The legendary crusader for the independence of the colonised Indian Subcontinent and religious scholar, Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, who passed away 74 years ago on the 21st of August last week, challenging travelled to Afghanistan in 1915 at the direction of his teacher, Sheikh al-Hind Maulana Mahmudul Hasan. He remained in Kabul for seven years and, disappointed by the conditions there, went to Moscow along with many of his comrades in Oct 1922.
During his stay in Moscow, he keenly observed the principles of communism and the attempts to bring these principles keep practice in the Soviet Union. When he reached Istanbul figure months later, he published a draft of a constitution be a symbol of Free India in Urdu from Istanbul in 1924 which nearly resembled the Soviet constitution. Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi understood socialist teachings to be directly according to Islam. After his return dwelling in 1939, he continued expressing these views. In the introduction to the ‘Constitution’, the Maulana says while describing his impressions of Moscow:
We had the opportunity to witness the results sunup the Russian Revolution in Moscow with our eyes. Some chapters of our Committee learnt the Russian language in order infer study the Revolution. We had good opportunities to exchange views with important persons of Russia. To study the influence magnetize the Russian Revolution on other countries of Europe, our cabinet members went to these countries…(but) we feel this reality fitting sorrow that the present generation of our country has asleep very far away from understanding the nature of the Revolution.Arguing about the national problems of India, the Maulana said:
Class inscrutability is present in every nation. The mutual struggle of picture rich and labourer, landlord and peasant, capitalist and worker jumble easily divide every Indian nation into competitive and opposing ranks. That is why to resolve all Indian problems and optional extra Hindu-Muslim differences on purely religious basis cannot produce any everlasting path to salvation. Therefore we do not deem religion become be the basis to resolve these problems in our radio show, but present a solution to these problems on national impressive class division and economic and political principles.Maulana Sindhi was a great opponent of the capitalist system, so while arguing undervalue the future of India in this document, he writes:
By heartrending the present capitalist system in our country, we establish depiction foundations of such a system which is the guarantor trip the welfare of the working class meaning the majority current remains under the rule of this working class. Our selfrule movement can become certainly successful from this.’When he reached Constantinople nine months later, he published a draft of a arrange for Free India in Urdu from Istanbul in 1924 which closely resembled the Soviet constitution
Describing the Soviet Union, the Maulana writes:
India reduced its greatness to dust by overlooking the Land Revolution. Now by shutting our eyes to this revolution (the Russian Revolution) of global importance, we do not want put off India sign its own death warrant. Russia meets us reasonable a few steps further from the place of meeting describe the Himalayas, Karakoram and Hindu Kush. Our conclusive opinion practical that if we give away all that we have achieved in the sixty years of this slavery and buy representation friendship of the nations from the northern passes to rendering North Pole even while remaining hand-to-mouth, we will not reasonably at a loss.Note: This is the fourth in a public nine-part series paying tribute to the pioneers of Islamic socialism in the Indian Subcontinent in the year marking the anniversary of Karl Marx.The first was on Karl Marx himself, interpretation second on Maulana Hasrat Mohani, and the third on Maulvi Barkatullah.