Sulaymani - South Asia - Manaseeb & Notable Personalities

Manaseeb & Notable Personalities

The first mansūb "representative", or Dā‘ī Hind wa Sind "missionary to Jazeeras of Hind-India and Sind" was Sayyidi Dawūd ibn Ahmad. He was appointed by the 32nd Dā‘ī Mutlaq. The second mansūb was Sheikh Dawūd ibn Feer(pronounced as Feer in Arabic,actually Peer). Later, the responsibilities were taken away from him . Mansūb/s" were also appointed separately for Sind during the time of Syedna Al-Dā‘ī Sulayman ibn Hassan and thereafter by Ja‘far ibn Sulayman and ‘Ali ibn Sulayman. The first Mansūb of Sindh was Dawūd ibn Babu. The last Mansūb in Sindh was Sayyidi Al Mansub Shēr Muhammad ibn Abdul-Khaliq. Afterwards The Mansub of Hind and Sind is one personality who looks after the affairs of both these Jazeeratain .

In recent times, during the dā‘īship of Husamuddarain Ad Dai' Sayyidna Ghulam Husain ibn Al Mansub Farhat Ali, his brother Almansub AlAalimul Awwah Fatehul uloom Sayyidi Fathullāh Saheb was appointed 16th Mansūb Hind wa Sind, (1341–1355 AH). Maulaana Almansub AlAalimul Awwah Fatehul uloom Sayyidi Fathullāh Saheb was a passionate exponent of Uloome Ahle bait and was in service of his deen fully from dawn to dusk.Administrating, teaching and leading a life by excellent example to others .a much loved orator, and a strong advocate and a right exponent of Deeni matters, especially in the meetings of Uluma and Mashaaiq of Hind wa sind. He died in Baroda, India . The 19th Mansūb, Sayyidi Muhammad Husayn ibn Shamsud-Dīn was appointed (1355–1360 AH) by Dai Sayyidna Husamuddarain Ghulam Husain bin Mansoob ul Jali Farhat Ali .

The 20th Mansūb was Muhammad Ishaq ibn Maulvi Muhammad Ibrahim Ziaee (1356–1376 AH) was later appointed by Ash Sharafi Sayyidna Husayn ibn Ahmad al-Makrami. Sayyidi Almansub Muhammad Ishaq Saheb's time in office was quite eventful.Apart from Deeni matters and discourses, The da‘wah began to expand, with many new buildings being constructed under his watch; the old mosque was rebuilt in Hyderabad,India, which was contemplated and started by Dai Husamud-Daarain Sayyidna Ghulam Husain bin Al Mansub Farhat Ali. cooperative banks were established and many young Sulaymanis began to migrate heading to the Persian Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and to Western Countries.

After the death of Sayyidi Almansub Muhammad Ishaq Ziaee Saheb, Sayyidi Mowlana Al Mansoob Muhammad Shakir Zi‘a ibn Mullah Walī Muhammad Toorabally Saheb and Sayyidi Almansub Nasrullāh ibn Mulla Hibatullāh Husami Saheb became the 21st & 22nd Mansūbs, appointed simultaneously by Aljamali Ad Dai' Sayyidna ‘Alī ibn Husayn al-Makrami.

''''Sayyedi Mowlana Al Mansoob Muhammad Shakir Zi‘a ibn Mullah Walī Muhammad Toorabally Saheb''''

hails from an eminent family of Sulaimani Hudood starting from Sayyedi Hazrat Al Mansoob Sher Mohammed bin Abdul Khaliq in the 17th century. Sayyedi Mowlana Al Mansoob Muhammad Shakir Zi‘a ibn Walī Muhammad Toorabally Saheb was a renowned poet and scholar in Arabic language Arabic, Persian and Urdu and was sent to Lucknow to study at Nadwatul-Ulama' under the guidance of Maulana Shibli Naumani. He stayed there for four years and was later sent to Najran under the guidance of Sayyidi Almansub Fathullāh ibn Al Mansub Farhat Ali Saheb. After returning to India, he decided to travel to Bangkok, Thailand; he was the Amil,(chief representative of Dawat for a particular city/country) of Bangkok for many years. He later moved to Japan to help his father in business and lived in Kobe for some time. There his father Mulla Walī Muhammad ibn Haji Toorabally was a well-known personality, fluent in Arabic, English as well as in Japanese. He traveled extensively before settling down in Japan in 1890. There Sayyidi Mowlana Al Mansoob Muhammad Shakir Zi‘a ibn Mullah Walī Muhammad Toorabally Saheb helped to establish the first mosque and was twice elected the president of the Japanese India Club. When he returned to Baroda, India, he was made Amil "Representative" of Baroda by Sayyidi AlMansub Muhammad Ishaq ibn Maulvi Muhammad Ibrahim Ziaee.

During the historic visit of Sayyadna ‘Ali ibn Husayn al-Makrami in 1973 AD (1393 AH) Sayyadi Mowlana Al Mansub Muhammad Shakir Zia ibn Mullah Walī Muhammad Toorabally was taken seriously ill largely due to old age, however he was so excited by the historic arrival of Sayyadna ‘Ali ibn Husayn Al-Makrami that in spite of his illness he went to Mumbai to welcome his Dā‘ī-ul-Mutlaq personally. Soon after he died in Baroda on the 6th of Rajab 1393 AH at the grand age of 86. After his demise Sayyadi Almansub Al Aa'lim ul Awwah Nasrullah ibn Hibatullah Husami took full charge as Mansoob e Munfarid to greater heights in Educational and development activities of this Community.

AlAalim ul Awwah AlMansub Sayyidi Nasrullah ibn Mulla Hibatullah Saheb Husami was a grandson of Almansub Sayyidi Fathullah ibn Sayyidi Almansub Farhat Ali, and along with Sayyadi Almansub Hakeem-ul-Waqt Zia Ali ibn Sayyadi Almansub Muhammad Ishaq Ziaee and his brother Sayyadi Almansub al-Fakhri Abdullah ibn Hibatullah Fathi,he was sent to Najran by Sayyadi Almansub Muhammad Ishaq ibn Maulvi Muhammad Ibrahim Ziaee for further religious studies called "Hijrat". There they resided for nine months.

Sayyadi Almansub Al Aa'lim ul Awwah Nasrullah ibn Hibatullah Husami based his Da'wa in Bombay, India. He was an able and efficient administrator, a fine Orator of Religious discourses, a prolific exponent of Fiqh and of uloom e Ahle Bait of a very high form, a Qaari of repute and a learned Master of Arts in Arabic and Urdu from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. during his time in office and through his best persuasion, Sayyadna Ali bin Husain the 49th Dā‘ī-u l-Mutlaq Sayyadna Ali ibn Husayn al-Makrami visited India in 1973, followed by his visit to Jazeera e Sindh in Pakistan . This was the first visit of a Sulaymani al-Makrami Dā‘ī to India and Pakistan. following this visit, Mumbai became the centre of Indian Da'wah replacing Baroda. During Mansoobiyat time of Sayyadi Almansub Al Aa'lim ul Awwah Nasrullah ibn Hibatullah Husami extensive building expansion for the recidential facility for downtrodden members of the Community, renovations and new building constructions of Masaajid and Jamaat Khana were undertaken in all places of his jurisdiction in Hind-India and Sind -now largely Pakistan and even facilitated the construction of A huge building called Ribaat in Makkae Muazzama and Madina e Munawwara. Many religious books and manuscripts were translated into Urdu and published in all Sulaymani centres in his time .

He died in 1399 AH (1979 AD)at a ripe age of just 58 years 0n 12th Ramazaan ul Mubaarak 1399 Hijri .

Sayyadi Almansub Hakim-ul-Waqt Zia Ali ibn Sayyadi Almansub Muhammad Ishaq Ziaee become the 23rd Mansūb, being appointed by Husayn ibn Hasan Al-Makrami.Sayyadi Almansub Al Almujtahid Alfakhri Abdullah ibn Hibatullah Fathi was appointed as deputy Mansoob also.

Sayyadi Almansub Al Almujtahid Alfakhri 'Saahib ul Jazeeratain' Abdullah ibn Hibatullah Fathi was appointed as Mansoob e Munfarid on his predecessor's demise.He is an able administrator, living his life by example to others as ordained by Shariat e nabawiyya and a keen Historian, with such a profound knowledge of uloom e Dawat that it keeps the Mumineen enthralled for hours. His Khidmaat is very Wasi' and large to be captured in mere sentences here. The two mansūbāin currently residing in India are Sayyadi Almansub Al-Fakhri Abdullah ibn Mulla Hibatullah Fathi, the 24th Mansūb appointed in 1417 AH (1996 AD). On the historic day of Eid-e-Ghadeer in the Haj of 1419 AH (1999 AD), in the presence of Sayyadi Almansub 'Saahib ul Jazeeratain' Al-Fakhri Abdullah ibn Hibatullah Fathi and other prominent rukn of Dawat-e-shareef, the then Dai - Sayyedna Husain bin Ismail appointed Sayyadi Almansub Muhammad Ibrahim ibn Sayyadi Muhammad Ishaq Ziaee as the 25th Mansūb of Hind and Sindh. Both these Manaseeb reside in Hyderabad, but travel extensively to look after the affairs of their congregation in India and abroad. They are assisted and helped by their amils and Mufeedeens, (religious Teachers ) in the day to day affairs of the community in Deen and Duniya.

During the time of Sayyidna Ghulam Husayn ibn Farhat Ali, the late Mullah Gowhar Ali ibn Mullah Nūru d-Dīn Hakim was the Amil of Baroda, he was a prominent and well known personality and the advisor to the late Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda, was also a member of the Muslim Council of Baroda and a Member of Parliament. He initiated and established a boarding school for young Sulaymani children.

Ra's l-Hudūd Maulvi Muhammad Abbas ibn Mullah Nūru l-Husayn Nadvi was another personality in Baroda, he was originally from Surat but made his home in Baroda, before moving to Hyderabad where he became the amil, a teacher by profession, he taught in many languages including Arabic, Persian and Urdu, at first teaching in schools and later at Osmania University. In his youth he was sent to Nadwatu l-‘Ulamā', a well known Muslim school of Theology in Lucknow with two other Sulaymanis by Sayyidi Almansub Fathullah ibn Farhati ‘Ali. After his retirement from teaching, he returned to Baroda, and died in 2000, at the age of 107.

Azim Hussain Tyabji was another Sulaymani from Baroda, an educationist and a reformer, he was a well known public figure, pioneer of the Urdu Academy he was also the founder member of Muslim Education society (MES) in 1936 which has established 15 schools for Muslim girls in Baroda, he was the president of the Sulaymani Co-operative Bank, the bank has been a very successful enterprise and used by Sulaymani's and other communities alike, at present his son Irshad Tyabji is the current chairman of the bank, his wife Amina Tyabji was a very active socialworker. Fatehali Huseinuddin Palejwala, a Sulaymani lawyer was the Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

Badruddin Tyabji was the son of Mullah Tyab Ali Bhai Miyan. He sent all of his six sons to Europe for further studies, at a time when English education was considered an anathema for Muslims in India. Badruddin Tyabji returned to India in 1858 as the first Indian Solicitor, one of the other brothers was sent to Najran for religious studies. Apart from Badruddin Tyabji (who at one time was the vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University), all of his other brothers were prominent and well respected members of Indian establishment. Their accomplishments included the first Muslim Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, the first Indian barrister and the first Muslim to qualify as an Engineer.

Asaf Ali Asghar Fyzee, another Sulaymani, was a scholar and an eminent writer and a legal luminary, as well as was the ambassador to Egypt. He translated into English the famous work of al-Qāḍī al-Nu‘mān's Da'a'imu l-Islam", which is the authoritative Ismaili work of fiqh, used by all Ismailis as well as many other books on Ismaili subjects.

Atiya Fyzee was a Sulaymani social worker, writer and a poet. Abbas Tyabji was a prominent freedom fighter and played an important role in the struggle for Indian independence.

Dr. Salim Ali was another Sulaymani, the "Bird Man", an ornithologist and a writer of many popular and academic books on the subject. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1958 and then Padma Vibhushan in 1976, for his lifelong work and research on birds. He also received numerous awards internationally and elected Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in 1958, was nominated a member of upper Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) in 1985.

In recent days, Air-Vice Marshal Idris Hasan Latif was the Governor of the State of Maharashtra. Zafar Saifullah was the first Muslim Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India, Maqbūl Fida Husain (M. F. Husain) the internationally renowned and famous painter was awarded the Padmashree in 1966, the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1986, he also nominated as a member of the Upper Houses of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) in 1986. He recently celebrate his 100 birthday as per Islamic calendar (AH) and after a brief illness died in London on 8th. of June 2011 and buried there in Brookwood cemetery, Woking, UK.

The first Sulaymani family migrated to Hyderabad originated from Aurangabad and this occurred in the 17th century. In the 19th century, during the time of Mansub Fathullah, the Sulaymanis were a prosperous business community, however under the guidance of Mansub Fathullah and with his insistence, the community's emphasis began to shift to education.

The person who was the first Muslim to pass the examination of the Gazetted Officer for the finance department was Mohammed Akbar Hydari the son of Mullah Nazar Ali Hydari. He become the Finance Secretary and later Minister of Finance in Hyderabad, and within a few years the Prime Minister of Hyderabad. He was the most competent and ablest Prime Minister of the State of Hyderabad, he was Knighted by the British Government, and the Nizam gave him the title of "Haydar Nawaz Jung". In 1941 he was appointed as the member of the Executive Council of the Viceroy of India. He represented Hyderabad in three Round Table Conferences in London. His wife Lady Amina Hydari was renowned for her welfare and social work. Their elder son, Sir Muhammad Saleh Akbar Hydari, served as the Governor of Assam State after the Independence.

There were many personalities of the Sulaymani community residing in Hyderabad, which was considered to be the centre of Muslim culture. Hashim Mu‘izu d-Dīn (Hashim Yar Jung) was Legal Advisor to The Nizam of Hyderabad, later he become the Chief Justice of Hyderabad High Court. Hasan Latif was the Chief Engineer of the State and soon become the Principal of the College of Engineering of the Osmania University, his brother Alma Latif was the person, who first conceived the idea of esablising a university, using Urdu medium of instruction. Osmania University was established in 1918 with the guidance of Sir Mohammed Akbar Hydari and under the patronage of HEH The Nizam of Hyderabad.