Nisar Ahmed Thokar
The renowned political and religious scholar, Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Yousuf Shah was born on 13 Shaban in 1311 Hijri at Rajouri Kadal in a highly dignified dynasty of Kashmir, usually known as ‘Mirwaiz Family’. His father, Mirwaiz Ghulam Rasool Shah was the most enlightened religious leader who served the cause of Muslims in Kashmir with unmatched sincerity and perseverance to take them out of the quagmire of ignorance, illiteracy, social and economic backwardness. Being a great reformer, he was known as the Sir Syed of Kashmir.
Luckily, Moulana (M Yousuf Shah) got nurtured in a purely educational environment, he received primary education from his ancestors but ironically his father, Mirwaiz G R Shah died when he was merely 10 years old. Later, he was brought up by his uncles, Moulvi Ahmedullah and Moulvi Attiquallah Shah. Muhammad Hussain Wafai, a religious scholar of Khanyar Srinagar was also one of his teachers.
It was all by nature that he (Mirwaiz) had a great tendency and insatiable thirst for knowledge that is why he left Kashmir with this intention to seek education elsewhere from a prestigious institution outside the state and therefore he along with his close aide Moulana Meerak Shah together decided to take admission in Dar-ul-Uloom Devband, a well-known religious educational institute of the subcontinent.
Spending over more than 7 years at Devband Moulana had the golden opportunity to dwell in the association of great Kashmiri scholar Moulana Anwar Shah Loolabi, the most revered a renowned teacher at the seminary (Dar-ul-Uloom) at that time. His patronage was a matter of great significance and of course a prestige for Mirwaiz as a result of which the young Moulana emerged as an energetic, vibrant and a visionary fellow of the seminary. After completing Darse-Nizami course, Mirwaiz left for Lahore wherein he obtained Moulvi Fazil Degree from the University of Punjab.
During his stay in Devband, Mirwaiz had voluntarily participated in the Khilafat movement and after returning back to Kashmir in 1924, the passion that was still reverberating in his heart and mind led him to start a door to door campaign at his home town Srinagar. The campaign was intended to wipe out ill-customs and other social evils from the society; this was in fact the beginning of his carrier as a reformer, political and social worker.
Although an association “Anjuman-e-Nasratul Islam”, established by the late Mirwaiz Ghulam Rasool Shah in 1899 was already in place under which a school, Madrassa Fiqh-o-Hadeith-e-Rasool had initially been set up at Kadi Kadal in Srinagar. The association to which Moulvi Muhammad Yousuf Shah was later nominated as the General Secretary played key role in educating people across the valley and verily it played the same role in the Muslim dominated state of Jammu and Kashmir as the Aligarh University did play in educating the Muslims of Indian subcontinent.
During the course of time Mirwaiz Moulana Ahmedullah passed away on April 3, 1931 and his brother Moulvi Attiquallah was not physically fit to take the reins as the Mirwaiz and therefore, Moulvi Muhammad Yousuf Shah was formally declared as Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir.
From 1924 to 1931, simultaneously on the political horizon of Kashmir history some important changes took place, which as a matter of the fact played a role of catalyst in stirring up the anti-Maharaja sentiment, which was shortly followed by a state-wide mass movement against autocracy (Dogra regime). Mirwaiz indeed played key role in galvanizing the rights movement of the people of Jammu and Kashmir who had been facing the oppression and cruelty at the hands of Dogra Army for last several decades.
One can’t deny the fact that it was Mirwaiz Muhammad Yousuf Shah, who at the outset of the rights movement led the Kashmiri Muslims wisely in a judicious manner. He was the leading person in the list of seven member delegates who were nominated as the envoys by the Kashmiri Muslims during a huge public gathering at Kahanq-e-Molla to hold negotiations with Dogra Ruler regarding the rights of Kashmiri people. Besides the Mirwaiz, the other prominent members of the delegation were Mirwaiz Hamdani, Shahab-u-Din, Ghulam Ahmed Ashai and Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, who later became the “Sheer-e-Kashmir”.
During this historic procession, poignant speeches were delivered by the speakers against Dogra Ruler’s anti-people policies. And when the proceedings were about to end, an unknown person who could not control his emotions rushed towards the dais and made a fierce speech against the autocratic Ruler. He was immediately arrested by the Dogra Forces. Interestingly, the young man was, Qadeer Khan, who for his valiant role is being remembered with highest regards in the annals of Kashmir.
A sedition case was registered against this young man, several hearings took place and finally on 13th July 1931 thousands of people gathered in front of the Srinagar Central Jail, demanding right to attend trial being held in camera inside the jail of political prisoner charged with sedition for speech at the public gathering. As the time for mandatory prayer approached, a young man stood for Azan. The Dogra police opened fire on him, and he got martyred. Thereby, another death-defying youth took the place of the martyred young man and started Azan. He too, was shot dead. In this way 22 Kashmiris embraced martyrdom one by one in their effort to complete the Azan. This gory episode proved out to be a milestone in the popular liberation struggle. Beginning of mass agitation, Ghulam Abbass arrested the same day, Shaikh Abdullah the next, along with three other leaders.
Despite the Maharaja’s reluctance the dead bodies of these valiant Kashmiri martyrs were brought to Jamia Masjid, wherein, the Mirwaiz announced that they would be buried with great dignity and honour in the premises of Naqashaband Sahib, the famous Sufi saint of Kashmir.
To strengthen the rights movement and to launch a systematic struggle against Dogra regime, the first largest political organization, All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, once deemed as the sole voice of Kashmiri Muslims was finally established in 1932. Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah was named as the President and Chaudhry Ghulam Abass as the General Secretary of the party. The largest political party once deemed to be the sole voice of Kashmiri Muslims.
Being one among the pioneers of the MC, the Mirwaiz vehemently opposed Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah’s decision of converting Muslim Conference into National Conference and in mid 30s due to some unavoidable circumstances he decided to segregate from the party and devised a plan to launch a separate organization which was named as Azad Muslim Conference.
It is worth mentioning here that Chaudhry Ghulam Abbass, the General Secretary of the Party did not oppose Sheik Abdullah’s decision of renaming the organization at that very time. But after some time when Chaudhry Sahib became conscious of the game plan, approached the Mirwaiz and requested him for revitalizing/reviving the Muslim Conference. In this connection in 1942, a big public gathering was held at Narwah near Eid Ghah in Srinagar wherein both the leaders addressed the rally.
Following the renaissance of the Party, in 1943 Mirwaiz was specially invited at the All India Muslim League’s annual session that was held in Karachi. The Mirwaiz, M Yousuf Shah attended the session thereby heading a 2-member delegation comprising of Moulvi Muhammad Amin, the father of Mirwaiz Moulvi Farooq and Moulvi Meerak Shah.
In May 1944, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan visited Kashmir valley, Mirwaiz presented a resolution to the visiting leader at Drugjan-Srinagar and arranged a grand party in his honour at “Mirwaiz Manzil”.
In 1945, Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Yousuf Shah, while presiding the 13th annual session of Muslim Conference held at Poonch delivered a historic speech and on 18th of June 1946, the MC’s Central Committee meeting which was chaired by the Mirwaiz adopted a preliminary resolution regarding “Azad Kashmir” that was formally accepted by the MC chief patron, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbass on 26, July 1946 calling for end of autocratic government and claims right of people to elect their own constituent assembly.
In 1946, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah kicked off Quit Kashmir movement against Dogra ruler, creating an upheaval in the length and breadth of the state thereby launching fierce speeches against the despotic ruler. Consequently he was arrested and send behind the bars for several years.
The MC leadership, particularly Chaudhry Sahib was scared off the political momentum gained by the NC patron and was of the view that his party must follow the same strategy, however, Mirwaiz opposed the idea and finally a meeting of working committee was summoned in Srinagar wherein majority of the members favoured Abass’s opinion and a decision was taken unanimously that a public gathering would be called at Muslim Park to challenge the imposition of article 144, as a result the top leadership of the MC included the party head Chaudhry Ghulam Abbass, A R Saghar, Agha Showkat Ali and Moulvi Noor-u-Din were arrested as they tried to approach the venue where they were due to address public rally, but to avoid any trouble in the main city, Mirwaiz was not arrested on the occasion.
The fall out of this “unwise and hastily” decision was that in 1947 when Pakistan, the newly born Muslim state came into being, the top leadership of All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference was in Jail.
On 15 August, 1947, Mirwaiz addressed a huge public rally that was gathered in the Muslim Park out side the Srinagar’s grand mosque (Jamia Masjid) wherein he impressed upon Dogra Maharaja to honour the opinion of common masses and accede to Pakistan peacefully.
Notwithstanding to the wishes and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharaja of the state resorted to violent means and unleashed terror in the state to suppress the popular sentiment, as a result people were subjected to severe inhuman treatment by the brutal forces of the Dogra Maharaja. The massacre of Jammu is witness to this worst ever human tragedy that more than 200 thousand Muslims of the state were killed and slaughtered mercilessly, while they were on their way to Pakistan.
The mass uprising in the state was a big challenge for the autocratic ruler. Being the ring leader and a staunch supporter of Pakistan movement Mirwaiz and his followers were targeted and subjected to severe mental as well as physical torture. His residence “Mirwaiz Manzil” that had been the epicentre of freedom movement was under severe attack of Dogra forces.
On September, 06 1947, Mirwaiz left for Lahore to meet, Qaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah to apprise him of the worsening political situation prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir. After having a detailed discussion with Mr. Jinnah, Mirwaiz was about to return home when tyrant Maharaja banned his re-entry in the state. This forced exile, led the Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir to live his rest of his life in Pakistan, unlike millions of expatriate Kashmiris.
In Pakistan, he remained fully engaged in political, religious as well as social activities. In 1949, he was appointed as the Education Minister in Pak and in 1952; he was unanimously designated as the president of the Muslim Conference.
In 1956, Mirwaiz was elected as the president of Pakistani administered Kashmir. He had also been the vice president of Pakistan’s central Kashmir relief committee.
In 1964 a high level delegation led by Mirwaiz visited some 22 European and Islamic countries, wherein he briefed the EU member countries and the heads of Muslim states about the genesis of Kashmir conflict and the historical liberation struggle of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
In 1965, when Revolutionary Council was established in Indian administered Kashmir against India’s illegal occupation, the council nominated him the as the spokesperson in Pakistan. Besides fighting for the Kashmiris’ political rights he was fully engaged in spreading the message of the beloved Prophet (PBUH). His uncontroversial character, fairness and truthfulness bears witness to the fact that he was a real freedom fighter and a true Muslim preacher. He had a great affection for his oppressed nation and devoted his entire life for their just cause.
He was a bold politician, a valiant freedom fighter and indeed a great religious scholar who had the honour to interpret the Holy Quran in native language (Kashmiri), which as a matter of the fact distinguishes him from his contemporaries. Fateh-ul-Bayan is the Kashmiri translation cum interpretation (Tafseer) of the Holy Book widely available in the markets and thousands of believers are seeking guidance from it. Pertinently, in recognition of his scholarly work the government of Saudi Arabia had advised the concerned department to get it (tafseer) published in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Mirwaiz had this privilege to be the first ever Kashmiri religious scholar who had translated the Holy Quran in native language. He would be remembered for a long time for his great sacrifices and indomitable role in shaping the political destiny of Kashmir.
He had been twice the president of Pakistani administered Kashmir in 1952 and 1956 respectively and this great scholar of 20th century passed away on 7th December 1968 in Rawalpindi. He was buried at Upper Adda graveyard, opposite to the University Campus in Muzaffarabad, the capital city of Azad Kashmir. However, according to the Muslim yearbook his death anniversary is observed every year on 16th and 17th of Ramazan on the either sides of line of control.
Muzaffarabad, Aug 24: The Prime Minister of Pakistani administered Kashmir Chudhary Abdul Majeed has said that the Pakistan Peoples Party’s policy of national reconciliation was not to cling to power but to steer the country out of the crises.
