Syed Sadatullah Husaini was re-elected Ameer (President) Jamaat-e-Islami Hind for the 4-year term April 2023 to March 2027, during the recent Markazi Majlis-e Numaindagan (Council of Representatives) session held at the Jamaat headquarters from 26 to 30 April 2023. After his re-election, Mrs. Rahmathunnissa, Secretary JIH, interviewed him in two parts. The first part based on his personal life, his childhood, upbringing, parents, schooling, education, study and speech planning, time management, healthcare, and how he came close to the Tehreek, etc. is being published here. Excerpts:
RN: You have been re-elected President (Ameer) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. At this juncture of starting with a new Meeqat, we need to discuss the policy and programme for the new term. But before that, as Ameer Jamaat, naturally people, especially the cadre, would be wanting to know more about you as a person. Knowing more about leadership would enable one to develop the rapport and also understand the policy and programme of this movement.
To begin with, can you throw some light on your childhood, upbringing, parents and their background?
AJ: I was born on 7th June, 1973 at a place called Makthal in Telangana. My father’s and his ancestors’ native place is in Gulbarga district, Karnataka. My mother’s ancestors were spread in Telangana. There is a river called Krishna, which separates Karnataka and Telangana. My paternal and maternal ancestors lived across the banks of this river.
The prominent preacher and Sufi saint of South India, a Hanafi Maturidi scholar Khaja Bande Nawaz (Mohammed Bin Yusuf Al Hussaini) from Gulbarga who lived during the 14th & 15th centuries (1321-1422) is from my father’s lineage. He is known as one of the founders of the Urdu language. The first published book in Urdu is written by him.
My father was a civil engineer by profession. He got his job in Maharashtra. He was located at several places during his career. So, we also kept on shifting to different districts in Maharashtra.
My father was also a very good preacher. Even though his professional occupation at irrigation project sites did not allow him to formally associate with any organisation, wherever he lived he worked for Dawah and the Islamic education of people around him. He used to give Qur’ān Dars after Fajr prayer. My mother was also an educated lady and a Jamaat member.
RN: That shows you were born into a family that had already been exposed to and doing religious, educational and cultural activities. That opportunity not many people get. Even now, most of the leaders in our community are actually first generation of people who got the opportunity to get higher education. It must have had an impact on you. What about your schooling?
AJ: As I said, because of my father’s job, it was at several places. My school education started in the year 1978 in an Urdu medium government school at Isapur in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. After that, since there was no Urdu medium school available at Isapur, I was admittedto a school at Kalamnuri, 30kms away from Isapur, where we lived at that time. I completed 10th from there. After that my father got transferred to Nanded. That was a big place. So, I completed 11th, 12th and engineering from there.
When we were living at Isapur, there was a place called Pusad, 45 kms away. There they used to conduct competitions and I used to participate in them. So, through those competitions, I got first exposed to Jamaat. Literature was there and magazines used to come but since my father was not formally associated and JIH was not active at the places we lived, those competitions were the first impression.When we reached Nanded, I came across SIO and got formally associated with it.
RN: Your higher education is in Engineering field, right?
AJ: Yes.
RN: What was the stream?
AJ: Electronics and Telecommunications.
RN: So, at what stage did you shift from Engineering field and started engaging in Tehreek activities?
AJ: Actually, I started Tehreek activities from student days. I got associated with SIO when I was in 11th Standard and became member in 1990. Soon I got elected to Zonal Advisory Council (ZAC). I was only 18 years old at that time. It was my first year of engineering. Soon after completion of Engineering, I got elected Zonal President and CAC member. After completing Zonal presidentship,I got elected national president. So, immediately after completing my studies, I could not concentrate on my Engineering career. After coming out of SIO, I started my formal Engineering career and joined a software company in Hyderabad. Till 2015 I worked with that company.
RN: It was in 2015 that you got elected Vice President of JIH, followed by President in 2019. Officially, you are not from a Deeni madrasa background, we can say. No formal Islamic education as such. But when we read your articles and books or listen to your speeches, they actually display an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Qur’ān, Sunnah, Islamic classics and also the history of Islam. And usually, we get new ideas from your contextual relating of these teachings. So, my question is how have you made it possible?
AJ: My father was very keen about our Islamic education. He did three very important things for that. First, he himself used to teach us the basics of Deen.
Secondly, he managed a very formal Islamic education at home. One Maulana used to come and he was instructed not to confine to just ‘nazira’ and basic duas, etc. (the kind of Islamic education normally school going kids get), but my father was very particular that we are formally taught the Tafsīrof whole of the Qur’an. The Maulana used to come home and give us formal lessons in Tafsīr and other things. I was able to complete the Tafsīr before 7th Standard itself. He was a very good and learned scholar and he used to teach Hadith and many things. That learning helped in many ways afterwards.
Thirdly, the Islamic books and periodicals. They used to come at home and we could read right from childhood. After joining SIO, I tried to formally learn the Arabic language. Read many classical books and Hadith books. Found time to read Imam Gazali, Shah Waliullah, Ibn Khaldun and such other scholars.
RN: That was with regard to your Islamic knowledge and understanding. But your writings and books are also a display of the fact that you are a vociferous reader of different types of writers, not just Islamic scholars and authors and also different genres of literature. So, how do you select the books for reading? Is it need-based like when you have to write or give speech or do you have a set plan?
AJ: Again, there are two things. One, I have a passion to have some understanding of any new subject. During Engineering itself, I decided that I should have understanding of other subjects, particularly Social Sciences, Psychology, Economics, etc. I studied Economics in detail. My librarian used to say,‘Your interests are strange, and more than Engineering books you take books not related to your syllabus.’ That continued even after completion of my education. Whenever a new technology comes, any new stream comes, I try to develop some understanding of that.
Second, it is the need. Working with SIO and Jamaat poses several challenges. Whenever a new challenge comes, I try to understand the things deeply and get firsthand information. I am particular to always collect information from original sources, and not just rely on media reports. This automatically takes to the books of many subjects.
RN: Now coming to your writings, in spite of all your responsibilities as Ameer Jamaat, not only the activities and meetings within, but you have to represent JIH at different platforms, need to travel a lot etc. Still, you keep writing. You have regular columns in different publications. So, the first question is how do you select the topics? Is it because the publishers ask, or based on a group decision within the Jamaat or do you consult with others or is it out of need or is it because you have a thought in your mind and you want to share it with people and you start writing?
AJ: Topics, normally I select. When I was with SIO, I wrote whenever I felt that there is something to be communicated. Here also when I started, I thought of what subjects need to be focused, in what areas we need to develop some academic discourse and based on that personal analysis I select topics and start writing. But whenever I write, first I draft my paper, my idea and then I try to consult. That habit is also there. I have consulted many people like Dr Hasan Raza, Dr Muhammad Rafat, Ameenul Hasan, Shabbir Alam, Muhyuddin Ghazi, Dr Muhammad Raziul Islam Nadvi and many others based on the subject.
RN: Do you feel the burden of Ameer Jamaat and the movement when you write now in comparison with your writing experience earlier?
AJ: Yea, it is there, obviously. Without responsibility, you are a free man and can express your thoughts freely without any burden. But now, I need to be very careful because people may take it as the official position of Jamaat. So, I need to be very cautious. This creates limitations.
RN: Some people comment that you are an idealogue or thinker. But we at Markaz have been able to experience your knowledge, thinking skills as well as practical wisdom. We have also witnessed how you manage things and people and how you guide and motivate them. So, what do you think is the difference between a thinker and a scholar? And do you agree that we have more scholars but thinkers are very few in our community and practical wisdom is lacking?
AJ: Yes, many people think that these are contradictory to each other. Scholarly work is one thing and practical activism is something else. But I think the kind of ideological movement we are part of demands a combination of both. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself is an ideal in this. The first generation of leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami like Maulana Maududi are also role models. They combined both the things very beautifully.
Our movement is mainly an ideological movement. So, we cannot be just activists. We cannot alienate ourselves from ideology.Particularly those who are in leadership position are expected to develop solutions to the problems and engage with society. That needs scholarly wisdom.
Plus, we are not just an academic institution. We are a practical movement. Whatever ideas we are proposing are to be implemented in society. We need to help the society to actualise them. That needs practical wisdom and experience. So, I think in our movement that culture has always been there.
Particularly, the kind of grooming we got in SIO has helped a lot. We got abundant practical exposure to different situations and challenges at a very young age. We also got a lot of ideological grooming and intellectual training. At 21 and 22, I got the opportunity to frequently interact with towering scholars like Dr.F.R. Faridi, Dr.Abdul Haq Ansari, Jb. T.K. Abdullah, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari, Dr. Nejatullah Siddiqi, etc. I had very close talks with them for hours. So, both the things we got right from young age, practical activism and intellectual support and grooming.
So, I think SIO is a very good platform for our young people. It grooms new generation with that perfect amalgamation and combination.
RN: Coming back to your speeches and presentations: there is always something new which a listener can take away even if it is on the same topic. And one more thing that I have noticed is, whenever you address the same group after a long gap, maybe a year or so, you connect with your previous speech with them and build upon it. How do you manage it? Do you maintain a file for different groups that you address?
AJ: Yes, I keep a record of all my speeches, all my talks and all my writings. They are properly organised and stored in my computer. In fact, in my writings also, my note-taking habit helps a lot. Those references in my writings are all due to this habit. This habit helps to do a lot of things very efficiently with minimum effort. So, whenever I go for a speech for a particular audience, I try to follow the earlier track. I try to scan what kind of audience it is and what I had told them earlier and then decide what to talk.
RN: Do you think your expertise in technology helps you do this in an easier way?
AJ: Obviously. And I always suggest this to all, especially our youth. I observed that efficient use of technology multiplies our efficiency by at least three. One hour becomes three hours. This is the era of technology and we must try to use technology in an optimum manner.
Our older generation was totally alienated from technology. But even for our young people, technology means only social media. I think technology is much more than social media. It should be properly used for efficient reading, personal development, personal organisation and organisation of your knowledge. For all these purposes technology has many facilities. With that we can do a lot of things in a very small time.
RN: One thing I have noticed about you, which is not that common with most leaders, is your response to messages, queries and requests. You don’t take too much time. It comes within the normal time span. With all these responsibilities I think only with proper time management this can be made possible. Many a time I wonder how you manage all these. So, can you throw some light on your time management strategies so that it would be useful for all of us?
AJ: Personally, I think I still need to do a lot to manage my time properly. The main thing is the use of technology. Secondly, I try to maintain a broad time division. My nighttime is very important for me. My reading normally happens during nights. The morning time after the Fajr prayer is very precious. It is the golden time for me. All writings normally happen after Fajr. These three or four hours (night and morning) are very efficient time for me. No disturbance, no deviation. Can fully focus.
Then throughout the day I am available at my office for work related to administration and meetings with people. So, there is not much difficulty in that. I try to discipline my social media engagement also. Particularly the WhatsApp groups that I feel are a major distractor and time killer; you need to manage them properly. If you see my phone, notification is off for all those junk types of groups. I put them in general group and visit them only when I am totally free like during travel, etc.
Important groups like Markaz secretariat group, Shoora group, important individuals, etc. are properly grouped. I use some software and filters for this purpose. So, important communication and junk communication come differently to my phone. So, it does not take much stress to respondto important communication. Videos, audios and audio messages are also a time killer. I filter out important files and try to listen to them during workouts.
RN: Now regarding health management. My husband says, when you take care of your health, it’s not just for you but for the Tehreek also. It’s an Amanah. So, self-management, taking care of our own physical wellbeing is also very important, right? How is your self-management: your sleep, food, exercise, healthcare, etc.?
AJ: Let me confess, in that area, I am very poor. My wife’s main concern is only this. Despite the decisions taken several times, they are not properly implemented. Due to being diabetic, I need to have proper regular checkups but that also doesn’t happen.
RN: At least once in three months you have to.
AJ: Yea. Regarding exercise, often I go for walking when I am at Markaz and sometimes cycling.
RN: So, we can’t say you are not doing anything in this regard.
AJ: Yea, I try but am not very punctual.
RN: Now, coming to the most important question: please tell us about your family.We all know you are definitely not able to give quality time a father normally gives or should give. So, how do you compensate, convince them and what is their response to it, especially considering the fact that your sons are very intelligent and highly talented? How do you manage to give some quality time to them?
AJ: Yea, they are big sufferers. My wife is Dr. Nazneen Sadat. She has completed post-graduation in Environmental Science and soon after our marriage in 2004, she completed PhD also in the same subject. After that she used to work in an Engineering college as assistant professor from 2008 to 2020.
When I shifted to Markaz in 2019, she had to leave that job as she needed to focus more on children. Now she is at home. Along with that, family counselling is her passion and she completed many courses in family counselling. Besides home making, now she conducts sessions in family counselling. She also writes articles in Urdu and English, especially for Haadiya and Aura.
I have two sons. The elder one Raaid Azzam has completed his 12th and wants to join BBA; the younger one NabighAzhaan is in fifth. Whenever I go home, I try to spend time with them, talk to them and sometimes do some outing with them as far as possible.
RN: There’s a usual saying: “Some are born great; some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” And the same applies to leadership also. But as far as our movement is concerned, no one should aspire for leadership but everyone should be prepared for it. Isn’t it? So, what are your suggestions to Jamaat cadre in particular and the entire Ummah in general on developing leadership qualities. What are the qualities each one of us needs to develop?
AJ: Yea, everybody who is associated with the movement is a leader. Leadership is not associated with any organisational post. That is a small part of leadership. Tehreek or any movement itself is a process of leadership. You need to go to the society with the ideological goal that the Tehreek has. Without being a leader, you cannot run the movement in any capacity. So, I think in today’s world leaders need to have many diverse kinds of attributes. Their moral strength, the character, understanding of Islam, ideological build up are permanent things that are always there without which leadership can never be imagined.
In addition to that, I think we need to be very fast and efficient because it is a very fast-moving world. Within 14 months, they say, knowledge gets outdated. So, within a single year a major part of what you have learned gets outdated. So, you need to be very fast and fully efficient. With slow motion and slow learning, you cannot be a very good leader. So, one important aspect is knowledge, speed and efficiency.
Second important aspect is your interpersonal relations and your ability to inspire people and how you take people along with you. A leader is not just somebody who is working hard or working fast but he is somebody who has the capacity to make other people work hard and fast. If you are moving fast and there is nobody with you, you can be a good worker but not a good leader.
(to be continued)