Mulana Ubaid ullah Sindi;a Brief Prologue

Mulana Ubaid ullah Sindi; a Brief Prologue
(1872-1944)
By
Muhammad Haneef
Boota Sing was born in Chian Wali village Sialkot on 10th of March 1872 in a Sikh Family of Punjab. He got early education from middle school of Jampur DG Khan. He was very much interested to get knowledge. He was the owner of critical and creative mind. He had studied the History of Punjab and he was aware the cruelties of the British. He feels proud on being a Sikh. He had listened to so many times the stories of the cruel act from the family women’s. That was the reasons he had been keeping hate feeling for the British rulers.

In 1884 he got a book “Tuhfa tul Hind” from a student who belong to the Arya Samaj. That particular book was on much more focusing on the characteristics and honors’ of the new Muslims. From this book he got inspiration about the Islam. As well as he found another book “Taqweea tul Iman” written by Shah Ismail shaheed. This book had created great internal revolution then he started to study the Islam. His internal revolution was not an emotional or accidental it was an unusual event of his life. Mulana Sindi wrote in a one Magazine “Wali ul Lahi Tareek ka Tareekhi Taslsul” he said I accept it Mulana Shah Ismail Shaheed my leader (Imam) because his book “Taqweea tul Iman” become source of my entrance in Islam. In the age of 16 he accepted Islam and become Muslim from Sikh from Boota Sing to Ubaid Ullah. After this decision he went to Sind so that he can protect himself from his relatives and others religious members of the Sikh community. He reached in Sakhar where he got a loveable, kind teacher Peer Hafiz Muhammad Siddiqui. Hafiz Siddiqui was very much impressed from Ubaid ullah due to his reception of Islam and he makes him his spiritual son. It was the effect of Hafiz Siddiqui teaching and care that Mulana has fully converted his life into Islamic society and culture. He was great lover of his respected teacher so he starts to write “Sindi” with his name now he becomes Mulana Ubaid Ullah Sindi.

As the mother of Mulana Ubaid Ullah Sindi get news to his presence in Sakhar she reached there and tries to fully get back to home but it was his commitment and conscious decision so he keeps himself on his way. Those days he had decided that he should go to Dar ul ulloom Deoband for further study. It was not ordinary religious education school (Madrasa). Dar-ul-uloom Deoband was a great centre of the freedom fighters of Muslims of subcontinent. Deoband Madrasa was creating freedom fighters. In 1888 he reached there and he got chance to sit in the Dars or class of Mulana Mehmood ul Hassan known as Sheikh ul Hind. In the Dar-ul-uloom Deoband it was a popular saying with reference to Seikh ul Hind that “to keep hate for Farungi is an essential part of Iman”. After a few days he gives an exam at Dar-ul uloom he got top position. When Mulana Saeed Ahmad Dehlvi lessoned his discussions and questions in the class he said about Mulana Sindi if he got books it will be second of Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlvi of his time. During his study in Deoband he got knowledge and confidence from his teachers especially from Mulana Mehmood ul Hassan who was the first student of Dar-ul-uloom. It was the struggle of those teachers they produced freedom fighters. These were the students of Deoband at that time who created awareness and sense of struggle against the British Imperialism.

After completion of his education he comes back to Amrot Sharif Sind. Where he started his career of educational and political life. Those days there were no awareness about the Philosphy of Shah Wali ullah Dehlvi in Sind. It was really demand of the time to preach and propagating this philosophy. For this purpose Mulana established a Madrasa according to the instruction of his teacher Sheikh ul Hind. The students who were studying there they get knowledge of Quran and Sunna with more focusing on the freedom of the country and renaissance of Islam. In a very short period of time this Madrasa educationally and politically got a central position in Sind. In 1901 Mulana Sindi and Peer Rasheed ullah inaugurated a new Madrasa “Dar ul Irshad” Mulana Sindi was the Director of this institute. Within the 10 years of his struggle these institutes produced a number of students and the organized an event of Dastar Bandi in which Mulana Memmod ul Hassan was the chief guest.

That was the struggle of the Mulana Sindi and his teachers those who were fighting for the freedom of the country. They started different movement with different names like Jamiat-ul -Insar, Silk Letter Movement or Tehreek-e-Rashmi Romal. Mulana was the central part of these movements. Mulana was leading the Jamiat-ul-Insaar where he reorganized the dispersed students of Deoband. After that Mulana went to Dehli where he established a new Institute “Nizara-tul-Muharif Al Qurania” where he created an inclusive environment for the students of Dar-ul-uloom Deoband and for the graduates of Aligarh.

It was the qualities of the Mulana Sindi to deep thinking and rethinking. Due to creative and critical thinking he become able to define and interpret the causes of political, social, economic and ideological problems of the global societies in general and Indian society in particular. And he gives very comprehensive solution of the entire problem in the light of Quran.

According to the Mulana Sindi he just got this position because of these three things. Those things played fundamental role in his life throughout.1) the philosophy of the Shah Wali ullah Dehlve in which you can find inclusive solution of all the burning issues of the societies.2) Envirnoment of education and socialization of Dar ul Uloom Deoband.3) and the study of the European history of renaissance. Remember for the freedom of the country Mulana was exile from 1915 to 1939. During this time he observed closely and some time being a part of the changing social and political environment of the movements and societies. During the exile he visited Afghanistan, Turkey, Soviat Union and Saudi Arabia. This was the era of revolutions and change. So Mulana was luckily the part of this era. He studied and think critically analyze the process and drawbacks of these revolutions. His experience and observations of the changing world he got more much exposure. Much of the intellectuals may have disagreement with Mulana Sindi view point but I think it could be the difference of exposure not other thing else.

Mulana Sindi comes back to India in1939 and he continued his preaching and propagating of Islam till his death. The picture is clear after a short view of his life. He spends 25years in exile in different countries. Some strategies regarding the process of change may be in his mind for change in societal perspective but generally his focus and central point was Quranic Philosphy. He never shattered himself from the Quran. His life for Islam and he did hard work for its renaissance. I would like to say that he was Muslim by choice he choose Islam for his life and he spend his whole life according to the teaching of Islam. And we are the Muslim by chance so we are less care about Islam and his philosophy. So that is the tome for us to decide that what we want and what should be do. Finally it is concluded that Mulana Sindi was a great revolutionary leader and freedom fighter.