Maulana Abul Kalam Muhiyuddin Ahmed was born on 11 November 1888 in
Mecca & died on 22 February 1958 Delhi, India, was an Indian Muslim
scholar and a senior political leader of
the Indian independence movement. He was one of the most prominent
Muslim leaders to support Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing the partition of
India on communal lines.
Following India’s independence, he became the first Minister of Education in the Indian government. He is commonly remembered as Maulana Azad; he had adopted Azad (Free) as his pen name. His contribution to establishing the education foundation of India is recognised by celebrating his birthday as National Education Day across India.
Azad’s family descended from a line of eminent Ulama or scholars of
Islam, hailing from Herat (now in western Afghanistan) and had settled
in India during the reign of the Mughal emperor Babur. His mother was of
Arab descent, the daughter of Shaikh Muhammad Zahir Watri, and his
father, Maulana Khairuddin was, then living in Bengal, was from Herat. The family
lived in the Bengal region until Maulana Khairuddin left India during
the Indian rebellion of 1857 and settled in Mecca, the holiest city in
Islam, where he met his wife. Azad mastered several languages, including
Urdu, Arabic, Hindko, Persian, and Hindi. He was also trained in the
subjects of Hanafi fiqh , shariat , mathematics, philosophy, world history and science by reputed tutors hired by his family.
As a young man, Azad composed poetry in Urdu as well as treatises on
religion and philosophy. He rose to prominence through his work as a
journalist, publishing works critical of the British Raj and espousing
the causes of Indian nationalism. Azad became the leader of the Khilafat Movement during which he came into close contact with
Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi. Azad became an enthusiastic supporter of
Gandhi’s ideas of non-violent civil disobedience, and worked actively to
organise the Non-cooperation movement in protest of the 1919 Rowlatt
Acts. Azad committed himself to Gandhi’s ideals, including promoting
Swadeshi (Indigenous) products and the cause of Swaraj (Self-rule) for
India. He would become the youngest person to serve as the President of
the Indian National Congress in 1923.
Azad was one of the main organisers of the Dharasana Satyagraha in
1931, and emerged as one of the most important national leaders of the
time, prominently leading the causes of Hindu-Muslim unity as well as
espousing secularism and socialism. He served as Congress President from
1940 to 1945, during which the Quit India rebellion was launched and
Azad was imprisoned with the entire Congress leadership for three years.
Azad became the most prominent Muslim opponent of the demand for a
separate Muslim state of Pakistan and served in the interim national
government. Amidst communal turmoil following the partition of India, he
worked for religious harmony. As India’s Education Minister, Azad
oversaw the establishment of a national education system with free primary education and modern institutions of higher education.
He is also credited with the establishment of the Indian Institutes of
Technology and the foundation of the University Grants Commission, an
important institution to supervise and advance the higher education in
the nation.
During his life and in contemporary times, Maulana Azad has been
criticised for not doing enough to prevent the partition of India. He
was condemned by the advocates of Pakistan and by religious Muslims,
especially of the Deobandi order for his perceived affinity and
proximity to Hindus. During and after partition, Azad was criticised for
not doing enough for Muslim security and political rights in
independent India.
His Birthday, November 11 is celebrated as National Education Day in India
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