Mohammad Habib

Mohammad Habib (1895–1971) was an Indian historian, who worked at the Aligarh Muslim University. He was involved in the Indian Independence movement, and was an associate of both Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

He was a candidate in the 1967 Indian vice-presidential election, which he lost to V. V. Giri. Habib, contesting as an independent candidate, received 28.55% of the votes.

Early life and education Habib was a son of Mohammed Naseem, a barrister in Lucknow. His wife Sohaila Tyabji was the daughter of Abbas Tyabji, a noted disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. Their sons are Kamal Habib and Irfan Habib, who is a Professor Emeritus of history at Aligarh Muslim University.

Habib studied at the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (M.A.O.) School and College (now Aligarh Muslim University. He topped the B.A. examination of the Allahabad University in 1916. The Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College was then affiliated to Allahabad University. He then proceeded to New College, Oxford for higher studies. He became president of the Oxford Majlis for one term.

It was in Oxford that he received his baptism in nationalism. The ideas of his liberal-minded tutor Ernest Barker, a meeting with Sarojini Naidu and the patronage of Maulana Mohammad Ali, who visited London during his stay in England, played a role in shaping his ideas. At the call of Mohammad Ali, he returned to India to teach at Jamia Millia Islamia but apparently never became a regular member of its staff. When the non-co-operation movement was called off in 1922, he accepted an appointment as a Reader, and almost immediately afterwards as Professor, at the newly chartered Aligarh Muslim University.

Death He died in 1971.

Legacy The Mohammad Habib Hall of AMU was named after him in 1972. It has three hostels: Chakraverty Hostel, Umaruddin Hostel and Haider Khan Hostel.

Selected publications A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanate (A.D. 1206-1526) (general editor with K. A. Nizami) Hazrat Amir Khusrau of Delhi. 1st Pakistan ed. Lahore : Islamic Book Service . Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya: hayat aur talimat.Dihli : Shubah-yi Urdu, Dihli Yunivarsiti, University of Delhi. Dept. of Urdu. Silsilah-i matbuat-i Shubah-yi Urdu . The political theory of the Delhi sultanate (including a translation of Ziauddin Barani's Fatawa-i Jahandari...) Allahabad, Kitab Mahal . Politics and society during the early medieval period: collected works of Professor Mohammad Habib / edited by Khaliq Ahmad Nizami. New Delhi : People's Pub. House [1974–1981]. Some aspects of the foundation of the Delhi Sultanat [sic]. Delhi, Dr. K. M. Ashraf Memorial Committee; [sole distributors: Kalamkar Cooperative, 1968] Dr. K. M. Ashraf memorial lecture, 1966 Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznin. 2d ed.Delhi, S. Chand .