By Shoaib Rasheed
Maulana Azam Hashmi (1915-1973) was born to a family of religious scholars in the Ferghana valley in modern-day Uzbekistan. He witnessed his homeland fall to communism under the new Soviet regime shortly after World War I. He was forced to flee his homeland due to the religious persecution, leaving his mother and siblings behind. After leaving his village, he toured the major cities such as Kokand, Samarqand, and Bukhara, until finally escaping into Afghanistan. He eventually settled in Pakistan after Partition, where he became an advocate for Turkestani refugees. He was on good terms with Grand Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani and his sons.
The respected maulana penned an autobiography in Urdu titled “Samarqand-o Bukhara ki Khuni Sarguzasht” in which he records his experiences and struggles as a student of religious knowledge facing the oppression of early communism. The following is an excerpt from that autobiography in which the author describes the social and religious state of Turkestani society just before communism, as well as the atrocities of the communist regime against Islam and Muslims.
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In Ferghana (which these days is called Uzbekistan), in the Andijan district, there is a tiny village called Qayqi. I was born here in 1915. My father’s name was Khwaja Khan Damla (“Damla” means “maulana” in the Turkestani language, the title of a religious scholar). His father was Hadrat Shaykh Izzatullah. My mother’s father was Ghiyasuddin Ishan Namangani. These honorable men were all outstanding scholars during their times. All of Turkestan knew my maternal grandfather as ustadh al-‘aalam (teacher of the world). His circle of students was quite large indeed. In my father’s lineage, religious scholars and Naqshbandi masters (khulafa) occupy the last four links. On my mother’s side, I am descended from Sayyiduna Husain (may Allah be pleased with him). Her ancestor came to Turkestan with Qutayba ibn Muslim to spread Islam, after which he settled here. From that time, this family has given birth to great shaykhs and scholars whose tombs still existed up till when I emigrated.
During the Russian Tsars’ aggressive invasion of Turkestan, my maternal grandfather Ghiyasuddin Ishan and my mother’s maternal uncle Batur Tora Namangani were at the forefront of the resistance. For this crime, they were arrested and imprisoned for life. They passed away in prison. My three maternal uncles, Abd al-Hameed Khan Tora, Abd al-Rasheed Khan Tora, and Muhyi al-Deen Khan Tora, were all extremely pious. They were among those that shunned worldliness and maintained their focus on the Hereafter (sahib-i zuhd-o wara’). They were elders and spiritual masters to whom all and sundry turned for guidance (marja-i khas o aam). Let me clarify that the word “Khan” in Turkestan is used for either descendants of the Prophet (S) or for kings. Even the ladies of our family were scholars of Arabic and Persian. My mother and her four sisters were all scholars of high caliber.
Our family was very large. I had five older brothers and two older sisters, and we were eleven siblings in total. Our means of livelihood was agriculture and business. We owned some 5.25 acres of land. Of that, 2.5 acres were rain-irrigated, and the rest was irrigated by canal water. In addition to area for crop cultivation, our land had orchards and forests too. All in all, we led a pleasant life.
Let there be no misunderstanding regarding the system of agriculture in Turkestan at the time: the owner of the land was usually himself the farmer. We had no serfs working the land as in Russia. Tenant farming did exist, but the tenant farmers were in no way violated of their due. They would receive full compensation for their hard work. Farmers that did not have their own land were very few. We did not have feudal landowners like the zameendars and jaageerdaars of India and Pakistan.
I grew up in revolutionary times. Almost all the men of our family attained martyrdom. Mother was a scholar of Arabic and Persian. It was under her tutelage that I began my education. I obtained my primary education in my village, but I did my secondary education secretly in Namangan, Kokand, Samarqand, and Shahrisabz. The secrecy was a must because after the socialists took control of Turkestan, they decreed religious education forbidden. It became a serious crime to proselytize or to print religious publications. To pursue religious education meant purposefully stepping forward and inviting pain and hardship on oneself.
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Before the Russian Revolution, one medium of instruction was the Russian language. The other educational institutions were headed and managed by Catholic priests, who tended to be extremely partisan and closeminded. The teachers at these institutions were often priests as well. Their mission seemed to be to convert Muslims to Christianity more than disseminating actual education. Graduates of these institutions tended to be irreligious, and they usually supported Russian imperialism. For these reasons, most average Muslims had boycotted these institutions. People that received so-called modern education usually had no prestige or importance in the eyes of the public.
As for religious education, Turkestan had thousands of religious colleges (madaris). The medium of instruction was the Turkish language. No city or town was void of a school. Philanthropists had donated land endowments for countless religious colleges. The instruction was free of cost, but the colleges usually did not provide supplies or loan out books. The student of knowledge would have to endure these costs himself for the twelve-to-sixteen-year duration of his education. Graduates of these religious colleges would either go into business, or they would acquire a position in one of Russia’s occupied territories or its subordinate states writing fatwas or serving in a Muslim personal law court.
The atmosphere of these schools was a world unto itself. Politics? Well, you could say it was a “forbidden tree.” The religious scholars (ulama) had allowed the anti-religious powers free reign in this field. Turkestani society was completely ignorant of, and largely cut off from, the larger Islamic world. Comfort and prosperity had left the entire society in a state of obliviousness. Everyone fancied themselves a poet and an intellectual. Six months out of the year would be wasted in leisure. Hunting for sport and wasting money and resources for the sake of name and fame had become our point of pride and mark of distinction. Most of the religious scholars were close-minded. They had fallen prey to intellectual stagnation. They were mired in discussing minutiae (furuu’aat). Tasawwuf was in full vogue. The masters and the Sufis were lost in their khanqahs completely severed from the practical issues facing the society and the people. Meditation (muraqabah), unveiling of the graves (kashf-i qubur), hermetic seclusion (uzlat gazini), spiritual exercises (riyaazat), forty-day-long preaching tours (chilla kashi), debate and discussion on the theory of unity of existence (wahdat al-wujud), extreme repression of one’s desires (nafs kashi) – these were what they concerned themselves with, and what they pushed their disciples towards. If anyone criticized this stagnation of theirs, their swift answer would be: “Well, what of it? Is there some enemy attacking us? Even if such a time were to come to pass, we are prepared to come out onto the battlefield. Indeed, khanqah-based Sufi training’s true purpose is none other than preparation for jihad.”
These were the days and nights of Turkestani Muslim society in 1917, when revolution came to Russia. After the overthrow of the Czar’s imperialist throne, nationalist Russians that were calling for democracy formed a provisional government under the leadership of Alexander Kerensky. At this time, Turkestan also declared its independence, with Kokand as its capital. The Kerensky administration recognized this independent state of Turkestan. Aside from a police force known as the national guard militia, it did not even have a single military battalion. Nevertheless, the leaders of this independent government spared no time in solidifying this independence. The religious scholars also gave them full support and assistance. An assembly was formed to draft a new constitution, a task that the assembly started with all speed. During this time, the communists, led by Lenin, overthrew Kerensky’s government and took control of Russia. In February 1918, socialist Russia invaded Turkestan and put to death its short-lived independence. In December 1921, it sank the claws of its rule into Bukhara and the Republic of Khiva.
As soon as the communists seized control of Turkestan, they usurped the lands, orchards, stores, and workshops. The farmers, businesspeople, religious scholars, and people connected with religion were all banned from the rights of citizenship – no matter whether they were educated white-collar folks, or uneducated laborers and farmhands. Praying and fasting were decreed to be crimes. Restrictions were placed on Hajj. Mosques were shut down.
As for shutting down mosques, the communists chose crafty and deceitful methods. First, they confiscated the endowments (awqaaf) used to fund the mosques and religious colleges. Then, after cutting off their means of sustenance, the communists began imposing heavy taxes on the mosques. When the people collected donations and paid off the taxes, the communists imposed a special hoarding tax on anyone that had donated. The communists publicized the notion that whoever pays off the mosque tax has been keeping a stash of wealth hidden which the communists vowed to expose. Who now would be bold enough to pay off the mosque tax? For this reason, the taxes would remain unpaid by the time the deadline would arrive, and then one week later a fine would be added on the mosque which would keep on growing as time went by. At the same time, the people that came to pray at the mosque would have to pay a prayer tax. The consequence of all this was that people started praying in their homes, and the mosques became deserted and empty. Eventually, the communists would pass a resolution that since the mosque is laying useless and deserted, and no one is coming there to pray in it, the government should use it for some beneficial purpose. The next day, the resolution would be published in the official gazette, and the communists would take over the mosque. The mosque would either be demolished, as if achieving martyrdom, or the communists would convert it to a stable, a club, a dancing-house, etc.
Branches of the communist party opened in every single neighborhood. These branches had a hidden agenda to oppose religion, and they would employ tactics to uproot religion from the foundations of society. Obtaining a license was now declared mandatory for earning a living. Without a license, one was not allowed to farm, manufacture crafts, conduct business, or even perform physical labor. Obtaining a license was almost impossible for religious people and for those who harbored a love for national and ethnic traditions. One was required to openly renounce religion and faith. At the same time, ruffians and murderers were given free reign. Religious Muslims who adhered to praying and fasting found themselves victims of attacks, but no perpetrator was ever arrested. In this way, thousands of Muslims were made martyrs. The killing, bloodshed, and enmity towards Islam intensified after 1927. The communists made open accusations against Islam. They would make cartoons ridiculing the Quran, the Hadith, the faith, and religious leaders, and they would post these cartoons on the streets and in the mosques. They would drag the blessed name of the Noble Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) through the mud. They would play derogatory dramas in the theaters and cinemas. Guarding one’s eyes from these cartoons and such was a crime. The tyranny and enmity towards Islam of the communists went to such an extent that they made pretend puppets (putlaa) of the Holy Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and placed them on every major crossroad. They would accost the passersby, and, using foul and rough language, they would force them to face the puppet. Faced with this state of affairs, people that wished to live as Muslims had no other option but to perform hijrah: to emigrate.
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One day, the communists called a gathering in our village’s large mosque. They announced that everyone in the village was ordered to attend, and that anyone not present would be punished. The people came reluctantly. The mosque was packed, and there was barely space to move. The program began. First, the organizer announced that any spiritual folks (ruhani log) may now leave. In Turkestan, people that believed in religion and faith were known as spiritual folks. At this announcement, many people stood up and left. Most of the people that remained were either vagrants, ruffians, men of weak faith, or naive youths. The communists wrote down the names of the people who had chosen to leave. For a moment, there was silence. Then a clock began to chime loudly. Yes, indeed! A clock chiming in a mosque, just like the churches! The atmosphere had already felt intimidating. With the sound of the reverberating clock chime, the horror increased. Then a man walked onto the stage whom we were told was an Islamic philosopher. For the next one-and-a-half hours, he spewed out rubbish and angry words against Islam. I do not have the strength in my pen to replicate that twaddle word for word. In summary, however, he said that religion in general – and Islam in particular – has convinced the masses into believing in the concept of God for the sole purpose of robbing them. The capitalists and the mullahs have manufactured this concept merely to feed their own bellies. Allah, the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the Last Day, Resurrection and Judgment, Paradise and Hellfire, angels and jinn, and all the other various points of creed are all deceptions. They are hidden traps that the spiritual folks have laid out. The communist party is committed to rooting out and eradicating these concepts, he said, thus liberating the masses and the workers from these hidden traps.
The speaker was absorbed in the excitement of his speech. He yelled, “Does any man wish to ask a question?”
My blood boiled as I heard this impudent man speaking his rubbish. Shaking with anger, I stood up. Without paying any heed of the communists in the gathering, I said, “You have removed from this gathering the very people that could have given an answer to this rubbish of yours. Do you want an answer from them by communing with their souls?” In my passion, who knows what else I may have said? All I remember is that a silence fell over the mosque, and in that silence my voice thundered. Suddenly someone shouted, “Catch him, catch him!” Then the communists fell on me from all four directions. Kicks and punches rained down. They tore my coat. My clothes were left in tatters. The police pushed and shoved me, hit me with sticks, and threw me out. I reached home. My younger sister and brother and my dear mother were shocked at the state of me. I could not even bring myself to look at mother’s face. Her worry was warranted, for she had seen firsthand the calamity facing religion and its people. Even our own family was not safe. The socialist police had come to the homes of my paternal uncle, two of my maternal uncles, one brother-in-law, two cousins, and numerous friends, and taken them away for the crime of being religious, and to this day we do not know whether the earth has swallowed them or the sky has snatched them up.
“My son, may your mother be sacrificed for you. Did someone hit you?” I tried hard to evade the question but mother kept insisting. Eventually I had no choice. Mother was weeping as I told her the entire story. After listening to the entire incident, she said: “Listen to me, light-of-my-eyes. These people are ignorant and devoid of faith. They are wound up in power. But these foul people haven’t the slightest wind of true knowledge and reality. Their rubbish is nothing but lies against the true religion. Very well. I will have to think what we should do with you. Now eat something.”
I was so anxious and upset that I had no desire to eat. Mother fed me a few bites with her own hand despite my protests. By then, it was quite late at night. I led mother and my two sisters in isha prayer. Then mother took me to her own room. She gave me a book and said, “Take this, my son, and read it.”
I opened the book. It was the first volume of a biography of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). It had been published in Kazan. Mother left. Once I started reading, I remained absorbed all night. A little while before dawn, mother entered the room again, took the book away, and said, “Rest now for a little while, my child.”
I slept for an hour or so. Then mother came back and woke me up for fajr prayer. We prayed this too in congregation. Once the sun came out, we went to work in the orchards.
My two younger brothers had gone to school that morning. When they returned home in the afternoon, they said something to mother, and she replied: “These people are the enemies of the religion, and this is exactly how enemies babble.”
It turns out that the school had put on a drama that attacked and ridiculed prayer, fasting, and other hallmarks of Islam. The next day at school, the children were asked questions about their parents. Fifteen days later, mother’s citizenship was revoked on the basis that she was a spiritual (ruhaniya) and a religious scholar. At this point, my mother said, “Now our faith is about to be tested. This is exactly what I expected from these people. These ruffians will not let a single person with any love or heed of the religion be left alive in this land.”
Then mother took me aside and said, “Son, there is no way to know when the enemy will make me a martyr or exile me. One cannot be a Muslim and remain here. I give you permission to do your hijrat. Emigrate to some other country so that you can live your life as a Muslim.”
After that, we spent most of our time consulting with each other in secret. From my maternal and paternal grandfathers, I had inherited a very valuable collection of rare books. Upon the advice of mother, I made a hole in the six-feet-wide wall of my late father’s guest room, hid all the books inside, and then patched up the wall. We had no doubt that the socialist government would seize this building, and rather than demolishing it, they would put it into some use for the bureaucracy.
Exactly twenty-three days after mother’s citizenship were revoked, I embarked on my journey of hijrat.
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