Maulana Mehmud Hasan
Encyclopedia
Shaykh-ul-Hind Maulana Mehmud Al-Hasan was an eminent Islamic Scholar who made tireless efforts in the freedom struggle during the British Rule
in India
. He was conferred upon by the title 'Shaykh-ul-Hind' which means the leading scholar of India. (1851–November 30, 1920)
(in modern Uttar Pradesh
). His father Maulana Zulfeqar Ali was an expert and scholar of the Arabic language
, and worked in the education department of the British East India Company
's administration in the region. Hasan received a traditional Islamic education with a strong emphasis on the study of Islam
, the Persian language
and Urdu
. His father sent him to the newly established Darul Uloom
of Deoband
school, where he was reputedly the very first student. The school was established by Eminent Muslim scholars of that time, and Hasan studied under the famous Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
, a distinguished religious scholar and founding president of Darul Uloom Deoband
. Hasan completed his education in 1873, and began working as a teacher at the school. In 1890, he was appointed the Head Teacher of the school he graduated from, the Darul Uloom Deoband
.
writes:
"Whoever saw Shaikhul Hind and observed his moral standing from close quarters must have known that the Nature's generosity had bestowed upon him such a large heart that it would have taken the seven seas in its fold. He got benefited from Bahr-e Imdadi (great Sufi saint Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki).but didn't harangue it. He drank to the fullest of his capacity from the Qasmi fountain of knowledge (Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
) and digested it. He puffed in the mist unlimited from (Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi
) cloud but never got inebriated. He never boasted of himself, never indulged in profane talk, never let steadfastness go out from the hand and never left the path of Shariah in his life. He never rested although he became thin due to the hard work."
entered World War I
against the British Empire
, Muslims across the world were concerned of the future of the Sultan
of Ottoman Empire
, who was the caliph
of Islam and spiritual leader of the global Muslim community. Known as the Khilafat struggle, its leaders Maulana Mohammad Ali
and Maulana Shaukat Ali
organised protests across the country (see: partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
). Hasan was fervently active in encouraging Muslim students to join the movement. Hasan organised efforts to start an armed revolution against British rule from both within and outside India. He launched a programme to train volunteers from among his disciples in India and abroad who joined this movement in a large number. The most eminent among them were Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi
and Maulana Mohammad Mian Mansoor Ansari. Sending Maulana Sindhi to Kabul
and Ansari to the North-West Frontier Province
to mobilize popular support and recruit volunteers, Hasan himself travelled to Hijaz to secure Turkish support. Obtaining the Turkish governor Ghalib Pasha's signature on a declaration of war against the British, Hasan planned to return to India via Baghdad
and Baluchistan
to start the rebellion. The plan, referred to as the Silk Letter Conspiracy
, however, was captured by Punjab CID, and he was arrested in Mecca
. He was imprisoned in Malta
, Malta exiles
, for more than three years before his release in 1920.
, and was given the title of 'Shaikhul Hind'. Upon his release, Hasan returned to India to find the nation on the verge of revolt over the Rowlatt Acts. Hasan issued a fatwa
making it the duty of all Indian Muslims to support and participate with Mahatma Gandhi
and the Indian National Congress
, who had prescribed a policy of non-cooperation
— mass civil disobedience
through non-violence. He laid the foundation stone of the Jamia Millia Islamia
, a university founded by Indian nationalists Hakim Ajmal Khan
, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
to develop an institution independent of British control.He also wrote a marvelous and famous Translation of the Holy Qur'an, the commentary on which was written by one of his students, Shaykh al-Islam Allamah Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
. Hasan died on November 30, 1920.
) of the Holy Qur'an, called Tafsir-e-Usmani
in Urdu Language (also translated to English) together with Shaykhul Islam Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
was a marvel by the two eminent scholars of the Indian subcontinent
.
An eminent theologian and freedom fighter who laid the foundation stone of Jamia Millia Islamia
at Aligarh in Northern India in 1920, Maulana Mahmud Hasan, popularly known as Shaikhul Hind (leader of India), was born in 1851 at Bareily where his father, Maulana Zulfeqar Ali, also a well known scholar of Arabic, was employed in the Department of Education
.
He was the first student of Darul Uloom
, Deoband
, the world renowned institution of Islamic Sciences and one of the most distinguished disciples of the founder of this institution, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
. After his graduation from Darul Uloom
in 1873, he served the same institution as a teacher from 1874 till his appointment as Principal in 1890. Unlike the ulema of that time and his preoccupation with teaching and administrative works in Darul Uloom notwithstanding, he kept himself fully informed about the political developments in the country. The second decade of the twentieth century was a period of great restlessness and anxiety for the Islamic world as a result of a secret pact among the Western powers to overthrown the Turkish Empire which was looked upon with respect and reverence by the Indian Muslims.
During this time, Shaikhul Hind prepared a plan to start an armed revolution against the British rule for which he launched a programme to train volunteers from among his disciples in India
and abroad who joined this movement in a large number. The most eminent among them were Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi and Maulana Mohd. Mian Mansoor Ansari.
There was a general belief that war of liberation cannot be launched without arms and ammunition. Therefore, it was necessary to secure support from outside India
. While Shaikhul Hind sent Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi to Kabul
with a special mission and Maulana Mohd. Mian Mansoor Ansari to the independent tribes of the Frontier area to mobilize them for a war against the British rule, he himself traveled to Hijaz in 1915 to secure the Turkish support for his plan. In Hijaz, he met the Turkish Governor, Ghalib Pasha and obtained his signature on a war declaration. From Hijaz he wanted to come to the Frontier area via Baghdad and Baluchistan, but his plan was leaked and he was arrested at Mecca
and imprisoned at Malta
where he remained for over three years till his release in 1920.
Since the letters exchanged between Shaikhul Hind and his colleagues containing the outlines of the plan to recruit the volunteers for the liberation army and to establish a national government were written on silk, the movement launched by him is known as 'Reshmi Rumal ki Tahrik' (Movement of Silken Kerchief). After returning to India
Shaikhul Hind joined the Khilafat Movement
and issued his famous Fatwa
of non-cooperation against the British rule. In the same year (1920) in October he laid the foundation stone of Jamia Millia Islamia
at Aligarh. He died on 30 November 1920.
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was conferred upon by the title 'Shaykh-ul-Hind' which means the leading scholar of India. (1851–November 30, 1920)
Early life
Mehmud Hasan was born in the town of BareillyBareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
(in modern Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
). His father Maulana Zulfeqar Ali was an expert and scholar of the Arabic language
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...
, and worked in the education department of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's administration in the region. Hasan received a traditional Islamic education with a strong emphasis on the study of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, the Persian language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and 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...
. His father sent him to the newly established Darul Uloom
Darul uloom
Darul uloom , also spelled darul ulum etc., is an Arabic term which literally means "house of knowledge". The term generally means an Islamic seminary or educational institution—similar to or often the same as a madrassa or Islamic school—although a Darul Uloom often indicates a more advanced level...
of Deoband
Deoband
Deoband is a city and a municipal board in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the upper Doab region of Uttar Pradesh. Deoband used to be surrounded by dense forests, and was believed to be the abode of the Goddess Durga, according to one tradition this is...
school, where he was reputedly the very first student. The school was established by Eminent Muslim scholars of that time, and Hasan studied under the famous Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi was a world famous Islamic Scholar and one of the main people responsible for establishing the Deobandi movement. Nanotvi was born in 1833 in Nanota, a village near Saharanpur, India. He completed his primary education in his hometown and then he was sent to Deoband, where he...
, a distinguished religious scholar and founding president of Darul Uloom Deoband
Darul Uloom Deoband
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic school in India where the Deobandi Islamic movement was started. It is located at Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It was founded in 1866 by several prominent Islamic scholars , headed by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi...
. Hasan completed his education in 1873, and began working as a teacher at the school. In 1890, he was appointed the Head Teacher of the school he graduated from, the Darul Uloom Deoband
Darul Uloom Deoband
The Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic school in India where the Deobandi Islamic movement was started. It is located at Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It was founded in 1866 by several prominent Islamic scholars , headed by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi...
.
In Husain Ahmed Madani's Words
Shaykhul Islam Maulana Husain Ahmed MadaniHusain Ahmed Madani
Syed Husain Ahmad Madani was an Islamic scholar from the Indian subcontinent. He was conferred upon the title of Shaikhul Islam as to acknowledge his eminence in hadith and fiqh.- Education and spiritual training :...
writes:
"Whoever saw Shaikhul Hind and observed his moral standing from close quarters must have known that the Nature's generosity had bestowed upon him such a large heart that it would have taken the seven seas in its fold. He got benefited from Bahr-e Imdadi (great Sufi saint Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki).but didn't harangue it. He drank to the fullest of his capacity from the Qasmi fountain of knowledge (Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi was a world famous Islamic Scholar and one of the main people responsible for establishing the Deobandi movement. Nanotvi was born in 1833 in Nanota, a village near Saharanpur, India. He completed his primary education in his hometown and then he was sent to Deoband, where he...
) and digested it. He puffed in the mist unlimited from (Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi
Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi was an Indian Islamic scholar who co-founded the Deobandi Islamic movement at the Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasah, or Islamic School, of which he became principle following the death of Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi...
) cloud but never got inebriated. He never boasted of himself, never indulged in profane talk, never let steadfastness go out from the hand and never left the path of Shariah in his life. He never rested although he became thin due to the hard work."
Revolutionary activities
Although focused on his work at the school, Hasan developed an interest in the political environment of British India and the world. When the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
entered World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
against the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, Muslims across the world were concerned of the future of the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
of Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, who was the caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of Islam and spiritual leader of the global Muslim community. Known as the Khilafat struggle, its leaders Maulana Mohammad Ali
Maulana Mohammad Ali
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jouhar was an Indian Muslim leader, activist, scholar, journalist and poet, and was among the leading figures of the Khilafat Movement....
and Maulana Shaukat Ali
Maulana Shaukat Ali
Maulana Shaukat Ali was an Indian Muslim nationalist and leader of the Khilafat movement. He was the brother of Maulana Mohammad Ali.-Early life:...
organised protests across the country (see: partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire
The Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire was a political event that occurred after World War I. The huge conglomeration of territories and peoples formerly ruled by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new nations.The partitioning was planned from the early days of the war,...
). Hasan was fervently active in encouraging Muslim students to join the movement. Hasan organised efforts to start an armed revolution against British rule from both within and outside India. He launched a programme to train volunteers from among his disciples in India and abroad who joined this movement in a large number. The most eminent among them were Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi
Ubaidullah Sindhi
Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi was a noted pan-Islamic leader a political activist of the Indian independence movement...
and Maulana Mohammad Mian Mansoor Ansari. Sending Maulana Sindhi to Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
and Ansari to the North-West Frontier Province
North-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
to mobilize popular support and recruit volunteers, Hasan himself travelled to Hijaz to secure Turkish support. Obtaining the Turkish governor Ghalib Pasha's signature on a declaration of war against the British, Hasan planned to return to India via Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and Baluchistan
Baluchistan (Chief Commissioners Province)
The Chief Commissioner's Province of Baluchistan was a province of British India located in the northern parts of the modern Balochistan province.- History :...
to start the rebellion. The plan, referred to as the Silk Letter Conspiracy
Silk Letter Conspiracy
The Silk Letter Conspiracy refers to a conspiracy by Deobandi leaders to attempt to begin a Pan-Islamic insurrection in British India during World War I by seeking support from Ottoman Turkey, Imperial Germany, and Afghanistan...
, however, was captured by Punjab CID, and he was arrested in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
. He was imprisoned in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Malta exiles
Malta exiles
Malta exiles is the term for politicians, high ranking soldiers , administrators and intellectuals of the Ottoman Empire who were sent into exile on Malta after the armistice of Mudros during the Occupation of İstanbul by the Allied forces...
, for more than three years before his release in 1920.
Legacy
Hasan's endeavours won him the admiration not only of Muslims but of Indians across the religious and political spectrum. He became an icon of the Indian independence movementIndian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, and was given the title of 'Shaikhul Hind'. Upon his release, Hasan returned to India to find the nation on the verge of revolt over the Rowlatt Acts. Hasan issued a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
making it the duty of all Indian Muslims to support and participate with Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
and the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
, who had prescribed a policy of non-cooperation
Non-cooperation movement
The non-cooperation movement was a significant phase of the Indian struggle for freedom from British rule which lasted for years. This movement, which lasted from September 1920 to February 1922 and was led by Mohandas Gandhi, and supported by the Indian National Congress. It aimed to resist...
— mass civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
through non-violence. He laid the foundation stone of the Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
, a university founded by Indian nationalists Hakim Ajmal Khan
Hakim Ajmal Khan
Ajmal Khan was an Indian physician specialising in the field of South Asian traditional Unani medicine as well as a Muslim nationalist politician and freedom fighter. Through his founding of the Tibbia College in Delhi, he is credited with the revival of Unani medicine in early 20th century...
, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari was an Indian nationalist and political leader, and former president of the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League during the Indian Independence Movement...
to develop an institution independent of British control.He also wrote a marvelous and famous Translation of the Holy Qur'an, the commentary on which was written by one of his students, Shaykh al-Islam Allamah Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani was an Islamic scholar who supported the creation of an Islamic system of governance in Pakistan after its creation in 1947. He was a theologian, writer, orator, politician, and expert in tafsir and hadith...
. Hasan died on November 30, 1920.
Tafsir-e-Usmani
The Exegesis (TafsirTafsir
Tafseer is the Arabic word for exegesis or commentary, usually of the Qur'an. Ta'wīl is a subset of tafsir and refers to esoteric or mystical interpretation. An author of tafsir is a mufassir .- Etymology :...
) of the Holy Qur'an, called Tafsir-e-Usmani
Tafsir-e-Usmani
Tafsir-e-Usmani is a Quranic tafsir, authored by modern day Islamic scholar Shabbir Ahmad Usmani ....
in Urdu Language (also translated to English) together with Shaykhul Islam Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani was an Islamic scholar who supported the creation of an Islamic system of governance in Pakistan after its creation in 1947. He was a theologian, writer, orator, politician, and expert in tafsir and hadith...
was a marvel by the two eminent scholars of the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
.
Role in Foundation of Jamia Millia Islamia
Shaikhul Hind Maulana Mehmud Hasan (1851–1920)An eminent theologian and freedom fighter who laid the foundation stone of Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
at Aligarh in Northern India in 1920, Maulana Mahmud Hasan, popularly known as Shaikhul Hind (leader of India), was born in 1851 at Bareily where his father, Maulana Zulfeqar Ali, also a well known scholar of Arabic, was employed in the Department of Education
Department of Education
Department of Education may refer to any of several government agencies:In Africa:* South Africa: Department of Education or the former Bantu Education DepartmentIn Asia:* Hong Kong: Education Bureau...
.
He was the first student of Darul Uloom
Darul uloom
Darul uloom , also spelled darul ulum etc., is an Arabic term which literally means "house of knowledge". The term generally means an Islamic seminary or educational institution—similar to or often the same as a madrassa or Islamic school—although a Darul Uloom often indicates a more advanced level...
, Deoband
Deoband
Deoband is a city and a municipal board in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the upper Doab region of Uttar Pradesh. Deoband used to be surrounded by dense forests, and was believed to be the abode of the Goddess Durga, according to one tradition this is...
, the world renowned institution of Islamic Sciences and one of the most distinguished disciples of the founder of this institution, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi
Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi was a world famous Islamic Scholar and one of the main people responsible for establishing the Deobandi movement. Nanotvi was born in 1833 in Nanota, a village near Saharanpur, India. He completed his primary education in his hometown and then he was sent to Deoband, where he...
. After his graduation from Darul Uloom
Darul uloom
Darul uloom , also spelled darul ulum etc., is an Arabic term which literally means "house of knowledge". The term generally means an Islamic seminary or educational institution—similar to or often the same as a madrassa or Islamic school—although a Darul Uloom often indicates a more advanced level...
in 1873, he served the same institution as a teacher from 1874 till his appointment as Principal in 1890. Unlike the ulema of that time and his preoccupation with teaching and administrative works in Darul Uloom notwithstanding, he kept himself fully informed about the political developments in the country. The second decade of the twentieth century was a period of great restlessness and anxiety for the Islamic world as a result of a secret pact among the Western powers to overthrown the Turkish Empire which was looked upon with respect and reverence by the Indian Muslims.
During this time, Shaikhul Hind prepared a plan to start an armed revolution against the British rule for which he launched a programme to train volunteers from among his disciples in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and abroad who joined this movement in a large number. The most eminent among them were Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi and Maulana Mohd. Mian Mansoor Ansari.
There was a general belief that war of liberation cannot be launched without arms and ammunition. Therefore, it was necessary to secure support from outside India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. While Shaikhul Hind sent Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi to Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
with a special mission and Maulana Mohd. Mian Mansoor Ansari to the independent tribes of the Frontier area to mobilize them for a war against the British rule, he himself traveled to Hijaz in 1915 to secure the Turkish support for his plan. In Hijaz, he met the Turkish Governor, Ghalib Pasha and obtained his signature on a war declaration. From Hijaz he wanted to come to the Frontier area via Baghdad and Baluchistan, but his plan was leaked and he was arrested at Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and imprisoned at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
where he remained for over three years till his release in 1920.
Since the letters exchanged between Shaikhul Hind and his colleagues containing the outlines of the plan to recruit the volunteers for the liberation army and to establish a national government were written on silk, the movement launched by him is known as 'Reshmi Rumal ki Tahrik' (Movement of Silken Kerchief). After returning to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Shaikhul Hind joined the Khilafat Movement
Khilafat Movement
The Khilafat movement was a pan-Islamic, political campaign launched by Muslims in British India to influence the British government and to protect the Ottoman Empire during the aftermath of World War I...
and issued his famous Fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
of non-cooperation against the British rule. In the same year (1920) in October he laid the foundation stone of Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia is an Indian Central University located in Delhi. It was established at Aligarh in United Provinces, India in 1920. It became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988...
at Aligarh. He died on 30 November 1920.