DnyanjyotiEducationNagpur at 10:42, 27 March 2026

2026-03-27T10:42:26Z

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{{Short description|Businessman and father of Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1850–1902)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jinnahbhai Poonja
| image = Jinnah Poonjha.jpg
| birth_date = {{circa|1850}}
| birth_place = [[Paneli Moti]], [[Gondal State]], [[Company Rule in India| British India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|15 April 1902|1850}}
| death_place = [[Karachi]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br />
| occupation = Businessman
| organization = {{plainlist|
* Jinnahbhai & Co.
* Graham's Shipping and Trading Company}}
| spouse = Mithibhai Jinnah
| children = 7
| relatives = See [[Jinnah family]]
}}
'''Jinnahbhai Poonja''' (c. 1850 – 15 April 1902) was a British Indian merchant. He was the founder and chairman of Jinnahbhai & Co. and Graham's Shipping and Trading Company. He is best known for being the father of [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], the [[Father of the Nation|founder]] of [[Pakistan]].

== Early and personal life ==
Jinnahbhai Poonja was born in [[Paneli Moti]], a small village in [[Gondal State]] (present-day [[Gujarat]]), to a [[Khoja]] family.<ref name="Panigrahi_2004">{{Cite book |last=Panigrahi |first=Devendra |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203324882 |title=India's Partition |date=19 August 2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-203-32488-2 |doi=10.4324/9780203324882}}</ref> Jinnahbhai had two brothers, Valji and Nathoo, and one sister, Manbai.<ref name="Jinnah_1987">{{Cite book |last=Jinnah |first=Fatima |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hwNuAAAAMAAJ |title=My Brother |date=1987 |publisher=Quaid-e-Azam Academy |isbn=978-969-413-036-1 |language=en}}</ref> He was born around the time of the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], which marked a pivotal moment in subcontinental history by solidifying [[Crown rule in India]].

In 1874, Poonja married Mithibhai, a fellow Khoja from Dhaffa, a nearby village in Kathiawar.<ref name="Jinnah_1987" /> The couple eventually had 8 children: [[Mahomedali Jinnah|Mahomedali]], Ahmed Ali, Bunde Ali, Rahmat Bai, Shireen Bai, Maryam Bai Jinnah, [[Fatima Jinnah|Fatima]], and Bachu (died in infancy).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dani |first=Ahmad Hasan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d3JCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA52 |title=World Scholars on Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah |date=1979 |publisher=Quaid-i-Azam University |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beg |first=Aziz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JeVtAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA92 |title=Jinnah and His Times: A Biography |date=1986 |publisher=Babur & Amer Publications |language=en}}</ref>

Poonja taught himself [[English language|English]], later teaching his children how to read and write English.<ref name="Jinnah_1987" /> He also became fluent in [[Persian language|Persian]] after interactions with [[Afghans|Afghan]] merchants merchants from [[Kandahar]] who came to Karachi. Poonja's native language was [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]].<ref name="Jinnah_1987" />

According to Indian author and historian D.N. Panigrahi, Poonja's ancestors, despite their Khoja affiliation, were significantly influenced by [[Hinduism|Hindu]] traditions, including [[Puja (Hinduism)|pujas]] such as ''Chatti''. Panigrahi goes on to state that Poonja's father, Poonja Meghji, gave Hindu names to all of his children.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Panigrahi |first=D. N. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AywcQwAACAAJ |title=India's Partition: The Story of Imperialism in Retreat |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-58615-3 |language=en}}</ref> However, Jinnahbhai Poonja was a devout [[Muslims|Muslim]] and abandoned these Hindu traditions, raising his children in a more conservative [[Islam|Islamic]] manner, teaching his children the [[Quran]] and giving them all Muslim names.<ref name="Panigrahi_2004" />

== Business career ==
Most of Paneli Moti were agriculturalists; however, Poonja's family managed handlooms instead. Poonja's brothers worked on the handlooms alongside their father, but this way of life did not attract Poonja, who wanted to become a businessman. Poonja left for [[Gondal, India|Gondal]], where he started his business with much success.<ref name="Jinnah_1987" />

=== Legal issues ===
By the time Mahomedali went to [[England]], Poonja's wife Mithibai had died. Poonja was in debt to numerous businesses and faced with several legal battles. Poonja described to Mahomedali that "all my dreams have come tumbling down," and he moved his family to [[Mumbai|Bombay]] in 1893, where Mahomedali began to take care of his family's expenses instead of Poonja.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Roberts |first=Moss |date=2011 |title=Jaswant Singh. Jinnah: India, Partition, Independence. (Oxford, 2010) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2011.623528 |journal=Critical Asian Studies |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=653–660 |doi=10.1080/14672715.2011.623528 |issn=1467-2715|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Death ==
Poonja died on 15 April 1902. [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah|Jinnah]], now legally renamed to Muhammad Ali, would move to [[Mumbai|Bombay]] as a [[barrister]] and to support his family.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Wolpert |first1=Stanley A. |title=Jinnah of Pakistan |last2=Jinnah |first2=Mahomed Ali |date=1984 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-503412-7 |location=New York u.a}}</ref> Jinnah would go on to be one of the most notable subcontinental political leaders of the 20th century through his creation of an independent state of Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wolpert |first=Stanley |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/9780520343160 |title=India |date=31 December 2009 |publisher=University of California Press |doi=10.1525/9780520343160 |isbn=978-0-520-34316-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mohiuddin |first=Yasmeen Niaz |title=Pakistan: a global studies handbook |date=2007 |publisher=ABC-Clio |isbn=978-1-85109-801-9 |series=Global studies Asia |location=Santa Barbara, Calif.}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Isma'ilism]]
* [[Shia Islam]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Jinnah family]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:1850 births]]
[[Category:1902 deaths]]
[[Category:Khoja Ismailis]]
[[Category:People from Rajkot district]]
[[Category:19th-century Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Gujarat]]

[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]

Jinnahbhai Poonja - Revision history

DnyanjyotiEducationNagpur at 10:42, 27 March 2026