Syed Abul Hassan, a great nationalist leader
Md Muzaffar Imam
Syed Abul Hassan, Bar-at-Law, was a great nationalist Muslim leader of Bihar, who played a significant role in political and cultural life of the Muslims of Bihar.
He hailed from a noble Muslim family of Hussainabad in Monger where he was born in the year 1878. He got his early education in Patna and Calcutta. He was called to the Bar in 1910.
He started his practice at Bhagalpur, where he started his public lite and political career. He was elected chairman of the Bhagalpur municipality. He remained associated with the District Congress Committee and served the Congress along with Deep Narayan Singh.
He participated in the Khilafat movement and served as the president of the Bhagalpur District Khilafat Committee. He organised Khilafat meetings and collected Turkish relief fund. He also took part in the Non-cooperation movement.
In his welcome address at Bihar Provincial conference at Bhagalpur on 28th August, 1920, he stressed the need of national unity for the success of Non-cooperation movement against the British Government. He was ardent believer of Hindu-Muslim unity and communal peace. He was a man of broad outlook and secular character. He married second time an English lady.
At a meeting of the Anjuman Moinul-Islam in 1925, Syed Abul Hassan emphasised social, cultural and religious upliftment of the Muslims of Bihar. He was literary man as well as a politician. He urged the Government to recognise Urdu as the official language of Bihar.
He was also elected the President of the District Muslim League. But it was a distinct feature of Abul Hassan that he was not a communalist or narrow minded leader. Till his last days he was very generous, philanthrophist and kind-hearted man whom every Hindu and Muslim loved and regarded alike.
During the hey-days of communalism Abul Hassan played a significant role to lessen social tension and to maintain communal harmony in Bhagalpur. He died at Bhagalpur in 1960.
