Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh

Maulana Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh (1913–2001 CE) was a writer, orator, historian and a journalist involved in the Pakistan movement (Creation of Pakistan) in 1947.He was a leader of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam . He remained a staunch supporter of the two nation theory.

Family origins

Hailed from a scholarly family of Hazara, Ismail Zabeeh was born to Maulana Ghulaam Yahya Hazarvi, at Gawaliar (India) in 1913. His father had moved to India after completing his early education in District Abbotabad of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. It was thus his sheer thirst for knowledge that moved the young Ghulam Yahya towards India, where he studied under various luminaries of his time. They included two famous students of the Eminent Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotwi.

Educational career

After growing up, young Ismail Zabeeh went straight to the institution headed by his eminent father. At 13 he was studying arabic language basics at the Darul Uloom of Deoband when his father recalled him to Jamia Illahiyaat, at Kanpur. He later also went to study Jamia Millia at Delhi and studied under Dr. Zakir Hussain.[1]

Efforts for the Pakistan Movement

His prodigous sagacity and journatlistic talent caught the attention of Muhammad Ali Jinnah who appointed him as the Head of the publicity campaign of the All India Muslim league in the crucial 1946 elections. Due to his extremely effective, persuasive and powerful publicity campaign in favour of Muslim League candidates that Muslim League won almost all the 67 Muslim seats in Uttar Pradesh. He also campaigned for the victory of Liaquat Ali Khan, which was acknowledged by the later during his address to a large gathering at Kanpur.

Journalist career

Ismail Zabeeh was a true journalist. His journalistic career starting from his teens, went up to his deathbed at the age of 87. In his early teens, he remained associated with 'Bombay punch' (a humorous mag), 'Paishwa' and 'Maulvi' at Delhi, published monthly 'Arif'. He reported the 'Kanpur Riots' at the age of 17 in 1930. He also remained Publicity Secretary of All India Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam in 1938. Upon arrest of its President Ameer-e-Shariyat Hadhrat Maulana Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari, Zabeeh acted as President of All India Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam in 1939. In 1941, he started publishing the 'Qaumi Akhbar', an Urdu Language daily, which soon rose as the leading voice of uprising against the Britons, in the Muslim struggle for a free homeland. In 1947, he started publishing the Urdu Language daily 'Khursheed' from Karachi, along with Mr. Raees Ahmed. In 1949, he published his first English language daily the 'Voice of Sindh' from Hyderabad. In 1954, he published the Urdu language daily, the 'Anjam', which later evolved as 'Mashriq' from 1960s onwards. He remained as Chief Editor of 'Mashriq' for sometime too.

As an historian

Ismail Zabeeh had particular interest with the history of the Subcontinent and its civilization. This became evident by the well researched books which mainly were a work in this area.

Works

See also

1. http://www.imarvels.com/zabeeh/intro/intro.htm

References

  1. ↑ His brief biography

http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/philately/stamps2003/moulana_muhammaed_ismail_zabeeh.html