Who was the first Muslim leader to be elected as President of the Indian National Congress?

Introduction / Context:
The Indian National Congress played a central role in the freedom struggle of India, and its presidents were drawn from diverse regions, communities and backgrounds. Knowing the early leadership of the Congress is an important part of modern Indian history and general knowledge. This question asks you to identify who was the first Muslim to be elected President of the Indian National Congress from among several prominent names associated with Indian politics and reform.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on the early history of the Indian National Congress.
• The question specifically asks for the first Muslim President of the Congress.
• The options list Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Mohammed Ali, Badruddin Tyabji and Shah Waliullah.
• We assume a basic familiarity with important Congress sessions and leaders.

Concept / Approach:
Badruddin Tyabji was a distinguished lawyer and reformer who became the third President of the Indian National Congress. He presided over the 1887 Madras session and is recognised as the first Muslim President of the Congress. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a later Congress leader and also served as President, but not as the first Muslim in that position. Mohammed Ali was associated with the Khilafat movement and politics of that period, but he was not the first Muslim President of the Congress. Shah Waliullah was an eighteenth century Islamic scholar and not a Congress leader. Therefore, the correct answer is Badruddin Tyabji.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 and that its early sessions were led by a series of presidents. Step 2: Badruddin Tyabji was elected as the third President of the Congress and became the first Muslim to hold this office, at the 1887 Madras session. Step 3: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a prominent nationalist leader who later became Congress President and later the first Education Minister of independent India, but he was not the first Muslim President of the Congress. Step 4: Mohammed Ali, associated with the Khilafat movement, played a role in nationalist politics but did not hold the distinction specified in the question. Step 5: Shah Waliullah was a religious scholar from an earlier period and had no connection to the Congress leadership. Step 6: Therefore, the first Muslim President of the Indian National Congress was Badruddin Tyabji.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, you can consult standard modern Indian history textbooks that list the early presidents of the Congress in order. They mention Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee as the first President in 1885, Dadabhai Naoroji for subsequent sessions, and Badruddin Tyabji as the third President and first Muslim to hold that office. Biographical notes on Badruddin Tyabji also highlight his role as the first Muslim President of the Congress. These consistent references leave little doubt that option C is the correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is wrong because Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, although a major Congress leader and later a President, was not the first Muslim to become President of the Indian National Congress.

Option B is wrong because Mohammed Ali is more closely associated with the Khilafat movement and did not hold the specific distinction referred to in this question.

Option D is wrong because Shah Waliullah lived in the eighteenth century and was a religious scholar, not a leader of the Indian National Congress, which was founded decades later.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse later and more widely known leaders with earlier pioneers. Because Maulana Azad is a very famous Muslim Congress leader, some candidates select his name without considering earlier histories. Another pitfall is to focus only on leaders associated with religious movements rather than checking who actually held the Congress presidency first. To avoid such errors, it is helpful to remember the sequence of early Congress presidents and to note that Badruddin Tyabji holds the distinction of being the first Muslim President of the organisation.

Final Answer:
Badruddin Tyabji