Muhammad Abdullah al-Baqi (Bengali: মুহাম্মদ আব্দুল্লাহিল বাকী) was a Bengali Islamic scholar, writer and politician. As a member of the Central Legislative Assembly, he played an active role in the Indian independence movement. He was a prominent leader of the Ahl-i Hadith movement in North Bengal, and played a significant roles in pre-partition Ahl-i Hadith conferences.[1]
Muhammad Abdullah al-Baqi | |
|---|---|
মুহাম্মদ আব্দুল্লাহিল বাকী | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Muhammad Abdullahil Baqi 1886 |
| Died | 1 December 1952 (aged 65–66) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Sect | Ahl-i Hadith |
| Movement | Khilafat Movement Non-cooperation movement Pakistan Movement |
| Political party | Krishak Praja Party All-India Muslim League |
| Alma mater | Lalbari Madrasa Kanpur Madrasa |
| Occupation | Religious scholar, writer, politician |
| Muslim leader | |
| Initiated | Anjuman-i-Ulama-i-Bangala |
Early life
editBaqui was born into a Bengali Muslim family in the village of Tubgram in Burdwan district, Bengal Province, British Raj (present-day West Bengal, India). He later migrated to the neighbourhood of Nurul Huda in Dinajpur district at an early age. He completed his primary education at the Lalbari Madrasa in Badarganj, Rangpur District. After that, he enrolled at a madrasa in Kanpur where he completed his education in Islamic studies and Arabic language.[2]
Career
editIn 1907, he founded the Nurul Huda Minor School and Nurul Hua Junior Madrasa. From 1951 to 1962, it became known as Nurul Huda High Madrasa.[3] At an Islamic conference in Bogra in March 1913, he co-founded the Anjuman-i-Ulama-i-Bangala alongside Mohammad Akram Khan, Maniruzzaman Islamabadi and Muhammad Shahidullah.
Baqi was also the president of the Indian National Congress's Dinajpur branch. He took part in the Khilafat Movement and the Non-cooperation movement. Baqi was imprisoned twice for his involvement in the civil disobedience movements. In 1935, he was the president of the North Bengal Ahl-e-Hadith Conference in Haragach, Rangpur District.[1]
In 1934, he became a member of the Central Legislative Assembly representing the Praja Party. He was elected as the president of the All Bengal Tenant Association in 1937. Baqi left the Krishak Praja Party and joined the All-India Muslim League in 1945.[4] As a member of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, he contributed to the Pakistan Movement.[5]
After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, he helped to establish the East Bengal Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith. He also associated with the Bengali language movement very early on, joining the East Bengal Language Committee and signing a twelve-member memorandum requesting the government to recognise and promote an official standardised Bengali language based on Eastern Bengali.[6] Among those that signed the letter are Mohammad Akram Khan, Muhammad Shahidullah, Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury, Syed Muhammad Afzal, Mizanur Rahman (Deputy Minister of Education), Syed Abul Hasnat Muhammad Ismail (Deputy Inspector-General of Police), Ajit Kumar Guha, AQM Adamuddin (Professor, Naogaon Islamic Intermediate College), Abul Kalam Shamsuddin, Shamsunnahar Mahmud and Shaikh Sharafuddin (Professor, Islamic Intermediate College).[7][8] Baqi also became a member of the 1st National Assembly of Pakistan and the East Pakistan Legislative Assembly. He also served as president of the Muslim League's East Bengal branch.[citation needed]
Bibliography
editBaqi wrote several works in Bengali, and he also had a fluency in Arabic, Persian, Urdu and English. His articles would generally be published on his established Anjuman-i-Ulama-i-Bangala organisation's Al-Eslam monthly magazine. He also wrote a booklet called Pirer Dhyan (Meditation of the Pir).[2]
Death
editBaqui died on 1 December 1952.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Pakistan Quarterly. Pakistan Publications. 1964. p. 129.
- ^ a b Abdus Salam, Muhammad (2012). "Baqi, Muhammad Abdullahil". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ প্রথম পাতা. Nurul Huda High School (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Jalal, Ayesha (1994). The Sole Spokesman: Jinnah, the Muslim League and the Demand for Pakistan. Cambridge University Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-521-45850-4.
- ^ The Constituent Assembly (Legislature) of Pakistan Debate: Official Report. Manager of Publications. 1953. p. 134.
- ^ Chaudhury, Nigar (1991). বাংলা ভাষার বিরুদ্ধে ষড়যন্ত্র ও বাঙালীর সংগ্রাম [Conspiracy against Bengali language and struggle of Bengalis] (in Bengali). Anindya Prakashan. p. 79.
- ^ Ghosh, Bishwajit (22 February 2017). পূর্ববাংলা ভাষা কমিটির প্রতিবেদন ও বাস্তবতা [East Bengal Language Committee's report and reality]. Rising BD (in Bengali).
- ^ Ghosh, Bishwajit (26 February 2018). উনপঞ্চাশের ভাষা কমিটির প্রতিবেদন : একটি সমীক্ষা [Report of the Language Committee of '49: A Survey]. Kali O Kalam (in Bengali).
- ^ Constituent Assembly of Pakistan Debates: Official Report. Manager of Publications. 1952. p. 45. Retrieved 26 April 2020.