1. Early life and family

2. Muslim League

3. At Aligarh

4. Official language

5. Educationist and reformer

6. References

7. External links

Early life and family

Badiudin Mahmud was born in the Southern town of Matara, which was the birthplace of some of the most illustrious sons of Sri Lanka. It was the Ruhunu Rata that gave to our country men of the caliber of Dutugemenu, the hero king whose memory will always be cherished for his victory over Elara. Dhatusena, the young prince who restored Sinhalese Sovereignty after the usurpation of the Fourth Tamil invasion in 436 A.C, Anagarika Dharmapala, the ardent Nationalist and Crusader, who set in motion a revival in Buddhist culture and education, the patriot and poet Munidasa Kumaranatunga who strove to free the nation of alien influences and foreign domination and several others, who have by their self-sacrifice, their devotion to duty and concern for the ordinary people of this country, left a record of achievements that will always be remembered with gratitude by the people of this country.

Tracing his ancestry to one of the most distinguished Ceylon Moor families of that time, which produced some of the well-known and honored Mukaddams, commissioners, Udayars, trustees and notaries, whose services to the Muslim community are even now remembered with gratitude, Badiudin Mahmud could claim both on his paternal and maternal sides direct descent from the earliest Arab settlers in Ceylon, going back to the Abbasid Dynasty. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the child Badiudin was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, in his ancestral home, whose occupants were known as ‘Mukaddam Veettar’, his paternal grandfather Sulaiman Lebbe Marikkar Mathicham owned the whole of Browns Hill and a good portion of the then town of Matara, while his maternal grandfather from Weligama, Seyed Musthafa Notaris Hadjiar, who was known as ‘Maha Notaris Ralahamy’ of Weligama Korale and who lived up to a ripe old age of 114 years was famed as a Poet and Humorist and was a Notary Public, in both Sinhala and Tamil. He is said to have attested 49,000 deeds. An Achievement not to be belittled, at that period of time, during his 49 years he was in practice. He is credited to have translated into Sinhala, Muslim Religious Poems and was popular among the people for his poetry and humor. The names of Arabi Appa and his son the Venerable Hadjiar Appa are mentioned with reverence among the Muslims of this country for their zeal in religion and learning and it was the ‘Mukaddam Veettar’ that Arabi Appa sought when he finally decided to settle down in Ceylon and make his home on his arrival from Arabia.

S.L.M. Mahmud Naina Marikkar Mathicham, an affluent planter and landed proprietor, better known as Matara Mahatmaya, and his wife Fathima Natchiya, were the parents of a family of twelve, of whom Badiudin was the youngest.

St. Thomas College, Matara, and Wesley College, Colombo, can lay claim to having shaped his early educational career, but it was at Zahira, Colombo, where he completed his Cambridge Senior Examination that young Badiudin gave full expression to his aptitudes. Besides being a Senior Prefect and Secretary of the Literary Association, which he built to a standard at that time, not second to that of any other schools, he took a keen interest in Tennis, Athletics and Cadetting. He outshone the other students not only as an able organizer, but also as a reformer who dared to criticize even the management and the teachers, when the occasion arose, in a news sheet of which he was the author and which did not fail to make its appearance at the beginning of every week. Before he left Zahira College, Badiudin had left the stamp of individuality not only among his colleagues, but also among his teachers, some of whom predicted a great future for the young man. His performance later in the Scholastic field more than fully justified the expectations of his mentors. Badiudin Mahmud was brought up in what one might call a strictly religious atmosphere, an atmosphere where the old Islamic Cultural values were still a force. The seeds planted in young Badiudin’s mind by his parents and later influenced by the close attachment of his brother, Proctor M.N.M. Salahudeen, who was the idol of the Muslim youth of his day, required a liberal atmosphere where they could blossom forth into flowers of every hue.^[3]

Muslim League

Mr. Mahmud's association with the young Muslim League began in 1927, when he was called upon to accept office as Secretary of an organization that was cynically known as the “Isthoppu League” because the members gathered on the verandahs of various homes, as the league had no home of its own at this time. A legacy of a moth-eaten register with the names of 54 members, most of whom hardly attended meetings, an old file and a debit balance of Rs. 26/- devolved upon the new secretary. It was left to young Badiudin to transform this lifeless body into a vigorous movement, which within a short period of three months grew to be the most powerful Muslim organization in Ceylon, later to be known as the All-Ceylon Muslim League. It acquired its new headquarters at Main Street with a telephone and the services of an office assistant, a clerk and a peon. A bank account too was opened. Determined to do his bit for the community, this young man with courage and vision devoted most of his precious time to ensure that the desperate forces within the community who were at one another’s throat were united under one banner, shedding their differences and personal vendettas to work for the common good of the Muslim community. This was one of his great tasks, and his dream turned out to be a reality when he saw that the different Muslim leaders of the time like Sir Mohamed Macan Markar, Hon W.M. Abdul Raheman, Mr. N.D.H. Abdul Caffoor, Hon. N.H.M. Abdul Cader, Mr. T.B. Jayah and Mr Mahmood Hadjiar, who were warring among themselves, joined hands on a single platform under the aegis of the Muslim League.

One such memorable incident comes to mind, when one wonders what the history of the Muslim community would have been had not Badiudin Mahmud by his wise statesmanship and farsightedness cautioned the reckless and irresponsible move of some Leagures to rouse the ire of the Sinhalese community and thereby create the most dangerous rift between the Muslims and their Sinhala brethren by the introduction of a resolution at a meeting of the All-Ceylon Muslim Political Conference condemning the Sinhalese for their opposition to the then Governor, Sir Andrew Caldecott on his vetoeing the “Council of Ministers” refusal to pass an item of expenditure. The dramatic part played by Badiudin Mahmud to bring about peace and understanding between the two communities is part of history.

Not content with building the League, young Mahmud, dedicated himself sincerely in social service work and was considered one of the most active social workers of his day. While it would be impossible to give a detailed record of his achievements in this field, he is credited with many "firsts", of which any young man today may feel quite proud. He was invited to deliver the first talk over Radio Ceylon on the significance of the Haj Festival Day.

He on this occasion organized the recital of Thakbeer to precede his speech. It is also not known to many that the one who initiated the Haj Prayers at Galle Face Green (1928) which has become an annual feature, was none other than our Badiudin Mahmud. Even the much publicized mass meeting which is held annually at the Galle Face Green to celebrate the birthday of Muhammad was first sponsored by the All-Ceylon Meelad Shariff Committee of which he was the promoter. His activities covered a variety of interests, all devoted to the Muslim cause and wherever he moved in, he ensured that the image of the Muslim Community was held in high esteem by the rest of the people of this country. Only a detailed biography will be able to do justice to the multifarious activities of the man.^[4]

At Aligarh

Aligarh which produced some of the greatest Muslim leaders of Pre-partition India was the first choice and to Aligarh did young Badiudin, with his great ardour to seek the best, proceed in order to drink deep from the fountain of Islamic Culture.

It was about this time that Muslim representation in the Legislative Council was reduced from three elected to one nominated. Badiudin Mahmud who was becoming closely associated with the Nationalist Movement of India took the opportunity of meeting the Muslim leaders like Moulana Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Sir Muhammad Iqbal, Dr. Ansari, Sir Shafaat Ahmed Khan, Sir Mohamed Shafi, Moulana Zafar Ali Khan, Dr. Syed Mahmud, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Sir Mirza Ismail, the Aga Khan, Sir Sultan Ahmed and several others and presented before them the case of the Muslims of Ceylon and persuaded them to support this cause when they attended the Second Round Table Conference in London. The brilliant performance of Mr. Mahmud at Aligarh both in the academic and extra-curricular spheres from 1931-1937 may still not be equaled by successive generations of students. Having passed the Inter-Arts Examination in the First Division ranking second, he read for his B.A.(Honours) examination and passed it, coming first in the examination. Not only did he find ample opportunities to demonstrate his oratorical powers when he won the gold medal of the All-India Public Speaking Competition, but his literary efforts were also of such standard that he was appointed editor of the university magazine for two successive years. He won the hearts of both his colleagues and his mentors by his achievements in every sphere of university life that he was in 1935 unanimously elected president of the U.P. University Students Federation.

In 1937 he won the most coveted award of Aligarh – The Oxford Meston Prize, which is conferred on the most outstanding student for his debating ability and for the important role he played as a member of the Aligarh Union. Shortly thereafter, he crowned his scholastic achievements by obtaining his master's degree in geography, thus becoming the first Ceylon Moor to obtain a Master of Arts Degree. It was an honor given to a few men to be flanked on either side of two of India’s greatest sons – Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah when Badiudin Mahmud addressed the All-India Students Conventions at Lucknow in 1936, but to be asked to preside over the sessions soon after Mr. Mohamed Ali Jinnah vacated the chair was an opportunity of a lifetime that rarely comes in one’s way.

It is pertinent to ask at this stage which Muslims, or, for that matter, which non-Muslim, can claim to have been instrumental in organizing a student’s movement in a foreign country and to have led the movement through the most formative years of its life. That honor and privilege went to Badiudin Mahmud, who not only organized the All-India Students Movement but crowned this achievement by being selected to tour India, Afghanistan, Burma, Siam, Malaya and the Far East on behalf of his University.

The future of a man can be judged to some extent by the way he conducts himself in his school and by the respect and regard he earns through such conduct.

If that is a yardstick of measuring a man’s character the encomiums paid by his Vice-Chancellor is worthy of record:

A similar tribute was paid by Mr. Mohammad Habib, Professor and Provost, the famous historian of India, to his erstwhile pupil.

Official language

On his arrival in Ceylon, the Muslim League organized a largely attended reception to their distinguished and erudite former General Secretary and Sir Mohamed Macan Markar, Mr. T. B. Jayah and Mr. N.H.M. Abdul Cader were among the Muslim elders who welcomed the budding Muslim Leader back home and hoped that he would serve the Community and the country with greater strength and vigor.

In 1938 addressing the Prophet’s Birthday Celebrations at Galle, visionary as he was, Badiudin Mahmud created a sensation by urging the Muslims of Ceylon to learn Sinhala as it would be the only official language in a free Ceylon. His words indeed turned out to be prophetic. He said “If this is done, all misunderstanding will disappear and there will be perfect harmony between the Sinhalese and the Moors. The adoption of the Tamil Language has not benefited the Muslims. On the contrary it has proved a disadvantage to them. Under self-Government which is bound to come sooner or later the National Language of Ceylon should be Sinhalese”. Did the Muslims Community listen to him, or heed his prophetic words? On the contrary he was laughed at and scorned for such a radical view and the price the Muslims are paying for their neglect of Sinhala is indeed the consequence of having spurned his advice.

In the same year, Badiudin Mahmud organized one of the biggest demonstrations of the time among Muslims, namely the mass rally at Galle Face Green in support of the Arabs in Palestine and delivered a stirring speech, moving the Resolution which urged the British Government to fulfill its pledges to the Arabs in Palestine.

Educationist and reformer

Mahmud’s yearning to contribute to the educational advancement of his community became a reality with the establishment of an independent Gampola Zahira College, of which he became the first principal under Mr. T. B. Jayah’s Managership and developed it from the state of a dilapidated structure, consisting of four class rooms, a shed, 67 students and five teachers, to its present stature of an all-Island College for boys and girls with up to-date facilities, which in the year 1960 boasted over 2000 students drawing inspiration in its liberal atmosphere.

It will be a discovery to most Muslims to know that the girl’s uniform, consisting of pajamas and frocks with a dupatta, now accepted as the school dress in all Muslim schools, was first introduced by Badiudin Mahmud at Zahira College, Gampola. This uniform was at first, looked down upon by most parents as a novelty unsuitable to their children, but later it acquired dignity so much so, that it will not be a surprise if this dress becomes the Uniform for all Ceylonese school girls. The reforms he brought about at Zahira College Gampola, especially in creating a new orientation in Islamic Cultural activities based on the glorious traditions of a past era evoked opposition at first and thereafter reluctant praise. For here was an educationist who was not only interested in training children to be good students, but also a reformer, who by extra-curricular activities, was creating a cultural renaissance and in the process a new generation of Muslim Womanhood. The contribution Badiudin Mahmud made to Zahira College, Gampola, is an outstanding monument to his services to Muslim education and has won him an honored place in the educational history of the Muslim Community.

References

External links

• Mahmud, Badiuddin (Dr. Al Haj) M.P.

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