Moulana Taj Mahmood Amroti (1857-1929)
Badruddin Ujan: a noted scholar & former civil servant has started contributing a series of articles on well known politico-religious figures of bye gone era. This being the first part of the series of high class writeups. 

Sindh had suffered a lot, right from middle-ages. It had witnessed many a massacres, armed attacks, killings of innocent people, the incidents of setting cities on fire, destroying culture, literature, traditions and people.

In the past, the highhandedness and frequent invasions of Arabs, Greeks, Arghuns, Turkhans, Pathans, Indians and Iranians speak volumes. But the hurt is on, previously from aliens, and now from the so called our own, with a purpose to destroy the culture and liquidate the population of aborigines, which has polluted the peaceful atmosphere of Sindh.

In the middle of nineteenth century, this Sub-continent, through internal turmoil and tension, came under British sway. Britishers were successful in finding out Traitors, men of mean morals and mentality. It is a law of nature, that any deviation from set principles and normal laws, is bound to create mean mentality. Whenever, nationalism and patriotism are replaced by any borrowed system or an idealistic ideology; deceit, treachery, deterioration, and mean mentality is bound to raise its head.

Same was the case with Sub-continent. Britisher became the masters of fate and framers of our fortunes. Their words were laws they treated aborigines as third rate citizens and used to give exemplary punishments. Hence the hatred for them emerged and took the form of movement for freedom from alien masters. It gained much impetus, reaction and rebellion which became order of the day. They were the creations by constant struggles of some freedom fighters, who were lovers of the land and well-wishers of the compatriots. Here I will describe the sacrifices and part played by the freedom fighters of Sindh. Some of them are: Maulana Taj Mahmood Amroti, Maulana Mohammed Sadiq of Khadah, Maulana Obedullah Sindhi, Shaikh Abdul Majid Sindhi, Maulana Abdul Karim Chisti, Maulana Din Mohammad Wafai, Jan Mohammad Junejo, Allah Bux Soomro, Shah Mardan Shah I, Hakim Fateh Mohammad Sehwani etc... Though Britishers were able to find out traitors, who were purchasable entity. This degenerated group of people and their school had their dens in some cities viz; Thatta, Sewistan and Shikarpur etc. But they were over shadowed by men of strong belief will and valour.

Presently, I would like to describe the life and services rendered by Maulana Taj Mahmood of Amrote Sharif.

Maulana Taj Mahmood S/o Syed Abdul Qadir was born in 1857, in a village “Diwano”, taluka Rohri. He got elementary education from his father. He learnt Persian at a Madressah in Pir-Jo-Goth. Maulana Abdul Qadir Panwhari taught him Arabic. Taj Mahmood was deeply influenced by his father. He acquired know and worldly wisdom from him. He was able to soften his wit and increase intelligence with the help & his father.

After some time, Taj Mahmood’s father died. The young man shouldered heavy responsibilities of his home, followers and Madressah. He imparted relations adoration to his followers.

It was time, when scholars and piousmen, were observing exercises for purification of souls. Thus contemplation, meditation, segregation and constant prayers were the methods applied for acquiring such solace and a guide, a saint or ’Murshed’, use;: to be a source of guidance. To achieve soul satisfaction, Taj Mahmood came to a village ’Bherchoondi’, near Daharki and got his thirst quenched through Hafiz Muhammad Sadiq, who guided him properly and directed him to go to his village and impart religious education there.

It is said that, Maulana Taj Mahmood was a simple man, but he believed in plain living and high thinking. His dress was very simple with turban on head. He used to remain in Mosque, most of the time busy in prayers, meditation and imparting religious education to his followers.

Maulana Taj Mahmood had seen life from different angles. He was living in such era, which was full of tension in the Sub-continent and the suburban areas. Britishers made their grip of rule firm through treachery and the policy of divide and rule among the local people. They enhanced the actions towards tyranny and high-handedness. The people were fed-up from their cruelty. Hence the movement against them was launched in the Sub-continent. Maulana Obedullah Sindhi, ’Imam-e-Inqilab’ and many other top-ranking leaders were in the fore-front and Taj Mahmood played the part of their lieutenant and close associate. He joined hands with them in almost all the movements and Amroti became the centre of political awakening and Taj Mahmood played a leading role in Reshmi Roomal Tehreek ’Silk-kerchief movement’. Thus he was called upon by the ruling junta.

Maulana Taj Mahmood was the pioneer of the ’Non-cooperation’ movement, which was supported by Congress. Thus he toured the Sub-continent and addressed many gatherings. His personality and qualities of head and heart won for him much pomp and dignity and that is why Maulana was considered to be one of the top-ranking leaders of sub-continent.

There are many aspects of his life. He was not only a well-informed and shrewd politician, but he was a well-read man, a religious scholar and man of letters. He has rendered valuable services in imparting education. He took start from a madressah at Amroti and raised it to an institution, where knowledge combined with the qualities of Patriotism, love and respect for people was taught. Wisdom was the final semester, which was necessary to achieve, otherwise degree was of no use. Thousands of disciples were studying there and Amrote became the centre and prominent place of enlightenment in Sindh.

Maulana Taj Mahmood translated holy Quran in Sindhi and used to deliver lectures too. This was a tremendous task and was of paramount importance. Thus he stands in line with Shah Waliullah, who had translated holy Quran in Persian and became popular. Similarly Taj Mahmood became popular in his people.

Maulana Taj Mahmood was aware of the needs of his people. He knew the importance of books. Thus he established a press for publication of books etc. He edited monthly journal, “Akhwan-ul-Muslmeen’’. In this way, he joined the field of Journalism and worked in it successfully.

One cannot forget the social services of Maulana Taj Mahmood. The people of his days were the victims of whims and believed in man-made stories of strange nature. Their faith was week. Maulana Saheb, taught them lessons of ’Unity of God’, preached to them the sanctity of human beings. He stressed on self-reliance, self help and labour. His message was full of love for people and land.

The literary contribution of Maulana Taj Mahmood is worthy of praise. His translation of holy Quran in Sindhi is a rood precedent of Prose. Its language is simple, straight forward, so that every body can follow it. Maulana’s contribution towards Sindhi poetry can be divided into two parts. First part is in praise of God and Holy Prophet (PBUH). The second part contains nationalistic tendency, which is again remarkable. His book of rhymed poetry, ’Yousif Zulekha’, is famous in literary circles. Maulana has bitterly criticized the people of mean-mentality, who were purchasable entities and played at the hands of foreign; masters. He has exposed them before common people because they were hungry of power and ran after chairs. The literary services of Maulana are still lying un-heeded. They need proper attention because his contribution is quite large.

The political career of Maulana Taj Mahmood is of paramount importance. His political career took start from the movement of ’Silk-Kerchief’. He had rendered tremendous services during this period. He arranged the flight of Maulana Obedullah Sindhi to Afghanistan and remained in constant touch with him. When this movement failed due to treachery of some local elements and the problem of ’Khilafat movement’, emerged Maulana played leading role in it.

Maulana Taj Mahmood was the propounder of theory of ’Non-Cooperation’, which gained much impetus later-on, when League-Congress joined hands. These were the days when, ’Hijrat movement’, and the movement of ’Tarak-Mawalat’, (boycott of every thing) emerged, Maulana was found on the forefront. When the popular resolution of ’Hijrat movement’ was passed at Khilafat Conference in Jacobabad, Maulana was in the presidential chair. It was he, who got the resolution passed.

Maulana Taj Mahmood, was not only the leader of Khilafat movement, but he was one of the founder members of “Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind”. He was present when the Jamiat was formed in its first meeting. Maulana Taj Mahmood, in addition to the politics of Sub-continent, whole heartedly participated in the movement of “Separation of Sindh” from Bombay presidency. It was he, who got the resolutions passed in the meetings of ’Khilafat movement. But it was irony of fate that Maulana could not see the fruits of his hard labours in the form of separation of Sindh, as well as flight of foreign white masters, because life could not last longer. This was a brief survey of political services of Maulana which require much time and study.

Thus the entire life of Maulana Taj Mahmood is a lesson of constant struggle against foreign userpers. In his last days, he fell and illness lingered on. It is said that he was served with poison by his enemies treacherously, and due to its effect, Maulana became weak and that weakness went on increasing day by day and at last on 5th November 1929, Maulana Taj Mahmood breathed his last in his village, Amrote. This closed the chapter of the life of a devout Muslim and staunch freedom flightier of Sindh.  

(Dr. Badar Ujan is a noted Sindhi intellectual & a retired Civil servant).