Mohsin Fund was an important charitable endowment (waqf) established in 1806 by Haji Muhammad Mohsin (c. 1732–1812), a wealthy Bengali Muslim zamindar and philanthropist from Hooghly, Bengal. The fund played a significant role in funding educational institutions across Bengal in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
History
Muhammad Mohsin inherited the Saiyadpur Estate, spread across the Khulna and Jessore districts, from his half-sister Mannujan Khanam, who died childless. Mohsin, who remained celibate and had no direct heirs, established a waqf (Islamic trust) to manage the revenue from his zamindari and his family's Shi'ite Imambara. The waqf's income was directed to the Mohsin Fund. During the Great Bengal Famine of 1769–1770, Mohsin set up several langarkhanas (gruel houses) and donated money to the government's famine fund.
After Mohsin's death in 1812, the waqf was mismanaged by its mutwallis (trustees), who embezzled assets and defaulted on revenues. The British colonial government attached the zamindari and dismissed the trustees under Regulation XIX (1810). The case reached the Privy Council, which ruled in favor of the Fund in 1835. The government thereafter managed the waqf permanently.
Under government management, the Mohsin Fund grew substantially, with surplus income reaching over one million Taka. Its resources were increasingly directed toward education. Initially used to benefit both Muslim and Hindu students, it was decided in 1873 that the educational allocation of the fund would be exclusively used for Muslim students. Scholarships were introduced for Muslim students at schools, colleges, and universities, and hostels were established at many institutions with contributions from the fund. The original objects of the fund—maintaining the Imambara, funding religious festivals, and supporting associated institutions—were also continued.
Institutions Funded
- Hooghly Mohsin College (established 1836)
- Hooghly Madrasah (established 1817)
- Kabi Nazrul Government College
- Dhaka Madrasah (Mohasania Madrasah)
- Brajalal College
- Mohammedan Literary Society
- Hooghly Imambara
The Mohsin Fund is widely recognized for its crucial role in promoting education among poor Muslim communities in Bengal during the colonial period.
