Engineer Affan Nomani
The patriotism of Indian Muslims is being questioned today . Those who
question Muslim's love for this country, they don't know the Indian
history and The Role of Indian Muslim freedom fighter.
I studied the series of books like :- Hardly peter's ' Partners
in Freedom and True
Muslims: Thought of some Muslim scholars in British India , 1912-47' ,
' Composite Nationalism and Islam ' written by Moulana Hussain
Ahmed Madni in 1938 , ' The Prisoners of Malta ( Asira'n-E-Malta )'
written by Moulana Syed Mohammed Mian , ' Moulana Hussain Ahmed
Madni ' written by Barbara D. Metcalf . These series of books
beautifully described over the
role of Muslim scholars in the battle of freedom .
But it is unfortunate that patriotic Islamic scholars have been ignored .
Sultan Tipu Shaheed ( 1750-1799 ) , Shah Waliullah Mohaddish Dehlvi (
1703-1760 ) Sirazul Hind Abdul Aziz ( 1746 - 1760 ) , Shah Ismail
Shaheed ( 1779 - 1831 ) , Bahadur Shah Zafer ( 1775 - 1862 ) , Moulana
Qasim Nanatvi ( 1832 - 1880 ) , Shaikhul Hind Moulana Mahmood Hasan
Deobandi ( 1851 - 1920 ), Moulana Ali Zohar ( 1878 -1931 ) , Moulana
Shaukhat Ali ( 1873- 1933 ) , Moulana Barkatullah Bhopali ( 1862- 1927
), Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi ( 1864 - 1943 ) , Moulana Abul Kalam
Azad ( 1888 - 1958 ), Shaikh-ul-Islam Moulana Hussain Ahmed Madni (
1879 - 1957 ) and others , These all are freedom fighter who played
important role to fight against British for the freedom of the
country.
The Islamic Scholars of Darul Uloom Deoband ( One of the most
influential Islamic Seminaries in south Asia, founded in 1867 ) not
only opposed the two nation theory, but also supported efforts of
Indian National Congress ( Which had been founded in 1885 ) to thwart
the Muslim league's Plan .
One of the Prominent leaders of the Jamiat Ulema Hind ( a forum
founded in 1919 to speak for Muslims and support the movement for
Independence ) , Moulana Hussain Ahmed Madni , was at the forefront of
this movement. Moulana Madni opposed the divisive policy of Mohammad
Ali Jinnah and forcefully argued that all Communities living in India
Constitute one nation.
When the new association of Indian Ulema Jamiat Ulema Hind bravely
embraced Mahatma Gandhi's first non-cooperation movement in 1921 ,
Moulana Hussain Ahmed Madni , Moulana Mahmood Hasan Deobandi and
several others of the leadership faced two years of imprisonment for '
Conspiracy ' .
As Moulana Hussain Ahmed Madni described life on Malta from 1926 to
1920 in his prisoners of Malta ( Asir-i-Malta , 1923 ) , Moulana Madni
and Moulana Deobandi and several others were arrested and interned in
Malta for almost four years.
Moulana Madni ever more clearly formulated his arguments for Muslims
and non - Muslims politicians to work gether under the aegis of the
Indian National Congress . He was absolutely clear that his vision of
a religiously plural society not only strategically best served Muslim
interests, but that is also had clear Qur'anic sanction.
In December 1937 , at a political meeting in Delhi, Moulana Hussain
Ahmed Madni made a straight forward statement: " In the current age ,
nations ( Qaumeen ) are based on homelands ( Watan ) , not religion (
Mazhab ) and the persons like Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Parsi- all are
the Hindustani " .
Between 1803 and 1947 , the Ulemas waged many battles for freedom of
the country and many Ulemas were arrested by the British because Darul
Uloom Deoband delivered a Fatwa against the British.
Jamiat Ulema Hind fought shoulder to shoulder with the Indian National
Congress, and awakened the country politically and socially.
Hence the fact is that the history of the independence movement of the
India is so mixed up with the history of the Ulema and religious
personalities.
Indian National Congress and the Indian Muslims - a Muslim
perspective, authored by Dr. Khwaja Iftikhar Ahmed has beautifully
described about contribution of Urdu language in the freedom struggle.
Those communalists and fascists who teach us the lessons of
patriotism forget Allama Mohammed Iqbal who gave the fundamentals of
Indian nationalism to us, the Indians by writing that sare Jahan se
achcha Hindustan hamara ( India is the best among all peoples, nations
and land on planet earth ), Mazhab nahin Sikhata aapas main bair
Rakhna ( Religion does not teach the lessons of hatred and enmity ).
It is Urdu language again that gave the slogan of " Inquilab Zindabad
" and declared that struggle against British has religious and ethical
Sanctity , Sanctity and connotations. It went on to this extent;
Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna Ab Hamare Dil main Hai
Dekhna ha Zor kitna Bazoo-e-Qartil main hai
( we have at heart the ultimate will to sacrifice the life. Let the
muscle Strength of our enemy and his resolve to kill us be put to test
).
When Indira Gandhi asked Rakesh Sharma , the first Indian Astronaut
when he was in space with his Russian counterparts, how India looked
from there , he said , " Sare Jahan Se Achchha Hindustan hamara ".
When an Indian Soldier fights for the Sovereignty of his nation at the
height of Siachen glacier , in Ladakh or in Kargil or challenges the
hostile enemy at the war front or encounters a terrorist, at heart he
is inspired to offer the last drop of his blood through the lyrics of
our nation Song , Sare Jahan Se Achchha Hindustan Hamara.
This is the role that Urdu literature, particularly the Urdu poetry
and the Muslims of India have played in the freedom Struggle of India
and presently are playing in building a strong, Stable, democratic,
secular, progressive, prosperous and developed India.
Writer Engineer Affan Nomani is a columnist and researcher at JNTU Hyderabad
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