The main purpose of the Islamic Movement has been the emergence of a virtuous group. Here potentialities based on taqwa, not personalities, matter much. Every pearl of the Movement is equally important and precious. However, brief profiles of a few of those who are no more in this mortal world are being presented here just to get apprised of their worth emulating activities.
Maulana Akhtar Ahsan Islahi
(1901-58)
Maulana Akhtar Ahsan Islahi, one of the selected minds of the Jamaat, was born in 1901 at Amlo Chakia in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. He was educated at Madrasatul Islah. He was one of the chosen pupils whom late Maulana Hamiduddin Farahi trained in the last phase of his life. Later on, he was appointed a teacher in the said Madrasa where he worked with sincerity and devotion. He joined the Jamaat-e-Islami in 1942 and since then participated in the activities of the Jamaat with utmost sincerity and foresight. After the Partition, when the Jamaat-e-Islami in India was yet to be reorganised, he was proposed to be appointed its Ameer. But he, in his turn, proposed the name of his pupil, Maulana Abul Lais Islahi Nadvi. He remained a member of the Central Advisory Council of the Jamaat till death. He died on October 9, 1958.
V.P. Muhammad Ali
Maulana Alhaj V.P. Muhammad Ali belonged to the famous Malabar region in Kerala. He was an Alim-e-Deen, equally versatile in the Urdu language. He was the only Keralite who knew Maulana Maudoodi through the Tarjuman-ul-Qur’ān. Maulana Muhammad joined the Jamaat in 1945. He was very active and energetic. By the time he attended the first All India Ijtema at Darul Islam, Pathankot in 1945, he had already translated the Risala Diniyat and the Salamti Ka Rasta into Malayalam. By 1946, When the Islamic Publishing House, Eram Biliam, Trevor, South Malabar was founded by the Jamaat under his supervision, he had translated several booklets, prominent among being Khutbat. In 1946 he attended the second All India Ijtema of the Jamaat at Allahabad.
He was appointed Qayyim of Malabar by Maulana Maudoodi, the then Ameer-e-Jamaat. Malabar at that time comprised three regions: Malabar, Cochin and Qasimgod. He had his peculiar way of Dawah. He used to constitute small groups, mainly of Ulema, into study circles and convince them. Till 1947 he was the only member of Jamaat from Kerala. By 1948, Jamaat strength in Kerala increased to 5 members, 9 rufaqua, 15-20 ummidwars. Out of five members, three were Ulema. By 1948, Islam Ka Muashi Masala, Iqtisadi Nizam, Islam aur Jahiliyat, Khutbat, and Islam ka Siyasi Nazariya had already been translated into Malayalam. He was one of the 42 members who participated in the meeting of Jamaat’s reconstruction in 1948. He was a member of the Central Shoora in 1948 and continued to be so till 1959. He died in 1960.
Anisuddin Ahmed
(1916-72)
Maulana Anisuddin Ahmad was born at Mohalla Lal Bagh, Darbhanga, Bihar, in 1916. His native place was Sasaram. His father, Mr. Alimuddin Sozan, was a renowned Hakim. He was granted membership of the Jamaat-e-Islami in 1950. He was in Government job from 1938 to 1948. He was introduced to the Jamaat when he was a Superintendent in Irrigation Department. He immediately resigned from the post. Later on, he joined as teacher in Abida High School, Muzaffarpur. But he had to give it up also for the sake of a greater cause.
He was appointed the Zonal Ameer of Southern Bihar in 1956. Then, he learnt Arabic under the late Maulana Salman Nadvi (Editor, Ad-Dawah and Dawat) before taking the responsibility of the Zonal Ameer. He continued as Ameer of Bihar zone till his death on September 22, 1972. He became a member of the Central Advisory Council of the Jamaat in 1957 and continued to be so till death. When the All India Conference of the Jamaat was announced to be held in Delhi in 1960, the Jamaat Markaz was newly shifted from Rampur to Delhi and the Jamaat was hardly introduced to the inhabitants of Delhi. Thus, it was a difficult task to hold the conference here. But the late Maulana who was the Chief Organiser made the conference a grand success, thanks to his ability, devotion and personal management and inculcating spirit. He created a history in relief work with his devotion and hard work during Calcutta relief work, 1964 and Ranchi relief work, 1967. He breathed his last on September 23, 1972 while attending the meeting of the Central Advisory Council.
Abdul Razzaque Latifi
(1928-75)
Maulana Abdul Razzaque Latifi, a stalwart of the Jamaat, was born on August 20, 1928 at Pamarru, Distt. Krishna, Andhra Pradesh. He was one of the few youth in Andhra Pradesh who responded to the call of the Islamic movement in its earlier stage. He joined the Jamaat-e-Islami in 1951. Maulana Latifi was a man of courage and valour, foresight and revolutionary zeal. He was also endowed with the qualities of head and heart like patience, organisational ability and leadership. He was elected a member of the Central Advisory Council of the Jamaat in 1955. Later on, he was appointed Zonal Ameer of Andhra Pradesh. The A.P. Jamaat got a boost during his regime. He organised the All India Conference of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind held at Hyderabad in 1967. He played an important role in the relief-cum-rehabilitation work in the riot-torn areas of Nizamabad, Ahmedabad (Gujarat). He breathed his last on February 27, 1975.
Mohammad Yusuf Siddiqui
(1904-76)
Born in 1904 at Baghpat, Mr. Mohammad Yusuf Siddiqui belonged to a family in Tonk, renowned for taking part in the Jihad-e-Islami led by Syed Ahmed Shaheed at Balakot. His father, Mr. Mohammad Yaqub Khan was a well-known personality of his area. He was one of the 19 students of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), who at the call of Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar and Gandhiji boycotted the institution and helped the latter form the Jamia Millia Islamia on 29th October, 1920. Therefore, his group was the first batch of the new educational institution. He was closely associated with the late Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar. Mr. Mohammad Yusuf Siddiqui became a member of Jamaat-e-Islami at the hands of the late Maulana Maudoodi. He played a key role in the zonal conference of Jamaat held on April 17-18, 1947 at Tonk (Rajasthan) attended by Maulana Maudoodi and Mian Tufail Muhammad. When the country was divided into two parts, Mr Muhammad Yusuf Siddiqui was a member of the Markazi Majlis-e-Shoora.
Mr. Sidiqui remained a towering a figure in the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind too. In 1963, he was the spirit behind launching spokesman of the Indian Muslims in English. For this purpose he with the help of other Muslim leaders founded the Board of Islamic Publications in Delhi under which Radiance began to be published since 27th July, 1963. He became its first Managing Editor. Later on, he also served this weekly as its Editor till it was banned during the Emergency in the last week of June, 1975. When the weekly was restarted on May 22, 1977, Mr. Siddiqui was not alive to see its revival. He, along with his other colleagues of Jamaat, had been sent behind bars during the Emergency days. He was set free in mid April 1976. When he came out of the prison, he came to know about his wife’s serious illness. He went to Jaipur in connection with her treatment. But there he himself breathed his last on May 4, 1976. He was buried in Tonk.
Muhammad Muslim
(1920-86)
Born on September 20, 1920 at Bhopal, Maulana Muhammad Muslim was one of the lofty pillars of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. Associated with the Jamaat in 1951, he was a member of the Central Advisory Council of the Jamaat for a pretty long period. The late Maulana Muslim earned reputation as an eminent journalist. From 1938 to 1952 he was associated with the Urdu daily, Nadeem, published from Bhopal. In 1953 he was appointed Assistant Editor of Dawat, the Urdu organ of the Jamaat. He succeeded Mr. Asghar Ali Abdi as its Chief Editor. He rendered his services to the Dawat for a period of 25 years. Striving hard for the unity of Millat-e-Islamia, he played a vital role in the formation of the all India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat.
His journalistic career was endowed with total freedom of expression. He took pen only for the cause of what is right and just. Another feature of his journalistic career was that he always expressed very clear and balanced views on all political affairs. He never fell victim to passion. He led a very simple life and never cared for name and fame. A great journalist as he was, the Urdu weekly, Blitz 12 July, 1986, paying tribute to him under its editorial head “Zameen Kha Gai” recorded that the field of journalism has become barren with his death. He died on July 3, 1986 in Delhi and was buried in the historic Mehndiyan graveyard of Delhi.
Maulana Urooj Qaudri
(1913-86)
Ahmed Maulana Syed Ahmed Qaudri, popularly known as Urooj Qaudri, was born on March 24, 1913 at Amjhar in the district of Aurangabad (Bihar) in a family of scholars and pirs. His father, Maulana Syed Obaidullah Qaudri, was Seikhul Tafseer at Madrasa Islamia Shamsul Huda. In the words of the late Maulana Qaudri himself, the credit of my comprehension of the Qur’ān goes to my father. I used to listen to his Dars-e-Qur’ān at the mosque of Madarsa Islamia Shamsul Hoda regularly. After completing his education, he first joined as a teacher in Madarsa Khanqauh of Sasaram. After some time, he first shifted to Madarsa Azizia of Bihar Sharif and later on joined the Madarsa Shamshul Huda at Patna in 1943.
Maulana Urooj Qadri possessed a deep insight in the Qur’ān, Hadees and Fiqh. He entered into bayyat at the hands of his paternal uncle, Hazrat Mohiuddin Al-Zainab Al-Qaudri, the sheikh of the most famous khanquah of Bihar, Khanqah Mujibia, Phulwari Shareef in the suburb of Patna.
It was only at the close of 1945 when he met Dr. Nurul Ain who got him introduced to the writings of Maulana Maudoodi. Having gone through his books Al-Jihad fil Islam and Musalman Aur Maujooda Siyasi Kashmakash, Maulana Urooj Qaudri was a changed man. At the persuasion of Dr. Nurul Ain, he participated, for the first time, in the first conference of the Jamaat at Harwara, Allahabad in April, 1946. This provided him with an opportunity to meet Maulana Maudoodi. He became a Jamaat member in the same year. Due to his Jamaat activities, he had to relinquish his job at Madarsa Shamsul Huda. He served the Jamaat in various capacities. In August 1955 he shifted to Rampur and joined as a teacher in Jamaat’s Sanwi Darsgah. After sometime, he was entrusted with the responsibility of editing the Jamaat’s monthly organ, Zindagi, in 1960, which was earlier brought out as Danish and is now appearing as Zindagi-e-Nau under Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari. The late Maulana also served the Jamaat as its Acting Ameer for a number of times. He was also a member of Markazi Majlis-e-Shoora of the Jamaat. He lived a mufti-faceted life. Besides being an Alim and Faqih, he was also a well-known author, poet and short story writer. He wrote 23 books. He was sent to jail on several occasions. His political anthology Tuhfa-e-Zindan was prepared when he was serving prison term during the Emergency. His famous couplet, “Urooj, nasl-o-nasab per ghuroor be-maana; amal tulega qyamat men khandan nahin,”(Urooj, meaningless is to brag of caste and creed; Deeds, not ancestry, shall be accounted on the Doomsday) reveals the missionary zeal. He died on May, 17, 1986 at Bareili. In his death the Jamaat has lost a faqeeh.
Maulana Abu Saleem Muhammad Abdul Hai
Maulana Abū Saleem Muhammad Abdul Hai, who served the Islamic Movement in India, in various capacities, joined the Jamaat-e-Islami in 1946. On the suggestion of the late Maulana Maudoodi, he launched an Islamic monthly Al-Hasnaat from Rampur in 1947 in order to inculcate a real spirit of Islam particularly among lower educated class and the women and bring them closer to the movement. This effort continued even after the Partition. He was elected member of Markazi Majlis-e-Shoora after the Jamaat’s reconstruction in April, 1948 and continued to be so till 1980. When the Jamaat headquarters and Darsgah were set up at Malihabad and the place was found to be not suitable, he, after consulting the colleagues of Rampur Jamaat, convinced, Maulana Abul Lais, the then Ameer-e-Jamaat and Markazi Majlis-e-Shoora for shifting the Jamaat headquarters and Darsgah to Rampur. And so Rampur became the centre for Islamic activities. When Hindi was declared the national language in 1950, he started a Hindi Islamic monthly Ujala for the Hindi knowing children. Again in 1954, he, with the co-operation of Maulana Mael Khairabadi, launched a Urdu fortnightly Noor.
He wrote a number of books in simple language meant particularly for the general people. He also got published a popular translation of the Holy Qur’ān into Hindi by Maulana Muhammad Farooque Khan. In 1954 he along with Maulana Sadruddin Islahi, the then officiating Ameer-e-Jamaat-e- Islami Hind served the prison terms. During his imprisonment he wrote his famous book Hayat-e-Tayyiba. The services rendered by him in the field of Muslim girls’ education and Urdu journalism would be ever remembered. As the founder of the Jamiat-us-Salehat, Rampur, he championed the cause of Muslim girls’ education. He died on July 15, 1987 at Rampur.
Maulana Syed Hamid Hussain
(1920-85)
Maulana Syed Hamid Hussain, son of Maulvi Syed Leyaqat Hussain, was born in February, 1920 at Ailichpur, Dist. Amravati, Maharashtra. He worked as a teacher in a Military School during World War II and later on in a High School. He joined the Jamaat as its member in 1949. He resigned his teacher’s post in 1950 and was appointed Assistant Secretary General and later on, Secretary General of the Hyderabad Zone. When Maulana Abul Lais Islahi Nadvi and Maulana Sadruddin Islahi were arrested in 1954, Maulana Syed Hamid Hussain took the charge of Imarat as Acting Ameer-e-Jamaat. He held the responsibilities as Assistant Secretary-General and Secretary Finance of the Jamaat from 1950 to 1969, as Ameer-e-Halqua U.P. from 1969-1973. He was again appointed Asst. Secretary-General and Secretary Finance of the Jamaat from 1973 to 1982 and Ameer-e-Halqua U.P. from May 1, 1982 till death.
Maulana Syed Hamid Hussain was endowed with the qualities of head and heart. He devoted all his abilities and potentialities for the cause of the movement for about two-third of his 66-year life. He was well versed in the art of organisation and training, oratory and writing, as well as facing stage questions. He had inherited the art of oratory from his family. He used to deliver addresses with perfect care of accent and stress on particular words. Little exaggeration to assert that in his death the Jamaat has lost an orator of eminence. He died on September 20, 1985 as a result of a car accident at Makkah where he had gone to perform Haj. He was buried there.
Maulana Jaleel Ahsan Nadvi
(1924-86)
Maulana Jaleel Ahsan Nadvi, a scholar and Muhaddis of eminence, was born in 1924 in Azamgarh district of U.P. He fell victim to polio in his very childhood and was handicapped by the right limbs. He got education in Madrasatul Islah, Darul Uloom, Deoband; Darul Uloom, Dalihial and Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow. He had a deep insight into the Holy Qur’ān.
He joined the Jamaat in 1946. He was busy rendering books form Arabic into Urdu in the company of Maulana Masood Alam Nadvi in Darul Uruvia. But his weak health, in addition to the climate, compelled him to leave for Madarsatul Islah. He joined the Sanwi Darsgah, Rampur in 1952. It was an institution established by the Jamaat for English-knowing students. Later on, he taught in Madrasatul Islah and Jamiatul Falah, Bilariaganj and Jamia Darul Huda, Karim Nagar, A.P. Teaching was indeed his favourite field. Hundreds of his pupils are today serving the Islamic Movement. He had also mastery over writing. He published dozens of articles and a few books on Hadith. His book Zaad-e-Raah has achieved so much popularity that more than fifty editions of it have been published in India and Pakistan. Besides, his addresses and Dars-e-Qur’ān-wa-hadees were very heart-touching and affective. He died in 1986.
Maulana Salman Nadvi
Maulana Salman Nadvi, who at a time edited both the Arabic fortnightly Ad-Dawah and the Urdu bi-weekly Dawat, published from New Delhi, was a renowned Islamic scholar. He led a simple, principled, dignified, responsible and duty-conscious life. He discharged whatever duty was entrusted upon him with devotion and dedication. Despite his failing health during his last days, he was very much concerned and always mindful of the periodicals he edited and never allowed his ill health to suffer the duties he performed. Hailing from a Rajput family of Azamgarh, the late Maulana’s searching mind for the truth took him to the study of Islam in his adolescent age which ultimately led him to revert to Islam.
After graduating from Nadwatul Ulema, Lucknow, he, for some days, resided at Kapurthala. There he came in contact with a few Jamaat workers. He went to Darul Islam, Pathankot in 1944 and met the late Maulana Maudoodi. There he was introduced to Maulana Hasnain Syed by the Late Maulana Masood Alam Nadvi. He joined Maulana Hasnain Syed in establishing the Darsgah Jamaat-e-Islami Islam Nagar, Darbhanga. He served the Darsgah as its Sadr-e-Mudarris from 1949 to 1962. During his stewardship 72 Darsgah and Makatib of North Bihar were run under the supervision of the Islam Nagar, Darsgah. In 1961, he look over as Ameer-e-Halqua of North Bihar. After sometime, he was called to Markaz Jamaat, Delhi. There he joined Maulana Muhammad Muslim as Asst. Editor of Dawat. Afterwards, he became the Editor of Ad-Dawah. A few years before his death on November 21, 1989, he was also entrusted with the Editorship of Dawat. He was succeeded by Mr. Parwaz Rehmani. He also served the Jamaat as a member of Markazi-Majlis-e-Shoora. He was laid to rest in Delhi.
Maulana Abul Lais Islahi
(1913-90)
Maulana Sher Mohammed, popularly known as Maulana Abul Lais, son of Mr. Tawajjah Hussain, was born in 1913 at Chandpatti in Azamgarh district of U.P. He got his education in Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow and Madarsatul Islah, Azamgarh, the two renowned Islamic education centres in India, where he also taught for a few years.
Maulana Abul Lais got the Jamaat membership in 1944. When the remaining members of the Jamaat after the Partition held a two-day session at Allahabad in April 1948 in order to reorganise themselves, he was elected its first Ameer. He continued in office till 1972. He was again re-elected Ameer in 1981 and continued till 1990.
He was a man possessing qualities of head and heart. Besides being a popular Aalim-e-Deen, he was also a great leader. He played a vital role in the establishment of the Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, the Muslim Personal Law Board and Deeni Talimi Council of U.P. His political acumen, educational dexterity and way of thinking on Muslim issues was unique and imitable. His simplicity, piety and unyielding patience find no words to express. Maulana Abul Lais was a man of journalistic bent of mind. He edited several journals before assuming the leadership of the Jamaat. His editorial in the Zindagi are memorable pieces of journalism. He used to write for the cause of Islam and Muslim Ummah. His last book Jamaat-e-Islami ki Tashkil-e-Jadeed: Kyon aur Kaise covers a major part of the post- partition evolution of Jamaat, and is a historic document. He died in Azamgarh on December 5, 1990.
Maulana Muhammad Yusuf
(1908-91)
Maulana Muhammad Yusuf, son of Maulana Tafazzul Hussain, was born on January 19, 1908 in Bans Bareilly, U.P. He was working as a Reader to the District Judge, Allahabad when he heard the clarion call Hayya alal Falah given by Maulana Maudoodi. He abandoned the job and associated himself with the Jamaat-e-Islami. He was granted membership of the Jamaat in 1946. Maulana Muhammad Yusuf participated in the conference held for the reorganisation of the Jamaat in Allahabad in 1948. He was appointed Secretary-General (Qayyim) of the Jamaat the same year. Later on, he was elected Ameer in 1972 and continued in office till 1981.
During his imarat two All India conferences of the Jamaat – Delhi Conference in 1974 and Hyderabad Conference in 1981 – were held.
The most important achievement of the Jamaat during his tenure was the boost to the rendering of the Qur’ān into twelve regional languages of India. Besides, most of the periodicals in such languages running under the patronage of the Jamaat were started during his imarat. The Board of Islamic Publications, Delhi, under which Radiance runs, was established in 1963 and the Maulana was its founder president. He was also instrumental in introducing the Jamaat to the Arab world. The journalism in him contributed a lot to the Islamic Movement. Besides, he used to speak fluently Arabic, English and Urdu. His work Yalaita Qaumi Yalamoona throws light on the hard days the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind faced after Z.A. Bhuttoo’s execution in 1979 in Pakistan. He left for Rampur, U.P., in 1982 and lived there till his death on July 4, 1991, after a prolonged illness.
Maulana Afzal Husain
(1918-90)
Maulana Afzal Husain, son of Mr. Mansabdar Khan, was born on 1st February, 1918 at Ujiara in Basti district, U.P. He got his education in Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. It was there that he had an abiding influence of the Jamaat and later joined it in 1946. Maulana Afzal Husain was the first Nazim of the Darsgah-e-Islami, Malihabad which was set up on 1st January 1949. Prior to this, he was also appointed Nazim of the proposed Darsgah, Pathankot, but could not join it due to the pre-partition crisis. When the Darsgah was shifted from Malihabad to Rampur, he continued as its Nazim till 1961. It was during his Nizamat of Darsgah that he emerged as a great Islamic educationist. He compiled the courses of study including the course books for Darsgah classes. Besides, he penned Fann-e-Taleem-o-Tarbiyat, a masterpiece on the subject in the Urdu language.
Maulana Afzal Husain was appointed Assistant Secretary-General of the Jamaat in 1961. Then in 1972 he was appointed Secretary-General of the Jamaat where he continued in office till the last breath of his life. He died on 1st January, 1990.
Dr. Syed Ziaul Huda
(1918-98)
Maulana Syed Abul A’la Maudoodi made Syed Ziaul Huda a member of Jamaat-e-Islami in 1946 in the Allahabad Ijtema. At that time Syed Ziaul Huda was working as a Telegraphist in the Postal Department. He later resigned from this government service and started practising as a Homeopathic physician as he was a qualified homeopath. He was popularly known as Doctor Sahib. He served the Jamaat as Local President of Patna, Zonal President of Madras and Karnataka, member Consultative Council and Advisory Council and Zonal President of Bihar. He resigned from the membership of the Jamaat in 1991 because of differences of policies, particularly that relating to election and vote casting. Doctor Sahib led a life of a pious and God-fearing person in the true sense of the word. He influenced a number of persons spanning at least three generations; men, women, young boys and girls, students and children, inculcating in them a character and devotion to strive for success in life hereafter and leading the present life in the service of God and humanity at large. He was a serious student of the Qur’ān and encouraged the persons coming closer to him in its studies.
Syed Yusuf
(1939-1997)
Mr. Syed Yusuf, S/o Syed Kareem Shah Miah was born in Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh in 1939 in a Mahdavia family. He completed his Higher Secondary education in Nandyal Municipal School. During his schooling, he met one of the pioneers of Jamaat, late Maulana Abdul Rahim Munshi, who changed him and his brother Syed Yaqoob Shah Miah. Both brothers declared their disassociation from the Mahdavi sect and started participating actively in Jamaat activities.
After completing his Higher Secondary, Mr. Yusuf moved to Eluru district of A.P. to pursue his further education at C.R. Reddy College and completed his Intermediate with distinction. He was selected for MBBS on merit basis. However due to financial constraints, he could not join MBBS and opted to appear for Public Service Commission Exam of South Central Railways. He achieved high rank and was posted in the Divisional Engineers Office at Vijayawada, A.P. in 1955. But shortly he was terminated by Railways because of his association with Jamaat-e-Islami Hind.
Later, Mr. Yusuf returned to Nandyal and served as a school teacher. During his service, he appeared for State Public Service exams and was selected at the Secretariat of the Govt. of A.P. in Karnool (Karnool was the capital of AP at that time). Further, he obtained various degrees such as B.A, L.L.B, B.J and D.P.A. during his service life.
During his service, he was transferred to Hyderabad in 1958 when Deccan state merged with Andhra Pradesh.
He led an exemplary life as a family member, rather a chief of the whole big family. His home in Hyderabad used to be a centre for the family. Dars-e-Qur’ān or short speech daily after Fajr prayer at home was his regular practice till he breathed his last. Husband of two wives, father of 6 sons and 6 daughters, he provided everyone with the best love, affection, care, knowledge and skills. Everyone who knows him is aware of the fact that most of his sons and daughters are Islamic scholars and Hafiz Qur’ān. In addition to that he facilitated them all towards the modern education. His whole family is attached with Jamaat, 5 daughters and 2 sons are Arkaan.
During Emergency he was terminated from Secretariat in 1976 due to association with JIH and later he was reinstated again in 1978. In 1982, he took voluntary resignation from Secretariat to dedicate his full time for Dawah work.
Mr. Syed Yusuf practised as an Advocate during Emergency period with the permission of JIH.
He inspired Mr. Hameedullah Sharif for Telugu translation of the Holy Qur’ān and inspired Mr. Abadullah and Mr. S.M. Malik to set up Telugu Islamic Publication.
He held senior most positions of Jamaat and was member of Markazi Shoora including the responsibility as Editor of Radiance with his extraordinary writing skills.
Including Jamaat’s responsibilities, his contribution in the National and Community affairs is worth noting. He was instrumental in setting up the Muslim Muttahida Mahaaz and was an active member of All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat and many such organisations. He provided his services to Jamaat for the Babri Masjid issue. He was founder member of many of the educational societies and schools.
Mr. Syed Yusuf played a significant role in pursuing the Jamaat case in Supreme Court when Jamaat was banned in 1991.
He used to give Friday sermons, address Jamaat programmes and various other groups with his distinct oratory skills. His distinguished identities include his untiring hard work, sincerity, dedication, knowledge, skills and simplicity of life. He served Jamaat and the whole of Ummah till his last breath.