Maulana Abdul Wahid Owaisi was at once, a great Scholar of Islam mastering the Arabic, Persian and Urdu languages (even learning English in his eighties!), a practicing Sufi, an incessant lover of Rasul-Allah (SAW), a sharp-minded lawyer, a fantastic orator who would bring listeners to tears and standstill, a most well-mannered man whose politeness is remembered till today, a loving and caring father and relative, a far-sighted thinker, an educationalist, an open and secret helper of the poor, and so much more.

Nevertheless, he is today most remembered by the people of the Deccan as that Great Leader who single-handedly took it upon himself to revive the lost fortunes of the demoralized Muslims of Hyderabad after the end of Muslim (Nizam Dynasty) Rule in 1948.

He fought for the rights of Hyderabadi Muslims in the most dangerous of times ad circumstances. As a result, he was imprisoned for a year by the anti-Muslim government of the time. In prison, he authored a translation of the Holy Qur’an into Urdu. He lost all his wealth and position due to his struggle. His wife and children suffered. But he did not stop his mission to wake up the marginalized Muslims of Hyderabad and drive hope and faith into their hearts.

His complete trust in Allah was an example for others. He was much harassed and even received death threats but it did not scare him. He would say “Allah Hamaray Saath Hai” and recite Durud on the beloved Prophet (SAW). “The history of Islam is drenched with blood and tears,” he would say to those who would advise him to return to his comfortable lawyer’s lifestyle and stop putting himself in danger for the sake of the others.

Of course, after decades of hard work and remarkable patience, his struggle bore much fruit. Today, the Muslims of Hyderabad are the most powerful Muslims in India, politically, economically and culturally.

The party he founded, Majlis-e-Ittihadul-Muslimeen, is the most powerful party in Hyderabad and the city is represented in the Indian Parliament by none other than the Majlis MP, Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi, the able grandson of Maulana Abdul-Wahid.

That Hyderabad should be represented by a Muslim would have been something totally unthinkable when Maulana Abdul-Wahid started his struggle.

Due to his services to the Muslim peoples of Hyderabad, the people decided to grant him the title Fakhr-e-Millat (Pride of the Nation). I have heard that before the Indian invasion of 1948, the erstwhile ruler (Nizam) of Hyderabad the Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan also wanted to grant him a Nawabi title, but he did not show any interest. Great difference between being granted a title by a King and being granted a title by the oppressed masses.

What is amazing is unlike certain misguided Muslims today, Owaisi Saheb believed in fighting for Muslim rights from “within the system” and in a “peaceful and legal manner”. He never condoned illegal and terroristic activities. He considered such behaviour to be cowardly. He believed in a dedicated democratic struggle for the rights of the oppressed Muslims, coupled with tons of patience and even more Trust in Allah and His Prophet (S.A.W.).

He passed way in 1975 at a ripe age of 80+. His funeral was among the biggest funerals of Hyderabad in the 20th century. His Janazah Prayer was led by a Sayyid from the descendants of Sayyidna Shaykh Abd-ul-Qadir al-Jilani (RA), for he had immense respect and belief in the Sayyids and the Saints. He was buried in the proximity of his Murshid (spiritual guide) in the courtyard of the Dargah Sharif in Aghapura.