Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was born on November 11, 1888 in Mecca. His antecedents came from Herat (a city in Afghanistan) during the time of Babar’s rule. Azad was a descendent of a pedigree of learned Muslim scholars, or maulanas. His mother was an Arab and the daughter of Sheikh Mohammad Zaher Watri and his father, Maulana Khairuddin, was a Bengali Muslim of Afghan origins. Khairuddin left India during the Sepoy Mutiny and proceeded to Mecca and settled there. He came back to Calcutta with his family in 1890.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's real name was Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin but was widely known as Maulana Azad. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was one of the chief leaders of Indian freedom struggle and was a renowned scholar, and a poet. He was well versed in many languages that include Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Persian and Bengali and was a gleaming debater, as designated by his name, Abul Kalam, which literally meant "lord of dialogue". Owing to his traditional family background, Azad had to pursue traditional Islamic education. He was taught at home, first by his father and later by selected teachers who were distinguished in their own fields. Azad learned Arabic and Persian first and then philosophy, geometry, mathematics and algebra. He also learnt English, world history, and politics through self study.
Azad was trained and educated to become a clergyman. He wrote many works, re-interpreting the Holy Quran. His intellect led him to renounce Taqliq or the tradition of conventionality and accept the principle of Tajdid or innovation. He developed interest in the pan-Islamic doctrines of Jamaluddin Afghani and the Aligarh thought of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Imbued with the pan-Islamic spirit, he visited Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. In Iraq, he met the exiled revolutionaries who were fighting to establish a constitutional government in Iran. In Egypt, he met Shaikh Muhammad Abduh and Saeed Pasha and other revolutionary activists of the Arab world. He had a firsthand knowledge of the ideals and spirit of the Young Turks in Constantinople. All these contacts metamorphosed him into a nationalist revolutionary. He adopted the pen name 'Azad' as a mark of his intellectual liberation from a narrow view of religion and life.
On his return from abroad, Azad met two leading revolutionaries of Bengal- Aurobindo Ghosh and Sri Shyam Shundar Chakravarty,-and joined the revolutionary movement against British rule. Azad found that the revolutionary activities were restricted to Bengal and Bihar. Within two years, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad helped setup furtive revolutionary centres all over north India and Bombay. During that time, most of his revolutionaries were anti-Muslim because they felt that the British Government was using the Muslim community against India's freedom struggle. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad tried to induce his colleagues to discard their antagonism towards Muslims.
In the year 1912, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad started a weekly periodical in Urdu called Al Hilal to augment the revolutionary workers amongst the Muslims. Al-Hilal played a significant role in forging Hindu-Muslim unity after the bad blood created between the two communities in the repercussion of Morley-Minto reforms. Al Hilal became a revolutionary delegate publicizing revolutionary views. The government regarded Al Hilal as propagator of secessionist views and banned it in 1914. After the success of Al-Hilal, Azad started another weekly called Al-Balagh with the same mission of proliferating Indian nationalism and revolutionary ideas based on Hindu-Muslim unity. In the year 1916, the government proscribed this paper too and expelled Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from Calcutta and jailed him at Ranchi from where he was released after the First World War in 1920.
After his release, Azad provoked the Muslim community through the Khilafat Movement. The aim of the movement was to re-instate the Khalifa as the head of British captured Turkey. Maulana Azad supported Non-Cooperation Movement started by Gandhiji and entered Indian National Congress in 1920. He was elected as the president of the special session of the Congress in Delhi (1923). Maulana Azad was again arrested in 1930 for violation of the salt laws as part of Gandhiji's Salt Satyagraha. He was put in Meerut jail for a year and a half. Maulana Azad became the president of Congress in 1940 (Ramgarh) and remained in the post till 1946. He was a staunch opponent of partition and supported a confederation of autonomous provinces with their own constitutions but common defence and economy. Partition hurt him greatly and shattered his dream of a unified nation where Hindus and Muslims can co-exist and prosper together.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad served as the Minister of Education in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet from 1947 to 1958. On February 22, 1958, Azad died of a heart stroke. For his priceless contribution to the nation, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in the year 1992.
Birth : November 11, 1888
Death : February 22, 1958
Achievement : Started a weekly journal Al Hilal to increase the revolutionary recruits amongst the Muslims; elected as Congress President in 1923 and 1940; became independent India's first education minister.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's real name was Abul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin but was widely known as Maulana Azad. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was one of the chief leaders of Indian freedom struggle and was a renowned scholar, and a poet. He was well versed in many languages that include Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Persian and Bengali and was a gleaming debater, as designated by his name, Abul Kalam, which literally meant "lord of dialogue". Owing to his traditional family background, Azad had to pursue traditional Islamic education. He was taught at home, first by his father and later by selected teachers who were distinguished in their own fields. Azad learned Arabic and Persian first and then philosophy, geometry, mathematics and algebra. He also learnt English, world history, and politics through self study.
Azad was trained and educated to become a clergyman. He wrote many works, re-interpreting the Holy Quran. His intellect led him to renounce Taqliq or the tradition of conventionality and accept the principle of Tajdid or innovation. He developed interest in the pan-Islamic doctrines of Jamaluddin Afghani and the Aligarh thought of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Imbued with the pan-Islamic spirit, he visited Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. In Iraq, he met the exiled revolutionaries who were fighting to establish a constitutional government in Iran. In Egypt, he met Shaikh Muhammad Abduh and Saeed Pasha and other revolutionary activists of the Arab world. He had a firsthand knowledge of the ideals and spirit of the Young Turks in Constantinople. All these contacts metamorphosed him into a nationalist revolutionary. He adopted the pen name 'Azad' as a mark of his intellectual liberation from a narrow view of religion and life.
On his return from abroad, Azad met two leading revolutionaries of Bengal- Aurobindo Ghosh and Sri Shyam Shundar Chakravarty,-and joined the revolutionary movement against British rule. Azad found that the revolutionary activities were restricted to Bengal and Bihar. Within two years, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad helped setup furtive revolutionary centres all over north India and Bombay. During that time, most of his revolutionaries were anti-Muslim because they felt that the British Government was using the Muslim community against India's freedom struggle. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad tried to induce his colleagues to discard their antagonism towards Muslims.
In the year 1912, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad started a weekly periodical in Urdu called Al Hilal to augment the revolutionary workers amongst the Muslims. Al-Hilal played a significant role in forging Hindu-Muslim unity after the bad blood created between the two communities in the repercussion of Morley-Minto reforms. Al Hilal became a revolutionary delegate publicizing revolutionary views. The government regarded Al Hilal as propagator of secessionist views and banned it in 1914. After the success of Al-Hilal, Azad started another weekly called Al-Balagh with the same mission of proliferating Indian nationalism and revolutionary ideas based on Hindu-Muslim unity. In the year 1916, the government proscribed this paper too and expelled Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from Calcutta and jailed him at Ranchi from where he was released after the First World War in 1920.
After his release, Azad provoked the Muslim community through the Khilafat Movement. The aim of the movement was to re-instate the Khalifa as the head of British captured Turkey. Maulana Azad supported Non-Cooperation Movement started by Gandhiji and entered Indian National Congress in 1920. He was elected as the president of the special session of the Congress in Delhi (1923). Maulana Azad was again arrested in 1930 for violation of the salt laws as part of Gandhiji's Salt Satyagraha. He was put in Meerut jail for a year and a half. Maulana Azad became the president of Congress in 1940 (Ramgarh) and remained in the post till 1946. He was a staunch opponent of partition and supported a confederation of autonomous provinces with their own constitutions but common defence and economy. Partition hurt him greatly and shattered his dream of a unified nation where Hindus and Muslims can co-exist and prosper together.
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad served as the Minister of Education in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet from 1947 to 1958. On February 22, 1958, Azad died of a heart stroke. For his priceless contribution to the nation, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna in the year 1992.
Birth : November 11, 1888
Death : February 22, 1958
Achievement : Started a weekly journal Al Hilal to increase the revolutionary recruits amongst the Muslims; elected as Congress President in 1923 and 1940; became independent India's first education minister.