Maulana Azad…The giant who embraced India!
Name:Owais Ah Shah
Pursuing PG in Political Science from University of Kashmir.
In today’s India when Muslim’s are met with the terrible questioning about their Indianness,Moulana Azad brings hope & positivity by his conviction & can-do character.He was among the colossus figures who fought for the unity of India & left an indelible mark on the pages of history.His wisdom,conviction & erudition made him the giant among men.He stood with the idea of India during the toughest time’s when he was met with terrible opposition & was rather seen from the eyes of disgrace by other’s.Azad never changed his stand & made it amply clear that he will stand with the idea of India.His erudition,leadership qualities & willingness to make a difference made him the prominent & one of those leaders who was loved by all. He better fitted himself in the shoes of the “leader of the caravan” (of Indian Muslims). Recognising his own strengths, and with a sense of being chosen by destiny, Azad felt that he was the right person for this sensitive role. He also saw himself as someone who could interpret the Quran for his fellow Muslims,a task that he eventually accomplished in his magnum opus, Tarjuman-ul-Quran. Azad was an active participant in the Khilafat agitation and during the course of his participation set out the principles of his political creed of which Hindu-Muslim unity was an important component.
His shift from communitarian to a more accommodating secular world view is very fascinating to know. Azad was not the only Muslim leader who made this transition as a generation of nationalist Muslim leaders cut their teeth in the Khilafat movement while also coming into contact with Mahatma Gandhi for the first time. Saifuddin Kitchlew, Syed Mahmud and M.A. Ansari were prominent nationalist Muslim leaders who gained popularity during the Khilafat movement.
It is important to note that Azad made no distinction between his religion and his politics. So it followed that he strongly justified his cooperation with non-Muslims through theology. Just before the launch of the Khilafat movement, Azad wrote a lengthy article arguing that non-Muslims could enter mosques.
One of the powerful speeches that he gave & the most striking part of it which captured everyone’s attention to know what was Azad’s vision as a leader.
He said: “Today, if an angel were to descend from the heaven and declare from the top of the Qutab Minar that India will get Swaraj within twenty-four hours, provided she relinquishes Hindu-Muslim unity, I will relinquish Swaraj rather than give up Hindu-Muslim unity. Delay in the attainment of Swaraj will be a loss to India, but if our unity is lost, it will be a loss for entire mankind.”
He founded the All India Nationalist Muslim Party in 1929 to mobilise Muslim opinion in favour of the Congress’ secularism but this organisation never achieved the kind of acceptance & rise as the Muslim League enjoyed.
When the cauldron was building up & Jinnah wasnt in good terms with congress,Azad was precisely chosen as the President in 1940 by Congress.He tried to work towards a united India and address the insecurities of Muslims but his efforts were futile. He wasnt only ridiculed by the Muslim League but he was alienated slightly within the Congress leadership, this must have been the lowest point of his life.
The penultimate Viceroy, Lord Wavell, records how Jinnah refused to shake hands with Azad when the two met at the Viceregal Lodge in Shimla in 1945.
More distressingly, a garland of shoes was flung at Azad at the Aligarh railway station in 1947 by students who saw him as a traitor to the Islamic cause. It must have been tough to be Azad at that point.
With Partition, Muslims in India once again looked to Azad for guidance. In his address at the Jama Masjid in Delhi on October 20, 1947, Azad spoke eloquently and emotionally: “Do you remember, when I called out to you, you cut off my tongue? I picked up my pen, you severed my hand. I wanted you to walk at my side but you sliced off my feet.” He broke down while delivering this speech but his qoum (community) was looking to him for leadership.
In today’s India when Muslim’s start reflecting about their belonging to India because of the so-called “Proud Indians”,Azad’s legacy brings much hope & positivity that an Indian doesn’t need a religious identity but a stronger will to sacrifice everything for India.He stood stronger in his conviction & made sure that everything can be achieved on the fundamental principle of “unity of India”.Azad shall continue inspiring Muslim’s & other’s who see him as a true leader who stood for the idea of India.
———- Forwarded message ———
From: Owais Ahmad owaisah446@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 18 Jan, 2022, 10:03 pm
Subject: Article
To: newskashmir786@gmail.com
Maulana Azad…The giant who embraced India!
Name:Owais Ah Shah
Pursuing PG in Political Science from University of Kashmir.
In today’s India when Muslim’s are met with the terrible questioning about their Indianness,Moulana Azad brings hope & positivity by his conviction & can-do character.He was among the colossus figures who fought
