Abdur Rahim

Abdur Rahim Biography

Sir Abdur Rahim, also known as Abdul Rahim was a judge, writer and politician in British India. He was a leading member of the Muslim League and one of its founding members too. He authored the book - The Principles of Muhammadan Jurisprudence. As an eminent leader of Muslim League, he has served as President of the Nikhil Banga Praja Samiti and Central Legislative Assembly of India before Indian independence. He was a barrister by profession.

His son, Jalaludin Abdur Rahim was a founder member of the Pakistan People’s Party. Noted Pakistani artist and painter, Esther Rahim was his daughter-in-law. His daughter Begum Niaz Fatima was married to noted politician and 5^th Prime Minister of Pakistan - Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. Rahim has contributed a huge collection of 333 Arabic books to National Library of India and this collection now preserved there is known as ‘the Sir Abdur Rahim Collection’.

Rahim was born into a highly educated family of Bengal in September 1867. Rahim’s education was completed from Presidency College, Kolkata and Inns of Court England. Then he started his professional career as a barrister in Calcutta High Court in 1890. He was one of the founding members of the political party, Muslim League and Maulana Azad College, Kolkata. The college was named in memory of freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

In 1908, Rahim was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Madras and later he became Chief Justice of the High Court of Madras. He was knighted in the year 1919. Even while he was the sitting judge, he used to deliver speeches at colleges and universities. In 1925, Rahim was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India.

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Updated: September 02, 2014