Shabbir ahmad usmani biography of mahatma
Home / Religious & Spiritual Figures / Shabbir ahmad usmani biography of mahatma
The JUH, which had prioritized anti-colonial unity with Indian nationalists and rejected the two-nation theory, opposed the creation of a separate Muslim state, prompting Usmani and like-minded scholars to form an alternative organization dedicated to endorsing Pakistan as a religious imperative for preserving Islamic governance and Muslim identity. After graduating he himself became the head teacher of Madressah Fathehpuri in Delhi for two years and then continued as Head Teacher of Darul-Uloom at Dabel, Surat (India) for 12 years.
He is also notable for having led the funeral prayer of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
Following the Partition of India, Usmani was appointed to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, where he served until his passing.
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani (1887–1949) was a Deobandi Islamic scholar, jurist, orator, and politician from British India renowned for his expertise in Qur'anic exegesis (tafsir) and hadith, as well as his pivotal role in providing religious endorsement to the demand for Pakistan.[1][2] Educated at Darul Uloom Deoband, where he graduated with distinction in 1908 under the tutelage of Shaikhul Hind Mahmud ul Hasan, Usmani taught at Deoband and other institutions before entering politics.[1][2] In the 1940s, diverging from many Deobandi peers who favored composite nationalism, he aligned with the All-India Muslim League, framing Pakistan as an Islamic democracy where Muslim majority rule would enable Sharia-influenced governance, and founded the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 1946 to rally clerical support for partition.[1][2][3] Following independence, Usmani served in Pakistan's Constituent Assembly, drafted elements of the Objectives Resolution to embed Islamic principles in the state, hoisted the new nation's first flag, and led Muhammad Ali Jinnah's funeral prayer as per the Quaid's wishes.[1][2][3]
Early Life and Education
Birth and Family Background
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani was born on 11 October 1887 in Bijnor, a district in Uttar Pradesh under British India.[4][5] His father, Fazlur Rahman Usmani, held the position of deputy inspector of schools and was on official assignment in Bareilly at the time of his birth, reflecting a family engaged in both religious scholarship and colonial administrative roles.[4][2][6]The Usmani family originated from Deoband and produced several prominent Deobandi scholars, establishing a lineage steeped in Islamic traditional learning.Jinnah is seated at centre.](./assets/Muslim_League_leaders_after_a_dinner_party%252C_1940_Photo429−6In 1945, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani resigned from Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind due to its opposition to the All-India Muslim League's demand for Pakistan and co-founded Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam as a pro-League alternative, marking a formal alliance with Muhammad Ali Jinnah's political platform.[7] This organization explicitly endorsed the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and mobilized Deobandi scholars to support partition, providing religious legitimacy to the League's secular nationalist leadership.[1]Usmani actively campaigned for the Muslim League during the 1945–1946 provincial elections, traveling across India to rally ulama and Muslim voters, including a special mission to the North-West Frontier Province at Jinnah's request to counter Congress-aligned opposition.[19] His efforts contributed to the League's electoral success, securing over 75% of Muslim seats, which bolstered the momentum for partition.[7] Theologically, Usmani reconciled Jinnah's modernist approach with Islamic imperatives by portraying Pakistan as a "new Medina," where gradual Islamization could occur under League governance, thus bridging the gap between clerical traditionalism and Jinnah's pragmatic politics.[7]This partnership extended beyond electoral support; Usmani served as a key advisor to Jinnah on religious matters, defending the League against accusations of un-Islamic secularism from rival ulama groups.[1] Jinnah reciprocated by publicly acknowledging Usmani's role, stating in 1946 that the ulama's backing was essential for the Pakistan cause, though Usmani insisted on embedding Islamic principles in the future state's framework to prevent it from deviating into Western-style secularism.[20] Their alliance solidified the religious endorsement needed to legitimize partition among conservative Muslim constituencies, despite internal Deobandi divisions.
Fatwas and Public Campaigns Supporting Two-Nation Theory
In October 1945, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani publicly declared his support for the All-India Muslim League, issuing religious rulings that framed allegiance to the League and the demand for Pakistan as a religious obligation for Muslims, rooted in Hanafi jurisprudence permitting alliances against non-Muslim majorities to preserve Islamic governance.[1] He argued that the Two-Nation Theory was not a modern political invention but a doctrinal necessity, positing Muslims as a distinct qawm (nation) under Quranic principles, incompatible with Hindu-majority rule in a united India, which would subordinate sharia to secular or Hindu-influenced laws.[1] Usmani contended that partition enabled an Islamic democracy where Muslim majorities could enforce equitable contracts and sharia-based policies, citing classical texts like al-Shaybānī’s al-Siyar al-Kabir to justify cooperation with the League despite its secular elements as a "constitutional war" against British and Hindu dominance.[1]These fatwas extended to portraying the Pakistan movement as akin to jihad, obligating Muslims to prioritize League candidates in elections to secure sovereignty and prevent assimilation into a composite nationalism that Usmani viewed as eroding Islamic identity.[19] In response to Deobandi critics like those from Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, who rejected partition as un-Islamic, Usmani issued rejoinders in letters and speeches, such as his November 1945 letter to Bashir al-Din Ahmad, insisting that unified India equated to subjugation under disbelievers.[1] By early 1946, at the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam conference in Lahore, his presidential address formalized these positions, rallying ulama to endorse the Lahore Resolution's territorial demands as essential for reviving Medina-like Islamic polity.[1]Usmani's public campaigns amplified these fatwas through extensive tours and organizational efforts.Biography
Born on 7th Muharram l3O4 A.H.(1885 A.D.) in Bijnour,Uttar pradesh (INDIA), he graduated from the of . شبير أحمد عثماني) was an eminent Sunni , who made tremendous efforts after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, to provide the nation with a true Islamic system of governance. [ For his political role in freedom movement, check this]
Great Service for the newborn Pakistan, the 'Objective Resolution'
After Independence he became a Member of the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan and remained so till his death in March 1949.
The is still famous worldwide.
Usmani, as the pioneer of freedom
During the Balkan War he took a leading part in collecting money for the Hilal-e-Ahmar (Red Crescent) Fund.He was the Founder President of Jamiat-ul- Ulama-e-Islam {1946), which most effectively counteracted the anti-Pakistan Movement propaganda and activities led by pro-Congress Jamiat-ul-Ulama-e-Hind.
He ultimately became Head of the Institution, the Darul Uloom of Deoband.
His father, Fadhlur Rahman, was a deputy inspector of schools and had been sent on assignment to Bareilly, when his son Shabbir was born. In 1926, he moved to Dabhel, a small predominantly Deobandi town in the Indian state of Gujarat, and became a teacher at Jami'a Islamiyyah Dabhel. In 1925, Sultan Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia scheduled a conference for prominent ulama from all over the world.
Founded on 26 October 1945 with Usmani's backing from figures such as Maulana Khair Muhammad, JUI aimed to provide clerical legitimacy to the Muslim League's campaign against perceived Hindu domination in a united India.[7][16]Usmani assumed the role of JUI's first president, leveraging his authority as a leading hadith scholar and former Darul Uloom Deoband principal to direct its activities toward mobilizing ulama networks in Punjab, Bengal, and the United Provinces.
He left his indelible mark in the history of Pakistan when he spearheaded the 'Objectives Resolution' passed by the Constituent Assembly in March 1949 and participated in the preparation of the first draft of the constitution of Pakistan
Association with Muhammad Ali Jinnah
The inauguration of the National flag of Pakistan and Constituent Assembly was done by him, on the wish of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah RA.
He also led the funeral prayers of Quaid-e-Azam , as per his request.
He died at Baghdad-ul-Jadid, Bahawalpur State on December 13, 1949 and was buried at Karachi. Under his guidance, the organization issued statements framing partition as aligned with Islamic principles of self-determination and caliphate revival, contrasting sharply with JUH's composite nationalism.
Accompanying this was his introductory treatise Mabadi' Ilm al-Hadith wa Usuluh, which systematically outlines foundational principles of Hadith sciences, including authentication criteria and resolution of apparent contradictions.[13] In this commentary, Usmani employs a methodical approach to reconcile seemingly contradictory reports by prioritizing stronger chains and contextual harmonization, reflecting Deobandi emphasis on rigorous textual criticism over speculative reconciliation.[13]He also authored Fazl al-Bari, a partial Urdu commentary on select sections of Sahih al-Bukhari, focusing on elucidating prophetic traditions pertinent to creed, law, and ethics through cross-references with other canonical collections.[14] These works underscore Usmani's role in advancing Deobandi Hadith pedagogy, training generations of scholars at institutions like Darul Uloom Deoband by prioritizing empirical verification of narrations over philosophical abstraction.[15]
Political Activism
Early Anti-Colonial Involvement
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani participated in anti-colonial resistance during the early 1920s by supporting the Khilafat Movement (1919–1924), which protested the dismantling of the Ottoman Caliphate, and the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922) led by the Indian National Congress, both directed against British imperial control.[1] Usmani positioned these efforts as compatible with Islamic obligations, arguing that Muslims were religiously bound to withhold loyalty from a colonial administration viewed as tyrannical and violative of prior treaties.[1]He penned a pamphlet entitled Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movements, exhorting ulema to mobilize Muslims in defiance of British rule by boycotting government institutions, courts, and schools, as well as promoting swadeshi goods and self-reliance.[8][2] The British authorities banned this publication shortly after its release, citing its potential to incite unrest and undermine colonial governance.[5][8]Usmani's advocacy extended to public speeches and writings that integrated Deobandi theological frameworks with political non-cooperation, emphasizing jihad-like resistance through civil disobedience rather than armed revolt, in alignment with the era's mainstream Muslim scholarly opposition to colonial subjugation.[1] This phase marked his initial foray into blending religious authority with anti-imperial activism, predating his later divergence toward partition advocacy.[1]Formation and Leadership of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
In late 1945, as the 1945 provincial elections approached and divisions deepened among Deobandi ulama over support for the All-India Muslim League's partition demand, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani led the establishment of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) as a pro-Pakistan splinter from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH).Usmani's brother, Azizur Rahman Usmani, also pursued religious scholarship, continuing the family's intellectual legacy. He was a great Theologian, Writer, Orator, Politician and a Saint, beside being an expert in and . He was a student and Khalifa of Sheikh-ul-Hind . In order to counteract the propaganda and activities of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, he founded the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 1945.
On March 9, 1949, Usmani addressed the assembly in Urdu, defending the resolution's preamble—which affirmed that "sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to Allah Almighty alone" and mandated that the state "enable Muslims to order their lives in accordance with the teachings of Islam"—by citing Quranic verses and hadith to refute secularist objections.
In October 1929, when the foundation committee set for the foundation of Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), New Delhi, he was elected as a member of the committee. He then moved to Darul Uloom Dabhel (also known as Jamia Islamiyyah Dabhel) in Surat, where he held the position of head teacher for 12 years beginning around 1926, specializing in the teaching of Sahih al-Bukhari.[6] In 1932, following the death of Anwar Shah Kashmiri, he was appointed chief teacher of hadith at Dabhel, though he returned to Deoband in 1935 at the request of Ashraf Ali Thanvi to resume teaching duties there until political divergences prompted his departure in the mid-1940s.[7]After the partition of India in 1947, Usmani migrated to Pakistan and provided foundational guidance for the establishment of Jamia Darul Uloom Islamia in Karachi, instructing its founding in 1948 as a center for Deobandi scholarship amid the resettlement of Muslim educators.[9] His involvement emphasized the continuity of traditional hadith and fiqh studies in the new state, though his death on December 13, 1949, limited his direct tenure to under two years.[10]