Introduction
Jamia Millia Islamia, originally established in 1920 at Aligarh in the United Provinces, India, became a Central University by an act of the Indian Parliament in 1988. The name “Jamia” means ‘University’ in Urdu, and “Millia” translates to ‘National’.

The institution’s journey from a modest setup during pre-independence India to a prominent central university in New Delhi, offering education from nursery to advanced research, reflects the dedication, conviction, and vision of those who nurtured it against all odds. Sarojini Naidu, known as the Nightingale of India, aptly remarked that Jamia was “built up stone by stone and sacrifice by sacrifice.”

Conception
Jamia Millia Islamia was born out of the convergence of two major movements under British colonial rule: anti-colonial Islamic activism and the pro-independence aspirations of politically radical, western-educated Indian Muslims. In the political climate of 1920, these movements, with Mahatma Gandhi as a catalyst, came together. The anti-colonial spirit represented by the Khilafat movement and the pro-independence momentum of the Indian National Congress’s non-cooperation movement harnessed creative energies that led to the establishment of Jamia Millia Islamia. Rabindranath Tagore hailed it as “one of the most progressive educational institutions of India.”

Responding to Gandhiji’s call to boycott educational institutions supported by the colonial regime, a group of nationalist teachers and students left Aligarh Muslim University in protest against its pro-British stance. Prominent figures in this movement included Maulana Mehmud Hasan, Maulana Mohamed Ali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, and Abdul Majid Khwaja.

Foundation
The Foundation Committee of Jamia Millia Islamia convened on 29 October 1920, comprising several key members, including:

• Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari (Delhi)
• Mufti Kafayattullah (Delhi)
• Maulana Abdul Bari Farang Mahali (UP)
• Maulana Sulaiman Nadvi (Bihar)
• Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani (UP)
• Maulana Husain Ahmad Madni (UP)
• Chaudhury Khaleeq-uz-zaman (UP)
• Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan
• Tasadduq Husain Khan (UP)
• Dr. Mohammad Iqbal (Punjab)
• Maulana Sanaullah Khan Amritsari (Punjab)
• Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew (Punjab)
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (Bengal and Bihar)
• Dr. Syed Mehmood (Bengal and Bihar)
• Saith Abdullah Haroon Karachiwale (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
• Abbas Tyabiji (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
• Sait Miyan Mohammad Haji Jaam Chhotani (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)
• Maulavi Abdul Haq (Sindh, Bombay and Hyderabad)

On 22 November 1920, Hakim Ajmal Khan was elected as the first chancellor of Jamia, with Mohamed Ali Jauhar serving as the first Vice Chancellor, as Allama Iqbal declined the offer made through Gandhiji. The committee also established a syndicate and created a syllabus subcommittee.

Maulana Mehmud Hasan, a renowned freedom fighter and theologian, laid the foundation stone of Jamia Millia Islamia in Aligarh on 29 October 1920. Despite the challenging circumstances, the list of its first teachers was quite impressive.

Crisis
Born out of a political crisis, Jamia faced the risk of not surviving the intense political struggle for India’s independence. It participated in the Bardoli resolution and sent volunteers across the country to motivate people in the freedom struggle. The colonial British government soon imprisoned many of its teachers and students. In 1922, Gandhiji called off the non-cooperation movement, and shortly thereafter, in 1924, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk abolished the Khilafat.

This series of events thrust Jamia into a severe crisis. Some believed it had fulfilled its purpose, while others thought it had lost its relevance with the end of the non-cooperation and Khilafat movements. Even the financial assistance that Jamia received from the Khilafat movement dried up, leading many prominent figures to abandon it. Jamia’s total collapse seemed imminent.

Jamia Moves to Delhi
In the face of this crisis, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, and Abdul Majeed Khwaja—supported by Gandhiji—moved Jamia from Aligarh to Karol Bagh in New Delhi in 1925. Gandhiji bolstered Jamia’s morale by stating, “The Jamia has to run. If you are worried about its finances, I will go about with a begging bowl.” Jamia embraced Gandhiji’s program for self-reliance and adopted Charkha and Takli as favored vocations.

Although Gandhi’s connections helped secure financial support, the risk of aiding a Congress-backed institution under the British Raj dissuaded many potential benefactors. Orthodox Muslims also viewed Jamia as a threat to Aligarh Muslim University, dubbed the ‘Muslim Oxford’. During these difficult times, Hakim Ajmal Khan covered most of Jamia’s expenses from his own pocket, while Dr. M.A. Ansari and Abdul Majeed Khwaja traveled across India and abroad to raise funds for the institution. Their collective efforts prevented Jamia’s near-collapse.

Resurgence: The Second Trio
In 1925, three friends studying in Germany—Dr. Zakir Husain, Dr. Abid Husain, and Dr. Mohammad Mujeeb—decided to dedicate themselves to Jamia. Dr. Zakir Husain, a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Berlin, was a natural and charismatic leader. Dr. Abid Husain had earned a Ph.D. in Education, and Mohammad Mujeeb, an Oxford scholar in History and a printing student in Germany, was a passionate reformist. In February 1926, the three friends left Germany for Jamia.

Dr. Zakir Husain was offered a salary of Rs. 100, while his friends, with European qualifications, were offered Rs. 300 each. Understanding Jamia’s financial limitations, Abid Husain and Mohammad Mujeeb voluntarily reduced their salaries to Rs. 100 each. Inspired by their commitment, Dr. Zakir Husain reduced his own salary to Rs. 80. One of their first initiatives was the introduction of popular evening classes for adult education, which later evolved into an institution called Idara-i-Taleem-o-Taraqqi in October 1938. The initiative grew so popular that additional rooms had to be built to accommodate the students.

In 1928, the death of Hakim Ajmal Khan marked the beginning of another financial crisis, as he had been covering most of Jamia’s expenses. Leadership then passed to Dr. Zakir Husain, who had become Vice Chancellor in 1926. To resolve the frequent crises, a group of young Jamia teachers, led by Dr. Zakir Husain, pledged to serve Jamia for the next twenty years on a salary not exceeding Rs. 150. This group became known as the Life Members of Jamia. A similar pledge was made by another group of Jamia teachers in 1942.

In 1928, Jamia’s department of Printing and Publications was divided into three entities: the newly established Jamia Press at Darya Ganj, Urdu Academy, and Maktaba Jamia, under the leadership of Prof. Mohammad Mujeeb, Dr. Abid Husain, and Mr. Hamid Ali, respectively.

Shifting to the New Campus
On 1 March 1935, the foundation stone for a school building was laid in Okhla, a village on the southern outskirts of Delhi. By 1936, all Jamia institutions, except Jamia Press, Maktaba, and the library, were relocated to the new campus. Jamia emphasized innovative educational methods, leading to the establishment of a teacher’s college (Ustadon ka Madrasa) in 1938. Dr. M.A. Ansari passed away in 1936, and on 4 June 1939, Jamia Millia Islamia was registered as a society.

Jamia’s reputation as an innovative educational movement spread, attracting foreign dignitaries such as Husein Raouf Bey (1933), Dr. Behadjet Wahbi of Cairo (1934), and Ms. Halide Edib of Turkey (1936). Some foreigners were so impressed that they began working at Jamia. One notable example was Ms. Gerda Philipsborn, a German lady known as Aapa Jaan, who served Jamia for many years and is buried on its campus.

In 1939, Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, a theologian and freedom fighter, came to stay at Jamia at the invitation of Dr. Zakir Husain. He established a school of Islamic Studies at Jamia, called Baitul Hikmah, promoting the ideology of Shah Waliullah. Zakir Husain, who later became the President of India, recalled those days of indomitable optimism as “days of joy.”

In 1946, during Jamia’s silver jubilee celebration, the emerging crisis of India’s impending partition was evident: Mr. and Mrs. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and Liyaqat Ali Khan were on one side of Dr. Zakir Husain, while Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Asaf Ali, and Sir C Rajagopalachari were on the other.

The communal riots following partition affected northern India, but Jamia’s campus remained an “oasis of peace in the Sahara” of communal violence, according to Gandhi. However, Maktaba Jamia lost books worth seven lakhs in arson.

Deemed to be University
In 1962, the University Grants Commission declared Jamia as a ‘deemed to be University’. Shortly thereafter, the School of Social Work was established in 1967. In 1971, Jamia inaugurated the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies in honor of Dr. Zakir Husain, who had passed away in 1969. The BE course in Civil Engineering commenced in 1978, and in 1981, the faculties of Humanities and Languages, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and the State Resource Centre were founded. In 1983, the Mass Communication Research Centre and the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning were established. The Faculty of Engineering & Technology and the University Computer Centre were added in 1985. The Academic Staff College and the Academy of Third World Studies followed in 1987 and 1988.

Central University
In December 1988, Jamia Millia Islamia was officially declared a central university by a Special Act of Parliament. A new faculty, the Faculty of Law, was added in 1989 to the existing faculties of Education, Humanities & Languages, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Engineering & Technology. Since then, numerous new courses and programs have been introduced at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

In addition to its nine faculties, Jamia Millia Islamia hosts various centers of learning and research, including the AJK-Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC) and the Academy of International Studies. Jamia is also advancing in the field of Information Technology (IT), offering various undergraduate and postgraduate IT courses. Furthermore, the university has developed a campus-wide network that connects a large number of its departments and offices.