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The Important Events of Muslim India
Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
The second most prominent mystic of India, Seyyed Nizam od-Din Awliya
On April 3, 1325 AD, the second most prominent mystic of India, Seyyed Nizam od-Din Awliya, passed away at the age of 87 in New Delhi, where his tomb is a site of pilgrimage. He traced his descent to Imam Ali an-Naqi al-Hadi (AS), the 10th Infallible Successor of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), and belonged to the Cheshti Sufi order founded in the Subcontinent by the Iranian mystic of Ajmer, Seyyed Moin od-Din Cheshti, who is famous for his tribute in Persian poetry to the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Husain (AS). Nizam od-Din wrote several books including the spiritual treatise “Fawa’ed ol-Fu’aad” in Persian and trained many disciples such as the great Persian poet of the Subcontinent, Amir Khosrow Dehlavi.
The first Muslim queen of India, Razia Sultan
On 25th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani in 638 AH, the first Muslim queen of India, Razia Sultan, was killed while fleeing along with her husband, Altunia by Jat brigands, a day after the two were defeated in battler by her younger brother, Bahram, who had seized the Delhi sultanate through a plot. Razia, was designated heir-apparent by her father, Shams od-Din Iltutmish, the Turkic slave-sultan of India. She had exceptional administrative and military qualities, and built schools, academies, research centers, and public libraries that included the works of ancient philosophers along with the teaching of the holy Qur'an and the Prophet’s hadith. Pre-Islamic Sanskrit works on philosophy, astronomy, and literature were reportedly translated and studied in the schools and colleges she had established. Razia refused to be addressed as Sultana because it meant "wife or mistress of a sultan". She used the male title "Sultan".
The prominent Persian poet of the Subcontinent, Amir Khosrow Dehlavi
On March 24, 1252 AD, the prominent Persian poet of the Subcontinent, Amir Khosrow Dehlavi, was born in northwestern India. He manifested his sublime talents in writing poetry at a young age. He was a student of the famous Gnostic, Seyyed Nizam od-Din Awliya. Khosrow, an ethnic Turk who was highly skilled in Iranian and Indian literature and music, was also familiar with Arabic and Turkish languages. It was however, in Persian poetry and prose that he excelled. He has left behind numerous books, including eight panegyrics on the style of the famous Iranian poet, Nizami Ganjavi, in addition to his famous divan and other books of poetry in Mathnavi form. He is also the author of Persian prose books.
The Turco-Afghan Khalji Dynasty
On 2nd of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Akher, in 689 AH, the Turco-Afghan Khalji Dynasty came to power in Hindustan (northern India) after the decline of the Mamluk or Slave Dynasty of Turks. It was founded by Jalal od-Din Firuz, who was installed as king by the Turkic, Persian, Arab and Indo-Muslim aristocrats after replacing the weak and debauched ruler, Kayqobad. Jalal od-Din was succeeded by his nephew, Ali Gorshasp, who took the title of Ala od-Din and during his 20-year rule, expanded the kingdom to include much of the Deccan (southern India) as well as today’s Pakistan, Bangladesh and eastern parts of Afghanistan. The court language, like that of the previous dynasty, was Persian, and Islam was promoted in India along with scientific achievements, art, and architecture during the 30-year rule. The Khaljis, who repelled several Mongol invasions, were replaced by the Tughlaqs, also of Turkic origin.
Sultan Mohammad Tughluq of India
On March 20, 1351, Sultan Mohammad Tughluq of India, died in Sindh (in present day Pakistan) on his way to Thatta, after a reign of 26 years, during which he earned the reputation of an eccentric or wise fool for his policies that saw the shifting of the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (1,400 km away) and back, as well as the failed attempt to reform the coinage. Born in Multan to the founder to Ghiyas od-Din Tughlaq the founder of the Turkic Dynasty, and his Rajput wife, he was named Jauna Khan, and was a scholar well versed in logic, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and physical sciences. He had knowledge of medicine and was skillful in dialectics. He was also a calligrapher.
He was well versed with several languages like Persian, Arabic, Turkish and even Sanskrit. Ibn Battuta, the famous Moroccan traveler, visited India during his reign and was appointed Qazi of Delhi. At times he could be very cruel and flay people for the slightest faults. He dreamt of conquering Iran, Iraq, Central Asia and China, but could not even hold on to the empire he had inherited from his father. During the last years of his reign, he saw various provinces secede from the Delhi Sultanate, especially the Deccan, where his general of Iranian stock, Hassan Gangu Zafar Khan, took the title of Ala od-Din Bahman Shah and founded in 1347 the Bahmani Sultanate which lasted for 180 years, resulting in the birth of a unique Indo-Persian culture, art, architecture, and literature. It is said Mohammad Tughlaq had threatened that on his return to the capital he would punish the famous Mystic, Seyyed Nizam od-Din Auliya for criticizing his eccentric policies. The Mystic on being informed of the threat had smiled and said in Persian “Hanouz Dilli dour ast” (Delhi is still very far), and the Sultan died on his way.
The famous Urdu-Persian poet of the Subcontinent, Mirza Asadollah Khan Ghaleb
On February 15, 1869 AD, the famous Urdu-Persian poet of the Subcontinent, Mirza Asadollah Khan Ghaleb, passed away in Delhi at the age of 73. Born in Agra in a Persianized Turkic family, whose ancestors had migrated to India from Samarqand, he was well versed in the Persian, Arabic, Turkic and Urdu languages, and excelled in composing ghazals in a unique style. His choice of words, philosophical references, delicate metaphors, and witticism, has made his poetry, highly popular in India, Pakistan, and wherever Urdu speakers are found. He also initiated a new style in letter-writing which greatly influenced the development of Urdu language. Ghaleb was an accomplished poet in Persian, composing ghazals and qasidahs (panegyrics) in praise of noblemen as well as Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), Imam Ali (AS) and the Infallible Ahl al-Bayt. In fact, his Persian Diwan is four times the size of his Urdu Diwan and has been published in Iran.
Indian scholar and statesman, Abul-Kalaam Azad
On February 22, 1958 AD, Indian scholar and statesman, Abul-Kalaam Azad died at the age of 70. He was at the forefront of the struggle for the independence of India from the British rule, led by M.K Gandhi. As a member of the ruling Congress Party, he was elected to the parliament, after India gained independence in 1947, and later was made Minister of Education. As a scholar of Urdu, Arabic, Persian and English languages he wrote many valuable books, including an exegesis of the holy Qur'an, titled, "Tarjuman al-Qur’an". He was greatly influenced by the famous 19th century Iranian pan-Islamic thinker, Seyyed Jamal od-Din Asadabadi, especially concerning the importance of Ijtehad in awakening the Muslim societies. Among his other works are War from the Islamic point of view and "Shahid-e Azam" or the Great Martyr which is a book on the Prophet's grandson, Imam Husain (AS).
India’s Persian language historian, Mullah Abdul-Qader Bada'uni
On 17th of the Islamic month of Rabi as-Sani in 947 AH, India’s Persian language historian, Mullah Abdul-Qader Bada'uni, was born in north India. He was a court chronicler and translator from Sanskrit into Persian for the Mughal Emperor, Jalaloddin Akbar Shah. He translated the Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, into Persian from Sanskrit. His famous work is the history in Persian titled “Montakhab at-Tawarikh”.
Osman Ali Khan, Asef Jah VII, the Last Muslim ruler of the Deccan
On April 6, 1886 AD, Osman Ali Khan, Asef Jah VII, The Last Muslim ruler of the Deccan in southern India was born in Hyderabad. He became king in 1911 and transformed the Deccan into a centre of learning. He ruled for 37 years, until his surrender to the Indian forces in September 1948 following a three-pronged attack to end the last independent Muslim state in India. He was a patron of learning, and beside building libraries, hospitals, universities, and religious centres, was an accomplished poet in Persian, Urdu, and Turkish. He died in 1967.
The Second Anglo-Mysore War
On March 11, 1784 AD, the Treaty of Mangalore ended the second Anglo-Mysore War between Fath Ali Khan Tipu Sultan of Mysore in south India and the British colonialists. The 5-year war started in 1779 when Tipu Sultan's father, Hyder Ali Khan, was the ruler of Mysore, and had received a contingent of 1000 troops from Karim Khan Zand of Iran. It involved a seesaw struggle between the two sides, and saw a series of defeat for the British. In 1782 Hyder Ali Khan suddenly died and Tipu Sultan became king, and in 1784 he retook Mangalore from the British. With neither side in a position to win, the war ended in stalemate with the signing of the Treaty of Mangalore. The great advantage for Tipu was the psychological impact of the treaty on the British, who had recently been humiliated in America with the loss of the Thirteen Colonies to the revolutionaries who founded the USA. The treacherous British twice broke the terms of the treaties and finally in 1799, they cowardly attacked Mysore and martyred Tippu Sultan. It is said his ancestors were either from Basra or the southern coasts of Iran. The language of the Mysore court was Persian, and among the famous history books of this period are those written by the migrant Iranian scholar, Mir Hussain Ali Khan Kirmani, titled “Nishan-e Haideri”, and “Tazkirat-al-Belaad wa’l-Hukkaam”.
New Delhi inaugurated as the new capital of British India
On February 13, 1931, British Viceroy, Lord Irwin, inaugurated the new capital of British India, which four years earlier in 1927 was officially named “New Delhi”, since it was built on the outskirts of the old Indian Muslim capital Delhi. The foundation stone of the city was laid on 15th December 1911 and it was planned by two leading British architects, Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, who in their designs also incorporated Iranian styles including Persian paintings on the ceiling of what is now called Rashtrapathi Bhavan or Presidential Palace. New Delhi houses the national government and administrative buildings, and has a population of 250,000, while Old Delhi, which is a national heritage of over six-and-a-half centuries of Muslim rule, and where Persian was the dominant language for over 600 years, has a population of 16 million. The previous capital of the British colonialists, who had entered Mughal-ruled Subcontinent as traders, before gradually occupying it piece-by-piece through deceit and wars, was Calcutta in Bengal.
The British colonialists formally annexed the Punjab region
On March 29, 1849 AD, the British colonialists formally annexed the Punjab region of the subcontinent after defeating the Sikhs. Punjab is today divided between Pakistan and India.
The Islamic scholar and researcher, Seyyed Abu-Bakr Hadhrami Alawi
On 10th of the Islamic month of Jamadi al-Awwal in 1341 AH, the Islamic scholar and researcher, Seyyed Abu-Bakr Hadhrami Alawi, passed away in Hyderabad-Deccan in southern India at the age of 79 years. He was of Yemeni origin conducted valuable studies on poetry and literature. He has left behind his collection of poems. His compilations include the Arabic works “ash-Shahab as-Saqeb”, and “Futouhaat al-Baheth”. He was also fluent in Persian and Urdu.
The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
On April 13, 1919 AD, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place in Amritsar in the Indian state of Punjab, when British troops killed in cold blood at least 379 unarmed demonstrators and injured over a thousand others. The perpetrator of the massacre was Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, who on hearing that a crowd of 15,000 to 20,000 people had assembled at the Jallianwala Bagh, placed his riflemen on a raised bank and ordered them to shoot at the crowd that included men, women, and children. The casualties estimated by the Indian National Congress was over 1,500, with approximately 1,000 killed.
The Lahore Resolution also known as “Qarardad-e Pakistan”
On March 23, 1940 AD, The Lahore Resolution also known as “Qarardad-e Pakistan” was put forward at the Annual General Convention of the All India Muslim League. This was the first formal step by the Muslims of the Subcontinent for setting up a separate country of their own in the Muslim majority areas of British-ruled India. Seven years later in 1947 the birth of Pakistan took place in the western border provinces and in East Bengal which is today called Bangladesh, but not all Muslim-majority regions of the subcontinent could be incorporated in the new country because of geographical difficulties, since many areas such the United Province lay in the heart of India and not on the borders. Moreover, the crafty British left the issue of Muslim-majority Kashmir unresolved as a bone of contention between Pakistan and India.
The Liaqat-Nehru Pact
On April 8, 1950 AD, India and Pakistan inked the Liaqat-Nehru Pact in New Delhi after six days of talks. The signatories were Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and Pakistani Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan. The treaty sought to guarantee the rights of minorities in both countries after the partition of the Subcontinent – Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in India.
Pakistan formally became a republic
On March 23, 1956 AD, Pakistan formally became a republic by adopting a new constitution, and with election of the then Governor-General Iskandar Mirza as president.
Sheikh Mujib ur- Rahman, the Founding Leader of Bangladesh
On March 17, 1920 AD, Sheikh Mujib ur- Rahman, the Founding Leader of Bangladesh, was born in Bengal state of British India. He became politically active in 1940 on joining the All India Muslim Students Federation, while studying law at the Islamia College of the University of Calcutta. In 1943, he joined the Bengal Muslim League and grew close to the faction led by Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardi, who was to become Prime Minister of Pakistan. Mujib worked actively for the League's cause of a separate Muslim state of Pakistan. After partition of the Subcontinent, he chose to stay in the newly created Pakistan. In what was then East Pakistan, he became one of the most prominent political leaders, and organized protests when Urdu was made the official language. He was jailed and after release created the Awami League. In 1966 he proclaimed a 6-point plan titled Our Charter of Survival at a national conference of opposition political parties at Lahore, in which he demanded self-government and political, economic and defence autonomy for East Pakistan. With his emphasis on Bengali culture and ethnicity, he was viewed by the government in Islamabad as an Indian agent trying to destabilize Pakistan. In the 1970 elections organized by the military government of General Yahya Khan, the Awami League won the majority of seats and increased demands for autonomy of East Pakistan. The war with India worsened the crisis for Pakistan. Mujib was imprisoned in West Pakistan but the Mukti Bahini militia which his Awami League had created with the support of the invading Indian troops, forced the Pakistani army to surrender. Upon release from imprisonment in Islamabad he became head of the new country Bangladesh in January 1972, and was assassinated in 1975 by army officers disgruntled with his policies. The present prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, is Mujib’s daughter.
Former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfeqar Ali Bhutto executed
On April 4, 1979 AD, former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfeqar Ali Bhutto, was executed by coup leader and self-styled president, General Zia ul-Haq, who ironically had been promoted as chief of staff of the armed forces over several senior officers by Bhutto himself. Zia soon turned against his benefactor and ousted him in a coup in 1977. He soon accused Bhutto of murder and hanged him after trial in a kangaroo court. Zia was an American agent and inflicted irreparable harm on Pakistan through his pro-Saudi Arabia policies that led to the emergence of Salafi terrorist groups, who have wrecked the harmony and stability of the country. Zulfeqar Ali Bhutto, who was a member of reputed Sindhi family of undivided India, was the founder of Pakistan People’s Party and was elected president in 1971, following the disintegration of Pakistan in its confrontation with India and the birth of Bangladesh.
The Siachen Glacier Issue
On April 13, 1984 AD, India moved into the Siachen Glacier to annex more territory from the Line of Control that determined the border with Pakistan, thus bringing swift response from the latter. The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram Range in the Himalaya Mountains and is the world’s highest battleground. It lies immediately south of the great watershed that separates the Eurasian Plate from the Subcontinent in the extensively glaciated portion of the Karakoram sometimes called the "Third Pole" – after the North and South Poles. The borders of China also meet here. Both India and Pakistan maintain a permanent military presence in the region at an altitude of over 6,000 meters above sea level. Between 1984 and 1999, frequent skirmishes took place between the two countries. However, more soldiers have died in Siachen from harsh weather conditions than from combat. The conflict has damaged the ecology of the glacier which is fast melting, mainly because of chemical blasting, done for constructing camps and posts, and laying of oil pipelines by India to supply kerosene and aviation fuel to its soldiers in this remote and uninhabited place.
Husain Salahuddin, the famous Maldivian writer
On April 14, 1881 AD, Husain Salahuddin, the Maldivian writer and an influential poet and scholar of English, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and the local Dhivehi language of the Maldives archipelago, was born. He greatly contributed to Maldivian literature. He also served as the Chief Justice of the Maldives for a long time. His most famous work is the Biography of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), which is broadcast till this day in the month of Ramadhan by Radio Maldives.
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