Moulana Mazharul Haque

MOULANA MAZHARUL HAQUE

Date of Birth: 22^nd December, 1866 and Date of Death: 2^nd January, 1930

            Moulana Mazharul Haque, who strongly believed in sacrificing personal interests for achieving common interests, was born on 22^nd December, 1866 in Barhampur village of Patna district in Bihar.  He went to England in 1888 to study Law, where he met Mahatma Gandhi.  He started the ‘Anjuman-e-Islamia’ in England, which became the central place for the Indian students there.  He returned to India in 1891 and joined in the Judicial Services, but resigned from his job in 1896 and started practice as an advocate in Chapra.  As Moulana Mazharul Haque was very active in social welfare activities maintained close relations with the people, got elected to several public representative posts.  He was the founder secretary to All India Muslim League which was started in 1906.  He put his efforts to keep it away from communalism.  He migrated to Patna in 1908 and participated actively in the Indian Independence Movement and played a key role in the politics of Bihar for about two decades.  He also played an important role in the Lucknow pact between the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League in 1916.  During the Home Rule Movement, which was started by Annie Besant in 1916, he played a key role as its Bihar unit president.  He responded to the call given by Mahatma Gandhi for the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movement in 1919, joined the movement and worked hard for strengthening friendly relationship between Hindus and Muslims.  Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, he too established an ashram called ‘Sadaqat Ashram’ (Abode of Truth) near Patna and lived a very simple life like Faqir.  During the communal riots in Bihar state in 1917 and 1924, he visited around the state and appealed to the Muslim community to avoid such activities which hurts the religious feelings of the Hindu fraternity.  He was aptly described as the ‘Prophet of Hindu-Muslim Unity’ as he spent all his life to achieve harmony between the two communities.  He declared his retirement from active politics in year 1926.  But the leaders of the Indian National Congress like Abdul Kalam Azad never abandoned him.  Moulana Mazharul Haque, who left an indelible impression with his distinctive style on the Indian politics in general and on Bihar people in particular, breathed his last on 2^nd January, 1930.