By Mohammed Ayub Ali Khan
The pre-partition era united Punjab is an area which was not only the major supplier of food grains for the whole sub-continent but was also known for its rich harvest of Ulema, Huffaz, and Sufis. But the tragedy of partition laid to waste this rich legacy and the whole area was vacated of its once thriving Muslim communities. Mosques, Madrassas, and Dargahs were destroyed or forcibly occupied and turned into horse stables. This destruction was especially prominent in the present-day Haryana area. The Grand Trunk road, built by Sher Shah Suri and once dotted with mosques and sarais, is now thirsting for them. We were able to spot only two functioning mosques on the road to Pipli Mazra, Yamuna Nagar, one in Undhli and another in Panipat.
Maulana Ilyas
The locals however pointed to several occupied mosques which are now being utilized for all kinds of purposes. From their original remains it appears that they are at least 150 years old.
Amidst the climate of fear and death in the post-1947 era , however, there were some Muslims who held their forte and continue to keep the flame of Islam alight. One such person is Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Miftahi Qasmi.
Born into a family of landowners he refused to be intimidated by threats and worked hard to promote communal amity and brotherhood in the environs of his village Piplimazra in Yamuna Nagar district. After completing his studies at Miftahul Uloom and Darul Uloom, Deoband he plunged into active community work. At a time when the community was feeling dejected and resigned he organized a massive rally of over 25,000 people in 1973 in which Ulema from Deoband, Sharanpur, Thana Bhawan, Jalalbad, Raipur, and other surrounding areas participated in large numbers. This instilled confidence in the area’s Muslims. In the same year the Maulana founded the Madrasa Baitul Uloom which is now a full fledged Islamic institution offering studies up to the Fazilat level.
Madarsa Khadijatul Banat
There are at present 500 students enrolled in Madrassa. There are another 600 students in its sister institution the Jamia Khadija Lil Banaat. Many graduates of the Madrassa have gone on to Deoband and Nadwa for higher studies.
Maulana Ilyas Qasmi, the current regional chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind responsible for the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, traveled far and wide in the area and has established close to 50 maktabs which instruct the children in the basics of Islam.
The general condition of the Muslims in the community, however, remains to be grim. While they are fortunate not to have lost their faith as others had in the region, their financial and educational condition is worrisome. The financial condition is precarious and the educational scenario is even worse. Baitul Uloom serves as a centre for National Open School but very few Muslim students are able to reach to the secondary level.
Maulana Ilyas has plans to open a regular primary school so that the students can receive a solid educational foundation which can better prepare them for further studies. Maulana Ilyas’ son Maulana Akram is a dynamic personality of the area who is open to new ideas. He realizes that mindlessly producing a large number of Madrassa graduates does not serve any purpose. He is planning to start the schools as soon possible and is desperately seeking advice from more experienced persons. He plans to start initially by hiring two teachers. At Rs.3000/- per month one qualified teacher can be hired.
Through the tireless efforts of Maulana the area’s Muslims were able to save their souls. Whether they will be able to climb themselves out of poverty and illiteracy remains to be seen.
Donations can be made to Madarsa Baitul Uloom, PipliMazra, Distt.Yamuna Nagar, Haryana 135106 (India). Tel: 0091 1735-283828. Maulana Ikram’s Mobile: 09355810590. Apart from the expenses of starting the primary school, there is also a need to construct a water tank. Construction has already started on this project and a further three lakh rupees are required to complete it.