Sahaj Ram Sapru

Who is Sahaj Ram Sapru?

Sahaj Ram Sapru was the grandfather of the British-Indian Muslim philosopher Sir Muhammad Iqbal, who was an official in Kashmir during the administration of the Afghan Governor Azim Khan. According to R.K. Parimu, the author of History of Muslim Rule in Kashmir, and Ram Nath Kak, writing in his autobiography, Autumn Leaves, Sapru had embezzeled state funds, and, when his guilt was established, Azim Khan gave him the choice of death or conversion to Islam. Sahaj Ram Sapru chose life, and he and his family assumed new names and moved from Srinagar to Sialkot in the Punjab. After conversion, Sapru became known by his new Islamic name of "Sheikh Muhammad Rafiq".