Maulana Shafi Dawoodi

Maulana Shafi Dawoodi

        Maulana Shafi Dawoodi was born on 27 October 1875 in Dawood Nagar (Muzzafarpur, Bihar). Your father’s name was Mohammad Hassan Dawoodi. After passing his matriculation from his local school, he took admission in Calcutta University for higher education in 1895, from where B.A. After that he got a degree in law and started advocating in Calcutta itself.

        You used to be deeply troubled by the new types of atrocities that are happening every day under the British rule. In 1917, Mahatma Gandhi had a meeting with the lawyers of Calcutta, where you were also present.

        You asked many questions to Gandhi ji in connection with the independence of the country, after listening to the answers of which you decided immediately and left the practice and joined the Indian National Congress. Your participation in every movement from 1917-1920 was high.

        The Khilafat and non-cooperative movements of 1920 were held in the entire Bihar state under your supervision, which were very successful. In October 1920, when the State Congress Committee was elected, Maulana Dawoodi was elected as the member of the Congress Committee of the province. You formed Quami Seva Dal and Charkha Committee in Bihar on the call of Gandhiji.

        You also started a campaign to boycott foreign clothes and use Khadi. You were arrested in this movement and spent two years in jail.

        In those days, Motilal Nehru and Chittaranjan Das formed the Congress Swaraj Party after separating from the Congress. You also started working with the same people.

        Maulana Dawoodi was elected a member of the Central Legislative Assembly and won in 1924 and 1927.

        After the Nehru Report came in 1928, you resigned from the Swaraj Party and formed the All India Muslim Conference along with Janab Fazle Hasan Sahab. You brought out a weekly Newspaper called Ittahad, through which you propagated and spread the National Movement. He was a member of the Central Council from 1928-1935.

        He went to London with Maulana Shaukat Ali in the Second Round Table Conference of 1931. Later in 1937 Majlise moved to Ahrar and contested the elections, but lost. After losing the election, you separated from the politics of the party and started your advocacy and started giving time to social and educational work, but at the time of partition you did not allow Muslims to go to Pakistan.