Abdul Majeed Khwaja
Encyclopedia
Abdul Majeed Khwaja India
n lawyer
, educationist, social reformer and freedom fighter, was born at Aligarh, a small but historically significant town in the northern India
n state of Uttar Pradesh
.
A liberal Muslim, he was deeply committed to Gandhi’s ethical approach of Nonviolent resistance
. He actively opposed the partition of India
in 1947 and dedicated his entire life to the promotion of Hindu-Muslim harmony.
He made a lasting contribution to the education
of Indian Muslims in the modern era.
He died on December 2, 1962 and was buried in the family graveyard adjacent to the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Jamal on the outskirts of Aligarh.
, a prominent lawyer
and landowner of Aligarh who firmly believed that Western style scientific education was critically important for the social and economic development of Indian Muslims.
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
was one of the earliest supporters of the Aligarh Movement
under the leadership of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the famous Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College which later developed into the Aligarh Muslim University
. Khwaja Yusuf donated large sums to the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College Fund Committee and also toured the country along with Zahoor Hussain, and Zainul Abdeen. Also accompanying the group were the much younger duo of Syed Mahmud
, son of Sir Syed and Hamied Ullah Khan (his future son in law), son of Maulvi Sami Ullah Khan to raise funds for the proposed Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College.
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
was also very active in the affairs of the Scientific Society founded earlier in 1864 by Sir Syed to translate Western works into Urdu
.
, Farsi and social etiquette, etc.
However his father Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
, made sure that his son also got the best possible modern Western style education. Abdul Majeed was therefore sent in 1906 for higher studies to Cambridge University, England
, as a member of Christ’s College Cambridge
. He graduated in history and was called to the Bar in 1910. Jawaharlal Nehru
, the first Prime Minister
of The Republic of India, Sir Shah Sulaiman, the eminent jurist, and Muhammad Iqbal
, the famous philosopher and poet, were among his contemporaries in Cambridge
. It was in Cambridge
that he first saw and heard Barrister Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi of South African fame and, then, a great admirer of British liberalism
.
, Rasheed Khwaja and Ajmal Khwaja and six daughters.
His wife, Begum Khursheed Khwaja [d. 1981] was the daughter of Hamied Ullah [later Nawab Sarbuland Jung] who was the son of Maulvi Sami Ullah, and Begum Akhtar Sarbuland Jung.
Maulvi Sami Ullah was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
(CMG) for diplomatic services rendered to the British Empire
in Egypt. This Order is the sixth-most senior in the British honours system
.
She was the first born of her parents and her ancestors include the famous Mughal
era poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. She was amongst the very first Muslim
ladies in Aligarh to come out of purdah
. She was a social and political activist and worked diligently for women’s education and freedom from British colonial rule. She interacted closely with the Nehru family, especially Padmaja Naidu
, the daughter of the famous Sarojini Naidu
, who was her classmate at Hyderabad and Vijayalaksmi Pandit, sister of Jawaharlal Nehru
.
She was the first among the Muslims of Allahabad
to get her daughters admitted as boarders in the famous St. Mary's Convent Inter College
, Allahabad
. The young Indira Gandhi
was also a student at this Convent for a short period.
In the early 1930s Begum Khursheed Khwaja founded and managed the Hamidia Girls School in the interior of the city of Allahabad
to promote education among the relatively weaker section of Muslim women. This primary school has now developed into a Hamidia Girls Degree College affiliated to the Allahabad University
.
During the days of the Non-cooperation movement
she was torn between divided loyalties to her father, a Westernized liberal aristocrat who supported British rule, and her husband, an Indian freedom fighter who, under Gandhiji’s inspiration, had made a bonfire of his expensive and fashionable Saville Row English suits and switched over to wearing khadi
[Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth].
In fact Khursheed Khwaja set fire to all her fashionable garments and donated her ornaments to the freedom movement. She did not waver even when dozens of policemen surrounded the house to arrest her husband, who calmly went along with them for a long stay in the district jail.
She died on July 7, 1981 at the ripe age of eighty-seven and was buried in the family graveyard adjacent to the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Jamal on the outskirts of Aligarh.
in 1910 Abdul Majeed Khwaja built up a flourishing legal practice first at the District Court, Aligarh and later at Patna High Court
. At the call of Gandhiji he gave up his practice in 1919, joined the Civil Disobedience Movement as also the Khilafat movement
, and suffered six month’s imprisonment. The next six years (1919-1925) were devoted largely to nurturing the fledgling Jamia Millia Islamia
.
He resumed legal practice at Allahabad High Court
in 1926. Domestic and health reasons kept him out of active politics until the end of 1943, though he continued to support both the Jamia and the Indian National Congress
party.
The period from 1943 to 1948 was very stressful for Abdul Majeed Khwaja. The demand for the creation of Pakistan
based on the Two-Nation Theory
caused him great anguish. He had suffered a heart attack in 1942, nevertheless he returned to the political arena and devoted all of his considerable energies to preserving the unity of India.
In 1936 Khwaja was appointed as Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia
on the insistence of Dr. Zakir Hussain. Zakir Sahab was subsequently elected as Vice President and eventually in 1967 as the third President of India
.
Khwaja continued to serve as Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia
until his death on December 2, 1962.
, Maulana Azad, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
, T.A.K. Sherwani and Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru.
Under Ghandhiji’s inspiration he gave up his flourishing legal practice at Patna
in 1919, joined the struggle for Indian freedom and suffered imprisonment for his role in the Civil Disobedience
and Khilafat movement
.
The raising of the demand for Pakistan
by Muhammad Ali Jinnah
and others stirred him into actively opposing the partition of India
on religious lines. He and some close associates founded the umbrella All India Muslim Majlis to co-ordinate the activities of all Muslims opposed to partition on the basis of the Two-Nation Theory
and Abdul Majeed Khwaja was unanimously elected as its President. In this capacity he met the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India
at Delhi
and also extensively toured the country to influence Muslim public opinion in favor of preserving the unity of India.
He and others like him patiently bore the ire of the separatist forces without losing faith in their mission. Though his efforts to keep India united failed, he continued to work to protect the national fabric with stalwarts like Maulana Azad, Maulana Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi, N.A. Sherwani, and others.
But for him the assassination of Gandhi on 30 January 1948 was a shock he could never overcome and thereafter Khwaja almost faded out of active election politics in independent India.
It was Abdul Majeed Khwaja, who recited the Holy Quran at the funeral service of Mahatma Gandhi.
was founded at Aligarh on October 29, 1920, as an institution of higher Western style education managed entirely by Indians without any British support or control.
The Jamia Millia Islamia
was the brainchild of Maulana Muhammad Ali
, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
, and Hakim Ajmal Khan
.
Muhammad Ali was the first Principal of the College, but due to his intense political activism, he decided to abdicate in favor of his close friend and associate, Abdul Majeed Khwaja.
The young and dynamic Zakir Hussain
was the most prominent student leader of the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College
to join the Jamia at its very inception and formation, and his zeal and commitment to the cause led him to join the staff as an honorary instructor.
In this critical period the greatest measure of moral and material support came from Gandhiji through his generous disciple, G.D.Birla
. But there were other sources of much needed sustenance also, such as Hakim Ajmal Khan
, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
, and several dedicated teachers at the Jamia, like Maulana Aslam Jairajpuri
, Shafiqur Rahman Kidwai, Kalat Sahab and Aqil Sahab among others.
In 1925, with Ghandhiji’s and Hakim Ajmal Khan’s
concurrence and blessings, Abdul Majeed Khwaja shifted the Jamia from Aligarh to Karol Bagh
, Delhi
and handed over charge to Dr. Zakir Hussain, who had just returned from Germany
after completing his higher studies in Economics.
After the death of Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
in 1936 the mantle of the Chancellorship of the Jamia fell on the shoulders of Abdul Majeed Khwaja. A responsibility he shouldered till his death in 1962.
In line with his family tradition Abdul Majeed Khwaja took great interest in the affairs of his alma mater, Aligarh Muslim University
. He was a generous donor and served on the Aligarh Muslim University Executive Council for many years.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, educationist, social reformer and freedom fighter, was born at Aligarh, a small but historically significant town in the northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
.
A liberal Muslim, he was deeply committed to Gandhi’s ethical approach of Nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...
. He actively opposed the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947 and dedicated his entire life to the promotion of Hindu-Muslim harmony.
He made a lasting contribution to the education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
of Indian Muslims in the modern era.
He died on December 2, 1962 and was buried in the family graveyard adjacent to the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Jamal on the outskirts of Aligarh.
Family Background
Abdul Majeed was the younger of the two sons of Khwaja Muhammad YusufKhwaja Muhammad Yusuf
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf was one of the top lawyers and landowners of Aligarh, a small but historically significant town in the ‘doab’ region of the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. He was among the first Indian Muslims to understand the nature and gravity of the issues posed by contemporary...
, a prominent lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and landowner of Aligarh who firmly believed that Western style scientific education was critically important for the social and economic development of Indian Muslims.
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf was one of the top lawyers and landowners of Aligarh, a small but historically significant town in the ‘doab’ region of the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. He was among the first Indian Muslims to understand the nature and gravity of the issues posed by contemporary...
was one of the earliest supporters of the Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement was the movement led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, to educate the Muslims of the South Asia after the defeat of the rebels in the Indian rebellion of 1857. It had enormous success and had a profound impact on the future of the subcontinent...
under the leadership of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of the famous Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College which later developed into the Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
. Khwaja Yusuf donated large sums to the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College Fund Committee and also toured the country along with Zahoor Hussain, and Zainul Abdeen. Also accompanying the group were the much younger duo of Syed Mahmud
Syed Mahmud
Dr. Syed Mahmud was an Indian politician and senior leader in the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement and in post-independence India.-Early life:...
, son of Sir Syed and Hamied Ullah Khan (his future son in law), son of Maulvi Sami Ullah Khan to raise funds for the proposed Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College.
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf was one of the top lawyers and landowners of Aligarh, a small but historically significant town in the ‘doab’ region of the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. He was among the first Indian Muslims to understand the nature and gravity of the issues posed by contemporary...
was also very active in the affairs of the Scientific Society founded earlier in 1864 by Sir Syed to translate Western works into Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
.
Education
Abdul Majeed was initially educated at home in the traditional manner by reputed private tutors who taught him the Quran, Arabic, UrduUrdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Farsi and social etiquette, etc.
However his father Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf was one of the top lawyers and landowners of Aligarh, a small but historically significant town in the ‘doab’ region of the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. He was among the first Indian Muslims to understand the nature and gravity of the issues posed by contemporary...
, made sure that his son also got the best possible modern Western style education. Abdul Majeed was therefore sent in 1906 for higher studies to Cambridge University, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, as a member of Christ’s College Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
. He graduated in history and was called to the Bar in 1910. Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, the first Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of The Republic of India, Sir Shah Sulaiman, the eminent jurist, and Muhammad Iqbal
Muhammad Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal , commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal , was a poet and philosopher born in Sialkot, then in the Punjab Province of British India, now in Pakistan...
, the famous philosopher and poet, were among his contemporaries in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. It was in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
that he first saw and heard Barrister Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi of South African fame and, then, a great admirer of British liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
.
Marriage
Abdul Majeed Khwaja had three sons: Jamal KhwajaJamal Khwaja
The philosophical work of Jamal Khwaja The philosophical work of Jamal Khwaja The philosophical work of Jamal Khwaja (or, Ahmad Jamal Yusuf Khwaja, Indian philosopher, born August 12, 1926/1928 Jamal Khwaja was born in August 1926. However most official documents show his date of birth as 1928...
, Rasheed Khwaja and Ajmal Khwaja and six daughters.
His wife, Begum Khursheed Khwaja [d. 1981] was the daughter of Hamied Ullah [later Nawab Sarbuland Jung] who was the son of Maulvi Sami Ullah, and Begum Akhtar Sarbuland Jung.
Maulvi Sami Ullah was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(CMG) for diplomatic services rendered to the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in Egypt. This Order is the sixth-most senior in the British honours system
British honours system
The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
.
She was the first born of her parents and her ancestors include the famous Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
era poet Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib. She was amongst the very first Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
ladies in Aligarh to come out of purdah
Purdah
Purdah or pardeh is the practice of concealing women from men. According to one definition:This takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes, and the requirement for women to cover their bodies and conceal their form....
. She was a social and political activist and worked diligently for women’s education and freedom from British colonial rule. She interacted closely with the Nehru family, especially Padmaja Naidu
Padmaja Naidu
Sarojini’s daughter Miss Padmaja Naidu devoted herself to the cause of the Nation like her mother. At the age of 21, she entered the National scene and became the joint founder of the Indian National Congress of Hyderabad. She spread the message of Khadi and inspired people to boycott foreign...
, the daughter of the famous Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu , also known by the sobriquet The Nightingale of India, was a child prodigy, Indian independence activist and poet...
, who was her classmate at Hyderabad and Vijayalaksmi Pandit, sister of Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
.
She was the first among the Muslims of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
to get her daughters admitted as boarders in the famous St. Mary's Convent Inter College
St. Mary's Convent Inter College
St. Mary's Convent Inter College, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, is a girls school run by the Sisters of the Congregation of Jesus in collaboration with a lay staff members. It was founded in 1866 by Mother Mary Ward for the education of girls...
, Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
. The young Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
was also a student at this Convent for a short period.
In the early 1930s Begum Khursheed Khwaja founded and managed the Hamidia Girls School in the interior of the city of Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
to promote education among the relatively weaker section of Muslim women. This primary school has now developed into a Hamidia Girls Degree College affiliated to the Allahabad University
Allahabad University
Allahabad University , is a premier Central University located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named after Lt...
.
During the days of the Non-cooperation movement
Non-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
she was torn between divided loyalties to her father, a Westernized liberal aristocrat who supported British rule, and her husband, an Indian freedom fighter who, under Gandhiji’s inspiration, had made a bonfire of his expensive and fashionable Saville Row English suits and switched over to wearing khadi
Khadi
The term khādī or khaddar means cotton. khādī is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter...
[Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth].
In fact Khursheed Khwaja set fire to all her fashionable garments and donated her ornaments to the freedom movement. She did not waver even when dozens of policemen surrounded the house to arrest her husband, who calmly went along with them for a long stay in the district jail.
She died on July 7, 1981 at the ripe age of eighty-seven and was buried in the family graveyard adjacent to the shrine of the Sufi saint Shah Jamal on the outskirts of Aligarh.
Career
Returning home from EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1910 Abdul Majeed Khwaja built up a flourishing legal practice first at the District Court, Aligarh and later at Patna High Court
Patna High Court
Patna High Court is the High Court of the state of Bihar. It was established on 3 February 1916 and later affiliated under the Government of India Act, 1915. The court is headquartered in Patna, the administrative capital of the state.-History of Court:...
. At the call of Gandhiji he gave up his practice in 1919, joined the Civil Disobedience Movement as also the Khilafat movement
Khilafat Movement
The Khilafat movement was a pan-Islamic, political campaign launched by Muslims in British India to influence the British government and to protect the Ottoman Empire during the aftermath of World War I...
, and suffered six month’s imprisonment. The next six years (1919-1925) were devoted largely to nurturing the fledgling Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
.
He resumed legal practice at Allahabad High Court
Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court or the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad is a high court having jurisdiction over the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh since 1950...
in 1926. Domestic and health reasons kept him out of active politics until the end of 1943, though he continued to support both the Jamia and the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
party.
The period from 1943 to 1948 was very stressful for Abdul Majeed Khwaja. The demand for the creation of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
based on the Two-Nation Theory
Two-Nation Theory
The Two-Nation Theory proposed by Allama Iqbal is the ideology that the primary identity of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent is their religion, rather than their language or ethnicity, and therefore Indian Hindus and Muslims are two distinct nationalities, regardless of ethnic or other...
caused him great anguish. He had suffered a heart attack in 1942, nevertheless he returned to the political arena and devoted all of his considerable energies to preserving the unity of India.
In 1936 Khwaja was appointed as Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
on the insistence of Dr. Zakir Hussain. Zakir Sahab was subsequently elected as Vice President and eventually in 1967 as the third President of India
President of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
.
Khwaja continued to serve as Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
until his death on December 2, 1962.
Political Work
Abdul Majeed Khwaja was uncompromising in his commitment to Islamic liberalism and secular nationalism. He was vehemently opposed to the fragmentation of Indian society on the basis of caste, creed and religion and hence the creation of Pakistan. Gandhiji was the only Indian leader he looked up to for inspiration and guidance. He also worked closely with Chittaranjan DasChittaranjan Das
Chittaranjan Das was an eminent Bengali lawyer and a major figure in the Indian independence movement.-Personal life:...
, Maulana Azad, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement...
, T.A.K. Sherwani and Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru.
Under Ghandhiji’s inspiration he gave up his flourishing legal practice at Patna
Patna
Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...
in 1919, joined the struggle for Indian freedom and suffered imprisonment for his role in the Civil Disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
and Khilafat movement
Khilafat Movement
The Khilafat movement was a pan-Islamic, political campaign launched by Muslims in British India to influence the British government and to protect the Ottoman Empire during the aftermath of World War I...
.
The raising of the demand for Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
by Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum ....
and others stirred him into actively opposing the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
on religious lines. He and some close associates founded the umbrella All India Muslim Majlis to co-ordinate the activities of all Muslims opposed to partition on the basis of the Two-Nation Theory
Two-Nation Theory
The Two-Nation Theory proposed by Allama Iqbal is the ideology that the primary identity of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent is their religion, rather than their language or ethnicity, and therefore Indian Hindus and Muslims are two distinct nationalities, regardless of ethnic or other...
and Abdul Majeed Khwaja was unanimously elected as its President. In this capacity he met the 1946 Cabinet Mission to India
1946 Cabinet Mission to India
The British Cabinet Mission of 1946 to India aimed to discuss and plan for the transfer of power from the British Raj to Indian leadership, providing India with independence under Dominion status in the Commonwealth of Nations...
at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and also extensively toured the country to influence Muslim public opinion in favor of preserving the unity of India.
He and others like him patiently bore the ire of the separatist forces without losing faith in their mission. Though his efforts to keep India united failed, he continued to work to protect the national fabric with stalwarts like Maulana Azad, Maulana Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi, N.A. Sherwani, and others.
But for him the assassination of Gandhi on 30 January 1948 was a shock he could never overcome and thereafter Khwaja almost faded out of active election politics in independent India.
It was Abdul Majeed Khwaja, who recited the Holy Quran at the funeral service of Mahatma Gandhi.
Educational Work
Jamia Millia IslamiaJamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
was founded at Aligarh on October 29, 1920, as an institution of higher Western style education managed entirely by Indians without any British support or control.
The Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
was the brainchild of Maulana Muhammad Ali
Maulana Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a Pakistani writer, scholar, and leading figure of the Ahmadiyya Movement.-Biography:Ali was born in Punjab, British India, in 1874. He obtained an English and Law in 1899...
, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement...
, and Hakim Ajmal Khan
Hakim Ajmal Khan
Ajmal Khan was an Indian physician specialising in the field of South Asian traditional Unani medicine as well as a Muslim nationalist politician and freedom fighter. Through his founding of the Tibbia College in Delhi, he is credited with the revival of Unani medicine in early 20th century...
.
Muhammad Ali was the first Principal of the College, but due to his intense political activism, he decided to abdicate in favor of his close friend and associate, Abdul Majeed Khwaja.
The young and dynamic Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain may refer to:* Zakir Hussain , classical tabla player* Zakir Hussain , president of India* Zakir Hussain , Bollywood actor whose films include Sarkar and Johnny Gaddaar...
was the most prominent student leader of the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
to join the Jamia at its very inception and formation, and his zeal and commitment to the cause led him to join the staff as an honorary instructor.
In this critical period the greatest measure of moral and material support came from Gandhiji through his generous disciple, G.D.Birla
Ghanshyam Das Birla
Ghanshyam Das "G.D." Birla was an Indian businessman and member of the influential Birla Family.Birla's grandfather Shiv Narayana Birla wanted to diversify from the traditional marwari business of lending money against pawned items. He left Pilani, his hometown in Rajasthan with a modest capital...
. But there were other sources of much needed sustenance also, such as Hakim Ajmal Khan
Hakim Ajmal Khan
Ajmal Khan was an Indian physician specialising in the field of South Asian traditional Unani medicine as well as a Muslim nationalist politician and freedom fighter. Through his founding of the Tibbia College in Delhi, he is credited with the revival of Unani medicine in early 20th century...
, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement...
, and several dedicated teachers at the Jamia, like Maulana Aslam Jairajpuri
Maulana Aslam Jairajpuri
Maulana Aslam Jairajpuri ' was a great scholar of Qur'an, Hadith, Muslim History. He was famous for his books Talimat-e-Qur'an and "History of Qur'an. He was distinuished professor of Arabic and Persian at Aligarh University and Jamia Millia Islamia...
, Shafiqur Rahman Kidwai, Kalat Sahab and Aqil Sahab among others.
In 1925, with Ghandhiji’s and Hakim Ajmal Khan’s
Hakim Ajmal Khan
Ajmal Khan was an Indian physician specialising in the field of South Asian traditional Unani medicine as well as a Muslim nationalist politician and freedom fighter. Through his founding of the Tibbia College in Delhi, he is credited with the revival of Unani medicine in early 20th century...
concurrence and blessings, Abdul Majeed Khwaja shifted the Jamia from Aligarh to Karol Bagh
Karol Bagh
Karol Bagh, also spelled as Qarol Bagh , is a mixed residential-cum-commercial neighbourhood in Delhi, India, known for its shopping streets, like the Ghaffar Market and Ajmal Khan Road...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and handed over charge to Dr. Zakir Hussain, who had just returned from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
after completing his higher studies in Economics.
After the death of Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement...
in 1936 the mantle of the Chancellorship of the Jamia fell on the shoulders of Abdul Majeed Khwaja. A responsibility he shouldered till his death in 1962.
In line with his family tradition Abdul Majeed Khwaja took great interest in the affairs of his alma mater, Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
. He was a generous donor and served on the Aligarh Muslim University Executive Council for many years.
Miscellaneous
He was the author of the book, The Early Life of the First Student of the M.A.O. College, published by The Allahabad Law Journal Press, Allahabad, 1916.Further reading
- The Aligarh Movement and the Making of the Indian Muslim Mind 1857-2002, Tariq Hasan, Published 2006 by Rupa & Co., New Delhi.
- My Life, Being The Autobiography Of Nawab Server-Ul-Mulk Bahadur, English translation by his son Nawab Jiwan Yar Jung Bahadur, Publisher; Arthur H. Stockwell Limited, London.
- Muslims and India’s Freedom Movement, Shan Muhammad, Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi, 2002.
- The Indian Muslims, M.Mujeeb, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1955.
- The Discovery of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
- Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan & Muslim Modernization in India & Pakistan, Hafeez Malik, Royal Book Company, Karachi, 1988.
- Towards a Common Destiny: A Nationalist Manifesto, Tufail Ahmad Manglori, People’s Publishing House, New Delhi, 1994.
- Hayat-i-Javed, Altaf Husain Hali, Idarah-i-Adabiyat-i-Delhi, Delhi, 1979
- Aligarh’s First Generation, David Lelyveld, Oxford University Press. Delhi, 1996.
- Sir Syed Ahmad Khan – A Reinterpretation of Muslim Theology, C.W.Troll, Oxford University Press, Karachi.
- Sir Syed Ahmed Khan – A political Biography, Shan Muhammad, Meenakshi Prakashan, Meerut.
- The Aligarh Movement – Basic Documents, Shan Muhammad, Meenakshi Prakashan, Meerut.
- History of The Aligarh Muslim University, Khaliq Ahmad Nizami, Idarah -i- Adbiyat –i- Delli, Delhi, 1995.
- An Autobiography – A life to Remember, K.A. Hamied, Lalvani Publishing House, Bombay, 1972.
External links
- Official website of Aligarh Muslim University
- Official website of Jamia Millia Islamia
- Official website of Hamidia Girls Degree College affiliated to the University Of Allahabad
- Official website of Christ's College CambridgeChrist's College, CambridgeChrist's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
- Christ’s College celebrates opening of the Khwaja Yusuf Hamied Centre
- Dr K.A. Hamied
- www.JamalKhwaja.com
- My Life Being The Autobiography Of Nawab Server-Ul-Mulk Bahadur
- http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:_JNjczcog2IJ:www.zmo.de/dietrich/Reetz%25201988.pdf+Enlightenment+and+Islam:+Sayyid+Ahmad+Khan%E2%80%99s+Plea+to+Indian+Muslims+for+Reason.&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjjDmjtck25UzqyMHbvQG5tm6_QOWdWblolrjVSvU9r0lL54BGHQj2c84h9Kr5As_PX8oqQDnpcq0OFOa60gUI4MSmpP7lqeABu853tqaIATq51nLPPczzcQt5Z93dUL-SoEmx0&sig=AHIEtbSKgyw1TWKMtlvngUlRt29h5XoHmAEnlightenment and Islam: Sayyid Ahmad Khan’s Plea to Indian Muslims for Reason.]
- Sharif Culture and British Rule