Prologue

The history of Indian Muslims started from the conquest of Makran¹ in 680 AD in Baluchistan present day in Pakistan. In 870 AD Afghan’s Kabul Shahi² came under Saffarid Dynasty (a Muslim Persianate dynasty from Sistan³) under the leadership of Yaqub ebn Leys as-Saffar⁴ (“the coppersmith”). Then it was revigorated through the further conquest of Sind⁵ in 1203 by Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji⁶.

In the second Battle of Tarain⁷ in 1202 AD Muhammad Ghori⁸ of Ghorid Dynasty⁹ of Afghanistan defeated Prithviraj Chauhan¹⁰ conquered Delhi¹¹. Muhammad Ghori kept Qutb-ud-din Aibak¹² as his representative and returned to Ghazni¹³. Muhammad Ghori died there in 1206 AD. After the death of his master in 1206 AD Qutb-ud-din Aibak declared independence and founded the Mamluk Dynasty¹⁴ which was the first among five famous Delhi Sultanates¹⁵. Actual Muslim ruling in India started since then.

After Mamluk Dynasty, there came Khilji Dynasty¹⁶, Tughlaq Dynasty¹⁷, Syyid Dynasty¹⁸ and Lodi Dynasty¹⁹. Delhi Sultanates ended when Babur²⁰, the first of the great Mughals, defeated Ibrahim Lodi²¹ in the first battle of Panipat²² in 1526 AD. The Mughal Empire ended virtually in 1707 AD when its last great Emperor Aurangzeb²³ died.  

The history of India had got its real turn on 21 February 1703 when Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlvi²⁴ was born in Delhi. Both he and his son Al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlvi²⁵ (born in 1745 and died in 1823) were two famous social reformers and Islamic scholars of India.

Though do not consider as a true student of his son, Sayyid Ahmad of Balakot²⁶ or Syed Ahmad Shaheed or Syed Ahmad Barelvi (of Rai Bareilly) (b.1786 d.1831), was the most famous among his students. He deviated himself from the education of both the father and the son and followed the doctrine of Tawhid²⁷ like the Wahhabis²⁸ and his followers were recognized as Ahl-e-Hadith²⁹. They rejected bid'ah (innovation) but unlike Saudi Wahhabis accepted Sufism³⁰ and features of mystical Islam such as the belief in the intercession of the spirits of dead saints for help and the use of amulets³¹. He is thought by some to have anticipated modern Islamists in his waging of jihad³² and attempt to create an Islamic state with strict enforcement of Islamic law.

The most notable of Syed Ahmad Shaheed’s disciples was syed Mir Nisar Ali alias Titumir (b. 27 January 1782 d.19 November 1831). He was born in the village of Chandpur of district North 24 parganas of West Bengal. His father was Syed Mir Hassan Ali and his mother’s name was Abida Ruqayya Khatun. Titumir, was a rebel against the zamindars³³ and British colonial system³⁴ in 19th century Bengal, part of British India. He rebelled against the rich landlords and colonial British rulers and put up an impressive armed resistance. The followers of Titumir, believed to have grown to 15,000 by that time, readied themselves for prolonged armed conflict, and they built a fort of bamboo at Narikelbaria, near the town of Barasat. This was surrounded by a high double curtain wall of bamboo stakes filled in with mud cladding and sun-baked. After the storming of the fort by British soldiers, Titumir died of his wounds on November 19, 1831.

Haji Shariat Ullah (b. 1781 AD d. 1840 AD) started Faraizi movement³⁵ in Faridpur district in 1830 AD. After his death in 1840 his capable son Dudu Mian³⁶ took the control of this movement and he made it more militant in nature. He gave a special height to the movement and the movement spread all over the Bengal. He had the dream of establishing a state within state which remained unfulfilled. He died in 1860 AD.

The Fakir-Sannyasis revolt³⁷ spanned over last three decades of the 18^th century. There are a lot of debates whether this rebellion had any impact on Indian independence or not. But it was apparently true that it put some sign in the minds of those further people who fought for the freedom.

Sir Sayyid Ahmad³⁸ (October 17, 1817-March 27, 1898) and his Aligarh movement³⁹ was the most crucial event in the history of Indian movement. Actually he was the first person who realized that the Muslims will be in need of a different state. The theme of Pakistan truly lied there.

After Sir Sayyid the most renowned think tank was Sir Muhammad Iqbal⁴⁰ (November 9, 1877-April 21, 1938). He firmly expressed the concept of a different state for Muslims in his various speeches and activities.

The Simla Deputation⁴¹ in 1906 was one of the most important historical turning points. Here lied the seed of the All-India Muslim League⁴² which further became the sole proprietor of the Pakistan movement⁴³.

The writer of “The spirit of Islam” and “A Brief history of the Saracens”, Sir Syeed Ameer Ali⁴⁴, was one of the greatest spokesperson of the interest of the Muslims in India. Before sidelined by the political turmoil of 1920’s he was always active in his activities.

The rise of such an honest man like M. A. Jinnah⁴⁵ was the greatest blessed for Indian Muslims by the Allah. He was not a great pleader but a great mover. He was the first person who was able to create the world’s first nation-state Pakistan.

The Lahore Resolution⁴⁶ was the historic event where the states for Muslims was declared openly by Sher-e-Bengal A. K. M. Fazlul Huq⁴⁷, the then Premier of Bengal. From that the path of Muslims of sub-continent divided forever.

After many a naked machinations done by the then Indo-British gianists⁴⁸ M. A. Jinnah was awarded a moth eaten Pakistan⁴⁹ finally.