Mohammad Habib Biography 
Mohammad Habib was a noted Indian historian and freedom fighter from Gujarat who was a Professor Emeritus at Aligarh Muslim University. He was married to Sohaila, daughter of noted freedom fighter and the Chief Justice of Baroda, Abbas Tyabji who was also known by the name, "Grand Old Man of Gujarat".His son Irfan Habib is an Indian Marxist historian, well known for his stance against Islamic fundamentalism. His brother Mohammad Mujeeb is a former Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia. Hazrat Amir Khusrau of Delhi, The political theory of the Delhi sultanate, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya: hayat aur talimat, Some aspects of the foundation of the Delhi Sultanat and Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznin are a few among his noted research books published.
Habib was born in 1895 as the second son of Mohammad Naseem, a leading advocate of Lucknow. His father wished his sons to get good education. He completed graduation from Allahabad University in 1916, where he was the university topper. For higher studies h went abroad and joined Oxford University. He obtained a degree in History in 1919. It was during his stay abroad he got influenced by nationalist movement in India. He was president of the Indian students’ organisation where he got opportunity to invite Sarojini Naidu and Irish poet Yeats to address the Majlis. A meeting with Sarojini Naidu made a great impact on him. He abandoned the ICS examination. Maulana Mohammad Ali, who paid a visit to England, also made great impressions on him.
Though he decided to do D. Phil degree, he left the research works in the middle to join Non-Cooperation Movement. He returned to India in 1920 and was appointed as a reader of AMU in 1922. He got involved with Indian National Congress and got elected in UP Legislative Council elections in 1926. The following year he married Sohaila Tyabji, the daughter of Abbas Tyabji, one of Gandhiji’s close associates. In the 1940’s he got attracted to Marxist ideologies.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 02, 2014
