“Yeh maana tum
ko talwaron ki tezi aazmani haiy,
Humari
gurdanon pur ho gaa is ka imtihaan kub tuk”
( We know
you want to display your military might, But for how long will it be at our
cost.)
………..Shibli
Nomnai in “Shahar-e- Aaashob-e-Islam” (The ruined city of Islam”)
Allama
Shibli Nomani was a respected scholar of Islam from Indian subcontinent during
British Raj. He was born at Bindwal in Azamgarh district of present-day Uttar
Pradesh. He is known for the founding of Shibli National College in 1883 and
the Darul Mussanifin in Azamgarh.
Shibli was a
versatile scholar in Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Turkish and Urdu. He was also a
poet. He collected much material on the life of Prophet of Islam, Hazrat
Muhammad (PBUH) but could write only first two volumes of the planned work the
Sirat-un-Nabi.
His
disciple, Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, made use of this material and added his own and
wrote remaining five volumes of the work, the Sirat-un-Nabi after the death of
his mentor.
Details about Muhammad Shibli
Nomani
Born on June 3, 1857 in Bindawal Azamgarh (UP)
Died on 18th November 1914 in Azamgarh (UP)
Father : Shaikh Habibullah
Mother : Moqeema Khatoon (d/o
Mr.Qurban Ahmad, Phariha Azamgarh)
Wife : Majidunnisa (Married
1876-77)
Brothers : Mahdi Hasan (MAO
College Student)
Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Junaid,
Mohammad
Children : Hamid Hassan Nomani , Rabia Khatoon , Jannutul Fatima
Teachers: Maulana Farooq
Chirayyakuti, Chirayyakot Azamgarh
Maulana Irshad Husain, Rampur,
Maulana Faiz ul Hasan
Saharanpuri, Lahore,
Maulana Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri
MAO College Association: 1882 -
1898
Professor of Persian and Arabic
Founder Editor of The Aligarh
Magazine (Urdu)-1891
Famous Students:
Hamid ud din Farahi, Abul Kalam Azad, Saiyid Sulaiman Nadvi, Muhammad Ali
Jauhar, Zafar Ali Khan, Sajjad Haider Yaldram, Aziz Mirza, Masud Ali Mahvi,
Abdus Salam Nadvi, Abdul Bari Nadvi, Shibli Mutakallim Nadvi
Authored Books:
Seerat-un-Nabi – 7 Volumes (co-edited
by Syed Sulaiman Nadvi)
Muqadmat-Seeratun Nabi
Al-Farooq : Biography of Hazrat Omar Farooq (R.A.)
Al-Ghazali : Biography of Imam Ghazali (R.A.)
Al-Mamoon : Biography of Khalifa Mamoon Rashid
Seerat-un-Noman : Biography of Imam Abu Hanifa
Swaneh-Maulana Roomi
Al-Kalam
Ilmul-Kalam
Safar Nama Room-Misr-o-Shaam
Sherul-Ajam -5 Volumes
Kuliyat-e-Shibli (Urdu)
Kuliyat-e-Shibli (Farsi)
Mawazenah Anees-o-Dabeer
Al-Inteqar
Auragzeb Alamgeer per Ek Nazar
Muhammad
Shibli Nomani (1857-1914) more popularly known as Shibli Nomani or even simply
as Shibli was born in a respected family of landed aristocracy in Bindawal, a
village of Azamgarh district in eastern U.P. in 1857. Thus Shibli was born
while the first war of independence was at its peak. Azamgarh and surrounding
areas were particularly affected by its patriotic fervour. It was a matter of
symbolic significance that on the day of his birth the freedom fighters broke
open the gates of district jail and set free the prisoners incarcerated there.
He took his first breaths in this highly surcharged patriotic and rebellious
atmosphere. It was bound to have an abiding influence on the thinking and
attitudes of Shibli in the days to come. He had imbibed the indomitable spirit
of independence in his cradle and it remained with him as a distinctive trait
of his personality throughout his life.
Shibli
occupies a very important place in the history of Muslim community in modern
India. His role in revitalizing and reviving the community is enormous. By his
scholarly and intellectual attainments, he revived the memories of the great
scholars of our past. He was an accomplished scholar of Islamic sciences and
Arabic and Persian languages and literature. He was a prolific writer of Urdu
both in prose and poetry. He was a prose writer of great excellence who remains
unrivalled for the literary elegance and beauty of his writings. His poetry,
both in Persian and Urdu, was of a very high order and excellence. He is
considered as the last great poet of Persian in India. His historical writings
opened new vistas and touched unprecedented heights of scholarly depth,
incisive interpretation, deep insight, penetrating criticism and refreshing
approach. It earned for him the title of the first teacher of history of the
Indian Muslims, an honour that he thoroughly deserved. By his powerful writings
he not only defended Islam against the ideological onslaught of the
orientalists but eminently succeeded in creating a deep and abiding sense of
pride, attachment and belonging with the past among the Indian Muslims. His
personality was multifaceted and his contributions are immense and
multidimensional. The people whom he taught, trained and influenced are legion
and the exact nature and magnitude of their contribution in the fields of their
interest is difficult to assess. Among them are included such illustrious
personalities as Hamid ud din Farahi, Abul Kalam Azad, Saiyid Sulaiman Nadvi,
Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Zafar Ali Khan, Sajjad Haider Yaldram, Aziz Mirza, Masud
Ali Mahvi, Abdus Salam Nadvi, Abdul Bari Nadvi to name only a few. He built
many institutions that continue to play a vital role in the life of the
community. Darul Musannifin Shibli Academy had no parallel in the Sub Continent
as a centre of historical research and publication. He was an Alim, scholar,
educationist, reformer, historian, litterateur and much more. It is, therefore,
not possible to attempt even a brief survey of his varied accomplishments and
contributions in a small article. The endeavour here therefore would be confined
to a brief study of his association with Aligarh and the contribution that he
made to the Aligarh Movement.
Allama Shibli and Aligarh Movement
1881 proved
to be a turning point in his life. In that year he went to Aligarh along with
his father to pay a visit to his younger brother, Mahdi Hasan, who was a
student at M. A. O. College. In this journey he also met Sir Syed, a meeting
that was destined to change his life and give it a new purpose, meaning and
direction. In accordance with the traditions of the time he presented an Arabic
Qasida (Ode) in praise of Sir Syed. Contrary to the style of those days, it was
composed in the style of classical Arabic poetry. Sir Syed was impressed by it
as he could see through it the great creative genius of the writer. He
published it in Aligarh Gazette with a note of appreciation. This paved the way
for Shibli’s eventual appointment at Aligarh. A new star of matchless
brightness was to impart its lustre to the intellectual firmament of Aligarh
and the conditions for this were created on this occasion.
In 1882 there was a vacancy for a teacher to teach Arabic and Persian languages
in the College. Towards the end of January Shibli was appointed as Professor of
Persian and Assistant Professor of Arabic. He joined his duty on 1st of
February 1882. He spent next sixteen years at Aligarh. Initially his salary was
fixed at Rs. Forty a month. Shibli belonged to a well to do family. He seems to
have felt deeply hurt at this paltry salary. But he also seems to have realised
the immense possibilities that Aligarh offered to the growth of his
intellectual faculties and attainment of academic excellence. He settled for
the later. There could not have been a better bargain. Later in 1886, he was
promoted as Professor of Arabic as well and his salary was also raised
accordingly. Ultimately it rose to Rs. 100 per month. But the extremely vital
role that he was destined to play in the uplift of the College, furtherance of
the objectives of the Aligarh Movement and enlightenment of the Muslim
community of the Subcontinent could not be determined and understood in terms
of salaries and stipends.
The most
important thing that Shibli acquired at Aligarh was his abiding concern for the
plight of the community and realization of the imperative need to work for its
uplift and taking it out of the morass in which it found itself. It was a
natural outcome of his contact with Sir Syed. It provided a direction to him
and gave him a purpose and objective to work for. It fired his imagination and
opened up new horizons before his eyes. This concern remained with him
throughout his life. At Aligarh he came into contact with European scholars. He
developed very close and friendly relations with Professor T. W. Arnold and
learnt from him modern methods of research and scholarship, which he put to
maximum use in putting across his own views and researches. He learnt French
from him and taught him Arabic. He has referred to him as a friend and a
mentor. It was here that he had access to the works of the orientalists and
became painfully conscious of the great need to do something to resist and stop
their onslaught against Islam and the Muslims and it determined the course of
his future academic activities. He was a voracious reader and at Aligarh he had
access to a virtual treasure of rare books to satisfy his thirst. Sir Syed’s
library was perhaps the best library of its kind during those days in the
entire subcontinent. It had an excellent collection of Arabic and Persian books
of great Muslim scholars, which were being published in Europe and which,
according to Shibli himself, were still beyond the reach of scholars even in
Egypt. Seeing Shibli’s interest in scholarly pursuits, Sir Syed had allowed him
free access to his library. This opened up new vistas of research and
scholarship before him. The results of his researches delighted and amazed even
great scholars. Sir Syed was deeply impressed by his scholarship and began to
rely more and more on him in his researches. He built a banglow for him near
his residence so that he could have easy access to his library. They spent much
time together discussing scholarly subjects of mutual interest. Shibli had a
very high opinion about Sir Syed’s great qualities of mind and heart. This
mutual respect and appreciation for each other found expression on many
occasions and forms a shining chapter of Aligarh’s history.
The
contribution of Shibli to the Aligarh movement and his services in furthering
its cause are varied and many. First of all he was a committed and dedicated
teacher and was fully alive to his responsibility towards educating and
building the character of his students and molding their views. His erudition,
scholarship, vast knowledge of Islam and Islamic history and his ability to
effectively communicate with them enabled him to establish effective rapport
with his students. This he used to create in the students an interest in Islam
and instill a sense of pride and belonging to its glorious past. He always
tried to uphold the sublime traditions of Islamic civilization and did not
inculcate in his students a sense of loyalty to the British or interest in
western civilization. He always emphasized Islamic values in his teachings,
lectures and writings.
He used
every available forum to educate and train the students to be able to fulfil
their role in the society and to retain the distinctive mark of having been
students of the M. A. O. College. Besides the union where students acquired
debating and oratory skills, there was an association with the name of Ikhwan
us Safa. It was a forum where students were trained in Urdu speaking. He
actively participated in both these forums and gave talks and lectures there to
instruct and guide the students. He established a new forum for training
students in speaking and writing Arabic and took keen interest in its
development. When Aligarh Gazette decided to publish an Urdu supplement, its
charge was given to him. Later, it acquired a separate identity of its own and
came to be known as Aligarh Magazine. Some of his important writings initially
appeared in this magazine. Through this magazine he trained a generation of
students in writing Urdu.
An important
aspect of Aligarh Movement was Sir Syed’s desire to retain the Islamic identity
while acquiring modern education and acquainting oneself with the western
values. Modern education at the cost of religion was not acceptable to him. He
was very clear on this point and his pronouncements on the subject are too well
known to bear repetition. He never wanted to impose his own religious ideas on
the students or include his writings in the curriculum of the College. The
religious aspect of the College was left entirely to the care of a graduate of
the famous seat of religious learning, Darul Ulum at Deoband, Maulana Abdullah
Ansari. Maulana Ansari was not only a product of that great seat of Islamic
education but he was also son in law of Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanatuwi, the
founder of the Darul Ulum. Shibli was professor of Arabic and Persian and
technically religious instruction was not one of his concerns. But it would
appear in the light of the available evidence on the subject that his role in
inculcating in the students an attachment with the religion was by far the most
significant. To achieve this end he adopted various means and employed
different methods besides personal contacts. He was very closely associated
with Lujnatus Salat, an association that was formed to ensure punctual
performance of five times prayers among the students and was proud of his own
role in making it a success. Sir Syed entrusted him the responsibility of
giving lectures to the students on the meaning and interpretation of the Holy
Qur'an, a responsibility that he performed with great earnestness and
enthusiasm. It became very popular among the students. When Maulana Abdullah
Ansari was appointed, Shibli expressed his desire to be relieved of this
responsibility but Sir Syed would not agree. He therefore continued to perform
this responsibility till the end of his stay at Aligarh. Maulana Muhammad Ali
Jauhar had observed that his interest in the Holy Book goes back to these
lectures. There must have been many others who were inspired by his expositions
of the meaning and exegesis of the Holy Qur'an.
On the
instance of Sir Syed he compiled a book on the early history of Islam titled
Bada’ ul Islam (The Beginning of Islam) to be included in the syllabus of
Theology. This book was translated into Persian by his cousin and pupil,
Hamiduddin Farahi, who was a student of the College at that time and later rose
to be the greatest scholar of Quranics in modern times. It was included in the
curriculum of Persian. The function celebrating the birth of the Prophet had
become a hallmark of the University. It is interesting to note that it was
begun by Shibli to acquaint the students with the life account of our beloved
Prophet, a theme that was destined to emerge as the main interest of his life
and for which he received universal acclaim. In the beginning it was held at
his residence but as it could not accommodate all those who wanted to attend
it, the venue was shifted to some other place. Besides these, his writings,
poems and lectures went a long way in instilling in the students a deep sense
of attachment to the religious and cultural moorings of Islam. He was a source
of inspiration and a role model to the students in this regard. It could be
seen that in this particular sphere he made significant contribution in
realising and furthering some of the basic objectives of the Aligarh Movement.
As noted
above, he was a poet of great excellence. In the academic circles of the
College he was first introduced as an excellent poet. His poetic talent was
used in the service of the College and furthering of the objectives of the
Aligarh Movement. Keeping with the traditions of the time, important
personalities were welcomed at the College with a Qasida and it was invariably
his responsibility to compose and present it on behalf of the College. It would
seem that he did not relish this job which smacked of flattery still he did it
in the interest of the College. He also presented his poetic compositions at
the annual sessions of Educational Conference. One of his most stirring
poetical compositions “Masnavi Subh-e Ummid” was presented at the 1885 session
of the conference. After depicting the hopeless situation in which the Muslims
of India found themselves, he makes a very forceful presentation of the Aligarh
Movement and its objectives and considers it as the morning of hope for those
who had lost all hope. It contains one of the finest portrayals of Sir Syed and
his dedication to his mission. There could be little doubt about the fact that
his poetic compositions rendered yeoman service in furthering the objectives of
the Aligarh Movement and his forceful voice was an asset and a source of great
strength for the Movement.
Shibli had
written some polemical writings to his credit before his joining the College.
But his career as a writer and author in fact began at Aligarh. Here he had
access to the books that were published in Europe and Egypt and these
introduced him to a world that was not known to him before. Sir Syed’s library
was perhaps the richest repository of such books in the entire Subcontinent and
Shibli had full access to it. His discussions with Sir Syed introduced him to
new ideas in the fields of literature, history and other areas of learning.
Shibli’s scholarly exploits are varied and many but his greatest contributions
are in the field of history and sirat. He has been called the first teacher of
Indian Muslims in history and rightly so. The book that seems to have
stimulated his interest in the study of history was Gibbon’s history of Rome.
Sir Syed had got it translated into Urdu for his personal use. Thereafter
history became the field of his main interest and his researches in Muslim
history have acquired legendary status that has been celebrated by succeeding
generations of Muslim scholars. There could be little doubt that Sir Syed’s
writings on the Muslim history particularly Khutbat-i Ahmadiyya that he wrote
to dispel the allegations and malicious insinuations contained in the Life of
Mohamet of William Muir must have inspired him and convinced him of the
imperative need of meeting the onslaught unleashed by the Orientalists against
Islam and the Prophet. Shibli’s achievements in the field are unrivalled but it
would be useful to remember that the trend was set by Sir Syed who was first to
stand up against the scholarly tyranny of the west against Islam. Shibli,
however, was a perfectionist and he thought it necessary to first fully equip
himself with all the essential means and resources for this onerous task before
accepting the challenge and throwing down the gauntlet. From the date of
joining the College till 1887 he seems to have been mainly engaged in study and
preparation for the task that he had set for himself. Though his reputation as
a scholar was established he contented himself with expressing his ideas and
concerns for the community and the urgent need for reform mostly through the
medium of poetry.
In 1892
Shibli undertook an academic journey to collect necessary material for his
proposed book al Faruq. This took him to Constantinople (Istanbul), Cairo, al
Quds and Beirut. This was first journey of this kind by a professor of the
College. Sir Syed had gone to England before he launched his movement for the
establishment of the College to collect material for his rebuttal of William
Muir’s infamous book on the life of Prophet. Among the professors of the
College, however, Shibli was first to have done so. In a way he was the first
ambassador of the Indian Muslims to Turkey and was instrumental in establishing
first contacts of the Muslims of South Asia with that region. This shows his
thirst for knowledge and spirit of enquiry. This journey was undertaken with
his personal resources and without any help from any outside agency. He spent
six months on this academic tour, most of which was spent in Constantinople,
scouring its many libraries for the books that he needed. Most of the books
that he needed were still in manuscript form. The libraries were situated at
considerable distance from each other and he had to walk for miles to go from
one library to the other and it was very tiring but he bore it cheerfully as a
labour of love. Academically this tour was a great success but the general
conditions of the Muslim countries he visited greatly dismayed and depressed
him. He had gone from a country that was under the subjugation of others to
those which were free and masters of their own destiny. He made it a point to
meet the scholars and visit the academic institutions there. But to his great
dismay same ailments seemed to be infecting those Muslim countries as well,
which were the bane of Muslim society in India. He found the great divide
between the old and new systems of education particularly very disturbing
because his studies had convinced him that without a judicious combination of
the two systems there would be no possibility of progress for the Muslims in
the modern times. But living and breathing in a free country was an experience
in itself. In recognition of his great academic achievements and service for
the community, the Ottoman government awarded him Tamgha-i Majidi. It was first
such honour achieved by a professor of Aligarh. It brought fame not only to
Shibli but also to Aligarh where he belonged. Theoretically, Ottoman Sultan was
still considered as the head of the Muslims and a symbol of the unity of the
community. And therefore recognition of a scholar by him was indeed a matter of
great honour. Shibli took the name and fame of the College wherever he went and
was instrumental in introducing the College to the academic circles of the
countries he visited. Those who came into contact with him were deeply
impressed by his great scholarship and depth of knowledge. This was bound to
create favourable impression about the institution where he taught. Among those
whom he met at Cairo was included the great Egyptian scholar Mufti Muhammad
Abduhu. He spent considerable time at the grand al Azhar University discussing
with the Ulama matters of mutual interest and looking for books in its library.
On his return he was felicitated both by the staff of the school and the
College. Sir Syed also attended the felicitations.
In 1894
Shibli was granted the title of Shams ul Ulama by the British Government. It
was the firs title that was granted to a professor of the College by the
government. Keeping in mind the fact that Shibli had not yet crossed 37 years
of his age and during those days grant of such titles was not very common, this
event was considered to be very significant. Besides Sir Syed none of his
associates had received any title from the government so far. Even such eminent
luminaries and members of Aligarh fraternity as Hali and Nazir Ahmad received
it much later. There were celebrations in the College. Ikhwan us Safa and
Lujnat ul Adab held a joint function on January 19, 1894 to felicitate Shibli
on the receipt of this honour. Among others, it was attended by Sir Syed, Syed
Mahmud, Muhsin ul Mulk, Hali, Muzammilullah Khan, Theodore Beck and Arnold. The
meeting was chaired by Muhsin ul Mulk. Besides others, Hali also presented a
congratulatory poem in Arabic which was appropriately titled “From friend to
friend”. Among the students Hamid ud din Farahi, Zafar Ali Khan and Ghulam us
Saqlain were included among those who spoke on the occasion and presented their
poetic compositions. The high academic standards of the students of those days
could be assessed from the fact that majority of the poetic compositions of the
students presented on the occasion were either in Arabic or Persian. On
February 17 another function was held in the Strachey Hall, which was attended
by the European officers, their ladies, notables of Aligarh and the College community.
In this function the title and the robe of honour (khil’at) was officially
conferred on him.
Under the
influence of the Aligarh Movement and realising the imperative need of
introducing modern education to the Muslims, soon after his joining of the
College Shibli had founded a school at Azamgarh with the name of National
School in 1883. By 1895 it was upgraded as a High School. After independence it
became a Post Graduate College with the name of Shibli National Post Graduate
College. At present it is the best minority college in the province of Uttar
Pradesh with post graduate facilities in all the main branches of Science and a
number of subjects in Arts and Social Sciences. It also offers courses in law,
commerce and education. It has all the potential of being developed as a
university. Over a period of more than a century since it has been in existence
it has continued to fulfil the same objectives in the region of Eastern U. P.
which Aligarh Movement tried to propagate and popularise among the Muslims.
In 1895 he
was nominated as a member of the Faculty of Arts and Board of Studies of
Allahabad University. It may be recalled here that M. A. O. College was
affiliated to Allahabad University before it became Aligarh Muslim University.
Around that time a move was afoot to remove Persian as a subject from the
syllabi of the University as its syllabus was considered to be below standard.
Due to his intervention it was retained and Shibli was asked to prepare a new
and suitable syllabus. He prepared a standard syllabus for this purpose. The
course of study that he prepared continued to be taught at the university for
many years. Shibli used to give a portion of the income that accrued to him
from this course to the College fund.
Sir Syed
died on March 27, 1898. Shibli left the College after few months. First he took
leave for six months in May and after the expiry of the leave, he tendered his
resignation form the service of the College. Thus the relationship that had
that had begun in 1882 and had lasted for sixteen years that saw Shibli achieve
glory and fame, came to an end. It may, however, be useful to remember in this
context that in spite of all the admiration of Shibli for Sir Syed and
appreciation of Sir Syed for the unusual calibre and talent of Shibli, there
were a number of issues on which they differed. Men of substance do not agree
with each other on each and every point. It was only natural that men of such
stature as Sir Syed and Shibli would differ on some issues. It does not seem to
be a coincidence that Shibli continued to serve the College as long as Sir Syed
was alive in spite of whatever differences he might have had with him and in
spite of the fact that he had been contemplating to leave thee College for
quite some time. It was only after his death that he found it necessary to
severe his relationship with the College. Even long after he had left Aligarh,
there were moves particularly during the stewardship of Muhsinul Mulk to revive
his association with the College. It would appear that Shibli was not averse to
the idea but some how it did not materialise. Shibli lived another eighteen
years. These years saw his talents blossom to the full. He authored many great
books on a variety of subjects with equal ease and felicity. One is struck with
wonder on the range of his interest. On every subject that he did chose, he
wrote with compelling authority and beauty. But the crowning glory of his
scholarship was the biography of the Prophet, peace be on him, for which he
received universal acclaim and which remains unsurpassed even today. He founded
many institutions and participated in many movements. These include, among
others, Darul Musannifin Shibli Academy, Nadwatul Ulama and Madrastul Islah.
His role in mobilising assistance and support for Turkey was very important. He
did not actively participate in politics but supported the Congress from the
very beginning. These and many other aspects of his life are no doubt very
important but they are out of our purview here. In the midst of the plethora of
real and alleged differences of Shibli with Sir Syed and Aligarh Movement, it
would be useful to remember that after Sir Syed Shibli was the most towering
personality among the galaxy of great men who had gathered around him and he
made enormous contribution towards furthering the objectives of the Aligarh
Movement.
Allama Shibli
Nomani and Nadwatul-Ulema
On the
occasion of convocation of MADARSA FAIZ-E-AAM, Kanpur in 1892 A.D.(1310 Hijri),
scholars like Maulana Lutfullah Aligarhi, Maulana Hafiz Shah Muhammad Hussain
Allahabadi, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Maualana Muhammad Khalil Ahmad
(Deoband), Maualana Sanaullah Amritsari, Maulana Noor Muhammad Punjabi,
Maualana Ahmad Hasan Kanpuri, Maulana Syed Muhammad Ali Kanpuri, Shaikhul-Hind
Maulana Mahmud Hasan, Maulana Shah Sulaiman Phulwari, Maualana Zahurul Islam
Fatehpuri, Maualan Abdul Ghani Mau-Rashidabadi, Maulana Fakhrul Hasan Gangohi
and Maulana Syed Shah Hafiz Tajammul Husain Desnavi agreed to form an
organization of Ulema and convene a gathering of Ulema of the thoughts in the
next annual convocation of Madarsa Faiz-e-Aam, Kanpur. They decided the name of
the Organization to be NADWATUL-ULEMA. The responsibilities of the organization
were given to Maulana Syed Muhammad Ali and so he became the first NAZIM of
NADWATUL-ULEMA. The main object of this Association was to bring about harmony
and co-operation among the different groups within the Muslim Millat, and
thereby to bring about the moral, religious and educational reform and progress
of the Muslims.
Nadwatul-Ulema
held its first convention on 22nd, 23rd and 24th April 1893 A.D. (15th, 16th
and 17th Shawwal 1311 Hijri) in Madarsa Faiz-e-Aam, Kanpur. It was attended by
a huge group of scholars from all sects of the Ummah and all corners of the sub-continent
including Maulana Abdullah Ansari (Founder Nazim-e-Diniyaat, MAO College
Aligarh) and Shamsul Ulema Allama Shibli Nomani, who were Professor of Arabic
and Persian at MAO College. Allama Shibli Nomani had already visited Rome,
Syria and Egypt and have seen the Madaris of those regions and met their
scholars. Allama Shibli Nomani proposed the name of Maulana Mufti Lutfullah to
chair the opening session of the convention. According to Nawab Sadar Yaar Jang
Maulana Habibur Rahman Khan Sherwani, Maulana Ibrahim Aaroomi and Maulvi
Muhammad Hussain Batalwi were representing Ahle-Hadis (Salafi) delegation,
Maulvi Ghulamul-Hasnain were representing Shia delegation. Maulana Ahmad Raza
Khan Barailvi also attended the convention and in his addressed praised Malana
Inayatullah, maulana Lutfullah and Maulana Ahmad Hasan. Maulana Shah Muhammad
hussain presented the aims and objective of the organization and then Allama
Shibli Nomani presented the Working Guidelines (Dasturul-Amal) of the
organization. On the recommendation of Maulana Muhammad Husain Batalwi, this
working guidelines (Dasturul Amal) was referred to a committee of scholars to
discuss.
On 23th
April (16th Shawwal), after maghrib prayer, a special session comprising of 30
scholars were held and each and every guidelines were discussed and finalized.
On the next day, 24th April (17th Shawwal) in morning session under the
chairmanship of Maulana Lutfullah of Aligarh, Allama Shibli Nomani announced
the proposals;
The Present
educational system and needs a reform.
Principles
or their representative of all the Islamic Institutions (Madaaris) should
attend the annual convention of Nadwatul Ulema.
A Federation
of Madaaris should be formed so that all the madaaris should come under one
umbrella. To implement this scheme few large Madaaris should be started which
will act as a main Madrasah known as Nadwatul-Uloom and rest will be their
branches. Nadwatul-Uloom will keep an eye on the activities of the branches.
Expansion of
Madarsa Faiz-e-Aam with Hostel facility.
Curriculum
reform ( This was proposed by Shah Muhammad Husain Allahabadi and seconded by
Allama Shibli Nomani)
After this
12 scholars including Allama Shibli Nomani were named to develop curriculum
All the members of the curriculum developing committee made their proposed
changes in the curriculam but Allama Shibli Nomani presented the Model of
Nadwatul-Uloom. When Allama Shibli’s proposal of a Darul-Uloom was accepted by
the attendees, he requested to form a Managing group and so a panel of 16 people
was selected with consensus.
The founding
session of Nadwatul-Ulema was concluded with final remarks and vote of thanks
by Allama Shibli Nomani.
Shibli’s legacy
Shibli
Nomani was a visionary and a restless soul who travelled wide and lived in
places remote from his home in pursuit of learning, spreading knowledge,
building institutions and bringing about a revolution in the thinking of Ulema,
learned scholars and ordinary Muslims. Shibli was one of the most ardent
nationalists devoted to his nation and to freeing it from the yoke of
colonialism. At the Aligarh, AMAO College he dedicated himself to providing
modern education to Muslims. His letters to sir Syed Ahmad Khan from Istanbul,
Cairo and other places show his deep concern that Muslims study sciences. He
admitted the importance of Western learning but was not prepared to ignore
oriental subjects or belittle the merit of Islamic sciences. He disagreed with
those who wanted to emulate the western ethos so much that it could destroy the
identity of Muslims.
Shibli’s
spirit of national integration is demonstrated by the manner in which he
established a school in 1883 in his hometown of Aligarh, and named it ‘National
School’; it is now a large post-graduate college with an enrollment of about
9,000 students. He instructed that the students in this school speak English
language by the time they reach Standard V. A century ago Shibli was of the
opinion that much of the Muslim antipathy to Western learning arose because of
their ignorance of European languages. He was not satisfied with mere writing,
learning and attending conferences, but also believed in action. For example
when in 1912 Burn, the chief secretary of United Provinces government initiated
a move to introduce Urdu in Devnagri script, Shibli opposed it stoutly and
fought for the preservation of Urdu in Nastaliq script. Also in 1912 he
introduced a resolution in Delhi demanding withdrawal of books that created discord
among Indians of diverse faiths from schools and colleges.
Shibli
praised the Congress party for raising the demand of self-government. While
Shibli believed that the Congress party may not best represent the interests of
the Muslim community, at the same time he dismissed the claims of Muslim League
as the exclusive representative of Muslims. He did not subscribe to the fears
expressed by Muslim League that by virtue of their numerical superiority Hindus
would overwhelm Muslims. Indeed men like Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar and
Maulana Azad who were Shibli’s close younger colleagues and who were
considerably influenced by Shibli may be viewed as his political successors.
Have we
forgotten Shibli?
In the
aftermath of Shibli Nomani’s death his favourite pupil including the renowned
Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, dedicated themselves to nurturing and building on his
legacy. Syed Sulaiman Nadvi completed Shibli’s unfinished ‘Seerat un Nabi’ and
together with others built Dar ul Musannifin in Azamgarh into a most illustrious
institution of learning, research and publications in the area of Islamic
thought and civilization that it became in the next few decades.
However,
after 1947 Shibli Nomani’s name has suffered neglect by people outside his
close circle and outside the Muslim community of Eastern U.P. For instance the
Muslim qaum has not given Shibli the al-India stature that others like Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Maulana Azad with whom he can be
easily ranked among the Muslim luminaries of the last 150 years. Aligarh Muslim
University and Nadvat ul Uloom, Lucknow, the two institutions that he served
for so long with so much untiring zeal and devotion and where he made so much
contribution have not done much to perpetuate his memory.
It was only
recently that Aligarh Muslim University built a student’s hostel in his name;
but they did not name any of their better institutes, eg the library or one of
the colleges after Shibli. Similarly Nadvat-ul-Ulema did not name any of its
significant organs after him. Hardly any Muslim community university has named
any major awards in Shibli’s name. And hardly any alumni of AMU memorialize
Shibli by organizing annual lectures in his memory. The unkindest cut is that
when you enquire about Shibli from north Indian Muslims they indicate that he
is a historical figure from eastern UP and Azamgarh. This despite the fact that
Shibli spent 31 of his 57 years serving educational institutions of the Muslims
all over India, away from his home base. Today we need to make up for lost time
and take steps to give Shibli a place of pride among the all-India luminaries
of the Muslims of the last two centuries.
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Sources:
1.
http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/,
16.00 IST 20th November, 2012
2.
Shibli at
Aligarh ( ByProf. Ishtiaq Zilli , Sir Syed Day Magazine 2006)
4.
Darul
Musannefeen Shibli Academy
6.
Hayat-e-Shibli
(Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi (Darul Musannefin)
7.
http://karwaanealigarh.blogspot.in/16.00 IST 20th
November, 2012.
