Muhammad Yusuf Hashmi

Khan Bahadur Muhammad Yusuf Syed-Al-Hashmi (1887–1960; Sialkot, Punjab) was an educator who was involved with advancing English studies during British rule in India. He advocated for the study of multiple languages of both Western and non-Western origins with a particular emphasis on education and language proficiency. His efforts expanded educational access for Europeans in British India and Muslims in South Asia. Syed-Al-Hashmi also supported the Pakistan Movement in his writings and public statements.

Muhammad Yousaf Hashmi (Reformer and Leader of the Pakistan Movement)
محمد يوسف الهاشمي
Born	1887 Sialkot, Punjab
Died	1960 Lahore, Punjab
Alma mater	Forman Christian College
Occupation	Educator
Awards	University of the Punjab Gold Medal. British-Indian titles of Khan Sahib and Khan Bahadur

Early life and family

Hashmi was born into an old noble Muslim Syed family (Hashmi-Qureshi) in the Sialkot District, then part of British India. He received his early education at local schools and was proficient in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, Persian, and Hindustani/Urdu. Trained in religion, law, and community administration studies, as was traditional among the Muslim nobility, he belonged to a family with a long-standing tradition of public service. His relatives, prominent in Indian public life, lived throughout South Asia. These included Pir Syed Jammat Ali Shah (or Pir Syed Jamaat Ali Shah) of Ali Pur Syedan (also called Alipur Sharif) in Sialkot District. The Hashmi-Qureshi families of central and southern Punjab trace their roots to the Middle-East and regions across Central and South Asia.

Career

Hashmi earned his M.A. in English from Forman Christian College in Lahore, graduating First-Class and securing First position at the University of the Punjab. He completed his English and Arabic studies in 1909. Offered teaching positions at Forman Christian College, Punjab University, and Aligarh Muslim University, he chose his alma mater at the invitation of Dr. J. C. R. Ewing.

After a brief tenure there, he joined the Indian Education Service and moved to Calcutta—then the seat of the British Government of India and a major educational and cultural hub. He taught English, Bengali, Hindi/Urdu, and Arabic at Madrasa 'Aliya, established by Warren Hastings in 1781, and lectured at the University of Calcutta. He also served as the superintendent of Baker Hostel, mentoring future leaders including members of the Suhrawardy and Bogra families, and others, who later took over the reins of power from the British.

He became the first Indian appointed principal of Madrasa 'Aliya, one of the earliest modern institution of higher education in British India. At the request of his students, colleagues, and friends including A. K. Fazlul Huq—then Mayor of Calcutta, later Chief Minister of undivided Bengal and statesman who would move the Pakistan Resolution—he remained in Calcutta by joining the Bengal Senior Education Service. He continued to serve there until his retirement in 1943.

In recognition of his services to education, the British Government of India and the Crown conferred upon him the titles of Khan Sahib and Khan Bahadur.

After retiring in 1943, Hashmi returned to Sialkot and dedicated himself to the Pakistan Movement. He became a trusted advisor to academic, social, and political leaders of the time and played a key consultative role in the 1944 Sialkot Convention, which gave the All India Muslim League a definite lead in undivided Punjab. In the process, together with friends in Punjab, he founded the Jinnah Islamiyah College (later the Government Jinnah Islamiyah College^[1]) in the city in 1951. He was appointed the first principal of the college by the board of trustees. He accepted this appointment but declined the salary offered as principal, saying his British pension was enough for his needs. He continued to serve the college through much of the 1950s.

Later years

Upon completing his tenure as principal of Jinnah Islamiyah College (later Government Jinnah Islamiyah College^[1]), Hashmi moved to Lahore, where he resided until he died in 1960.

Writings

Muhammad Yusuf Hashmi mostly wrote Islamic law books, textbooks, and teaching materials for English, Arabic, and Persian studies at Madrasa 'Aliya and the University of Calcutta. A book translated by Khan Bahadur Muhammad Yusuf Syed-Al-Hashmi and Maulvi Wilayat Husain, The Fatwa-i-Qazi Khan, is one of the ^[2] Islamic law books on the topics of marriage, dower, divorce, legitimacy, and guardianship of minors. These books had wide adoption in Bengal and many other modern institutions of higher education in British India, leading to new legislation and educational policies in many Islamic countries.