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

ulemas In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

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 F ...

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

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

, Abul Muhasin Muhammad Sajjad participated in the

Non-cooperation Movement The Non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.

, Khilafat Movement, and

Civil Disobedience Movement The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a ...

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

composite nationalism Composite nationalism ( Hindustani: ''mushtareka wataniyat'' or ''muttahidah qaumiyat'') is a concept that argues that the Indian nation is made of up people of diverse cultures, castes, communities, and faiths. The idea teaches that "nationali ...

. He also founded the

Muslim Independent Party The Muslim Independent Party was a political party founded in India in 1935 by Abul Muhasin Muhammad Sajjad. History The party was founded in 1935 by Abul Muhasin Muhammad Sajjad, the Amir of Imarat-e-Sharia, Bihar, to represent Muslims in Bihar ...

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

Nalanda district Nalanda district is one of the thirty-eight districts of the state of Bihar in India. Bihar Sharif is the administrative headquarters of this district. The districts contain the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nalanda i ...

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 Biha ...

in Colonial India. 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, and Allahabad.

Career

He later returned to

and Allahabad, 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 The Non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.

, Khilafat Movement and

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

hartal Hartal () is a term in many 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 involving a total s ...

s that boycotted the Simon Commission. 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 Muz ...

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 Islamic scholar, philosopher, writer, critic, researcher, journalist and exegete of the Quran in Indian subcontinent in 20th century. He was as one of the most influential Indian Mus ...

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 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 of ...

. He opposed the partition of India and the separatist campaign of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. 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 Ahmad Saeed Dehlavi (also known as Sahbān al-Hind; 1888 – 4 December 1959) was an Indian Muslim scholar and freedom struggle activist who served as the first general secretary and the fifth president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. He also served as ...

Death

Sajjad died on 23 November 1940.

References

Bibliography

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