Sheikh Abdullah and Begum Wahid, a match that brought a revolution

Rutba Iqbal / Awaz e Khwateen

February 2 is celebrated as The foundation day of AMU's Women's College, whose earliest alumni are pioneers like Rashid Jahan and Ismat Chutagai. The foundation day of AMU's Women's College is the marriage anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah and Waheed Jahan. The marriage of these two was instrumental in the impetus of Mulsim women's education in India.

Sheikh Abdullah was a reverted Muslim who hailed from Poonch. A lawyer by profession, he was influenced by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of the Aligarh Movement.

On February 2, 1902, Sheikh Abdullah got married to Begum Waheed Jahan, daughter of Mirza Ibrahim Beg, in Delhi. Begum Wahid belonged to one of the few Muslim families of the time where daughters were allowed to get educated. Begum Wahid's father became her tutor when he couldn't find a female teacher (ustani) to educate his daughters. Holding the issue of women's education close to her heart Begum Wahid talked to her husband about trying to bring a change by taking up women's education to the forefront.

Encouraged by his wife, Abdullah took up the issue of women’s education at the Education Conference in December 1902. Later he was elected as secretary of the Female Education Section. The foundation for the idea of a girl's school was laid by Mumtaz Ali in 1980, it was the Abdullah's who dedicated their efforts to build the school. Waheed did her part by talking to the women on ground level, she called a meeting of her educated woman friends, and told them about the couple's plans to build a school for girls. The idea was endorsed by some, but also boycotted by some orthodox sections as an act against Islamic teachings

In 1904, the couple started an Urdu magazine, Khatun (woman), with the aim to propagate women’s education. In the same year, Sheikh Abdullah wrote her a letter to Begum of Bhopal Sultan Jahan asking for funds for the school. She was the only Muslim woman ruler in India during that time, and a was already working towards female education. She promised a sum of 100 rupees for the school. This set the whole scheme flowing and a resolution for the ‘women’s school’ at Aligarh was passed at the Educational Conference.

On 19th October, 1906, Sheikh Abdullah managed to start a girls school in a rented house in Aligarh. The transport of the girls in palanquins was turning out to be a mammoth task so it was decided a hostel will be built for the girls. The school later became an intermediate college in 1926 and later, a part of AMU as Women’s College. The foundation stone of the college was laid by Lady Potter, the wife of the then Lieutenant Governor, on November 7, 1911. But, the foundation day is observed on February 2, which is the marriage anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah and Waheed Jahan due to their revolutionary role in the development of the college.

Sheikh Abdullah was fondly called Papa Mian (father) and Begum Waheed was Ala Bi (mother)  His success was due largely to the cooperation and help, which he received from his wife in running the school. She served the school as Honorary Superintendent of the Boarding House for 25 years from 1914-1939.  Begum Wahid shared the equal responsibility in mobilizing the support and nurturing the institution, the marriage of this couple bought a revolution to Muslim women's education in India.

The daughter of the duo, Rashid Jahan, once remarked about her parents:

“We have slept on the mattress of women’s education and covered ourselves with the quilt of women’s education from our earliest consciousness.”