Sir Abdul Majid CIE (17 May 1868 — 6 November 1924) was an Assamese justice and scholar of Assamese language. He spoke Arabic, Persian, English, Bengali, and Assamese.[1]
Abdul Majid | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 17 May 1868 |
| Died | 7 November 1924 (aged 56) |
| Spouses | Mafidan Nissa |
| Children | Mohammad Ishfaqul Mazid |
Background and education edit
Majid's ancestors originated from Goalpara, Assam, but had moved to Jorhat in upper Assam when the ruling Ahom kings shifted their capital from Sivasagar to Jorhat.[1] Majid's great-grandfather, Dar Shah Fakir, had renounced worldly life and became an ascetic. Majid's grandfather, Mohammad Shah, became a merchant and the largest Mauzadar of Assam, who owned large arable land and residential properties.[1]
Majid was born on 17 May 1868 in Balibat, Jorhat in the then North-East Frontier, British India.[2] In 1882, at age 14, he became the first graduate from Jorhat to pass the entrance examination from Jorhat High School.[2] He then graduated from Presidency College in Calcutta in 1887. He then enrolled into Cambridge University to study law in 1888. In 1891, he qualified as a barrister from Middle Temple.[1]
Career edit
In 1920, Majid became a justice of the Calcutta High Court. He was awarded CIE (Companion of Indian Empire) at ceremony in London attended by King George V.[1]
Majid was a litterateur of the Assamese language.[1]
Personal life edit
Majid married Mafidan Nissa in Assam.[1] She was a daughter of Munshi Rahmat Ali, a Magistrate from Puranigudam, Nagaon district.[2]
They had four sons and three daughters. His eldest son, Inamul Majid, served as High Commissioner of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[2] His third son, Mohammad Ishfaqul Mazid, went on to become the first Bengali general in the Pakistan Army.[1] His youngest son, Safkat Majid, was a director of agriculture in Assam Government. His second daughter, Zubaida Ataur Rahman, a social worker, was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal and she was the 1st woman president of Assam Legislative Council. His youngest daughter, Mafida Majid, was the first Assamese Muslim woman graduate from Calcutta University.[2]
Majid had a brother, Abu Sahid Shah.[2]