Muhammad Mohsin

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Muhammad Mohsin (c. 1732–1812) was a Bengali Muslim philanthropist and educator. Born in Hooghly, Bengal, to a Shia family, he was educated at home, studying the Quran, Hadith, and Islamic law. He travelled in Asia, performed the Hajj, and earned the title Haji. He helped thousands during the Great Bengal famine of 1770.

After inheriting his half-sister Munnujan’s fortune in 1803, Mohsin used his wealth for charity. In 1806 he created a waqf (charitable trust) with 156,000 taka. The funds were to be divided: one-third for education and religious programs, four-ninths for pensions to the elderly and disabled, and two-ninths for the two trustees. He died on 29 November 1812 and is buried near the Hooghly Imambara.

Mohsin’s legacy lives on in many schools and colleges named after him in India and Bangladesh. He founded Hooghly Mohsin College in West Bengal and supported numerous educational initiatives. Notable institutions named after him include Hazi Mohammad Mohsin Government High School and Government Hazi Mohammad Mohsin College in Chittagong; Haji Muhammad Mohsin Government High School in Rajshahi; Government Hazi Mohammad Mohsin College in Khulna; Mohsinia Madrasa in Dhaka (now Kabi Nazrul Government College); Haji Mohammad Mohsin Hall at the University of Dhaka; and BNS Haji Mohsin, a Bangladesh Navy base. A college in Joypurhat, Mohipur Hazi Mohsin Government College, was founded by Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani.