Shibli Nomani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Professor atMuhammadan Anglo-Oriental College | |
| In office 1882–1898 | |
| Secretary of Education Department atDarul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama | |
| In office 1905–1913 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1857-06-04)4 June 1857 |
| Died | 18 November 1914(1914-11-18) (aged 57) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Personal life | |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Main interest(s) | Literature,history,modernism,Islamic philosophy,politics,education |
| Notable work(s) | |
| Religious life | |
| Denomination | Sunni |
| Movement | |
| Senior posting | |
| Teacher | Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri Faizul Hasan Saharanpuri |
Influenced by | |
| Awards | |
| Website | shibliacademy |
Shibli Nomani (4 June 1857 – 18 November 1914) was an IndianIslamic scholar,poet,philosopher,historian, educational thinker, author, orator, reformer andcritic oforientalists during theBritish Raj.[1][2] He is regarded as the father of Urduhistoriography.[3] He was also proficient in Arabic and Persian languages.[4] Shibli was associated with two influential movements in the region, theAligarh and theNadwa movements.[5] As a supporter of theDeobandi school, he believed that English language and European sciences should be incorporated into the education system.[6] Shibli wrote several biographies of Muslim heroes, convinced that Muslims of his time could learn valuable lessons from the past.[3] His synthesis of past and modern ideas contributed significantly to Islamic literature produced in Urdu between 1910 and 1935.[7] Shibli established theDarul Musannefin Shibli Academy in 1914 to promote Islamic scholarship and also founded theShibli National College in 1883. He collected much material on the life of Muhammad, and completed the first two volumes of the planned work,Sirat al-Nabi. His disciple,Sulaiman Nadvi, added to this material and wrote the remaining five volumes after Shibli's death.
Nomani was born on 4 June 1857 in Bindwal near Azamgarh into aMuslim Rajput family, his ancestor Sheoraj Singh being aBais who accepted Islam many generations ago,[8] to Habibullah and Moqeema Khatoon.[9] He was named afterAbu Bakr al-Shibli who was aSufi saint and a disciple ofJunayd Baghdadi. Later in life, he added "Nomani" to his name.[10] Although his younger brothers went toLondon,England for education (and later returned, one as a barrister employed atAllahabad High Court), Nomani received a traditional Islamic education.[11] His teacher was Muhammad Farooq Chirayakoti, a rationalist scholar.[12]
Nomani therefore had reasons to be both attracted and repelled by Aligarh. Even after he had secured a post as a teacher of Persian and Arabic at Aligarh, he always found the intellectual atmosphere at the college disappointing, and eventually left Aligarh because he found it uncongenial, although he did not officially resign from the college until after Sir Syed’s death in 1898.[13]
He taught Persian and Arabic languages at Aligarh for sixteen years, where he metThomas Arnold and other British scholars from whom he learned first-hand modern Western ideas and thoughts. He travelled withThomas Arnold in 1892 to theOttoman Empire includingSyria, Turkey andEgypt and other locations in the Middle East and got direct and practical experience of their societies. In Istanbul, he received a medal fromSultan Abdul Hamid II.[14][15] His scholarship influenced Thomas Arnold on one hand, and on the other he was influenced by Arnold to a great extent, and this explains the modern touch in his ideas. InCairo, he met noted Islamic scholarMuhammad Abduh (1849-1905).[16]
After the death of Sir Syed Ahmed in 1898, he leftAligarh University and became an advisor in the Education Department ofHyderabad State. He initiated many reforms in the Hyderabad education system. From his policy, theOsmania University of Hyderabad adoptedUrdu as the medium of instruction. Before that, no other university of India had adopted any vernacular language as the medium of instruction in higher studies. In 1905, he leftHyderabad and went toLucknow as principal and driving force of theDarul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, a madrasa founded by theNadwatul Ulama. He introduced reforms in the school's teaching and curriculum. He stayed at the school for five years, but the orthodox class of scholars became hostile towards him, and he had to leave Lucknow to settle in the area around his hometown,Azamgarh in 1913.[16]
Earlier at Nadwa, he had wanted to establishDarul Musannifin or theHouse of Writers but he could not do this at that time. He bequeathed his bungalow and mango orchard and motivated the members of his clan and relatives to do the same and had succeeded. He wrote letters to his disciples and other eminent persons and sought their co-operation. Eventually one of his disciples,Syed Sulaiman Nadvi fulfilled his dream and establishedDarul Musannifin at Azamgarh. The first formal meeting of the institution was held on 21 November 1914, within three days of his death.[9][17]
In August 1914 he went toAllahabad on the news of his elder brother's illness. Two weeks later his brother died. He then moved toAzamgarh. There he developed the basic concept of Darul Musannifin. He died on 18 November 1914.[18]
Nomani and Syed Ahmed wished for the welfare of Muslims and wanted to have Western thinking and style come along with it. However, Sir Syed wanted to save the Muslims from the wrath of the British rulers after their active participation in theWar of Independence of 1857, called the "Sepoy Mutiny" by the British, whereas Shibli wanted to make them self-reliant and self-respecting by regaining their lost heritage and tradition.[9]
According to some scholars, Shibli was against theAligarh movement. He opposed the ideology ofSir Syed and that is why he was debarred from the services ofMuhammadan Anglo-Oriental College.Kamleshwar wrote a novel 'Kitne Pakistan' (How Many Pakistan?)[19] and in that novel he portrays Nomani as a narrow-minded Muslim theologian. In another book, 'Ataturk Fi Karbala' by Arif ul Islam, the author alleged that Shibli was not happy with Sir Syed's policies and ideologies and was involved vehemently againstAligarh movement.[20]
Nomani had two daughters, Rabia Khatoon and Jannutul Fatima, and one son, Hamid Hassan Nomani.[9] This son was born in 1882 and died in 1942. He had another son who died soon after birth, and five daughters. They are:
Pakistan Postal Services issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor in its 'Pioneers of Freedom' series in 1992.[21]
The Shibli Project, undertaken by the Department of Arabic at Jamia Millia Islamia, aims to preserve the legacy of Shibli Nomani and make his works accessible to a wider audience. As part of the Shibli Project, students are encouraged to study the life of Shibli and his books. They are asked to write articles on the various shades of his life and to write reviews of his works. Students are also encouraged to make projects that showcase his life and contributions and to prepare charts related to his life. The Shibli Project also seeks to promote compatibility among the disciplines of Urdu, Islamiyat, and History. As part of this effort, students are encouraged to study Shibli's poetic works and to organise educational tours to Darul Musannifin, Azamgarh, and Lucknow to meet with Shibli's disciples and gain more insight into his life and works. One of the highlights of the Shibli Project is an exhibition on his life and contributions. The exhibition showcases the various facets of Shibli's life and works, including his scholarship, poetry, and activism. It also provides visitors with a glimpse into the cultural and intellectual milieu of early 20th-century India.[22]
Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, the poet, author, critic and literary theorist argued that Shibli's work has been unjustly dealt with:[23][verification needed]
WhileMaulana Aslam Jairajpuri pointed out errors inSher-ul-Ajam, it was not mentioned that Shibli was the first to write a biography ofMaulana Rumi. Though differences betweenSir Syed and Shibli are highlighted, it has not been pointed out that in spite of Sir Syed's opposition to the writing ofAl-Farooq, Shibli never complained about it. Sir Syed lamented that Shibli's Persian poetry was never tested on its merit and was wrongly associated with his acquaintance with an enlightened intellectual lady of the time, MadamAtiya Fyzee.
— Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, Shibli Nomani Annual Extension Lecture (2011)
Faruqi refutedS. M. Ikram's claim in this regard and subtly highlighted the delicacy of Shibli's thought moulded into his Persian poetry.[23]
Shibli was inspired by the progress of science and education in the West. He wanted to inspire the Muslims to make similar progress by having recourse to their lost heritage and culture, and warned them against getting lost in Western culture. "Ultimately, the Nadwa gave up its notions of uniting occidental and oriental knowledge and concentrated on Islamic scholarship, and on the dissemination of biographical and historical writing in Urdu. Shibli's own writings set the pattern for the latter."[9] In keeping with this goal, he wrote the following books:
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