibli went to several other cities in search of further knowledge. First he went to Rampur and studied usool and fiqh for about one year from Maulana Irshaad Hussain. From Rampur, Shibli went to Deoband. He did not take part in classes at Deoband but used the library and studied farayez there. From Deoband, Shibli went to Lahore. At that time Maulana Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri was professor of Arabic Literature at Oriental College Lahore. Maulana Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri could not find any time for Shibli to teach as his whole day was already scheduled for various students and activities. However, the persistence of Shibli paid off and Maulana Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri offered to teach Shibli. But the schedule of teaching is very interesting and an example of the dedication of both the teacher and the student. Maulana Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri used to walk to the College. The only time available to Maulana Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri was when he was going to and coming from college. Shibli agreed to the arrangement. Shibli started taking lessons from Maulana Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri during his walk from home to College and from College and home. In the meantime, it was vacation time and Maulana Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri travelled to his hometown in Saharanpur. By this time, teacher had seen dedication of the student. Maulana Faizul Hassan Saharanpuri took Shibli with him to his hometown so that he can teach Shibli during his vacation. The visit proved to be very beneficial and allowed Shibli to develop his command over Arabic Literature and Poetry further. It was during this time that Shibli memorized hamasa and studied jumharatul arab . Shibli’s next teacher was Maulana Ahmad Ali Mohaddis Saharanpuri. Shibli studied Hadees from him and got a sanad e hadees from his teacher. Shibli wanted to continue his education further under Maulana Ahmad Ali but got a chance to go for hajj. He took permission from his ustad and proceeded for hajj journey. At that time, Shibli’s age was 19. Thus ended the educational journey lasting 14 years (Nadvi, Syed Sulaiman, 1993).

Hajj

During hajj, Shibli made full use of his free time and visited libraries in Madinah and benefitted from the large collection of hadees books there. Shibli has shared many interesting anecdotes and stories from his hajj journey. Shibli shared story of an Indian Hajj pilgrim who used to travel barefooted braving thorns. Once after getting tired he sat down and started removing thorns from his feet. Shibli went near him. The haji asked Shibli to sit and recited the following couplet:

Abley rotey hain khoon, ranj bada hota hai

Koi kaanta jo kafe pa se juda hota hai

Time in Judiciary

Shibli’s father and his maternal uncle both were successful lawyers of Azamgarh. Shibli’s father wanted him to join judiciary. Shibli was not very much interested but started preparation for Judicial exam. He used to study and his younger brother, Mehdi Hassan, would listen what Shibli has preparing. When the results came out for the year 1879, Shibli was not selected but his younger brother Mehdi Hassan who did not prepare for the exam but only listened to Shibli passed the exam. This shocked Shibli and he realised the importance of English language. His brother knew English. He decided to prepare again. He started reading law books and prepared his own notes for studies. His hard work paid off and he was selected in 1880 exam. In fact his notes proved to be so good that many of his friends got selected using the notes. He started practicing law at Azamgarh in 1880-81 but could not continue for long. Very soon his father found out that Shibli is always speaking the truth and it was difficult for him to continue his practice. Hence the practice was stopped.

Sir Syed and Aligarh

Shibli’s father was supporter of Sir Syed’s mission for the spread of education from the beginning. When Sir Syed was posted at Ghazipur, he had already started propagating his ideas about English education. Sir Syed created a favorable environment towards modern education. Shibli’s father, Sheikh Habibullah was an ardent admirer of Sir Syed. His father contributed to the College fund during Sir Syed’s tours of Azamgarh district. When Sir Syed started Madrasatul Uloom in 1875 at Aligarh which later became MAO College, Shibli’s father sent his younger son to study at MAO College. When he came to meet his son in October 1881 to Aligarh, Shibli also came along with his father. For the occasion, Shibli wrote an Arabic Qasida (laudatory poem) for Sir Syed and presented it to Sir Syed. Sir Syed liked it so much that he published it in Aligarh Institute Gazette (15 October 1881, Vol 16, No. 2, p. 1175).

Later Shibli joined Aligarh in 1883 as Professor of Persian and Assistant Professor of Arabic for a salary of 40 INR. In 1886 he was given full professorship of Arabic as well. In the beginning he stayed outside college but after sometime Sir Syed made arrangements for Shibli’s stay near his house (Islahi, Z.I., ). A small banglow was given to Shibli just behind the Sir Syed House (I am witness to the ruins of the banglow in my childhood. It was popularly called Shibli ki Kutiya or Shibli’s hut as it was very small. Now there is no trace of that very small banglow. It is indeed sad that the historical room which was given to Shibli by Sir Syed was allowed to deteriorate and then destroyed). Besides teaching Arabic and Persian, he was additionally given the charge of Darse Quran by Sir Syed himself. In fact, it was the beginning of Darse Quran at the college. Among his Darse Quran students, one can count Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. He was also involved in the curriculum development at the college and wrote a book as per the wish of Sir Syed entitled “lujnatul islam” which was included in the college curriculum. The rights of the book were given to the college by Shibli so that college could monetarily benefit. When Sir Syed was facing flak from ulema for promoting english education, Shibli wrote his famous poem Subh e Ummeed in favour of college and Sir Syed in which he traced the history of muslims and their downfall and urged fellow muslims to support Sir Syed as he was trying to get them up once again. To the naysayers of Sir Syed and College he wrote:

Syed se hai agar bhu’z lillah

Wo khadim e qaum agar hai gumrah

Kutch aap hi intezaam kartey

Islam ko nek namm kartey (Shibli Nomani)

At another place he very beautifully described the personality of Sir Syed in the following words:

Soorat se ayaan jalaley shahi

chahrey par faroghey subhey gahi

wo mulk pe jaan deney wala

wo qaum ki naaw kheney wala (Shibli Nomani)

It was at Aligarh that he came into contact with Prof. T. W. Arnold. Shibli learned French and modern research methodology from him. Two became very good friends. It was through Arnold and Sir Syed’s library that Shibli got to educate himself about Orientalists and their work. Reading the work of orientalists gave the idea to Shibli to write heroes of Islam series of which Al Farooq is the perhaps most famous.

Travel to Turkey, Syria and Egypt

In 1892, Shibli decided to travel to Turkey, Egypt and Syria. In fact Shibli had planned a Heroes of Islam series for which enough reference was not available in India at that time. The basic thought behind this journey was to collect reference and consult books for his upcoming project. Although he did not plan to write travelogue but after return to Aligarh, on the request of many people decided to write account of his journey which resulted in Safarnama e Rome o Misr o Shaam. The travelogue is a complex and masterful account of his travels to the Ottoman lands where he met a wide variety of people, visited schools and libraries and gave account of day to day life of the places he visited. The riveting account by Shibli of his travels makes the travelogue a classic of Urdu literature. Shibli wanted to write a series of books on his journey. Shibli’s journey started on 26 April 1892 from Aligarh. At that time Shibli was professor of Arabic and Persian in the College. The summer vacations of the college were usually for three months. Due to his service in the college, Shibli was also entitled to 3 months of privilege leave. Shibli combined the two leaves and took 6 months off from the college and started his journey along with Thomas Arnold who was also associated with the college. Thomas Arnold was Professor of Philosophy at the college. He was not only a colleague of Shibli but Shibli had learnt French from Thomas Arnold. Shibli learnt that Arnold was traveling to England during the vacation. Shibli decided to accompany Arnold for a part of the journey to travel to the Ottoman lands. There are many interesting anecdotes, observations and accounts in the travelogue. One incident is worth mentioning. Shibli mentions that one morning after leaving the port of Aden, the engine of the ship developed some problem. There was chaos everywhere and the captain and crew of the ship were looking worried. Shibli got worried and immediately went to Arnold. He saw Arnold calmly sitting on a chair on the deck of the ship and reading a book. Shibli asked Arnold that is this the time to read a book? Are you not worried? Arnold’s reply is worth writing in gold. Arnold told Shibli that if the ship is going to be drowned then the whatever little time is left is very precious, and to waste such precious moments is nothing but foolishness. It took the crew eight hours to fix the engine and the journey continued (Shibli, Nomani, 1335 Hijri corresponding to 1916). It was during this journey that Shibli was honoured by the Ottoman Sultan. Shibli was given tamgahe majidia. It was first title to be awarded to anybody from the college except Sir Syed. However, Shibli could not use the medal because the permission from the British Crown was not granted (Shibli, Nomani, 1916).

In Istanbul Shibli was able to create a network of well connected people. He visited libraries, schools, madrasas and colleges. The strict discipline and common routine for students and common dress impressed Shibli. He was also impressed by the large residential halls for the students rather than separate rooms which were prevalent at MAO College at that time (Shibli, Nomani, 1916). After returning to India, a similar residence, namely Zahoor Hussain Ward, was started at the MAO College (Jalal, Ayesha, 2021, p. 25) However, what impressed Shibli most was the tradition of Monogram of the College or School on the collar of students coat. The monogram was written in Naskh and was embossed. Shibli reports that the monogram of the college on the black coat of the students distinguishes them from others. In his words ‘itna khushnuma maloom hota hai ki bayaan se bahar hai’ (looks so beautiful that it can not be explained in words) (Shibli, Nomani, 1916). Most probably the tradition of Black sherwani with university monogram on the collar at Aligarh Muslim University is related to this journey.

Title of Shamsul Ulama

After his return from Turkey, he was given the title of Shamsul Ulama by the government. At that time Shibli was only 37 years of age. It was a great honour not only for him but also for the college. It was for the first time that a professor of college was given such high honour. Only Sir Syed was recipient of honour from the government upto that time. Celebrations were held in the college. First program was jointly held by the Ikhwanus Safa and Lujnatul Adab on January 19. Later another function was held on February 17 in the Strachey Hall where European Officers, their ladies, college community and notables of Aligarh were present. It was in this function that he was given the Khilat, robe of honour (Zilli, I. A., 2024 ).

Establishment of National School

It was the affect of Aligarh that just after four months of service at Aligarh, Shibli decided to start an English medium school at Azamgarh. Shibli came to Aligarh in February 1883 and on 26 June 1883, National School was started in Azamgarh City. He became secretary of school and arranged land from his family. The school became middle school in 1887 and High School in 1895 (Nadvi, S.S., 1943, pp. 133-134). It became Inter College in 1940 in first degree college of the district in 1946 (Al Azmi, M. I., 2019). At present, it is the biggest minority educational institution in Uttar Pradesh after Aligarh Muslim University.

Hyderabad

Shibli was in Hyderabad from February 1901 to May 1905. Shibli’s stay at Hyderabad proved to intellectually very fruitful as he was able to write a number of his books during his relatively short stay in Hyderabad.

Nadwatul Ulama

Nadwatul Ulama is a Islamic Seminar based in Lucknow. It was formed by first annual convention of Nadwatul Ulama in 1894 by Mohammad Ali Mungeri, Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Mahmudul Hasan and Shibli Nomani. The foundation stone was laid by the then Lieutenant Governor of India, John Briscott Hewitt, on November 28, 1906. Shibli acted as Rector of Nadwa for sometime. During his stay at Nadwa, English was made compulsory for students which was a new concept at that time in any Madarsa. Similar he started a section of Hindi and Sanskrit teaching at Nadwa which was again a new concept in a Madarsa. It was during his stay at Nadwa that young Maulana Azad stayed for six months under the mentorship of Shibli and learned from him. Shibli resigned from Nadwa in July 1913 and shifted to his hometown, Azamgarh.

Darul Musannefin

Shibli always wanted to establish an academy like a think tank where academics can come and stay and do research. His idea was to create an institution with library and living quarters where researcher could do their work in peace. He wanted to establish it at Lucknow when he was at Nadwa. However, he could not get time to do so in Lucknow. Later when he moved to Azamgarh, he decided to establish it there. Although his dream could not materialize during his lifetime but immediately after his death, his close associates and students fulfilled his dream. Shibli had big dreams for the academy. However, three days before his death created an endowment which included his spacious garden, two kutchcha bungalows and about 300 books to form the nucleus of a library. He had, however, created a small group of co-workers and pupils who could carry the work further and had also compiled a few standard works to serve as pilot project. Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy was established on 21 November, 1914 i.e. three days after his death by his disciple and cousin Allama Hamiduddin Farahi and Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi (www.shibliacademy.org., 2024). Today Darul Musannefin is well academy producing work of high quality and boast of almost 300 titles published by it. It has a large library with well over one lakh books and reading hall. There is a large conference hall and Staff quarters. Academy has its own press and it is proud publisher of longest surviving Urdu monthly research journal, Maarif.

Madrasatul Islah

Although the founder of Madrasatul Islah was Maulana Mohammad Shafi, Shibli was involved in the affairs of the Madrasa from the very beginning. Shibli convinced his cousin Maulana Hamiduddin Farahi to join him in this endeavour. Farahi at that time was in Hyderabad. Farahi resigned from his job and joined Madrasatul Islah at Saraimeer, Azamgarh. Today Madrasatul Islam is among the most renowned madarsa of India.

Proposal for Islamic University at Mecca

Shibli was very keen on the establishment of and Islamic University at Mecca. Shibli proposed the idea on 15 April 1913 in Zamindar (famous Urdu daily published from Lahore). He wrote “In my opinion, establishment of a University at Mecca which can impart religious along with modern education is imparted is of utmost importance. It is an established fact that the key to power of a nation is education.” It was a brief proposal along with suggestions regarding syllabus and the reasons for establishing such an institutions at Mecca.

Shibli and Politics

Though Shibli never actively participated in politics but he kept a keen eye on it. He regularly wrote articles and poems on politics. He was supporter of Congress and a strongly opposed Muslim League and its politics.

Shibli wrote an interesting article “Musalmanon ki Political Karvat” (Turning point of Muslim Politics) which is strong critique of Muslim League politics. He calls it ‘strange thing’. He says in this essay that Muslims when asked about their politics mention one hypothetical and useless thing called Muslim league and say that this is Muslim politics. Today thousands of educated (Muslims) think this mirage as river of life. He then says that Muslim League cannot be a true political party even after thousand years. He raised some fundamental questions as to why it came into existence and who established it and called it a tamasha. At another place he called Muslim League as ajeebul khilqat makhlooq (strange creature).

Shibli as Author

Shibli was a prolific author. He did not only write numerous books on several topics but also set very standards. Some of his famous books are: Al Farooque, Al Ghazali, Seeratun Nabi (First two volumes), Sherul Ajam (Five volumes), Mawazna Anis wo Dabeer, Al Mamoon, Seeratun Noman, Aurangzeb Alamgir par ek nazar, Rasail e Shibli, Safarma e rome o misr o shaam, Kulliyat e Shibli (Urdu), Kulliyat e Shibli (Persian), Al Kalaam, Ilmul Kalaam and Lujnatul Islam. Many of these books are pioneers in Philosophy, Criticism, Travelogue and historiography. Most of his books set very high standard of literary language as well as rigorous research.

Shibli the poet

Anybody who has any interest in Urdu poetry must have heard the following couplet. However, very few know that the poet of the couplet is Shibli

Uski saadgi pe kaun na marjaye ae khuda

Ladtey Hain aur hasth main talwaar bhi Nahin (Shibli Nomani)

For somebody like Shibli who was dabbling into so many tasks at the same time, it was not possible to be a full time poet, however, he was a poet par excellence in his own right. Some of his political poems have no parallel. He wrote extensively on current political situation both in India as well events happening on world stage.

Some of his famous poems are: Adle Jahangiri, Adl Farooqui ka ek namoona, Ulam e Zindani, Maulvi ka Shugley Takfir, Muslim League, Ahley Bait Rasool s.a.w. Ki Zindagi, etc.

Main ruh e alam e imkan sharhe azmat e yazdan

Azal hai meri bedari abd khwab e giran mera (Shibli Nomani)

When the kanpur mosque tragegy happened in 1913 and many youngsters died in police firing, he wrote:

Ajab kya hai jo naukhezon ne sab se pehley janen deen

Ke ye bachhe hain inko jald so janey ki adat hai (Shibli Nomani)

Famous writer of times, Deputy Nazeer Ahmad, has written the following couplet praising Shibli’s poetry.

Tum apni nasr ko lo nazm ko chodo nazir Ahmad
Ke iskey wastey mozoon Hain hali aur Shibli (Deputy Nazeer Ahmad)

Accident and loss of a leg

In a freak accident, he accidently fired upon himself and injured one of his legs which had to be cut to save his life. The incident restricted his movement. He became more confined to his home in Azamgarh and fully focused on Siratun Nabi.

It was after the incident when he was invited by another contemporary famous poet, Akbar Allahabadi. Shibli could not go due to health issues and wrote following couplets in response:

Aaj Dawat main na aney ka mujhey bhi hai malal

Lekin asbab kutch aisey hain ki majboor hoon main

Apkey lutf o karam ka mujhey inkaar nahin

halqa dargosh hoon mamnoon hoon mashkoor hoon main

lekin ab main wo nahin hoon ke pada phirta tha

Ab to Allah ke afzal se taimur hoon main

Dil ke behlaney ki bateen hain ye shibli warna

Jitey ji murda hoon marhoom hoon maghfoor hoon main

Death

Shibli died in November 1914 while Hali died in December 1914. Aligarh movement lost two of the most learned pillars of Sir Syed’s Karawan. At the time of Hali’s death, Allama Iqbal mourned the death of Shibli also in the follwing words:

Khamosh ho gaye chamanistan ke raazdar

Sarmaye ghudaaz thi jinki nawae dard

Shibli ko ro rahey they abhi ahley gulistaan

Hali bhi ho gaya sooye firdaus e rah naward

For References and more information, Please see:

Al Azmi, Mohammad Ilyas (2019) Shibli National School Azamgarh ki tareekh ka ek warq. Tehzibul Akhlaq, September, Vol. 38, No. 9, pp. 42-45

Nadvi, Syed Sulaiman (1943) Hayat e Shibli. Darul Musanneffin Shibli Academy, Azamgarh.

Shibli, Nomani (1916) Safarnama Rome o Misr of Shaam. Delhi: Tohfa e Jannat

Jalal, Ayesha (2021) Muslim Universalist Aspirations: Intimacies between the Indus-Gangetic Plain and the Indian Ocean, In Bose, Sugata & Jalal, Ayesha (Eds) Oceanic Islam: Muslim Universalism and European Imperialism. India: Bloomsbury.

http://daak.co.in/safarnama-e-rum-o-misr-o-sham-shibli-nomanis-discovery-european-orientalism/

http://www.turkvehint.org/2018/05/urdu-resources/182/

Zilli, I. A. (2024) Allama Shibli Nomani. http://www.shibliacademy.org

Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum (9 July 1858- 12 May 1930)

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(Residential halls of Aligarh Muslim University: Person behind the name series/ blog 4)

Begum Sultan Jahan Hall

Begum Sultan Jahan Hall is tribute of Aligarh Muslim University to its first female Chancellor and one of its biggest supporters since its infancy. The Hall was established on September 2008 as a hall of residence for female students of the University. At present the Hall has four hostels named Block A, Block B, Block C and Block D.

Birth and Early Education

Born on 9 July 1888 in Bhopal (Hamid, R., 2011) was the eldest and only surviving child of Nawab Begum Sultan Shah Jahan and H.H. Nawab Baqi Muhammad Khan Bahadur. Her early education was under the care of Nawab Sikandar Begum. She was taught Urdu, Arabic, Persian. Upon completion of her education, certificate was given by W.E.Frere. At a later stage English lessons were given by the political agent of Gwalior, A.W.Hutchinson (Fareed, Sadaf, 2020).

She became the ruler of Bhopal through a letter dated 28 June 1901, from Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India (Jahan, S., 1913). She was the last in the chain of successive four Muslim women rulers. The previous three being: Nawab Qudsiya Begum, Nawab Sikandar Begum and Nawab Shahjahan Begum. This is unique not only in the Islamic world but it is difficult to find such an example anywhere in world history.

Sultan Jahan and Girls Education

She was always concerned about promoting education. Her contributions towards education and particularly women education are exemplary. When Lord Edwin Montague, the British Secretary of State for India, met Begum Sultan Jahan in 1917, he noted in his diary that she was “frightfully keen on education, and jabbered about nothing else” (Naik, P., 2019). Her keenness towards education can be gauged by her complaint to Shibli Naumani. She said “My heart weeps over the educational condition of the nation. Our people are not getting any intelligence, rather they make different excuses” (Fareed, S., 2020).

Quite early during her reign as ruler of Bhopal, she established school for girls education named Madarsa Sultania. The school was affiliated to Allahabad School Board. Besides the prescribed syllabus, there was provision of teaching Quran along with its translation. The school not only had ambulance and first aid facility but it later started a separate section for teaching first aid to its students. A teachers training school was also started at the Madarsa Sultania.

During the same period she also upgraded two existing schools in Bhopal, namely Madarsa Bilqisia and Madarsa Victoria. English, Home Science, Arithmetic etc were added to the syllabus. In Madarsa Bilqisia, students were taught gardening also.

Sultan Jahan Begum opened school for Hindu girls as well by the name of Barjeesiya Kanya Pathshala. The school offered Hindi, Arithmetic and English as major subjects. She also fixed scholarship for the underprivileged students of ‘Jain Shwetambar Pathshala’.

Later on she was instrumental in the opening of Madarsa Islamia Hamidiya. The foundation of the school was laid on 5th February 1925. Similarly when her son Sahibzada Hamidullah Khan proposed to start a college in Bhopal for girls by the name of Sultan Jahan College, she enthusiastically supported the move.

Upliftment of Women

Sultan Jahan Begum was always interested in the upliftment of women as was always thinking of ways to do so. For the same purpose she established ‘Ladies Club’ in Bhopal. The idea was to encourage women to do something positive for the society. She organised event for the same purpose under the aegis of All India Women Association and presented her acclaimed address entitled ‘Issues of Women’. At the event she announced the establishment of Sultan Jahan Endowment Trust with a contribution of three lakh rupees to support meritorious and needy students.

Later she started ‘Girls Guide School‘ to motivate girls to engage in creative activities. She also started a nursing school by the name of ‘Lady Minto Nursing School‘.

Support to Madaris

Besides secular education, she was always ready to support religious education. She supported Madarsa Nadwatul Ulema, Lucknow, from its inception. She approved an annual grant of twelve thousand rupees for the same. Another major contribution was her support to Madarsa in Makkah.

Sultan Jahan Begum and Aligarh

Sultan Jahan always had connection with the Aligarh Movement. When Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College was established at Aligarh she immediately supported the cause. She sent her younger son Nawab Hamidullah Khan to Aligarh where he studied for six years like any ordinary student of the day.

She was always involved in the affairs of All India Educational Conference. In the conference meeting in 1910 in Allahabad she was told about the need to start a movement to upgrade the college to University by Prince Agha Khan and Nawab Waqar ul Mulk she immediately sanctioned one lakh rupees and also promised to talk to Nizam of Hyderabad to contribute to the cause.

Similarly late when convinced of the need for a building for All India Educational Conference, she sanctioned fifty thousand rupees. On 27th February 1914 the foundation of the building was laid by her at Aligarh and on 5th February 1916, the building was inaugurated. Presently the building is known as Sultan Jahan Manzil which runs a coaching also.

In 1920 she became the first Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University till her death in 1930. After her death her son Nawab Hamidullah Khan was appointed the Chancellor of the University. She was the first female Chancellor of any India University and so far is the only female to have held the post of Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University in its more than hundred years of existence. She attended the first convocation of the University in 1922 where she gave speech at Stretchy Hall.

Sultan Jahan Begum and Seeratun Nabi

Begum sahiba was always ahead of others when it came to contribute for any religious cause. When she was appraised of the plan of Allama Shibli Nomani to write a book on the Seerat of the Prophet, she enthusiatically supported the idea and fixes a monthly stipend for Shibli so that he can focus on his research and be relieved from worries about household expenses. Shibli acknowledged the same by writing the following lines:

Masarif ki taraf se mut’ma’in hun main bahar surat

Ke abr faiz e Sultan Jahan Begum zar afshan hai

Rahi taaleef ki tanqeed e rawayat e hai tareekhi to

Us ke wastey mera dil hai meri jaan hai

Gharz do hath hain is kaam ke anjaam main shamil

ke jis main ek faqeer be nawa hai ek Sultan hai (Shibli Nomani)

When complete Seerat un Nabi was published after the death of Allama Shibli Nomani, she further sanctioned three thousand rupees to Dar-ul-Musannifeen (Azamgarh) for the purchase of new printing press.

Sultan Jahan Begum as an Author

Sultan Jahan Begum was a prolific writer. She wrote numerous books on various subjects. Books written by her are: Tuzk-e-Sultani, Gauhar-e-Iqbal, Khiayaat-e-Sultani, Khutbat-e-Sultani, Akhtar Iqbal, Hayat-e-Shahjahaani, Tazkirah Baaqi, Hayat-al-Zaujain, Tandrustri, Hifzan-e-Sehat, Maeeshat-e-Khandani, Sweater Bunne ka Pehla Risala, Hayat-e-Qudsi, Sabeel-ul-Jinaan, Rauzatul Riyaheen, Effatul Muslimaat, Silk Shahwaar, Maqsad Asdwaaj, Seerat-e-Mustafa, Bacchon ki Parwarish, Faraez-un-Nisa, Rehbar-e-Niswan Hissa Awwal, Islamiyaat, Hidayat Baghbani, Ekhlaq ki Pehli Kitaab, Ekhlaq ki Doosri Kitaab, Ekhlaq ki Teesri wa Chauthi Kitaab, Hayaat-e-Sikandari, Falsaf-e-Ekhlaq, Tawawwo’aat wo Awamir, Hidayaat Teemardari, Bagh-e-Ajeeb (three parts), Sayahat Sultani, Azal-ur-Rahman, Muhazzab Sindagi, Madarij-al-Qur’an, Aaina-e-Sikandari, Tehzeeb-e-Niswan, Purdah.

Honours

Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum was recipient of several honours. They are:

Abdicatioin of throne and Death

in 1926, after ruling Riyasat-e-Bhopal for 25 years she abdicated her throne in favour of her youngest child, Nawab Hamidullah Khan. Thus ended the longest rule of female nawabs that the country had seen. She left for her final abode on 12 May 1930.

Legacy

The many institutions started and supported by Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum are still benefitting the society in various fields. Her legacy lives on. May Allah raise her status. Ameen.

For references and more details, please see:

Fareed, Saadaf (2020) Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum: A quintessence of educational movements in Aligarh. Sir Syed Academy, Aligarh Muslim University: Aligarh.

Hamid, Razia (2011) Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum. Bhopal: Babul Ilm Publication

Jahan, Sultan (1913) Gauhar e Iqbal. Sultan Publishers

Naik, Priya (2019) The remarkable Begums who defied patriarchal norms to rule Bhopal for more than a century. 21 May, Scroll. Available at: https://scroll.in/magazine/917529/the-remarkable-begums-who-defied-patriarchal-norms-to-rule-bhopal-for-more-than-a-century. Accessed on 11 November 2020.

https://archive.org/stream/AnIndianDiary/An%20Indian%20Diary_djvu.txt

Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali

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Mohsin Aziz

(Residential halls of Aligarh Muslim University: Person behind the name series/ blog 3)

Hali hostel is one of the six residential hostels of Mohsinul Mulk Hall of the Aligarh Muslim University. The foundation stone of Mohsinul Mulk Hall was laid by the first Prime Minister of Independent India in 1963.

Sir Syed had to face lot of criticism and had to overcome many hurdles including that of being declared apostate in his mission but he was fortunate to have found a very dedicated group of supporters also. One of them was Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali, also known as Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali. Hali was born in 1837 in Panipat and traced his lineage to Hazrat Abu Ayyub Ansari (R.A.A.). Hali’s family settled in Panipat about 700 years before his birth. One of his distinguished ancestor was Khwaja Malak Ali who migrated to India 700 years ago from Herat and settled in Panipat. Khwaja Malak Ali was granted several fertile villages by Ghayasuddin Balban and was appointed Qazi of his area and was given responsibility to control prices and manage graveyards of the learned. He was also given responsibility to give Eid Khutba (Hali, Altaf Hussain, 1927).

Hali enjoys a very prominent position in the history of Urdu literature and poetry. Hali was poet, biographer, author, critic. He was an exceptional prose writer as well. Hali had traditional education as per the norm of the day. He studies Quran, Arabic and Persian in his childhood. At the age of 17 he travelled to Delhi to study in Hussain Baksh ka Madrasa. The Madrasa was situated opposite Jama Masjid (Hameed, 2003). At the same time, Hali started writing Urdu and Persian poetry and took the takhallus (nom de plume) of Khasta (heart broken in the sense of tender heart). It is during his stay in Delhi that he met Mirza Ghalib and was impressed by his poetry. Mirza had may admirers who brought their poetry to him to get his opinion and help for improvement. It was difficult for budding poets to get Mirza Ghalib interested in their poetry and hence to get his guidance. However, when Khwaja Altaf Hussain showed his poetry to Mirza Ghalib, the master poet was impressed (which by the way was not an easy task) and advised Hali to continue to write poetry. Ghalib told him “Young man, I never advice anyone to write poetry but to you I say, if you don’t write poetry, you will be very harsh on your temperament“.

Soon the family found about his whereabouts and brought him back home. Hali got a job at collectors office in Hissar in 1856 (Hussain, S. A., 1986). While Hali was in Hissar, the First War of Independence broke out in 1857. The Britishers termed it mutiny (ghadar) and crushed it with heavy hand. In these difficult times, Hali decided to shift back to Panipat. He stayed in Panipat for almost four years. During this time his daughter Inayat Fatima and youngest son, Khwaja Sajjad Hussain were born. Khwaja Sajjad Hussain did his graduation from MAO college and became the captain of College cricket team. He was politically active and also became the president of student’s union (Hussain, S. A., 1986).

After spending four years in Panipat, Hali once again moved to Delhi. This not only gave him chance to meet Ghalib again but there he also met the rais of Jehangirabad, Nawab Mustafa Ali Khan Shaifta. Shaifta was not only nawab of Jehangirabad but was also a poet of high order who took islah (correction for poetry) from Mirza Ghalib just like Hali It is a tradition in Urdu poetry for young poets to show their kalaam (poetic writings) to an established master poet for correction and guidance). Shaifta offered to take Hali to Jehangirabad and become his son’s teacher guardian. Jehangirabad was near to Delhi. It allowed both Shaifta and Hali to visit Ghalib in Delhi quite often and take islah from him. However, Hali mentions that the company of Shaifta helped him more in his poetry then the islah of Ghalib but with the passage of time, Hali’s respect for Ghalib only kept on increasing. Most probably it was during this time that he changed in takhallus from Khasta to Hali (contemporary) on the recommendation of Ghalib (Hussain, S. A., 1986). When Ghalib passed away in 1869, Hali was deeply affected and wrote marsiya (elegiac poem lamenting the dead). This marsiya is considered one of the finest specimen of marsiya in Urdu poetry despite the fact that Urdu has produced marsiya poets of unmatched quality such as Anis and Dabeer besides many other.

Bulbuley hind mar gaya hehaat

Jis ki thi baat baat main ek baat

Uskey marney se mar gayi dilli

Khwaja nosha tha aur shahar baraat

Ek roshan dimagh tha na raha

Shahar main ek Chiragh tha na raha

In the same year, his friend and mentor, Shaifta also passed away. The death of Shaifta not only deeply saddened Hali but put him in quandary about his job. However, he soon got job in book depot of Punjab government and Hali moved from Delhi to Lahore. This job allowed ample opportunity to Hali to read western literature and opened new intellectual horizons for him. During his stay in Lahore he got in touch with Maulana Mohammad Hussain Azaad. Maulana Mohammad Hussain Azaad was promoting a different type of Urdu poetry which Hali liked very much. In fact, it was Lahore’s stay that changed the direction of Hali’s poetry. During this time, Delhi’s Anglo Arabic College offered him the post of Professor of Arabic which Hali accepted and shifted to Delhi.

Association with Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

Hali first met Sir Syed at a scientific society meeting at Aligarh in 1867. It was Shaifta who brought Hali along with him to the meeting. The second meeting of Hali with Sir Syed was at Lahore. In 1888 Hali travelled to Aligarh at the invitation of Sir Syed and stayed in Aligarh for few months (Khursheed, Ata, 2015). Before meeting Sir Syed, Hali had some reservations about him. But after meeting Sir Syed, Hali was convinced of Sir Syed good intentions and became his supporter. Hali support for the cause of Sir Syed flourished with time and continued even after the death of Sir Syed. Sir Syed requested Hali to write a marsiya on the death of a community after 1857. Hali obliged and wrote Musaddas e Hali and as they say, the rest is history.

Hui pahloye amna se huwaida

Dua e Khalil aur naveed e masiha

Wo Nabion main rahmat laqab paney wala

muraden gharibon ki bar laney wala

musibat main ghairon ke kaam aney wala

wo apney praye ka gham khaney wala

faqiron ka malja gharibon ka mawa

yatimon ka wali ghulamon ka mola

Who has not heard these immortal lines from Musaddas e Hali. Maulana Altaf Husaain Hali’s “Musaddas-e-Madd-o-Jazr-e-Islam” commonly known as Musaddas-e-Hali (Musaddas on the ebb and flow of Islam) is perhaps one of the most read and powerful Urdu poems. It was first published in 1879 in Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq as well as in book form. It was written at the request of Sir Syed. The poem recalls Islam’s glorious past and mourned its declined in India. A poem which Hali called “dry, insipid, plain and simple poem” (Shackle & Majeed, 1997 ) took the Urdu speaking public with a storm (Sadiq, 1995).

The poem was written at the request of Sir Syed who felt that there is a need for a poem which laments the demise of Islam in India just as there was qasidah lamenting the demise of Muslims in Al Andalus (modern day Spain).

It was most probably the reading of Al Rundi’s famous Rithā’ al-Andalus, lament for the fall of seville (TIGNOL, E. 2016) that prompted Sir Syed to request Maulana Hali to write on the sad decline of Muslim community in India. Sir Syed told Hali that “there used to be mourners for Andalus but that our times are such that no one until now has mourned the condition of our community”. Sir Syed told Hali “God, my master, gave you a tongue but you do not speak; God gave you the marvelous ability to narrate but you do not use this miracle ; God fills our eyes with tears through rain bearing clouds but you do not let them flow one!” (Aligarh Institute Gazette, Aligarh, 26 Jan. 1878, p. 105.)

Musaddas has 296 stanzas containing 6 lines each. Hali traces the journey of Islam since its birth in Arabia. It tells how Muslims made tremendous progress in all walks of life and their contribution to the world. It then moves to the fall of Muslims in India from position of power to penury and powerlessness.

Sir Syed was mighty pleased with the Musaddas and opined that “with this Musaddas begins the modern age of Urdu poetry (Ross Masud, 1931) and famously said in a letter to Hali that “When, on the Day of Judgment, Allah will ask me, “What deeds have you brought”? I will say “I only made Hali write Musaddas and nothing else’ (Letter from Syed Ahmad Khan to Hali, Shimla, Park Hotel, 10 June 1879, In M. A. Mannan (2007). This shows that Sir Syed thought that Musaddas is good enough to get salvation for him on the day of judgement. There can not be a better appreciation of a book. According to Abid Hussain “thanks to Sir Syed, the community got a poet and the poet got a community” (Hussain, S. A., 1986).

The affect of Musaddas was electrifying to say the least. Even stage shows were made on it and the impact was such that people would burst into tears by the end of the drama. A series of poems imitating the style of the Musaddas as well as parodies based on it are testimony to both its popularity and impact.

Ram Babu Saksena (1927) in his survey of Urdu literature writes that “It was a revelation, a landmark in the literary history of Urdu language. A new star swam into the ken of Urdu poets. It gave a lead to the national and patriotic poems of India. The poem was printed and distributed and sung in assemblies, pulpits, mosques, and conferences“. In fact Hali is forerunner to Allama Iqbal and Shikwa and jawab e shikwa are without doubt culmination of Musaddas Hali.

It is worth mentioning that Hali gave the copyright of the Musaddas to the college so that the money collected could be used by the college fund. Sir Syed never let go of any opportunity to collect funds for the college. However this was different. It is to the credit of Sir Syed that he refused and told Hali that the Musaddas belonged to the community and the college would have no copyright over it. It is to the credit of Hali that despite paucity of money, he did did not keep copyrights and did not earn any royalty from its sale. Hali dedicated the Musaddas to the nation and to the community and gave open permission for it to be published and distributed by anybody (Hussain, S.A., 1986).

Pension from Hyderabad State

In 1887, Nawaab Asmaan Jah, Prime Minister of Hyderabad State, visited Aligarh. Sir Syed introduced Maulana Hali to Nawaab Asmaan Jah. The Nawaab was aware of the scholarship of Hali. He fixed a sum of 75 Hali Sicca per month (Till 1858, the Hyderabad State issued coins in the name of the Mughals. From 1858, Hyderabad State issued its own coins which were named as Hali Sicca meaning current coin to differentiate it from the Mughal coins. It was also called Osmania Sicca. For more details see, Reserve Bank of India website) as pension for Maulana Hali so that Maulana can concentrate on his work without having to worry about earning money for living. Hali immediately resigned from the Anglo Arabic School and dedicated to writing. Now it was difficult for Hali to remain in Delhi as all his friends and mentors had died one by one. In the words of Hali:

Ghalib hai na Shaifta, na Nayyar baqi

Wahshat hai na Salik hai na Anwar baqi

Hali ab isi ko bazme yaraan samjho

Yaron ke jo kutch dagh hain dil par baqi

In 1891, Hali visited Hyderabad as a part of deputation of trustees of Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College, his pension was increased by 25 Hali Sicca to 100 Hali Sicca (Hali, Altaf Hussain, 1927).

Hali’s contribution in the establishment Women’s College, Aligarh Muslim University

After the first war of independence in 1857, there was fierce reprisal from the Britishers. Thousands were hanged and Britishers took control of property of many more. A ten year old girl was one such unfortunate soul. She lost all her family members in 1857 and took refuge with Hali’s family. She spent rest of her life with Hali’s family. Hali was very much impressed by her resilience, patience and piety (Hussain, S. A., 1986). Some of the Hali’s poems are attributed to her. When Sheikh Abdullah started to propagate the idea of a girls school at Aligarh, he faced resistence from the society. To put his point forward, Sheikh Abdullah started a magazine called khatun. In 1905, at the request of Sheikh Abdullah, Hali wrote a poem in support of women’s poem – Chup ki daad (variously translated as homage to the silent and justice for the silent).

Ae maun! behnon! betiyon! dunya ki zeenat tum se hai

mulkon ki basti ho tumhin, qomon ki izzat tum se hai

Go nek mard aksar tumharey naam ke ashiq rahey

par nek hon ya bad, rahey sab muttafiq is per

jab tak jio tum, ilm o danish se raho mahroom yahan

ayi ho jaisi bekhabar, waisi hi jao be khabar (chup ki daad)

Chup ki daad praised women as courageous and caring. The poem talked about the hardships that a women has to undergo in her life. The poem mentioned that men are united in keeping women uneducated and ignorant and want women to remain unaware of knowledge. He besieged men to help women in getting educated and praised Begum Sultan Jahan for her support to the cause and cited her support as proof enough of the truthfulness of the venture. Chup ki daad gained quite popularity and played its role in changing the perception of the society towards women’s education. The poem played important role at a crucial time. The school got support from Begum Sultan Jahan and was opened a few months later (Salim, S., 2021)

The title of Shamsul Ulama

In 1904, Hali was given the title of Shamsul Ulama by the British Government. This title was reserved for the highly learned. The occasion was celebrated everywhere. Allama Shibli Nomani wrote a letter of congratulation. Shibli said “Maulana instead of you I will congratulate the title. Now the title has got respect” (Hussain, S. A., 1986). It would not be out of place to mention that Allama Shibli Nomani himself got the title of Shamsul Ulama from the British Government in 1894 while he was Professor at MAO College. Sir Syed was alive at that time and a grand function was arranged at the college to celebrate the occasion.

Works of Hali

Besides poetry Hali wrote books and articles also. His first book was Tiryaq e Masmoom in 1867. His next book was translation of a geology book from Arabic to Urdu during his stay at Lahore. The copyright of the book was given to University of the Punjab. During his Delhi stay he wrote Hayat e Saadi. His other notable work during that period was Yadgar e Ghalib. His major work in the field of critique of poetry is muqadma sher of shayari. But his magnum opus is biography of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan – Hayat e Jawed. Besides he wrote numerous articles primarily in Aligarh Institute Gazette and Tehzibul Akhlaq (Hali, Altaf Hussain, 1927).

Hali was no doubt a rare person. Very soft spoken but very resolute in his ideas. He talked about women’s education when the society was not ready for it. He openly expressed his ideas without fear or favour. He was a true admirer of Sir Syed and remained associated with the Aligarh Movement till his death. His death was mourned by Allama Iqbal:

Shibli ko ro rahe they abhii ahley gulistan

Hali bhi ho Gaya sue firdosey rah naward

References:

Hameed, Syeda, Syedain (2003)  Hali’s Musaddas: A Story in Verse of the Ebb and Tide of Islam (New Delhi: HarperCollins.

Hussain, Saleha Abid (1986) Yadgar-e-Hali: Tazkira-e-Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali (5th Edition). New Delhi: Anjuman Taraqi Urdu Hind.

C. Shackle and J. Majeed, Hali’s (1997) Musaddas: the flow and ebb of Islam. Delhi: Oxford University Press

M. Sadiq, A History of Urdu Literature (Delhi, 1995), p. 347.

Urdu re-adaptation of an Arabic classic, al-Rundi’s famous Lament for the fall of Seville.

Ross Masud (1931) Khutut e Sir Syed, Ed. Ross Masud: Badayun  

M. A. Mannan (ed), Selected Letters of Sir Syed Ahmad, Aligarh, 2007

Tignol, E. (2016). A Note on the Origins of Hali’s – Madd-o Jazr-e Islām. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 26(4), 585-589. doi:10.1017/S1356186316000080

Ram Babu Saksena (1940) A History of Urdu Literature, pp. 215-216, Allahabad.

Salim, Saquib (2021, June 6) How Hali’s poem paved way for Women’s College at AMU. Awaztheyouth. Available at: https://www.awazthevoice.in/women-news/how-hali-s-poem-paved-way-for-women-s-college-at-amu-2935.html. Accessed on 2 December 2021.

Hali, Altaf Hussain (1927) Maulana Hali ki khud nosht sawaneh umri, Maarif, May, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 344-351.

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100 Years of Aligarh Muslim University: The Journey Continues

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Author: Mohsin Aziz

This month Aligarh Muslim University celebrated its Centenary. Series of events are planned at the University for this joyous occasion. The Story of Aligarh Muslim University started after the first war of independence in 1857. At that time, Sir Syed was posted at Bijnour as Sadr Amin. He saw the destruction brought upon Indians and particularly Muslims after the Colonial Power suppressed the independence movement. Sir Syed was deeply affected by what he saw. He was so distraught that he even planned to migrate to some other country. Sir Syed decided to stay and work for the upliftment for the community as he himself said that it would be an act of cowardice to leave the community in such dire straits at such crucial stage of their history and settle abroad.

To achieve his aim of uplifting the community from the quagmire of poverty and illiteracy that it found itself, Sir Syed worked simultaneously at several fronts. While on the one hand he was trying to inculcate scientific temperament among the Indian Muslims by establishing Scientific Society in 1864 and bringing out magazine like Tehzeeb-ul- Akhlaq (Mohammedan Social Reformer) in 1871. On the other he was urging them to adopt modern education. Naturally he faced multi faceted opposition also.

It was on 1 April 1869 he embarked on a journey of England where his son, Syed Mehmood, got scholarship for higher education. Sir Syed’s stay in England lasted for 17 months. The visit brought major change in Sir Syed’s outlook. Although the underlying factor for his England visit was to collect material to write rebuttal of Sir William Muir’s book on Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him). During his stay in England Sir Syed visited colleges and universities and was inspired to started a “Muslim Cambridge” back home. Back in India, Sir Syed hit the ground running and immediately started working on his plan.

After seeing the advancement in Science and Technology, Sir Syed realised that the only way forward for the community was to embrace the new Science. However, back in India he faced stiff resistance from the community as the community felt that educating their children in English would make them Christaan (Christian). Despite all the adversities Sir Syed showed his character and stood his ground and worked till his death to achieve his purpose. He was lucky in a sense that he got the support of many intellectuals of his times. Similarly many in the landed aristocracy wholeheartedly supported him. Among the intellectual giants who supported Sir Syed in his endeavour are Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali, Allama Shibli Nomani, Nawab Muhsinul Mulk etc. Personally Sir Syed did everything to raise funds for his College. He begged, danced on stage, played lottery, sang on stage and what not. In his last message Sir Syed said that “

To achieve his goal of uplifting the Muslim community, he started Madrasatul Uloom Musalmanan-e-Hind at Aligarh. The Madrasa opened its doors to students on 24 May 1875 to coincide with the 56th birthday of Queen Victoria. Two years down the line it became Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College at Aligarh on 8 January 1887. The inaugural function of the establishment of the College was presided by the the then Viceroy and Governor General of India, Lord Lytton, in the presence of Sir Syed and other dignitaries. Lord Lytton laid the foundation stone of the college. The address presented by Sir Syed to the Lord Lytton said that “from the seed we sow today, there may spring a mighty tree, whose branches like those of banyan of the soil, shall in their turn strike firm roots into the earth, and themselves send forth new and vigorous sapling: that this college may expand in a University whose sons shall go forth throughout the length and breadth of the land to preach the gospel of free enquiry, of large hearted toleration and of pure morality ”

Later when Lord Ripon, the Viceroy, visited Aligarh in 1884, Sir Syed said: “Some day when our endowments are sufficient, we would request the Government to confer upon us the legal status of an independent University.” In July 1906, Badruddin Tyabji said in an address to the Aligarh College Association in England: “If, as I hope, Aligarh develops into a university it will become the centre of attraction of education for all Mohammedans, not only from the various Mohammedan schools and colleges of India, but also, it may be, from all other parts of the Mohammedan world“. The college later became University on 9 September 1920 through a bill passed in the Imperial Legislative Assembly.

Today Aligarh Muslim University is one of the Central University of the Republic of India and has been consistently ranked amongst the India’s best Universities. The University is spread over 467.6 hectares (1155 acres) in the city of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Presently the University offers more than 300 courses in the traditional and modern branches of education. The University has about 28000 students, more than 1300 teaching staff and about 5600 non teaching staff on its rolls. The University boasts of 12 faculties comprising of 98 teaching departments. Besides there are 3 academies and 15 centers and institutions in the University. However, the heart and the soul of the University is its residential character. Most of the staff and students reside inside the campus. There are 19 halls of residence for students with 80 hostels. Besides the University runs one primary school and seven high schools including one for the visually challenged and two senior secondary schools, one each for boys and girls.

There are ample opportunities for sports and cultural activities on campus thus providing for all round development of students. The University maintains Willingdon Cricket Ground for Cricket, Meston Swimming pool for swimming, Gymkhana, Hockey field with asto turf besides several football grounds, skating rink, basketball, volleyball and Lawn Tennis facilities. The University also has a hiking and mountaineering club. However, the University Riding Club is its crowning glory. It is more than 100 years old riding club with excellent horses and coaching facilities. Riding Club has its own riding ground for practice. Yours truly is a former member of the riding club having earned my horsemanship certificate from Janab Hamid Ansari Sahib during his tenure as Vice Chancellor of the University. For Cultural activities there is General Education Centre which boasts of Kennedy Auditorium. The activities in General Education Centre are organised through Drama Club, Music Club (Hindustani and Western Music), Literary Club and Film Club.

The University also runs three off campus in the districts of Malappuram (Kerala), Murshidabad (Bengal) and Kishanganj (Bihar). These campuses offer MBA and integrated B.A.L.L.B. courses.

Its alumni are spread all over the length and breadth of the globe as envisaged by the sage himself. The alumni of the University have established schools, colleges and universities all over the globe and have advanced the cause of education. However, there is still lot to be done particularly in India. Various reports make it clear that Muslims in India lack behind other communities in education. The situation is even worst when it comes to higher education. It is time for Muslims of India to take initiative and invest all their time, energy and money in raising their educational standards. It is time for them to rededicate themselves to learning and contribute even more to the progress and prosperity of India and humanity at large.