RAS question
Who were the prominent leaders of the Khilafat Movement?
Correct answer: (A) Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali.
The prominent leaders of the Khilafat Movement were Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, the Ali Brothers.
Explanation
NCERT describes the Khilafat Movement (1919-1920) as a movement of Indian Muslims led by Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali. It demanded that the Turkish Sultan, or Khalifa, retain control over the Muslim sacred places of the former Ottoman Empire; that Arabia, Syria, Iraq and Palestine remain under Muslim sovereignty; and that the Khalifa retain enough territory to defend the Islamic faith. The Ali Brothers, rather than other Muslim political figures of the period, were the movement's direct leadership pair. This connection matters for RAS because Gandhi worked closely with them. He saw the Khilafat cause as a way to organise Muslims politically, link them with Non-cooperation and strengthen Hindu-Muslim unity against colonial rule.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Maulana Azad and Jinnah were not the Khilafat leadership pair. NCERT names Azad separately among Gandhi's associates and mentions Jinnah as a Moderate, while Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali led the Khilafat Movement.
- (C) Sir Syed Ahmad and Aga Khan were not the correct pair because Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali led the 1919-1920 Khilafat Movement.
- (D) Liaquat Ali Khan and Suhrawardy were not the correct pair; Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali were the leaders associated with the Khilafat Movement.
Concept
This question links Gandhian mass politics with the relationship between the Khilafat and Non-cooperation movements. Such leader-movement pairings matter for RAS because they connect factual recall about leadership and demands with the broader theme of Hindu-Muslim unity in the national movement.