Today, our country is facing various problems, where unemployment, inflation and depreciation are making the country's economic situation worse and worse, there due to the differences among the Muslims, the union of the Ummah-e-Muslimah is being scattered, because of which the anti -Muslim forces seem to be getting successful in their motives. There is scope for disagreement in Islam but it is forbidden to quarrel and fight, as Allah says in His Holy Quran: Do not fight among yourselves, or else you will become cowards and your dignity will fade. (Surat Al-Anfal 46) Today, some forces are using every tactic to humiliate Islam and Muslims and every conscious person is aware of it. Therefore, we all have a responsibility to confine our differences to the expression of truth or the research for truth.  We should try to mend the union of Muslim ummah instead of scattering it.

Recently, when Maulana Arshad Madani, President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, met Mohan Bhagwat, the head of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), some of the so-called Muslim leaders, on account of their personal differences with Maulana Arshad Madani, started criticizing him, whereas Maulana Arshad Madani neither secretly met him nor did he resolve any matter during his meeting with Mohan Bhagwat, but he only tried to talk to Mohan Bhagwat to maintain the Hindu-Muslim unity and to stop the aggressions on the Muslims. Of course, we have a strong disagreement with the past of the RSS, but in the current situation of the country, the victory lies only in the Hindu-Muslim unity.  In a country like India, through proper conversation, major issues can be resolved, so it is imperative that our scholars and intellectuals go forward to offer their services to end the years of hatred between Hindus and Muslims.

For nearly 100 years, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has been offering numerous services to the Indian people, especially the minorities. On this occasion, let's get some information on this great organization of Indian Muslims

It was about 100 years before that the Indian Ulama proposed to set up a strong and effective platform on the instruction of Shaikhul Hind Maulana Mahmood Hasan Deobandi, the father of the Silk Letter Movement, first student of Darul Uloom Deoband and the founder of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi to free the country from the British Imperialism. The primary motive of the organization was to launch a shared struggle for independence of the country, apart from solving the religious, social and political problems of the India Muslims. The organization established on November 19, 1919 was named Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and Mufti Kifayatullah was elected its first president.

The members of this oldest and largest organization of the Indian Muslims exceed millions in number. There are countless state and local branches of this organization all over the country. Jamiat Ulama rendered matchless sacrifices for the independence of the country till 1947 – that counts a period of 28 years. Jamiat Ulama, along with Congress, set the country free from the British in 1947 with joint efforts and sacrifices of Hindu and Muslims. The roll of Jamiat in the freedom struggle is indeed unforgettable. The anti-Muslim and anti-national elements are trying the put the sacrifices of the Muslims and especially Ulama during the freedom struggle under the carpet. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the educated people to acquaint the new generation with the sacrifices of the Muslims in the struggle for freedom. They should be taught that we have equal right over this country, that it was the Muslims who ruled this country before the British occupation, and that the dream of the freedom of India could not come true without Muslims.

After the independence of India in 1947, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind refrained from the politics of parliament and assembly and devoted itself to the educational, welfare, reformative and preaching activities. It does not really mean that the Jamiat wanted to keep the Muslims away from the politics. The fact is that the Muslims, after independence and partition of India, remained in minority. So, Jamiat thought that the majority community would unite itself and defeat the Muslims on every front if the Muslims formed a separate political party like “Muslim League” and participated in the elections. It was, therefore, necessary to ponder over the matter with cool mind and provide the Muslims with religious training as well as educational strength and welfare. Far-sightedness was more prudent than working emotionally, as it would not only make them practicing Muslims but also equip them with modern education. Furthermore, it would give a necessary representation of Muslims in the parliament as well as not let the anti-Muslim elements achieve success in their agenda.

Since the independence of India, for almost 72 years Jamiat has truly represented the Indian Muslims and always emphasized on a positive approach. The biggest problem of Muslims after partition was to protect their faith, as a considerable number of Muslims had migrated from some states of northern India to Pakistan. On such occasion, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad said: If you successfully protected the faith of Muslims, you really did a great service in India. Thus, Jamiat made every effort to remove the educational decline of Muslims. It did not only pay heed to the religious education of Muslims but also it has been providing the poor students with the opportunity to acquire modern education in the universities by giving them scholarships.

It constructed hundreds of houses and arranged the living facilities for the victims of communal riots in the rural areas of Muzaffar Nagar and Shamli districts of Uttar Pradesh. Jamiat is always seen in the forefront to help the victims of flood, storm, earthquake or other natural calamities in any region of India. Other welfare organizations of Muslims also make efforts to solve the problems of Muslims in the country. There are hundreds of innocent Muslims behind the bars and without economical facilitates to hire experienced and expert lawyers. But providing counsel to such victims is indeed a matchless service of the Jamiat. There are hundreds of innocent people who got released from the prisons after a long period, thanks to the continuous efforts of Jamiat.

The Indian Muslims faced different circumstances, when the BJP took over the country. Everyday a new issue is raised so that the Muslims remain caught with those issues and may not tread on the path of success. One day there is the issue of Vande Mataram and the issue of Suriya Namashkar on another day. One day, there is a call to declare the Muslims as terrorists, another day; there is the effort to usurp the biggest seat of learning for Muslims by ending the minority status of the Aligarh Muslim University. Sometimes, the clouds of doubt float on the madrasas which undoubtedly played a pivotal role in the freedom struggle; some other times, the Muslim youths are arrested on the suspicion of their alleged association with numerous terrorist organizations. Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind has no match in its legal fight for the innocent Muslims youths. The Ulama should, as it is a dire need of time, lead the Muslim community to the right path instead of spending their precious talents on disputed issues. Along with the religious education, the Muslims should also be trained as much as possible in the modern educations and their social problems should be solved. If a Muslims youth, Alim, Islamic centre or educational institute is targeted, we should put our ideological differences aside and the strongly confront the anti-Muslim and anti-national elements. The welfare of the Muslims lies in the security of the country. We must always remember that “united we stand, divided we fall”.

In short, the yeoman’s services of the Jamiat for 28 years before the independence of the country, and its 72 years educational, reformative and welfare services after the independence are remarkable. Fighting for the innocent youths behind the bars with the help of expert and renowned lawyers and bearing all the expenses over it is such a unique service of the Jamiat which, according to my knowledge, does not have any example throughout the country. Numerous books have been written on the seventy nine year services of the Jamiat. This short article is too short to cover all those services. The millions of the members of this Muslim organization scattered around the country may defeat the anti-Muslim elements if they organize themselves under the leadership of the able Ulama for the cause of the Muslim Ummah.

At last, I would like to pray that the leaders of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind reunite and sacrifice their life, property and time the same way as our elders like Mufti Kifayatullah, Maulana Ahmad Saeed Dehlavi, Shaikhul Islam Maulana Husain Ahmad Madani, Maulana Hifzur Rahman Seoharvi and others did. Maulana Muhammad Ismail Sambhali, great freedom fighter, and grandfather of this humble writer and one of the early spiritual heirs to Maulana Madani also rendered remarkable services under the umbrella of the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind.