Nawab Faizunnesa Begum: Visionary Leader for Women's Education and Welfare in Bengal

By Afroz Khan, New Age Islam 18 October 2025 Begum Faizunnesa Chaudhurani, born in 1834, was a pioneering Bengali Muslim who championed women's education and social welfare. Despite her conservative upbringing, she learnt four languages, founded schools, a mosque, and a dispensary, and became South Asia’s first female Nawab in 1889. Main Point's: 1. Born in 1834, Faizunnesa was a progressive Bengali Muslim from a conservative family. 2. Learnt Arabic, Persian, Bengali, and Sanskrit via home tutoring. 3. Founded girls’ schools, a mosque, and a dispensary for social welfare. 4. First South Asian woman titled "Nawab" in 1889. 5. Donated all wealth to the nation before dying in 1903. ------ Begum Faizunnesa Chaudhurani was born in 1834 in a prominent Bengali Muslim family of Paschimgaon under Laksam in Tipperah district of Bengal Presidency (Colonial India). Her father's name was Khan Bahadur Ahmed Ali Chaudhari and mother's name was Araf-un-Nessa Chaudhurani Saheba. Faizunnesa was the eldest child of her parents. It is said that her family belonged to the Mughal dynasty. Her mother, Araf–un–Nessa, was a philanthropist who built the Paschimgaon Nawab Bari Mosque in 1864. Although Faizunnesa's family was a conservative Muslim family that did not prioritise the education of girls, and the practice of purdah was strictly followed, Faizunnesa's dedication to education convinced her father to arrange for a home tutor for his daughter. Faizunnesa learnt Arabic, Persian, Bengali, and Sanskrit through a home tutor she had been assigned. She often spent her free time studying in her library. Despite having no formal education, she became proficient in four languages. Although born into a conservative family, Faizunnesa possessed a profoundly liberal and progressive nature. She did not allow the superstitions that flourished around her to influence her thinking and was also highly socially conscious. Married Life Faizunnesa married Muhammad Ghazi, her distant cousin and neighbouring landowner, in 1860. Their marriage was fraught with tragedy. Faizunnesa's marriage ended in divorce after only five years, and they had two daughters. Faizunnesa returned to her father's home after the divorce. Social Life Her mother died in 1883. Faizunnesa inherited all of her mother's property and became the landowner of Paschim Gaon. After becoming a landowner, Begum Faizunnesa took a special interest in social welfare activities. In 1873, Faizunnesa Begum founded a high school for girls in Comilla, one of the earliest privately established girls' schools in the Indian subcontinent, now known as the Nawab Faizunnesa Government Girls' High School. She also founded a school in Paschimgaon, which was later upgraded to a college and is now named Nawab Faizunnesa Degree College. In 1893, Faizunnesa established a charitable dispensary in her village for veiled women, especially destitute women. She founded several primary schools and also built roads, bridges, and ponds to meet the needs of the common people. Faizunnesa Begum was widely known for her humanitarian and charitable works. During her 1894 Hajj pilgrimage, she established a rest house for pilgrims in Mecca and a madrasa in Medina. Faizunnesa Chaudhurani also established a ten-domed mosque next to her residence in Paschimgaon. Here, Islamic knowledge was discussed and the Holy Quran was taught to locals. This mosque, built with impressive and exquisite architecture, still stands today in a dilapidated state. Faizunnesa Begum supported several newspapers and magazines of her time, including Bandhab, Dhaka Prakash, Musalman Bandhu, Sudhakar, and Islam Pracharak. The Title of Nawab and Controversy In 1889, impressed by her social work, Douglas, the District Magistrate of Bengal appointed by the British government, recommended to Queen Victoria that she be given the title of "Nawab." However, when conservative Muslims in Bengal learnt of this, they opposed the title, arguing that it was a masculine title and was inappropriate for a woman. Due to strong opposition to the title of "Nawab" and pressure from society, Queen Victoria announced that she would be given the title of "Begum" instead of "Nawab", but this change angered Begum Faizunnesa and she flatly refused to accept the title. Ultimately, the British Parliament intervened to resolve the matter and ruled in Faizunnesa Begum's favour, granting her the title of "Nawab." She became the first woman in South Asia to receive this honour. Holding this title in a patriarchal society was a historic victory for Faizunnesa Begum. Faizunnesa Begum died in 1903. Before her death, she donated all her wealth to the nation. History professor Sonia Nishat Amin writes in her book "The World of Muslim Women in Colonial Bengal, 1876-1939," "A Muslim woman came forward with the bold plan to establish a school for veiled girls in Comilla." "While the leaders of the Muslim awakening, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in North India and Abdul Latif in Bengal, paid little attention to the subject, Faizunnesa felt that women should walk alongside men on the path to modernity." She also built a mosque with ten tombs in Pachimgaon and a madrasa for secondary school students, now known as Nawab Faizunnesa Government College. She also donated ten thousand rupees, a considerable sum at the time, for the establishment of Victoria College in Comilla.” ----- Afroz Khan is a teacher by profession, focusing on writings about women and Islam. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/nawab-faizunnesa-begum-visionary-education/d/137290 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism