Founder of the Khaksar Movement
August 25, 1888 - August 27, 1963
“Inayatullah Khan, famously known as Allama Mashriqi (Scholar of the East), was born in Amritsar, India into a Punjabi Rajput family on August 25, 1888. He died in Lahore, Pakistan on August 27, 1963. Mashriqi was born with a gifted mind. He obtained his early education at home. His parents nurtured him by providing him with real values and a strong personality and character. When he took the entry test for public school, the headmaster was extremely impressed by his performance. Mashriqi continued to perform exceptionally well during his school years, obtaining a scholarship and distinction in his class. Thus, from the time of his childhood, there were signs that he would someday become a great scholar and tremendous leader. Mashriqi proved these signs to be true.
After tremendous performances at F.C. College and Punjab University, Mashriqi left for England to study at Cambridge [Christ's College]. There, he attained remarkable academic accomplishments. While most students complete one degree in four years, Mashriqi completed four degrees in five years, with distinction!
During his time at Cambridge, Mashriqi realized that the Indians were living in poverty and being ruled by foreigners. He came to the conclusion that this was because of the degeneration of their character and values. He knew that something needed to be done to eradicate the problem.
After completing his education in 1912, Mashriqi spent a few months in Europe. At this time, he was offered the position of the Premier of Alver (Alwar) in India (along with a very high salary and fringe benefits) by the Maharaja of Alver, but Mashriqi politely declined the offer. Mashriqi was extremely disturbed by the condition of the Muslims in India. At times, he even had sleepless nights as a result of his concern. This concern for the Muslims appears to have been inspired by his father. He instead wanted to join the education department in India; Mashriqi felt that through the education department, he could build the character of the youth, and inculcate in them the true values and teachings of his religion. This would hopefully strengthen the nation and ultimately allow the Muslims to rule themselves. So, Mashriqi returned to India in January of 1913 and in April of the same year, he became the Vice Principal of Islamia College in Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), India (now part of Pakistan); he became the Principal on April 1, 1917 and remained there until September 14, 1917 (KM 1963 Oct. 15; KM 1963 Oct. 16).
In 1917, Mashriqi was appointed as the Under Secretary of Education in India. He hoped that this position would allow him to continue to reform the educational system. On October 15, 1919, he was made a member of the Indian Education Service (IES) and was sent back to Peshawar, where he served as the Principal of a Government high school. There, he also served as Principal of a Training College and Director of Education for a brief period of time. In 1920, the British offered Mashriqi Ambassadorship to Afghanistan and Knighthood (Title of “Sir”) in 1921, but he refused both.
In 1920, Mashriqi began his monumental work, Tazkirah (a commentary of the Holy Quran), which he completed in 1924. He wrote the book because he didn’t agree with the teachings of the Mullahs (religious clergymen), who he felt were unable to interpret the true meaning of Islam due to their poor education and knowledge.
In 1923, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London (Mashriqi [1931] 1997, 6). A few years later (in 1926), Mashriqi led a delegation to Egypt, where he made his famous speech, Khitab-e-Misr. All along, Mashriqi had remained in government service. The British resented his efforts for the Muslim cause. Mashriqi himself had also discovered that it was difficult to change the prevailing policies and bring reform under British rule. He realized that it was necessary for him to leave the service and start his own movement in order to change the destiny of the Muslims and acquire the freedom of India. He knew that it was going to be an arduous journey, and that to achieve his goals, he would have to make many sacrifices, including foregoing his comfortable lifestyle, handsome salary, and social position. Thus, he resigned from government service in 1930.
Mashriqi abandoned the life of ease and comfort because he felt that a leader of a nation could not live a life of luxury while his people live in poverty. He rejected the Western way of life, which he had pursued previously, and adopted the life of a commoner. He stopped wearing Western-style suits, ties, and bows. He began to live and travel modestly; he ceased spending his money on luxury or comfort, and instead, devoted all his resources towards his goals. He became one with the masses.
In the 1930’s, Mashriqi laid the foundation for his Khaksar Tehrik (Khaksar Movement) to reform society, eliminate poverty, and bring freedom to India, ultimately leading to the revival of the lost glory of the Muslims. He wanted a society where unity, peace, love, and harmony prevailed for everyone, regardless of color, creed, sect, or religion. He believed that this could be achieved through social service, and made social service a requirement for every Khaksar. Syed Shabir Hussain quotes Mashriqi:
' [The] Khaksars are determined to establish, by uprooting all
sectarian feelings and religious bigotry (but keeping religion
in tact), an egalitarian, benovelent and non-partisan order
which would ensure a fair deal to all nations and guarantee
their rightful growth, and which will be based on virtue, struggle,
action and supreme justice' (Hussain 1988, 266).
Based on the benevolent principles of his Khaksar Tehrik, Mashriqi soon emerged as a powerful and consummate leader who revolutionized the Muslims in India. In his efforts to eradicate sectarianism among the Muslims, Mashriqi traveled to Lucknow in 1939 to put a stop to Shia-Sunni riots. Though he was highly successful, he was arrested while attempting to mediate a settlement. Mashriqi was released because of public pressure. However, the Government published a false claim in the newspaper stating that Mashriqi was released because he signed an apology (Mashriqi’s signature was forged) and promised not to return to Lucknow. Upon hearing of this, Mashriqi was angered and he returned to Lucknow, where he was again arrested.
Nevertheless, Mashriqi’s continuing efforts for the Muslims and the ideology of the Khaksar Movement helped the Tehrik to expand by leaps and bounds within a short period of nine years (from 1930-1939). By 1939, the Tehrik was at its peak and had spread to every corner of India. It had emerged as a great threat to the imperialists because there was no other Movement in India that was as organized and had such strong roots in the masses. The British felt threatened by this Movement, and sensed that it was going to cause a revolution. Thus, they attempted to suppress the Tehrik by restricting its activities. Mashriqi went to Delhi to meet the Viceroy Lord Linlithgow in order to remove these restrictions. He also met with Quaid-e-Azam, Dr. Sir Zia ud Din, and other Muslim leaders to discuss the same matter. Mashriqi was convinced that the restrictions were not legitimate because the Khaksars had not done anything wrong or unlawful.
On March 19, 1940, the Khaksars marched through the streets of Lahore in protest of the ban, heading towards Badshahi mosque to offer prayers. The police attempted to stop the Khaksars, but the Khaksars continued marching. The police then open-fired on hundreds of innocent Khaksars, injuring and brutally killing many. On March 19, the day of the massacre, the Khaksar Tehrik was banned and Mashriqi was arrested.
There were large protests against the massacre and Mashriqi’s arrest. On March 21, 1940, Quaid-e-Azam…”
Source: Allama Mashriqi & Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan: Two Legends of Pakistan. page 49-52. Author: Nasim Yousaf.
ISBN:
Hard Cover: 1401090974
Soft Cover: 1401090966
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