Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi: From the Haors of Bengal to the Heart of Empire
By Dilly Meah
On 25 September 1915, in the quiet embrace of Patli village in Jagannathpur, Sylhet, a child was born who would one day bridge continents, histories, and political worlds. His name was Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi, born in Qurayshi Bari, a household steeped in lineage, learning, and spiritual inheritance. At the time, Patli was a serene rural settlement, shaped by monsoon rhythms and nourished by the haors of the Bhati region. Few could have imagined that from this tranquil corner of eastern Bengal would emerge a figure who would leave an indelible mark on Britain’s South Asian political and social landscape.
An Ancestral Line Rooted in Faith and Scholarship
Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi was not merely born into a family; he was born into a legacy. He was a descendant of Maulana Shah Shamsuddin Qurayshi, himself a descendant of Shah Jamal Uddin Qurayshi, the second son of Hazrat Shah Kamal Quḥāfah (RA) – one of the most revered saints to settle in Sylhet during mid-medieval Bengal.
Hazrat Shah Kamal Quḥāfah (RA) traced his lineage directly to Hazrat Abu Bakr Al-Siddiqui (RA), the closest companion of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and the first Caliph of Islam. This sacred genealogical chain placed Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi within a spiritual heritage that stretched from Arabia to Bengal, from early Islam to the riverine delta of eastern India.
After arriving in Sylhet, Hazrat Shah Kamal Quḥāfah (RA) later moved into the Bhati region, settling in Shaharpara, the land of haors – vast seasonal wetlands that defined the ecology and culture of the deltaic plains. Shaharpara became a nucleus of Islamic learning, spiritual leadership, and familial networks that would shape generations.
The Qurayshi Baris of Patli
The Qurayshi Bari of Patli, located west of the village, was established by descendants of this sacred lineage. Over time, the family expanded, and today there are five Qurayshi Baris in Kunarpara and one in Aurangabad. Both Kunarpara and Aurangabad were historically part of the Aurangabad mauza but have since been absorbed into the greater Patli village.
These households were not merely residential clusters; they were repositories of memory, religious authority, and community leadership. The Qurayshi name became synonymous with scholarship, moral guidance, and service – values that would profoundly shape Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi’s worldview.
Muzaffar Khan and the Mullah Gushti Legacy
Maulana Shah Shamsuddin Qurayshi was among the descendants of Muzaffar Khan, whose name appears in the Taluk registration of 1793, a crucial colonial-era record confirming the family’s long-standing prominence in the region. In Shaharpara, this branch of the family became known as the Mullah Gushti, a lineage associated with religious instruction and local governance.
Muzaffar Khan’s grandfather was Shah Najim Uddin, a shared ancestor of the Bagla Gushti, Shahjir Gushti, and Mullah Gushti – three respected lineages originating from Shaharpara. Shah Najim Uddin was the fifteenth descendant of Hazrat Shah Kamal Quḥāfah (RA), underscoring the deep historical continuity of this family across centuries.
It was into this intricate web of ancestry, spirituality, and responsibility that Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi was born.
A Leap into the Unknown: Journey to Britain
On 1 January 1936, at the age of just twenty, Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi made a decision that would redefine his life. He jumped ship at Tilbury, England – a perilous and uncertain act undertaken by many South Asian seamen seeking opportunity beyond the rigid hierarchies of colonial labour.
Britain in the 1930s was no welcoming land for migrants from the colonies. Racism was overt, employment scarce, and legal protections minimal. Yet Qureshi possessed a rare combination of resilience, vision, and entrepreneurial courage.
Pioneering the Sylheti Presence in British Hospitality
In 1938, just two years after arriving in Britain, Qureshi opened a restaurant named Dilkush in Soho, London. He later claimed – and historical evidence supports—that he was the first Sylheti to own a restaurant in the United Kingdom. This achievement places him among the pioneers of what would later become Britain’s South Asian culinary revolution.
Dilkush was more than a restaurant. It was a meeting place for sailors, students, activists, and intellectuals from across South Asia. Food served as both sustenance and symbol – a reminder of home and a quiet assertion of presence in the imperial capital.
During the Second World War, Dilkush was destroyed in a blaze caused by wartime bombing. Yet Qureshi refused to retreat.
The India Centre: A Political Crucible
In 1944, amid wartime London, Qureshi opened another restaurant off Charlotte Street, which came to be known as the India Centre. This establishment transcended its commercial function and evolved into one of the most significant political hubs for South and Southeast Asian anti-colonial activism in Britain.
It was here that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the iconic Indian nationalist leader, is known to have attended meetings. The India Centre became a space where ideas of independence, self-determination, and post-colonial futures were debated with urgency and conviction.
In an era when colonial subjects were expected to remain invisible, Qureshi’s restaurant became a site of resistance.
Political Engagement and Community Leadership
Qureshi was deeply involved in the political and social movements of his time. He assisted and attended meetings of V. K. Krishna Menon’s India League, one of the most influential organisations advocating Indian independence in Britain. He was also associated with Surat Alley’s Hindustani Social Club, a key gathering place for South Asian workers and intellectuals.
Politically, Qureshi became a member of the All-India Muslim League, aligning himself with the movement that would eventually lead to the creation of Pakistan. His political engagement was not ideological posturing but an extension of his lifelong commitment to justice, dignity, and self-representation for colonised peoples.
He was also a member of Jamiat-ul-Muslimin, the organisation that inaugurated the East London Mosque (ELM) on 2 August 1941 at Commercial Road. This mosque would later become one of the most important Islamic institutions in Europe.
To reduce political scrutiny, the Indian Seamen’s Welfare League adopted a less overtly political profile, and Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi was appointed its President – a testament to the trust he commanded among Britain’s South Asian maritime community.
A Life Between Worlds
Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi’s life cannot be confined to a single nation or narrative. He belonged simultaneously to the haors of Sylhet and the streets of London, to medieval spiritual lineages and modern political struggles. He was a restaurateur, an organiser, a bridge-builder, and a custodian of memory.
From Qurayshi Bari in Patli to Soho and Charlotte Street, his journey mirrored the broader story of South Asian migration – rooted in history, driven by survival, and animated by hope.
Legacy
Today, as Britain’s Bangladeshi and Sylheti communities reflect on their past, Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi stands as a foundational figure. He was not merely present at history’s turning points – he helped create the spaces in which history could happen.
His life reminds us that migration is not merely movement; it is transmission – of values, faith, resistance, and identity. From the haors of Bengal to the heart of empire, Shah Abdul Majid Qureshi carried his inheritance with dignity, courage, and vision.
The writer, a descendant of Hazrat Shah Kamal Quḥāfah (RA) of Shaharpara, currently lives in London
