Chap 4 Notes

SIR SYED AHMED KHAN
CHAPTER 4
HOW IMPORTANT WAS THE WORK OF SIR SYED AHMED KHAN TO THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PAKISTAN MOVEMENT IN THE 19TH CEN TURY?
EARLY LIFE
Sir Syed was born on 17 October 1817 in Delhi. His family was highly regarded by the
Mughal dynasty. His maternal grandfather Khwajah Farid was a `wazir' (minister) in
the court of Akbar Shah II. Syed Ahmed's father, Mir Muttaqi was also close to Akbar
Shah but rejected the position and titles offered to him due to his interest in mysticism.
He died when Syed Ahmed was about 21 years of age. Mother, Azizunnissa Begum
was, however, a strong willed woman of clearly defined principles. She showed
extraordinary interest in the education, character building and upbringing of her son.
The passing away of his father left the family in financial difficulties, and after a limited
education he had no option but to work for his livelihood. Starting as a clerk with the
East India Company in 1938, he qualified three years later as a sub-judge and served in
the judicial department at various places.
 1846- sub-judge in Delhi; and Wrote Athar-al- Sanadeed on archeology

 1857- Chief Judge in Bijnaur; and 1863- scientific society at Ghazipores
 1864- Chief Justice in Muradabad; and scientific society there, later shifted to
Aligarh
 1860- Loyal Muhammadans of India
 1859- Essay on the causes of the Indian Revolt
 Tabyin-ul-Kalam- comparative study of Quran and Bible
 1869- visit to England; and 1870-Tahzeebul Akhlaq
 1875- MAO School in Aligarh; and
 1886- Muhammad Educational conference
VISION OF SIR SYED AHMED KHAN

• Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was determined to achieve three main goals (Trinity of
Ideas):
 ‘Muslim Renaissance’ via education;
 Better British-Muslim relationships; and
 Muslims’ separation from Indian politics
• He devoted his life to accomplish these goals by carrying our enlightenment
campaign in disguise of Aligarh Movement. Aligarh Movement is a vision and
an ideology whose seeds had been sown during the war of independence 1857,
but translated into reality in the mid-19th century.
Work of Sir Syed Ahmed khan

Sir Syed's greatest achievement was his Aligarh Movement, which was nothing but an
educational venture. He established schools at Muradabad in 1859 and Ghazipur in
1863. He also founded a scientific society in 1864. When Sir Syed was posted at Aligarh
in 1867, he started the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental School in the city. During his visit
to England in 1869, he studied the British educational system and appreciated it. Sir
Syed's aim was not just to establish a college at Aligarh but he was interested in
spreading education and empowerment among the people by establishing educational
institutions in every nook and corner of the country. He, therefore, started an
organization called All India Muslim Educational Conference'‘ to achieve this goal. It
motivated the Muslims to open a number of educational institutions in India.
The following are his important works:
1) ASARUS SANADEED: It is an archaeological masterpiece providing a wealth of
information on countless historical monuments in Delhi from the eight hundred long
Muslim rule. This book was published in 1847.
2) ASBAB-E-BAGHAWAT-E-HIND: (The causes of Indian Revolt) This book was
published in 1859 after the 1857 revolt after witnessing the atrocities committed by the
British on the inhabitants of Delhi. He saw an uncle, a cousin and an aunt dying before
his eyes. He saved his mother but she died due to privations she had experienced.
Muslims were the main targets of the government's wrath.
3) THE ALIGARH INSTITUTE GAZETTE: It was an organ of the Scientific Society
started in 1866. It made the people think and use their wisdom.
4) TEHZIB-UL-AKHLAQ: It succeeded in making people realise the value of modern
knowledge. It also gave new directions to Muslim social and political thoughts.
RELIGION
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was a man of versatile personality. He rendered memorable
contributions in the field of writings. Beginning at the age of 23, he started his career as
an author writing religious texts. He was the first Muslim to produce a commentary on
the Bible in which he tried to show that Islam was very close to Christianity in certain
aspects. His other valuable tracts such as Loyal Muhammadans of India, Tabyin-ul-
Kalam, and a series of Essays on the Life of Muhammad (SAW). These efforts proved to
be a milestone in bridging the difference between the British and the Muslims.
Politics
Sir Syed himself remained active in politics, yet he advised Muslims to keep away from
it. He knew the educational backwardness of Muslims and their unawareness of
political current. He also urged upon Muslims to remain at distance from Congress
(1885), since it was a party that was solely devoted to the cause of Hindus and
detrimental to Muslims and their ideologies. This paved way for the establishment of
the Muslim League later in 1906.
Congress suggested for government appointment to be made on the basis of
competitive examinations which was not in the Muslim interest because they were less
educated. Sir Syed opposed Congress policies, the party functioning, and its anti-
Muslim attitude.
HINDU-URDU CONTROVERSY 1867

During the last days of the Muslim rule, Urdu emerged as the most common language
of the northwestern provinces of India. It was declared the official language, and all
official records were written in this language. In 1867, some prominent Hindus started a
movement in Banaras in which they demanded the replacement of Urdu with Hindi,
and the Persian script with the Deva Nagri script, as the court language in the
northwestern provinces. The reason for opposing Urdu was that the language was
written in Persian script, which was similar to the Arabic script, and Arabic was the
language of the Quran, the Holy Book of the Muslims.
This situation provoked the Muslims to come out in order to protect the importance of
the Urdu language. The opposition by the Hindus towards the Urdu language made it
clear to the Muslims of the region that Hindus were not ready to tolerate the culture
and traditions of the Muslims.
The Urdu-Hindi controversy had a great effect on the life of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.
Before this event he had been a great advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity and was of the
opinion that the “two nations are like two eyes of the beautiful bride, India”. But this
movement completely altered his point of view.
He put forward the Two-Nation Theory, predicting that the differences between the
two groups would increase with the passage of time and the two communities would
not join together in anything wholeheartedly.
PAST PAPER QUESTIONS

Q.1 What was the Aligarh Movement? (4)
Q.2 Were Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s religious views his most important
contribution to the Muslim cause after 1857? Explain your answer. (14)
Q.3 Do you agree that Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s most important contribution to Muslim
community was his support for education? Give reasons for your answer? [14]
Q.4 Which of the following was the most important contribution of Sir Syed Ahmed
Khan in restoring
the position of Muslims in the sub-continent:
(i) attempts to achieve a better understanding between the British and the Muslims;
(ii) education;
(iii) politics?
Explain your answer with reference to all three of the above. [14]

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SIR SYED AHMED KHAN

 1846- sub-judge in Delhi; and Wrote Athar-al- Sanadeed on archeology

VISION OF SIR SYED AHMED KHAN

Work of Sir Syed Ahmed khan

HINDU-URDU CONTROVERSY 1867

PAST PAPER QUESTIONS

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