Suhrawardy Family TreeMidnaporeUbaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy;· Ali Mobarak SuhrawardyKolkataHassan SuhrawardyAbdullah Al-Mamun SuhrawardyKhujista Akhtar BanuAmin SuhrawardyZahid SuhrawardyHuseyn Shaheed SuhrawardyHasan Shaheed SuhrawardyShaista Suhrawardy IkramullahPrincess Sarvath al-HassanRashid SuhrawardyOdishaBegum Badar un nissa AkhtarIbrahim SuhrawardyAfzal-ul AminAllahabadNilofar Suhrawardy
The Suhrawardy family with over nine hundred years of recorded history has been one of the oldest leading noble families and political dynasties of the Indian subcontinent and is regarded as an important influencer during the Bengali Renaissance. The family has produced many intellectuals who have contributed substantially in the fields of politics, education, literature, art, poetry, socio-religious and social reformation. Numerous members of the family, both biological descendants and those married into the family, have had prolific careers as politicians, lawyers, judges, barristers, artists, academicians, social workers, activists, writers, public intellectuals, ministers, educationists, statesmen, diplomats and social reformers.
Family history
The origin of the lineage can be traced back to the 11th Century Iranian philosopher and writer Shihab al-Din 'Umar al-Suhrawardi, a paternal nephew of Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi, who founded the Suhrawardiyya Sufi order in 1118 A.D. The family gets its name from Shorevard, a city in Iran where Najib took birth, learnt, preached and eventually founded the Sufi order. The family lineage continued through his nephew Shihab al-Din 'Umar al-Suhrawardi as he himself was childless, one of Shihab al-Din Umar al-Suhrawardi's grandsons migrated to Multan in 1207 during the Mamluk rule in India, making the Suhrawardys first of the Sufis to come to India even before the Chishtis. The family has produced many philosophers and saints since then who were greatly revered by the Mamluks, as they played a major role in consolidating the position of the empire in Multan through their preachings.
The founder of the Nizam Shahi dynasty of Hyderabad, Deccan, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I (1724) too has descended from the Bayanfandi clan of the Suhrawardi family.
The Bengali Suhrawardies are the descendants of the Shiraaji clan of this Suhrawardi family, who migrated from Multan to Bengal in the 15th Century, when Bengal was ruled by the Hussain Shahi dynasty. Much of their early history is evidently synonymous with the history of the Suhrawardiyya order. The family however has been known since the medieval times in East India for its piety, wisdom, forthrightness, religious and socio political reformations, which they brought by playing a key role in influencing the politics in Bengal until the death of Sirajuddin Shah Suhrawardy, who was closely involved with the Ashfar dynasty, Sharfunnesa Begum Sahiba and Nawab Siraj ud Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal. It was only after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, that the family officially found itself in a situation where it could no longer play a role in influencing the machinations of the monarchical politics in Bengal, hence the family briefly turned to mysticism. Until Ubaidullah al-Ubaidi Suhrawardy rose to prominence and overturned the family's fortune, as a result of which the family soon found its place back in the political arena. Ubaidullah did not consider himself a mystic and turned away from the family traditions to establish a new legacy altogether, thus making his father Shah Aminuddin Suhrawardy the last Sufi Pir of this family. Ubaidullah's children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and successive generations all grew up to play major roles in administration and politics and made significant contributions in the field of art, literature, law and social reformation, making their family, British Bengal's most prominent family and subsequently one of the most exceptionally illustrious families of the Indian subcontinent
Family background
The Suhrawardys are Ashraf (high-born muslims) and direct descendants of the first Caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr (573 A.D - 634 A.D) and are hence of Arab descent. However, their ancestor, Sa'd ibn al-Husayn migrated from Medina to Sohrevard in Iran in 812 AD, to save himself from incurring the wrath of the Caliph, al-Amin on a matter of principle, during the fourth fitna civil war (811 - 813 A.D.). In Iran, his great great great great grandchild, Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi established the Suhrawardiyya Sufi order, dynasty and family in 1118 A.D, hence the Suhrawardys have a significant Iranian heritage too. They came to the Indian subcontinent in 1207 A.D. to expand the Suhrawardiyya Sufi order and settled in Multan, from where the Shiraaji Suhrawardys migrated to Bengal in the 15th century to popularize the ideas of Sufism in the East. The subsequent generations were thus endowed with a mix of Arab, Iranian and Indian heritages.
The Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century was an extraordinary period of societal transformation in the fields of arts, literature, culture, music, politics, administration and education. The Bengal Renaissance was the culmination of the process of emergence of the cultural characteristics of the Bengali people that had started in the age of Alauddin Hussain Shah (1493–1519) under whose rule the Suhrawardys came to Bengal from Multan. This revolution, however, lasted for around three centuries, and had a tremendous impact on the Bengali society. It was also during this remarkable period, that the saying "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow" resonated throughout the rest of India. This time frame coincided with the resurrection of the Suhrawardy family and the rise of the Tagore family.
The Suhrawardy family just like the Tagore family attained prominence during this period mostly because of their unusual social positioning between the Indians and the European influences. Both the families dominated the fields of arts, education, public service and politics of that period.
Branches of the Suhrawardy family
Medinipur branch
Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy: born in Medinipur, which once used to be the nucleus of the Suhrawardy family. Ubaidullah was a learned scholar, educationist, writer and social reformer. He is said to have paved the base on which the modern Suhrawardy family stood. In 1857, in the wake of Sepoy Mutiny he passed the Final Central Examinations from Calcutta Madrasa. In 1874, he was appointed as the first superintendent of Dhaka Madrasah. Ubaidullah is the writer of the famous Persian books Lubul Arab (Arabic grammar), Urdu Diwan" (Urdu poems, 1880), "Farsi Dewan" (Persian poems, 1886), "Dastar-e-Parsi Amuz" (Persian grammar), including a number of manuscripts on women's education, psychology and philosophy. The British government later awarded him with the title of "Bahr ul Ulm" (meaning sea of knowledge).
Abdullah Al-Mamun Suhrawardy : Abdullah was the eldest son of Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy. He graduated in 1898 in Arabic, English and Philosophy obtaining a first class in his special subjects and standing the first of his year both in the B.A. and M.A. examinations of Calcutta University. He also earned a PhD degree from Calcutta University in 1908 and became the first person to do so in Bengal. He later did another masters from London University. He founded the Pan Islamic Society of London. On his return to Calcutta, he was elected to the Bengal legislative council. Abdullah was also selected as a member of the Reforms Franchise Committee under Montague-Chelmsford reforms. He served as the deputy President of the Bengal Legislature from 1923 to 1926. He was then elected to Indian Legislative Assembly. As a member of the central legislative assembly, to the central committee which in 1929 collaborated with Simon commission, he sympathized with the Odias and his report on Odia speaking population in Bengal, which he prepared on the behalf of Simon Commission, amplified the demands of the Odias and later paved the way for the creation of a separate odia speaking province, Odisha. Abdullah married Sahibzadi Ahmedi Begum the daughter of Sahibzada Mohammad Mirza Ali Nakey. Suhrawardy was a close friend of Leo Tolstoj. He was later knighted in 1931. For his profound learning and vast knowledge, the Ottoman Turkish Sultan decorated him with the medal of 'Tamgha-e-Majidi', whereas, the Shah of Iran awarded him with the title of 'Iftekhar-ul-Millat' (meaning: pride of the Muslim nation).
Khujista Akhtar Banu: Khujista was the eldest daughter of Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy. She was a writer, scholar, and social worker. Khujista was home schooled as a child. She learnt Persian, Urdu, Arabic and English from her father. In 1887, she became the first Indian woman to have passed the Senior Cambridge examinations. Khujista was also the first woman to be appointed as an examiner by the Calcutta University. As a writer, she wrote the famous book "Aaina e Ibrat", which was approved by Calcutta University and was incorporated in the syllabus for all its affiliated colleges. She founded the Suhrawardia Girls High school in 1909, which was inaugurated by Lady Minto. Khujista undertook various social work campaigns, she personally visited the slums to educate the marginalized communities about health and sanitation during the wake of Influenza and Cholera. She married her first cousin, Zahid Suhrawardy.
Kaisar i Hind Hassan Suhrawardy: Hassan was the younger son of Ubaidullah Al Ubaidi Suhrawardy. Hassan served as the lieutenant Colonel in the British Indian Army. He was also a politician, public official and also the first Muslim Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University (1930-1934). He was the second Muslim from the undivided India to become a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Suhrawardy later served as an advisor to the Simon Commission and was a member of the Bengal Legislative Council of which he was Deputy President from 1923 to 1925. As the Chief Medical and Health Officer of the East Indian Railway, he founded the railway's ambulance and nursing division. Hassan was also the founder of the East London Mosque. Hassan also served as the advisor to the Secretary of State for India from 1939 to 1944. Hassan was appointed an OBE in the 1927 Birthday Honours list and was awarded the Kaiser-i-Hind Medal, First Class in the same honours list in 1930, knighted on 17 February 1932 and appointed an Associate Officer of the Venerable Order of St. John (OStJ) in January 1932 and was promoted to the rank of Associate Commander in January 1937. He later renounced his all his British honours. The "Suhrawardy Avenue" in Calcutta was named after him in April 1933. Hassan was married to Sahibzadi Shahbanu Begum, the daughter of Nawab Syed Mohammad Azad of Dhaka and the granddaughter of Nawab Abdul Latif. Their children were Hassan Masud Suhrawardy and Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah.
Family of Hassan Suhrawardy