Muhammad Ali Jinnah Family
The Jinnah family, designated “خاندان جناح” in Gujarati and “ઝીણા કુટુંબ, جڍينا کُٹومب” in Urdu, commanded a great deal of political sway in Pakistan. They were instrumental in the Pakistan Movement, fighting for the creation of an independent nation for India’s Muslim population. When it dissolved in 1958 under martial control, the family actively headed both the Muslim League and the All-India Muslim League. They migrated from Kathiawar within Bombay Province to Karachi in 1875. They were originally of Gujarati Khoja tradition.
“Jinnah” also known as” Muhammad Ali Jinnah”, and his sister “Fatima Jinnah” are important historical leaders in Pakistan. Considered the Pakistani founder, Jinnah was appointed as the nation’s first governor general after independence. In the meanwhile, Fatima is revered as the country’s founding mother and was instrumental in the Pakistan Movement.
In Pakistan, Jinnah and Fatima are still very significant even after their deaths. Their names are attached to many public areas, hospitals, and colleges worldwide, highlighting their lasting influence.
On the day of Quaid-e-Azam’s birthday and death day, In Pakistan, there is National holiday. The village of Paneli Moti, in the Gondal state, on the Kathiawar peninsula (now in Gujarat, India), was home to Jinnah’s paternal grandparents. The historical account of Jinnah’s family history is still debatable in several places. The caste of Jinnah was Khoja and he was the eldest son of Poonja Jinnah and Mithibai.
The Khojas were devoted followers of the Aga Khan and were originally Hindus who had converted to Islam centuries before. Jinnah was raised in a Khoja household that was devoted to the Aga Khan, but he quickly converted to the Sunni religion. Afterward, testimony given by his friends and family throughout legal processes confirms his strong allegiance to Sunni Islam toward the end of his life.
The Members of the Jinnah Family
Paneli Moti the village in the Gondal province of Kathiawar, which was situated in the Bombay Presidency of British India—now a part of Gujarat—was home to Jinnah’s ancestors. Several thousand years before, they had converted from Khoja, where they were originally Muslims.
The First Generation
“Poonja Meghji” (Grandfather of Jinnah)
He represented the final era in which Hindu names were given to his children. He also participated in the majority of Hindu religious rites:
- Manbai
- Valji
- Nathoobai
- Jinnahbai
The Second Generation
“Jinnahbhai Poonja”.(also referred to as Jina Poonja),a Khoja (1857–1902). Had a marriage with Mithhibai.
Mithibai Jinnah
Before Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born, a successful Gujarati businessman named Jinnahbhai Poonja moved to Karachi. After he and his spouse had seven children, they decided to stop giving their children Hindu names. They also started teaching their kids the Quran and stopped performing Hindu chatti ceremonies.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah Siblings
- “Muhammad Ali Jinnah”
- “Bunde Ali JInnah”
- “Rahmat Ali Jinnah”
- “Shireen Jinnah”
- “Maryam Jinnah”
- “Ahmad Ali Jinnah”
- “Fatima Jinnah”
The Third Generation
“Muhammad Ali Jinnah” (1876–1948)(“Father of Pakistan”)
Born on December 25,1876 and died on September 11,1948 due to Tuberculosis. Surname of “Quaid-e-Azam” is “Jinnahbai.”
Considered by many to be the father of Pakistan and its first Governor-General, Jinnah was married for the first time in 1892 when his mother persuaded him to marry his cousin Emibai Jinnah before heading to England for more study. He resided in Kensington, London, at 35 Russell Road. Sadly, Emibai passed away a few months later. He married Rattanbai Petit, the granddaughter of Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, for the second time in 1918.
Rattanbai, Jinnah’s Parsi wife and 24 years his junior converted to Islam after they were married. Their lone child, Dina Jinnah, was born in 1919. “Rattanbai Jinnah” died on 1929.She was burried at the Shia Ishna Ashari Jamaat Arambaug in Byculla, Mumbai.
Emibai Jinnah
In the Bombay Presidency’s Paneli, Emibai was born in 1878. She was a Gujarati Khoja with a background in Nizari Isma’ili Shi’a Islam. Emibai was a modest rural girl who practiced purdah even from her close male relations. Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s mother Mithibai Jinnah encouraged him to wed his cousin Emibai when she was 14. Jinnah wed Emibai at Paneli Village as per his mother’s wishes. Jinnah departed for England shortly after the wedding to pursue graduate studies. Both his mother and Emibai passed away while he was living in England.
After this catastrophe, Jinnah waited 25 years to decide to be married again. On April 19, 1918, at almost forty, he married Rattanbai Petit (1900–1929) as his second wife. On February 20, 1929, Rattanbai passed away.
In contrast to Rattanbai, a well-known individual, not much is known about Emibai.
- Rattanbai Jinnah (1900-1929)
Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Rattanbai Petit’s 1918 marriage was almost a thriller at the movie office. As the appropriately named book by Sheela Reddy implies, it was “the marriage that shook India.” Due to his elevated standing in the eyes of the British government, before Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the leaders of the Home Rule League factions, and within the Congress and Muslim League, Jinnah faced numerous rivals who were envious of his achievements.
It would be unrealistic to think that every suitor of Bombay’s diamond, Ruttie, was content with her marriage, given the sheer number of suitors she turned down. Jinnah’s standing as the sole prosperous Muslim lawyer in Bombay, a field formerly dominated by members of other religious groups, had also not been warmly received. The marriage between Ruttie and Jinnah was, by all accounts, a fairytale at the time. The couple’s intense affection for one another has been mentioned by everyone who knew them.
After giving up his membership at the club where he would play chess and pool every evening, Jinnah would go home and spend the entire evening chatting with his wife in his garden. Generally frugal with money, Jinnah gladly covered the enormous amounts Ruttie spent on furnishing their home or purchasing the designer clothing she coveted. Without a certain, Jinnah never felt passionate love for any woman other than Ruttie.
After 1921, their marriage started to fall apart. In 1922, Ruttie and their daughter Dina traveled to London. It was June 1928 when they parted ways. Ruttie was 29 years old when she became sick and passed away on February 20, 1929.
- Ahmed Ali Jinnah
- Bunde Ali Jinnah
- Rahmat Ali Jinnah
- Shreen Jinnah
- “Fatima Jinnah”Partner of Quaid-e-Azam(1893–1967)
Up until 1919, she shared a home with her older brother, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Rattanbai and Jinnah were married at that time. “Rattenbai” passed away in February 1929, eleven years later. After closing her clinic, Fatima Jinnah left. She went to Jinnah’s residence and assumed responsibility for his home. Following that, the bond between a brother and sister became exemplary, as their friendship persisted till his brother Muhammad Ali Jinnah passed away on September 11, 1948.
Quaid-e-Azam expressed that his sister was akin to a radiant beam of light and optimism upon his return home. He acknowledged that her imposition of restrictions was crucial for his well-being, preventing potential health issues and alleviating significant worries. Madam Fatima Jinnah shared 28 years of her life with her brother, engaging in conversations on various topics during breakfast and supper. While residing with him, she also accompanied him on numerous tours, including the one to London after the second round table meeting in 1932.
Fatima Jinnah, frequently referred to as the mother of the country or “Madr-e-Millat” is a significant figure among the leaders of Pakistan’s independence struggle. There is much more to Fatima Jinnah, even if her most well-known trait is her ardent support of her brother, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
“Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah” is revered for her brave, unselfish, and essential contribution to the founding of Pakistan. She served as a ray of hope for the women of united India, who fought with men to establish their nation.
One of the primary Founding Mothers of the contemporary state of Pakistan is the eminent dental surgeon, stateswoman, and biographer Fatima Jinnah. Notably, during the Pakistan campaign, she led the women’s rights campaign and was instrumental in promoting civil rights. After her brother’s death, she continued to play a significant role in Pakistani politics. She entered the 1965 elections as an active participant, running against Ayub Khan.
Fatima Jinnah died on 1976 at the age of 73 Years.
Maryan Jinnah
The Fourth Generation
“Dina Wadia”Jinnah’s Daughter(1919-2017)
On August 15, 1919, just after midnight, Dina, the daughter of “Muhammad Ali Jinnah” and “Rattainbai Jinnah” (previously Petit), was born in London. It is noteworthy because, according to Stanley Wolpert’s “Jinnah of Pakistan,” she was born exactly twenty-eight years, to the day and hour, ahead of Jinnah’s other child, Pakistan.
Dina’s father became upset when she revealed that she intended to wed Indian Neville Wadia, who was born in Parsi. M. C. Chagla’s “Roses in December” tells the story of how Muslim Jinnah forsook his daughter after attempting to dissuade her from marrying Neville. Since Dina Wadia was the only known direct living descendant of Jinnah, Pakistan recognized her as a link to its “father of the nation,” as Akbar S. Ahmed notes.
After Pakistan was created in 1947, she got married and moved to India; her descendants are still Wadia family members today. Dina Wadia, a 98-year-old independent inhabitant of New York City who received help, passed away at home from pneumonia on November 1, 2017.
“Ness Wadia” is grandson of Jinnah.
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Tree
“Think a hundred times before you take a decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man.”
Jinnah Family Photos
