Referring to his educational performance, Amin Ahsan says that he was the youngest of the classmates, but despite this, he would garner more attention from the teachers than all the other students. His success created feelings of jealousy and envy among some older students. Naturally, these students would search for flaws and weaknesses in Amin Islahi. They would approach teachers who were more convinced of Amin Ahsan’s intelligence and skills to spread negative opinions. According to Maulana Amin Ahsan: “They kept conspiring and backbiting me in front of the teachers.”
One such effort was to spread the word that Amin Ahsan was weak in grammar and syntax. There was some truth to it as his grasp of grammar rules was not as strong compared to the older students. One reason behind this, according to Islahi, was that although Imam Farahi’s books had been included in the curriculum, some teachers were unfamiliar with the style of these books.
One reason behind this, as Islahi narrates “was that although Imam Farahi’s books had been included in the curriculum, some teachers were unfamiliar with the style of these books. For some teachers, the style of these books was entirely unfamiliar, and they chose not to engage with them. Consequently, I lost two years. I couldn’t comprehend what those maulvis taught me. The older students were ahead of me in such matters, but when it came to reading Arabic texts, I always led the way.”
His classmates may not have been fully aware that Amin Ahsan had overcome this weakness, and under the guidance of his favorite teacher, Maulana Abdul Rehman Nagarami, he had rid himself of all minor and major weaknesses. (In this regard, we have already explained that through a Persian book, Amin Ahsan had learned and understood all the concepts.)
Amin Ahsan says that the people suffering from jealousy spread the word so efficiently that it reached Imam Farahi. Though Imam Farahi did not teach Islahi anything at the time, he still kept a keen eye on him.
It needs to be remembered that Maulana Farahi did not teach students in lower grades. His job was limited to educating and training the teachers only. However, Amin Ahsan was not a stranger to him from the first day. He knew him from the day his father rode an elephant to meet him at Madrasah-ul- Islah and introduced his son to Maulana Farahi.
He must have asked Maulana to take special care of his son. It is because Amin Ahsan belonged to a well-known and wealthy feudal family of the area. At that time, riding an elephant to a particular place was akin to driving an expensive car in today’s time.
The information about a brilliant student like Amin Ahsan struggling with learning basic grammar and syntax must have been a matter of concern for him. What happened after that indicates that Amin Ahsan was not aware that news about his weakness in grammar had reached Imam Farahi, the president, and the most learned teacher of the Madrasah and the center of everyone’s attention. He was also unaware that Imam Farahi would test his skills mercilessly. In fact, Imam Farahi did not want any student of his Madrasah to be technically weak. Amīn Ahsan Islahi was also a special student. For this reason, Farahi had decided to investigate the news.
Amin Ahsan’s Test
Maulana Amin Ahsan did not mention the time of this incident, but indications reveal that it must have happened when he was in fifth or sixth grade. It was when Imam Farahi used to teach the Qur’an to all the teachers and students of the Madrasah. That’s why his lecture was very important for everyone. In this lecture, Imam Farahi taught the Qur’an as if it was his specialized field of research. For this reason, the number of attendees must have been quite high.
Recalling the event, Amin Ahsan says that as soon as the lecture started, he entered the hall and sat down. Before starting the lecture formally, Maulana turned to him and said: “Amin, what form is the word ? Obviously, this was an unexpected situation for Amin Ahsan. So, at first, he didn’t take it seriously. Describing his impression, he says: “I thought he had said ِ instead of ال, perhaps as a joke. When I paid more attention, I learned that he was saying ِ . After a little deliberation, I concluded within minutes that it was the central letter of the word waliya (ََو ِل). The letter l was dropped because of the imperative form (amr). Drawing this conclusion, I said: “This is the imperative form of the word (Ṣīghah-e-amr). But Imam Farahi was prepared to test Amin Ahsan’s ability that day. He asked immediately, on what standard form (wazn)? I said, “On the standard form (wazn) of ِ .
Amin Ahsan meant that it was similar to the letter in the word waqinā َو ِقنا (in the Quranic words waqinā ‘adhāba al-nār). The test continued, and the Imam asked the next question: “What does it mean? Amin Ahsan told the well-known and conventional meaning of the word, saying that it means “to be a guardian”. The teacher asked: “Can this meaning also apply? ” He asked about the second meaning i.e., “to help”. Amin Ahsan said: “Yes, it is also applicable.” Then Imam turned to the audience and said in a slightly flat tone: “Who says you don’t know the grammar?”
Maulana says he thought about naming people but then checked himself, believing that he had already won the battle. Maulana talked about this event on multiple occasions but never named any of his classmates even when asked. It shows the impeccability of his education and moral conduct. It also indicates that the success in the test carried great significance for him.
Students of the Arabic language should imagine if they were asked this question suddenly about a verb that has two letters illah. Would they be able to answer all the questions that Amin Ahsan answered successfully and confidently? The success in the test was a great achievement for a young student, Amin Ahsan. Maulana says that after that, no one dared to tease him about his weakness in grammar.
Story of Arabic Poetry
Amin Ahsan’s rivals also conveyed the news to Maulana Farahi that Amin Ahsan made strange comments about Arabic poetry, saying that poetry is nothing more than nonsense. It is difficult to determine whether the poet is praising a girl or a she-camel. Maulana says that the reason behind this complaint was that Maulana had taught the first poem of Sab‘ al-Mu‘allaqāt, and Amīn Ahsan Islahi had made comments on the poetry.
It should be remembered that the Sab‘ al-Mu‘allaqāt are the poetic works of seven great poets of the Arabic language. During the age of paganism, poets would recite their poetry at various festivals and public events. To honor the best poet, his work would be placed on the walls of the Ka‘bah. The collection called Sab‘ al-Mu‘allaqāt is the work of the seven classical poets whose poems were hung on the walls of the Kaaba. It is usually included in the curriculum to enhance proficiency in the classical Arabic language. This collection is also part of the curriculum of Madrasah al-Islah. Its first poem is that of the famous pagan Amr al-Qays. The first verse of the poem is:
Amin Ahsan had commented on the verse because of the literal meaning of the verse. When this matter reached Imam Farahi, he said that Amin Ahsan was not taught poetry at all. When he met Amin Ahsan, he affectionately called him and asked, “What have you said about Arabic poetry?” Amin Ahsan repeated the same thing. Farahi asked him to read a verse. He recited the first verse and translated it as above. Imam Farahi said: “No, translate it this way: stop my friends, stop. Let us shed some tears in the memory of my beloved and her house. Maulana says that he did not even allow his teacher to complete the poem and cried out: “No doubt, it has become a poetic verse. Now it’s pure poetry. After that, he never complained about the poetry; instead, he developed a liking for Arabic poetry more than the poetry of Urdu and Persian languages.
Born scholars of Urdu
Regarding Urdu, he said that although he got admission in the Urdu medium of education and some Urdu books were also included in the curriculum, the teachers had decreed that Amin Ahsan did not need to read Urdu as he was already an expert in it. Maulana also explains one of the reasons for his rapid academic growth and better learning ability after the completion of early grades in the following words: “I learned after I became mature. When a person grows up, he learns much faster, more attentively, and deeply. Thus, he makes a big jump spanning over the years of learning. I also made this jump.”
For this reason, Maulana was against admitting children to Madrasahs at a very young age. He believed that it is not the right strategy to send a child to the Madrasah for regular education until he gains enough maturity and consciousness.
O my beloved friends, stop here for a while so that we can cherish the memory of my beloved’s house which is located on the sand dunes of dukhūl and Hawmil.
ِق َفا َن ْب ِك ِم ْن ِذ ْك َرى َح ِبي ٍب و َم ْن ِز ِل ِب ِس ْق ِط ال ِّل َوى َب ْي َن ال َّد ُخو ِل َف َح ْو
We fear from our Lord a horribly distressful Day.
Strict Persian Teacher
Amin Ahsan was exempted from Urdu lessons. Maulana says: “The teacher called me a born scholar of Urdu.” But Amin Ahsan had to study Persian. The story of his learning Persian is also quite fascinating. Here is how he described his story: “One-hour period was allocated for Persian. It benefited me. The Persian teacher was a frowning and distressful man. Everyone feared him. But anyway, I learned Persian from him. May Allah forgive them. He also taught calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. But I could not learn these things. I do not know these things even today. These things do not suit my nature. Apart from this, he also taught us calligraphy and art. In those activities too, we easily tricked him. We never even wrote a page for him, never. But we studied Persian from him and learned it very well.”
In fact, what Maulana meant to say was that his Persian teacher was very strict. He referred to verse 10 of Sura al-Dhar (76) of the Qur’an for his harsh attitude. The verse and its translation are as follows:
It is said that no student escaped corporal punishment from him, but Amin Ahsan was the only student who successfully avoided physical beating. He was not only safe from punishment but also clever enough to trick him by not learning anything other than Persian.
He did not mention how he tricked his teacher. I think he must have been exempted from these lessons too like Urdu because Maulana’s handwriting was very good. However, Maulana has said that an hour was allocated for these lessons. How he spent this time in front of such a strict teacher is certainly an interesting secret.
Amin Ahsan’s First Speech
إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوْمًا عَبُوسًۭا قَمْطَرِيرًۭا
Amin Ahsan’s first public speech is an important event in his academic career. He gave this speech at the first annual meeting of Madrasah al-Islah. At that time, he was a sixth-year student. The event was organized to distribute certificates to the first batch of students who had completed an eight-year-long educational course. Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar was given a special invitation to preside over the meeting. Maulana mentioned this event in the July 1964 issue of the monthly Mīsāq. In it, Maulana wrote an article titled “Maulana Muhammad Ali Madrasah al-Islah Mein.” After mentioning Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Imam Hamiduddin Farahi, and Maulana Muhammad Qasim, he writes:
“Although it is not appropriate to describe oneself amidst the mention of elders, for those whose total life comprises only a few small and big relations they have developed with the elders, if they do not describe themselves in connection with those associations, where will they get a chance to express their feelings about such achievements? For this reason, allow me to mention that in this meeting, I got the first opportunity to introduce myself to the public.
The management assigned me the responsibility to discuss and describe the educational and training activities arranged by the Madrasah for students. Hence, I had to deliver the speech and interact with the public audience for the first time. I had personally prepared the speech. Though it was my first speech at a public event, it was a very successful attempt considering my age and education. Maulana Muhammad Ali (RA) and other scholars sitting on the stage praised me. Even Maulana Farahi (MAY Allah be pleased with him) gave me a signed copy of his commentary on the Quran as a reward. After that, I started receiving invitations from far and wide to attend public events, and I attended some of those events. However, I did not allow myself to develop this habit because my teacher Maulana Farahi (may Allah be pleased with him) strongly disliked making too many speeches. Once he even told me that making too many speeches blackens the heart. Surely, I was not going to feel attracted to something my teacher disliked so much (46).”
Why Maulana gave so much importance to this incident is evident from the following details he shared orally: Maulana (Farahi) specifically commented on my first speech. When people stood up to leave the event and discussed their views, Maulana (Farahi) said that this student’s speech was also very good. He did not mention the speeches of Maulana Muhammad Ali, Syed Suleman Nadvi, and Maulana Abdul Rehman Nagarami, who were established orators of the time, but he liked my speech. Maulana Nagarami suggested that the student must get something to relish the memory of this event. Maulana asked what could be the best choice. He thought for a while and then gave a set of his books containing commentary on the Quran in the Arabic language. Before handing over the gift, he wrote my name on the books and signed them.
As Maulana has written in his article, he did not make many speeches following the advice of his teachers. However, Imam Farahi still believed that Amin Ahsan Islahi delivered too many speeches. Therefore, on an important occasion, while praising Amin Ahsan’s speech, he also said:
“Yes, he has become the great Abul Kalām Azād.” Javed Ahmed Ghamidi explains how Amīn Ahsan Islahi took this statement of his beloved teacher in the following words of Amīn Ahsan Islahi: He used the word ‘Azad’ in such a way that his praise looked more like a criticism. That was my teacher’s way of training. (Ishraq January/February 1998, 15).
It would be appropriate to identify the topics Amin Ahsan chose to discuss in his speeches.
Maulana did not say anything about the topic, but it is certain that he made these speeches during the Khilafah Movement (1919-1922). The Khilafah Movement was the most popular movement in the subcontinent and the largest movement in Hindu- Muslim unity. It started when the Allied forces of Germany were defeated by the British alliance in World War I (1914-1918). Germany’s most powerful and major ally was Turkiye, known as the Ottoman Empire (1517-1924). It comprised territories of three continents and still included much of Southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. According to the current international geographic map, about 47 countries were under the Ottoman Empire. It was a symbol of political strength for Muslims.
That is, it was considered a continuation of the caliphate starting from Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA). Hence, all Muslims felt a sense of religious affiliation with it. When Turkiye was defeated in this war, the Muslims of the subcontinent got worried about the imminent abolition of the Caliphate and the future of the Arabs, especially Makkah and Medina.
Therefore, the Muslims of the subcontinent started this movement to save the institution of Khilafah and to protect the Hejaz. Since India was ruled by the British government, the Indian Muslims demanded from the government to make their allies refrain from abolishing the Khilafah and capturing Hejaz. At that time, the entire Muslim community and their leadership supported the movement. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Shaikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmoodul Hassan, Mufti Kifayatullah, Maulana Sanaullah Amritsari, Maulana Ahmed Hussain Madani, Maulana Muhammad Sajjad Bihari, Maulana Abdul Bari Firangi Mahali, Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, Maulana Salamatullah Firangi Mahali, Maulana Abdul Majid Badayuni, Maulana Syed Muhammad Nasir Ilhabadi, Maulana Syed Dawood Ghaznavi, Maulana Azad Subhani, Maulana Abdul Rehman Ludhianvi, Dr. Mukhtar Ansari, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Maulana Muhammad Ali, Maulana Muhammad Ali Ali Khan, etc., participated in the movement. It means that except for a few names of religious and political leadership (such as The Founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah), all Muslims were united on a single platform through this movement. Not only Muslims, but all Hindu and Sikh leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, also enthusiastically supported the movement. There came a time when Mahatma Gandhi led this movement after the arrest of prominent Muslim leaders. The movement ended in 1922 when the Turks themselves abolished the Khilafah under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Pasha. After multiple casualties in the Chauri Chaura incident in India, Gandhi also formally announced the end of the movement.
It is also a known fact that all the elders of Dabistan Shibli were strong supporters of the Khilafah Movement. This is also confirmed by the arrival of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar in the meeting in which Amin Ahsan gave the first speech. It indicates that Amin Ahsan must have frequently preferred to speak on the Khilafah movement. Therefore, we can say without hesitation that these speeches of Amin Ahsan must be in support of the Turkish people and the Khilafah.
The Environment of Madrasah al-Islah
After discussing the educational environment, it is also important to present a picture of the overall ambiance of the Madrasah al-Islah. It will help describe the general atmosphere of the Madrasah and its impact on the social training and development of Islahi.
Remember that Madrasah al-Islah was a residential educational institution. The Madrasah had a specific dress code, and everyone had the same kind of food and drink. The teachers also stayed in the hostel annexed with the Madrasah. As for food and drink, it was like that of a common man of that time. Dr. Sharaf-ud-Din Islahi, a graduate of the Madrasah al-Islah and the biographer of Imam Farahi, writes: “The simplicity of the food served to students can be observed from the fact that for the first 30-40 years, the average cost of food per person was Rs. 3-4 rupees per month. In 1979, the cost of food was 60 rupees per person per month. The standard and quality of food always remained the same. According to Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi, lentils and bread are the food of the poor. That is the food every student got in the Madrasah. The only difference is that students got meat to eat twice every week to change their taste. On the other days, they had to eat with mashed vegetables called chatni.”
The two went to the Madrasah together and wrote their opinions on the same date. Talking about student’s dressing habits, the observer writes: “The students wear a woolen cap on their heads, slippers on their feet nowadays. Previously they wore khatpatti when I visited the Madrasah. Khatpatti is no more in use. Khatpatti, made of a mixture of wood and hay was a cheap replacement for today’s plastic slippers. It was different from kharawas (a type of shoe). When Nasrullah Khan Aziz went to the Madrasah, he was surprised to see hundreds of khatpattis outside the mosque at the time of the prayer. He wondered how the boys recognized their khatpattis in the darkness of the night. Perhaps shared his surprise with someone who explained the situation. In response, Khan jokingly asked if the students had their rationale in their feet? On this, Maulana Islahi said: No, but they also have rationale in their feet (Zikr Farahi 403-404).”
Students in Madrasahs usually spread their bed on the ground to sleep. In the era of Madrasah al-Islah, there was hardly any religious seminary where students got the facility to sleep on cots. However, Madrasah al-Islah had arranged cots for both teachers and students. Although Allama Shibli Nomani preferred for students to sleep on the ground, Dr. Sharaf-ud-Din Islahi states that in Madrasah al-Islah, students used to sleep on cots instead of on the ground (Zikr Farahi 404).
I met Dr. Sharafud din Islahi (1934-2011) when he came to Lahore to meet Maulana Islahi. I remember he wore very simple clothes. It was clear that the simplicity learned in Madrasah al-Islah had become a part of his personality. I had seen the same level of simplicity in the nature and conduct of Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi. After completing the discussion on the living conditions of Maulana, we will spare a separate chapter for this topic.
(to be continued)
“Pajamas with a shirt or kurta are all-weather attire. They live in houses made of shacks, clean their rooms themselves, wash clothes with their own hands, and iron their clothes with their own hands. Nasrullah Khan Aziz, a renowned journalist and writer, once visited the Madrasah and complained about the lack of cleanliness among the students. I was surprised to read his criticism. Cleanliness with simplicity is a special feature of the students of the Madrasah.
Nasrullah Khan Aziz had visited the Madrasah when I was a student there. I am a witness and a participant of that visit. He might have not considered the fact that the students came from villages of backward districts and were studying in a religious Madrasah…”
Nasrullah Khan Aziz’s opinion is refuted by his companion Maulana Masood Alam Nadvi, who has mentioned cleanliness as a unique feature of the students of Madrasah al-Islah. I quote his words here:
We used to hear about simplicity and cleanliness of Madrasah.
We found it the way we heard.