DURING the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar, “reading and knowing the Arabic language became a vice, fiqh, tafseer and hadith were thrown back and accursed” and an effort was made to “purge the Arabic letters from common language”, wrote Abdul Qadir Badayuni (1540-1615), the renowned historian, in his Muntakhab-ut-Tavaareekh (vol. 2, p. 320).

Quoting these words, K. A. Nizami says it prompted Muslim scholars in India to write books as they had realised that such dangerous ideas could jeopardise the whole system of Quranic teachings. The scholar who wrote the first book in India on the issue, stressing the importance of learning and promoting tajveed (rules describing ways to recite Quran with phonetic accuracy), was Sheikh Abdul Haq Muhaddis Dehlvi. His book Ad-Durr-ul-Fareed Fil-Qirat Vat-Tajveed was followed by other works.

In another article, while discussing orientalists and their ideological attachments, Nizami says that despite their great feats in research on Islam’s history and culture, most of the orientalists failed to comprehend the inner meanings of Islam.

The reason, says Nizami, is that western scholars’ works were based on certain motives, which were in turn influenced by their religious prejudices, political considerations and their own economic ideas.

Then he goes on to recount how orientalists felt about and wrote on Islam in different phases, beginning from curiosity in the early phase to bias in the post-crusade era, turning to teaching of Islam at western universities, researching under foreign policy directives from their governments in colonial era and then having an understanding with the Zionists in the times of petrodollar, shifting from explaining to analysing and spreading the idea of Arab nationalistic feelings to destroy the unity among Muslims.

And then Nizami analyses their motives and methods, in his usual way — erudite but flowing smoothly, convincing but unemotional and composed though sometimes unsettling with logical analysis.

These articles are included in the book Tareekh-o-Tamaddun-e-Islam (history and culture of Islam), published under the title Maqaalaat-e-Nizami, a series collecting K. A. Nizami’s articles in six volumes. These articles were published in numerous periodicals from time to time, but by collecting and publishing them in six volumes, some 28 years after the author’s death, the Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu Hind (ATUH), Delhi, has done a favour that will be dearly cherished for years to come.

The other five volumes in the series are titled: Tasavvuf Aur Soofiya (Sufism and Sufis), Hazrat Amir Khusrau, Tareekh-o-Tamaddun-e-Hind (history and culture of India) Sir Syed Aur Aligarh Tehreek (Sir Syed and Aligarh Movement) and Dilli Tareekh ke Aaene Mein (Delhi in historical perspective).

Ever since the worsening of relations between the two countries and discontinuation of postal services, the arrival of books and magazines from India through mail has totally stopped.

But ATUH has done us another favour by authorising Lahore’s World View Publishers to reproduce these six volumes locally. They have done a good job by reprinting the six volumes elegantly. So, Pakistani readers now can enjoy reading them.

Pro Khaliq Ahmed Nizami is considered among the most respected and authentic historians from the Indo-Pak subcontinent. Born on December 5, 1925 in Amroha, British India, Nizami remained associated for about half-a-century with Aligarh Muslim University’s department of History, serving as professor as well as vice chancellor.

He had command over several languages, including Arabic, Persian and English, which enabled him to consult the original sources in these languages, unlike today’s university teachers who almost totally rely on secondary sources in Urdu. Nizami consulted in these languages not only political histories but also sifted through travel accounts, biographies, autobiographies, memoirs, letters, administrative accounts and some hagiographical writings in these languages.

Nizami, taking raw material from historical facts and authentic sources, draws a picture of India and Islam in India that is reflective of congenial social and religious atmosphere enjoyed by the followers of all the religions and sects, that is, despite persistent political upheavals and economic meltdowns. This social order was built on human values and mutual respect, emanating from Islam’s basic tenant that all humans are equal, and which was practised by Muslim Sufis and saints in a society haunted by Hindu caste system.

Some of K. A. Nizam’s works are both in Urdu and English. Nizami’s books include: Tareekh-e-Mashaaikh-e-Chisht, Shah Valiullah Dehlvi Ke Siyasi Maktoobaat, Salaateen-e-Dehli Ke Mazhabi Rujhaanaat, Life and Times of Sheikh Nizamuddin Aulia, Some Aspects of Religion and Politics in India During the 13th century, The Life and Times of Shaikh Nasiruddin Chiragh-e-Dehli, Medieval India: A Miscellany, Delhi in Historical Perspectives, Sayyid Ahmed Khan and A Comprehensive History

of India. He died in Aligarh on December 4, 1997.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2025