Abdul Haq (Urdu scholar)

Urdu scholar and linguist

For other uses, see Abdul Haq.

Baba-e-Urdu
Maulvi

Abdul Haq

مولوی عبد الحق

Maulvi Abdul Haq at the headquarters of Radio Pakistan

Born| 20 April 1870[1]

Hapur, North-Western Provinces, British India

Died| 16 August 1961(1961-08-16) (aged 91)[1]

Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

Resting place| Federal Urdu University (Abdul-Haq campus), Karachi[2]
Occupation(s)| Researcher, scholar and a literary critic
Era| 20th century
Organization| Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu
Known for| Compiling a Standard English-Urdu Dictionary
and a lifetime dedication to the promotion of Urdu language
Title| Baba-e-Urdu (lit. 'Father of Urdu')
Signature
Urdu literature
ادبیاتِ اُردُو

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Aligarh Movement

Notable ideas

* Muslim adoption of Western ideas
* Muslim identity
* Oxbridge model of education
* Advocacy of Urdu

Notable members

* Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
* Nawab Waqar-ul-Mulk Kamboh
* Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk
* Aga Khan III
* Sheikh Abdullah
* Raja Jai Kishan Das
* Sahibzada Aftab Ahmad Khan
* Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi
* Zakaullah Dehlvi
* Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf
* Abdul Majeed Khwaja
* Mahendra Singh of Patiala
* Mohammad Ali Mohammad Khan
* Muzammilullah Khan
* Ross Masood
* Ziauddin Ahmad
* Raja Sivaprasad
* Chiragh Ali
* Syed Mahmood
* Hasrat Mohani
* Shibli Nomani
* Altaf Hussain Hali
* Syed Ameer Ali
* Tufail Ahmad Manglori
* Thomas Walker Arnold
* Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan
* Zafar Ali Khan
* Shaukat Ali
* Mohammad Ali Jauhar
* Syed Nabiullah
* Sultan Jahan, Begum of Bhopal
* Abdul Haq
* Syed Sajjad Haider Yaldram
* Shah Muhammad Sulaiman
* Khwaja Salimullah
* Mian Muhammad Shafi
* Khwaja Ghulam Saiyidain
* Rafi Ahmed Kidwai
* Hamid Ali Khan of Rampur
* Sir Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh

Notable institutes

* Aligarh Muslim University
* MAO College
* Minto Circle School
* Scientific Society
* Educational Conference
* United Patriotic Association
* Urdu Defence Association
* Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu
* All India Muslim League
* Siddons Union Club
* Jamia Millia Islamia
* AMU Students’ Union
* Maulana Azad Library
* Khuda Bakhsh Oriental library

Publications

* The Aligarh Institute Gazette
* Tehzeeb-ul-Akhlaq

Associated Movements

* Urdu movement
* Khilafat Movement
* Pakistan Movement

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Maulvi Abdul Haq (Urdu: مولوی عبد الحق) (20 April 1870 – 16 August 1961) was a scholar and a linguist, who some call Baba-e-Urdu (Urdu: بابائے اردو) (Father of Urdu). Abdul Haq was a champion of the Urdu language and demanded for it to be made the national language of Pakistan.[3][1]

## Early life

[edit]

He was deeply influenced by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan's political and social views, and, following his wishes, learned English and scientific subjects. Like Syed Ahmad Khan, Haq saw Urdu as a major cultural and political influence on the lives and identity of the Muslims of India.[4]

In the same year, he was appointed secretary of the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference, which had been founded by Sir Syed in 1886 for the promotion of education and intellectualism in Muslim society. Sir Syed founded the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu in 1903 in Aligarh with Thomas Walker Arnold as its first president and Shibli Nomani as the first secretary. In 1912 Haq was appointed as the secretary of the Anjuman. Under him, the organization flourished and published a number of magazines, notably Urdu, launched in January 1921, Science, in 1928, and Hamari zaban:ہماری زبان, in 1939.[5] During this period he also served as the Principal of Osmania College (Aurangabad) and retired from that position in 1930.[1]

## Educational and political activities

[edit]

Haq was a scholarly critic who provided criticisms of modern Urdu works and encouraged his students to develop literary skills and appreciation of Urdu.[citation needed] Following his retirement from Osmania University in 1930, Haq worked to compile and edit a comprehensive and authoritative English-Urdu dictionary.[1]

## In Pakistan

[edit]

In 1948, Haq migrated to Pakistan.[5] In the wake of migration and the accompanying riots in 1947, much of his property, especially valuable manuscripts, papers and books were lost.[citation needed] However, some of the material which he brought to Pakistan is kept in the Urdu Dictionary Board library.[1]

The ordeals of partition and the migration also adversely affected Abdul Haq's health.[citation needed] He re-organised the Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu in Karachi, launching journals, establishing libraries and schools, publishing a large number of books and promoting education in the Urdu language and linguistic research in it.[5] Abdul Haq's work especially helped preserve the distinct "Old Urdu" linguistic and literary traditions of Hyderabad, known as Hyderabadi Urdu.[6] He also used his organisation for political activism, promoting the adoption of Urdu as the lingua franca and sole official language of Pakistan.[3]

## Death

[edit]

Despite illnesses and failing health, Haq continued to promote the active use of Urdu as a medium for all educational activities.[citation needed] He pushed for the creation of an Urdu College in Karachi,[7][3] the adoption of Urdu as a medium of instruction for all subjects in educational institutions and worked to organise a national Urdu conference in 1959. Suffering from cancer, Haq died after a prolonged period of incapacitation on 16 August 1961 in Karachi.[1]

## Baba-e-Urdu's publications

[edit]

For his achievements in the development and promotion of Urdu literature, he is officially regarded as Baba-e-Urdu.[citation needed] His best known works include the English-Urdu dictionary, Chand Ham Asar:چند ہم عصر, Maktoobat: مکتوبات, Muqaddimatمقدمات, Tauqeedat, Qawaid-e-Urdu:قوائد اردو and Debacha Dastan Rani Ketki. The Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu remains an important intellectual organisation in Pakistan. Held in high esteem amongst the intellectuals, educationalists and scholars in Pakistan, Haq is praised for his work in promoting Muslim heritage and Urdu as a unifying medium for Pakistani Muslims.[8][3]

## Commemorative postage stamp issued in 2004

[edit]

In recognition of his services to Urdu literature, Pakistan Post issued a Commemorative stamp in his honor on 16 August 2004 in its 'Men of Letters' series.[1]

## See also

[edit]

* Jamiluddin Aali
* Sahar Ansari
* Josh Malihabadi
* Anjuman-i Taraqqi-i Urdu

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Profile and commemorative postage stamp of Baba-e-Urdu: Maulvi Abdul Haq". Pakistan Post website. 31 August 2004. Archived from the original on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
2. ^ "FUUAST marks 57th death anniversary of Maulvi Abdul Haq". The News International newspaper. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
3. ^ a b c d "Homage paid to Baba-e-Urdu on his 55th death anniversary". Dawn newspaper. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
4. ^ S Krishna Bhatnagar (1969) History of the M.A.O. College, Aligarh. Asia Publishing House.
5. ^ a b c "Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu — the movement lives on". Dawn newspaper. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
6. ^ M Yusuf Abbasi (1992). Pakistani Culture: A Profile. National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research. ISBN 969-415-023-X
7. ^ It became a predecessor of Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology
8. ^ M Ayub Khan (1961). Speeches and Statements. Pakistan Publications.

## External links

[edit]

* Works by or about Abdul Haq at the Internet Archive

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