Friends, with the following I wish to prove that the claims made in 'Nikab Kushai' and approvingly quoted by Mubarak are utterly false, deceptive and defamatory.As per the detail proof provided in the book ‘Nikab Kushai’, highly respected and noted speaker, the Secretary of Reformist movement, Dr. Mr. Asghar Ali Engineer is a ‘Daru’ (alcohol) drinker and same like Yazeed wants to superimpose his personal Marxist whims and fancies over the rules and regulations of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and progeny of Molatina Fatima (a.s.) and their authorized personal.
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer is a friend since childhood. His father Shaikh Qurban Husain was an Amil of Sayedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb. I was in Dewas in Madhya Pradesh with my maternal grandfather Haji Qamruddin Saifee Storewala who was a big businessman and had a three-story huge house with his shop in front. He had a special room “Dalan” where local Amil used to stay. Shaikh Qurban Husain Saheb came to stay there during his amalat and Asghar Ali also came with him. Since we were of the same age we became friends and remained in contact through correspondence even when they had left Dewas. We used to ride bicycles. I remember him carrying his prayer mat in the cycle carrier. He was very particular about namaz timings and used stop his cycle, spread his prayer mat in some nearby garden and perform namaz on time.
The same thing I found when he was a student in Maharaja Hulkar Engineering College at Indore to do his civil Engineering. He was very found of serious religious discussions and knew the entire Qur’an by heart which he often used to quote during discussions. In the college hostel he met one Bohra student Abbas Presswala who had communist leanings and had seen Asghar Ali defending Islam in arguments with him. I was surprised as one day Asghar Ali read out a letter from a book written by Karl Marx to a Muslim friend of his wherein he had said he has learnt a lot from Quranic teachings and he was a great admirer of the Holy Prophet. It came as a surprise for me when I found that Asghar Ali had already read Karl Marx along with Islamic history and philosophy.
Most of the Congress and Muslim political leaders have always sided with Sayedna though in private they have shown sympathy with the reformists. Asghar Ali during his leadership of the reform movement found the socialists and communists political leaders non-communal and sympathetic to the Muslim cause. Therefore he came close to socialist leaders like S.M. Joshi, Justice Narendra Nathwani, Justice Tarkunde and Urdu writers like Dr. Zoe Ansari, Kaifee Azmi, Fuzel Jafree, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Mulk Raj Anand, Kamleshwar etc. who understood the plight of Bohras and remained steadfast in their support against violent oppositions from Sayedna’s establishment. Dr. Zoe Ansari, a communist, was also a close friend of Dr. Yusuf Najmuddin.
I used to be with Asghar Ali in several meetings with these writers. Most of them used to drink alcohol during such meetings but both of us opted for soft drinks. Dr. Zoe Ansari used to most proudly say that whenever he is called by Sayedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb he used keep a bottle of finest whiskey for him.
Now coming to the hand-written book “Nikab Kushai” by Shaikh Ahmed Ali Saheb. On recommendation of Dr. Zoe Ansari, Fuzel Jafree in 1970, at the start of Burhani College in Bombay, was appointed by Sayedna Burhanuddin Saheb as a senior professor and chairman of Department of English who used organize B.A. and B. Com. Exams. In 1986 professor Jafree caught one Bohra lecturer Mrs. Sara Dalal issue a fake mark sheet to a commerce student who was also a Bohra. He complained to the management in writing. But no action was taken against Sara Dalal. But by then it seems the days of professor Jafree in the college were numbered. The same year in the month of April Burhani College organized a “Qur’an Exhibition” in its main hall. Only Dawoodi Bohras were allowed there. Entry for other non-Bohras was strictly prohibited. Even non-Muslim staff members such as professor Jafree were not allowed. When Jafree heard some Bohras saying that “Though the Qur’an is revealed to Hazrat Mohammad but our Sayedna Saheb is the real speaking Qur’an”. He complained to the principal, Qurban Husain Suttarwala. Jafree was suddenly sacked without assigning any reason. Large numbers of Muslims including Muslim intelligentsia protested against this act. Matter went to the court where from the college side an Urdu magazine was produced in the court to establish that professor Jafree was removed from the services as he was a “drunkard”. But court rejected this evidence as the caption in Urdu below the photograph had said, “A Laughter-full Evening” – At Baqir Mehdi’s house (from right) Varis Alvi, Kamleshwar, Dr. Zoe Ansari, Hasan Kamal, Baqir Mehdi, Asghar Ali Engineer, Shiam Kishan Nigam and Fuzel Jafree. (See photo).
Nowhere it was stated that they were consuming alcohol. Even if some of them are holding glasses it cannot be concluded that the glasses contained alcohol, the court maintained.
Shaikh Ahmed Ali Saheb conveniently picked up this photograph to establish his point which even Sayedna Saheb did not do at any time.
Please also see Sayedna Burhanuddin Saheb’s colour photograph taken in House of Lords in 2001 sitting all alone at the table on which several glasses are kept filled with some liquid. The glasses are typically used for serving wine/alcohol. Looking at this photo, can anyone, even with an extreme hatred for Sayedna Saheb accuse him of drinking alcohol like Yazid?
