Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari, also known by his pseudonym Shah Jee, was an Indian politician, independence activist, Muslim scholar and religious leader of the former undivided India under the rule of the British Empire in India. He was one of the founders and leaders of the Majlis E Ahrar Ul Islam. He was also a founder of Majlis E Ahrar Ul Islam, also known as Majlis E Ahrar E Islam or simply as Ahrar, was an Indian conservative Sunni Muslim political party that existed during the rule of the British Empire in India. The party played a significant role in the Indian political scenario before to the Partition of India. He evoked substantial anti British feelings amongst the Indian Muslims.
Early Life of Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari
Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari was born on 23 September 1892 in Patna, British India. He initially received religious education from Gujarat and was taught the Holy Quran from his father Hafiz Syed Ziauddin. When he was 22 years old, Bukhari went to Amritsar in the year 1914. After the completion of his education, he remained associated with the Deoband School in the district of Saharanpur.
Career of Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari
Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari started his career as a religious preacher in a minor mosque in Amritsar, Punjab and taught the sacred Quran. He began his political career in the year 1916. He was considerably influenced by the massacre at Jallianwalla Bagh in 1919, which had escalated mutinous feelings within him. Bukhari delivered an inspiring speech at the Khilafat Conference which was held in December 1919 at Amritsar. As the initial step of his political career, Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari actively participated in the activities of the Indian National Congress Party at Calcutta (now Kolkata) in the year 1921. There also he delivered a motivating speech. Within a short period of time, Ata Ullah Shah gained much popularity amongst Indian revolutionaries and became a well known and eminent political leader. He was arrested on 27 March 1921 because of his anti British speeches.
Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari believed in acquiring national independence through the non violent and constitutional means. He toured the nation as an emissary of Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) as an active member of the Indian National Congress Party. Later he established the Majlis E Ahrar Ul Islam, also known as Majlis E Ahrar E Islam or the Ahrar Party, along with Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Maulana Mazhar Ali Azhar, Maulana Habib Ur Rehman Ludhianvi, Master Taj Uj Din Ansari, Chaudhry Afzal Haq and Sheikh Hissam Ud Din in 29th December 1929. As Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari played a significant role in the Indian freedom struggle, he was chosen as the Ameer E Shariat by the chief religious figures in the year 1930. He was also the founding father of Majlis E Ahrar Ul Islam, which was an Indian nationalist Muslim political movement.
Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari died on 21 August 1961 at the age of 69 in Multan, Pakistan.
