Identity: Economist, author, and translator; first Head of the Department of Economics at Osmania University

Professor Muhammad Ilyas Burney was a distinguished economist, researcher, and translator of the Indian subcontinent who laid a formal academic foundation for the study of economics in the Urdu language. He was the first Head of the Department of Economics at Osmania University, Hyderabad, and is credited with authoring the first book on economics in Urdu.

He was born on 19 April 1890 in Khurja, district Bulandshahr (Uttar Pradesh). He received his early education there and later earned his MA and LLB degrees with distinction from Aligarh Muslim University. During his stay at Aligarh, he actively participated in educational and reformist activities and also taught economics for some time.

In 1917, the Nizam of Hyderabad invited him to serve as a translator of economics at the newly established Translation Bureau. He later joined Osmania University, where he held several important positions, including Head of the Department of Economics, Director of the Translation Bureau, Director of Dairat-ul-Maarif, and Registrar of the University.

Professor Burney authored around 40 books in Urdu, Persian, Arabic, and English. His notable works include Ilm-ul-Maashiyat, Muqaddima-e-Maashiyat, Indian Economics, and a significant comparative study on Urdu-Hindi scripts, which was praised as a great national service by Maulvi Abdul Haq.

He also had deep insights into religious and intellectual subjects. His well-known book Qadiani Mazhab is considered a comprehensive study on the subject and was translated into Arabic. Other works such as Mishkat-us-Salat, Asrar-e-Haq, Maarif-e-Millat, Jazbat-e-Fitrat, and Sirat-ul-Hameed reflect his scholarly diversity.

He was also appointed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah to the Planning Committee of Pakistan; however, after the partition, he chose to remain in India.

Death: Professor Muhammad Ilyas Burney passed away on 25 January 1958 in Bulandshahr.