Name Muhammad Zabeeh Role Journalist | Died 2001, Islamabad, Pakistan | |
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Maulana Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh (1913–2001 CE) was a writer, orator, historian and journalist involved in the Pakistan movement (Creation of Pakistan) in 1947. He was a leader of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam and a staunch supporter of the two nation theory.
Contents
- Family origins
- Educational career
- Efforts for the Pakistan Movement
- Journalist career
- As a historian
- Works
- References
Family origins
Zabeeh hailed from a scholarly family of Hazara. He was born to Maulana Ghulaam Yahya Hazarvi, at Gawaliar, India, in 1913. His father had moved to India after completing his early education in the Abbotabad district of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province. It was the thirst for knowledge that moved his father to India, where he studied under various luminaries of his time. They included two famous students of the eminent Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotwi.
Educational career
In his early teens, Zabeeh went to the institution headed by his father. At 13 he was studying Arabic language at the Darul Uloom of Deoband when his father recalled him to Jamia Illahiyaat, at Kanpur. He later went to study Jamia Millia at Delhi and studied under Dr. Zakir Hussain.
Efforts for the Pakistan Movement
His sagacity and journalistic 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 1946 elections. Due to his effective and persuasive publicity campaign in favour of Muslim League candidates, they 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
His journalistic career started while he was in his teens, and last until his death at the age of 87. In his early teens, he remained associated with 'Bombay punch' (a humorous mag), 'Paishwa' and 'Maulvi' at Delhi, and published the monthly 'Arif'. He reported the 'Kanpur Riots' at the age of 17 in 1930. He also was 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 became the leading voice of the 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 to 'Mashriq' in the 1960s and for which he was chief editor.
As a historian
Zabeeh had particular interest in the history of the Indian subcontinent and its civilization. This became evident by the well-researched books which in this area.