Yusufpur, Ghazipur

Yusufpur and Mohammadabad is a twin town in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Yusufpur is a Village in Saidpur Block in Ghazipur District of Uttar Pradesh State, India. It belongs to Varanasi Division. It is located 48 KM towards west from District head quarters Ghazipur. 308 KM from State capital Lucknow Yusufpur Pin code is 233310 and postal head office is Malikpura. Yusufpur is surrounded by Sadat Block towards North , Chahniya Block towards South , Tarwa Block towards North , Cholapur Block towards west. Saidpur, Ghazipur , Varanasi , Ghazipur , Zamania are the near by Cities to Yusufpur. This Place is in the border of the Ghazipur District and Chandauli District. Chandauli District Chahniya is South towards this place.

The town of Yusufpur was founded by Qazi Ahmed Ansari in 1593.

Yusufpur
Town
yes A gate in Yusufpur leading to an Ansari residence
Yusufpur Location in Uttar Pradesh, India Yusufpur Yusufpur (India)
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District	Ghazipur
Settled	350–400 BCE
Founded	1592
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
• Body	Ghazipur Municipal Council
Area
• Total	1.03 km2 (0.40 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	958
• Rank	391
• Sex ratio	810♀/♂
Demonym	Yusufpuri
Languages
• Official	Urdu
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	233227
Telephone code	233310

History

The land that would be known as Yusufpur was conquered in the year 1526, it was conquered by the Mughals, specifically by the Descendants of Abdullah Ansari. Three brothers whom were his descendants were the conquerors of this land. Khwaja Mobin titled Abul-Hameed Saaduddin Zainuddin alias Mitthan along with his brothers Khwaja Najmuddin Siraj and Khwaja Muhammad Hayat alias Haji Kamil came to Panipat with Babur in 1526 from Herat. Khwaja Najmuddin Siraj and his brother were among Babur’s court. Ghazipur Gazetteer page 99 mixed the two arrivals by stating that “the first was appointed Qazi of the pargana by Muhammad bin Tughlaq”. Khwaja Najmuddin Siraj actually came to India in the period of Babar, and not in the reign of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. Why and how Khwaja Najmuddin Siraj was appointed Qazi (equivalent to Chief Justice) of Yusufpur Ghazipur Siraj by Humayun In 1540 needs to be explained in some detail.

Sheikh Jamal Ahmed Makki was a great scholar and spiritual luminary in the times of Mughals. He resided in Rasoolpur Jamal of Mohammedabad Pargana and his lineage went up to Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RA. He was a venerated religious scholar, spiritual guide and Master. His disciples ran in to thousands. He was also held in high esteem by the Mughals. His presence and teachings were the main reason for rapid spread of Islam in the area during the reign of the first three Mughal emperors, Babur, Humayun and Akbar. He was thought of as a beacon of light in the darkness prevailing around.

Sheikh Jamal was a disciple of Sheikh Abdul Quddoos Gangohi. After learning all that was to know about the visible branches of Islamic education, he strove to find his guide to take him to the zenith of spiritual accomplishment. One night he dreamt that to do so, he must become a disciple of Sheikh Muhammad Mallanwi. Thus, he asked his father to take him to Sheikh Mallanwi. His father took him to Dehli where Sheikh Mallanwi resided. The revered Sheikh, having already received the divine message, was waiting for him, and received him with open arms. One day the Sheikh told Sheikh Jamal that his time to depart from the world had come. He instructed him to join the army of Humayun and go and settle where ever he liked and spread the message of Islam.

Sheikh Jamal chose Ghazipur as the place to settle, joined Humayun’s army and left on the expedition to subdue Nasir Khan Lohani, the ruler of Ghazipur. Passing through Ghazipur he reached Muhammadabad Parhar Bari. He liked the place and requested the king to let him stay at that place. The King allowed him to do so.

At that time, the area was surrounded by jungle and was inhabited by aboriginal tribes such as Seori, Cheero and Rajbhar. As per the history of Rasoolpur Jamal, some of these tribes accepted Islam and lived peacefully. However, a number of them continued in their old ways. They used to rob the travellers passing by, and, on resistance, killed them. It was a time of great uncertainty and chaos. Sheikh Jamal tried to convince them to mend their ways; but to no avail. Finally, and as a last resort, he wrote a letter to the King Humayun as follows:

“ This area now known as Mohammedabad Parhar Bah parganah is steeped in ignorance and infidelity. There is nobody here who could make these inhabitants follow the right path without the use of sword. To rectify this situation we need a strong and powerful ruler who can crush them ”.

On receipt of Sheikh Jamal’s letter, the King despatched Khwaja Najmuddin Siraj Ansari as the Qazi of the area and Mirza Add Baig as Minister of Finance. After a bloody battle, they were successful in crushing the miscreants. The King rewarded the two with official letters of appointment and Jageers (Large tracts of land). These two distinguished souls established a number of places such as Adilabad and Qazipur Siraj. Simultaneously, Jamalpur (Mirzapur district) was named after Sheikh Jamal. Khwaja Najmuddin Siraj, who was the Qazi of the entire area called Qazipur Siraj, had no male issue. At the same time, his brother Khwaja Mob in alias Mitthan had married a lady from the Ansari family that had arrived with the first batch and had settled at Saiket, Shikohabad. He was blessed with a son who was named Khwaja Hameeduddin Saadullah Alias Qazi Yusuf. Qazi Najmuddin Siraj married his daughter Fatima Bibi to Qazi Yusuf.

After the death of Khwaja Najmuddin Siraj, Qazi Yusuf was appointed Qazi by Akbar in 968H/1568CE. Qazi Yusuf is known as the ancestor of Ansaris of Yusufpur. His son Qazi Ahmed enhanced the area to the level of parganah and named it Yusufpur after him in 1593. The Ansari Sheikhs of Yusufpur played a huge role in the founding of Yusufpur and their descendants still live there till this day and age.

Having established Yusufpur, Ansaris continued to excel in the fields they were known for, i.e. serving the cause of Islam, medicine and justice . They produced outstanding luminaries in all of these fields such as Hakeem Nabeena Ansari, perhaps the most renowned physician of India of his times, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, President of Congress, Khilafat Movement and Muslim League, Qazi Malik Ansari, Qazi Subhanullah Ansari, Qazi Khurshidul-Haq Ansari and Qazi Farid-ul-Haq Ansari, Hamid Ansari, etc.

File:Family picture of the Ansaris.jpg

Family picture of the descendants of the founders of Yusufpur, the Ansaris

File:Homeansari.png

The residence of Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari in Yusufpur.

Notable Individuals

Notable people from this town are listed below:

• The late Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, the ex president of all India congress committee
• The late Brigadier Mohammad Usman
• Afzal Ansari is an Indian politician of the Bahujan Samaj Party and former Member of Parliament (MP) of India for Ghazipur constituency, Uttar Pradesh.
• Mukhtar Ansari is a convicted Indian gangster and politician from Uttar Pradesh.
• Sibakatullah Ansari has served as a MLA representing Mohammadabad in Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh, India from 2007 to 2017.
• Hamid Ansari is an Indian politician and retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer who was the 12th vice president of India from 2007 to 2017.

References

• https://archive.org/details/ANSARISOFYUSUFPUR Mahmud Ansari, Ansaris of Yusufpur, 2013
• https://indianculture.gov.in/gazettes/ghazipur-gazetteer-being-volume-xxix-district-gazetteers-united-provinces-agra-and-oudh, Ghazipur: A Gazetteer, being Volume XXIX of the District Gazetteers of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Nevill, H. R., 1909