I am going to posting the bio - graphy of sir syed Ahmed khan, Who was play a great role in India.Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
Sir
Syed Ahmed Khan,
KCSI [1] (also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) (
Urdu: سید احمد خان} (October 17, 1817 – March 27, 1898), commonly known as Sir Syed (although this is technically incorrect; he would have properly been called "Sir Ahmed" as Sayyid is itself a title in this case), was an
Indian educator and
politician, and an
Islamic reformer and
modernist[2][3]. Sir Syed pioneered modern education for the
Muslim community in India by founding the
Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College, which later developed into the
Aligarh Muslim University. His work gave rise to a new generation of Muslim intellectuals and politicians who composed the
Aligarh movement to secure the political future of Muslims in India.
In 1842, Emperor Bahadur Zafar revived upon Syed Ahmad Khan the title of Javad-ud Daulah, conferred upon Syed Ahmad’s grandfather Syed Hadi by Emperor Shah Alam II in about the middle of the eighteenth century. The Emperor added to it the additional title of Arif Jang. The conferment of these titles was symbolic of Syed Ahmad Khan’s incorporation into the nobility of Delhi.
[4] Born into Muslim nobility, Sir Syed earned a reputation as a distinguished scholar while working as a jurist for the
British East India Company. During the
Indian Rebellion of 1857 he remained loyal to the British and was noted for his actions in saving European lives.
[2] After the rebellion he penned the booklet Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind (The Causes of the Indian Mutiny) — a daring critique, at the time, of
British policies that he blamed for causing the revolt. Believing that the future of Muslims was threatened by the rigidity of their orthodox outlook, Sir Syed began promoting Western-style scientific education by founding modern schools and journals and organising Muslim intellectuals. Towards this goal, Sir Syed founded the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875 with the aim of promoting social and economic development of Indian Muslims. One of the most influential Muslim politicians of his time, Sir Syed was suspicious of the
Indian independence movement and called upon Muslims to loyally serve the
British Raj. He denounced nationalist organisations such as the
Indian National Congress, instead forming organisations to promote Muslim unity and pro-British attitudes and activities. Sir Syed promoted the adoption of Urdu as the
lingua franca of all Indian Muslims, and mentored a rising generation of Muslim politicians and intellectuals. Although hailed as a great Muslim leader and social reformer, Sir Syed remains the subject of controversy for his views on
Hindu-Muslim issues. Do not show the face of Islam to others; instead show your face as the follower of true Islam representing character, knowledge, tolerance and piety.
Early life
See also:
Timeline of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's lifeSyed Ahmed Khan was born in
Delhi, then the capital of the
Mughal Empire. His family is said to have migrated from
Herat (now in
Afghanistan)
[5] in the time of emperor
Akbar, although by other accounts his family descended from
Arabia. Many generations of his family had since been highly connected with the Mughal administration. His maternal grandfather Khwaja Fariduddin served as
wazir in the court of
Akbar Shah II.
[6] His paternal grandfather Syed Hadi held a
mansab, a high-ranking administrative position and honorary name of Jawwad Ali Khan in the court of
Alamgir II. Sir Syed's father Mir Muhammad Muttaqi was personally close to Akbar Shah II and served as his personal adviser.
[7] However, Sir Syed was born at a time when rebellious governors, regional insurrections and the British colonialism had diminished the extent and power of the Mughal state, reducing its monarch to a
figurehead status. With his elder brother Syed Muhammad Khan, Sir Syed was raised in a large house in a wealthy area of the city. They were raised in strict accordance with Mughal noble traditions and exposed to politics. Their mother Azis-un-Nisa played a formative role in Sir Syed's life, raising him with rigid discipline with a strong emphasis on education.[
citation needed] Sir Syed was taught to read and understand the Qur'an by a female tutor, which was unusual at the time. He received an education traditional to Muslim nobility in Delhi. Under the charge ofHamiduddin, Sir Syed was trained in
Persian,
Arabic, Urdu and religious subjects. He read the works of Muslim scholars and writers such as Sahbai,
Rumi and
Ghalib.[
citation needed] Other tutors instructed him in
mathematics,
astronomy and
Islamic jurisprudence.
[6][8] Sir Syed was also adept at
swimming,
wrestling and other sports. He took an active part in the Mughal court's cultural activities. His elder brother founded the city's first printing press in the Urdu language along with the journal Sayyad-ul-Akbar.[
citation needed] Sir Syed pursued the study of
medicine for several years, but did not complete the prescribed course of study.
[6] Until the death of his father in 1838, Sir Syed had lived a life customary for an affluent young Muslim noble.
[6] Upon his father's death, he inherited the titles of his grandfather and father and was awarded the title of Arif Jung by the emperor
Bahadur Shah Zafar.
[9] Financial difficulties put an end to Sir Syed's formal education, although he continued to study in private, using books on a variety of subjects. Sir Syed assumed editorship of his brother's journal and rejected offers of employment from the Mughal court. Having recognised the steady decline in Mughal political power, Sir Syed entered the British East India Company's
civil service. He was appointed serestadar at the courts of law in
Agra, responsible for record-keeping and managing court affairs.[
citation needed] In 1840, he was promoted to the title of
munshi. Nawab Mohsin ul Mulk, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Justice Syed Mahmood, he was the first Muslim to serve as a High Court judge in the British Raj.
Scholarly works
The Social Reformer was a pioneering publication initiated by Sir Syed to promote liberal ideas in Muslim society. While continuing to work as a jurist, Sir Syed began focusing on writing, from the age of 23 (in 1840), on various subjects (from
mechanics to educational issues), mainly in Urdu, where he wrote, at least, 6000 pages.
[10][11] His career as an author began when he published a series of treatises in Urdu on religious subjects in 1842. He published the book A'thar-as-sanadid (Great Monuments) documenting antiquities of Delhi dating from the medieval era. This work earned him the reputation of a cultured scholar. In 1842, he completed the Jila-ul-Qulub bi Zikr-il Mahbub and the Tuhfa-i-Hasan, along with the Tahsil fi jar-i-Saqil in 1844. These works focused on religious and cultural subjects. In 1852, he published the two works Namiqa dar bayan masala tasawwur-i-Shaikh and Silsilat ul-Mulk. He released the second edition of A'thar-as-sanadid in 1854.
[12] He also penned a commentary on the
Bible — the first by a Muslim — in which he argued that Islam was the closest religion to
Christianity, with a common lineage from
Abrahamic religions.
[6]Acquainted with high-ranking British officials, Sir Syed obtained close knowledge about British colonial politics during his service at the courts. At the outbreak of the
Indian rebellion, on May 10, 1857, Sir Syed was serving as the chief assessment officer at the court in
Bijnor.[
citation needed] Northern India became the scene of the most intense fighting.
[13] The conflict had left large numbers of civilians dead. Erstwhile centres of Muslim power such as Delhi, Agra,
Lucknow and
Kanpur were severely affected. Sir Syed was personally affected by the violence and the ending of the Mughal dynasty amongst many other long-standing kingdoms.[
citation needed] Sir Syed and many other Muslims took this as a defeat of Muslim society.
[14] He lost several close relatives who died in the violence. Although he succeeded in rescuing his mother from the turmoil, she died in
Meerut, owing to the privations she had experienced.
[13][
citation needed]
In 1858, he was appointed to a high-ranking post at the court in
Muradabad, where he began working on his most famous literary work. Publishing the booklet Asbab-e-Bhaghawath-e-Hind in 1859, Sir Syed studied the causes of the revolt [
citation needed]. In this, his most famous work, he rejected the common notion that the conspiracy was planned by Muslim élites, who were insecure at the diminishing influence of Muslim monarchs.[
citation needed] Sir Syed blamed the British East India Company for its aggressive expansion as well as the ignorance of British politicians regarding Indian culture. However, he gained respect for British power, which he felt would dominate India for a long period of time. Seeking to rehabilitate Muslim political influence, Sir Syed advised the British to appoint Muslims to assist in administration. His other writings such as Loyal Muhammadans of India, Tabyin-ul-Kalam and A Series of Essays on the Life of
Muhammad and Subjects Subsidiary Therein helped to create cordial relations between the British authorities and the Muslim community.
[6] Tafhimur rahman has further edited
Muslim reformer
Through the 1850s, Syed Ahmed Khan began developing a strongest passion for education. While pursuing studies of different subjects including European [jurisprudence], Sir Syed began to realise the advantages of Western-style education, which was being offered at newly-established colleges across India. Despite being a devout Muslim, Sir Syed criticised the influence of traditional dogma and religious orthodoxy, which had made most Indian Muslims suspicious of British influences.
[15] Sir Syed began feeling increasingly concerned for the future of Muslim communities.
[15] A scion of Mughal nobility, Sir Syed had been reared in the finest traditions of Muslim élite culture and was aware of the steady decline of Muslim political power across India. The animosity between the British and Muslims before and after the rebellion (Independence War) of 1857 threatened to marginalise Muslim communities across India for many generations.
[15] Sir Syed intensified his work to promote co-operation with British authorities, promoting loyalty to the
Empire amongst Indian Muslims. Committed to working for the upliftment of Muslims, Sir Syed founded a modern
madrassa in Muradabad in 1859; this was one of the first religious schools to impart scientific education. Sir Syed also worked on social causes, helping to organise relief for the famine-struck people of the
North-West Frontier Province in 1860. He established another modern school in
Ghazipur in 1863.
Upon his transfer to
Aligarh in 1864, Sir Syed began working wholeheartedly as an educator. He founded the
Scientific Society of Aligarh, the first scientific association of its kind in India. Modelling it after the
Royal Society and the
Royal Asiatic Society,
[8] Sir Syed assembled Muslim scholars from different parts of the country. The Society held annual conferences, disbursed funds for educational causes and regularly published a journal on scientific subjects in
English and Urdu. Sir Syed felt that the socio-economic future of Muslims was threatened by their orthodox aversions to modern science and technology.
[15] He published many writings promoting liberal, rational interpretations of In face of pressure from religious Muslims, Sir Syed avoided discussing religious subjects in his writings, focusing instead on promoting education.
[16]On the pre-colonial system he said "The rule of the former emperors and rajas was neither in accordance with the Hindu nor the Mohammadan religion. It was based on nothing but tyranny and oppression; the law of might was that of right; the voice of the people was not listened to" (Bipan Chandra: India's struggle for independence)
Advocacy of Urdu
See also:
Hindi-Urdu controversyThe onset of the
Hindi-Urdu controversy of 1867 saw the emergence of Sir Syed as a political leader of the Muslim community. He became a leading Muslim voice opposing the adoption of
Hindi as a second official language of the
United Provinces (now
Uttar Pradesh). Sir Syed perceived Urdu as the lingua franca of Muslims. Having been developed by Muslim rulers of India, Urdu was used as a secondary language to Persian, the official language of the Mughal court. Since the decline of the Mughal dynasty, Sir Syed promoted the use of Urdu through his own writings. Under Sir Syed, the Scientific Society translated Western works only into Urdu. The schools established by Sir Syed imparted education in the Urdu medium. The demand for Hindi, led largely by Hindus, was to Sir Syed an erosion of the centuries-old Muslim cultural domination of India. Testifying before the British-appointed education commission, Sir Syed controversially exclaimed that "Urdu was the language of
gentry and Hindi that of the vulgar."[
citation needed] His remarks provoked a hostile response from Hindu leaders, who unified across the nation to demand the recognition of Hindi.
The success of the Hindi movement led Sir Syed to further advocate Urdu as the symbol of Muslim heritage and as the language of all Indian Muslims. His educational and political work grew increasingly centred around and exclusively for Muslim interests. He also sought to persuade the British to give Urdu extensive official use and patronage. His colleagues and protégés such as
Mohsin-ul-Mulk and
Maulvi Abdul Haq developed organisations such as the
Urdu Defence Association and the
Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu, committed to the perpetuation of Urdu.[
citation needed] Sir Syed's protégé
Shibli Nomani led efforts that resulted in the adoption of Urdu as the official language of the
Hyderabad State and as the medium of instruction in the
Osmania University.[
citation needed]
[17] To Muslims in northern and western India, Urdu had become an integral part of political and cultural identity. However, the division over the use of Hindi or Urdu further provoked communal conflict between Muslims and Hindus in India.[
citation needed]
On April 1, 1869 he went, along with his son
Syed Mahmood, to
England, where he was awarded the
Order of the Star of India from the British government on August 6. Travelling across England, he visited its colleges and was inspired by the culture of learning established after the
Renaissance.[
citation needed] Sir Syed returned to India in the following year determined to build a "Muslim
Cambridge." Upon his return, he organised the "Committee for the Better Diffusion and Advancement of Learning among
Muhammadans" (Muslims) on December 26, 1870. Sir Syed described his vision of the institution he proposed to establish in an article written sometime in 1872 and re-printed in the Aligarh Institute Gazette of April 5, 1911:
I may appear to be dreaming and talking like Shaikh Chilli, but we aim to turn this MAO College into a University similar to that of
Oxford or Cambridge. Like the churches of Oxford and Cambridge, there will be
mosques attached to each College… The College will have a dispensary with a Doctor and a compounder, besides a
Unani Hakim. It will be mandatory on boys in residence to join the congregational prayers (
namaz) at all the five times. Students of other religions will be exempted from this religious observance. Muslim students will have a uniform consisting of a black alpaca, half-sleeved chugha and a red
Fez cap… Bad and abusive words which boys generally pick up and get used to, will be strictly prohibited. Even such a word as a "liar" will be treated as an abuse to be prohibited. They will have food either on tables of
European style or on chaukis in the manner of the
Arabs… Smoking of cigarette or
huqqa and the chewing of
betels shall be strictly prohibited. No
corporal punishment or any such punishment as is likely to injure a student's self-respect will be permissible… It will be strictly enforced that
Shia and
Sunni boys shall not discuss their religious differences in the College or in the boarding house. At present it is like a day dream. I pray to God that this dream may come true."[
citation needed]
By 1873, the committee under Sir Syed issued proposals for the construction of a college in Aligarh. He began publishing the journal Tahzib al-Akhlaq (Social Reformer) to spread awareness and knowledge on modern subjects and promote reforms in Muslim society.[
citation needed] Sir Syed worked to promote reinterpretation of Muslim ideology in order to reconcile tradition with Western education. He argued in several books on Islam that the Qur'an rested on an appreciation of reason and natural law, making scientific inquiry important to being a good Muslim. Sir Syed established a modern school in Aligarh and, obtaining support from wealthy Muslims and the British, laid the foundation stone of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College on May 24, 1875. He retired from his career as a jurist the following year, concentrating entirely on developing the college and on religious reform.
[8] Sir Syed's pioneering work received support from the British. Although intensely criticised by orthodox religious leaders hostile to modern influences, Sir Syed's new institution attracted a large student body, mainly drawn from the Muslim gentry and middle classes.
[18] The curriculum at the college involved scientific and Western subjects, as well as Oriental subjects and religious education.
[8] The first
chancellor was
Sultan Shah Jahan Begum, a prominent Muslim noblewoman, and Sir Syed invited an Englishman,
Theodore Beck, to serve as the first college principal.
[18] The college was originally affiliated with
Calcutta University but was transferred to the
Allahabad University in 1885. Near the turn of the 20th century, it began publishing its own magazine and established a law school. In 1920, the college was transformed into a university.
Political career
In 1878, Sir Syed was nominated to the Viceroy's Legislative Council.
[19] He testified before the education commission to promote the establishment of more colleges and schools across India. In the same year, Sir Syed founded the Muhammadan Association to promote political co-operation amongst Indian Muslims from different parts of the country. In 1886, he organised the
All India Muhammadan Educational Conference in Aligarh, which promoted his vision of modern education and political unity for Muslims. His works made him the most prominent Muslim politician in 19th century India, often influencing the attitude of Muslims on various national issues. He supported the efforts of Indian political leaders
Surendranath Banerjea and
Dadabhai Naoroji to obtain representation for Indians in the government and civil services. In 1883, he founded the Muhammadan Civil Service Fund Association to encourage and support the entry of Muslim graduates into the
Indian Civil Service (ICS).
[8] ahmed was a good man
[20] While fearful of the loss of Muslim political power owing to the community's backwardness, Sir Syed was also averse to the prospect of democratic self-government, which would give control of government to the Hindu-majority population:
[21][22]"At this time our nation is in a bad state in regards education and wealth, but God has given us the light of religion and the Quran is present for our guidance, which has ordained them and us to be friends. Now God has made them rulers over us. Therefore we should cultivate friendship with them, and should adopt that method by which their rule may remain permanent and firm in India, and may not pass into the hands of the
Bengalis… If we join the political movement of the Bengalis our nation will reap a loss, for we do not want to become subjects of the Hindus instead of the subjects of the "
people of the Book…"
[22]Legacy
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan lived the last two decades of his life in Aligarh, regarded widely as the mentor of 19th- and 20th century Muslim intellectuals and politicians. He remained the most influential Muslim politician in India, with his opinions guiding the convictions of a large majority of Muslims.[
citation needed] Battling illnesses and old age, Sir Syed died on March 27, 1898. He was buried besides
Sir Syed Masjid inside the campus of the Aligarh university. His funeral was attended by thousands of students, Muslim leaders and British officials. Sir Syed is widely commemorated across South Asia as a great Muslim reformer and visionary.
[8][20] At the same time, Sir Syed sought to politically ally Muslims to the British government. An avowed loyalist of the
British Empire, Sir Syed was nominated as a member of the Civil Service Commission in 1887 by
Lord Dufferin. In 1888, he established the
United Patriotic Association at Aligarh to promote political co-operation with the British and Muslim participation in the government. Syed Ahmed Khan was
knighted by the British government in 1888 and in the following year he received an
LL.D. honoris causa from the
Edinburgh University.
[8]The university he founded remains one of India's most prominent institutions. Prominent alumni of Aligarh include Muslim political leaders
Maulana Mohammad Ali,
Abdur Rab Nishtar,
Maulana Shaukat Ali and
Maulvi Abdul Haq, who is hailed in
Pakistan as
Baba-e-Urdu (Father of Urdu). The first two
Prime Ministers of Pakistan,
Liaquat Ali Khan and
Khawaja Nazimuddin, as well as the late
Indian President Dr. Zakir Hussain, are amongst Aligarh's most famous graduates. In India, Sir Syed is commemorated as a pioneer who worked for the socio-political upliftment of Indian Muslims, Sir Syed is also hailed as a founding father of Pakistan for his role in developing a Muslim political class independent of Hindu-majority organisations. The
Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology was established in honour of Sir Syed in
Karachi and is a leading technical institution in Pakistan. Furthermore,
Sir Syed Government Girls College in
Karachi,
Pakistan is also named in the honour of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Today he has family living in Denmark and UK.
Criticism
Supporters of Sir Syed contend that his political vision gave an independent political expression to the Muslim community, which aided its goal of securing political power in India.
[18] His philosophy guided the creation of the
All India Muslim League in 1906, as a political party separate from the Congress[
citation needed]. Sir Syed's ideas inspired both the liberal, pro-British politicians of the Muslim League and the religious ideologues of the
Khilafat struggle. The Muslim League remained at odds with the Congress and continued to advocate the boycott of the Indian independence movement. In the 1940s, the student body of Aligarh committed itself to the establishment of Pakistan and contributed in large measure to the activities of the Muslim League.[
citation needed] Sir Syed's patronage of Urdu led to its widespread use amongst Indian Muslim communities and following the
Partition of India its adoption as the official language of Pakistan, even though
Bengali and
Punjabi were more prevalent at the time.
