Maulana Mehmud Hasan Biography 
Maulana Mehmud Hasan was Indian Islamic scholar who took part in the Indian freedom struggle. He was called as Shaykul Hind meaning Scholar of India. He was born in 1851 in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. His father Maulana Zulfeqar Ali was an expert in Arabic language and he was working in the British East India Company’s education department.
He studied at Darul Uloom and Deoband School and there he was praised for his academic excellence with top rank. His teacher was Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi who was the founder president of Darul Uloom Deoband. He completed his studies in 1873 and started working as a teacher in a school. In 1890 he became the headmaster of the Darul Uloom Deoband.
Though he concentrated on his school works, he developed an interest in the Indian politics. The Ottoman Empire entered in World War I and this led to the organization of struggle in India spearheaded by the leaders, Maulana Mohammed Ali and Maulana Shaukat Ali. Maulana Mehmud Hasan encouraged the Muslim students to join the struggle. He launched an armed revolution against British rule in India.
He trained the volunteers and made them take part in the struggle in large number. His important disciples who took part in the movement are Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi and Maulana Mohammed Mian Mansoor Ansari. He sent the first one to Kabul and the second one to North West Frontier Province to recruit volunteers and to mobilize the struggle.
He travelled to Hijaz to obtain support from Turkey. He obtained signature from the governor of Turkey, Ghalib Pasha to declare war against British. He returned back to India and this plan was called as Silk Letter Conspiracy. He was arrested in Mecca by the Punjab CID and was imprisoned in Malta. He was released after three years in 1920.
He got a prominent place in the Indian independence movement. He revolted against Rowlatt Acts. He founded Jamia Milia Islamia University along with other Indian nationalists like Hakim Ajmal Khan and Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari. He wrote a translation of Quran. He died on 30th November 1920.
Published: N/A
Updated: January 06, 2012
