Choudhry Rahmat Ali facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rahmat Ali
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| رحمت علی | |
Rahmat Ali before 1953
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| Born | 16 November 1897 Balachaur, Hoshiarpur District Punjab, British India
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| Died | 3 February 1951 (aged 53) |
| Academic work | |
| Notable works | "Pakistan Declaration" |
| Notable ideas | Conception of "Pakistan" |
Chaudhry Rahmat Ali (born November 16, 1897 – died February 3, 1951) was a Pakistani nationalist. He was one of the first people to suggest creating the country of Pakistan. He is famous for coming up with the name "Pakistan" for a separate homeland for Muslims in South Asia. Many people see him as the person who started the Pakistan Movement.
Chaudhry Rahmat Ali made a very important contribution in 1933. At that time, he was a law student at the University of Cambridge. He wrote a special paper called "Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever?", which is also known as the "Pakistan Declaration".
This paper was sent to British and Indian leaders meeting in London. At first, his ideas were not popular. People thought they were just student ideas. But by 1940, Muslim leaders in the region started to agree with his vision. This led to the Lahore Resolution by the All-India Muslim League. The newspapers quickly called this the "Pakistan resolution."
After Pakistan was created, Ali came back from England in April 1948. He wanted to live in the new country. However, his belongings were taken, and the prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, asked him to leave. In October 1948, Ali left Pakistan with nothing. He passed away on February 3, 1951, in Cambridge. He was described as "poor, sad, and alone." Emmanuel College, Cambridge paid for his funeral because he had no money. Ali was buried on February 20, 1951, at Cambridge City Cemetery.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Rahmat Ali was born in November 1897. His family was Muslim and lived in the town of Balachaur. This area was part of Punjab in British India.
After finishing school at Islamia College Lahore in 1918, he taught at Aitchison College Lahore. Then, he went to Punjab University to study law. In 1930, he moved to England. He joined Emmanuel College Cambridge in 1931.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1933. He also got a Master of Arts (MA) in 1940 from the University of Cambridge. In 1933, he published his famous paper, "Now or Never." This was the first time he used the word Pakistan. In 1943, he became a lawyer from Middle Temple, London. He continued to publish many booklets about his ideas for South Asia until 1947.
His Vision for South Asia
Rahmat Ali was disappointed by the Partition of India in 1947. This event created two separate countries, India and Pakistan. He was sad about the many killings and people moving from their homes. He also felt that the way the land was divided was not fair.
What Was His Big Idea?
Rahmat Ali's writings helped a lot in the creation of Pakistan. He also suggested other names for Muslim homelands. For example, he called a Muslim area in the Bengal region "Bangistan." He suggested "Osmanistan" for a Muslim area in the Deccan. He even thought of "Dinia" as a name for all of South Asia, which would have different religions.
How the Name 'Pakistan' Was Born
In 1932, Ali moved to a house in Cambridge, England. It is believed that he wrote the word 'Pakistan' for the first time in one of the rooms there. There are different stories about how he came up with the name.
One friend said the name came to Ali when he was walking by the River Thames in 1932. He was with his friends Pir Ahsan-ud-din and Khwaja Abdul Rahim. Ali's secretary said he thought of the idea while riding on a London bus.
Sir Muhammad Iqbal said that Rahmat Ali visited him in London in 1930. Ali asked him what he would call the Muslim state Iqbal had suggested. Iqbal told him he would call it "Pakistan." This name was an acronym, meaning it was made from the first letters of different provinces.
On January 28, 1933, Ali shared his idea in a paper called "Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever?" The word 'Pakstan' referred to five northern areas of India. These were:
- Punjab
- Afghan Province (North-West Frontier Province)
- Kashmir
- Sindh
- Baluchistan
By the end of 1933, the name 'Pakistan' became well-known. An 'i' was added to make it easier to say (like in Afghan-i-stan). Ali also wrote that this new country would later join with other Muslim lands. These included Afghanistan, Iran, and Tukharistan. This showed the historical ties of Northwest India with West Asia.
The Meaning of the Name
In a later book, Ali explained the name in more detail. He said: 'Pakistan' is both a Persian and an Urdu word. It is made from letters taken from the names of our South Asian homelands. These are Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh, and Balochistan. It means the land of the Paks, which means the spiritually pure and clean people.
Some historians say that a journalist named Ghulam Hassan Shah Kazmi used the word "Pakistan" earlier. He used it for a newspaper in 1928. However, Chaudhry Rahmat Ali is still known for suggesting the name for the independent Muslim state in 1933.
Ali believed that the leaders at earlier meetings made a big mistake. They had agreed to the idea of an "All-India Federation." He wanted the 30 million Muslims in the northwestern areas to be recognized as a separate nation. He demanded that they get their own government.
Ali's writer, K.K. Aziz, said that Rahmat Ali wrote the "Pakistan Declaration" by himself. But he wanted others to sign it with him. It was hard to find people because many young Muslim students in England believed in "Muslim Indian Nationalism." It took him over a month to find three young men in London who would support and sign his paper.
Against "Indianism"
Rahmat Ali used the term "Indianism." For him, this meant focusing on the culture of "caste Hindus" as the main part of a single nation across the subcontinent. He believed that "Indianism" was a name for a state created by the British. He thought it was part of British rule.
He did not agree with the idea that "India" was one united country. Instead, he saw it as a large continent with many different nations, groups, and religions. He believed that Muslims, Sikhs, Marathas, and others were separate nations. He felt that "Indianism" forced them all together under one "All-India" label.
Rahmat Ali, Iqbal, and Jinnah
_with_Muhammad_Iqbal_(center),_Khawaja_Abdul_Rahim_(right)_and_a_group_of_other_young_activists_during_Iqbal_visit_to_England_in_1932..jpg)
Some experts say that Muhammad Iqbal did not suggest a fully independent Muslim state. Instead, they believe he wanted a large Muslim province within India. This province would combine Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, and Baluchistan. They argue that Iqbal never asked for the country to be divided.
On January 28, 1933, Chaudhry Rahmat Ali shared his ideas about 'Pakistan'. By the end of 1933, the word "Pakistan" became common. An "I" was added to make it easier to say.
In 1934, Chaudhry Rahmat Ali and his friends met Muhammad Ali Jinnah. They asked him to support the idea of Pakistan. Jinnah replied, "My dear boys, don't be in a hurry; let the waters flow and they will find their own level." This meant he wanted to wait and see how things would develop naturally.
Other Names and Maps He Suggested
Ali published several papers where he called himself the "Founder of the Pakistan National Movement." In these papers, he included maps of the subcontinent. He suggested different names for the new nations he imagined. Some of these names were Haideristan, Siddiqistan, Faruqistan, Muinistan, Maplistan, Safiistan, and Nasaristan. Safiistan and Nasaristan were proposed for areas in Sri Lanka.
In his maps, he sometimes called the Indian subcontinent 'Pakasia'. More often, he called it 'Dinia'. This name was an anagram of "India," meaning the letters were rearranged. Dinia would include Pakistan, Osmanistan (for Hyderabad Deccan), and Bangistan (for Bengal). He suggested that the former Muslim provinces in East India become Bangistan. This would be an independent Muslim state for Bengali, Assamese, and Bihari Muslims. He also proposed that the princely Hyderabad State become an Islamic kingdom called Osmanistan.
Ali even renamed the seas around the Indian subcontinent. He called the seas around Dinia the Bangian, Pakian, and Osmanian seas. These were his suggested names for the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean.
Life After Pakistan Was Created
Chaudhry Rahmat Ali was very important in the idea of Pakistan. However, he lived most of his adult life in England.
After the Partition of India and the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Ali returned to Lahore, Pakistan, on April 6, 1948. From the moment he arrived, he expressed his unhappiness with the new Pakistan. He was disappointed because Pakistan was smaller than what he had imagined in his 1933 paper. He criticized Jinnah for accepting a smaller Pakistan.
Ali had planned to stay in Pakistan. But the prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, asked him to leave. His belongings were taken from him. He left for England in October 1948 with nothing.
His Death
Ali passed away on February 3, 1951, in Cambridge. According to Thelma Frost, he was "poor, sad, and lonely" when he died. The Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Edward Welbourne, thought Ali might not have enough money. So, he made sure the College paid for the funeral.
He was buried on February 20 at Cambridge City Cemetery in Cambridge, England. The money for his funeral and medical costs was paid back by Pakistan's High Commissioner in November 1953. This happened after a long discussion between the London office and officials in Pakistan.
His Legacy
Pakistanis remember Rahmat Ali for creating the name "Pakistan." They also remember him for imagining a separate country for Muslims. Beyond that, his other ideas are not often discussed in detail.
Works
- Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever? (1933) – This is also known as the "Pakistan Declaration."
- What Does the Pakistan National Movement Stand For? (1933)
- The Millat of Islam and the Menace of Indianism (1942)
- The Millat and the Mission: Seven Commandments of Destiny for the 'Seventh' Continent of Dinia (1942) – In this book, he suggested calling the Indian subcontinent Dinia.
- Pakistan: The Fatherland of the Pak Nation (1947)
- Pakistan or Pastan? Destiny or Disintegration? (1950)
