MULLA
ABDUL QAYYUM KHAN
Date
of Birth: 1853 and Date of Death: 27th October, 1906
Mulla
Abdul Qayyum Khan was born in Madras in 1853. He was one of the pioneers who awakened the
people to fight against the British and the Nizam knowing pretty well that it
meant facing the ire of the mighty powers.
His parents settled in Hyderabad in his childhood. After learning Persian and Urdu in
Dar-ul-Uloom he completed higher education in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. He joined service in the princely state of
Hyderabad as an employee and soon rose to a higher position. He met Aghoranath Chattopadhyaya, father of
famous poetess Sarojini Naidu, in 1880.
The friendship that developed between them stood as the symbol of
Hindu-Muslim unity and leading to historical events. Abdul Qayyum Khan was interested in public
service from his childhood. He gave
priority to the spreading of education and enlightenment and established
various institutions and organisations for the same. He took active part in “Anti-Chanda Railway
Project Agitation” along with Dr. Aghoranath and with this, Abdul Qayyum Khan
created awareness among the common people to disobey the orders of the Nizam,
if they are not in the welfare of people at large. For this reason, he faced the ire of Nizam
and was banished from Hyderabad state for some times. He created history as the first Muslim leader
from Hyderabad state to join the Indian National Congress in 1885. He wrote essays in a newspaper called ‘Safire-e-Deccan’ to counter the anti
congress campaign led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.
Abdul Qayyum Khan published a pamphlet in 1905 to silence his
critics. He gave a call not only to
Muslims but also to all the people to ignore the orders of Nizam and to join
Indian National Congress. He played a
prominent role in the agitation against the division of Bengal in 1905 and
imparted velocity and vigour to the Swadeshi Movement. For his work of promoting communal harmony,
he won laurels of the people not only as a ‘Prophet of Hindu-Muslim unity’ but
also an ‘Embodiment of Hindu-Muslim unity’.
His egalitarian ideas, patriotic fervour, ideals of universal
brotherhood impressed Sarojini Naidu to describe him as ‘a great Muslim, a
great Indian and a great human being’.
Such a great patriot Mulla Abdul Qayyum Khan breathed his last on 27th October, 1906.
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