11

Oct

This patriotic Muslim from Lucknow is a Bapu devotee

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K. Vikram Rao

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New Delhi | Friday | 11 October 2024

The Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Firangi Mahal, the ancient Islamic spiritual centre of Lucknow. The general message is that Indian Muslims, inspired by the Father of the Nation, opposed the British rule wholeheartedly. Bapu nurtured and enhanced national harmony. A notable fact is that Indian Islamic scholar Maulana Abdul Bari Firangi Mahali, author of 111 books, strongly supported Bapu's non-cooperation struggle. He strongly demanded a strict ban on cow slaughter.

During his stay in Lucknow, Mahatma Gandhi used to be the guest of Maulana Abdul Bari along with his goat. Mahatma Gandhi was a vegetarian, so a Brahmin cook was specially called from the Chowk area of ​​Lucknow to cook food for him. Mahatma Gandhi has also mentioned this in his autobiography. Four generations of the Ulama of Farangi Mahal struggled to break the shackles of slavery in the freedom struggle. While they laid the foundation of the non-cooperation movement, they also boycotted British products. The Ulama refused to go to Pakistan.

After the formation of Pakistan, Chaudhary Mushrikuzzama, the younger brother of Chaudhary Khaliquzzaman, came to the Farangi Mahal and invited Maulana Qutubuddin to come to Pakistan. He promised to give Maulana all kinds of facilities in Pakistan. Then Maulana refused by reciting a couplet of Mirza: "Why should the wind of blood pass through the head, should we rise from the aasthaane year ?" Maulana Qutubuddin's granddaughter Nuzhat Fatima says that after the formation of Pakistan (in 1947), Chaudhary Mushrikuzzama, younger brother of Chaudhary Khaliquzzaman, came to Farangi Mahal and invited Maulana Qutubuddin to come to Pakistan. But Maulana refused.

Article at a Glance

Firangi Mahal, a historic Islamic spiritual center in Lucknow, celebrates Gandhi Jayanti with great enthusiasm. The occasion highlights the strong bond between Indian Muslims and Mahatma Gandhi, who nurtured national harmony and opposed British rule.
Notably, Maulana Abdul Bari Firangi Mahali, a renowned Islamic scholar, supported Gandhi's non-cooperation movement and advocated for a ban on cow slaughter. The Ulama of Farangi Mahal played a significant role in the freedom struggle, boycotting British products and laying the foundation for the non-cooperation movement.
Today, Maulana Khalid Rashid continues this tradition, promoting national harmony and unity. The celebrations serve as a reminder of the shared values and ideals that unite India's diverse communities.

Farangi Mahal had a special significance in the freedom struggle. The meetings of the freedom struggle used to be held in the hall here. Before these meetings, Vande Mataram and Allah-o-Akbar slogans were always raised. When Gandhiji was assassinated, a procession of maulanas came out barefoot from Farangi Mahal. A tune was playing in the background and Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram Patit Pavan Sita Ram... was on everyone's lips. Humming these lines, everyone reached Aminabad Park from Victoria Street. Presently, Maulana Khalid Rashid of Farangi Mahal is carrying on the same tradition. He is strengthening national harmony. But what is the condition of this dreamland created by Jinnah today? 63-year-old Bombay film dialogue-writer Shaktimaan "Vicky" Talwar wrote in his latest film "Gadar-2": "If they get a chance to settle in India again , more than half of Pakistan will be empty." Actor Sunny Deol also said to Pakistan: “ Even if you roam around with a bowl, you will not get alms.”

If the tragedy of partition is discussed today, then one historical aspect will be worth mentioning. (My new book "No more Pakistan": Anamika Publications): Countless eminent Islamic leaders were staunch opponents of partition. Jinnah was left alone. Why did India still split? Consider the names of those Indian opponents of Darul Islam. Sindh Chief Minister Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah rejected the proposal of partition. Punjab Prime Minister Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana saw it as a ploy to divide the Punjab province and the people. He believed that the culture of the Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus of Punjab was the same and he was against dividing India based on religious separation. Malik Khizar Hayat, who himself was a pious Muslim, said to the separatist leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah: "There are Hindu and Sikh Tiwanas there, who are my relatives. I go to their weddings and other functions. How can I consider them as belonging to another nation ?" Khwaja Atiqullah, the elder brother of the Nawab of Dhaka, collected 25,000 signatures and submitted a memorandum opposing the partition.

Allama Mashriqi, leader of the Khaksar Movement in East Bengal, felt that if Muslims and Hindus had lived together largely in peace in India for centuries, they could do the same in an independent and united India. He believed that separatist leaders were "power hungry and were misleading Muslims to increase their power by serving the British agenda." Allah Bakhsh Soomro, the Chief Minister of Sindh, was strongly opposed to partition on religious grounds. Soomro declared that "the very concept of treating Muslims as a separate nation in India based on their religion is un-Islamic." Maulana Mazhar Ali Azhar called Jinnah a Kafir-e-Azam ("great infidel"). Maulana Abul Ala Maududi, founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami, argued that the very concept of Pakistan violated the principle of ummah. Dr. Khan Saheb Abdul Jabbar Khan, the Chief Minister of the North West Frontier Province, wanted to remain in India. His predecessor was Frontier Gandhi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan who was kept in Pakistani jail for life. Congress Muslims who were staunch opponents of partition included Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr Zakir Hussain, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai etc.

Jinnah's staunch supporters also preferred to stay in India. For example, Raja Mahmudabad Amir Hasan Khan, Begum Qudusia Ayaz Rasul who was a member of the UP Legislative Council, and Meerut's Nawab Muhammad Ismail Khan. This Nawab was going to become the President of the Muslim League after Jinnah. The three were faced with the question of whether to go to Darul Islam or stay in Darul Harb and save their property in India. Religion had become secondary. Money was dearer.

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Vikram Rao is a senior journalist and president of the journalist organization IFWJ.

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