Sometime the extra-ordinary quality of the great people becomes visible in their early life. Such an event indicated that Ghulam Azam would one day become great. It happened when he was a student of class seven in a high school in Comilla. The local politicians held a large public meeting to express their resentment against the forcible carving out of the Jewish state of Israel in the Muslim heartland of Palestine. Boy Ghulam Azam went to advocate Zahir Uddin who was presiding over the vast multitude and expressed his desire to address the meeting. He got the permission . Ghulam Azam stood on the Dias but soon forgot his point and he was trembling. He firmly placed his hands on the table, mustered all courage and began speaking. Audience applauded the young speaker when he made a blistering attack on Americans for their illegal and illogical demand for creating state of Israel in Muslim Palestine. Ghulam Azam asked, why did America want to set up a Jewish state in a muslim country? If they wanted a Jewish state they could set up the same in any part of USA or anywhere in the Pacific Ocean. He emphatically declared "We will not allow the U.S. to do so."

In Quest of an Ideology

Islamic environment of the family of Professor Ghulam Azam played a role on moulding the character and behaviour of Ghulkam Azam on Islamic principles. His father Moulana Ghulam Kabir was a perennial source of his inspiration for Islamic study and research.

From early school life he got acquainted with the writings and Tafsir Bianul Quran of Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi. In 1950 he joined the Tablig Jamaat and acted as its Ameer of Rangpur District during 1952-54. While in Tablig Jamaat he got the opportunity to accompanying the chief of Tablig Jamaat Moulana Abdul Aziz and toured whole country to spread the message of Tablig Jamaat. The poor vision, limited concept and incomplete message as presented by the party could not satisfy his inquistiveness.

For implementation of Political. Economic and Cultural programs of Islam he joined Tamaddin Majlis in 1952 and acted as the head of the same in Rangpur upto April 1954. But he remained unsatisfied and continued his search for scientific and comprehensive programs.

In Jamaat -E-Islami

An unsatiable thirst for Islamic knowledge led Ghulam Azam to the fold of Jamaat-e-Islami.

He was yearning for a revolutionary movement. Jamaat brought to him the comprehensive message of Islam as presented by the last prophet. His mind was rebelling against injustice of all kind and Jamaat taught him the way how to mitigate the same. Love for Allah invaded his heart and Jamaat gave him the scientific program to establish the sovereignty of Allah. Ghulam Azam wrote in his book "A Guide the Islamic Movement" "Thus I learned Islam from my father as a religion, from Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi as (R) as a national religion, from Moulana Ilyas(R) and his Jamaat-e-Tablig as a noble mission and last of all from Moulana Moududi(R) and Jamaat-e-Islami as a revolutionary movement."

In 1954 he visited a mosque in Gaibandha town to propagate the message of Tablig Jamaat. Incidently Janab Abdul Khaleque,a talented organiser of Jamaat-e-Islami was also present in the same Masjid. First he and then Janab Abdul Khaleque delevered the speech. After the meeting Janab Abdul Khaleque took him to Jamaat office and appraised him to the revolutionary movement launched by Moulana Moududi.

The Jamaat organiser told him to ponder over two questions.

1. Does Tablig Jamaat's Dawah contain the full message of Islam?

2. When Tagut (The Evil state power ) opposed the last Prophet and all other Prophets before him why did the evil state power not oppose Tablig Jamaat anywhere? Where as Jamaat is being opposed by the Rulers almost everywhere.

For a fortnight he pondered over Jamaat's message and program. He spent a wakeful night after the discussions with the Jamaat leaders over the dinner table. He made supplication to Allah to give him the correct guidence in the predicament in which he was placed." Oh Allah help me arrive a correct decision. Remove agonies of my mind and bless my mind with peace and trianquility." He spent in prayer that valuable part of night when Allah comes down to the heaven nearest to the earth. After Fajr he made up his mind, signed the paper, joined the party.It's a red letter day in his life. The 22nd april'1954.

Becoming the Leader of Jamaat

Very soon he recruited some teachers of his college and set up a unit of Jamaat and became in-charge of the college unit. In 1955, when he was in jail the party granted him the membership. In June 1955 he became the Secretary of Rajshahi Division. In 1956 the party selected him to accompany the founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami Moulana Syad Abul Ala Moududi in his tour to East Pakistan.

In 1957 he was elected Secretary General of the party and acted consecutively a decade in the same capacity. In 1967 became Ameer of East Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami and he continues the same position of the party even today.

His involvement in various stages of the politics will be publishing here soon.