Bahadur Yar Jung (3 February 1905 – 25 June 1944) was an Indian politician and the foremost Muslim leader in the princely state of Hyderabad in British India.

He founded All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and the branches of Khaksars in Hyderabad and was known as a powerful religious preacher. In 1938, he was elected the President of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, a position in which he served till his death.

Syed Abul A'la Maududi and the Nawab

Syed Abul A'la al-Maududi's first encounter with Bahadur Yar Jang was at the Hyderabad Educational Conference in 1929. Maududi said about him:<blockquote>"When I listened to his speech on this occasion, I was not even aware of his name. Before too long in the course of his speech, I realized that I am facing a man different from the ordinary speakers. His organized thoughts, coherent statements, choice of appropriate words and their well-timed use peppered with good literary taste combined to impress me immediately. Upon asking around in the audience I was told that this was Navab Bahadur Khan, a jagirdar (landholder). On hearing his class background, I was even more impressed. Knowing the feudal class of Hyderabad, I did not expect such a great speaker with pure thoughts and wide knowledge to emerge from that class."</blockquote>Despite this, Maududi disassociated himself from the Nawab's Majlis-e-Ittehad as he found "no benefit in their method of work" and was also critical of him saying that:<blockquote>"There definitely are some good qualities in Bahadur Yar Jang, but his mind is not clear yet. He [sometimes] raises the voice of the Caliphate of God, [sometimes] he is with the Khaksars and the Muslim League. Sometimes he is involved in Haydarabadi non-Haydarabadi disputes."</blockquote>Bahadur Yar Jang wrote a letter in 1938, expressing his appreciation for Maududi's activities and regretted that Maududi did not bid him farewell before the latter's departure to Punjab. a prominent resident of Hyderabad. His wife's name was Talmain Khatoon. He had two brothers: Nawab Mohammed Mandoor Khan Sadozai and Nawab Mohammed Doulath Khan Sadozai. Nawab Mohammed Mandoor Khan’s three sons (Nawab Mohammed Naseeb Khan, Nawab Mohammed Bahadur Khan and Nawab Mohammed Adil Khan). His grandson Nawab Mohammad Moazam Khan s/o Nawab Mohammed Naseeb Khan is an Bahadurpura constituency MLA since 2004-2023 from AIMIM party which was founded by Nawab Bahadur Yar Jung.

Commemorations

  • Bahadurabad, a neighbourhood of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, is named after Bahadur Yar Jung.
  • City of Karachi, Pakistan also has Bahadur Yar Jung Library and Bahadur Yar Jung Academy named after him.

See also

  • Bahadurabad

References

Bibliography

  • Biography of Bahadur Yar Jung
  • When the Nizam Wept
  • Hyderabad 1948 Revisited — Was Kashmir A Mistake? by India Defence Consultants (archived 31 March 2005)
  • An English translation of Saadat Hasan Manto's 'Mera Sahib' (archived 19 February 2006)