Haji Ruknuddeen Sahib was bom in 1865 in Punjab, India to his parents Elahee and Ameena. He went through spiritual initiation and training as a discplined member of the Chistie Tariqa (Spiritual Order). He was educated in Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, and Farsi languages as well as he acquired a deep knowledge of Theology. Due to this education and training and being one of the few men of learning amongst the indentured labourers, Haji Ruknuddeen emerged to lead the Muslims of Trinidad for over fifty years.
He arrived in Trinidad in November 1897 on board the ‘S.S MOY' and was first assigned to the La Plaisance Estate in La Romain. It soon became evident to those who brought him that he was indeed a Muslim missionary as his Sufi upbringing propelled him to start Maktabs where classes were organized to read and write Arabic and Urdu. It was only because of economic factors that he was not repatriated.
He later married the daughter of Imam Imdad Hosein of Victoria Village and moved to Tunapuna be resided until his death. At his home in Tunapuna Ruknuddeen Meah set up classes teaching Arabic and religious education and a book shop to meet the local demands for Islamic literature. He then commenced to set up Maktabs across the country and targeted the youths, while doing so at his own expense.
In 1924 he performed Hajj and in 1928 he succeeded Sayad Abdul Aziz as Kazi (Judge). In 1932 following a meeting of Muslims at Chaguanas Haji Ruknuddeen founded the ASJA which became an incorporated body in 1935 with Syed Mohammed Hosein as First President General. In 1947 he was elected Sheik ul Islam because of his vast knowledge of Islam and his fluency of Arabic and Urdu as well as Hindi which enabled him together with his Sufi background to advise the Muslim community on Islamic matters as well as to other communities and groups who frequented his home seeking his assistance, counseling and solutions to problems.
Together with Hafiz Nasiruddin Sahib and Haji Aziz Mohammed (interpreter) the Qazi laid the foundation for the development of the Muslim Community of Tunapuna which to this day continues to be served by those who have benefited from his vast knowledge of Islam. Throughout his life he traveled throughout the country and was respected and admired by all sectors of the community. One of his last public acts was to lay the foundation stone for the rebuilding of the Tunapuna Masjid in March of 1960 and to formally open the Masjid on completion.
Corner Stone at Tunapuna Masjid
He died at the age of 98 and such was the respect shown to him that Parliament passed a note of condolence to his family saying: "He was something unique, he left a memory of service to all." His grandson, Bro Abraham Mohammed of New York continues year after year to commemorate his grand father's passing in his hometown Tunapuna.
Throughout his life in Trinidad, Haji Ruknuddeen was highly respected and in death he was honoured with a funeral cortege numbering in the thousands when his funeral service was conducted at his home on Youmul Juma'ah (Friday) 12th July 1963.
May Allah bless his soul
(Extracted from pages 54-56:
Finding a Place: IndoTrinidadian Literature
By Kris Rampersad
Published by Ian Randle Publishers, 2002
ISBN 9766370788, 9789766370787
He arrived as an immigrant in 18631, and was attached to the La Plaissance Estate in La Romain. He developed the reputation of a troublemaker initially because he antagonized many of the Hindu immigrants when he converted one of his shipmates to Islam. At the end of the working day, he would gather other Muslims from La Plaissance and neighbouring estates to teach them the tenets of Islam, and reading, writing and understanding Arabic and Urdu. He also developed a tailoring business for his spare hours, which took him to various villages, and he used the opportunity to perpetuate Islam, its language and literature. He bought out the remaining three and a half years of his indentureship with the help from the Imam Imdad Hosein of Victoria Village and so began his work in forming jamaats, introducing muktab classes and erecting mosques through the colony.
The name, meaning ‘bowing down to faith’, is variously spelt Ruknudden, Ruknuddeen, Ruknuddin, Ruknandin or Rooknuddin, even Rukmudden, evidence of the problems of transliteration. He came to Trinidad educated by the Chisti Spiritual Order of Sufism in Punjab, India, in Arabic, Urdu, Hindi and Persian languages. These he perfected by constant reading and recitation in Trinidad. He arrived as an immigrant in 1863, and was attached to the La Plaissance Estate in La Romain. He developed the reputation of a troublemaker initially because he antagonized many of the Hindu immigrants when he converted one of his shipmates to Islam. At the end of the working day, he would gather other Muslims from La Plaissance and neighbouring estates to teach them the tenets of Islam, and reading, writing and understanding Arabic and Urdu. He also developed a tailoring business for his spare hours, which took him to various villages, and he used the opportunity to perpetuate Islam, its language and literature. He bought out the remaining three and a half years of his indentureship with the help from the Imam Imdad Hosein of Victoria Village and so began his work in forming jamaats, introducing muktab classes and erecting mosques through the colony. After he secured his freedom he moved to Tunapuna, where he held muktab classes every night of the week at his home for children and adults, teaching the Arabic language and Islam, examined the progress of the students and gave book prizes as incentives.
Notably,
his work among the Muslims began some five years before the advent of
Reverend Morton and certainly would have contributed to the lower
numbers of Muslim converts to Christianity.2 By the time Morton’s work began in 1868 there was a somewhat structured system of teaching Islam in the colony. Learned
Muslims were placed in strategic sections of the island: Sayed Abdul
Aziz, whose contribution we will examine next, in Princes Town; Meer
Hassan and Beekham Syne in San Fernando; Zahoor Khan in Couva, Ishmile
Khan in California; Haiz Nazir-ud-deen in Tacarigua; Baboo Meah in San
Juan; Abdul Ghany, Yacoob Khan and Subrate Meah in St Joseph; and
Ruknuddin in Tunapuna. They established jamaats, mosques and muktab classes (Ali, 1995:11). Ruknuddin used Arabic/Muslim literature to try to counteract the Christian missionary education effort:
In his further attempt to
convert the Indians, Reverend Morton imported the Bible and other
scriptures (translated in Hindi) from the missionaries in India. He
believed that after preaching the message of Christianity in Hindi (the
language of the Indian masses) then the Indian should be provided with
literature to enforce the sermons. To counteract this Ruknuddeen Sahib imported the Holy Qur’an and other Islamic books directly from India. Although
he had elected to remain permanently in Trinidad, Ruknudden still
maintained strong ties, through letters, with his fellow Sufis and
relatives in India. It is believed that they acquired the books he requested and shipped them to him. He sold these books to Muslims at a small profit. The
Muslim community now had a steady supply of Islamic books to keep in
their homes and read when they wished…..He also imported theological
and philosophical works. He did not sell these books but instead he built up a reference library in his home. He generously made these available to interested Muslims. (Ali, 1995:17-18)
Muslims read the Qur’an by moonlight, resisting the planters’ prohibition of religious practices. This
contributed to the creation of a formidable Muslim community which,
supported by Hindus, initiated the struggle for the opportunity to
practise Indian festivals, which erupted in the Hosay riots of 1884. Efforts
to preserve the language and heritage were reinforced not only by
visits to India, but by the visits of India missionaries to Trinidad. In
1920 with other Muslims, Haji Ruknuddin, sent for a moulvi from India,
Fazal Khan Durani, who was said to be a master of the English language. He helped the Muslims argue the cause of Islam to the Presbyterians. He
established an Arabic school in North Trinidad and published three
pamphlets: ‘The Virgin Birth’, ‘Trinity Original Sins’, and ‘The Book
of Genesis and The Promised Land’.
Haji Ruknuddin himself understood English, but used Urdu in debates with other groups. He
was a founding member of the East Indian National Association (EINA)
founded in 1897; the Tackyeeyatul Islamic Association (1926) and its
offspring, the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association (ASJA) (established
1932, incorporated 1935). ASJA later became a pioneering
Muslim organization in secondary education in Trinidad and in
recognition of the service of Haji Ruknuddin, in 1964, it dedicated its girls school in Tunapuna as the Haji Ruknuddeen (sic) Girls’ High School. It later closed because of financial stringency and the site is now the Haji Ruknuddin Institute of Islamic Studies. Haji
Ruknuddin’s work has had an enduring influence in counteraction the
Christianising of Muslims and preserving interest in Arabic and Urdu
among the Muslim population.
(Extracted from pages 54-56:
Finding a Place: IndoTrinidadian Literature
By Kris Rampersad
Published by Ian Randle Publishers, 2002
ISBN 9766370788, 9789766370787
248 pages)
1[Editor's note: According ASJA's website, see here,
"Haji Ruknuddeen Sahib who was bom in 1865 arrived in Trinidad in
November 1897 on board the "SS MOY"; however checking a lists of ships
known to have carried Indian immigrants to Trinidad, see here, the "SS MOY" did not make a trip in 1897, is it the correct year and the incorrect ship name, or vice versa? In ASJA's 70th anniversary souvenir brochure the following is noted : "In 1895 Ruknuddeen terminated his indentureship ....", according to the ship arrival lists SS MOY made two trips to Trinidad in the 1890s the first arrival in Dec 11 1893, the other arrival in Dec 3rd 1894. The most we can conclude from this evidence is that Haji Ruknuddeen arrived in Trinidad sometime in the early 1890s]
2[Editor's note: Haji Ruknuddin Meah arrived in Trinidad in 1890s, the author's assertion here is therefore inaccurate]