Sharif al Mujahid (1 July 1926 – 27 January 2020) was a Pakistani journalist, historian, author, and professor.
Education and career
Al Mujahid was born on 1 July 1926 in
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
(modern day
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
). After finishing his BA degree in 1949, he went on to complete a master's degree in Islamic History at
Madras University
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
in 1951. He completed additional MA degrees in journalism in 1952 from
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, and in Islamic Studies from
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
in 1959.
Al Mujahid joined Karachi University as a lecturer in 1955 and later became a professor on 3 July 1972. He was a founding member of the journalism department (now the department of mass communications) at the same university where he mentored a lot of students in journalism including the noted journalist
Muhammad Ali Siddiqui
Muhammad Ali Siddiqui (7 March 1938 – 9 Jan 2013) was a noted scholar of Urdu literature, educationist, literary critic and a newspaper columnist from Pakistan. He was also widely known by his pen name Ariel in Pakistan.
Early life an ...
. In 1976, he established the Quaid-i-Azam Academy, where he was the founding director. He served as director at the Quaid-i-Azam Academy until 1989.
As a journalist, before the
independence of Pakistan
The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...
in 1947, Sharif al Mujahid participated as an active journalist, starting in 1945, in favor of Pakistan Movement and frequently wrote newspaper articles expressing his views on the topic.
In Pakistan, he contributed his newspaper columns to Dawn newspaper for about six decades.
Mujahid won a
Fulbright-Hays
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...
scholarship at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, was a Research Fellow at
Mcgill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
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.
* Lifetime Achievement Award for research work done on the life and achievements of
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 by the Jinnah Society in 2018.
* ''Quaid-i-Azam Jinnah: Studies in Interpretation'' by Sharif al Mujahid was awarded the President's Award on Best Books on the Quaid-i-Azam in 1981.
Death and legacy
Al Mujahid died of old age on 27 January 2020 at age 93 at his home in
North Nazimabad
North Nazimabad ( ur, نارتھ ناظم آباد) is a suburb of, Karachi, Pakistan. North Nazimabad was developed in the late 1950s as a residential area for the employees of the federal government of Pakistan, and was named after Khawaja Nazim ...
, Karachi and was later buried ay Karachi University Graveyard. Among his survivors are his four daughters.
His collected papers are held by the
Sindh Archives
The Sindh Archives are the main repository for the provincial government of Sindh, Pakistan. They are located in Karachi.
History
Sindh was annexed to British rule in the year 1843 and integrated with Bombay Presidency in 1847. Considering th ...
.
Books
Al Mujahid wrote several books.
*''Quaid-i-Azam and His Times''
* ''Quotes of the Quaid''
* ''In Quest of Jinnah''
* ''The Jinnah Anthology''
* ''A Compendium of Muslim League Documents''
* ''Indian Secularism: A Case Study of the Muslim Minority''
* ''Ideological Foundations of Pakistan''
* ''Ideological Orientation of Pakistan''
* ''Ideology of Pakistan''