Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf facts for kids

Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf (died 1902) was an important lawyer and landowner from Aligarh, a town in northern India. He was one of the first Indian Muslims to understand the big changes happening because of European colonialism. He believed that getting a modern, Western-style education was super important for Indian Muslims to succeed in the world back then.

His Family and Important Connections

Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf made sure his son, Abdul Majeed Khwaja, got the best English education. Abdul Majeed studied at Christ's College at the University of Cambridge in England. There, he became good friends with Jawaharlal Nehru, who later became the first Prime Minister of India.

Jawaharlal's father, Motilal Nehru, was also a lawyer and worked hard for India's freedom from British colonial rule. Motilal Nehru and Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf were close friends and colleagues. Abdul Majeed Khwaja later played a big part in India's fight for freedom. He was a trusted friend of Mahatma Gandhi, who is known as India's founding father. Abdul Majeed also helped start the Jamia Millia Islamia, which is now a major university. He passed away in 1962.

Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf was also very close to his relative and friend, Maulvi Samiullah Khan. Maulvi Samiullah was a smart scholar and later became a judge in Rae Bareilly, another town in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Supporting Modern Education

Both Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf and Maulvi Samiullah were strong supporters of Syed Ahmad Khan. Syed Ahmad Khan was a visionary who founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College. This college later became the famous Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.

Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf was very active in the Scientific Society. This group was started by Syed Ahmad Khan to translate Western books into Urdu language. Khwaja Yusuf also gave a lot of money to help the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College get started.

His nephew, Khwaja Abdul Hamied, was a chemist and a passionate Indian freedom fighter. He founded a very important Indian medicine company called CIPLA in 1935. This company makes medicines and is a big part of modern India.

Khwaja Muhammad Yusuf died in 1902. He was buried in his family's graveyard near the shrine of a Sufi saint named Shah Jamal, just outside Aligarh.