Ilm-ud-din

Ilm Deen known as Ilm-ud-din (4 December 1908 – 31 October 1929) was an Indian carpenter who assassinated a book publisher named Mahashe Rajpal for publishing the book Rangila Rasul, which was perceived as derogatory towards Muhammad by the Muslim community.

Background

In 1923 Rajpal published an anonymous pamphlet titled Rangila Rasul, which contained a recension of hadiths from Bukhari, among other sources, along with an allegedly salacious commentary. Rangila Rasul had a surface appearance of a lyrical and laudatory work on Muhammad and his teachings and called Muhammad "a widely experienced" person who was best symbolized by his many wives, in contrast with the Brahmacarya of Hindu saints.^[1]

Various sections of the Indian Muslim community started a movement demanding that the book be banned. In 1927, the administration of the British Raj enacted a law prohibiting insults aimed at founders and leaders of religious communities.^[2] Ilm-ud-din was convicted and given the death penalty according to the Indian Penal Code.^[3]

Murder

Ilm Deen was deeply effected by this book and vowed to take action. On 6 September 1929 Ilm Deen set out for the bazaar and purchased a dagger for one rupee. He hid the dagger in his pants and waited for Rajpal at some distance from Rajpal's shop. Rajpal had not arrived yet. Ilm Deen did not know what Rajpal looked like. He was trying have some whereabouts of Rajpal through people around. Rajpal entered the shop and Ilm Deen could not detect him but soon someone alerted him that Rajpal is inside. The young man entered the shop, lunged forward and attacked him. He stabbed his dagger into the chest of Rajpal. Rajpal fell dead on the ground. Ilm Deen made no attempt to escape. The police arrested Ilm Deen and took him to Central Jail Mianwali.

Trial and execution

The trial lawyer for Ilm-ud-din was Farrukh Hussain. Ilm-ud-din admitted openly that he was guilty and was of view that he murdered in full conscience. Two witnesses from the prosecution side also claimed that he was guilty. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, then a prominent Indian lawyer, and later the founder of Pakistan, was then sought to appear in the appeal at the Lahore High Court. Jinnah appealed on the grounds of extenuating circumstances, saying that Ilm-ud-din was a man of 19 or 20 who was affected by feelings of veneration for the founder of his faith. He asked for the death sentence to be commuted to transportation for life. This contention was rejected. Ilm-ud-din was convicted and given the death penalty according to the Indian Penal Code, and subsequently executed.

Funeral

Around 600,000 people attended his funeral. As Allama Iqbal placed the body of Ilm Din into the grave, he tearfully declared: "This uneducated young man has surpassed us, the educated ones". Thus , a great intellectual poet like Allama Iqbal laid foundation of a society where blasphemy laws rule and freedom of expression is openly curbed.

References