Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi

Fazl-e-Haq was born into a family of Indian Muslims. He was born in 1796 or 1797 in Khairabad, Sitapur.^{[a 1][1][2]} His father was sadr-ul-sadur, the chief advisor to the Mughals regarding religious matters. He became a teacher by the age of 13. In 1828, he was appointed to the position of mufti in the Department of Qaza.^[2]

Besides being a scholar of Islamic studies and theology, he was also a literary persona, especially of Urdu, Arabic and Persian literature. More than 4,00 couplets in Arabic are attributed to him. He edited the first diwan of Mirza Ghalib on his request. He followed the Hanafi school of thought and was a theologian of the Maturidi school. He was also a poet.^[3][4]

He had a phenomenal memory and memorized the Qur'an in a little over four months. He has also completed the curriculum in Arabic, Persian and religious studies by the age of thirteen.

On account of his deep knowledge and erudition, he was called "Allama" and later was venerated as a great Sufi. He was also bestowed with the title imam hikmat and kalaam (The imam of logic, philosophy and literature). He was considered by scholars, the final authority on issuing fatwas or religious rulings.^[5]

He possessed a great presence of mind and was very witty. There are many stories about his repartee with Mirza Ghalib and other contemporary eminent poets, writers and intellectuals. He and his son Abdul al-Haq Khairabadi established Madrasa Khairabad in northern India, where many scholars got educated. He wrote Risala-e-Sauratul Hindia in Arabic language and wrote an account of the rebellion called As-Saurat al Hindiya.^[2]

Jihad against British governance

As the Indians started to struggle against British occupation, Khairabadi conducted several private meetings with the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, which continued until May 1857. On June 26, 1857, when General Bakht Khan, along with his army of 14,000, reached Delhi from Bareilly, Khairabadi gave a Friday sermon, attended by a plethora of Muslim scholars and issued a religious edict supporting jihad against the colonial government. The fatwa was signed by Sadruddin Aazurda, Abdul Qadir, Faizullah Dehelvi, Faiz Ahmed Badayuni, Wazir Khan, and Syed Mubarak Shah Rampuri. Through this edict, he inspired people to participate in 1857 rebellion.^[6][7] Subsequently, the Britishers deployed an army of some 90,000 around Delhi to protect its interests and to curb spread of jihad, following the issuance of Khairabadi's edict.^[8][9] Later, he was sent into exile to Kalapani jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.^{[10][11][12][13]}

He was arrested by the British authorities on January 30, 1859, at Khairabad for inciting violence.^[14] He was tried and found guilty of encouraging murder and role in the 'jihad'.^[14] The authorities considered him "extraordinary intelligence and acumen who should be reckoned as the most dangerous threat to the British presence in India, and therefore must be evicted from the Indian main soil. He was accused of being the major force behind the mutiny, persuading masses to rise in revolt against the authority of the Company, campaigning and motivating masses to join the mutiny by calling it war of independence and Issuing Fatwas, inciting violence and making instigating speeches.^[8][9]

He had chosen to be his own counsel and defended himself utilising arguments and a manner in which he defended his case that was so convincing that the presiding magistrate was writing a judgement to exonerate him, when he confessed to giving the fatwa, declaring that he could not lie. He was sentenced to life in prison in Kalapani (Cellular Jail) on Andaman Island, and his property was confiscated by the judicial commissioner of Awadh court. He reached Andaman Island on October 8th, 1859 aboard the steam frigate "Fire Queen". He would remain imprisoned there until his death in 1861. One of the major reason for the outbreak of war was the fear among the people that the Christian British government was going to destroy their religion and convert Indians to Christianity.^[8]

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Khairabad, Sitapur

Khairabad, Sitapur

Khairabad is a town in the Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is 8 km from Sitapur on National Highway 24 in the Awadh region of India, about 80 km from the state capital Lucknow. A Municipal board conducts the affairs of the town.

Mufti

Mufti

A Mufti is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (fatwa) on a point of Islamic law (sharia). The act of issuing fatwas is called iftāʾ. Muftis and their fatwas played an important role throughout Islamic history, taking on new roles in the modern era.

Diwan (poetry)

Diwan (poetry)

In Islamic cultures of the Middle East, North Africa, Sicily and South Asia, a Diwan is a collection of poems by one author, usually excluding his or her long poems (mathnawī).

Allamah

Allamah

Allāmah is an Islamic honorary title for a profound scholar, a polymath, a man of vast reading and erudition, or a great learned one.

Bahadur Shah Zafar

Bahadur Shah Zafar

Bahadur Shah II, usually referred to by his poetic title Bahadur Shah Zafar was born Mirza Abu Zafar Siraj-ud-din Muhammad and was the twentieth and last Mughal Emperor of India as well as an Urdu poet. He was the second son and the successor to his father, Akbar II, who died on 28 September 1837. He was a titular Emperor, as the Mughal Empire existed in name only and his authority was limited only to the walled city of Old Delhi (Shahjahanbad). Following his involvement in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British exiled him to Rangoon in the British-controlled Burma in 1858, after convicting him on several charges.

Jihad

Jihad

Jihad is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God's guidance, such as struggle against one's evil inclinations, proselytizing, or efforts toward the moral betterment of the Muslim community (Ummah), though it is most frequently associated with war. In classical Islamic law (sharia), the term refers to armed struggle against unbelievers, while modernist Islamic scholars generally equate military jihad with defensive warfare. In Sufi circles, spiritual and moral jihad has been traditionally emphasized under the name of greater jihad. The term has gained additional attention in recent decades through its use by various insurgent Islamic extremist, militant Islamist, and terrorist individuals and organizations whose ideology is based on the Islamic notion of jihad.

Fatwa

Fatwa

A fatwā is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Faqih in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a mufti, and the act of issuing fatwas is called iftāʾ. Fatwas have played an important role throughout Islamic history, taking on new forms in the modern era.

Cellular Jail

Cellular Jail

The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī, was a British colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The prison was used by the colonial government of India for the purpose of exiling criminals and political prisoners. Many notable independence activists, including Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Diwan Singh Kalepani, Yogendra Shukla, Batukeshwar Dutt, Shadan Chandra Chatterjee, Sohan Singh, Hare Krishna Konar, Shiv Verma, Allama Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, Sudhanshu Dasgupta were imprisoned here during the struggle for India's independence. Today, the complex serves as a national memorial monument.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about 150 km (93 mi) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea. It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands (partly) and the Nicobar Islands, separated by the 150 km wide Ten Degree Channel, with the Andaman islands to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobar islands to the south. The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west. The island chains are thought to be a submerged extension of the Arakan Mountains.

• al-H̲adiyat al-saʻīdīya
• Alroẓ al-majūd : masʼlah-yi vaḥdat al-vajūd kī buland pāyah tak̲h̲līq
• al-Ḥāshiyah lil-Mawlawī Faḍlḥaq al-Khayrābādī ʻalá Sharḥ al-Sallam lil-Qāḍī Mubārak
• al-S̲aurah al-Hindiyah

He was Farooqui (a descendant of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab). His father was Imam Fazl-e-Iman. One of his sons, Abdul Haque, was also a leading and respected scholar and was given the title of Shamsul Ulema. His grandson was Muztar Khairabadi. Renowned poet and lyricist Jan Nisar Akhtar was his great-grandson and Javed Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar all are his descendants.^[15]

Among his sons, Abdul Haq Khairabadi was a rational scholar and a teacher of Majid Ali Jaunpuri.^[16][1]

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Farooqui

Farooqui

Farooqui ; also transliterated as Farooqi, Faruki or Al Farooqui), is a distinct name or surname or last name of Arabic origin.

Muztar Khairabadi

Muztar Khairabadi

Iftikhar Hussain, known by his pen name Muztar Khairabadi, was an Indian Urdu poet.

Jan Nisar Akhtar

Jan Nisar Akhtar

Jan Nisar Akhtar was an Indian poet of Urdu ghazals and nazms, and a part of the Progressive Writers' Movement, who was also a lyricist for Bollywood.

Javed Akhtar

Javed Akhtar

Javed Akhtar is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civilian honours.

Farhan Akhtar

Farhan Akhtar

Farhan Akhtar is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter, dialogue writer, playback singer, lyricist, producer and television host who works in Hindi films. Born in Mumbai to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he grew up under the influence of the Indian film industry.

Zoya Akhtar

Zoya Akhtar

Zoya Akhtar is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. After completing a diploma in filmmaking from NYU, she assisted directors such as Mira Nair, Tony Gerber and Dev Benegal, before becoming a writer and director herself. Akhtar is the recipient of several accolades, including five Filmfare Awards. Zoya, along with Reema Kagti founded Tiger Baby Films, a film and web studio, in October 2015.

Majid Ali Jaunpuri

Majid Ali Jaunpuri

Majid Ali Jaunpuri was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar and a rationalist thinker. He was mainly known for his work in the subjects of logic and hadith. He was an alumnus of the Darul Uloom Deoband and is reported to have written a marginalia to Sunan Abu Dawud and Jami` at-Tirmidhi.

He stayed for 22 months in captivity at Andaman, Allama wrote a number of eyewitness accounts in the form of verses in Arabic (Qaseeda), apart from a book Alsoorat-ul- Hindia which is a critical analysis of the war and events of 1857. This is also the first ever book on the events of 1857.^[8] Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi died on August 19, 1861, in exile on the Andaman Islands.^[1]