Legacy of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

Syed Ahmad is one of the highly influential personalities who has greatly contributed to building institutes across the country. He had a big vision for shaping societies with education. His educational and progressive thinking models are like today; we have the Aligarh Muslim University. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan Bahadur lived in Aligarh for the last two decades, regarded widely as the mentor of the 19th and 20th-century. While continuing to work as a junior clerk, Sir Syed began focusing on writing, from the age of 23 (in 1840), on various subjects, mainly in Urdu, where he wrote at least 6000 pages. He also wrote a well-known book on archeology called Athar-ul-Sandeed. He became interested in literature as he met a few of India’s well-known writers. He endorsed using Urdu as a medium of instruction in educational institutions. Since the decline of the Mughal dynasty, Sir Syed promoted Urdu through his writings. Under Sir Syed, the Scientific Society translated Western works only into Urdu. He also sought to persuade the British to give Urdu extensive official use and patronage. His colleagues, such as Mohsin-ul-Mulk and Maulvi Abdul Haq, developed organizations such as the Urdu Defence Association and the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu, committed to perpetuating Urdu. All these colleagues led efforts that resulted in the adoption of Urdu as the official language of the Hyderabad State and as the medium of instruction at Osmania University. The schools established by Sir Syed imparted education in the Urdu medium. He said, “learning English does not make an English man.”.During his formative years in Delhi, he came in contact with Ghalib and Zauq, whose exquisite style of prose and poetry influenced Sir Syed’s writing style. He often visited Imam Baksh Sahbai and Sadruddin Khan Azurda Dehlawi in his learning years. Another influence on him was his teacher and friend in Agra, Nur al Hasan of Kandhala, a teacher in Arabic at Agra College in the early 1840s who encouraged and corrected his early works. Some of the main highlights of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan that everyone should know are:
Highlights
• Syed Ahmed Khan was born in Delhi
• He was educated in both the Quran and science.
• He was awarded an honorary law degree by the University of Edinburgh.
• He was a voracious reader who devoured books on mathematics, medicine, Persian, Arabic, and Urdu, among other subjects.
• He sought to reconcile Western scientific education with Quranic teachings, which were to be interpreted in light of contemporary rationalism and science, despite his belief that the Quran was the ultimate authority.
• He advocated for the study of English.
• He also advocated for interfaith harmony.
• He opened schools in towns and had books translated into Urdu.
• He established many educational institutes to spread education, the most notable of which was the Aligarh Muslim University.
• He established the Aligarh Scientific Society, modeled after the Royal Society of England. This society held annual conferences and published and distributed scientific literature in English and Urdu. He also advocated for social reforms and supported democratic ideals and free speech.
• He also improved women’s status through better education. He was a firm believer in the fundamental underlying unity of religions, also known as ‘practical morality.’
• He also preached the fundamental similarity between Hindu and Muslim interests.
• Tahzebul Akhlaq (Social Reformer in English), a magazine he founded, attempted to raise people’s awareness of social and religious issues through expressive prose.
We remember him for his extensive role in rebuilding societies with education. We wish that God gives offer him Jannat-ul-firdous for his contributions
(The author is pursing Ph.D. at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar. Views are his own)
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