হযরত খানবাহাদুর আহছান উল্লা (রঃ)
Monday 18 February 2013
হযরত খানবাহাদুর আহছান উল্লা (রঃ)
Service Life
Educational Reforms
Literary Achievements
Spiritual Life
Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah (R.) was an extremely pious man. In his spiritual quest, he received a good measure of attainment. In 1909, he received his spiritual bayat in the hands of the famous Hazrat Shah Gafur (r) of Patna and became a member of the Quaderia -Waresia Selsela. Today, he is revered by all as a very successful peer or saint. However, for the novelty of his perceptions, thoughts and religious beliefs, he could not be put in the same league with the other peers of the time. Rather than communication with his followers from the elevated position of a saint, he always emerged before them as a friend. He gave his admirers, followers and well-wishers the status of friends. His natural humility and spiritual radiance gave many people a new direction for leading a worthy and beautiful life. The remark of Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah (R.) stated below on the mutual relation between the saint and his followers, bears testimony to the clarity, wiseness and humbleness of his character: “The responsibility of the peer or the saint is to flourish and nurture the spiritual power of his followers. No saint can create spiritual power. He can only bring to surface, the power already bestowed on one by the Almighty. As friction on any iron substances could create fire, the Almighty has given in all human beings, a secret source of His own power. That power has to be attained through love and prayers. And, for this reason, there is the need for good teachers”.
Honours and Awards
The entire life of Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah (R.) was an exemplary one. He carried out the duties of his service life with utmost honestly and dedication. He was and honest, pious, sincere and responsible officer. For this, his works were always praised by the higher authorities. As a reward for his sincerity and honesty, he received quick promotions several times during his career and was placed in higher salary grades, overtaking the middle salary grades. For his contribution for the development of the Department of Education and as a recognition for his sincere and praiseworthy initiatives, he was conferred the “Khan Bahadur” title by the then government. He was also elected Senate and a Syndicate Member of the Calcutta University. No Muslim before him was bestowed these honorable posts. He also had a direct link with the literary circles and the literary movements of the time. During the years 1917-1918, he was the vice-president of the Literary Association of the Muslims in Bengal. “For his excellence in social work, his contribution in social and cultural fields, and especially, for his remarkable contribution in championing the cause of religion, the Islamic Foundation – Bangladesh award was bestowed on his posthumously in 1405 Hizri of the Arabic calendar”. Bangla Academy also awarded him an honorary fellowship for his “unique and versatile contribution in the field of Bengali literature”.
Contemporary Reactions
Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah (R.) lived for 92 years. He breathed his last on February 9, 1965. His departure only resulted in his bodily demise, but could do nothing to take away the name and fame, the contributions for which he will live eternally, he nearly touched the sun-rays of an entire millennium and made selfless contributions in creating the history of an entire century. Immediately after his death the Daily Azad (Magh 28, 1371 Bangla) wrote in his editorial: “Many creations of Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah (R.)’s action-packed life, will remain ever alive to the nation. …..the impact of the Muslim Education Movement had lived with him as the biggest inspiration till the last days of his life. This inspiration had developed in him, a serious interest to do good for the development of education, for the quest of religion and above all, for selflessly serving the Muslim population of the country. The fact that he was blessed with a long life and could spend every moment of that life in silently serving the cause of Islam and the Muslim people, was in itself, an act of blessing from the Almighty. With his death, an irredeemable void has been created in the society.” Abul Fazal stated in the commemorative publication on Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah: “ he was a thoroughly religious man. But by no means, he was a fanatic. He had deep erudition as far as theological subjects were concerned and his erudition has lent our literature richness and variety”. According to Professor Md. Mansuruddin: “He was courageous and a well-wisher of the society. Like the illiterate and fanatic mullahs or priests, he was never unkind and rough. He was always engrossed in the ecstatic love of the Almighty”. In assessing this saintly personality, Dr. Waqil Ahmed said: “It is my belief that the huge volume of writings left behind by Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah (R.) never fell short of sensible thoughts and deep insights into subject-matters. On the contrary, his thought-provoking essays were always in keeping with the intellectual and the idealistic demands of the time”. The comments presented below from an essay by the noted literary critic Dr. Abdul Mannan Syed can be considered as the most contemporary assessment on the man: “ In the awakening of Bengal and the rejuvenation of the Bengali Muslims, Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah emerged as a true renaissance-man who had reconciled the worldly and the spiritual on the palm of a single hand; succeeded to strike a balance between the worldly brilliance and the divine brilliance; ultimately gaining the eligibility to start his proud journey to receive the honor of the successful human being or Insan-ul-Quamel”. Top Excerpts from the books authored by Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah (R.):
1. “The follower (of a saint) who can surrender himself to the Almighty, can establish himself in a more elevated position than the saint. Therefore, to look down on one’s follower and take undue privilege from him, is an act of foolishness. The relation between the two is a divine one, not a worldly one. A follower takes the aid of a peer or a saint only to reach the Almighty. The saint, therefore, should always keep in mind that he is an emissary only, not the provider. He is an intermediary, not an authority”. .. Amar Shiksha –O – Diksha
2. “ Where ever we look at nature, we notice the enormous benevolence and the gifts of the Creator. The more science will go on unfolding the mysteries of nature, the more we will become aware about this gift and benevolence of the Creator. The creative process reflects the great kindness, power and enormity of the Almighty. The relation that Islam has with science, cannot be found in other relations” …..Islamer Daan
3. “The goal of the Almighty is the same for all times. He only wishes to see how mankind spreads the message of His greatness as His representatives on earth. With the evolution of time, faults and follies have found their ways into every religion. Al long last, Islam came as the only self-sufficient religion. People from all nations and communities have, therefore, embraced and skill is embracing the principles of Islam without any reservations. However, it totally prohibits the tendency to sneer at people from other religious faiths, communities and national identities. All the creations are the making of one benevolent Creator. Therefore, tolerance towards all should be considered one of the highest qualities of man”. ……Bibhinna Dharmer Upadeshaboli
4. “It is essential for one to follow the rules of religion to achieve refinement of the rules of religion to achieve refinement of the soul. For someone who wants to find out the relation between the immediate spirit and the eternal soul, who wants to feel the presence of the Almighty in all His creations, who wants to have a taste of the eternal life in this temporal world, who wants to engross into prayers whole-heartedly ---abiding by the principles of religion is essential for him”. ……Tariqat Shiksha
5. “The soul is like a shining mirror. Acts of sin robs the natural clarity of the soul and adds stigma to it. So, the divine-ray does not reflect on that mirror. Remorse, shame and repentance or tauba are the only remedies for the soul.” …..Sufi
6. “ The meaning of the world …Islam …..is surrender, endearment and peace. Muslims discard petty personal interests for the greater well being of the world. Through surrendering the self, a Muslim becomes one with the universal reality or the ultimate truth. A Muslim shows his love for the Almighty by serving Him. Islam dedicates the goods delivered by man for the well being of the universe. By discarding transitory happiness, Islam embraces perpetual happiness. By establishing worldly love, Islam makes its journey to the ultimate truth. Islam creates the condition for peace for the entire human kind”….. Islam O Adarsha Mahapurush
7. “It is a mark of greatness to be humble and show humility during exchange of words with others. The softer one’s heart is, the less harsh one’s words will be. Harsh words are the signs of arrogance. It is, therefore, a matter of great shame and ignominy when a truly religious person speaks to others harshly, looks down on others with disdain and resorts to cruelty and lies. A person who cannot lower his head in respect to other human beings, also cannot offer his heart in the court of the Almighty”. ….Bhakter Patra
8. Social service should ideally be the prime objective of literature. But unfortunately, violation of this aim is noticed on many occasions. Literature should be aimed at refining the taste, not corrupting the taste. With the help of literature, we have to clear the path of future development of out society”. ……… Bangabhasha O Mussalman Shahitya
9. Each one of you is lake a ruler and one day each of you will have to account for your actions as ruler. The monarch is a ruler and he shoulders the responsibility of his subjects. In the real life drama of the family, the person who lords over his family, will also be held accountable and made to answer on how well he looked after his family members. In the husband’s house, sometimes the wife is seen to emerge as the ruler and this will make her account for her deeds. Even the servant can sometimes become a ruler and he also has to account for the responsibilities that are vested on him”. ……Bangla Hadis Sharif
10. “One of the cardinal instructions of Islam is to establish or offer zakaat. It is instructed that the rich should help the poor by offering zakaat in the rate of 2.5 percent from his fixed income. This will help breed friendship, global fraternity, and along with it, promote global peace. Without sacrificing the heads of rich people to the sword or to the destructive powers of atoms, the rich should take the advantage of financially helping the poor and both should join together in harmony to develop this world. This is the aim of the Creator”. ….. Islam O Zakaat
11. “ Man can become the owner of undying wealth, provided he abides by the dictates of the Holy Quran. It has everything …. rules of religion, rules of society, rules of statesmanship, rules of education and rules of home-economics. Every alphabet, word and line of it is an expression of originality, which rejects dualism. It is an impressive combination of theology and philosophy. Every sentence of the Quran is thoroughly logical and conclusive. It provides solutions to the mysteries of the past, present and future”. ……Quraner Bani O Ekottobad
12. “Islam is a naturally easy religion, which is devoid of any complexities and compound scholastic references. Islam does not teach anything that goes beyond the intellectual faculty or the understanding of the average or the common man”. ….. Islamer Mahati Shiksha
13. “ Maya or longing is the main hindrance to reaching the source of the hidden power. Occasional longings put a tab on the regular source of power and strength. The Almighty has given all human being the essential hidden power. He wants that by exercising that hidden power given by Him, human beings come out victorious against the forces of worldly desires and longings. The creation of human desires and longings also testifies to the benevolence of the Almighty. If there were no testes or trails, then there would not have been any justification for crime and punishment, hell and heaven and the aim of creation would have remained incomplete. Every reward, therefore, entails a hard test. On the Day of Judgment, the Almighty will be present as the examiner to judge the rewards and the punishments, it is His wish”. …….Amar Shiksha O Diksha.
Source: Booklet written by Dr. Golam Moyenuddin and Published by Dhaka Ahsania Mission.
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