Hassan Ali Effendi ( ur, sd, حسن علي آفندي; 14 August 1830 – 20 August 1895) was an

educationist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Var ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

who is credited as the founder of one of the first Muslim schools in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

: the

Sindh Madrasatul Islam Sindh Madressatul Islam University ( ur, ; sd, سنڌ مدرسۃ الاسلام), also known as SMI University, is a university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Founded in 1885, it is one of the oldest educational institutions in South Asia. H ...

(established in 1885), located in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

in modern-day

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 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 ...

, the founder of Pakistan, became among the school's famous graduates.Profile of Hassan Ali Effendi and image of the commemorative postage stamp on findpk.com website
Retrieved 7 March 2019Delay in execution of projects likely to anger top government officials
The News International (newspaper), Published 4 September 2010, Retrieved 7 March 2019 Other notable graduates of the school include

Shahnawaz Bhutto Shahnawaz Bhutto (November 21, 1958 – July 18, 1985; Sindhi: شاھنواز ڀٽو) was the son of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977 and Begum Nusrat Bhutto, who was of Iranian Kurdish ...

Abdullah Haroon ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Karachi, British India , death_date = , death_place = Karachi, British India , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , nationality = Indian , other_names = , known_for = Politics (Pa ...

Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah KCSI ( ur, غلام حسین هدايت الله , sd, غلام حسين هدايت الله; January 1879 – 4 October 1948) was a colonial Indian and Pakistani politician from Sindh. He held several offices in ...

and Allama I.I. Kazi.

Background

Effendi belonged to a respectable family of

Akhund Akhund (akhoond, akhwand, akhand or akondo) ( fa, آخوند) is a Persian title or surname for Islamic scholars, common in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan. Other names for similar Muslim Scholar include sheik ...

s from

Hyderabad, Sindh Hyderabad ( Sindhi and ur, ; ) is a city and the capital of Hyderabad Division in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the second-largest city in Sindh, and the eighth largest in Pakistan. Founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro of th ...

; he had

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

ancestry.Shaikh, Muhammad Ali (1995). Sindh Madressah: a journey through times. Sindh Madressatul Islam. p. 22. OCLC 35861879. While still very young, he lost his father and was brought up by his elder brother Umed Ali Akhund. As according to the tradition of the Akhund family, he was enrolled in a local

madrassa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

to read and study the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...

and learn the basics of the

Persian language Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and ...

. Upon the completion of this traditional education, Ali found work as a clerk in the office of the Deputy Collector of

Naushahro Naushahro Feroze ( ur, , sd, نوشهرو فیروز), is the capital city of Naushahro Feroze District in Sindh province of Pakistan. The district is located at 26°50'0N 68°7'0E with an altitude of 38 metres (127 feet). Naushahro Fe ...

. One of his Christian colleagues there persuaded him to learn English, a language that was at the time avoided by Muslims in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

. Nevertheless, he devoted all his leisure hours to the pursuit of learning English and soon acquired reasonable proficiency in reading, writing and speaking English. Later, Effendi started to work for the ''Indus flotilla'', a shipping company. In the mid-1860s, while he still worked for the company, a British judge from Karachi by the name of Middleton, happened to cross the Indus river by ferry, spending the night on the ferry boat in order to cross the following morning. Middleton found Hassan Ali Effendi reading an English book by the dim light of an oil lamp. Surprised to discover that the man was a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, he was impressed enough to offer him a role as a translator in the Karachi District Court on the magnificent salary of sixty

rupee Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

s a month. Hassan Ali Effendi accepted the offer and moved to Karachi to assume his new responsibilities. Impressed by his performance, Judge Middleton allowed him to practice law before the court without passing any formal degree in law. This was the turning point in Hassan Ali Effendi's life. At that time, there was not a single Muslim advocate apart from him in the entire province; the lawyers tended to be either

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s. Soon he was appointed as the

Public Prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

, the first non-European in

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

to be in charge of that post, which he would retain for 14 years. His family includes

Wajid Shamsul Hasan Wajid Shamsul Hasan (died 28 September 2021) was a Pakistani diplomat since June 2008. He served as the High Commissioner of Pakistan to the United Kingdom.

, former High Commissioner of Pakistan to the United Kingdom and the former

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakistan ...

, is Effendi's great grandson through his mother's family.Delay in execution of projects likely to anger top government officials
The News International (newspaper), Published 4 September 2010, Retrieved 7 March 2019

Sindh Madrasatul Islam

Effendi began to take an interest in the welfare of the Muslim population in Sindh, and especially the spread of education in these communities. He was the life-long President of the Managing Board of the above Madrasa. Much of his drive was influenced by the Indian Muslim educationist Sir

Syed Ahmed Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, he ...

, founder of the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College.Rangers occupy hostel of historic (significance)
The News International (newspaper), Published 6 February 2009, Retrieved 7 March 2019 Wishing to replicate Syed Ahmed Khan's efforts, Effendi even travelled to

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Allygarh, and Kol) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district, and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capita ...

(present-day India) where he sought guidance from him. In 2011,

School was upgraded to a university and renamed as

Sindh Madressatul Islam University Sindh Madressatul Islam University ( ur, ; sd, سنڌ مدرسۃ الاسلام), also known as SMI University, is a university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Founded in 1885, it is one of the oldest educational institutions in South Asia. Hi ...

.Quaid's alma mater upgraded to university
The News International (newspaper), Published 23 December 2011, Retrieved 7 March 2019

Commemorative postage stamp

Pakistan Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor Hassan Ali Effendi for his services in 1990 in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' postage stamp series.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Effendi, Hassan Ali 1830 births 1895 deaths Pakistani educational theorists Pakistani people of Turkish descent People from Hyderabad District, Pakistan Sindhi people Members of the Bombay Legislative Council Founders of Pakistani schools and colleges