Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad is most commonly known as Abdul Kalam Azad or Maulana Azad. He was a senior member of the Indian National Congress during the Indian Independence struggle and an academic from India. 

He was also a theologian of Islam. His full name is Abdul Kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al-Hussaini Azad, and he was born in Mecca on November 11, 1888. He used the name Azad as his pen name, although his real name is Maulana Azad, which is an honorific that means “Our Master.”

Maulana Abdul Azad was regarded with great respect throughout his life. Azad wrote a lot of Urdu poetry when he was still a teenager, along with other works on philosophy and religion. He wrote several pieces criticizing British rule when he was a journalist, and as a result of his work, he finally became active in the Indian independence struggle. 

Maulana Azad also rose to prominence and met Mahatma Gandhi, the father of modern India. The non-violent methods advocated by Mahatma Gandhi for battling British tyranny inspired Maulana Azad. 

Early life

Sayyid Ghulam Muhiyuddin Ahmed bin Khairuddin Al Hussaini, the original name of Maulana Azad, was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on November 11, 1888. His family moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) two years later.

His mother’s name was Sheikha Alia bint Mohammad, she was a renowned scholar from Medina. His father, Muhammad Khairuddin, was a Bengali Muslim scholar of Afghan ancestry who wrote twelve books, had thousands of disciplined followers, and claimed noble ancestry.

Azad accompanied a conventional Islamic education since he came from an Islamic household and wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps. He was first taught at home by his father, and as the years went on, he also received instruction from teachers who specialized in other subjects. 

The Holy Quran was reinterpreted by Maulana Azad, who had academic training and was certified as a religious leader. Azad also published several other books. During his teenage years, he first studied the Arabic and Persian languages before moving on to other disciplines including algebra, geometry, and mathematics. 

At the age of 12, Azad built a library, a debating society, and a place to read because he had a strong desire to learn new things. 

He also wrote a biography on the life of Al-Ghazali. By the time he was 14 years old, he was already contributing articles to the literary journal Makhzan. He began teaching children twice his age when he was 15 and finished the conventional course of study at  16. 

He started the monthly publication Lissan-us-Sidq in 1903 and by 1990 he was the editor of the weekly magazine Al-Misbah. When he was 13, Maulana Azad also wed Zulaikha Begum, a young Muslim girl.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Education and Influences

Before starting school, Azad began learning various languages after being fluent in Arabic as a first language, including Bengali, Hindustani, Persian, and English. Homeschooled and self-taught, Azad. Also, tutors hired by his family provided him with instruction in the Mazahibs of Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali fiqh, Shariat, mathematics, philosophy, global history, and science.

He was a thinker of outstanding quality, and his commitment to the area of education is unmatched because of his vision for a liberal and compassionate educational system. His plan was to combine Eastern and Western ideas in order to give the educational system a well-rounded and complete personality.

The Jamila Milia Islamia was established in 1920 by Azad, fellow Khilafat stalwarts M. A. Ansari and Ajmal Khan, and is a higher education institution managed purely by Indians, without support from the British.

Early Journalistic Career

Abul Kalam started writing at a young age, and by the time he was eleven, he was publishing Articles. His pen name, “Azad,” which eventually became his real name, was used while he wrote.

Azad began putting up a weekly named “Al-Hilal” in 1912, in which he criticized British policy. The journal became so well-liked by the people that the British were ultimately forced to ban it in 1914 under the Press Act.

Azad immediately launched another weekly, “Al-Balagh,” which was published until 1916, when he was arrested for violating the Defence of India Regulations. His arrival had been prohibited by the governments of Bombay, Punjab, Delhi, and the United Provinces, and he was sent back to Bihar. Despite censorship, he managed to use the power of his words to fight against British actions.

Struggle for Indian Independence

Aurobindo Ghosh and Shyam Sundar Chakravarty were two revolutionaries with whom Azad was affiliated. Azad opposed the 1905 Bengal division and became more involved in revolutionary activity.

In 1908, Azad met several revolutionaries connected to the Young Turk movement and the Iranian revolution during his travels to Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and France. This helped him establish and develop his nationalist political ideas.

In his monthly Al-Hilal, he wrote extensively opposing the Morley-Minto reforms’ provision for separate electorates for Muslims.

He was sent to Bihar in 1916 as punishment for his revolutionary literature. He was freed following World War I.

In 1920, After being freed, Azad began leading the Khilafat Movement, which was formed by Indian Muslims to demand that the British maintain the Turkish Sultan’s status as the Caliph of Islam after World War I. Azad had previously been influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of non-cooperation to resist the British.

Gandhi and Azad became friends because of their shared love of religion and simplicity. He started using the charkha to spin khadi for his clothing, frequently residing at and taking part in Gandhi’s ashrams.  Azad developed a close relationship with fellow nationalists like Jawaharlal Nehru, Chittaranjan Das, and Subhas Chandra Bose despite his strong commitment to nonviolence.

Azad presided over the Delhi Unity Conference in 1924 and used his position to push for the unification of the Khilafat and Swarajist leaders under the Congress.

Azad often held the positions of general secretary, president, and member of the Congress Working Committee.

In 1928, Azad supported the Nehru Report, which the Ali brothers and Muhammad Ali Jinnah criticized. Azad campaigned for the abolition of distinct electoral districts and for a secular India after independence.

At the Congress meeting in Guwahati, Azad supported Gandhi’s demand that India be given dominion status within a year.

He took part in the Salt Satyagraha in 1930, which resulted in his incarceration and one and a half years in prison. After the Gandhi-Irwin accord of 1931, he was released.

He was detained in 1942 for taking part in the Quit India campaign, along with the other leadership members, and sentenced to four years in prison.

Before India’s independence, Azad opposed Gandhi Ji’s meeting with Jinnah in Mumbai in 1944.

Azad was completely against India’s partition. The brutality he observed during the Partition had a significant impact on him. Azad traveled to the violent areas of Bengal, Assam, and Punjab, helping to set up the camps for refugees and assuring the availability of food and other necessities.

Congress leader

Azad often held the positions of general secretary and president while serving on the Congress Working Committee. At age 35, he was the youngest president of the Indian National Congress in 1923. In 1928, nationalist rage over the Simon Commission’s recommendations for constitutional reforms re-energized India’s political scene. Indian leaders and specialists were not even consulted by the commission, which had no Indian members. 

A panel headed by Motilal Nehru was created by Congress and other political parties to make constitutional reform recommendations based on Indian viewpoints. Azad supported the Nehru Report in 1928, despite the Ali brothers and Muslim League politician Muhammad Ali Jinnah criticizing it. 

He again stood for president of the Congress in 1940, winning, and held the position until 1946. Azad backed the motion endorsing socialism in 1936 and Nehru’s election as Congress president during the Congress assembly in Lucknow.

Quit India Movement

Azad acted as a go-between between Gandhi’s supporters and the Congress party led by Congress president Subhash Bose in 1938. Bose criticized Gandhi for not starting a new uprising against the British and worked to split Congress from Gandhi’s leadership. 

When India was included in World War II in 1939, Azad, along with the majority of other Congress leaders, stood behind Gandhi but grudgingly supported Congress’s withdrawal from the legislature. 

Azad became more critical of Jinnah and the League when Jinnah referred to the Congress government in the provinces as the “Hindu Raj” and hailed the departure of the Congress ministers as a “Day of Deliverance” for Muslims.

Azad began encouraging tens of thousands of people at protests all around the country to get ready for a decisive, all-out battle while supporting the appeal for the British to “Quit India.” 

As president of the Congress, Azad traveled all throughout India meeting with grassroots activists and local and provincial Congress officials, giving speeches, and plotting the uprising. 

Congress president Azad officially began the conflict on August 7, 1942, at Mumbai’s Gowalia Tank with a passionate address urging Indians to take action. Azad and the whole Congress leadership were detained by the British just two days later. 

Azad and the Congress Working Committee were detained at a fort in Ahmednagar for over four years while Gandhi was imprisoned at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune. They were kept in isolation and under strict security. 

Legacy and Influence

In 1989, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Maulana Azad’s birth and to encourage education among social groups with low levels of education, the Ministry of Minority Affairs of the federal government of India established the Maulana Azad Education Foundation.

The Ministry also offers students from minority communities the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad National Fellowship, an integrated five-year fellowship in the form of financial aid for them to pursue higher education such as M.Phil. and Ph.D.

The Indian government was honored by awarding the posthumous Bharat Ratna in 1992.

The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies once occupied his residence, which is now the Maulana Azad Museum. 

The first education minister of independent India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who served from 15 August 1947 until 2 February 1958, is remembered with the yearly celebration of National Education Day in India on November 11.

Short Essay on Abdul Kalam Azad

Al-Kalam Abdul Originally known as Abdul kalam Ghulam Muhiyuddi, Azad also went by the names Maulana Abdul kalam and Maulana Azad. On November 11, 1888, he was born in Mecca.

Azad was the son of Sheikha Alia bint Mohammad and the Indian Muslim scholar Muhammad Khairuddin, who lived in Mecca. He obtained a conventional Islamic education at home from his father and other Islamic masters when he was a little child before his family relocated back to India. Azad gained knowledge of English and was influenced by Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, an Indian professor. 

He started to write daily journals in 1912 and in Calcutta, he also released a diary every week in Urdu called Al-Hilal.

The newspaper mostly discussed how the Muslim community might aid in the resistance to British rule in India. 

Al-Hilal also criticized the Muslim sultans for aiding the British administration. Because of its anti-British stance, the publication rose to prominence within the Muslim community, and the British authorities, therefore, decided to outlaw it. 

In 1920, he became a member of the Indian National Congress, where he contributed to the Muslim Indian community’s understanding of the need for an independent India. He was also a member of the Khilafat movement, which supported the Ottoman Sultan as the supreme leader of the Muslim world, from 1920 to 1924.

Frequently Asked Questions About Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Who Was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad?

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a senior member of the Indian National Congress during the Indian Independence struggle and an academic from India.

Who Is Maulana Abul Kalam Azad?

Maulana abul kalam azad was a senior member in the indian independence struggle. Also, he was a theologian, writer, and a senior Team leader in indian national congress. Also abul kalam azad was first minister of education in the indian government.

Where Is Maulana Azad Medical College?

Maulana Azad Medical College is located at 2, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, near Delhi Gate, Maulana Azad Medical College Campus, Balmiki Basti, New Delhi, 110002, India. It is a government medical college affiliated to the University of Delhi.

The college is spread over a campus of 122 acres and is attached to four hospitals:

• Lok Nayak Hospital
• GB Pant Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education & Research
• Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences
• Guru Nanak Eye Centre

The college offers undergraduate (MBBS) and postgraduate (MD, MS) courses in medicine.

It’s also offers diploma and certificate courses.

Maulana Azad Medical College is one of the most honorable medical colleges in India. It is ranked among the top 10 medical colleges in India by various surveys. The college is known for its high standards of education and research.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology?

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology (MAKAUT) is a public state university located in Kalyani, West Bengal, India. It is completely funded by the West Bengal Government. It was established in 2001 by the West Bengal legislature.

The MAKAUT university offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in engineering, technology, management, and applied sciences. It also offers a number of diploma and certificate courses.

When Was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Birthday?

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was born on November 11, 1888, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This means Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Birthday is 11 November. Also, His birthday is celebrated as National Education Day in India.

What Is Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Birth Place?

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Birth Place is Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Where Was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Born?

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on November 11, 1888.

Where Did Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Died?

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad died on the date of February 22, 1958, in New Delhi, India. He was 69 years old. He died of a stroke. His body was buried in the Jama Masjid in Delhi.