Dewan Mohammad Azraf

Dewan Mohammad Azraf (Bengali: দেওয়ান মোহাম্মদ আজরফ, Sylheti: ꠖꠦꠅꠣꠘ ꠝꠥꠢꠣꠝ꠆ꠝꠖ ꠀꠏ꠆ꠞꠚ; 1908–1999) was a teacher, author, politician, journalist, philosopher and advocate of women's progress born in Sunamganj, Bangladesh. In 1993, he was honored as a National Professor in Bangladesh. He was also a supporter of the Bengali Language Movement. For his support of the movement, he was dismissed from the post of the principal of Sunamganj College in 1954, the same year he was promoted to the post. His support was particularly influential when he edited the Nao Belal in 1948. He was actively involved with Kaikobad Sahitya Majlish (1972–99).[1]

Dewan Mohammad Azraf
Born(1906-10-25)25 October 1906
Teghoria village, Sunamganj District, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died1999 (aged 90–91)
NationalityBangladeshi
Alma materUniversity of Dhaka
AwardsEkushey Padak

Influenced by the thought of Muhammad Iqbal, he has been described as "a prolific writer" who "produced sixty monographs, over 1,000 articles in Bangla and English, 109 novels, poems, songs, and ninety short stories. His works range from literature, arts, music, and religion to philosophy."[2][3]

Early life

Azraf was born on 1 January 1908 in Teghoria, Sunamganj District, East Bengal, British Raj. He completed his schooling at the Middle English School in Duhalia. He passed BA with distinction from Murari Chand College, Sylhet in 1930 and received MA in Philosophy from the University of Dhaka in 1932.[1] As a college student, he was able get Kazi Nazrul Islam to visit Sylhet.[4]

Career

Azraf joined Sunamganj College as a teacher in 1948 and principal in 1954. He was dismissed from college for supporting the Bengali Language Movement. After his dismissal from Sunamganj College, he taught at various colleges. In 1967, he was appointed the principal of Abujar Gifari College in Dhaka, where he served till 1980. He taught part-time at the departments of Philosophy and Islamic Studies of the University of Dhaka from 1973 to 1990.[1]

A supporter of Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, he joined the Muslim League in 1946 in protest of the treatment of Muslim immigrants in Assam, and afterward was elected to the Assam Provincial Committee. He also served 10 months of a prison sentence for violation of Section 144. He helped the formation of the Kendriya Muslim Sahitya Sangsad unit in Sylhet and served as its president from 1940 to 1943. He was a member, as well as a treasurer for some time, of the Pakistan Philosophical Congress. From 1984 to 1989, he served as the president of the Bangladesh Philosophical Association.[1]

Awards

Books

Some of his notable publications include:

Bengali
  • Jībana samasyāra samādhāne Isalāma, articles on Islamic doctrines
  • Hāsana Rājā, 1854-1922, study of the life and works of the famous Bengali poet Hason Raja
  • Sileṭe Isalāma, study on the advent and spread of Islam in Sylhet District, Bangladesh
  • Ithihāse upekshita ekaṭi caritra. Hashrata Ābujara Giphārīra jībanālekshā o bailpabika karmadhārā, on the Islamic figure of Abu Dhar al-Ghifari
  • Itihāsera dhārā, on the history of philosophy
  • Dharma o darśana, essays on philosophy
  • Sonā jharā dinaguli, autobiography depicting the author's vast experience of life
  • Kabira darśana, articles, mainly on Sir Muhammad Iqbal
  • Baktitter bikash, on self-improvement and psychology

English
  • The back-ground of the culture of Muslim Bengal
  • Science and revelation
  • Philosophy of history
  • Islamic movement : its origin, growth and development

Death

Azraf died on November 1, 1999.[5]

Trivia

The husband of Azraf's granddaughter, Baraheen - Mohammed Salahuddin Chowdhury, was killed in the 9/11 terror attacks. he was working in the twin towers.[6]

References
  1. Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Azraf, Dewan Mohammad". In Islam, Sirajul; Roy, Pradip K. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  2. M. Golam Dastagir, "AZRAf, Dewan Muhammad (1906–99)" in Oliver Leaman (ed.), "The Biographical Encyclopedia of Islamic Philosophy", Bloomsbury Publishing (2015), p. 40
  3. Nation, The New. "Philosopher Dewan Mohammad Azraf". The New Nation. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  4. "Nazrul In Sylhet". The Daily Star. 2008-05-25. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  5. "Prof Azraf's anniversary of death today". The Daily Star. 2011-11-01. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  6. "Ten years after 9/11, Baraheen Ashrafi recalls 'the day my world ended'". The National. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
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