Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi

Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi (3 March 1900 – 26 September 1966) was a political activist from Bihar, prominent in the Indian independence movement.

Ajazi was born on 3 March 1900 in village Dihuli, Block Sakra of District Muzaffarpur, in British India.

His father Hafizuddin Husain and grand father Imam Bakhsh were zamindars and his mother's name was Mahfoozunnisa.

His maternal grandfather Reysat Husain was an advocate in Sitamarhi.

He became a disciple of Ajaz Husain Budayuni, the Khalif of Fazle Rahman Ganj Muradabadi, and assumed title of 'Ajazi'.

He gained his patriotism from his father Hafizuddin who had organized the peasantry against the European indigo planters.

Ajazi's mother died in his childhood, while his father died in Lucknow during treatment and was buried in Chaar Bagh Qabristan when Ajazi was in school.

His elder brother Manzoor Ahsan Ajazi was also a freedom fighter.

He had only one sister, Noorun Nisa.

Ajazi received his elementary and religious education from Madarsa-e-Imdadia, Darbhanga and then joined North Brooke Zila School, Darbhanga, from where he was expelled for opposing the Rowlatt Act.

He passed the matriculation examination from Pusa High School and took admission in B.N. College, Patna, for higher studies.

He was married to Azizul Fatima.

After nikah, marriage ceremony which was attended by Shafi Daudi, Binda babu (later on Speaker, Bihar Assembly) and Deep babu (later on cabinet minister, Bihar), was completely transformed into a public meeting for freedom struggle where anti-British Raj and pro-freedom slogans were raised.

Ajazi left his studies at Bihar National College to follow Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Non-cooperation movement in 1921.

He collected funds for freedom struggle through ‘Muthia’ drive.

‘Muthia’ meant to take out a muththi or fist of grain before preparing every meal to fund freedom struggle.

Once he unknowingly reached the house of his cousin in a remote village.

He inquired about 'Muthia'.

He received a negative answer.

His cousin recognised him and requested him to take meal, but he refused even a glass of water.

When his sister promised to take out muthia and donated the dues, he agreed to take meal.

He attended the AICC session held at Ahmedabad in 1921 and supported Hasrat Mohani's motion on 'Complete Independence', which was opposed by Mahatma Gandhi and failed."The Hindu", English Daily in its article published on 2 March 2022 entitled "Colonial's Rule's Impact :Wipe Out British Raj's Ethos"says "Sri Aurbindo advocating for Poorna Swaraj in 1907, going against the proposal of colonial Self-Government given by Dadabhai Naoroji. Hasrat Mohani, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi, and Bipin Chandra Pal reinforced this call for Complete Independence" He met Gandhiji at Sabarmati Ashram.

Ajazi was not in support of the dominion status for India as many people in the Congress wanted at that time.

He was always of the opinion that India should not remain under British imperialism for any significant amount of time and that the Raj had no moral right to subjugate Indians.

This was the reason that he went against many Congress leaders of his time who were contented with dominion status and he instead wholeheartedly supported the motion of Complete Independence for India.

Ajazi launched a Seven Point Programme to raise funds for the Congress and Khilafat Committees of Muzaffarpur which helped in purchasing land for the District Congress which is now known as Tilak Maidan, Muzaffarpur.

Some of the features of his mobilization schemes included selling khadi clothes, burning foreign clothes, boycotting other foreign goods, procuring handful of grains from households and collecting funds for the freedom movement.

In one such public meeting at his ancestral village, Dihuli, he burnt a bonfire of his own western clothes.

By the end of October 1921, Muzaffarpur district had become an important centre of the Non-cooperation movement.

The colonial authorities decided to suppress the movement.

So, the police raided Daudi’s house and Ajazi, Daudi and Abdul Wadood were among the leaders arrested and put behind bars.

In the Gaya Congress session of 1922, Ajazi met C. R. Das and made fervent electoral campaigns for the Congress candidates in the municipal polls.

In 1923, a special session of the Congress took place in Delhi presided over by Abul Kalam Azad.

During this session, an issue of sitting arrangement came up whereby the delegates from Bihar were not given seats in the front row.

Ajazi registered his strong objection to this discriminatory arrangement after which Bihari delegates were also given appropriate seats.

His protest was admittedly on the issue of self-respect of the Biharis and due to his attitude of not accepting any discrimination among people based on their faith, caste or place of origin.

He represented the Central Khilafat Committee at the All Parties Conference and All Muslim Parties Conferences on Nehru Report along with Shaukat Ali, Begum Md. Ali, Abdul Majid Daryabadi, Azad Subhani, Abul Muhasin Muhammad Sajjad and others.

On the direction of Md Ali Jauhar, he took charge of the Khilafat Committee Calcutta.

He was arrested while participating in a protest march led by Subash Chandra Bose.

Later, he was released.