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Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah

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Muhammad Yusuf Shah
President of Azad Kashmir
In office
30 May 1956 – 8 September 1956
Preceded bySher Ahmed Khan
Succeeded byAbdul Qayyum Khan
In office
2 December 1951 – 18 May 1952
Preceded byAli Ahmed Shah
Succeeded byRaja Haydar Khan (acting)
Mirwaiz of Kashmir
In office
1931–1968
Preceded byMirwaiz Atiq Ullah
Succeeded byMirwaiz Maulvi Farooq
Personal details
Born(1894-02-19)19 February 1894
Rajauri Kadal, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
Died12 December 1968(1968-12-12) (aged 74)
Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityKashmiri
Political partyAll Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference
RelationsMirwaiz Maulvi Farooq (nephew)
Mirwaiz Atiq Ullah (uncle)
Alma materDarul Uloom Deoband

Mirwaiz Muhammad Yusuf Shah (19 February 1894 – 12 December 1968) was a religious leader and politician in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir during the British Raj. He served as the Imam (head priest) of the Jama Masjid in Srinagar, a position that is also known as the "Mirwaiz of Kashmir" (head of Islam in Kashmir).[1] He relegated the majority of his political career to opposing the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference of Sheikh Abdullah, including siding with Pakistan during the First Kashmir War. He moved to Azad Kashmir and eventually served as the president of Azad Kashmir.

Early life

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Yusuf Shah was born on 19 February 1894 (13 Shaban 1311 Hijri) at Rajauri kadal to Ghulam Rasool Shah.[2] In 1925, Shah started his education with Darul Uloom Deoband, where he was taught the hadith by Anwar Shah Kashmiri. In 1931, he succeeded Attiqullah as the mirwaiz of Kashmir.[3][unreliable source?]

Political career

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In 1932, Mirwaiz Muhammad Yusuf Shah was among the founding leaders of the political party All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference founded by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas.[1] However, after a year, conflicts occurred between Abdullah and Muhammad Yusuf Shah. By the time of the 1934 elections for the Praja Sabha (legislative assembly), Yusuf Shah had formed a separate party called "Azad Muslim Conference". The party contested five Muslim seats in Srinagar, against the Muslim Conference, and lost all of them.[4]

In order to expand the group, Abdullah wanted to allow people of other religions to join it. This was opposed by Muhammad Yusuf Shah who felt that he was "betraying the cause of the Muslims". Consequently, Abdullah founded the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. However the Muslims of Kashmir felt that it was a representative body of the Indian National Congress.[1][unreliable source?]

As a result, under the leadership of Muhammad Yusuf Shah, Muslim Conference entered into an alliance with the All India Muslim League and in July 1947, the party passed a resolution demanding the accession of the state of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan based on "geographic, economic, linguistic, cultural and religious conditions".[1][unreliable source?]

In 1947, Mirwaiz Muhammad Yusuf Shah went to exile in Azad Kashmir.[5] He has also been the president of Azad Kashmir twice, once in 1952 and another in 1956.[2] He also served in the ministry of education.[5]

On 12 December 1968, Mirwaiz Muhammad Yusuf Shah died at Rawalpindi.[5]

Literary works

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Shah wrote the first Kashmiri translation and exegesis of Quran.[6]

Legacy

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After Yusuf Shah's departure for Azad Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah appointed Moulvi Atiqullah as the Mirwaiz. Upon Atiqullah's death in 1961, Yusuf Shah's nephew Moulvi Mohammad Farooq was appointed as Naib Mirwaiz by Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad. After Yusuf Shah's death in 1968, Farooq became a full Mirwaiz.[3]

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that Yusuf Shah represented and supported the Kashmiri people's political desires.[7] He also said that contributions made by him are "unmatchable".[8] Farooq also said that he also opposed the split of the Muslim Conference and pleaded for the resolution of the Kashmir issue in Pakistan and at international level.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Mirwaiz Muhammad Yusuf Shah". Hindustan Times. 8 September 2002. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Mirwaiz Yousuf Shah". Lost Kashmiri History. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b Nabi, Daanish Bin (May 2014). "House of Mirwaiz". Kashmir Scan. Archived from the original on 30 September 2017.
  4. ^ Hussain, Sheikh Abdullah - A Biography (2016), p. 247.
  5. ^ a b c "Govt bars separatists from paying homage to Mirwaiz Muhammad Yousuf Shah". Rising Kashmir. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  6. ^ Rizwi, Syed Mehboob. "Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Shah Kashmiri Mir Waiz". Tarikh Darul Uloom Deoband [History of the Dar al-Ulum Deoband]. Vol. 2. Translated by Murtaz Husain F Quraishi (1981 ed.). Deoband: Darul Uloom Deoband. pp. 103–105.
  7. ^ "Rally to memorize Yousuf Shah". Kashmir Insider. Retrieved 21 June 2017.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Mirwaiz Vows to Continue Moulvi Yousuf Shah's Mission". Kashmir Life. 5 July 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Rally held to remember Mirwaiz Yousuf Shah". Pak Observer. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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  • Shams, Muḥammad Saʻīdurraḥmān (2011). Ḥurriyat-i Kashmīr ke tīn aham kirdār : Muhājir-i millat, Mīr Vāʻiẓ Maulavī Muḥammad Yūsuf Shāh, Shahīd-i millat Mīr Vāʻiẓ Maulavī Muḥammad Fārūq, Rahbar-i millat Mīr Vāʻiẓ Maulavī Muḥammad Fārūq. Srinagar: Idara Tasneef-o-Taleef, Mir Waiz. OCLC 774980489.