Abul Mahasin Muhammad Sajjad (1880 – 23 November 1940) was an Indian Islamic scholar who was one of the most influential

ulemas In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

of the 20th century. Sajjad was a founder of Anjuman-Ulama-i-Bihar,

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind ( ) is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari Fi ...

, and Imarat-i-Sharia. A leader in the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

, Abul Mahasin Muhammad Sajjad participated in the

Non-cooperation Movement Non-cooperation movement may refer to: * Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922), during the Indian independence movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule * Non-cooperation movement (1971), a movement in East Pakistan * Non-cooperatio ...

Khilafat Movement The Khilafat movement (1919–22) was a political campaign launched by Indian Muslims in British India over British policy against Turkey and the planned dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire after World War I by Allied forces. Leaders particip ...

, and

Civil Disobedience Movement Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". ...

; he opposed the partition of India and championed the concept of

composite nationalism Composite nationalism is a concept that argues that people of diverse ethnicities, cultures, tribes, castes, communities, and faiths, collectively comprise the Indian nation. The idea teaches that "nationalism cannot be defined by religion in ...

. He also founded the Muslim Independent Party in 1935 to represent Muslims in Bihar who were disillusioned with Congress and the Muslim League. The Muslim Independent Party formed the government in Bihar in 1937. Yunus, the party president, became the chief minister of Bihar on 1 April 1937.

Early life and education

Muhammad Sajjad was born in the Panhessa village in the

Sheikhpura district Sheikhpura district is one of the thirty-eight districts in Bihar, India and a part of the Munger division with Sheikhpura as its administrative headquarters. Established on 31 July 1994 from the Munger district due to political efforts by ...

of the

Bihar Province Bihar Province was a province of British India, created in 1936 by the partition of the Bihar and Orissa Province. History In 1756, Bihar was part of Bengal. On 14 October 1803, Orissa was occupied by the British Raj. On 22 March 1912, both Bih ...

Colonial India Colonial India was the part of the Indian subcontinent that was occupied by European colonial powers during and after the Age of Discovery. European power was exerted both by conquest and trade, especially in spice trade, spices. The search for ...

. His father was Hussain Baksh who died when he was only 4 years old. Sajjad's elder brother was the revered Sufi saint Sufi Ahmad Sajjad who lived until 1948. Sufi Ahmad Sajjad's Mazar is located near a mosque in the village where Urs of the great Sufi Saint is celebrated every year on the 27th day of Muharram. The shrine's current Sajjada Nashin (hereditary administrator) is the saint's grandson Pir Syed Shah Mohammad Ziauddin (born 1953). Sajjad started studying at Madrasa Islamiya in Bihar, and then studied at Madrasa Subhaniya in Allahabad for about six years. His major teachers include Abdul Kāfi. He graduated in 1323 AH. Sajjad completed his studies in

Bihar Sharif Bihar Sharif is the headquarters of Nalanda district and the fifth-largest sub-metropolitan area in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. Its name is a combination of two words: ''Bihar'', derived from '' vihara'' (meaning monastery), also the nam ...

Deoband Deoband is a town and a municipality in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, about 150 km (93 miles) from Delhi. Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary and one of the largest Islamic Institutions of India is located ther ...

, and

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

Career

He later returned to

and

, to teach theology, as well as at Gaya. In 1917, Sajjad founded the Anjuman-Ulama-i-Bihar and also became one of the founders of Jamiyat al-Ulama-i-Hind. He served as the secretary of Imarat-i-Sharia, which he helped found. A leader in the

, Sajjad took part in the

Non-cooperation movement Non-cooperation movement may refer to: * Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922), during the Indian independence movement, led by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule * Non-cooperation movement (1971), a movement in East Pakistan * Non-cooperatio ...

and

. He was a proponent of Hindu-Muslim unity and was a leader in the

hartal Hartal () is a term in many Languages of India, Indian languages for a strike action that was first used during the Indian independence movement (also known as the nationalist movement) of the early 20th century. A hartal is a mass protest, often ...

s that boycotted the

Simon Commission The Indian Statutory Commission, also known as the Simon Commission, was a group of seven members of the British Parliament under the chairmanship of John Simon. The commission arrived in the Indian subcontinent in 1928 to study constitutional ...

. He along with

Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi (3 March 1900 – 26 September 1966) was a political activist from Bihar, prominent in the Indian independence movement. Early life Ajazi was born on 3 March 1900 in village Dihuli, Block Sakra of District Muzaf ...

Shaukat Ali Shaukat Ali, also known as Shaukat Ali Khan, (3 May 1944 – 2 April 2021) was a Pakistani folk singer. Early life and career Born on 3 May 1944, into a family of artists in Malakwal, a town in District Gujrat (now falls in new District Mand ...

, Begum Md. Ali, Azad Subhani,

Abdul Majid Daryabadi Abdul Majid Daryabadi (16 March 1892 – 6 January 1977) was an influential Ulama, Islamic scholar, Philosophy, philosopher, writer, critic, researcher, journalist, and Quranic exegete active in the Indian subcontinent during the 20th century. ...

and others represented the Central Khilafat Committee at the All Parties Conferences and All Muslim Parties Conferences on

Nehru Report The Nehru Report of 1928 was a memorandum by All Parties Conference in British India to appeal for a new dominion status and a federal set-up of government for the constitution of India. It also proposed for the Joint Electorates with reservation ...

. He opposed the partition of India and the separatist campaign of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

. He established Anwarul Ulum Madrasa in Gaya. Sajjad authored the ''Fatwa Tark-e-Mawalat'', the religious edict on boycotting the British goods, on 8 September 1920. It was signed by 500 Muslim scholars and issued from the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. He was appointed the general secretary of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind on 13 July 1940. He would earlier serve as the working general secretary in absence of Ahmad Saeed Dehlavi.

Death

Sajjad died on 23 November 1940.

See more

List of Deobandis Deobandis represent a group of scholars affiliated with the reformist Deobandi movement, which originated in the town of Darul Uloom Deoband in northern India. Founded in 1866, this movement sought to safeguard Islamic teachings amidst non-Musli ...

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sajjad, Abul Muhasin Muhammad 1880 births 1940 deaths 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam Deobandis Indian independence activists from Bihar Founders of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind