Shaikh Shahid Husain
Shaikh Shahid Husain | |
|---|---|
| شیخ شاہد حسین | |
 Husain in 1914 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 January 1878 |
| Died | died on or before September 1924 (aged 46) |
| Children | 6, including Attia and FS Hussain |
| Education | Canning College, Lucknow Allahbad University Pembroke College, Oxford (one term) |
| Christ's College, Cambridge (B.A., LLB with Honours) | |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  British Indian Army |
Years of service | 1918-1924 |
| Rank | Honorary Lieutenant |
Shaikh Shahid Husain[a] (8 January 1878 — died on or before September 1824) was an Indian barrister who was a Taluqdar of Gadia, an estate which paid Rs. 11,865 in land revenue, and served as the Municipal Commissioner of Lucknow. He was also a member of the All-India Muslim League.[7]
Early life
[edit]Shaikh Shahid Husain was born on 8 January 1878 to Waris Husain.[4] The family belonged to the Qidwai tribe which migrated from Rum in the 14th century and colonised 52 villages in Lucknow district and Barabanki district.[8] He came from one of the oldest Muslim families of Oudh.
After completing his Intermediate Examination at Canning College, Lucknow, Shaikh also studied at the Allahbad University. He resided for one term at Pembroke College, Oxford[2] in 1900, before proceeding to Christ's College, Cambridge,[9] earning a Bachelor of Arts and LL.B. with honours in 1903. He was called to the Bar the same year. After returning to India, he established a legal practice.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Husain married Nisar Fatima.[10] They had six children, three daughters including Attia and three sons. Their youngest child was Air Commodore FS Hussain.[11] Another son, Sheikh Reshad Husain (born 1911)[12] was also a barrister and served as the High Commissioner of India to Ceylon in 1947.[13]
Shaikh Shahid Husain was the uncle of Muneeza Shamsie's father, Isha'at Habibullah,[14] the first Pakistani to head a major multi-national corporation in Pakistan in 1961.[15]
Shaikh Shahid Husain was a Taluqdar of Gadia in the Barabanki District, an estate which paid Rs. 11,865 in land revenue. He was closely related to Munshir Husain Kidwai,[16] a founder of the Anjuman-i-Khuddam-i-Kaaba, a society formed to protect the Holy places of Islam from "non-Muslim aggression".[17]
Later life
[edit]Shaikh Shahid Husain was a prominent figure in British India and a close associate of Motilal Nehru.[18] He was also the chief representative of the Qidwai clan.[8]
In December 1904, he was involved in organising the Muslim Educational Conference in Lucknow, and received a gold medal for his zeal and work in the Conference.[19] By 1908, he was elected Honorary Joint Secretary of the British Indian Association, a position he held for years.[8] In March 1908, Husain was elected as a member of the All-India Muslim League.[20] In 1909, he led an agitation for a separate electorate for Muslims.[21]
He represented the Muslims of Oudh in the Local Legislative Council and was a member of various boards, including the Municipal Board of Lucknow, the Boards of Management of Canning College, Colvin Talukdars' School, and Medical College, as well as the Advisory Committee of the United Provinces. Additionally, he served as Director of the Upper India National Bank Limited, and the Baib & Wood Pulp Manufacturing Company, Limited, Lucknow.[8]
Husain received an honorary commission into the British Indian Army on 8 October 1918.[22] He was among several individuals granted the honorary rank of Second Lieutenant by King George V in 1919.[23] The same year, he was promoted to Lieutenant and was the 4,050th individual to be awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire.[24][25].
In 1924, the government assessed him as: "difficult to ascertain his real views. Is well educated and a fluent speaker and is possibly a conservative at heart. Is ambitious and if given office would come down definitely on the side of Government."[26]
Though British historian Francis Robinson claims that Husain was a Sunni,[26] he also wrote a book on Shia theology titled Luma (light), which had a commentary written on it by Sheikh Zainuddin in 1925.[27]
Death
[edit]He died in or before September 1924.[28][29]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Government Gazette: The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh · Part 8. 1909.
- ^ a b Biographical Register of Christ's College 1505-1905. Vol. 2. 1983.
- ^ The Pioneer Mail and Indian Weekly News. Vol. 47. 1920.
- ^ a b Henry Rivers Nevill, ed. (1904). "Bara Banki: a Gazetteer of the District Gazetteers of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh". Allahabad, Superintendent, Government Press.
- ^ "SPEECH BY A RANI". Vol. 49. The Pioneer Mail and Indian Weekly News. 15 July 1922.
- ^ Antoinette Burton (2003). Dwelling in the Archive: Women Writing House, Home, and History in Late Colonial India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-514425-3.
- ^ Shan Muhammad (1985). The Indian Muslims: A Documentary Record. Vol. 8.
- ^ a b c d e Second Supplement to Who's who in India. Newul Kishore Press, Lucknow. 1914. pp. 63–64.
- ^ "Growing Up in Gadia". 19 May 1991.
- ^ "Attia's Mother, Begum Nisar Hosain Kidwai". Retrieved 15 June 2026.
- ^ Azam Qadri (2014). Sentinels in the Sky: A Saga of PAF's Gallant Air Warriors. PAF Book Club. pp. 12–19.
- ^ His Imperial Majesty King George Vol-v (1937). Vol. 5. 1937.
- ^ "Attia Hosein (and others): Memories". 19 January 2013.
- ^ Muneeza Shamsie (2 January 2022). "Kakori kababs, pickles and a Lucknow heritage: Recalling a father's gastronomic adventures". Scroll.in.
- ^ "Investing in Pakistan's future". Dawn. 8 February 2011.
- ^ Mohamed Ali (1985). Mohamed Ali in Indian Politics Select Writings: 1906-1916. Royal Book Company.
- ^ Azmi Özcan (1997). Pan-Islamism: Indian Muslims, the Ottomans and Britain, 1877-1924. BRILL. p. 155. ISBN 978-90-04-10632-1.
- ^ Sue Kennedy; Jane Thomas (2020). British Women's Writing, 1930 to 1960: Between the Waves. Liverpool University Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-78962-762-6.
- ^ "Indian Education". J Nelson Fraser Gurukul Kangri Collection. June 1905. p. 321.
- ^ Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada (1970). Foundations of Pakistan. Vol. 1. pp. 26, 36.
- ^ Unpublished Letters of the Ali Brothers. Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli. 1979.
- ^ The Indian Army List. Defense Department. 1922.
- ^ The London Gazette. 25 March 1919. p. 3896.
- ^ The Indian and Pakistan Year Book. Vol. 9. 1922.
- ^ Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire. Vol. 80. 1921. p. 2780.
- ^ a b Francis Robinson (1975). Separatism among Indian Muslims : the politics of the United Provinces' Muslims, 1860-1923. pp. 400–401.
- ^ Statement of Particulars Regarding Books and Periodicals Published in the United Provinces. United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (India). Education Dept. 1925. p. 30.
- ^ The U. P. Legislative Council September Session 1924. The Indian Quarterly Register. 1924.
- ^ Shan Muhammad (1991). The Growth of Muslim Politics in India, 1900-1919. Ashish Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7024-418-9.