In the early 20th century, as European empires appeared unshakable, a little-known South Asian revolutionary was weaving together ideas that challenged their very foundations. Maulvi Barkatullah Bhopali, born in 1854 in the princely state of Bhopal, rose from a traditional Islamic education to become one of the most influential yet overlooked figures of the global anti-colonial movement.

Educated at Darul Uloom Deoband, Barkatullah’s worldview was........

© Naya Daur