Maulana Abul Kalam Azad - UPSC Notes

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, popularly known as Maulana Azad was the first Education minister of Independent India. A senior leader of the Indian National Congress and an important figure of the Nationalist movement, he was also a renowned scholar and debater, well versed in English, Hindi, Arabic, Persian, etc. He was at the forefront of the Khilafat movement, and  adopted the pen name ‘Azad’, meaning ‘freedom’, to keep himself away from narrow religious views.

He was instrumental in shaping the substratum of the educational sector in India. He championed the free educational rights of children up to the age of 14. He also pioneered  setting up of the University Grants Commission, the higher education board in India. His notable contributions are commemorated by celebrating November 11, his birth anniversary, as National Education Day.

This is an important topic for aspirants preparing for UPSC IAS Exam to learn about the Indian Independence movement.

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Early Life of Maulana Azad

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was born on November 11,1888 in Mecca. He belonged to the lineage of learned Muslim scholars. His initial name was Sayyid Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al Hussaini, which was later changed to Maulana Azad.

His father, Maulana Khairuddin was a Muslim scholar of Aghan origin, and his mother was an Arab. His family left for Mecca during the time of the Revolt of 1857 and returned in 1880. They settled in Calcutta in 1880.

Maulana Azad had to pursue orthodox Islamic education since childhood due to his conservative background. He learned Arabic and Persian as the primary languages along with Bengali, Hindustani, Persian, and English. He was also taught philosophy, geometry, mathematics, and algebra. He was trained in Mahazibs and home-schooled as well.

An avid learner and resolute student, he completed the traditional course of study much earlier than his contemporaries. He compiled multiple treatises and reinterpreted Quran, Hadiths, and other Islamic principles.

Thoughts and Influences

He renounced Taqliq or the Tradition of Conformity and accepted the principle of Tajdid or Innovation. He was also impressed by the Pan-Islamic doctrines of Jamaluddin Afghani and the Aligarh thought of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.

He visited countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, and viewed the revolutionary activities that were taking place for different causes. The spirit and ideals of these movements he had witnessed transfigured him into a national revolutionary.

After coming back to India, he met two prominent revolutionaries of Bengal, Aurobindo Ghosh, and Sri Shyam Sundar Chakravarty, and sided with them in the revolutionary movement against British rule in India. He vehemently opposed the Partition of Bengal in 1905.

Once he realized that the revolutionary activities were restricted to Bengal and Bihar, he took the initiative to spread it across the country. Within two years he expanded the centres for revolutionary activities over North India and Bombay.

One of the biggest impediments was that most of the revolutionaries believed that the British were using the Muslim community against the aspirations of the Indian Independence movement. Maulana Azad tried to convince his co-workers to remove their hostility against Muslims.

Journalistic Career

Maulana Azad began his journalistic writings at a very young age. He started publishing his poetic journal Nairang-e-Aalam at the age of 11. He was also the editor of a weekly Al-Misbah in 1900. He also wrote a number of articles for Urdu journals and magazines.

After publishing a monthly journal named Lissan-us-Sidq in 1903, he joined the Islamic theological journal Al Nadwa. He was also associated with a newspaper named Vakil, from Amritsar as the Editor.

In 1912, he started the newspaper Al-Hilal with the twin objectives of recruiting Muslims for revolutionary activities and fostering communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims, which was impaired after the Minto-Morley reforms of 1909. The Government accused Al-Hilal for propagating secessionist views and banned the publication of the same according to the Press Act.

Maulana Azad started another newspaper named Al-Balagh with the same intentions for propagating revolutionary ideas, fostering Hindu-Muslim unity, and propagating Indian Nationalism. The government again banned Al Balagh and expelled him from Calcutta. He was arrested according to the Defence of India Regulations Act and sent to a jail in Ranchi. He was later released in 1920 after the First World War.

Maulana Azad was a savage critic of the policies of the British government as well as Muslim politicians. He was vocal about the racial discrimination and indifference of the British to the public needs of Indian population and criticized the Muslim leaders for placing their religious motives above the common interest of the nation. For him,communal seperatism advocated by All India Muslim was beyond acceptance.

Role in Khilafat Movement and Non Cooperation Movement

After being released from Ranchi, he became a part of the Khilafat Movement, aimed to reinstate Khalifa as the head of British captured Turkey. The position of Sultan was challenged post he sided against the British in first World War. Orthdox Muslims were irritated by this move against Khalifa and Maulana Azad saw this opportunity as the right one to achieve social and political reformation through the struggle.

He was also one among the founding members of an association of Muslim religious leaders, Anjuman-i-Ulama-i-Bangala in Bengal Presidency. His initiatives through the organisation improved the Hindu-Muslim relations in Bengal, blemished by the Partition of Benga in 1905 and demand for seperate Communal electorate.

Mahatma Gandhi also extended his support to Khilafat movement to bridge the Hindu-Muslim divide created by the heinous acts of the British in India.

Maulana Azad entered into the Indian National Congress in 1920 following his participation in the Non Cooperation Movement by Mahatma Gandhi. Maulana Azad, along with the Ali brothers sided with Gandhiji for the public ban of British goods, schools, colleges,etc.

Azad was arrested in 1930 for taking part in Salt Satyagraha and breaking of the Salt Laws. He was incarcerated in Meerut jail of one and a half years following the arrest.

During this period, he became a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals of non-violence.He was drawn to Prophet Muhammad’s ideas of simple living, without material possessions.However, he strongly criticized the prevailing anti-congress sentiments among the Muslim intellectuals from Muslim League. Azad was close to fellow nationalists like Jawaharlal Nehru,Subhash Chandra Bose,and Chittaranajan Das.

In 1923, he was elected the President of a special session of Congress in Delhi. He thus became the youngest person to be elected the President of Congress. Maulan Azad was also elected the President of the All India Khilafat Committee. He organised the Flag Satyagraha in Nagpur and also served as the President of Unity Conference in Delhi.

During 1922, there were splits between the Indian National Congress and Khilafat leaders including the Ali brothers.They were highly critical of Gandhi and Congress. Azad’s close acquaintance,Chittaranjan Das split from Congress and formed Swaraj Party. However, Azad tried to reinvigorate Swarajists and Khilafat leaders under the umbrella of Congress. He also strived to promote Mahatma Gandhi’s vision, promote education and social reforms.

Role in Quit-India Movement

Maulana Azad played the role of an intermediary between the Congress faction led by Subhash Chandra Bose, who accused Gandhi of weak leadership. He also received criticism from political and religious leaders of Muslim community for overtly supporting Mahatma Gandhi and Congress. In Lahore session of the Congress in 1940, the Muslim League demanded seperate Muslim state.

Maulana Azad was again elected the President of Congress in the Ramgarh session in 1940. Azad forthrightly opposed the divisive Two-Nation theory, propounded by Jinnah and Muslim League. He stimulated Muslim population to stay united with the Hindu counterparts as a single, unified nation.

Maulana Azad, after negotiations with Congress leaders and Mahatma Gandhi joined the Quit India Movement. As the Congress President his involvement and activities were praiseworthy.He was at the forefront of organising rallies, delivering speeches,and planning the rebellion.

Contributions after Independence

Maulana Azad organised relief works, ensured security and safety of Muslims in India, post the Partition.He organised refugee camps,distributed essentials, and delivered speeches to ensure peace in border areas. He also asked the Muslims in India not to panic as their safety is guaranteed within the borders of India.

Maulana Azad was aching to ensure the rehabilitation of Muslims in India as well as ensure the religious freedom and equality of all Indians. He had clashes with Sardar Vallabhai Patel over the reservation of houses of Muslims departed to Pakistan for Muslims in India.There were also disagreements on the security issues in Punjab and Delhi.

Being a close confidante of Jawaharlal Nehru, he played a crucial role in framing national policies. He undertook national level programmes for school and college construction, and facilitate universal primary education in India. He supported the socialist policies of Nehru in economic and sectors,and bolstered the social and economic development of women and underprivileged sections of society.He was elected to Lok Sabha in 1952, and also served as the President of UNESCO General Conference in New Delhi.

Minister of Education

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad served as the first education minister of the country from 1948 to 1958. With a strong  conviction and sturdy framework, he implemented a number of reforms in the education system of India.

He emphasized on the importance of education for the impoverished sections of society, particularly rural population and girls.He initiated multiple reforms as the Chairman of the Central Advisory Board of Education. The prime areas of thrust were adult literacy, universal primary education, education of girls, free and compulsory education upto 14, and providing secondary education and vocational training.

Under his leadership, the Ministry of Education established the first Indian Institute of Technology in 1951 and the University Grants Commission in 1953. He also laid emphasis on the development of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Faculty of Technology of the Delhi University. He foresaw a great future in the IITs for India.

Later Years and Legacy

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad passed away on February 22, 1958. For his contributions in the field of education in India, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1992. Numerous institutions across India have also been named in his honour.

Some of them are the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology in Bhopal, the Maulana Azad National Urdu University in Hyderabad, Maulana Azad Centre for Elementary and Social Education (MACESE Delhi University) are some of the examples.

His birthday – November 11 – is celebrated as National Education Day.

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