Sir Syed Ahmad Khan The reform movement amongst the Muslims was spearheaded by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (AD 1817-1898). He was born on October 17, 1817 in Delhi. He was the son of Syed Muhammad Muttaqi and Aziz-un-Nisa and was the youngest from three of his siblings.
He belonged to a family of nobles and joined the East India Company as an officer. He remained loyal to the British during the Revolt of 1857. The British, however, regarded the Muslims as their most dangerous enemies and discriminated against them.
He was an Islamic pragmatist, Islamic reformer, philosopher, and an educationist. He became the pioneer of Muslim Nationalism in India and is known as the father of the theory which was formed on the basis of Pakistan Movement namely Two Nation Theory.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan studied the Quran and sciences in the court and was awarded with an LLD from University of Edinburgh in 1889.
Syed Ahmad Khan was depressed by the backwardness of the Muslims. He stressed the need for English education among the Muslims and opposed social prejudices which kept the community backward. All his life, he was guided by three aims-removes British hostility towards the Muslims and ensures good relations between the two introduce reforms for the advancement of Muslims and finally, induce the Muslims to accept these reforms.
All his life, Syed Ahmad Khan protested against the practices of purdah, polygamy and easy divorce. Promotion of modern western education, however, was his priority. He believed that progress was possible only if the Muslims adopted western scientific knowledge and culture. In AD 1864, he founded the Translation Society at Aligarh. It was later renamed the Scientific Society. This society published Urdu translations of books on science and literature. He also established many schools in different parts of the country.
He died on March 27, 1898 in Aligarh, British India. Aligarh Muslim University celebrated Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s 200th birth centenary with much enthusiasm on October 17, 2017. The chief guest was the Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee.
