21/09/2025
Funeral of Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar (10 Dec 1878 – 4 Jan 1931)— A giant of India’s freedom struggle. A voice of resistance against colonial oppression. A man of words and action.
Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar was not only a leading figure of the Khilafat Movement, but also a celebrated journalist, poet, Muslim activist, and founder of Jamia Millia Islamia. His defiance of British rule came at great personal cost—his repeated imprisonments and deteriorating health (due to diabetes and neglect in jail) did little to slow his resolve.
Despite failing health, he attended the First Round Table Conference in London (1930). There, with unflinching courage, he declared to the British:
“I will not return to an occupied country. If you do not give us freedom in India, you will have to give me a grave here.”
True to his word, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar passed away in London on January 4, 1931. Honouring his wish, and in recognition of his stature, he was laid to rest at Masjid Al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, near the sacred Haram al-Sharif, by the special permission of the Grand M***i of Palestine, Amin al-Husseini.
This rare photograph, dated January 23, 1931, shows his funeral procession in Jerusalem, lined with mourners and delegations from across the Arab world, many carrying placards honouring him as “Muhammad Ali al-Hindi.”
His struggle, his poetry, and his sacrifice remain etched in the legacy of the freedom movement.
“Daur-e-hayat ayega qatil teri qaza ke baad
Hai ibteda hamari teri inteha ke baad…”
(Life will begin again when the tyrant has been vanquished
It will be our beginning when you have reached your limits.)
Maulana Jauhar’s legacy lives on through numerous roads, institutions, and neighbourhoods across South Asia—
🇮🇳 India—
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Inter College, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Girls Degree College, Rampur, U.P.
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Urdu High School, Mumbai
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Park, Lucknow
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Public School, Gorakhpur, U.P.
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar College of Education, Pilibhit, U.P.
Mohammad Ali Jauhar Academy, Rampur
Mohammad Ali Jauhar Chowk, Bhopal
🇵🇰 Pakistan—
Jauharabad, district capital in Khushab District, Punjab
Johar Town, Lahore – major residential and commercial area
Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi – large residential neighborhood
Muhammad Ali Johar Campus, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore
Jauhar Chowrangi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Karachi
Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar Hall, Punjab University, Lahore
Jauharabad Government College, Jauharabad
Jauhar Public School, Karachi
🇧🇩 Bangladesh—
MM Ali Road, Chittagong
Mohammad Ali Jauhar Memorial Library, Dhaka (lesser known, mentioned in local sources)