Rahat Indori Was Born
On this day, on 1 January 1950, poet and lyricist, Rahat Qureshi or Rahat Indori, was born.
Considered as a rebel poet, and a people’s poet, Indori performed in Mushairas for more than four decades, taking his audience on a magical journey. Indori taught Urdu at Indore University before going on to write lyrics for such Bollywood movies as Munnabhai MBBS, Khuddar, and Mission Kashmir.
The poem that Rahat Indori wrote some 40 years ago has become an anthem during the anti-CAA protests in 2019 and continues to be so in the communally charged times we live in. He passed away due to cardiac arrest on August 11, 2020, a day after he tested positive for Covid-19.
Emperor Ahmad Shah Dies
On 1 January 1775, Mughal emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur or Ahmad Shah Ghazi died in captivity.
Characterized as good-natured but incompetent, he was dominated by his queen mother and others. In 1754, he was blinded and deposed by the Marathas and their allies and lived the rest of his life in confinement.
King Alam Shah Was Born
On 1 January 1445, Alam Shah, the fourth and last ruler of the Sayyid dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate was born. Born Ala-ud-Din, he took on the name of Alam Shah (world king) upon ascension. But contrary to his name, he proved incapable, and abandoned his charge in 1448 and retired, making way for the Lodi dynasty.
Hamza Yusuf Was Born
On 1 January 1958, the American Islamic scholar Sheikh Hamza Yusuf was born. A convert to Islam, he is one of the foremost authorities on Islam outside of the Muslim world and is a proponent of classical learning in Islam. He is a co-founder and President of the Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California.
Naeem-ud-Deen Muradabadi Was Born
On 1 January 1887, Naeem-ud-Deen Muradabadi, also known as Sadr ul-Afazil, was a twentieth-century jurist, scholar, mufti, Quranic exegetic, and educator was born. He was most known for organising conferences, debates and door to door programmes, to counter the wave of re-conversions that was threatening the Muslim community in the wake of the Shuddhi movement. He successfully prevented around four hundred thousand re-conversions to Hinduism especially in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh and in Rajasthan.
Wahiduddin Khan Was Born
On 1 January 1925, Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan was born. Khan was the author of over 200 books on Islam and coexistence. He translated the Quran into Urdu which was subsequently translated into English. He was also the co-founder of Goodword books.
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