Mohammad Ali Jinnah, (also spelled Mohammad) (25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948 in Karachi, present day Pakistan) is the founder of Pakistan. After the partition of India, he became the Governor-General of Pakistan. As a mark of respect, Pakistanis call him Quaid-e-Azam.[1] Quaid-e-Azam is a phrase which, in the Urdu language, means "the great leader". People also called him Baba-I-Quam, another phrase in the Urdu language which means "the father of the nation". The day of his birth is a national holiday in whole Pakistan.
Early life
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born on 25 December 1876 in Karachi into a Kasana family of Ismaili Shia Islam. At home, his family talked in Gujarati language, and the children also came to speak Kutchi and English.[2] Except for Fatima, little is known of his siblings.
Jinnah’s birth name was Mahomed ali Jinnahbhai. .He later changed it to the much simpler 'Muhammad Ali Jinnah' or M.A. Jinnah. He was born in Jhirk, City of Sindh (Province of Pakistan). his date of birth is, 25 December 1876.
His father’s name was Jinnah Poonja (1857- 1901) and his mother’s name was Mithibai. Jinnah was the eldest of the seven children of Jinnah Poonja and Mithibai. His family had migrated to Sindh from the Kathiawar area of Gujarat, India.
Early working years
In 1891 (when he was fifteen), Jinnah went to London and worked for few years for a company. Before going to London, he was married to Emibai. She was his distant relative. At the time of her marriage, Emibai was around 14 or 16 years old. But, Emibai died shortly after Jinnah had gone to London. At around the same time, his mother also died.
In 1894, Jinnah quit his job to study law. He joined the course at Lincoln's Inn and graduated in 1896. While still in London, he also started to participate in politics. He greatly admired Indian political leaders Dadabhai Naoroji and Sir Pherozeshah Mehta. Gradually Jinnah was developing his own political outlook. He was thinking on the line that India should have a constitutional self-government
Around this time, his father lost his business. This put Jinnah under great difficulty. In the meantime, he had started to practice as a lawyer in Mumbai. He also built a house in Mumbai’s Malabar Hill area. The house is now known as Jinnah House.
He became a successful lawyer. In 1908 he represented Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a famous leader of the Indian National Congress. Tilak was facing charges of sedition against the British Raj. Jinnah pleaded the case well, but Tilak was sent to prison.