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The Minority Pathfinder:

A Man with Unforeseen Energy


ii

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© Copyright, 2018, SK Habib

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iii

The Minority Pathfinder:

A Man with Unforeseen Energy

[M.Nurul Islam,The Founder General Secretary, Al-Ameen Mission]

Sk Habib

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011)

www.educreation.in


iv


v

Contents

Sr. Chapter Page

1 Preface vii

2 Personal Details of Nurul Islam xii

3 A Synopsis of Nurul Islam’s

Works

xiv

4 Introduction xvii

5 Some Great Social Reformers in

Indian History

1

6 Social Work and Spirituality

According to Quran and Hadith

21

7 Nurul Islam and Al-Ameen

Mission

34

8 Spiritual and Social Principle of

Nurul Islam

61

9 Nurul Islam as an Administrator 73

10 Nurul Islam Seen by Me

83

11 Few Photographs of Nurul

Islam’s Journey

102

12 What the Media Says about Al-

Ameen Mission

116

13 References 119


vi

Preface

The book “The Minority Pathfinder:A Man

with Unforeseen Energy” is a spontaneous outcome

of my experience as one of the members of Al-

Ameen Mission family since 2008 to 2018.It is

commonly understood that Nurul Islam’s

philosophy of humanism tends to concentrate the

energies of a culture for the holistic amelioration of

minority in West Bengal.It emphasizes on social

ethics and helps the students to imbibe social virtues

and thereby to build up a strong moral character.By

upholding the dignity of man,it consecrates to

individual freedom and responsibility and the sense

of equality among men.On the intellectual plane,it

directs the mental life of his students to the joyous

adventure of knowledge,to the inquiry into the

phenomena of nature and man. With this knowledge

man achieves increasing control over nature's forces

for a collective human life.Man's control over the

forces of nature constitutes the development of

technology and empowers collective human life,

constitutes the developed of socio-political

machinery.These two technologies equip man to

achieve greater hegemony over his external

environment and the steady enhancement of his


vii

own welfare both individually and collectively.This

book presents these philosophical,spiritual and

social findings of Nurul Islam and Al-Ameen

Mission, influencing its unique image in the society

for the upliftment of backward community since

1986 in West Bengal.And his philosophy has

changed the scenario of minority in 2017,as only

7% Bengali medium students have got chance to

admit themselves in Govt. medical colleges through

CBSE NEET Exam-2017 in West Bengal.The

students of Al-Ameen Mission have got almost 5%

seats among those 7% successful candidates.This

year 2018, students from Al-Ameen Mission have

filled up almost 20 % of seats in govt. medical

colleges in the state. There are two students who

have ranked within the rank of 10 in the state merit

list of NEETs. One of the significant features is,

nearly 100 girls have got the opportunity to study

Medicine.It is noticed that a lot of residential

institutions for minority community are being

established in every district of West Bengal,being

inspired by Al-Ameen Mission. It was become a

silent revolution among minorities in the State.

Nurul Islam is increasingly getting involved to

capacitate the weaker section of the society to come

up and develop in West Bengal and neighboring

states like Bihar,Jharkhand,Assam and Tripura.The

development discourse leans towards knowing

skills and tools for strengthening the society.


viii

I feel proud to be a part of Al-Ameen Mission.

I think Nurul Islam and his Mission deserve a great

appreciation because Mission is doing a great job in

the field of education, not only in upgradation or

upliftment backward community but also they are

changing the definition of education in broader

sense based on scientific teaching-learning strategy

with Practical Islamic Philosophy and Indian

traditions.

I am profoundly grateful to my parents, my

sisters, dadabhai, my wife, sons, friends, relatives,

colleagues and all members of Al-Ameen Mission

Family who have encouraged me for writing this

book.

I am grateful to my publisher “Educration

Publishing”, who brought this book out in a very

short time.

My sincere thanks are due to Prof.A.K.

Jalaluddin (Former Director of NCERT &

International Repute Educationist), Mrs. Jolly

Jalaluddin, Mr. M. Nurul Islam (The Founder

General Secretary of Al-Ameen Mission), Mr.Noni

Gopal Chowdhury, Mrs. Sheikh Anoara Hossain,

Mr. Sheikh Arif Hossain (Alumnus of Oxford

University), Maulana Ahammad Saheb, Mr.Sk

Maruf Azam, Mr. M. Abdul Hasem Mullick, Mr.

Hafizur Rahaman , Mr. Najib Anwar, Mr. Amit


ix

Dey, Mr. Samsul Haque Sardar, Alhaj Dr. Hosenara

Khatun, Dr. Muktipada Sinha (Jadavpur

University), Dr. Subir Nag (Principal of S.R.C.E,

Salt lake, Kolkata), Dr. Madan Mohan Chell (Guest

Faculty of IGNOU), Dr. Ramjan Mondal, Dr.

Subhamai Das, Mr. Dipak Jana for their moral

support and encouragement in my academic

activities.

…… Sk Habib


x

This book is dedicated to my beloved ‘Boromama’(Uncle)----

Late Sheikh Akbar Hossain

[BSc(Engg) from Jadavpur University in 1964, British Citizen, Founder Chairman of

Prakaushali Parishad Limited, A Company of International Limelight]


xi

Personal Details of Nurul Islam

[The Hon’ble Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi and

the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of West

Bengal honoured the Mission by conferring the

‘Bangabhusan’ Award, 2015.]

Full Name Md. Nurul Islam Middya

Born 17th October,1959

Place of Birth Khalatpur,Howrah,West

Bengal

Father's Name Late Md.Ommer Ali Middya

Mother's Name Late Masuda Begum

Father's

Occupation

Ration Shop and Stationary

Stores, Bowbazar,Kolkata

Sister's Name Monsura Begum

Wife's Name Sabia Begum

Early Education

( Class-I to IV )

Khalatpur Primary

Vidayalaya,

Udaynarayanpur,Howrah


xii

Secondary

Education

(Class-V to X)

Akra High Madrasha,

Mahestala,South 24 Parganas

Higher

Secondary

Education

( XI to XII )

Maulana Azad College,

Kolkata

College

Education

B.A(Hons.in

Political

Science)

Maulana Azad College,

Kolkata

Master Degree

( Political

Science )

Rabindra Bharati University,

Kolkata

First Govt.Job

as an

Asst.Teacher

Ashanda Adarsha Siksha

Sadan(H.S),

Udaynarayanpur,Howrah

2nd Phase as A

Headmaster

Khalatpur High Madrasha

(H.S),Udaynarayanpur,Howrah

Daughter and

Sons One Daughter and Two Sons


xiii

A Synopsis of Nurul Islam’s Works

Founder

General

Secretary

of

Al-Ameen

Mission ,

M.Nurul

Islam

Al-Ameen Mission started the

crusade with 11 students at

Khalatpur, a remote village in

Howrah, West Bengal in 1986

In 2018, 72 Branches of Al-Ameen

Mission in West Bengal and

neighboring states like Bihar,

Assam, Jharkhand, Tripura.

14 Thousand Resident students

both boys & girls are studying

here.

5 thousand day-scholars in 26 day-

schools of Al-Ameen Mission.

2150 teachers and staffs are

engaged for nurturing them.

20 thousand alumni.

Produced approx 2500 Doctors till

date.

Produced approx 2400 Engineers

till date.

More than 55 students have

succeeded in State Civil Service

and allied examinations & many

teachers, professors, research


xiv

scholars, scientists,etc.

Awards to

Al-Ameen

Mission

The Telegraph School Award for

Excellence in 2002

The Telegraph School Award for

Excellence in 2004

The Telegraph Certificate of

Honours in 2005


Honours in 2006

Begum Rokeya Puraskar in 2006

by West Bengal Board of

Madrasah Education.


Honours in 2008

‘Bangabhusan‘Award in 2015 by

the Govt.of West Bengal

Few

Quotes

about Al-

Ameen

Mission

from a

Scholar’s

Writing.

"Al-Ameen has not only become a

successful educational institute in

itself, it has actually spawned a

movement which is growing and

spreading every year all over West

Bengal." "If education is seen as a

means for ensuring empowerment

for sections of society, then the

work of Al-Ameen is fulfilling that

role."---Change from within

(Chapter 4),Pages 129-130, by


xv

Prof. Nilanjana Gupta,Published

by Routledge,2009

"….. it is true that the need and the

hunger for learning, for education

is intense, whether in the efforts of

the poor farmer to send his

children for some kind of

education, or the grander vision of

people like Nurul Islam of the Al-

Ameen Mission……Then perhaps,

one day, the debates about Muslim

education may become merely a

quaint chapter in the history of

education in India."---- The Future

(Chapter 5),Pages 179-180,by Prof.

Nilanjana Gupta, Published by

Routledge,2009


xvi

Introduction

In 1976, a 16-year-old boy started his journey by

setting up Khalatpur Junior High Madrasa with the

belief that “Allah never changes the condition of a

people unless they strive to change themselves”

(Quran 13:11). Ten years later, in 1986, with the

collection of one fistful of rice from each door in

Khalatpur, a remote village far away from the main

town Howrah, West Bengal, he gradually sheltered

eleven ‘residential’ students under a tiny shed. Let

me introduce you M. Nurul Islam (our beloved

‘General Secretary’), whose envision has made a

tiny institution grow into a gigantic edifice.

Although, Al Ameen Mission came into existence

in 1986, following the renaming of the ‘Islamic

Institute of Culture’, which Nurul Islam had

founded in 1984, his philanthropic streak had shown

itself much earlier. After three decades of roller-

coaster journey, he has successfully established 72

branches all over the West Bengal and in

neighboring states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam

and Tripura as well. At present, it has 20 thousand

alumni and almost 14 thousand resident students

(among them more than 300 are from poor & down-

trodden families including 560 orphans. All of them

enjoy full free-studentship. Beside them, above


xvii

6000 enjoy half-free studentship). Around 2150

teachers and staff are engaged for nurturing them.

The name of Al-Ameen Mission has now become

synonymous with success in medical and

engineering stream. It is also remarkable to note

that many of the students are typical ‘first

generation learner’. Till date, approximately 2500

students have got the chance to study in

governmental medical colleges & more than 2400

students have got into engineering colleges. Fifty

five students have succeeded in State Civil Service

and allied examinations and there are several

thousands who have completed their UG/PG degree

and are well established in life. Now Nurul Islam’s

Al-Ameen Mission has become the largest NGO

working for the social & educational upliftment of

the minority in the state. The name of the institution

was taken from the name of the Prophet

Mohammad (SAW) who was called ‘Al-Ameen’,

which means ‘honest’.

This book is an attempt to explore the various

aspects of Nurul Islam’s seminal contributions to

the underprivileged Minority Community to build

up the highest confidence level of believing on their

potentialities to achieve success in any sectors of

development of our country, particularly in the field

of education, science and culture. This will, I

believe, facilitate in comprehending the educational


xviii

revolution among the minority community of our

State. It will also reflect the contribution of Nurul

Islam in spearheading this revolution since 1986.

The journey of 32 years has, indeed, revealed

many facets of Nurul Islam. He has gradually

molded himself as a superb organizer,

compassionate activist and, above all, a brilliant

visionary. The book here attempts to explore the

inspirations, influences and ambiguities in his

commitment to nation building through modern

education with our national values, cultures and

tradition.

Significant in this process is his early

commitment to Practical Islamism and National

values, which he felt should be implemented in the

education sectors for the development of each

individual belonging to the community. He dreamt

to transform the negative image of the minority to a

positive one by upholding and giving shapes to their

conducts, thoughts, values, spirituality and such

other aspects needed for good citizenship of the

State, Nation and the World. He emphasized on the

importance of the speedy progress of Muslim

society through education. Education of women

also became a prime concern for him. Spirituality

and scientific education on a scale adequate to the

nation’s needs, and measures for the enrichment of


xix

the cultural life of the community by encouraging

the arts and providing facilities for recreation and

other amenities to his students.

The early influences on Nurul Islam’s thinking

and the evolution of him as an educationist and an

intellectual leader came naturally from Indian

tradition and the philosophers like Swami

Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Ishwar

Chandra Vidyasagar, Mother Teresa, Mahatma

Gandhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Begum

Rokeya. He thought that it was important to train

the students not merely in skills but train their ideas

and emotions in new ways to take up new

challenges before the society.

Swami Vivekananda said, “Education … is a

process of man-making, character-forming and life-

building assimilation of ideas.” Indeed, only

through education we can equip ourselves to face

the challenges of life and only a good educational

system can establish a healthy relationship between

the individuals and the society. It is education,

which makes us better citizens and inculcates in us

the virtues of tolerance, discipline, commitment,

culture, compassion and sensitivity. Nobel Laureate

Prof. Amartya Sen has also said, that education is

essentially about “capacity building and it widens

the choice of people and empowers the nation.


xx

One should realize that education alone can

bring about democratic consolidation, social

cohesiveness and sustained growth. Women, who

constitute nearly fifty per cent of our population,

still lag behind in education. There is an

unacceptably wide disparity between the literacy

levels of men and women in our country. Removing

the factors that inhibit the full participation of

women in the various spheres of society is a very

important step for the empowerment of women in

our society. To overcome the gap in providing equal

opportunity for education we have to employ the

full range of educational opportunities and relate

them with the available government and private

initiatives to the benefit of every segment of our

population, both in the urban and rural areas.

Rightly, for the last 32 years, under the leadership

of Nurul Islam, Al-Ameen Mission has been

working tirelessly for filling the gap between the

‘haves and have not’s in the society. It is also

important to bear in mind that the primary social

agenda of the Mission is the development of our

human resources in the right direction. It is not to be

used as a medium to strengthen anyone’s narrow

political or partisan agenda. Education is essentially

about rational enquiry and for a highly pluralistic

society like ours; it has to be developed as a

harmonizing force rather than as an instrument to

promote divisiveness and disunity among the


xxi

people. According to Nurul Islam, social premium

on value of education needs to be emphasized as

also the organic link between institutions of higher

learning and civil society. A progressive education

will greatly address our major social evils and will

help in strengthening the secular and liberal fabric

of our country, remaining sensitive to the specific

cultural identities, the plural nature of our society,

the democratic ethos of our people and to the need

for positive dialogue between cultures. Al-Ameen

Mission has totally committed itself to the inclusive

development of the country in all spheres and gave

great emphasis in spreading education, which is of

utmost importance in bringing about and

maintaining the country’s sustained development

and for the development of human rights and

dignity.


Sk Habib

1

Some Great Social Reformers in

Indian History

Who is a social reformer? A person who is

concerned about the humanity and mankind above

anything else; a person who wants to change the

existing state of things for the better; a person who

has an enlightened thought process; a person who

cannot stand the sufferings of the weaker section of

people; and above all a person who believes in the

duty bestowed upon him to leave the earth behind

him as a better place than it was. In fact a social

reformer is an ordinary human being who wants to

serve the cause of humanity in extraordinary ways.

Decades come and go but what remains are the

impressions and great acts of the social reformers.

India is privileged to have number of great souls

like Raja Ram Mohan Ray, Swami Vivekananda,

Rabindranath Tagore, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar,

Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B.R

Ambedkar, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Begum

Rokeya and many more. They managed to bring

considerable reforms by making radical changes in

the society. Some of the reformers took up the

challenges of breaking the jinx of prevailing caste-


The Minority Pathfinder: A Man with Unforeseen Energy

2

system while some fought for the introduction of

girls'-education and widow remarriage. The

contributions, made by these, simple yet eminent

souls towards humanity are really extraordinary.

Their activities and thoughts guided the nation to a

new beginning.

We will look into the life and works of some of

these extraordinary men and women and will

appreciate their efforts in the making of India.

Afterwards, we will go through the works and

contributions of Nurul Islam as an educationist and

social worker towards society.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy

At the beginning of 19th century, India was plagued

by various social evils such as Sati pratha, Caste

system, Religious superstitions etc. Raja Ram

Mohan Roy was the first person who recognized

these inhuman practices and decided to fight against

the same. He is considered as the architect of Indian

Renaissance and father of modern India.

Ram Mohan Roy was born on 22 May 1772 in

Radhanagar, Hooghly district of Bengal. His father

was Ramakant Roy and mother Triveni Devi; father

was at a very good position in the court of the then


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