Intro
Mohamed Barakatullah Bhopali, known with his honorific as Maulana Barkatullah (7 July 1854 – 20 September 1927), was an Indian from Bhopal and a British agent.
In 1854, Barkatullah was born on 7 July, at Itawra mohalla, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, India. He fought from outside India, with fiery speeches and revolutionary writings in leading newspapers, for the independence of India. He did not live to see India independent.
In 1883, Maulana Barkatullah was last seen in Bhopal in January and both biographers speculate that he got into trouble because of his association with Sheikh Syed Jamaluddin Afghani, a pan-Islamist in the crosshairs of the British Raj. He had apparently followed Afghani to Bombay and made his way to England. He spent the rest of his life meeting fellow revolutionaries, cutting across class, race and nationalities.
In 1891 (Apr), the Liverpool Daily Post of Mon, Apr 20, 1891 ·Page 7, reported about the First Moslem Marriage in England. The pseudo-Muslims in Liverpool represent the center of Islam in England. The mosque at Woking is also mentioned and described as simply lodging for college students. Mr. W.H. Quilliam, a well known lawyer is the leader and there seem to be 50 members. All white converts. Maulvi Mohammed Barkatullah was there too. The minister of Education for Armenia was there too, a man named Mohammed Ubeid Ullah. The Ottoman consul general was there too, a man named Mr. D. Mavrogordato. The marriage ceremony was read by Mr. Rafiuddin Ahmad.
In 1894 (May-25), in the “Voice of Islam” newspaper, it is reported that Nafeesa M.T. Keep was elected as secretary of the “American Muslim Brotherhood”. The election was held in the reading room of “The Moslem World Co.”, No. 30 East 23d St. NY. Nafeesa M.T. Keep is also on the “Board of Publications”. The Vice President is C. Omar MacCoun, the Librarian is Ahmed Hamouda, the assistant librarian is R. Othman White, the Treasurer is H. Ali Lewis. H. Ali Lewis is also on the “Board of Publications”, as well as C. Omar MacCoun and R. Othman White. On the Advisory Board are 3 people, E. A. Arnold, H. Fatima Peabody and Khaled D. Hutchins (See Aug-1894 edition of the “Voice of Islam”). James S. Laidlaw has an essay and short poem in this edition of the “Voice of Islam” (Aug-1894 edition). H.A. Lewis is also the “Business Manager” of the “Voice of Islam” and “American Moslem Brotherhood”. Interestingly, a mission in Lahore is discussed called the Anjuman-i-Islam wherein young boys are being taught, this is called the Islamic College. The Nawab of Bahawalpur has given money for orphan boys and via the “Anjuman-i-Himayat-e-Islam“. Many books are listed for sale, a book by Haji Abdullah Browne entitled, “The Evidences of Islam” (from London). Barkatullah also has a book for sale, entitled, “Eleven Months’ Mussulman Work at Hyderabad (Deccan), India, as well as a book by G.W. Leitner (of the Woking Mosque), entitled, “Mohammedanism”. Webb‘s book, “Islam in America” is the most expensive book, $50 for 75 pages. “Education and Literature of the Women of Turkey” by Senorita Esmeralda Cervantes, for $15. A book by Goolam Muhammed bin Hajee Hafiz Sadek Randeri, entitled, “The Touchstone of Philosophers”. There is also a book by Shaikh Faizullah-bhai (Fellow of the University of Bombay and headmaster of the “Anjuman-i-Islam” schools), entitled, “A Moslem Present”, for $35, this book is an anthology of Arabic poems about the Prophet and the faith of Islam. There is also a book entitled, “Al Bahsul-Jaleel” or “The Delhi Controversy” between Maulvi Sharful Haq Kadri Jalali, translated by S. Abdul Haq sahib and for $15. There is also a book for sale entitled, “The Hero as Prophet” by Thos Carlyle for $15.
In 1895, Maulana Barkatullah was invited by the British convert Abdullah Quilliam to work at the Muslim Institute in Liverpool. He subsequently taught at the Oriental College of University of Liverpool. He later distanced himself from the Muslim Institute over its style of functioning. While in England he came into contact with Indian revolutionaries at India House. In response to the then British Prime Minister Gladstone’s racist comments about India he launched a flurry of articles and speeches criticizing the policies. As a result his activities were severely restricted (See also Humayun Ansari, “Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali’s Transnationalism,” 187).
In 1899, Maulana Barkatullah left for New York, at the insistence of Muslim scholar and activist Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb. In his six-year stint in New York he churned out a prolific number of articles related to Islam and India which were published in Webb’s The Muslim World and also in mainstream newspapers such as the Forum. To earn an income he taught Arabic. He developed contacts with the Indian community in other cities of US and Canada and sought to instill the revolutionary spirit in them. While in America he kept in touch with fellow revolutionaries in India and had a scholarly exchange with the poet and nationalist leader Maulana Hasrat Mohani. In these letters he stressed on the need for Hindu-Muslim unity in the freedom struggle. He became a founder member of the Ghadr Party started by the Indians in San Francisco.
In 1908, Mohammed Alexander Webb seems to be working on organizing another “Parliament of Religions” conference (will be held at Unity Church). Webb is scheduled to speak on July-19, it will open on July-5. Webb’s speech is entitled, “The Message of Mohammedanism to the World of Today. Professor M. Barkatullah is also scheduled to speak on Aug-16 about the “The Esoteric Teachings of the Sufees” (See The Montclair Times of Sat, Jun 27, 1908 ·Page 1). Prof. M. Barakatullah Maularie (Maulawai?) was described by Prof. Gottheil of Columbia University as “the first cultured, Indian born Muslim that ever came to America”.
In 1909, Maulana Barakatullah reached Japan and was appointed a professor of oriental languages at the University of Tokyo. He brought out a journal The Islamic Fraternity which was known for its anti-colonial content. After its suppression he brought out another newspaper by the name of El Islam which was banned in British India. As a result of his activities his appointment at the university was terminated in 1914. This, however, did not unnerve Maulana Barakatullah. He treated the world as his playground and moved his activities elsewhere.
In 1913 (May), G. D. Kumar had sailed from San Francisco for the Philippines and had written from Manila to Tarak Nath Das: “I am going to establish base at Manila (P.I.) forwarding Depôt, supervise the work near China, Hong Kong, Shanghai. Professor Barakatullah is all right in Japan”. (Ker, p. 237).
In 1914, the name of Dr Barakatullah is mentioned in a few places in Ahmadiyya and Ahmadiyya-related literature of the time when he was alive. There is an article in The Islamic Review, July 1914 (See pages 273-275)by a Muhammad Barakatullah entitled ‘Islam in Japan’, which clearly is by him. See also the editor’s note at the end of the article. It reminds me that I have also read elsewhere in Urdu Ahmadiyya literature that Dr. Barakatullah is propagating Islam in Japan. He is also mentioned in “Islam in Interwar Europe” by Clayer and Germain, it is also on the Ahmadiyyafactcheckblog. It is obvious from the above article that he was in communication with Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din. However, I don’t know if he ever met Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The writer of the letter is Mirza Daud Baig. He was the older son of Dr Mirza Yaqub Baig, the well-known prominent follower of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and a founding member of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman. Mirza Daud Baig returned to India a couple of years later and spent most of the last years of his life in Turkey, having married a Turkish woman while still in India (He was also my wife’s maternal uncle, so we personally know some details of his life).
He was also Prime Minister of first Provisional Government of India established at Afghanistan in 1915.
In 1926, Maulana Barakatullah returned to the US with a renewed effort to attract Americans to Islam. During this time he allied himself with Marcus Garvey, the Pan-Africanist freedom-fighter;
In the Lahore Ahmadiyya English magazine The Light a letter was published in the issue for 8 December 1927 in this connection written by a member of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement from San Francisco who looked after Maulvi Barakatullah in his dying days. I have made it available at this link. He arrived at the Yugantar Ashram, the Ghadr Party’s headquarters in San Francisco and was pleased with its work. He then proceeded to Marysville where he was destine to give his last public speech. Throughout this trip his constant companion was Raja Mahendra Pratap who was himself not keeping well and aging. According to Mahendra Pratap’s autobiography the Maulana last words were: “I have been sincerely struggling all my life for the independence of my country. Today, when I am leaving this world, I have regret that my attempts did not succeed. But at the same time I am also satisfied that hundreds and thousands of others have followed me who are brave and truthful…With satisfaction I place the destiny of my beloved nation in their hands.” He arrived at the Yugantar Ashram, the Ghadr Party’s headquarters in San Francisco and was pleased with its work. He then proceeded to Marysville where he was destine to give his last public speech. Throughout this trip his constant companion was Raja Mahendra Pratap who was himself not keeping well and aging. According to Mahendra Pratap’s autobiography the Maulana last words were: “I have been sincerely struggling all my life for the independence of my country. Today, when I am leaving this world, I have regret that my attempts did not succeed. But at the same time I am also satisfied that hundreds and thousands of others have followed me who are brave and truthful…With satisfaction I place the destiny of my beloved nation in their hands.”
In 1988, Bhopal University was renamed Barkatullah University[1] in his honour.
In this video Dr. Fanusie explains how Ahmadiyya created the Nation of Islam. At 2:40 seconds, she says that Master Fard Muhammad was sent to America on a secret underground Lahori-Ahmadi assignment in 1930. In another video she talks about the same thing, that Lahori-Ahmadis created Elijah Muhammad, at the 4:41 mark. Check out Yasir Qadhi explaining how Ahmadiyya infiltrated the USA in the 1930’s herein (17:35 timestamp). Check out my essay on Malcolm X and the Ahmadiyya Movement herein. Check out my tiktok with combined clips herein.
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1854
Mohamed Barakatullah Bhopali, known with his honorific as Maulana Barkatullah (7 July 1854 – 20 September 1927), was an Indian revolutionary from Bhopal. Barkatullah was born on 7 July 1854 at Itawra mohalla, Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, India. He fought from outside India, with fiery speeches and revolutionary writings in leading newspapers, for the independence of India. He did not live to see India independent.
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1883
https://www.ilmgate.org/mawlana-barakatullah-an-indian-muslim-revolutionary-in-america/
In 1883 Maulana Barkatullah disappeared mysteriously from Bhopal and ended up in Bombay where he enrolled himself in Wilson High School in Khetwadi. Despite being a mature student he did not mind attending the elementary grades. At the insistence of a certain Mr. Scot he began taking private lessons in English from him in return for teaching Urdu. Within three years he was proficient enough to qualify for the university entrance examination.
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1887
https://www.ilmgate.org/mawlana-barakatullah-an-indian-muslim-revolutionary-in-america/
In 1887, Maulana Barkatullah went to London and served as a private tutor teaching Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. He himself learned German, French, and Japanese.
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1891
https://ahmadiyyafactcheckblog.com/2024/03/24/the-shah-jahan-mosque-in-woking-was-ahmadi-controlled-until-the-1970s/
In 1891 (Apr), the Liverpool Daily Post of Mon, Apr 20, 1891 ·Page 7, reported about the First Moslem Marriage in England. The pseudo-Muslims in Liverpool represent the center of Islam in England. The mosque at Woking is also mentioned and described as simply lodging for college students. Mr. W.H. Quilliam, a well known lawyer is the leader and there seem to be 50 members. All white converts. Maulvi Mohammed Barkatullah was there too. The minister of Education for Armenia was there too, a man named Mohammed Ubeid Ullah. The Ottoman consul general was there too, a man named Mr. D. Mavrogordato. The marriage ceremony was read by Mr. Rafiuddin Ahmad.
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1894
May-25
Aug-1894 edition of the “Voice of Islam”
In 1894 (May-25), in the “Voice of Islam” newspaper, it is reported that Nafeesa M.T. Keep was elected as secretary of the “American Muslim Brotherhood”. The election was held in the reading room of “The Moslem World Co.”, No. 30 East 23d St. NY. Nafeesa M.T. Keep is also on the “Board of Publications”. The Vice President is C. Omar MacCoun, the Librarian is Ahmed Hamouda, the assistant librarian is R. Othman White, the Treasurer is H. Ali Lewis. H. Ali Lewis is also on the “Board of Publications”, as well as C. Omar MacCoun and R. Othman White. On the Advisory Board are 3 people, E. A. Arnold, H. Fatima Peabody and Khaled D. Hutchins (See Aug-1894 edition of the “Voice of Islam”). James S. Laidlaw has an essay and short poem in this edition of the “Voice of Islam” (Aug-1894 edition). H.A. Lewis is also the “Business Manager” of the “Voice of Islam” and “American Moslem Brotherhood”. Interestingly, a mission in Lahore is discussed called the Anjuman-i-Islam wherein young boys are being taught, this is called the Islamic College. The Nawab of Bahawalpur has given money for orphan boys and via the “Anjuman-i-Himayat-e-Islam“. Many books are listed for sale, a book by Haji Abdullah Browne entitled, “The Evidences of Islam” (from London). Barkatullah also has a book for sale, entitled, “Eleven Months’ Mussulman Work at Hyderabad (Deccan), India, as well as a book by G.W. Leitner (of the Woking Mosque), entitled, “Mohammedanism”. Webb‘s book, “Islam in America” is the most expensive book, $50 for 75 pages. “Education and Literature of the Women of Turkey” by Senorita Esmeralda Cervantes, for $15. A book by Goolam Muhammed bin Hajee Hafiz Sadek Randeri, entitled, “The Touchstone of Philosophers”. There is also a book by Shaikh Faizullah-bhai (Fellow of the University of Bombay and headmaster of the “Anjuman-i-Islam” schools), entitled, “A Moslem Present”, for $35, this book is an anthology of Arabic poems about the Prophet and the faith of Islam. There is also a book entitled, “Al Bahsul-Jaleel” or “The Delhi Controversy” between Maulvi Sharful Haq Kadri Jalali, translated by S. Abdul Haq sahib and for $15. There is also a book for sale entitled, “The Hero as Prophet” by Thos Carlyle for $15.
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1895
https://www.ilmgate.org/mawlana-barakatullah-an-indian-muslim-revolutionary-in-america/
(See also Humayun Ansari, “Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali’s Transnationalism,” 187).
Maulana Barkatullah was invited by the British convert Abdullah Quilliam to work at the Muslim Institute in Liverpool in 1895. He subsequently taught at the Oriental College of University of Liverpool. He later distanced himself from the Muslim Institute over its style of functioning. While in England he came into contact with Indian revolutionaries at India House. In response to the then British Prime Minister Gladstone’s racist comments about India he launched a flurry of articles and speeches criticizing the policies. As a result his activities were severely restricted (See also Humayun Ansari, “Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali’s Transnationalism,” 187).
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1899
https://www.ilmgate.org/mawlana-barakatullah-an-indian-muslim-revolutionary-in-america/
In 1899, Maulana Barkatullah left for New York, at the insistence of Muslim scholar and activist Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb. In his six-year stint in New York he churned out a prolific number of articles related to Islam and India which were published in Webb’s The Muslim World and also in mainstream newspapers such as the Forum. To earn an income he taught Arabic. He developed contacts with the Indian community in other cities of US and Canada and sought to instill the revolutionary spirit in them. While in America he kept in touch with fellow revolutionaries in India and had a scholarly exchange with the poet and nationalist leader Maulana Hasrat Mohani. In these letters he stressed on the need for Hindu-Muslim unity in the freedom struggle. He became a founder member of the Ghadr Party started by the Indians in San Francisco.
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1908
The Montclair Times of Sat, Jun 27, 1908 ·Page 1
In 1908, Mohammed Alexander Webb seems to be working on organizing another “Parliament of Religions” conference (will be held at Unity Church). Webb is scheduled to speak on July-19, it will open on July-5. Webb’s speech is entitled, “The Message of Mohammedanism to the World of Today. Professor M. Barkatullah is also scheduled to speak on Aug-16 about the “The Esoteric Teachings of the Sufees” (See The Montclair Times of Sat, Jun 27, 1908 ·Page 1). Prof. M. Barakatullah Maularie (Maulawai?) was described by Prof. Gottheil of Columbia University as “the first cultured, Indian born Muslim that ever came to America”.
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1908
July
The Montclair Times of Sat, Jul 04, 1908 ·Page 5
On Aug-16, Prof. Muhammed Barakatullah is giving a speech on “The Message of Sufeeism” (See The Montclair Times of Sat, Jul 04, 1908 ·Page 5).
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1908
July
The Montclair Times of Sat, Jul 11, 1908 ·Page 1
On Aug-16, Prof. Muhammed Barakatullah is giving a speech on “The Message of Sufeeism” (See The Montclair Times of Sat, Jul 11, 1908 ·Page 1).
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1908
The Montclair Times of Sat, Aug 15, 1908 ·Page 5 and page 8
In 1908 (Aug), the Montclair Times of Sat, Aug 15, Page 5 reports that Prof. Barakatullah will speak at tomorrow’s session of “Parliament of Religions”. Prof. Barakatullah is a devoted follower of the Bab, the forerunner of Bahaullah, whose coming the Bab foretold and of Abbas Effendi, the son and follower of the great Baha’ Ullah.
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1908
The Montclair Times of Sat, Aug 22, 1908 ·Page 5
In 1908 (Aug), the Montclair Times of Sat, Aug 22, 1908 ·Page 5, reports that a speech was given at the 7th session of “Parliament of Religions”. Professor M. Barkatullah’s speech was on “The Esoteric Teachings of the Sufees”. Professor M. Barkatullah is described as an “Eminent East Indian”. In a strange twist, Barkatullah seems to be a member of Bahaism.
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1908
The Montclair Times of Sat, Oct 17, 1908 ·Page 7
In 1908 (Oct), the Montclair Times of Sat, Oct 17, 1908 ·Page 7 reports that Professor Muhammed Barakatullah, Maulvie of India will lecture on the subject of “The Fulfillment of Expectation in the Bahai Revelation”. This will happen at the residence of Mr. C.H. Edsall, 61 South Fullerton avenue, Sunday, October 18, at 3:30 p.m.
______________________________________________________________________________________________1909
https://www.ilmgate.org/mawlana-barakatullah-an-indian-muslim-revolutionary-in-america/
In 1909, Maulana Barakatullah reached Japan and was appointed a professor of oriental languages at the University of Tokyo. He brought out a journal The Islamic Fraternity which was known for its anti-colonial content. After its suppression he brought out another newspaper by the name of El Islam which was banned in British India. As a result of his activities his appointment at the university was terminated in 1914. This, however, did not unnerve Maulana Barakatullah. He treated the world as his playground and moved his activities elsewhere.
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1913
In 1913 (May), G. D. Kumar had sailed from San Francisco for the Philippines and had written from Manila to Tarak Nath Das: “I am going to establish base at Manila (P.I.) forwarding Depôt, supervise the work near China, Hong Kong, Shanghai. Professor Barakatullah is all right in Japan”. (Ker, p. 237).
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1914
The Islamic Review, July 1914
Click to access islamicreview_191407.pdf
The name of Dr Barakatullah is mentioned in a few places in Ahmadiyya and Ahmadiyya-related literature of the time when he was alive. There is an article in The Islamic Review, July 1914 (see link)(See pages 273-275) by a Muhammad Barakatullah entitled ‘Islam in Japan’, which clearly is by him. See also the editor’s note at the end of the article. It reminds me that I have also read elsewhere in Urdu Ahmadiyya literature that Dr. Barakatullah is propagating Islam in Japan. He is also mentioned in “Islam in Interwar Europe” by Clayer and Germain, it is also on the Ahmadiyyafactcheckblog.
It is obvious from the above article that he was in communication with Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din. However, I don’t know if he ever met Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.
The writer of the letter is Mirza Daud Baig. He was the older son of Dr Mirza Yaqub Baig, the well-known prominent follower of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and a founding member of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman. Mirza Daud Baig returned to India a couple of years later, and spent most of the last years of his life in Turkey, having married a Turkish woman while still in India. (He was also my wife’s maternal uncle, so we personally know some details of his life.).
On 22 May 1914, Barakatullah returned to San Francisco with Bhagwan Singh (alias Natha Singh), the granthi (priest) of the Sikh temple at Hong Kong and joined the Yugantar Ashram and worked with Tarak Nath Das. With the outbreak of the War in August 1914, meetings were held at all the principal centres of the Indian population from Asia in California and Oregon and funds were raised to go back to India and join the insurrection : Barakatullah, Bhagwan Singh and Ram Chandra Bharadwaj were among the speakers. (Portland (Oregon) Telegram, 7 August 1914; Fresno Republican, 23 September 1914).
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1916
In Kabul, the Siraj-ul-Akhbar in its issue of 4 May 1916 published Raja Mahendra Pratap‘s version of the Mission and its objective. He stated: “His Imperial Majesty the Kaiser himself granted me an audience. Subsequently, having set right the problem of India and Asia with the Imperial German Government, and having received the necessary credentials, I started towards the East. I had interviews with the Khedive of Egypt and with the Princes and Ministers of Turkey, as well as with the renowned Enver Pasha and His Imperial Majesty the Holy Khalif, Sultan-ul-Muazzim. I settled the problem of India and the East with the Imperial Ottoman Government, and received the necessary credentials from them as well. German and Turkish officers and Maulvi Barakatullah Sahib were went with me to help me; they are still with me.”[This quote needs a citation] Unable to take Raja Mahendra Pratap seriously, Jawaharlal Nehru later wrote in An Autobiography (p. 151): “He seemed to be a character out of medieval romance, a Don Quixote who had strayed into the twentieth century.”
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1918
https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/a-mysterious-link-between-global-islam-india-and-the-russian-revolution/#google_vignette
In an essay on “Indian Freedom Fighters in Tashkent (1918–1922),” Dilorom Karomat notes that Pratap and Bhopali were among the first group of Indian nationalists to establish contact with the new Bolshevik government.
According to Karomat, “Lenin attracted Indian freedom fighters as his ideas greatly influenced the growing movement for independence in India. Lenin corresponded and had discussions with several prominent Indian revolutionaries like Mohammad Barkatullah (1859–1927) … and was well informed about campaigns of non-cooperation. India was seen by Lenin as one of the greatest countries of Asia, which would play a leading role in the fighting against imperialist colonial systems in the East.”
Maulana first met Lenin on November 23, 1918. On behalf of the Indian people, he presented Lenin with a walking stick made of sandalwood, and sought Lenin’s help in India’s freedom struggle.
Bhopali called Lenin “The Shining Sun,” and subsequently wrote several articles on him and his philosophy.
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1919
https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/a-mysterious-link-between-global-islam-india-and-the-russian-revolution/
After Emir Habibullah Khan’s assassination in February 1919, his son Amanullah Khan declared war on the British rulers. Soviet Russia indirectly supported Afghanistan in this war, and was the first country to establish diplomatic ties with it. Amanullah Khan sent for Bhopali, and appointed him the ambassador of Afghanistan to Russia.
Bhopali reached Tashkent in March 1919. Karomat notes that, according to the local newspaper, Ishtrokiun, Bhopali had met with the Emir of Bukhara first, which was seen as politically important and secret. The same newspaper published his “Address to All Muslims of Asia” (March 22, 1919), as well as “Bolshevik Ideas and Islamic Republic” (April 14, 1919).”
Karomat emphasizes that Pratap and Bhopali “met Lenin and discussed many issues related to obtaining freedom by India.”
According to Wajdi-ul-Hussaini, when Bhopali visited Moscow for the second time in 1919, he was given a rousing welcome. He held meetings with Lenin and sought his help in India’s freedom struggle. He quotes a compatriot of the Maulana on the May 7, 1919 meeting with Lenin asking Bhopali, “Which language should I speak in?”
Bhopali also used his time in 1919 to travel in the Volga region and visit several cities. Bhopal-based history enthusiast Rizwanuddin Ansari says a street in Ufa has been named in Bhopali’s memory: “Few people know of this street in Ufa. Lenin had sent the Maulana to Ufa as his special envoy to speak to the Bashkirs, the Muslim natives of Bashkortostan.” However, this street is today untraceable and no Russian source mentions it. Bhopali spoke at the Red Army Club on November 4, 1919, and the building that housed it now bears a memorial plaque.
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1920-1922
https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/a-mysterious-link-between-global-islam-india-and-the-russian-revolution/
The opening of the Tashkent Military School didn’t go down well in British circles. “The Times of London wrote in its issue of 16 January 1920 that the Bolsheviks had opened a large number of propaganda schools at Tashkent from where agents will be sent to India, China and all Muslim countries. This type of propaganda continued even up to February 1921 when the political school at Tashkent and the military training school for Indians had been wound up and Indian revolutionaries moved to Moscow,” Karomat noted.
With the closure of the Military School in May 1921, Tashkent ceased to be a Soviet-sponsored base for Indian freedom fighters.
Bhopali left Moscow in the summer of 1922 after he fell seriously ill. In a letter dated March 28, 1966, Mahendra Pratap tells Irfan that Bhopali had left for Berlin, where he stayed for some time on account of his ill health.
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1927
Click to access light-1927-dec8-barakatullah.pdf
https://www.ilmgate.org/mawlana-barakatullah-an-indian-muslim-revolutionary-in-america/
In the Lahore Ahmadiyya English magazine The Light a letter was published in the issue for 8 December 1927 in this connection written by a member of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement from San Francisco who looked after Maulvi Barakatullah in his dying days. I have made it available at this link.
He died at San Francisco in 1927 and buried at Sacramento City Cemetery California.
He arrived at the Yugantar Ashram, the Ghadr Party’s headquarters in San Francisco and was pleased with its work. He then proceeded to Marysville where he was destine to give his last public speech. Throughout this trip his constant companion was Raja Mahendra Pratap who was himself not keeping well and aging. According to Mahendra Pratap’s autobiography the Maulana last words were: “I have been sincerely struggling all my life for the independence of my country. Today, when I am leaving this world, I have regret that my attempts did not succeed. But at the same time I am also satisfied that hundreds and thousands of others have followed me who are brave and truthful…With satisfaction I place the destiny of my beloved nation in their hands.”
The November 1927 edition of the The United States of India (Vol. 5, No. 5) opens with an obituary for Maulvi Barkatullah, a prominent Gadar activist who died on September 12, 1927 in San Francisco. © South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA)
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https://www.ilmgate.org/mawlana-barakatullah-an-indian-muslim-revolutionary-in-america/
Mawlana Barakatullah: An Indian Muslim Revolutionary in America
By Ayub Khan
It was a hot summer night in 1927. An elderly and weak looking man entered a community hall in Marysville, California. The gathered crowd of over 800 Indians became ecstatic and greeted him with a thundering applause. Strings of sparkling tears rolled down the face of the elderly man. He went up to the stage and began speaking with his usual forceful delivery but suddenly stopped. He couldn’t utter a word. There were wails and sighs from the audience. The elderly man composed himself and smiled; it’s glow sent a cheer through the audience. But he did not speak. A voice that has shaken the corridors of British colonial authorities was soon going to be silent forever. This voice belonged to the great, but almost forgotten, hero of Indian independence movement Maulana Barakatullah Bhopali. Maulana Bhopali’s life is one full of dedication and service-a fiery journalist, a brilliant orator, an erudite Islamic scholar, a nationalist to the core, an author of several books, a polyglot who knew more than seven languages, a prime minister of India’s government -in-exile. He was all this and more.
Maulana Barakatullah passed away on his way to San Francisco on September 20, 1927 and was buried in the Old City Cemetery of Sacramento. His funeral was attended by Indian Americans of all religious persuasions and they hoped that the Maulana’s remains would eventually be transferred to India once it attains independence. But, alas, the wish remained unfulfilled and the Maulana rests in peace in a particularly beautiful section of this historic cemetery.
Maulana Barakatullah Bhopali was born somewhere between 1859 and 1861 in the princely state of Bhopal in India. His father Maulvi Muhammad Shujaat Ullah was a Madrassa teacher originally with meager resources and income. A bright student Barakatullah successfully completed his religious education at Madrasa-e-Sulaimaniya and qualified as an Alim in 1878. He served as a teacher at the same school from 1879-1880. He was able to utilize the intellectual milieu of princely Bhopal and was likely to have come in contact with the scholar-prince Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan Qanauji. He is also reported to have met the pan-Islamist and reformer Jamaluddin Afghani in 1882 and was much impressed of his ideas.
In 1883 he disappeared mysteriously from Bhopal and ended up in Bombay where he enrolled himself in Wilson High School in Khetwadi. Despite being a mature student he did not mind attending the elementary grades. At the insistence of a certain Mr. Scot he began taking private lessons in English from him in return for teaching Urdu. Within three years he was proficient enough to qualify for the university entrance examination.
He went to London in 1887 and served as a private tutor teaching Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. He himself learned German, French, and Japanese. He was invited by the British convert Abdullah Quilliam to work at the Muslim Institute in Liverpool in 1895. He subsequently taught at the Oriental College of University of Liverpool. He later distanced himself from the Muslim Institute over its style of functioning.
While in England he came into contact with Indian revolutionaries at India House. In response to the then British Prime Minister Gladstone’s racist comments about India he launched a flurry of articles and speeches criticizing the policies. As a result his activities were severely restricted.
He left for New York in 1899 at the insistence of Muslim scholar and activist Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb. In his six year stint in New York he churned out a prolific number of articles related to Islam and India which were published in Webb’s The Muslim World and also in mainstream newspapers such as the Forum. To earn an income he taught Arabic. He developed contacts with the Indian community in other cities of US and Canada and sought to instill the revolutionary spirit in them. While in America he kept in touch with fellow revolutionaries in India and had a scholarly exchange with the poet and nationalist leader Maulana Hasrat Mohani. In these letters he stressed on the need for Hindu-Muslim unity in the freedom struggle. He became a founder member of the Ghadr Party started by the Indians in San Francisco.
Maulana Barakatullah reached Japan in 1909 and was appointed a professor of oriental languages at the University of Tokyo. He brought out a journal The Islamic Fraternity which was known for its anti-colonial content. After its suppression he brought out another newspaper by the name of El Islam which was banned in British India. As a result of his activities his appointment at the university was terminated in 1914. This, however, did not unnerve Maulana Barakatullah. He treated the world as his playground and moved his activities elsewhere.
He accompanied the Turko-German Mission to Kabul in 1915 and joined Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi and Raja Mahendra Pratap to form the Provincial government of India. He served as the Prime Minister of the government-in-exile. In 1919 he met Lenin and sought his help in India’s struggle for freedom. Throughout the the early 1920s he travelled widely in Germany, France, and Russia organizing the expatriate Indian communities on the revolutionary path.
His 1927 visit was his second one to the New World and would prove to be his last. He was suffering from diabetes and had a host of other ailments but his love for the nation was such that he undertook the long journey from Germany along with long time friend and fellow revolutionary Mahendra Pratap. He arrived in New York in July 1927 and stayed at a hotel in Times Square. On 15th July 1927, he was given a reception by the Indian community at Ceylon Indian Inn on 49th Street. He also met the Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. The two also spoke at a joint gathering of African-Americans and Indians. He also travelled to Chicago, Gary, and several other cities of the Midwest renewing his links with the Indian and Irish communities among whom he had many friends.
He arrived at the Yugantar Ashram, the Ghadr Party’s headquarters in San Francisco and was pleased with its work. He then proceeded to Marysville where he was destine to give his last public speech. Throughout this trip his constant companion was Raja Mahendra Pratap who was himself not keeping well and aging. According to Mahendra Pratap’s autobiography the Maulana last words were: “I have been sincerely struggling all my life for the independence of my country. Today, when I am leaving this world, I have regret that my attempts did not succeed. But at the same time I am also satisfied that hundreds and thousands of others have followed me who are brave and truthful…With satisfaction I place the destiny of my beloved nation in their hands.”
Maulana Barakatullah Bhopali was an epitome of sincerity and dedication towards one’s nation. A die hard to the core he never married as he considered it be distracting from his duty to the freedom struggle. It is an irony that this legendary son of the Indian freedom movement is reduced to the margins of Indian history. His name doesn’t find a mention in the country’s text books nor does his portrait grace the famed halls of the Indian parliament. There is, however, a university named after him in his native Bhopal.
Maulana Barakatullah’s sojourns in America also testify to the long standing links which Indian Muslims have maintained with the new world. Contrary to popular perceptions Indian Muslims did not begin arriving in America in the 1960s but at least sixty years earlier. The registers of cemeteries across California will verify this fact.
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Links and Related Essay’s
Lahore Ahmadi tends to Maulvi Barakatullah in San Francisco in last days of his life in 1927
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTR74NrMu/
Who is Dr. Mirza Yaqub Beg (1872-1936)? The eventual Lahori-Ahmadi
Mohamed Barakatullah Bhopali – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Barakatullah_Bhopali
Mawlana Barakatullah: An Indian Muslim Revolutionary in America | IlmGate
https://www.ilmgate.org/mawlana-barakatullah-an-indian-muslim-revolutionary-in-america/
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