Updated and enlarged
Tributes To
Amar Sheed Zenab Ashfaq Ullah
Khan
(on his 118 th
birthday falling on 22nd October 2017)
Khamoosh Hazrat
Khamoosh Hasmat (pen name of A-U Khan)
Agar Hai Jajba
Wattan Ka Dil Main ,
Saza Ko Pohnchain Ge Apni Beshak
Zo aaj Hamko Mitta
Rhe Hain,
Bujdiloon Hi Ko Sada Moyt Se Darte Dekha
Goo Ke Soo Bar Unhain Roz Hi
Marte Dekha,
Wattan Hamara Rahe Saj Kam Aur Azad
Hamara Kaya Hai Agar Hum Rahe Na Rahe Na Rahe
,
Kass Lee Hai Kamar Ab To Kush Kar Ke Dekhain
Ge
Azad Hee Hoo Leinge Ya Sar hee Kata Deinge.
This is the Urdu
poem composed by Ashfaq Ullal Khan, who earned the supreme distinction of being
the first Muslim youth to be hanged for the cause of the freedom of Mother
India. Ashfaq Ullal Khan imbibed the spirit of Patriotism, Unity, Communal
Harmony & supreme sacrifice for the country. He falls in the of great
revolutionaries & martyrs like Amar
Sheed Bhagat singh, sukhdev,Rajguru , Jatinder Nath Dass, Veerangini Jalkari Bhai, Virsa Munda,Mangle
Panday,Dulia Dhobi,Mangal Mochi, Kammon kesri Khushi Ram ,Jatra Bhagat , Udham
singh , Abdul Gafar Khan, Guru Ram Singh Kuka, Begum Hazrat Mahal,Arun
Asaf AlimChander Sekhar Azad ,Neta ji subash chander bose, Veeragini Mahaveeri Devi& lakhs
other unknown heroes of Indian
Independence Movement.
A very handsome
revolutionary son of Mother India, Ashfaq Ulla Khan, was born on October 22nd ,
1900 at Shahjahanpur (U.P) in a
respectable & well known
Muslim family. He was son of revered
zenab Shafiq Ullah Khan and Begam
Mazhoor-Un-Nisa.His father was teacher by profession . Ashfaq Ulla Khan was the
youngest of his six children of his
father. His elder brother‘s was Zenab Riyasat Ullah Khan who was advocate by
profession. His birth was celebrated with a great pump & show. He was a
student of the Mission High school at Shahjahanpur, one class junior to another
great revolutionary Pandit Ram Parshad Bismil., a staunch Arya Samaji Hindu. From
his childhood Ashfaq Ullal Khan started
taking interest in the Freedom Movement & the activities of
the freedom fighters moved his tender mind. Both he and Ram Prasad Bismil made unparallel sacrifices
for the Indian Freedom Movement from the British yoke.
Ashfaq Ulla Khan left school during
Khilafat Movement in 1920 to devote himself fully to educate his countrymen for
the Freedom Movement. Many of his near friends advised him not to jump into
freedom movement, which was full of difficulties & sufferings including
jailed life & even death sentence. But Ashfaq Ullal Khan was made of
different stuff, who had decided to sacrifice for the freedom of his
Motherland.
To raise money for
purchasing weapons for the revolutionaries it was decided (although Ashfaq
Ullal Khan differed initially, but agreed with the majority decision) to loot a
train carrying Govt. Treasury The train was successfully looted on August 8,
1925 between Alamnagar & Kakoi stations.
Among the train robbers were Sachinder Nath Bakshi; Rajinder Nath
Lahiri; Pandit Ram Parshad Bismil & Ashfaq ullah Khan. The train robbery
sent shock waves to the British administration & praises for the
revolutionaries. Two close confidents of Pt. RPBismil leaked the information
& got arrested some revolutionaries, but Ashfaq ullah Khan escaped to Daltonganj in Bihar, where he succeeded in
getting employment in a school posing as a Hindu of Mathura. Now he wanted
to go abroad to study engineering which would further help him in the freedom
struggle. He went to Delhi for
this purpose.. But alas again a close confident Pathan friend of Ashfaq ullah
Khan betrayed & got Ashfaq ullah Khan arrested. Ashfaq ullah Khan was
brought to Lahore, tried along with Sachinder Nath Bakshi in Kakori railway
station case & sentenced to death. His advocate brother Zenab Riyasat Ullah Khan was his
defense councilor.
In an Urdu poem written from his prison cell
by Ashfaq ullah Khan with Ram Prasad
Bismil on the night of 18 December, 1928 (They were executed on 19th December 1927), he expressed his wish that despite the
fact as a Muslim he did not believed in rebirth after death, but if he meets
“Khudda” ( God Almighty) after death, he shall
make an express request to Him to grant him another births in lieu of
“Jannat” so that he could come
again and again to liberate his mother land. In this hand written Urdu poem
opening lines he said he will go empty hands with the pains that he did not
know when his country shall be liberated. A day before his death he told, to
his friends who came to see him in the cell, jokily that he was getting married
next day.
Ashfaq ullah Khan’s love
for his motherland and his commitment for its freedom from the foreign yoke can
be made out from the letter written by
him from his Jail cell to his nephews.
Translation of the Urdu letter written by
Asfaq Ullah Khan to his nephews from the Jail.
“I have been accused of loving my country
and for that crime ,I have been given
the death sentence. The only wish I have from you both is that after my
death you must read the proceedings of my case, then you will come to know to
what extent I loved my motherland as a true Muslim”.
On Monday the19th December, 1927, the
day of his execution Ashfaq ullah Khan got up early in the morning, took bath
offered Namaz & read verses from the Holy Quran. At 6 in the morning he was
taken to the altar platform for execution. He was walking carrying a Quran in a
bag hanging from his shoulder & was reciting its verses. After kissing the
noose he put it around his neck as if it was a garland of flowers. He said “I
have never stained my hands with the blood of any man. I will get justice
before God. All the charges leveled against me are wrong.” After kissing the
noose he put it around his neck as if it was a garland of flowers and was
hanged Faizabad Jail British India. His body was taken by his relatives to
Shahjahanpur to perform his last rights
Amar Shaheed Ashfaq ullah Khan
was a true freedom fighter & a great secular. He saved an Arya Samaji temple from being burnt by rioters. He said
“All places of worship, irrespective of the religion, they belong to, are dear
to life more than his life.” In his last prayer he prayed to God to bless
Hindus & Muslims with better sense so that they don’t fight among
themselves and work untidily for the Freedom Movement of the country .
Er HEM
RAJ PHONSA.
Dated 17-10-2017
Ex Executive Engineer
Referance; - Ashfaq ullah Khan, A Great Revolutionary &
Freedom Fighter, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting GOI.
ii) Maps of
India.com
