The sole purpose of translating an article, work or book into English is to promote it widely and make the book known to a wider readership.
Translation is necessary for the spreading new information, knowledge, and ideas across the world. It is absolutely necessary to achieve effective communication between different cultures. In the process of spreading new information, translation is something that can change history.
The purpose of translation is to transfer the original tone and objective of a message, taking into account regional and cultural differences between target and source languages. Translation has been utilized by humans for many years, beginning after the appearance of written literature.
Translation is the transfer of the meaning of a source language text to an equivalent target language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction between translation and interpretation. Under this distinction, translation can only begin when the creative literature of a language has the power to influence the public.
Under these objectives, this book based on the life and services of Maulana Asim Bihari has been translated into Englis by Ghulam Mohammed Ansari, Ahmedabad.
There are many Pasmanda Muslims/ Dalit Muslims stalwarts and unsung Heroes of Indian Freedom Struggle who have not got right and proper space at the historical canvas. We have to save and preserve their legacy and do justice with our forefathers who sacrificed their lives for the community and the nation.
Maulana Asim Bihari is one of the unsung heroes of India’s Freedom Struggle. His simple, honest, down-to-earth but struggle-filled life is a source of inspiration for many stalwarts of socio-economic and political work in modern society.
Maulana Asim Bihari was a righteous sympathizer and messiah of the poor and downtrodden. He was empathetic towards the plight of Dalit Muslims and backward classes. He emerged as a strong voice against the atrocities of the British and became an important pillar of India’s Freedom Struggle.
Attempts were made by him to bridge the gap, among the Muslim weavers, Dalit Muslims, Upper Caste Muslims and the common masses. He worked throughout his life for classless and casteless society among Muslims, which is now the need of the hour. He further attracted and influenced his colleagues in the direction of education and other vital social cause. He had a multi-dimensional personality, which led to the opening of schools, libraries and publications of papers, journals and pamphlets. This made people aware of their rights and united them against the British Raj.
He was par excellence orator. There was a charisma in the Maulana’s style of speech and work His charm greatly influenced the- then nationalist leaders of freedom struggle such as Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. Gandhiji was so impressed by Maulana Asim that he emulated Maulana’s movement of weavers and peasants into his programme of spinning charkha and adopting and manufacturing of khadi cloth. Either historians/writers are ignorant of this above-mentioned important fact or have failed to mention knowingly about the fact that Gandhiji was inspired by Maulana Asim’s movement of weavers and peasants and who had made spinning and wheel-spinning his life goal.
As far as the date of birth of Maulana Asim Bihari is Concerned, there are some differences about the birth year of Maulana Ali Hussain Asim Bihari. Some have written 1889, some 1890 and some 1892. Prof. Ahmed Sajjad has written 1892 year and 1309 Hijri year in the introductory chapter of his biographical book "Banda-e-Momin Ka Haath". Whereas on page number 8 of the same book under the subtitle "Ali Hussain Asim Bihari" 15, April 1889 and Hijri year 1308 is written. As proof of this there is a liner on the well dug by his grandfather. Which is like this,
بفضل خدائے عدیم المثال
شدایں چشمہ ئ فیض آب زلال
(By the grace of God which is incomparable
This is the spring of grace with clear water)
His grandfather posits this line and argues that 1309 Hijri comes from the "Chashma-e- Faiz-e- Ab-e-Zawal"( چشمہ فیض آبِ زوال). Apart from this, with reference to a saying of his mother, he claims that he was one year old at that time. Therefore, we accept 15th April 1889 as the correct date of birth of Maulana Asim Bihari.
In this book, Muhammed Arif Ansari, reviewing the life and service of Maulana Asim Bihari and Dr. Ambedkar, wrote that “ Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and Maulana Asim Bihari are almost contemporaries. These leaders spent their entire lives in efforts for the all-round welfare and development of the poor and labouring and educationally, economically and politically neglected and Dalit communities. In the article under review, an attempt has been made to prove that Maulana Ali Hussain Asim Bihari is the Ambedkar of Muslims by making a brief comparative review of the lives and services of these leaders.”
Ali Hussain had the privilege of studying for 13-14 years under his grandfather Maulana Abdul Hakeem who was a great scholar and Mujahideen of the 1857 War of Independence. Wherever Maulana stayed, he kept his grandson with him. The result of his education and training was that he became closely related to subjects like godliness, piety, Islamic history. Asim Bihari also inherited Maulana's wit and intelligence. which flourished in his training. Apart from Urdu, he also received the Persian education of Masnavi Maulana Rum, Dewan-i-Hafiz and Anwar-i-Suhili from his grandfather.
After the death of his grandfather, his father sent him to Hakeem Muhammad Ikramuddin, Mohalla Khanqah, Bihar Sharif to study medicine. Hakeem Ikramuddin was a very compassionate man, he often encouraged his students by encouraging their hard work and intelligence. But soon, due to the death of Hakeem Ikramuddin, this educational process was stopped. Due to theft from his father Maulana Ashiq Hussain's shoe shop, he could not flourish again economically. For years, he stayed in Bihar Sharif and tried to improve his economic conditions. Finally, he was forced to take a job in Calcutta's Usha Company in 1906. At that time, Asim Behari was only sixteen years old, but due to poverty, he had to travel to Calcutta to become the financial support of his family.
According to Professor Ahmad Sajjad “A student who is full of knowledge, independent, intelligent and has a national and mixed outlook, obviously cannot like the job very much. The same thing happened with Asim Bihari. He learned the fast-paced art of battery-making at that time and within a few months, he was able to become a financial support for his parents. He had taken the habit of reading books and newspapers from Bihar Sharif. In the wider academic, literary and political atmosphere of Calcutta, this taste was further developed. And he used to spend all his leisure time and most of his pocket money on buying different kinds of books and newspapers and magazines.”
An important incident of rejection of Gandhiji’s offer is described in this book.
In April 1921, Asim Bihari started a wall paper called Al-Momin, which became very popular. This wall newspaper "Al-Momin" was published in the form of monthly magazine "Al-Momin" from 1923 with the courage of Maulana Yahya Sahib. Which gave great strength to the "Momin" movement for years. On December 10, 1921, Asim Bihari organized a historic meeting at Tanti Bagh, Calcutta, under the umbrella of "Jamait-ul-Mominin", in which he took advantage of his long-standing relationship and invited the leaders of the nation to participate. Therefore, apart from Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar, and Maulana Azad, other prominent personalities also addressed the rally.
Since the Congress party included cottage industry and the encouragement of the poor among its objectives. Therefore, Asim Bihari after this meeting presented a whole scheme in the service of Gandhiji for the organization and development of the cloth weaving industry. Gandhiji also offered a huge sum of one lakh rupees on his party's terms but Asim Bihari refused to accept this conditional offer in order to keep his movement free from this loose political affiliation at this early stage of his movement. The success of these agitational efforts on a limited scale doubled Asim Bihari's morale.
In this book, a heart-touching incident is described. “Even the date of the first provincial conference of Tehreek Momin Conference came up. It was already announced that no accommodation fee will be charged from the delegates. Now that the delegates started coming from different cities and funds could not be provided, Asim Bihari convinced his mother that all the money and jewels left for his younger brother's wedding should come temporarily. Give to spend on guests. After the conference, the responsible believers will donate the conference and return it to them. So, the conference was organized on the proposed dates in a grand manner but despite the thousands of efforts of Asim Behari and his friends, no money could be returned to his mother. His younger brother's wedding day approached. Finally, in the midst of great sorrow and fear, Asim Bihari quietly left the house a few days before the wedding. Mother also sent an invitation message but did not dare to attend the ceremony.”
The glory of Maulana Ali Hussain Asim Bihari is that he has exposed all the highs and lows, hatred and hatred spread in the Muslim society, the un-Islamic thinking and poverty and attitudes of the self-styled elite, the pro-Islamic actions of the landlords and the weak through them and by raising the voice of protest with tongue and pen against the oppression and exploitation of Muslims as well as the backward communities, taking steps to correct shirk and heresy among Muslims, intellectual misguidance and inaction and misbehavior, so that a righteous Muslim society could develop on the basis of the Qur'an and Sunnah. In this way, he made every possible and successful effort to prevent the disintegration of the Muslim society. By fighting manfully, he not only created public opinion against the Firangis, but through his reformatory writings and speeches and projects, he created awareness among the backward Muslim communities and the consciousness of recovering and protecting their rights.
If it is said, it will not be wrong that nation has neglected a selfless personality like Asim Sahib in his old age. Ignored his great sacrifices who presented all the marriage money of his younger brother Maulvi Mahmud Al Hasan to the nation. Who did nothing for his wife, who did nothing for his children but gave whatever assets he had to the nation.
Asim Behari died on Sunday, December 6, 1953, at two o'clock in the night, in a state of unconsciousness at the house of M/s Kumaruddin Badruddin Perfume, a well-known perfumer in Allahabad.
This book fully covers the life and services of Maulana Asim Bihari, there can be no two opinions about it.
IPS officer and former DG of Chhattisgarh, Mr. MW Ansari compiled this book in Urdu after much effort. After that, he has played an important role in this connection by getting the comprehensive translation of this book from Urdu writer Ghulam Muhammad Ansari of Gujarat. This book containing 171 pages has been translated by Ghulam Muhammad Ansari in a very simple and smooth language. Which is the positive aspect of this book.
I have full confidence that the English translation of this book, while influencing a large and intellectual class, will surely give Maulana Asim Bihari an important place in the pages of history. It can also be said that Mr. MW Ansari has paid a true tribute to Maulana Asim Bihari by publishing this book in English.
Author is a general physician. She can be reached at dr.shaeestaparvin@gmail.com
