Maulvi Mawlawi ( ar, مولوي; also spelled Maulvi, Molvi, Moulavi and Mawlvi) is an Islamic religious title given to Muslim religious scholars, or ulama, preceding their names, similar to the titles Mawlānā, Mullah, or Sheikh. Mawlawi generally ...

Abdul Haq ( ur, ) (20 April 1870 – 16 August 1961) was a scholar and a

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, whom some call '' Baba-e-Urdu'' ( ur, ) (''Father of Urdu''). Abdul Haq was a champion of the Urdu language and the demanded for it to be made the national language of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

Early life

He was deeply influenced by Syed's political and social views, and, following his wishes, learned English and scientific subjects. Like Syed Ahmad Khan, Haq saw Urdu as a major cultural and political influence on the life and identity of the Muslims of India. In the same year, he was appointed secretary of the

All India Muhammadan Educational Conference The All India Muhammadan Educational Conference was an organisation promoting modern, liberal education for the Muslim community in India. It was founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, also the founder of the Aligarh Muslim University. All India ...

, which had been founded by Syed Ahmed Khan in 1886 for the promotion of education and intellectualism in Muslim society. Sir Syed founded the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu in 1903 in

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 cap ...

with Thomas Walker Arnold as its first president and Shibli Nomani as the first secretary. In 1912 Haq was appointed as the secretary of the Anjuman. Under him the organisation flourished and published a number of magazines notably ''Urdu'' launched in January 1921, ''Science'', in 1928, and ''Hamari zaban'', in 1939. During this period he also served as the Principal of Osmania College (Aurangabad) and retired from that position in 1930.

Educational and political activities

Haq was a scholarly critic who provided criticisms of modern Urdu works and encouraged his students to develop literary skills and appreciation of Urdu. Following his retirement from Osmania University in 1930, Haq worked to compile and edit a comprehensive and authoritative English-Urdu dictionary.

In Pakistan

In 1948, Haq migrated to Pakistan. In the wake of

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

and the accompanying riots in 1947, much of his property, especially valuable manuscripts, papers and books were lost. However, some of the material which he brought to Pakistan is kept in the Urdu Dictionary Board library. The ordeals of partition and the

also adversely affected Abdul Haq's health. He re-organised the ''Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu'' 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 c ...

, launching journals, establishing libraries and schools, publishing a large number of books and promoting education in the Urdu language and linguistic research in it. Abdul Haq's work especially helped preserve the distinct "Old Urdu" linguistic and literary traditions of

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, in the northern part of Southern India ...

, known as ''

Hyderabadi Urdu Hyderabadi ( ur, ) is a variety of Dakhini Urdu, spoken in areas of the former Hyderabad State, corresponding to the Indian state of Telangana, the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka. It is nati ...

''. He also used his organisation for political activism, promoting the adoption of Urdu as the '' lingua franca'' and sole official language of Pakistan.

Death

Despite illnesses and failing health, Haq continued to promote the active use of Urdu as a medium for all educational activities. He pushed for the creation of an Urdu College in Karachi, the adoption of Urdu as a medium of instruction for all subjects in educational institutions and worked to organise a national Urdu conference in 1959. Suffering from cancer, Haq died after a prolonged period of incapacitation on 16 August 1961 in

''Baba-e-Urdus publications

For his achievements in the development and promotion of Urdu literature, he is officially regarded as ''Baba-e-Urdu''. His best known works include the English-Urdu dictionary, ''Chand Ham Asar'', ''Maktoobat'', ''Muqaddimat'', ''Tauqeedat'', ''Qawaid-e-Urdu'' and ''Debacha Dastan Rani Ketki''. The Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu remains an important intellectual organisation in Pakistan. Held in high esteem amongst the intellectuals, educationalists and scholars in Pakistan, Haq is praised for his work in promoting Muslim heritage and Urdu as a unifying medium for Pakistani Muslims.M Ayub Khan (1961). Speeches and Statements. Pakistan Publications.

Commemorative postage stamp issued in 2004

In recognition of his services to

Urdu literature Urdu literature ( ur, , ) is literature in the Urdu language. While it tends to be dominated by poetry, especially the verse forms of the ''ghazal '' غزل and '' nazm '' نظم, it has expanded into other styles of writing, including that of ...

, Pakistan Post issued a

Commemorative stamp A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike defi ...

in his honor on 16 August 2004 in its 'Men of Letters' series.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haq, Maulvi Abdul 1870 births 1961 deaths People from Hapur Muhajir people Urdu-language writers Pakistani scholars Writers from Karachi Literary critics of Urdu Aligarh Muslim University alumni Pakistani lexicographers Scholars from Uttar Pradesh Leaders of the Pakistan Movement Writers from Hyderabad, India Poets from Karachi Federal Urdu University