Mohammad Yunus Saleem (1912 – 15 January 2004) was an Indian politician, scholar, and lawyer, who was also active in the religious field. He was also a poet who campaigned to make
Namaz
(, plural , romanized: or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːh, ( or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːtʰin construct state) ), also known as ( fa, نماز) and also spelled , are prayers performed by Muslims. Facing the , the direction of the Kaaba ...
and never missed
Roza
Roza may refer to:
People
Last name
*Fernando Luiz Roza (b. 1985), Brazilian soccer player
*Lita Roza (1926–2008), British singer
First name
*Roza Anagnosti (born 1943) Albanian actress
*Roza Baglanova (1922–2011), Soviet/Kazakh opera ...
. The Mohammad Yunus Saleem Memorial Education Trust was established by his son Junaid Abdul Rehman to promote the study of the
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical 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 in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
.
Early life
Born in 1912 in Mahona, district
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
and
L.L.B.
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
at
Osmania University
Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 , He released a farman to establish OSMANIA UNIVERSITY on the day of 28 August 1918. It ...
in Hyderabad.
Before moving to Hyderabad, Yunus lived in a mosque in Lucknow with his father. When the Nizam of Hyderabad
Mir Osman Ali Khan
Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (5 or 6 April 1886 — 24 February 1967), was the last Nizam (ruler) of the Princely State of Hyderabad, the largest princely state in British India. He ascended the throne on 29 August 1911, at the age of ...
was in Lucknow on a state visit to see
William Malcolm Hailey
William Malcolm Hailey, 1st Baron Hailey, (15 February 1872 – 1 June 1969) known as Sir Malcolm Hailey between 1921 and 1936, was a British peer and administrator in British India.
Education
Hailey was educated at Merchant Taylors' School and ...
, home member of the Executive Council of the Governor-General of India, Yunus went to meet the Nizam and offered him a rare manuscript of the Quran. Impressed, the Nizam asked his Prime Minister
Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III
Nawab Abul Quasim Owaisi, Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III (1889–1949), commonly known as Salar Jung III, was a nobleman and art collector from Hyderabad Deccan (Hyderabad State). He served as Prime Minister of Hyderabad Deccan during the ...
to nominate him for a scholarship so that he could continue his studies. Yunus went to
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
in anticipation, but never received his scholarship. He decided to remain in Hyderabad anyway and enrolled at the university, funding his studies by tutoring. He was keenly interested in Urdu and had been writing poems from a young age; in Hyderabad he added his pen name Saleem to his name.
As a lawyer during his early career, he worked as an assistant to the advocate Mohammed Wasi at
Hyderabad High Court
The Telangana High Court is the High Court for the Indian state of Telangana. Founded by the 7th Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, initially, it was set up as High Court of Hyderabad for the then Princely State of Hyderabad Deccan and later renamed ...
. He lived in a house in Urdu Galli, now behind the Ram Krishna theatre in Hyderabad. He later practised at
Andhra Pradesh High Court
The High Court of Andhra Pradesh is the High Court of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The seat of the High Court is currently located at Nelapadu.
History
The High Court of Andhra Pradesh was established in the year 1954 when the sta ...
and also in the
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
.
Political career
Yunus's political career began in 1967, as a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
from the
Nalgonda
Nalgonda is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the Nalgonda district, as well as the headquarters of the Nalgonda mandal in the Nalgonda revenue division. It is located about from the state ca ...
constituency of the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
. From 1967-71 he was Minister of Law, Justice, and Waqf, as well as Deputy Minister of Railways. In 1971 he contested the
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 ...
constituency but lost. In 1974 he was elected to the
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
from Andhra Pradesh.
When the Congress Party split in the late 1970s he was a member of the Parliamentary Board of Congress (Urs) and as the party localized to
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
under
Sharad Pawar
Sharad Govindrao Pawar (Marathi pronunciation: əɾəd̪ pəʋaːɾ born 12 December 1940) is an Indian politician. He has served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on four occasions. He has held the posts of Minister of Defence and Minist ...
, he joined
Choudhary Charan Singh
Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987) served as the 5th Prime Minister of India between 28 July 1979 to 14 January 1980. Historians and people alike frequently refer to him as the 'champion of India's peasants.'
Charan S ...
's
Lok Dal
Lokdal or Lok Dal is an Indian political party based on agriculture policies, founded by former prime minister of India Charan Singh.
See also
* Girraj Kishore Mahaur, former MLA of Lok Dal
* Lok Dal (Charan)
* Rashtriya Lok Dal
Rashtri ...
. He was the Vice President of
Lok Dal
Lokdal or Lok Dal is an Indian political party based on agriculture policies, founded by former prime minister of India Charan Singh.
See also
* Girraj Kishore Mahaur, former MLA of Lok Dal
* Lok Dal (Charan)
* Rashtriya Lok Dal
Rashtri ...
and also a member of its parliamentary board.
During the Congress Party's expulsion of V. P. Singh in 1987 and the formation of
Jan Morcha
The Jan Morcha (translation: ''People's Front'') was an Indian political party founded by V. P. Singh after he left the Indian National Congress party in 1987 upon being dismissed as Defence Minister by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Together ...
, he joined the newly formed party. He played a role in bringing the parties together and in the formation of
Janata Dal
Janata Dal (“People’s Party”) was an List of political parties in India, Indian political party which was formed through the merger of Janata Party factions, the Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Jagjivan), and the Jan Morcha united on 11 ...
.
In 1990 he became the
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
. In 1991 he again became an MP, from the
Katihar
Katihar is a city situated in the eastern part of the state of Bihar in India. It is the regional headquarter of Katihar district. It is one of the important cities of Bihar. Also it's a main route of Delhi - Guwahati railway line.
History
Ka ...
constituency.
In 1996 he rejoined Congress and remained a member until his death. He died on 14 January 2004, following a brief illness, in his residence in Delhi. He had two daughters Zeba and Shehla, and his son Junaid Abdul Rehman, who lives in the United States.
Publications
*'' Allah Noorus Samawaat wal Ard'' "God is the light of the Heavens and the Earth" is a collection and explanation of all verses of the Quran relating to Allah. Allah Noorus Samawat provides an insight into Islam's concept of God, His functions and His attributes. His preface to the book is semi-autobiographical and can be read here.
*''Noor ul mubeen'' is his second book, a collection and explanation of all the verses of the Quran which explains what the Quran says about itself.
*He served as the founding member, Trustee and General Secretary of the Aiwan-e-Ghalib Society. He was the Founding member and President of the All India Khusro Society
*He has authored a book on
Ghalib
Mirza Beg Asadullah Khan (Urdu, fa, مرزا بیگ اسد اللہ خان; 27 December 1797 – 15 February 1869) also known as Mirza Ghalib (Urdu, fa}) was an Urdu and Persian language, Persian shayar (poet), poet of the 19th century Mughal Em ...
, titled ''Lughat-e-Ghalib'' is a referential thesaurus on the Diwan-e-Ghalib wherein uncommon and difficult words, idioms and phrases have been explained accompanied by illustrations of how the same words have been used by other poets. It has been published by the Khuda Baksh Library, Patna, Bihar.