The Forgotten Hero
by Aasi Hashtnagri
Before independence from the British, IndoPak subcontinent has witnessed the gushes of numerous liberation movements, all aiming at the ouster of the colonial power and the establishment of a self-rule for the Indian people. Many of these movements have became legends and their originators are still remembered as legendary heroes by their people. But ironically some of the freedom struggle heroes have found no place in the history books of the freedom movement. They have been ignored by everyone and it is feared that the coming generations will remain ignorant of the deeds of these freedom fighters.

Haji Sahib Tarangzai stands out to be the most ignored one among the heroic personalities of the freedom movement in general and the mujahideen of Frontier in particular. He was feared and despised by the British rulers and is revered and esteemed by his people. At one and the same time he was a spiritual leader, a religious scholar, a reformer, educationist and a warrier.

Born in Tarangzai, a small village in Charsadda, his name was Fazle Wahid but is popularly known as Haji Sahib Tarangzai. His father, Fazle Ahd, belonged to the family of famous religious scholar and mystic Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani, while maternally he traces back to Hazrat Kaka Sahib - the famous religious scholar.

Haji Sahib got his early education in his ancestral village from Maulana Hamid-ud-Din, a famous scholar of that time, and Akhunzada Abu Bakar. At the age of 14 after learning Quran and basics of Islam, he joined a madrassa {religious school) in Tehkal, Peshawar . Sir Sahlbzada Abdul Qayyum had also studied in this school. Haji Sahib spent six years in this school. During this period he met many scholars and freedom fighters who used to come there from Kabul and Delhi . The head of this school, a great mystic and scholar, was related to the "Waliullahi Movement". He inculcated the spirit of humanism, sympathy, egoism, honesty and sacrifice and moulded the personalty of Haji Sahib in the right direction. After completing his education, Haji Sahib came back to his hometown and started preaching Islam. He also engaged himself in farming for his livelihood.

The successive liberation and reformative movements of the Muslims culminated into the demise of the 1857 freedom war, which was called Ghadar by the British. After the war the whole of Indian subcontinent came under the direct rule of Britain . The Muslim population of India suffered great losses and they were the main target of the British suppression. The Frontier tribal people could not stand the tyranny and cruelty of the government and they started guerilla wars against it. But these efforts were not well organized and therefore could not get lasting results.

Around 1878 Umara Khan of Jandool organized the tribal Pukhtoons and launched a liberation movement. After visiting Saudi Arabia in 1878 and performing Haj -- where he met with Rasheed Ahmed Cangoohi, the spiritual leader of the Waliullahi Movement - Umara Khan announced the establishment of Islamic government in Jandool in 1881 and promulgated Islamic Shariah, which was welcomed by the people and they extended their complete support to him. The British government felt threatened and planned an offensive on Chitral. Umara Khan announced jehad against the British forces which was responded very positively by the valor and warrior tribal Pukhtoons. The mujahideen succeeded to conquer Asmar, Dam Kali, Chaghar Sarai, Buner, Mohmand, Malakand, Dir, Swat and established Islamic government in these areas.

The British rulers conspired against this Islamic government in collusion with Amir Abdur Rehman of Kabul . Dilawar Khan of Bajaur, Mohammad Sharib of Dir, and Amirul Mulk also joined hands with the British Raj. The British government launched a heavy attack against Umara Khan and after a bloody war they succeeded to oust him. Umara Khan escaped to Afghanistan . The British officials claimed that during the war every influential tribal chief either worked for the Raj or the Amir of Kabul.

During this critical period of the Pukhtoon history, Haji Sahib Tarangzai was fighting his war on other fronts i.e reforming the society and preaching religion to the common people. He also resisted bravely all the tyrannical and suppressive laws of the British government. (Yet again in 1901 another tyrannical act of the British government was the separation of the Frontier from the Punjab and the consequent promulgation of the Frontiers Crime Regulations to suppress and terrorize the people. The Frontier came under the direct rule of central government.)

In 1897 the British government planned a major offensive on Malakand to quell the mujahideen insurgency and capture the strategic tribal areas. The news of the offensive reached the tribal people who started preparations for jehad against the British forces. Hadi Mula of Afghanistan , a famous and renowned scholar, freedom fighter and the spiritual leader of Haji Sahib announced jehad and organized the tribal people against the English forces. Haji Sahib, who at that time was with him, sent a message to Hashtnagar area and called upon the people to join jehad. Thousands of people of the Hashtanagar area got together and reached the tribal area through secret means. Beside this Haji Sahib organized Mamonzi, Totyanai and Uthmankhel tribesmen in the form of a lashkar. Mulla Mastan alias Sartor_Faqir, another disciple of Hadi Mulah formed another tashkar from Buner, Swat, Dir and Bajaur areas and attacked the British army from the Chakdara side while Haj Sahib attacked from Malakand. The fighting continued for many days and the mujahideen inflicted the British army with severe losses. After the jehad was over Haji Sahib came back to his ancestral village.

Haji Sahib Tarangzai not only organized jehad against the British rulers but also worked hard for educating the so far illiterate Pukhtoons and strived for eradicating social evils. The British government had launched its education system through missionary scholars and doctors which aimed at teaching Christian way of life to the people, posing a greater threat to the culture and civilization of the area. To counter this religious and cultural encroachment, Haji Sahib established a network of schools which, were known as Azad Madrasas (independent schools). These schools imparted Islamic education to the people and prepared them for organizing a social setup based on Islamic injunctions and way of life. These schools had three-pronged objectives;

(i) to impart education to the Pukhtoon youth;

(ii) to lessen the influence of the missionary education system and;

(iii) to prepare the young generation for the liberation war.

Haji Sahib was greatly esteemed by the people of his time and was considered as a great saint. Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum, who has a great reverence for the Haji Sahib, requested him to lay the foundation stone of the Islamia College , Peshawar in 1913. Though Haji Sahib was the arch enemy of the British government of the time.

Haji Sahib left his home village Tarangzai in 1915 and migrated to Mohmand Agency on the directives of the great religious scholar Sheikh-ul-Hind Maulana Mahmood-ul-Hassan. He lived in this mountainous area for rest of his life and continued his struggle against the accesses of the British rulers. He died on December 14, 1937 and is buried in Ghazi Abad (Lakerey) Mohmand Agency. His shrine is visited by thousands of his followers and disciples every year to commemorate the deeds of this great freedom fighter.