1. Name: Ulema’s Role in India’s Freedom Movements
2. Author: Syed Ubaidur Rahman
3. Genre: Non Fiction/History
4. Book Post No. : 64
5. What is it about? : In todays rampant anti Muslim sentiment running in the country, the contribution of Muslims in the freedom struggle is conveniently forgotten. The word ‘Ulema’ has been given such a negative connotation by constant propaganda that the general public has no idea what exactly it means but only that its Muslim and bad. This book is a much needed English language work that details the contributions of Ulema i.e. Muslim Scholars during years before the first war of Independence of 1857, during it and later. It mentions eminent personalities like Shah Abdul Aziz, Shaikhul Hind, Ubaidullah Sindhi and others. It also details movements like the Faraizi movement and the Silk Letter movement.
6. How I came to read it? : On my recent visit to India, I found out about a recent book published by the author of one of the books (Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India) I reviewed last year. While ordering that I also ordered this book by the same author. In todays polarized outlook towards Muslims of India, I wanted to equip myself with knowledge of the contributions of Indian Muslims to India.
7. Did I like it? : This was a moderately good book. Its subject matter is extremely important but the writing could have been better.
It starts off with an introduction about the meaning of the word ‘Ulema’, which is the plural of the Arabic word, alim, which means scholar. So Ulema means nothing but Muslim scholars. Ulema’s Role in India’s Freedom Movements can be divided into broadly three phases. First is the pre first war of Independence phase (pre 1857), then the first war of Independence itself and after the first war of Independence. In the first phase, the author traces the fall of the Mughal empire with the rise of the British and how the ruling class which was predominantly Muslim at that time was hounded, intentionally marginalized and forced into destitution, all part of a plan. In this power vacuum many tried to fight back against the British and a good chunk of them were Muslims. These days we rarely hear of the contribution of Muslims to India’s freedom movement but throughout 200 years of British rule Muslims were at the forefront of the struggle to get Independence. In fact many Maulvis issued fatwas to encourage the Muslim population to fight back.
The second phase traces the events leading to the 1857 mutiny and the repercussions that happened after the revolt failed and was put down brutally. Again, Muslims suffered a big chunk of the brutality of the British reaction as they were leading the revolt in many areas. Third phase details the Faraizi movement and the Silk Letter movement. Faraizi movement, which was originally a religious reform movement as well as a movement against the oppression of the landlords, also played a part in resisting the British. It was mostly active in Bengal where it was launched by Haji Shariatullah. About the Silk Letter Movement, the author says,
Silk Letter Movement or Reshmi Rumal Tehrik, as it is commonly know, was an effort by the Muslim clergy in Deoband, under the leadership of Maulana Mahmud Hasan to overthrow the British Raj from India. It was the most well-planned uprising following the 1857 Mutiny. Had it not been exposed by massive British Intelligence network in Punjab when everything was ready, it would have completely changed the course of history, at least in South Asia.
The movement was so called because secret communications about the details of the plot were inscribed on silk cloth. One such cache of letters was intercepted by the British which is what led to its eventual unravelling. When the leaders of the revolt including Mahmud Hasan (also known as Shaikh al- Hind were caught, they were sent to a prison in Malta. We all have heard about the dreaded Cellular Jail in Andaman. The conditions in this jail in Malta at Fort Verdala were quite severe as well. The book ends with ta description of the later stages of Shaikhul Hind’s life.
One of the best things about the book is the heavy use of Urdu sources for the material. This book bridges the gap between English readers and Urdu content on the freedom movements.
8. Positives:Â
- Supremely important subject matter, given todays antimuslim narrative running in the country.
- Uses many Urdu sources.
- Brief, to the point and covers many important figures.
- Gripping in certain sections.
- Much needed book. Needs to be spread far and wide.
9. Negatives:Â
- Lots of typos and jumbled writing.
- Lack of coherence in certain areas.
- Writing could have been improved.
- There are some instances where the succeeding sentence immediately contradicts the preceding sentence which looks quite silly bringing down the overall reading experience.
10. Any other personal notes, observations, fun facts etc.
Some of the names mentioned in the book who played a part in India’s freedom movement: