Bhashani’s Educational Background and Key Insights

Sometimes I feel very proud and happy, when my mind reminds me that you are the lucky person who is staying in a historical place like Santosh. It has become possible due to my admission in Mawlana Bhashani Science & Technology University, Santosh, Tangail.  This Santosh place has taken the place in the book of history for the great leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani. This great person was born on December 12, 1880, in the village of Dhanpara in Sirajganj. His father was Haji Sharafat Ali Khan, and his mother was Mosammat Mojiron Bibi. The couple had four children ; one daughter and three sons—with Abdul Hamid Khan being the youngest. His elder brothers were Amit Ali Khan and Mohammad Ismail Khan, while his sister was named Mosammat Kulsum Kom. During childhood, Bhashani was affectionately called “Chega Mia.”

Tragedy struck early in Bhashani's life. His father passed away when he was very young, and by the age of 12, he had lost his entire family including his mother and siblings, who died in a pandemic shortly after his father's death. The orphaned Abdul Hamid Khan’s became harsh without any family members in his life. In that time, a miracle ancient was occurred his difficulty life. His father’s intimated friend, Syed Nasiruddin Bogdadi , a noble scholar and preacher , came to Bhashani from Iraq . To realize the panic life of orphaned child, he took the guardianship of orphaned Bhashani. Prior to this, Child Bhashani had spent some time under the care of his paternal uncle.

Under the close mentorship of Syed Nasiruddin Bogdadi, Bhashani developed knowledge in three languages and diverse fields such as alchemy, philosophy, logic, astronomy, medicine, and spiritualism.After acquiring this informal knowledge, in 1905, Bhashani was sent by Bogdadi to study at the anti-colonial nationalist center of Islamic learning, Darul Uloom Deoband in North India. There, he studied for seven years (1905–1912). His two most influential teachers were: Shaykhul Hind Maulana Mahmudul Hasan and Shaykhul Islam Syed Hussain Ahmad Madani. Among the many texts he studied, a central one was Hujjatullahil Baligha by Shah Waliullah, which blends politics and economics with spiritual insight.

His mentor Syed Nasiruddin Ahmad Bogdadi taught him the following disciplines privately: Languages: Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Sciences: Chemistry, Philosophy, Logic, Astronomy, Medicine, Spiritualism. As these were learned in a home-based setting under a mentor’s guidance, they are categorized as non-institutional education.

 Maulana Bhashani had learned two core theories at Deoband. These are Fukka Kulle Nezamin and Rubu’biyyat . Fukka Kulle Nezamin is the idea of dismantling all systems of oppression and exploitation. On the other hand, Rubu’biyyat is a doctrine stemming from the word Rabb (Allah), emphasizing equality. According to this belief, the Creator does not discriminate; Allah creates, nurtures, and evolves all beings equally, ensuring justice and fairness for all humanity. Bhashani deeply absorbed both these doctrines and aligned his life’s mission with them. 

Bhashani actively engaged in anti-colonial movements under the guidance of prominent leaders. He worked closely with Maulana Mohammad Ali who is a Cambridge graduate and Congress President known for his anti-British activism, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das , who is a Leader of the Swaraj Party and architect of the Bengal Pact, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, and other towering personalities of the time. Their proximity and ideologies profoundly shaped Bhashani's political and social outlook.

When Bhashni’s young life was reached, one of Bhashani’s close friends, Ashek Mondol, donated 31 decimals of land to him. In 1925, Bhashani married Alema Khatun Asani, daughter of zamindar Domsuddin Ahmad Chowdhury of Panchbibi in Joypurhat. She became widely respected as the ‘Puro Ma’ (Mother of the Municipal) . She donated all her ancestral property to support Bhashani’s welfare-oriented initiatives. Together, they had two daughters and two sons. Later in his personal life,  Bhashani married again. His second wife, Hamida Khanam Bhashani, later passed away from a terminal illness (cancer).

Implementation of educational philosophy in Assam—a region lacking formal educational infrastructure at the time. He championed value-based schooling and promoted vocational education, such as sericulture. By the 1930s, he had established a model of productive, work-oriented education in Assam. In 1936, Bhashani accompanied the revolutionary scholar Allama Azad Sobhani to Al-Azhar University in Egypt, where Sobhani had been invited as a visiting professor. In 1937, Bhashani visited Rabindranath Tagore’s Shanti Niketan with the Provincial Education Minister. Comparing Deoband and Aligarh with Al-Azhar and Santiniketan, Bhashani began formulating a vision of a unique educational model that would blend spirituality, global culture, and humanism.

Maulana Bhashani's historical life is incomplete without discussing Kamgari Conference . It is birth of a dream. At the historic Kagmari Conference on February 9, 1957, Bhashani convened a session on education and culture, inviting globally renowned intellectuals like: Dr. Hasan Habsi (Egypt), Dr. Charles J. Adams (Canada), Dr. F.H. Causon (UK), David Garth (USA), Humayun Kabir (India’s Education Minister), Kazi Abdul Wadud, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Narendra Dev, Probodh Kumar Sanyal, From East Bengal: Dr. Kazi Motahar Hossain, Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah, Dr. Kudrat-e-Khuda, Dr. Enamul Haque, Dr. Mahmud Hossain, Dr. G.C. Dev, Dr. Akhlakur Rahman, and Dr. Muhammad Osman Gani

At this gathering, Bhashani announced the establishment of a residential university in the Kagmari-Santosh region. On February 10, he formed a five-member committee led by Dr. Shahidullah to lay the foundation for a new kind of educational system, beginning with feeder institutions like schools and colleges.With the proceeds from leftover food donations at the conference, he founded Maulana Mohammad Ali College, named after his political and educational mentor.

Another important event of Maulana Bhashani’s life is visiting the world. Between 1963 and 1964, Bhashani visited China twice, along with several socialist countries. During his visit to Egypt at President Nasser’s invitation, he again toured Al-Azhar University. These experiences inspired him to develop multipurpose educational programs in Mahipur, an indigenous area in Joypurhat. These initiatives included schools, colleges, hospitals, and vocational training—establishing a model for rural, production-based education under the Huqqul Ibad Mission. This mission emphasized moral values, dignity of labor, equality, and compassion beyond caste and creed. Institutions like Haji Muhammad Mohsin Degree College, established under this mission, still exist—though lacking the idealistic workforce Bhashani once envisioned.

From 1969 onward, Bhashani expressed a strong desire to establish a unique residential university in Santosh, ranging from nursery to PhD level. He named it Islami University. In June 1970, he wrote an article titled “The Islamic University in My Vision” in the Daily Pakistan, criticizing the colonial education system as being designed for clerks, devoid of morality and religion. I will explain about it in next part of this writing.

We know about the historical hub  of Bhashani’s all event, that is Darbar Hall. A Education and Culture Conference held in that Darbar Hall on February 27, 1971, Bhashani declared:

“We blindly follow the colonial education system crafted to sustain capitalism and imperialism—one that erodes our faith and culture under the guise of religion-free learning.” Bhashani laid the foundations for the Santosh Islamic University campus before his death. In 2001, the Bangladesh Parliament passed Law No. 37, officially establishing the Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University. In the next parts of discussion ,  I will explain step by step on his educational ideology, vision, present circumstances of his institutions . However, it's true, We should pay respect to Maulana Bhashani for his upper thanking to improve our education system The government should manufacture space for the upcoming generation to practice this legendry’s biography & ideology. This great leader will stay with respect in our mind throughout our lifetime.


Sheikh Saymon Parves Himel is
a Bhashani researcher.
He can be reached at [email protected]