Abdur Rahim (judge)
Encyclopedia
Sir
Abdur Rahim, KCSI
, Kt
(September 1867 – 1952), sometimes spelt Abdul Rahim, was a judge
and politician
in British India, and a leading member of the Muslim League. He was President of the Nikhil Banga Praja Samiti from 1929 to 1934 and of the Central Legislative Assembly
of India from 1935 to 1945.
. They had three sons and one daughter: Ziauddin Abdul Aziz; Jalaludin Abdur Rahim, Aisha Abdur Rahim and Salahuddin Abdur Rahim. His son,
Jalaludin Abdur Rahim (AKA J A Rahim) was a founder member of the Pakistan Peoples Party
. He married the painter
, Esther Rahim
.
, the son of Mawlawi
Abdur Rab, who was a zamindar
in the province's Midnapore district
. Educated at Presidency College
, Calcutta
, and in England
at the Inns of Court
, he became a barrister
of the Calcutta High Court in 1890, and later became a founding and influential member of the Muslim League.
Beyond his profession, Rahim was active in the world of education and became a member of the Senate and the Syndicate of the University of Madras
. He was one of those who successfully promoted the foundation of the Maulana Azad College
.
On 20 July 1908, Rahim was appointed a Judge
of the High Court of Judicature at Madras
, and in September 1912 (with Lord Islington, Lord Ronaldshay
, Herbert Fisher
, and others) as a member of the Royal Commission
on the Public Services in India of 1912–1915.
Rahim went on to become Chief Justice
of the High Court of Madras, Tagore Professor of Law in the University of Calcutta
. In August 1919, he was knighted.
While he was still a judge of the High Court of Madras, Rahim gave a series of lectures to the University of Calcutta which were later published under the title The Principles of Muhammadan Jurisprudence according to the Hanafi
, Maliki
, Shafi`i and Hanbali
Schools. This work considers some recent European books on philosophy and law and compares the Islamic and European principles of jurisprudence
, combining classical and modern learning.
Entering politics, he became a member of the Bengal Province Executive Council and served as the province's Administrator of Justice and Allied Subjects from 1921 to 1925.
In the King's Birthday Honours List of 3 June 1925, Rahim was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Star of India
.
In December 1925 and January 1926, Rahim chaired the 17th session of the All-India Muslim League at Aligarh, when he said –
In 1926, he presided over the All-India Mohammadan Educational Conference and argued for the use of the Urdu
language among all Indian Muslims. The Hindu leaders became hostile to Rahim, and when in 1927 the Governor of Bengal
offered him a place in the Provincial government, the Hindus refused to work with him.
Also in 1926, he formed a political party called the Bengal Muslim Party. The Modern Review commented:
In 1928, Rahim was the president of the Bengal Muslim Conference which opposed the Nehru Report
, and in 1930 of the Bengal Muslim Conference which opposed the proposals of the Simon Commission
.
From 1929 to 1934, he was President of the Nikhil Banga Praja Samiti, or All Bengal Tenant Association.
In 1931, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly
of India, and while Mohammad Ali Jinnah was overseas for the Round Table Conferences
, Rahim led the Independent Party. On 24 January 1935, he was elected as the Assembly's President, which effectively ended his public involvement in partisan politics, but he retained strong views on the interests of Muslim Indians. He served as President of the Central Legislative Assembly from 1935 until 1945.
A member of the Indian Military College Committee, Rahim was sometimes sceptical of British policy. He was also opposed to recruiting men from outside India into the Indian Army
, such as the Gurkhas, which he described as "absolutely an anti-Indian policy".
In June 1939, the Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow
, wrote to the Secretary of State for India
, Lord Zetland
, after sounding our Rahim on Muslim attitudes towards the proposed Federation of India –
In October 1939, with Sir Abdullah Haroon, Rahim visited Allama Mashriqi, leader of the Khaksars, shortly after his release from jail.
In 1946, Rahim donated his collection of 333 Arabic
books, mostly on religion, to the Imperial Library (now the National Library of India
), where they are known as the Sir Abdur Rahim Collection.
His daughter Begum Niaz Fatima married the barrister
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
(1892–1963), who later became the fifth Prime Minister of Pakistan
.
Sir
Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...
Abdur Rahim, KCSI
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
, Kt
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
(September 1867 – 1952), sometimes spelt Abdul Rahim, was a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in British India, and a leading member of the Muslim League. He was President of the Nikhil Banga Praja Samiti from 1929 to 1934 and of the Central Legislative Assembly
Central Legislative Assembly
The Central Legislative Assembly was a legislature for India created by the Government of India Act 1919 from the former Imperial Legislative Council, implementing the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms...
of India from 1935 to 1945.
Family
Rahim married the daughter of Maulvi Mohammad Yahia from the Imam family of Patna. She was a descendant of Siraj ud-DaulahSiraj ud-Daulah
Mîrzâ Muhammad Sirâj-ud-Daulah , more commonly known as Siraj ud-Daulah , was the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The end of his reign marks the start of British East India Company rule over Bengal and later almost all of South Asia...
. They had three sons and one daughter: Ziauddin Abdul Aziz; Jalaludin Abdur Rahim, Aisha Abdur Rahim and Salahuddin Abdur Rahim. His son,
Jalaludin Abdur Rahim (AKA J A Rahim) was a founder member of the Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
. He married the painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, Esther Rahim
Esther Rahim
Esther Rahim , also known as Esmet Rahim, was a significant Pakistani painter.-Early life and education:...
.
Life
Rahim was born into a highly educated family of BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, the son of Mawlawi
Mawlawi (Islamic title)
Mawlawi is an honorific Islamic religious title given to Sunni Muslim religious scholars or Ulema preceding their names, similar to the titles Maulana, Mullah, or Shaykh. Mawlawi generally means highly-qualified Islamic scholar...
Abdur Rab, who was a zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
in the province's Midnapore district
Midnapore District
Midnapore district is a former district of the state of West Bengal, India. This district was bifurcated on January 1, 2002 into the Purba Medinipur district and the Paschim Medinipur district.-References:...
. Educated at Presidency College
Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
, Calcutta
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, and in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at the Inns of Court
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional...
, he became a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
of the Calcutta High Court in 1890, and later became a founding and influential member of the Muslim League.
Beyond his profession, Rahim was active in the world of education and became a member of the Senate and the Syndicate of the University of Madras
University of Madras
The University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
. He was one of those who successfully promoted the foundation of the Maulana Azad College
Maulana Azad College
Maulana Azad College is located in central Calcutta, West Bengal, India. It is located near the junction of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and SN Banerjee Road, popularly called "Lotus crossing".It is a Government college and affiliated to the University of Calcutta...
.
On 20 July 1908, Rahim was appointed a Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
of the High Court of Judicature at Madras
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court is a senior court located at Chennai , in India. The court buildings, which are believed to be the second largest judicial complex in the world, are located near the beach, in one of the city's major business districts....
, and in September 1912 (with Lord Islington, Lord Ronaldshay
Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland
Laurence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC, DL, JP , styled Lord Dundas until 1892 and Earl of Ronaldshay between 1892 and 1929, was a British Conservative politician...
, Herbert Fisher
Herbert Fisher
Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher OM, FRS, PC was an English historian, educator, and Liberal politician. He served as President of the Board of Education in David Lloyd George's 1916 to 1922 coalition government....
, and others) as a member of the Royal Commission
Royal Commission
In Commonwealth realms and other monarchies a Royal Commission is a major ad-hoc formal public inquiry into a defined issue. They have been held in various countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia...
on the Public Services in India of 1912–1915.
Rahim went on to become Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the High Court of Madras, Tagore Professor of Law in the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
. In August 1919, he was knighted.
While he was still a judge of the High Court of Madras, Rahim gave a series of lectures to the University of Calcutta which were later published under the title The Principles of Muhammadan Jurisprudence according to the Hanafi
Hanafi
The Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
, Maliki
Maliki
The ' madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia...
, Shafi`i and Hanbali
Hanbali
The Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
Schools. This work considers some recent European books on philosophy and law and compares the Islamic and European principles of jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
, combining classical and modern learning.
Entering politics, he became a member of the Bengal Province Executive Council and served as the province's Administrator of Justice and Allied Subjects from 1921 to 1925.
In the King's Birthday Honours List of 3 June 1925, Rahim was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
.
In December 1925 and January 1926, Rahim chaired the 17th session of the All-India Muslim League at Aligarh, when he said –
In 1926, he presided over the All-India Mohammadan Educational Conference and argued for the use of the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
language among all Indian Muslims. The Hindu leaders became hostile to Rahim, and when in 1927 the Governor of Bengal
Governor of Bengal
From 1690, a governor represented the British East India Company in Bengal, which had been granted the right to establish a trading post by the local rulers, the nawabs of Murshidabad, who were nominal vassals of the Mughal emperor in Delhi....
offered him a place in the Provincial government, the Hindus refused to work with him.
Also in 1926, he formed a political party called the Bengal Muslim Party. The Modern Review commented:
For any Muslim, and particularly for Sir Abdur Rahim, to form such a party cannot surprise anybody. But what is amusing is that he has felt it necessary to camouflage it as something other than what it is. For the party speaks in the opening paragraph of its manifesto in the most liberal and nonsectarian tones.
In 1928, Rahim was the president of the Bengal Muslim Conference which opposed the Nehru Report
Nehru Report
The "Nehru Report" was a memorandum outlining a proposed new Dominion constitution for India. It was prepared by a committee of the All Parties Conference chaired by Motilal Nehru with his son Jawaharlal acting as secretary...
, and in 1930 of the Bengal Muslim Conference which opposed the proposals of the Simon Commission
Simon Commission
The Indian Statutory Commission was a group of seven British Members of Parliament that had been dispatched to India in 1927 to study constitutional reform in Britain's most important colonial dependency. It was commonly referred to as the Simon Commission after its chairman, Sir John Simon...
.
From 1929 to 1934, he was President of the Nikhil Banga Praja Samiti, or All Bengal Tenant Association.
In 1931, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly
Central Legislative Assembly
The Central Legislative Assembly was a legislature for India created by the Government of India Act 1919 from the former Imperial Legislative Council, implementing the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms...
of India, and while Mohammad Ali Jinnah was overseas for the Round Table Conferences
Round Table Conferences (India)
This article is about the Anglo-Indian Round Table Conferences. For the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference, see Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference. For other uses of Round Table, see Round Table ....
, Rahim led the Independent Party. On 24 January 1935, he was elected as the Assembly's President, which effectively ended his public involvement in partisan politics, but he retained strong views on the interests of Muslim Indians. He served as President of the Central Legislative Assembly from 1935 until 1945.
A member of the Indian Military College Committee, Rahim was sometimes sceptical of British policy. He was also opposed to recruiting men from outside India into the Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, such as the Gurkhas, which he described as "absolutely an anti-Indian policy".
In June 1939, the Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow
Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow
Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow KG, KT, GCSI, GCIE, OBE, PC was a British statesman who served as Governor-General and Viceroy of India from 1936 to 1943.-Early life and family:...
, wrote to the Secretary of State for India
Secretary of State for India
The Secretary of State for India, or India Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister responsible for the government of India and the political head of the India Office...
, Lord Zetland
Lawrence Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland
Laurence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland KG, GCSI, GCIE, PC, DL, JP , styled Lord Dundas until 1892 and Earl of Ronaldshay between 1892 and 1929, was a British Conservative politician...
, after sounding our Rahim on Muslim attitudes towards the proposed Federation of India –
In October 1939, with Sir Abdullah Haroon, Rahim visited Allama Mashriqi, leader of the Khaksars, shortly after his release from jail.
In 1946, Rahim donated his collection of 333 Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
books, mostly on religion, to the Imperial Library (now the National Library of India
National Library of India
The National Library of India at Belvedere, Calcutta is the second largest library in India after the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and India's library of public record....
), where they are known as the Sir Abdur Rahim Collection.
His daughter Begum Niaz Fatima married the barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was a Pakistani-Bengali politician and statesman who served as 5th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 till 1957, and a close associate of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan, first Prime minister of Pakistan...
(1892–1963), who later became the fifth Prime Minister of Pakistan
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
.
Publications
- The Principles of Muhammadan Jurisprudence according to the HanafiHanafiThe Hanafi school is one of the four Madhhab in jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. The Hanafi madhhab is named after the Persian scholar Abu Hanifa an-Nu‘man ibn Thābit , a Tabi‘i whose legal views were preserved primarily by his two most important disciples, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad al-Shaybani...
, MalikiMalikiThe ' madhhab is one of the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the second-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 25% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa, West Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and in some parts of Saudi Arabia...
, Shafi`i and HanbaliHanbaliThe Hanbali school is one the schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. The jurisprudence school traces back to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal but was institutionalized by his students. Hanbali jurisprudence is considered very strict and conservative, especially regarding questions of dogma...
Schools (P.L.D. Publishers, 443 pp.)