Najib Ali Choudhury ( bn, নজিব আলী চৌধুরী) was a 19th-century
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic scholar and teacher. He was notable for his founding of the
Madinatul Uloom Bagbari
The Madinatul Uloom Bagbari Najibia Alia Madrasa ( ar, المدرسة العالية النجيبية مدينة العلوم بباغباري) or Madinatul Uloom Bagbari (also known as the Darul Uloom Bagbari), is a madrasa located in Assam, In ...
, the first
madrasa
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 '' ...
in the
Barak Valley
The Barak Valley is located in the southern region of the Indian state of Assam. The region is named after the Barak river. The Barak valley consists of three administrative districts of Assam - namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi. The ...
region.
Early life and ancestry
Choudhury was born to a
Bengali Muslim
Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...
family in the village of Bagbari, near the town of
Karimganj
Karimganj is a city in the Karimganj District of the Indian state of Assam. It is the administrative headquarters of the district.
Karimganj city is located at . The area of Karimganj city is 16.09 km2. It has an average elevation of 13& ...
, then part of the
Sylhet Sarkar of the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
's
Bengal Subah
The Bengal Subah ( bn, সুবাহ বাংলা; fa, ), also referred to as Mughal Bengal ( bn, মোগল বাংলা), was the largest subdivision of the Mughal Empire (and later an independent state under the Nawabs of Ben ...
. His grandfather, Muhammad Naqi, was a local landowner, possessing
taluq
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
no. 70 of Egaroshati
pargana
Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...
.
[ Accounts are contradictory regarding Choudhury's ancestral origins. His family had either migrated from ]Ghor Province
Ghōr (Dari: ), also spelled Ghowr or Ghur, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in the western Hindu Kush in central Afghanistan, towards the northwest. The province contains eleven districts, encompassing hundreds ...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
during the Mughal period
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
, or were descended from Shah Umar Yemeni, one of the 360 companions of the Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
saint Shah Jalal
Jalāl Mujarrad Kunyāʾī (), popularly known as Shah Jalal, was a celebrated Sufi figure of Bengal. His name is often associated with the Conquest of Sylhet and the spread of Islam into the region, part of a long history of interactions bet ...
.
According to a handwritten manuscript by Choudhury's eldest son Abdul Hai Choudhury
Abdul (also transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul; ar, عبد ال, ) is the most frequent transliteration of the combination of the Arabic word '' Abd'' (, meaning "Servant") and the definite prefix '' al / el'' (, mea ...
, the family was descended from Gawhar Khan, a nobleman from Badakhshan
Badakhshan is a historical region comprising parts of modern-day north-eastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic Ba ...
. Khan was said to have given up his wealth to his younger brother, and become a da'i
A da'i ( ar, داعي, dāʿī, inviter, caller, ) is generally someone who engages in Dawah, the act of inviting people to Islam.
See also
* Dawah
* Da'i al-Mutlaq, "the absolute (unrestricted) missionary" (Arabic: الداعي المطلق)
* ...
in Hindustan
''Hindūstān'' ( , from '' Hindū'' and ''-stān''), also sometimes spelt as Hindōstān ( ''Indo-land''), along with its shortened form ''Hind'' (), is the Persian-language name for the Indian subcontinent that later became commonly used by ...
, taking with him a handwritten ancestral mus'haf
A muṣḥaf ( ar, مُصْحَفْ, ; plural ''maṣāḥif'') is an Arabic word for a codex or collection of sheets, but also refers to a written copy of the Quran. The chapters of the Quran, which Muslims believe was revealed during a 23-year ...
by Mir Husayn (dating to 1056 AH / 1647 CE), gilded by Muhammad Yusuf Ali. The emperor granted him jagir
A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...
s near the village of Kaliganj, near present-day Karimganj district
Karimganj district is one of the 34 districts of the Indian state of Assam. Karimganj town is both the administrative headquarters district and the biggest town of this district. It is located in southern Assam and borders Tripura and the Sylh ...
.[
]
Education and career
At some point, Choudhury became a disciple of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki
Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (1817 – 1899) was an Indian Muslim Sufi scholar of the Chishti Sufi order. His disciples include Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and Ashraf Ali Thanwi. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he led the Musli ...
, a Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
scholar of the Chishti Order
The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, a ...
. He is said to have fought alongside Makki against the British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
in the Battle of Shamli
Battle of Shamli or Battle of Thana Bhawan was fought on 10 May 1857 between the forces of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and the East India Company, in the series of Rebellion of 1857.
On 10 May 1857, local Muslims under the leadership of Imdadullah M ...
, a part of the greater Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
. Upon the failure of the revolt however, both men left the Indian subcontinent and migrated to Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
. Choudhury was among the seventeen families that had emigrated from Sylhet
Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...
, with other families being that of Syed Bakht Majumdar of Sylhet town, the Mians of Sonatia, the ancestors of Principal Habibur Rahman and the ancestors of Khan Bahadur Mahmud Ali (former Assam minister).[
Tradition states that while in Mecca, Choudhury dreamt he was visited by the ]Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, who instructed him to go back to his homeland and preach Islam and provide Islamic education. Returning to his native village, in 1873, Choudhury established a madrasa
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 '' ...
in his own home, which received the name "Madinatul Uloom Bagbari Najibia Alia Madrasa" after its founder, shortened to Madinatul Uloom Bagbari
The Madinatul Uloom Bagbari Najibia Alia Madrasa ( ar, المدرسة العالية النجيبية مدينة العلوم بباغباري) or Madinatul Uloom Bagbari (also known as the Darul Uloom Bagbari), is a madrasa located in Assam, In ...
. Modelled after the recently established Darul Uloom Deoband
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic seminary (darul uloom) in India at which the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement began. It is located in Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The seminary was established by Muhammad Qasim ...
, it is considered to be the first true madrasa in the Greater Sylhet
Sylhet Division ( bn, সিলেট বিভাগ) is the northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh. It is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura to the north, ...
region, offering a standardised religious education in contrast to the informal institutions which had existed there previously.[ It came to play a very prominent role in producing ]Arabic language
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
scholars in the Greater Sylhet
Sylhet Division ( bn, সিলেট বিভাগ) is the northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh. It is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura to the north, ...
region, a reputation it maintains to the present-day.
Death and legacy
Choudhury himself acquired considerable renown, with tales arising of him having possessed spiritual powers. After his death, his grave became a shrine or ''Mazar Mazar of Al-Mazar may refer to:
*Mazar (mausoleum); often but not always Muslim mausoleum or shrine.
Places
*Mazar (toponymy), a component of Arabic toponyms literally meaning shrine, grave, tomb, etc.
*Mazar, Afghanistan, a village in Balkh Pro ...
'', which is located in what is now Rauthgram, Karimganj district
Karimganj district is one of the 34 districts of the Indian state of Assam. Karimganj town is both the administrative headquarters district and the biggest town of this district. It is located in southern Assam and borders Tripura and the Sylh ...
.[
He was the father of Abdul Hai Choudhury and Gulam Rob Choudhury, distinguished Islamic scholars in their own right. His descendant, Abdul Bari Choudhury, was appointed as the principal of Madinatul Uloom Bagbari in 1948 after returning from his studies at ]Darul Uloom Deoband
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic seminary (darul uloom) in India at which the Sunni Deobandi Islamic movement began. It is located in Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. The seminary was established by Muhammad Qasim ...
. Choudhury's great-grandson, Abdul Munim Choudhury, was made the first Shaykhul Hadith (Professor of Hadith) in the same year. Abdul Munim Choudhury was also a former Member of the Legislative Assembly
A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...
for Karimganj South. Among Choudhury's other descendants are Jamil Ahmad Choudhury and Saeed Ahmad Choudhury, who are also teachers at Bagbari, as well as Abdul Ahad Choudhury, who taught at Karimganj High Madrasa.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choudhury, Najib Ali
People from Karimganj district
Revolutionaries of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian independence activists from Assam
Founders of Indian schools and colleges
Chishti Order
Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam
19th-century Muslim scholars of Islam
19th-century Bengalis
Deobandis
Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam