Maulana Muhammad Ismail Zabeeh (1913 – September 27, 2001) was a Pakistani writer, speaker, historian, and journalist who was prominent in the Pakistan movement during the British Raj. He was the leader of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam.
Early Life and Education
Zabeeh came from a well-educated Hazara family. In 1913, he was born in Gwalior, British India, to Maulana Ghulaam Yahya Hazarvi. He studied under a number of historical figures. They featured two well-known students of the famous Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi.
Zabeeh attended his father’s institution while he was in his early teens. At the age of 13, he was learning Arabic at the Darul Uloom of Deoband when his father summoned him to Jamia Illahiyaat in Kanpur. Later, he proceeded to Jamia Millia in Delhi to study under Dr. Zakir Husain.
Efforts for the Pakistan Movement
His wit and journalistic talent drew the notice of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who selected him to manage the All India Muslim League’s publicity campaign in the 1946 elections. Because of his efficient and compelling public relations effort in support of Muslim League candidates, they won nearly all 67 Muslim seats in Uttar Pradesh. He also campaigned for Liaquat Ali Khan’s victory, which the latter acknowledged during his address to a large crowd in Kanpur.
Journalistic Career
His journalistic career began in his teens and lasted until his death at the age of 87. In his early teens, he was involved with ‘Bombay Punch’ (a comical magazine), ‘Paishwa’, and ‘Maulvi’ in Delhi, as well as the monthly ‘Arif’. He covered the ‘Kanpur Riots’ in 1930 when he was 17 years old. In 1938, he was also the publicity secretary of the All India Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. When its president, Ameer-e-Shariyat Maulana Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari, was arrested in 1939, Zabeeh took over as president of the All India Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. In 1941, he began publishing the ‘Qaumi Akhbar,’ an Urdu-language daily that quickly rose to prominence as the principal voice of the Muslim uprising against the British in the Muslim battle for a free state. Along with Mr. Raees Ahmed, he co-founded the Urdu-language daily ‘Khursheed’ in Karachi in 1947. In 1949, he launched his first English-language daily, the ‘Voice of Sindh’, from Hyderabad. He founded the Urdu-language newspaper ‘Anjam’ in 1954, which eventually evolved into ‘Mashriq’ in the 1960s and for which he served as chief editor.
Works
- Quran-e- Kareem ke inqilbai faisley (The revolutionary judgements of the Holy Qur’an)
- Barr-e-sagheer main musalmanon ke urooj-o-zawaal ka aik aaina (A reflection of the rise and fall of the Muslims of subcontinent)
- Arthshastra – Kautilya Chankiya ke ramooz-e-siyasat aur hukumraani
- Islamabad – Aik Manzil-e-Muraad
- Islamabad – maazi, haal aur mustaqbil (Islamabad – past, present and future)