Hashim Amir Ali
Encyclopedia
Ali, Dr. Hashim Amir was born in 1903, son of Ahmed Ali Khan [?], a native of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
, India
, capital of what was the premier princely state in the center of India
. He was brought up in the palace of Salar Jung. He received his early education in his native land at Madrasa-i-Aliya which was affiliated with Hyderabad School (Noble School) to form Nizam College
and had a degree from University of Bombay, followed by study at the University of Chicago
in Education and Sociology at graduate level (1927–28) and mainly at Cornell University
, where he received his Ph.D. in Rural Sociology (1929), his thesis being: "Social change in the Hyderabad state in India as affected by the influence of Western culture."
In 1938 Dr. Ali came under the influence of Mirza Abul Fazl
, who aroused his interest in and reverence for the Qur'an
. He was a scholar of wide erudition and clear vision, and was gifted with special insight into the Qur'an. He devoted his life-force for more than thirty years and translated the Qur'an into poetic English to recapture its beauty and rhythm. He was aware of the significance of the chronological order of the Qur'anic revelation and arranged it according to chronological order which came out in 1974 under the title of 'The Message of the Qur'an : Presented in Perspective'. He succeeded in this effort to a considerable extent.
Dr. Ali was an educator and an active advocate of calendar reform for about ten years. He was a leading Muslem authority on calendar matters. He initiated in Hyderabad a movement to synchronize the dates of the Fasli
months with the Gregorian calendar
, and finally succeeded, in 1946, in persuading the Nizam
to authorize the proposed reform. His success in this far-reaching revision emboldened him, as a liberal Muslem, to analyze the problem of introducing effectively The World Calendar
in the realm of the Crescent. He returned to America in 1953 under a fellowship from the Fulbright and Ford Foundation
.
Dr. Ali led a varied and distinguished career in academia and government, including three years of association with Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
. He was Director at Rural Institute, Jamia Millia Islamia (1960–65). He was Private Secretary to the Chief minister of Hyderabad, Rt. Hon'ble Sir Akbar Hydari, and he served as Trustee of some of H.E.H. the Nizam's Private and Religious Trusts (1967) established by the last hereditary ruler of Hyderabad. He was dean of agriculture at Osmania University
, Hyderabad, Deccan, India.
Dr. Ali was a versatile writer with scientist's bent of mind and poet's intuition. He wrote profusely on sociological and Islamic subjects. Throughout his life he challenged many long-held false beliefs either concocted by medieval orthodoxy or someway crept into the body Islamic Faith. He worked hard in quest of truth to eliminate many wrong ideas.
His wife, a learned and pious woman of nobility, shared his notion and gave him all along moral support while passing through thick and thin.
Dr. Ali died in 1987 at Banjara Hills
, Hyderabad. He is survived by one daughter, Naveed Jehan Reza, and two sons, Hyder Amir-Ali (BORN: June 6, 1935 DIED: May 30, 2010 LOCATION: Granada Hills, CA ) and Asad Amir-Ali.
Between 1926 and 1969 Dr. Ali travelled U.S.A. Australia, Egypt, Tehran, Baghdad, Beirut, Istanbul and Japan.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, 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...
, capital of what was the premier princely state in the center of 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...
. He was brought up in the palace of Salar Jung. He received his early education in his native land at Madrasa-i-Aliya which was affiliated with Hyderabad School (Noble School) to form Nizam College
Nizam College
Nizam College was established in 1887 during the reign of Nawab Mir Mahaboob Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. It is located at Basheerbagh.-History:...
and had a degree from University of Bombay, followed by study at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in Education and Sociology at graduate level (1927–28) and mainly at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, where he received his Ph.D. in Rural Sociology (1929), his thesis being: "Social change in the Hyderabad state in India as affected by the influence of Western culture."
In 1938 Dr. Ali came under the influence of Mirza Abul Fazl
Mirza Abul Fazl
Abul Fazl, Mirza , , was a native of Allahabad, India. Among the contemporary Muslim scholars Dr Mirza Abul Fazl, learned in Arabic and Sanskrit, was a pioneer who took interest in the study of the chronological order of the Qur`an and invited the attention of Muslim scholars towards its...
, who aroused his interest in and reverence for the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. He was a scholar of wide erudition and clear vision, and was gifted with special insight into the Qur'an. He devoted his life-force for more than thirty years and translated the Qur'an into poetic English to recapture its beauty and rhythm. He was aware of the significance of the chronological order of the Qur'anic revelation and arranged it according to chronological order which came out in 1974 under the title of 'The Message of the Qur'an : Presented in Perspective'. He succeeded in this effort to a considerable extent.
Dr. Ali was an educator and an active advocate of calendar reform for about ten years. He was a leading Muslem authority on calendar matters. He initiated in Hyderabad a movement to synchronize the dates of the Fasli
Fasli
Phasli or Fasli is an abandoned Turkish Cypriot village in the Paphos District of Cyprus, located 2 km south of Androlikou....
months with the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
, and finally succeeded, in 1946, in persuading the Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
to authorize the proposed reform. His success in this far-reaching revision emboldened him, as a liberal Muslem, to analyze the problem of introducing effectively The World Calendar
World calendar
The World Calendar is a proposed reform of the Gregorian calendar created by Elisabeth Achelis of Brooklyn, New York in 1930.-Features:The World Calendar is a 12-month, perennial calendar with equal quarters. It is perennial, or perpetual, because it remains the same every year.Each quarter begins...
in the realm of the Crescent. He returned to America in 1953 under a fellowship from the Fulbright and Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
.
Dr. Ali led a varied and distinguished career in academia and government, including three years of association with Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
. He was Director at Rural Institute, Jamia Millia Islamia (1960–65). He was Private Secretary to the Chief minister of Hyderabad, Rt. Hon'ble Sir Akbar Hydari, and he served as Trustee of some of H.E.H. the Nizam's Private and Religious Trusts (1967) established by the last hereditary ruler of Hyderabad. He was dean of agriculture at Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
, Hyderabad, Deccan, India.
Dr. Ali was a versatile writer with scientist's bent of mind and poet's intuition. He wrote profusely on sociological and Islamic subjects. Throughout his life he challenged many long-held false beliefs either concocted by medieval orthodoxy or someway crept into the body Islamic Faith. He worked hard in quest of truth to eliminate many wrong ideas.
His wife, a learned and pious woman of nobility, shared his notion and gave him all along moral support while passing through thick and thin.
Dr. Ali died in 1987 at Banjara Hills
Banjara Hills
Banjara Hills is an urban commercial center in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Banjara Hills is one of more than 150 cities/boroughs comprising Greater Hyderabad, the second largest metropolitan area in India. This is an upmarket locality and is close to Jubilee Hills. This area was a hilly forest area...
, Hyderabad. He is survived by one daughter, Naveed Jehan Reza, and two sons, Hyder Amir-Ali (BORN: June 6, 1935 DIED: May 30, 2010 LOCATION: Granada Hills, CA ) and Asad Amir-Ali.
Between 1926 and 1969 Dr. Ali travelled U.S.A. Australia, Egypt, Tehran, Baghdad, Beirut, Istanbul and Japan.
Publications
- The Student's Quran : An Introduction. (1961)
- The Environs of Tagore - Then and Now. (1961)
- Facts and Fancies - A book of essays. (1947)
- The Meos of Mewat; old neighbours of New Delhi. (1970)
- The Message of the Qur'an : Presented in Perspective. (1974)
- Upstream Downstream : Reconstruction of Islamic Chronology (1978)