Rohail Khan

 

JEDDAH — Few languages have had a great benefactor such as Moulvi Abdul Haq, commonly known as Baba e Urdu (Father of Urdu).



World’s fourth largest language, spoken by over 550 million people across the continents, Urdu came into being in Dehli some 900 years ago under the influence of Persian, Arabic, and Turkish languages.



It began to evolve across India, during the Dehli Sultanate (1206-1527 AD) and continued to flourish under the Mughal Empire (1526-1858 AD).



Urdu came under threat during sub-continent’s siege by the British Empire. Realizing the fact that Urdu is the largest source of Islamic literature after Arabic language, the British rulers made conscious efforts to weaken the Urdu script and lexigraphy and popularize the spread of English and Hindi languages.  Naturally, a weakened Urdu would have had a permanent adverse impact on the Muslim civilization and culture.



It was Moulvi Abdul Haq whose tireless struggle from 1896 to 1961 played a crucial role to develop, protect, and promote Urdu language and literature. So committed was this noble person, that he chose not to marry his entire life in order to serve Urdu better.



Moulvi Abdul Haq’s achievements can be summarized as Afsar - Urdu Newspaper (1896), Anjuman e Taraqqi Urdu – Society for Promotion of Urdu (1903), Osmania University, Hyderabad – India’s First Urdu University (1918), Urdu Research and Translation Center (1920), Urdu Dictionary (1930), Islamia Womens College, Lahore – First College for Muslim Girls (1939), Federal Urdu College - Pakistan’s First Urdu University (1949), Pakistan Urdu Dictionary Board (1958), and Pakistan Library System (1960).



Moulvi Abdul Haq was born on 16 November 1872 in Hapur, Ghaziabad District, India.



His entire life was devoted to making Urdu the foremost language across sub-continent.



He  was an acclaimed Urdu educator, writer, critic, linguist, lexicographer, editor, librarian, translator, etymologist, biographer and grammarian.



At a tender age, young Abdul Haq acquired expertise in Urdu, Deccani, Persian, English, and Arabic languages.



In 1894, he obtained a BA from the Aligarh Muslim University. During his formative years, his contemporaries included progressive scholars like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Moulana Shibli Nomani, Professor T. W. Arnold, Sir Ross Masood, Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk.



As his first career, Moulvi Abdul Haq served as translator at the British Home Department, Delhi. Based on his esoteric capabilities, he was promoted as Inspector of Schools (Aurangabad, Deccan).  Simultaneously, he also served as Secretary, All India Muslim Educational Conference, where he managed the Promotion of Urdu across the entire British India.



Baba e Urdu was the man behind the establishment of famous “Osmania University”, Hyderabad Deccan; where he was instrumental in curriculum design and development of teaching methods in Urdu for all subjects and faculties.



Osmania University rose to new heights under his leadership and became second after Aligarh Muslim University.



Under his able supervision, textbooks and reference material were  compiled and taught in Urdu. Later on, he served as chairman of the University’s Department of Urdu.



Having realized the demise of Persian language, Moulvi Abdul Haq made it his mission to place Urdu language head-to-head with English and Arabic. He ensured that Urdu books and material are developed in basic fields of knowledge i.e: medical sciences, arts and crafts, geology, astronomy, mathematics, economics, and social sciences.



Moulvi Abdul Haq introduced Deccani literature to Modern Urdu readers and historians and strengthened the roots of the Urdu language. He worked hard to enrich Deccani Urdu literature and make it familiar to the common public.



He was the first in unearthing various old rare manuscripts from the archives that remained unattended for centuries. 



He was instrumental in re-compiling rare Urdu manuscripts such as Meraajul Ashqeen (1924), Zikr-e-Mir (1928), Bagh-o-Bahar (1931), Sab Ras (1932), Nikat-o-Shoara (1935), Nusrati (1938), Qutub Mushtari (1939), others.

In 1930, upon his retirement from Osmania University, he compiled a comprehensive and authoritative “English Urdu Dictionary” which is to date a great service to Urdu language.



Under his management, the “Anjuman e Taraqqi e Urdu” (Society for Promotion of Urdu), emerged as a powerful service organization across the sub-continent.



In the 1930s, the British authorities along with Mahatma Gandhi and his associates started a campaign to change the Urdu script. Thanks to the Anjuman and proactive role of Moulvi Abdul Haq, the attempt was successfully thwarted.



Thereafter, till the creation of Pakistan in 1947, he fought the Indian National Congress for the cause of Urdu and Pakistan. Moulvi Abdul Haq migrated to Pakistan in early 1948.



During the partition riots, thousands of valuable manuscripts, memoranda, books and articles that he possessed were inadvertently lost.  Anti-Islam sections of the British Government had seriously damaged the Anjuman by withdrawing all support in 1945. Moulvi Sahib reached Pakistan poor in health, meager in resources but planted the Anjuman anew, on fresh ground. Under the aegis of the organization, countless books and several important journals were re-produced in Urdu.



Moulvi Abdul Haq clearly saw Urdu as the identity of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.



During 1948-1961, he established various “Urdu Public Libraries” and lived long enough to see his dreams come to reality i.e: introduction of Urdu medium institutions of higher learning, with Urdu curriculum.



Moulvi Abdul Haq, a life-long proponent for Urdu, was the moving force behind making Urdu the National Language of Pakistan.



He continually stressed the need for a multi-dimensional multi-region “Urdu University” for which arranged regular sessions of All Pakistan National Conference.



The Father of Urdu departed on 16 August 1961 in Karachi. Government of Pakistani, in recognition of his tireless efforts, issued a postage stamp in his honor.



It is, however, as the “Foremost campaigner of Urdu” and its greatest servant that Baba-e-Urdu will be revered for ever by 550 million Urdu speakers around the world.