# Hamidullah — A Passage to India character guide > Hamidullah in A Passage to India by E. M. Forster. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Hamidullah Begum, Mr. Hamidullah, good old Hamidullah, XIX Hamidullah, Meanwhile Hamidullah **First appearance:** 0003-i ## Snapshot Aziz's uncle and a Cambridge-educated Muslim barrister, he hosts the dinner where Indians and English nearly meet as friends. ## Who they are Hamidullah belongs to Chandrapore's Muslim gentry, a respected elder whose home becomes the setting for the novel's first attempt at cross-cultural intimacy. He carries a quiet grief for his Cambridge years and a weary skepticism about the nationalist committees he attends, where Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and Parsis agree only in resenting the English. His affectionate, protective bond with Aziz gives the story its warmest early anchor, and his disillusioned realism foreshadows how fragile those bridges will prove. ## Relationships ### [Dr. Aziz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/dr_aziz) _friendship_ A close, familial friendship between two Indian intellectuals who share anti-colonial sentiments and personal confidences. ### [Cyril Fielding](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/cyril_fielding) _friendship_ A cordial, intellectual friendship between Fielding and the educated Indian lawyer. ### [Adela Quested](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/adela_quested) _social_ A brief, formal acquaintance during the bridge party and trial, with no deep connection. ### [Dr. Aziz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/dr_aziz) _friendship_ A close, familial friendship between two Indian intellectuals who share anti-colonial sentiments and personal confidences. ### [Cyril Fielding](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/cyril_fielding) _friendship_ A cordial, intellectual friendship between Fielding and the educated Indian lawyer. ### [Dr. Aziz](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/dr_aziz) _friendship_ A close, familial friendship between two Indian intellectuals who share anti-colonial sentiments and personal confidences. ### [Adela Quested](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/adela_quested) _social_ A brief, formal acquaintance during the bridge party and trial, with no deep connection. ## In the story ### [A Passage to India](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/a-passage-to-india) Aziz's friend; mentioned as part of the Indian social circle that discusses British rule and the possibility of friendship with the English. ### [Part I: Mosque](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/part-i-mosque) Aziz's friend, hosts a gathering where Aziz discusses the English. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/ii) Hamidullah hosts the discussion about the English and later takes Aziz to see his wife behind the purdah. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/ii) Hamidullah Begum, Aziz's distant aunt, speaks with him about a family circumcision and pressures him about marriage. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/vi) Aziz borrows his pony, riding breeches, and polo mallet; Hamidullah is out when Aziz returns. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/ix) Visits Aziz, quashes suspicion about Godbole's illness, engages in discussion with Fielding. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/x) One of the seven gentlemen who had held various opinions inside the bungalow. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xi) Mentioned as having seen Aziz's wife and as someone Aziz enjoys talking to; also noted for liking Englishwomen in England. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xviii) Another visitor; his card is brought to the office as the defense gathers. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xix) Anxious about the legal case, proposes hiring Amritrao, and shows deference to Fielding while being rattled by the situation. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxi) Present at the conference with the Nawab Bahadur and others. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxvi) Objects to Adela staying at the College and discusses compensation with Amritrao. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxvii) Hamidullah is present on the roof, listening to the conversation, and tries to prevent the evening from being spoiled by dismissing Fielding's news of Mrs. Moore's death as a joke. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxix) Fielding eats and sleeps at his house during the College closure. ### [Chapter XXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxx) Engages in a deep conversation with Aziz about the English, Indian unity, and Aziz's plans; discusses purdah and the respect for Fielding. ### [Chapter XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxxi) Hamidullah murmurs that Fielding no longer addresses them with his former frankness, warning Aziz not to expect too much from the Englishman. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/hamidullah - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters