Haji Mohammad Mohsin was a prominent Muslim philanthropist of undivided Bengal of British India. He is also known as a great educationist of Bengal. He was one of the wealthiest men in the region at that time. He possessed significant land properties in Hooghly, Nadia in present Bengal, and in Khulna and Jessore in present Bangladesh. His ancestors came to India from Iran as tourists and settled in Murshidabad. At that time, Murshidabad was a center of power, business and learning center during Muslim rule. His father Haji Hafizullah got married to the widow of Agha Motahar. Agha Motahar was a good advisor in the court of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Since the advisor Agha Motahar was very sincere to his responsibility in the court of the king, Aurangzeb pleased to gift the advisor the jagir of Hooghly, Nadia, 24 Parganas and Jessore. After that, Agha Motahar left Delhi and settled in Hooghly. Mannu Jan was only the daughter of Aga Motahar. After fathers’s death, Mannu Jan inherited all the properties from her father. Mannu Jan gifted all properties before her death to her half-brother Haji Mohammad Mohsin.
Early Life and Education of Muhammad Mohsin
Mohammad Mohsin was born in 1732 to Haji Faizullah and Zainab Khanam at Chinsurah in Hoogly. Mohsin’s grandfather Aga Faizullah Ispahani left Iran and came to India for better future. He started living and developed business in Murshidabad. He had a good relation with Nawab Alibordi Khan. Haji Faizullah, the son of Aga Faizullah Ispahani left Murshidabad for Hoogly for maintaining business connection with famous businessman Aga Motahar of Hoogly. After few years Aga Motahar passed away then his daughter Mannu Jan was only 7. At that age Mannu Jan became the owner of the whole wealth of his father. Haji Faizullah took over the responsibility of management of wealth and Zamindar of Mannu Jan. After that Haji Faizullah married to Zainab Khanam, mother of Mannu Jan to avoid conflicts to take care of Aga Motahar’s family, wealth and estates. Muhammad Mohsin was born as their blessing son in 1732.
Education and career of Muhammad Mohsin
His education was at his home along with his step-sister Mannu Jan. Their home tutor Aga Siraji was knowledgeable, expert in different subjects. He was also a born tourist and shared different stories of different countries with his students. From his home master Mohsin was deeply inspired to make a tour in his younger life.
At home he gained vast knowledge about the holy Quran, Hadith and the Fiqh. He became an expert on calligraphy with Arabic and Persian alphabets. His hand written Holy Qurans are still preserved in Imambara and Hoogly Mohsin College library. It is said that Mohsin’s calligraphy was so appreciable and costly at that time, his calligraphic Quran was sold for 1000 Rs. Mohsin had good skill in sword fighting.
After receiving home education Mohsin went to Murshidabad to fulfill his thirst for higher education. He enriched his knowledge on the holy Quran, Hadith, Persian and philosophy from prominent Islamic institutions. To gain more knowledge and experience in different cultures of different countries he started a tour at the age of 32, to other countries of Asia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and the Arab. He made the pilgrimage to Mecca, and visited Madina, Kufa, Karbala and other holy places. After performing the Hajj, he was called Haji Muhammad Mohsin.
After a long tour of 27 years, Mohsin came back to his own land. By the tour Muhammad Mohsin could shape him up a wise man of that time. For his wisdom and popularity and expertise in different subjects Nawab Asaf Ud Doula of Lakhnow offered him to join as his official. But Mohsin felt an unavoidable calling from his homeland. He came back Hoogly at the age of 60.
During his long tour Mannu Jan and her husband Mirja Salauddin were managing the Zamindari of their estates. But after 9 years of their conjugal life Mannu Jan lost her husband and became only the authority to look after the estates. During her single management Mannu Jan had to face crucial challenges internally and externally. As she was a talented and cultured woman, Mannu Jan could tackle everything and ran the Zamindari successfully.
After coming back from 27 years of travelling of Mohsin, Mannu Jan requested her brotherto join with her to run the management of estates because, by that time Mannu Jan became older and bit unable to put her all effort to perform the huge responsibility of Zamindari.
Their joint venture was stopped in 1803, by the death of Mannu Jan, at her age of 81. Muhammad Mohsin became only the descendant of all the wealth of Mannu Jan. Then Mohsin was 73.
Philanthropic Activity of Haji Muhammad Mohsin
After returning from his long tour, Haji Muhammad Mohsin took over the management of the estate of his half-sister, Mannu Jan. Mannu Jan was the widow of Mirza Salahuddin. Her husband was the Naib-faujdar or deputy military governor of Hughli of the Nawab of Bengal. Mannu Jan inherited the wealth from her mother Zainab, whose first husband Aga Motahar had huge land and properties in Hughli, Jessore, Murshidabad and Nadia.
After the death of Mannu Jan in 1803, Haji Muhammad Mohsin inherited all of her wealth. But he donated this wealth for charity and created a Waq’f or trust in 1806. The value of the entire wealth was Rs. 156,000. He sanctioned one-third of his wealth for education and religious programmes, four-ninths for pensions to the elderly and disabled people, and the remaining two-ninths for the expenses of the two trustees.
Muhammad Mohsin also donated 40 acres of land out of 42 acres for establishing Govt. BL College, Khulna, Bangladesh. It was then the very first college of the southern part of Bangladesh.
Haji Muhammad Mohsin lived a very simple life. He was a Sufi minded man. Though he was wealthy he earned his living by sewing caps and beautiful calligraphy of the holy Quran.
The great hearted man Mohsin donated all his earnings from his property for social charity and educational development of underprivileged people. For his dedication and kindness to the marginal people he was called Danvir Mohsin. The history will never deny his humanity during the great famine of Bengal in 1776-77; Mohsin donated the starved and poor people with his stretched helping hand.
Personal Life of Muhammad Mohsin At a glance –
Full Name: Muhammd Mohsin
Father: Haji Faizullah
Mother: Zainab Khanam
Religion: Islam (Shia)
Date of Birth: 1732
Birth Place: Chinsura, Hoogly, West Bengal, India
Died: November 29, 1812 (aged 80)
Death Place: Chinshura, Hoogly, West Bengal, India
Buried Place: Imambara, Chinsura, Hoogly, West Bengal, India
Education: Home education: Arabic, Persian, Fiqah, Calligraphy (Arabic & Persian)
Married with: Unmarried
Known For: Philanthropist
Notable Works: Donated all wealth to the welfare of poor and underprivileged people, for financial assistance to the Muslim students, donated huge amounts to the victims and Govt. during the Bengal famine in 1776-1777. Established Hoogly Mohsin College. Donated 40 acres of land for Khulna BL College in Bangladesh.
Death and Legacy of Muhammad Mohsin
Haji Muhammad Mohsin died at the age of 8o, on 29 November 1812 in Hoogly, West Bengal, India.
The great philanthropist Haji Muhammad Mohsin formed a Trust with his entire wealth of Rs. 156,000 for the purpose of serving the poor during his life. After his death the amount has risen to over Rs. 75 lakh today according to the government statement. The Trustee board set up Mohsin’s Fund in 1835 about Rs. 8.50 lakh from the income of Wakf estates.
It was stated in the will of Muhammad Mohsin that meritorious Muslim students will get financial assistance from his fund. Since then, the West Bengal government awards Scholarships worth Rs 2 lakh to 100 Muslim students (Rs. 20,000 each) every year from Mohsin Fund.
After his death, a grand Imambara (An Imambara is a building with a hall where worshippers assemble for “Majlis”) was built at the place where he lived. It is called Hooghly Imambara. It is situated over 42 bighas of land on the banks of Hoogly River.
The construction of the Imambara started in 1841 and completed in 1861. The cost of construction of the building was about Rs 8 lakh. The famous designer of that time Engr. Jaunpur Syed Karamat Ghani from North India designed the Imambara. The building is two storeyed with two minarets. There is a mosque and a Madrasa called Hooghly Madrasa inside the building.
Mohsin’s family graveyard is situated behind the Imambara. The graves of Haji Mohsin, his mother Zainab Begam, step-sister Mannu Jan, father Hafizullah and Mirza Sohail Agha Motahar are located here.
There is a big historical clock at the Imambara which is one of the two largest clocks of the world. One is in London at Buckingham Palace and the other is at Hooghly Imambara. This significantly big clock was built by Blackened Marie.
There is a story behind this clock. Queen Victoria wanted to give the clock to the Imambara but the authority of the Imambara did not receive the clock without paying the price. Lastly the clock was established at Imambara in 1852 with the price of Rs. 11,729. The clock has three huge bells made of brass and three hammers are fixed to three bells. The huge pendulum is 12 feet long.
Today’s Imambara has become a beautiful historical tourist spot. Tourists can enjoy the place and know about the great humanitarian and the philanthropist Haji Mohammed Mohsin and his dedication to the welfare of the poor and the underprivileged people.
For his enormous contributions to the field of education, Haji Mohsin is the namesake of many educational institutions in India and Bangladesh. The New Hooghly College in Chinsura was established in 1836 in West Bengal and now bears his name as Hooghly Mohsin College.
The following renowned personalities of India are notable alumni of this college: Muzaffar Ahmed, politician; Upendranath Brahmachari, scientist; Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, composer and writer; Kanailal Dutta, revolutionary; Shyamal Mitra, singer; Ashutosh Mukhopadhyay, author and more legends were the students of this college.
In the same year, in 1836, Hoogly Imambara Hospital was also established for poor and local inhabitants.
Apart from West Bengal there many schools, colleges and madrasha were established by the contribution by the Mohsin Trust. In Bangladesh, Haji Muhammad Mohsin College in Chittagong and Haji Muhammad Mohsin Hall in University of Dhaka. He is also the namesake of a Bangladesh Navy base BNS Haji Mohsin located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. There is an imambara established in Jessore, Bangladesh.
It is heard that about 24 thousand bigha of land property are in the district of Khulna, Bangladesh. Apart from the Khulna Rail Station, 109 miles of rail line from Khulna to Kalkata, where 63 miles of this distance were acquired from the estates from Haji Muhammad Mohsin. Other than Khulna Rail Station, two streets and 6 Govt. educational institutions were established after his name.
Conclusion
Philanthropist Muhammad Mohsin is the name of a great humanitarian who sacrificed his whole life and wealth to the underprivileged society in regard to the development of education, health, financial assistance and religious development of Muslim and so on. As a successor of the Ispahani business family from Iran and a Zamindar, he could pass his life with a magnificent royal culture, he could multiply his estates and wealth many times, but on the contrary, we see, he passed his life in a very simple way. As a good Muslim, his education, philosophy of life was not derailed by his enormous authority, power, huge wealth and big opportunity of life. That’s why he still exists with a great respect in the deepest part of the hearts of people. Still some stories are told by the local people: once a thief entered Mohsin’s house. But the thief was caught red handed by Mohsin. Instead of calling police Mohsin provides a job to the thief to bear his livelihood. Another story, a poor woman was crying for her starving children on the street. Danvir Mohsin then told his officials to manage a pension for that poor family. After the death of Mohsin, it was found during the checking of the estates income statement, few hundred of people were being benefited by the pension schemes. There could be a lot of unearthed stories in the life history of Haji Muhammad Mohsin but the world will remember this legendary philanthropist till humanity is alive.