Sheikh Sad-ud-Din: Humility, Accountability, and Respect for Institutions
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai
(Third part of three parts series)
Leadership Above Self: A Historic Meeting of the Central Council
In the summer of 1975, Jamaat-e-Islami occupied Jammu and Kashmir convened a meeting of its Central Council (Majlis-e-Shoura) at the residence of Haji Mohammad Sulaiman in his village Zaloora near Sopore. The Central Council consisted of eighteen members elected by the general membership of the Jamaat. Although I was not a member of the Council, Sheikh Sad-ud-Din, the President of the Jamaat, invited Advocate Hassam-ud-Din Ahmed and me to attend the session as observers.
None of us realized at the time that we were about to witness one of the most remarkable meetings in the history of the organization.
The session lasted for two days.
During the second day, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai made an unexpected proposal. He suggested that Sheikh Sad-ud-Din should not seek another term as President when the election became due a few months later. Instead, he proposed that Sheikh Sad-ud-Din appoint an Acting President who would serve until the next election.
Sehrai Sahib explained that if Sheikh Sad-ud-Din contested the election again, the members would almost certainly re-elect him, as they had done repeatedly over the years.
After listening quietly, Sheikh Sad-ud-Din stood up without making any comment. He requested Syed Ali Geelani to preside over the remainder of the meeting and then walked out of the room.
At first, nothing appeared unusual. Only later did everyone realize the significance of his decision.
An Unusual Silence
The members expected Syed Ali Geelani to continue the proceedings because much of the agenda remained unfinished, and everyone hoped to return home that evening.
Fifteen minutes passed. Then another fifteen. Yet Geelani Sahib remained silent.
Finally, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai suggested that someone should ask Sheikh Sad-ud-Din what he had intended when he entrusted the chair to Geelani Sahib.
Advocate Hassam-ud-Din was requested to meet Sheikh Sad-ud-Din, who was praying in a nearby mosque. When he returned, he delivered an unexpected message.
Sheikh Sad-ud-Din had instructed that Syed Ali Geelani would serve as Acting President until the next election. Therefore, it was entirely up to him to conduct and conclude the meeting. Sheikh Sad-ud-Din also explained that he would not return because his presence might influence the Council’s deliberations and compromise its independence.
His decision demonstrated a profound respect for collective decision-making and the constitutional process of the Jamaat.
Geelani’s Refusal
Sehrai Sahib informed Geelani Sahib that the President’s instructions were clear and that he should proceed. Still, Geelani Sahib remained silent. Another twenty minutes passed before the members finally asked why he would not begin the meeting.
What happened next has remained vivid in my memory. With tears in his eyes, Geelani Sahib said that he too had hoped Sheikh Sad-ud-Din would appoint an Acting President, but he had never imagined that the responsibility would fall upon him.
The members reminded him that the appointment had been made and that it was now his duty to accept it. Deeply emotional, Geelani Sahib suddenly tore his shirt from the collar downward and said with great intensity: “Do you think leading the Jamaat is a trivial responsibility that anyone can assume? I cannot accept it.”
His reaction was not born of ambition but of humility. He sincerely believed that he was not equal to the responsibility.
The Constitution Above Friendship
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai then turned to Hakim Ghulam Nabi, the Secretary General of the Jamaat and one of Kashmir’s most respected Islamic scholars.
He asked, “According to the Constitution of the Jamaat, what is the consequence if a member refuses to comply with the President’s decision?” Hakim Sahib replied that such conduct constituted a violation of organizational discipline.
Sehrai Sahib then addressed Geelani Sahib and said that, according to the Constitution, disciplinary action would have to follow. Hakim Ghulam Nabi clarified that Geelani’s membership would be suspended for six months if he declines to chair the session.
What impressed me most was that Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai and Syed Ali Geelani were among the closest of friends. Yet friendship did not override constitutional principles. Personal relationships were set aside in favor of institutional discipline. Geelani Sahib quietly stood up, picked up his briefcase, and left the meeting room for the nearby mosque.
A Commitment Beyond Membership
Advocate Hassam-ud-Din Ahmed, Dr. Sultan of Bandipora, and I followed him to the mosque, where he was offering prayer.
After he had finished, Advocate Hassam-ud-Din Ahmed asked him, “Your membership has now been suspended for six months. What will you do?” Geelani’ Sahib’s reply left a lasting impression on me.
He said, “Yes, according to the Jamaat’s decision, I have been suspended and cannot participate in its activities for the next six months. But in my heart, I have never left the Jamaat. My commitment to it remains unchanged.”
His words reflected a deep sense of loyalty to the organization despite his disagreement with the President’s instruction. His refusal had not arisen from defiance or personal ambition. Rather, he genuinely believed that he lacked the ability to shoulder such an immense responsibility.
After Geelani Sahib’s departure, Hakim Ghulam Nabi assumed the chair and completed the meeting as Acting President until the next election.
Reflections
That meeting remains one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.
I witnessed Sheikh Sad-ud-Din voluntarily stepping aside to protect the integrity of the Council’s deliberations. I saw Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai place constitutional principles above personal friendship. I observed Hakim Ghulam Nabi upholding organizational discipline without favoritism. And I witnessed Syed Ali Geelani decline high office because he sincerely believed he was not the right person for it, while remaining loyal to the organization despite disciplinary action.
Together, these events taught me that genuine leadership is measured not by the pursuit of authority but by humility, accountability, and respect for institutions. Those lessons have remained with me ever since.
In the years that followed, Syed Ali Geelani went on to become one of the most prominent leaders associated with the wider political landscape of Kashmir. Whenever I reflect on his later public life, I remember not only the leader he became but also the humility and sincerity I witnessed during that unforgettable meeting in Sopore.
(Concluded).
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is Chairman of the US-based World Forum for Peace & Justice
He can be reached at gnfai2003@yahoo.com
