Muhammad Ibrahim Ali Tashna | |
|---|---|
| Personal life | |
| Born | 1872 |
| Died | 11 September 1931(1931-09-11) (aged 58–59) |
| Children | Oliur Rahman |
| Main interest(s) | Hadith,poetry |
| Notable work(s) | Agnikuṇḍa |
| Relatives | Ismail Alam (brother) |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Jurisprudence | Hanafi |
| Creed | Sunni |
| Muslim leader | |
| Teacher | Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad |
Influenced by | |
| Part ofa series on the |
| Deobandi movement |
|---|
 |
| Ideology and influences |
| Founders and key figures |
|
| Notable institutions |
| Centres (markaz) of Tablighi Jamaat |
| Associated organizations |
| Deobandi jihadism |
| Deobandi jihadism: |
Shāh Muḥammad Ibrāhīm ʿAlī (Bengali:শাহ মোহাম্মদ ইবরাহীম আলী; 1872 – 11 September 1931) was aBengaliIslamic scholar, poet and activist of theKhilafat Movement. He wrote poetry in theBengali,Urdu andPersian languages under thepen name ofTashna (Persian:تشنه). Hismagnum opusAgnikuṇḍa is a compilation of his writings during his imprisonment.[1]
Shah Muhammad Ibrahim Ali was born in 1872, to aBengali Muslim family in the village of Batiail inKanaighat,Sylhet District.[2] His father, Mawlana Shah Abdur Rahman Qadri, was a notablemufti by occupation.[3] His elder brother wasIsmail Alam.[4][5] The family was descended from Shah Taqiuddin, a 14th-centurySufi missionary and companion ofShah Jalal.[6][7]
Ali initially studied at home with his father before enrolling at theAjiria Madrasa in Fulbari,Golapganj.[8] After completing his education there, he studied at theDarul Uloom Deoband inNorth India.[9] Ali spent nine years inDeoband, studying under the likes ofFazal Haq Deobandi,Muhammad Munir Nanautavi andHafiz Muhammad Ahmad.[10]
He was married to Asiya Khatun, and had several children includingOliur Rahman.[11]
Returning to his country, Ali began his career in the sector ofIslamic education. In addition to theImdadul Uloom Umarganj inKanaighat (est. 1899), Ali established multiple educational institutions such as Sarakerbazar Ahmadiyya Madrasa.[12] At this time, the teaching oftajwid was not prevalent in the Jaintia plains, and so Ali began atajwid initiative at his madrasa inUmarganj.[13]
In 1902, Ali set off towardsDelhi inNorth India for second time, along with his students. He completedHadith studies for two years underNazir Ahmad Deobandi.[9] His teacher noticed his thirst for seekingilm and thus gave him theepithet ofTashna, meaning thirsty inPersian. It is from this period that he became recognised as Ibrahim Ali Tashna.[7]
Tashna played a significant role in popularising Islamic gatherings (jalsa) in the erstwhileSylhet district.[9] His first mass gathering event in northern Sylhet took place in 1906, and had tens of thousands of attendees.[14][15] A popular folk saying emerged as result of the popularity of Tashna and his accomplice's religious gatherings:
ত্রিশ চল্লিশ হাজার লোক হয় এই মহফিলের মাঝে
trish chôllish hazar lok hoy ei môhfiler majhe
ইসলামের ডঙ্কা বাজে- হায় হায়
islamer dôngka baje - hay hay
রঙ্গে ঢঙ্গের ওয়াজ করে কত রঙ্গের উলামায়।rônge dhônger waz kôre kôtô rônger ulamay.
Under the instructions ofMahmud Hasan Deobandi, Tashna became actively involved with theKhilafat Movement which sought to restore theOttoman Caliphate. Tashna used to give public speeches in Bengali and Urdu,[7] and gained this skill through givingkhutbahs (Friday sermons) at theJama Masjid ofDelhi.[16] As a result of his association with this movement, thecolonial authorities imprisoned Tashna.[1]
On 23 March 1922, the Kanaighat Islamia Madrasa set to host their annualjalsa (presided by Tashna) but theBritish Raj had outlawed it and declaredSection 144 throughout Kanaighat. Tashna and his committee were not fussed by the ban and subsequently violated Section 144 by continuing the jalsa. J. E. Webster, the Commissioner ofSurma Valley, sent a police force to the jalsa at 12pm, who began shooting at the masses.[17] The armed British were able to conduct a swift victory, by shooting down six people dead and injuring 38 others.[18]
Tashna wrote several books inUrdu such asTajvid,Sharh Kafiyyah andSharhUsul ash-Shashi.[19][20] He is described as a natural poet,[21] and has written many poems andqasidas in Urdu andPersian, which gained him repute inNorth India. His writings were regularly published in various periodicals published from North India at that time, andAkbar Allahabadi was among his fans.[1]
It was the period after his imprisonment in which he left the political field to live a more spiritual and secluded life. During this time, Tashna began to write a lot of mysyic poetry in his mother-tongue, Bengali.[22] TheNurer Jhangkar magazine was published by his son from 1934.[23][24]Agnikuṇḍa was a compilation of songs relating to the longing and love of theIslamic prophetMuhammad, and is regarded as Tashna'smagnum opus.[25]
Tashna died in his own home atKanaighat at the age of 61, on 11 September 1931.[7] He left behind four sons and one daughter.[19]
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