List of Hindustani Muslim Heroes

This is a list of notable Hindustani Muslim from history and modern day. It includes notable people from the Muhajir (Pakistan) community who migrated from India to Pakistan in 1947 Partiton. Plus notable muslims who chose to stay in India.

Delhi Sultanate era

Nusrat Khan Jalesari – (Awadhi General of Alauddin Khilji, Alauddin's brother-in-law; notable for the battle against Mongols, Gujarat Campaign).
Zafar Khan (Indian general) – (Indian Muslim General of Alauddin, famous for his battles against the Mongols).
Malik Kafur
Malik Kafur – (General of Alauddin Khilji; a slave turned general who conquered vast lands for Alauddin Khalji.)
Haji Maula – (Indian Muslim officer who led an unsuccessful rebellion against Allauddin, Rebellions against Alauddin Khalji).
Khusrau Khan – (Sultan of Delhi, known for his reign in the Delhi Sultanate).
Malik Maqbul Tilangani – (Indian commander, a Deccani convert, and Wazir of the Delhi Sultanate under Firuz Shah Tughlaq; also the governor of Hyderabad).
Ziauddin Barani – (Indian Muslim political thinker and historian).
Khusrau Khan
Malik Nayak – (Shaikhzada (Hindu Convert) Muslim general; led the Battle of Amroha against the Mongols).

Nawab of Arcot, Carnatic Sultanate

Anwaruddin Khan
Anwaruddin Khan – (First Nawab of the Arcot, Subedar of Thatta, Given title Bahadur by Aurangzeb, and several victories against the Marathas).
Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah – (Known for his contributions to strengthening the Nawab's rule and alliances with the British, Several Victories Against the French.)
Azim-ud-Daula – (Played a key role in the later period of the Carnatic Sultanate).
Saadatullah Khan I – (Founder of the Nawabship and the first ruler of the Carnatic Sultanate).
Umdat ul-Umara– (Nawab known for his diplomatic and administrative skills. Accused By the British of Supporting Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars.)

Notable Figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857

Ahmadullah Shah
Ahmadullah Shah : Notorious Rebel, Leading Figure inciting rebellion in the Awadh region. Defeating the British forces led by Henry Lawrence (Indian Army officer) at the Battle of Chinhat
Barkat Ahmad : Highly Trained Sepoy Mutineer, Known for his role in commanding rebels against british in Battle of Chinhat
Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi : Sufi Poet, Conducted meetings with Bahadur Shah Zafar to develop plans to incite rebellions against East India Company. Later Arrested and sent to exile in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Maulvi Liaquat Ali : A prominent leader of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 from Allahabad, known for leading the resistance against British rule in the region. Gained Control of Khusro Bagh for a while.
Begum Hazrat Mahal : The wife of Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh and a key leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, remembered for her leadership in defending Lucknow.
Imdadullah Muhajir Makki : An Islamic scholar and freedom fighter who played an active role during the 1857 revolt and later migrated to Mecca.
Maulvi Muhammad Baqir : The editor of Delhi Urdu Akhbar and a prominent figure in the 1857 revolt, executed by the British for his revolutionary activities.
Maulvi Allauddin : A freedom fighter from the 1857 rebellion, known for his role in organizing resistance in Hyderabad. With Turrebaz Khan they led an attack on the British Residency, Hyderabad.
Sadruddin Khan Azurda Dehlawi : A poet, scholar, and judge in Delhi, associated with the cultural and intellectual revival of the Mughal court, as well as the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Closely Associated with Ghalib.
Nawab Majju Khan : A revolutionary leader during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, known for leading uprisings in the Bareilly region. Served as the commander of the Last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Bakht Khan
Bakht Khan : Commander in Cheif of the rebel forces in the Siege of Delhi. One of the most prominent leaders in the rebellion, described as the british as "most intelligent character".

Notable military figures

Syed Ahmad Barelvi: An Islamic scholar and leader of the Mujahideen movement in the early 19th century,Led an army to victory against the Sikh Empire at the Battle of Akora Khattak.
Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi: A renowned Islamic scholar, theologian, and a key figure in the early reform movements in India.
Shah Ismail Dehlvi: An Islamic scholar and freedom fighter, known for his efforts to revive Islamic teachings and his role in armed resistance with Syed Ahmad Barelvi.
Isa Khan of Bengal
Isa Khan: His ancestors hailed from Awadh , a powerful medieval nobleman and leader of the Baro-Bhuyan in Bengal, he successfully resisted Mughal expansion in Bengal.
Masum Khan: Grandson of Isa Khan, a Mughal general who participated in the Siege of Hooghly against the Portuguese and participated in the invasion of Assam in 1636.
Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk: A Brahmin convert and the founder of the Berar sultanate in the Deccan during the 16th century.
Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I: The founder of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and a key figure in the Deccan's history.
Hasan Khan Mewati: A Rajput-Muslim ruler of Mewat who fought gallantly alongside Rana Sanga against Babur at the Battle of Khanwa. His valor also earned him a reputation at the Battle of Panipat (1526) where he supported Ibrahim Khan Lodi.
Munim Khan II: A Grand Vizier of the Mughal Empire, serving during the reign of Akbar and Jahangir.
Akbar receiving Shaikh Farid Bukhari
Shaikh Farid Bukhari: A Mughal nobleman and general close to Akbar and Jahangir. Served as the Bakhshi (Mughal Empire) under Akbar. Known for suppressing the rebellion of Khusrau Mirza. As governor of Punjab he was given the task to execute Sikh Guru Guru Arjan.
Raja Akbar Ali: A zamindar and leader in the 1781 revolt in Bihar against the British East India Company, commanding a force of 4000 Matchlock men.
Murshid Quli Khan: The first Nawab of Bengal, credited with founding the autonomous Nawabdom of Bengal.
Almas Ali Khan: A commander of the forces of Awadh playing a crucial role during the Nawab's rule.
Ali Muhammad Khan (Awadh): A general in the army of the Nawab of Awadh, active during the early stages of British expansion.

List of notable Muhajirs in Pakistan

Pervez Musharraf: Dictator ruled Pakistan for 9 years, Seen as the main architect of Kargil War, led Pakistani response in the 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff, toppled Nawaz Sharif's government in the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état. Linked with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, involved in the killing of Akbar Bugti.
Shamim Alam Khan: 4-star rank general, Sitara-e-Jurat in Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, involved in the Somali Civil War (2009–present). Served as an advisor to Jordan, for which he got the highest military award of Jordan for.
Mirza Aslam Beg: Third Chief of the Army Staff (Pakistan). Accused of being behind the plane crash that killed Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. Known for his role in gathering 40 thousand volunteers for Soviet–Afghan War, Pro Taliban General.
Muhammad Mahmood Alam: Known as the "Little Dragon". Flying ace for shooting down 5 Indian Airforce jets in less than a minute in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. M. M. Alam Road is named after him
Agha Hasan Abedi: Founder of Bank of Credit and Commerce International and United Bank Limited; convicted felon for funding Columbian drug cartels, Abu Nidal Organization, and Pakistani nuclear programme.
FS Hussain: Renowned Pioneer Pakistan Air Force pilot, "King of Fury,". As commander his students included pilots like Muhammad Mahmood Alam and Saiful Azam. His aerobatic skills left personalities like Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the commander of RAF Middle East Command Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder extremely impressed.
Kasim Razvi: Founder of the Razakars (Hyderabad) militia to resist Hyderabad being part of India. Accused of Hindu Massacres in hyderabad also shown in the movie : Razakar - Silent Genocide of Hyderabad.
Masroor Hosain: Air Commodore in the Pakistan Air Force, Known for playing a crucial role in managing operations in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, Led the staff at the primary radar station at Sakesar. PAF Base Masroor is named after him.
Altaf Hussain (Pakistani politician): Founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement – London, major political movement in Karachi representing the issues of Muhajir (Pakistan). Co-Founded MQM Violence (1994–2016) alongside Imran Farooq that successfully eliminated opponents for almost 3 decades.
Syed Shahid Hamid: Set up the Inter-Services Intelligence from an office in karachi alongside Walter Cawthorn.

Abdul Qadeer Khan: Father of Pakistan's nuclear program. Awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-i-Imtiaz.
Muhammad Raziuddin Siddiqui: Pakistani Physicist, studied Mathematics and Quantum mechanics under Albert Einstein; awarded for his contributions to Pakistan’s nuclear program Sitara-i-Imtiaz , Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Nishan-e-Imtiaz. Previosuly worked in Europe carrying out nuclear research in the Force de dissuasion and Nuclear weapons of the United Kingdom. Also involved in the original Manhattan Project.
Syed Mohammad Ahsan: Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Navy. Saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic against the Kriegsmarine. Also served in the Arakan campaign (1942–1943), and the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II. He got the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) for his valor in WW2.

Colonel Ghuffar Mehdi: World War II military cross winner for serving in Burma campaign. One of the pioneer officers of Special Service Group. Led about a hundred of Mahsud tribesmen to victory against the afghans in the Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes in the 1960s.

Notable Muslims from modern day India

Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim : Indian Mob Boss, drug dealer , global terrorist. In 2011 he was number 3 on FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives. Suspected role in the 1993 Bombay bombings. Founder of the D-Company that was involved in the Drug trafficking, Extortion, Kidnapping amongst various other crimes. This company smuggled around 25-30% of India's total gold and silver imports. Dawood later allegedly escaped to Pakistan where he was accommodated by Pervez Musharraf in Clifton, Karachi.
Abu Salem : High ranking individual of the D-Company, infamous for terrorising Bollywood film industry by extorting money from film producers and usurping the overseas distribution rights. In 1992, he supplied weapons to film actor Sanjay Dutt.
Mukhtar Ansari
Mukhtar Ansari: Influential politican, indian muslim gangster.
Chhota Shakeel: High ranking leader of the D-Company, wanted by the US government for international drug trafficking. Supported by the pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence.
Mohammad Usman
Mohammad Usman : Officer in the Indian Army and the highest-ranking Indian military officer to sacrifice his life during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948. Known as "Sher-e-Naushera" he played a critical role in defending the Jammu and Kashmir region against tribal invaders backed by Pakistan. At the time of partition 1947, Pakistan offered him the position of Chief of the Army Staff (Pakistan) but he refused and chose to stay in India. In the war where he defended Nowshera, Jammu and Kashmir and Jhangar Pakistan put a prize of 50,000 Rs for his head. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra.
Abdul Hamid (soldier):Indian Army soldier awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military decoration, for his heroics during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, especially in destroying Pakistani tanks in the Battle of Asal Uttar.
Brigadier Israr Rahim Khan: Senior Indian Army officer involved in Operation Blue Star; controversial figure due to his association with the Sikh Massacre during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Idris Hasan Latif: Former Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force, known for his modernisation efforts and service during critical periods of India's defence history.
Mohammad Ahmed Zaki: Former Lieutenant General of the Indian Army and the first Muslim commandant of the Indian Military Academy, with a distinguished service record in various military operations.

References

Satish Chandra (2007) Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526) - Part One. p. 267. ISBN 9788124110645. Alauddin's wazir was Nusrat Khan Jalesar, and Zafar Khan his Mir Arz. Both were famous warriors but were non-Turks, possibly Indian Muslims.
Yasin Mazhar Siddiqi (1972). "the Kotwals under the Sultans of Delhi". Indian History Congress: 194. JSTOR 44145331. Nusrat Khan Jalesari who was the Kotwal in the first year of the Alai reign was an Indian Muslim
Satish Chandra (2007) History of Medieval India: 800-1700. Orient Longman. p. 96. ISBN 978-81-250-3226-7. Early in 1299, an, army under two of Alauddin Khalji's noted generals marched against Gujarat by way of Rajasthan. On their way, they raided and captured Jaisalmer also. The Gujarat ruler, Rai Karan, was taken by surprise, and fled without offering a fight. The chief cities of Gujarat, including Anhilwara where many beautiful buildings and temples had been built over generations, were sacked. The famous temple of Somnath which had been rebuilt in the twelfth century was also plundered and sacked. An enormous booty. was collected. Nor were the wealthy Muslim merchants of Cambay spared. It was here that Malik Kafur, who later led the invasions of south India, was captured
Srivastava,Ashirbadilal.The Sultanate of Delhi, 711-1526 A.D.: Including the Arab Invasion of Sindh, Hindu Rule in Afghanistan and Causes of the Defeat of the Hindus in Early Medieval Age. Shiva Lal Agarwala, 1966. p. 175–178, 358–359.
Khan-i-Jahan's Tomb - Tomb of Malik Maqbul Khan, Delhi Information, retrieved 17 April 2019
Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Muzaffarnagar. Government of Uttar Pradesh. 1988. p. 42.
Nawab. Prince of Arcot. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
"https://web.archive.org/web/20180131045147/http://indianmuslimlegends.blogspot.in/2011/03/75-maulvi-ahmad-ullah-shah.html". Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"Maulavi Ahmad Ullah Shah and Great revolt of 1857". National Book Trust, India website (Book by Rashmi Kumari). Retrieved 27 August 2019
Abdul Karim (1992). History of Bengal: Mughal Period. Vol. 1. Institute of Bangladesh Studies, University of Rajshahi. pp. 79–80. OCLC 28183749.
Chisti, AA Sheikh Muhammad Asrarul Hoque (2012). "Isa Khan". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M.
Eaton, Richard (1993) The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204–1760. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
M.Mujeeb (1967) Indian Muslims. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 9780773593503.
Singh, Pashaura (28 September 2006), "The Martyrdom Of Guru Arjan", Life and Work of Guru Arjan, Oxford University Press, pp. 205–235,
Faruqui, Munis D. (2012). The Princes of the Mughal Empire, 1504–1719. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 229. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139135474. ISBN 978-1-139-13547-4.
Boone, Jon (18 February 2014). "Pervez Musharraf makes first court appearance in treason case". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
"Musharraf's choice elected as new PM". The Independent. 28 August 2004. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
"Profile: Pervez Musharraf". BBC News. 16 June 2009. Archived from the original on 21 July 2009.
Musharraf, Pervez (25 September 2006). In the Line of Fire: A Memoir (1 ed.). Pakistan: Free Press. pp. 40–60. ISBN 074-3283449. Retrieved 17 May 2012.