Allama Muhammad Asad: The Story of the First Pakistani Passport Holder

Islamabad (Web Desk) Allama Muhammad Asad, whose original name was Leopold Weiss, was born on July 2, 1900 in the Austrian city of Lviv (now Lviv, Ukraine) in a Jewish family. He learned Hebrew and Arabic during his early education, then studied philosophy and art at the University of Vienna. Leopold Weiss’s early life was heavily influenced by Western philosophy, but during his travels in the Middle East he was influenced by the teachings of Islam.

Journey to Islam
In 1922, Leopold traveled to Palestine for the first time, where he observed the Arab world up close. During this time he met various scholars and Islamic scholars. While studying the Qur’an, Leopold was inspired by the simplicity, justice and spiritual aspects of Islam and converted to Islam in 1926. He was named Muhammad Asad.

Residence in Saudi Arabia and relationship with King Abdulaziz
After converting to Islam, Muhammad Asad spent several years in Saudi Arabia where he lived with King Abdulaziz. He did deep research on Islamic principles. During this time, he acquired a deep understanding of Islamic society, the judicial system and Arab culture.

Friendship with Allama Iqbal
Muhammad Asad came to the subcontinent in 1932 where he met Allama Iqbal. Allama Iqbal encouraged to think more about the philosophical and intellectual foundations of Islam. Muhammad Asad described this friendship as a turning point in his life, which helped to strengthen his Islamic thought.

Authors and intellectual services
Allama Asad wrote many important books in his life. His famous books are “Islam at the Crossroads” and “The Message of the Qur’an”. In “Islam at the Crossroads” he analyzed the challenges of Western civilization and urged Muslims to adhere to Islamic teachings to face these challenges. “The Message of the Qur’an” is his commentary in which he interpreted the verses of the Qur’an in the context of modern problems.

Role after the creation of Pakistan
After the establishment of Pakistan, Muhammad Asad served in various important positions in the government of Pakistan. He was appointed as the Director of Islamic Reconstruction in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1947. He provided guidance for Islamic legislation and worked for the implementation of Islamic ideals in Pakistan’s foreign policy. .

Role in Panjab University
Muhammad Asad served as a lecturer in Islamic philosophy at Punjab University. His teachings gave the students a deep understanding of the Islamic philosophy of life.

First Pakistani passport and Middle East tour
Allama Asad was given the first Pakistani passport by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1952. The passport was given to him to serve as the first permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, even before that, the issue of the passport itself was submitted when the Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan appointed him the ambassador of the Middle East to the UN Allama Asad in his autobiography which is in Urdu (Muhammad Asad Banda Sahrai) wrote as follows:

“A few days later, the Prime Minister suggested that I should make an official visit to the Middle East as soon as possible and examine the approach of each country to the common organization of Muslim countries separately. Hearing this suggestion, my face he lit up with joy. I never remember being so happy in my life.

The first thing I did was to instruct the passport officer to prepare the passport immediately. He asked: “Explain what nationality you will be registered in this?”

I looked at him in astonishment and replied “Pakistani, and who?”

‘But sir! So far, nothing called Pakistani nationality has come into existence. A citizenship bill is being debated in the National Assembly and it will be months before it is passed. Meanwhile, an informal matter was resolved with the United Kingdom, according to which the option to write “British citizen” on the old passport was given.

I said: “This is stupid. I have never been a British citizen and I still do not need one. Pakistani citizens written on my passport.’

‘I can’t do it. This is illegal. Can I write Austrian citizenship on your passport? I said, “That would be even more stupid.” I am going on this visit as an official representative of the Government of Pakistan. What will the viewer think if I have a passport from another country?

However, this issue has been discussed for several days and I am tired of hearing nonsense. Finally, I called the Prime Minister’s personal assistant and asked him: “Please arrange to meet the Prime Minister immediately.”

After some time I reached Liaquat Ali Khan’s office and informed him of my situation.

He asked his secretary to call the passport officer immediately. As soon as he entered the room, the Prime Minister ordered him to quickly produce a passport and stamp it as “Citizen of Pakistan”. So I had the honor of getting the first passport written by a Pakistani citizen.

References

Weiss, Leopold. The road to Mecca. Faber and Faber, 1954.
Asad, Muhammad. Islam at the crossroads. Dar Al Andalus, 1934.
Akhtar, Shabbir. A Faith for All Seasons: Islam and Western Modernity. Scm Press, 1990.
Asad, Muhammad. The message of the Quran. Dar Al Andalus, 1980.
Asad, Muhammad. The house of the Heart. 1967
Asad, Muhammad. Islamic Philosophy and Western Thought. Dar Al Andalus, 1949.
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