Thread by @syedurahman

Shaikhul Hind Maulana #MahmudHasan was a statesman, a top scholar of Islamic sciences and a popular leader known for his Reshmi Roomal Tehrik. He was behind the Reshmi Roomal conspiracy, a planned uprising against the British Raj in the second decade of the last century.
#Thread

He sent his associates to North West Frontier to fight the British oppression and others to Kabul. He himself went to Hejaz where he held parlays with top officials of Turkish government including its Hejaz military governor and Defence Minister.

When the conspiracy was unearthed he was arrested in Mecca, where British stooge, Sharif Hussain, had revolted with the British support and taken control of the entire Hejaz. Following his arrest, he and his supporters were packed off to Malta, after a sham trial in Egypt.

Due to his stupendous services he was called Shaykhul Hind. Mahmud Hasan was the first student of Darul Uloom, Deoband, world’s renowned institution of Islamic sciences and one of the most distinguished disciples of the founder of this institution, Maulana Mohammad Qasim Nanotvi.

After his graduation from Darul Uloom in 1873, he taught there from 1874 till his appointment as principal in 1890. Unlike other ulema and despite preoccupation with teaching n administrative works he kept him fully informed about political developments in the country and beyond.

In What is a Madrasa Ebrahim Moosa says: “Mahmud Hasan is among the first generation of graduates of the Deoband seminary...His fine cohorts of students later gained renown and made a contribution to public life in fields like religious scholarship, politics, institution building

A scholar-activist, he furthered his anti-colonial campaign by collaborating with Mahatma Gandhi and Congress. Known as the Shaykhul Hind, he organized the Silken Handkerchief Movement, a secret communication network, with help of his students and activists to mobilize Muslims

He was active in the Khilafat Movement, a campaign to support Ottomon caliphate's anti-British stance during World War-1. As a result he was arrested by a pro-British governor while on pilgrimage in Mecca n imprisoned on the island of Malta for three years and released in 1919".

The author of Shaykhul Hind, Hayat aur Karnamey, says: “Shaykhul Hind was an exceptional scholar and a great human being. He was immersed in his work. He was an Islamic scholar who didn’t seem to have much to do with worldly things, and spent his entire life merely teaching

...students and guiding them in matters of faith, and who looked aged and frail, no one could think that he was planning to organize a mass revolt against the British colonial power. He never seemed eager to hog limelight, never revelled in public meetings, never boasted about

...his influence across India and beyond, nor was he a firebrand speaker who could ignite fire with his blistering speeches and raise people against the biggest power on the face of earth. When people came to know about the fact that he was planning the revolt

They thought how such a frail person could even think of such dexterous planning. By the way, very few people could believe that Maulana Mahmud Hasan was up to something of this magnitude. These were the people who knew him well. For others, it was something impossible.

So normal looking person, embarking on such a huge feat was not humane, they argued. Even the most intelligent people couldn’t fathom this news. But this is not very surprising . When the huge police and secret agencies of the British colonial power couldn’t see to it

...or intercept his departure from India towards Hijaz, how common people could be held responsible for being unable to fathom the fact. When an ordinary looking Bengali (Subhash Chandra Bose) could go to another nation, raise an army and can actually fight against British army,

making some gains in the North East India, why a very popular scholar like Shaikhul Hind, Mahmud Hasan, couldn’t manage such a feat.

Rowlatt Committee report detailing Reshmi umal Tehrik says
“The events of Silken letters were discovered in August 1916. This was a plan that had been proposed in India with the idea that disturbance be created on the north-western border on the one hand and, on the other

...bolstering it up with the uprising of the Indian Muslims, the British Government be put to an end. To put this proposal into shape a man named Maulawi Ubaydullah crossed the north-western border in August, 1915/1333, with three of his companions.

Ubaydullah was formerly a Sikh, who had later on become a Muslim. He acquired religious education in Deoband. The greatest personality among those people whom Ubaydullah had influenced were that of Maulana Mahmood Hasan who had been a principal of this institution for a long time

...Ubaydullah wanted to start a universal Islamic movement against the British in India through the graduate Ulema of Deoband. Secret meetings used to be held at Maulana Mahmood Hasan’s house.

Muslims of India defied every pressure and came onto a platform asking Britain t o change her Turkish policy. Khilafat committee was formed under the leadership of Maulana Muhammad Ali, Maulana Azad, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Hasrat Mohani.

...Gandhiji said that he will support the Khilafat Committee and that this was actually "an opportunity of uniting Hindus and Muslims as would not arise in a hundred years”. He called it coming together of Hindus and Muslims and the unity of thought.

..."If I deem the Mohammedan to be my brother it is my duty to help him in his hour of peril to the best of my ability, if his cause commends itself to me as just", Gandhiji said.

It was around the same time when Jamiat-ul Ulema was launched in the year 1919. This was the political situation, very fluid political situation, when Shaikhul-Hind came back to India in 1919 after spending around three and half years in detention in Malta.

The condition was more than deplorable and it was surprising as to how Shaykhul Hind, despite his bad health, survived the incarceration there. He could survive for just about a year after his return and most of this time was spent while he was bedridden.

However, notwithstanding his deteriorating health, he worked at breakneck pace, probably knowing well that his days were numbered and that he had to accomplish a lot.

Maulana Mahmud Hasan was brought to Bombay on June 8, 1919. Khilafat Committee led by Maulana Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali accorded him a historic reception and conferred on him the title of Shaikh-ul Hind (leader of India) in recognition of his services to the cause of freedom.

Almost every political and religious leader from within the country was there in Mumbai that day. Mahatma Gandhi too was there for his reception. They briefed him about the political situation across the country.

He was out of country for more than four years and was out of touch for the people as he was incarcerated in the far away Malta. Maulana Abdul Bari Firangi Maheli who was in Bombay to receive him explained to him the Joint Khilafat-Congress programme to which he gave his support.

Shaikh-ul-Hind was mighty impressed by Mahatma Gandhi and asked the nation to accept his leadership. It was only after this appeal that the Muslims of the country actually accepted his unanimous leadership despite the presence of top of the level leaders within the community.

He also issued a fatwa giving religious sanction to the Non-Co-operation Movement. Not only this, he prepared some basic principles for all Muslims in support of the Non-Co-operation. It was to return honour and titles to Govt and to refuse participation in any council of Govt

For full chapter on Maulana Mahmud Hasan, pls pr-order my forthcoming book 'Biographical Encyclopedia of Indian Muslim Freedom Fighters'. It will come out of Press by July end inshaAllah. Pls DM to preorder