Syed Ahmad Khan

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan CSI (Urdu: سر سید احمد خان‎; 17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898), commonly known as Sir Syed, was an Indian Muslim pragmatist,Islamic modernist,philosopher and social activist of nineteenth century India. He worked for the British East India Company and was one of the founders of the Aligarh Muslim University. In 1842, Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar–II conferred upon Sir Syed the title of Javad-ud Daulah, maintaining the title originally conferred upon Sir Syed's grandfather Syed Hadi by Emperor Shah Alam II around the middle of the 18th century.

In addition, the Emperor added the title of Arif Jang. The conferment of these titles was symbolic of Sir Syed's incorporation into the nobility of Delhi.

Born into nobility, Sir Syed earned a reputation as a distinguished scholar while working as a jurist for the British East India Company's rule in India. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he remained loyal to the British Empire and was noted for his actions in saving European lives. After the rebellion, he penned the booklet 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 entrepreneurs. Towards this goal, Sir Syed founded the famous Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)(earlier known as Anglo- Muhammadan Oriental College) in 1875 with the aim of promoting social, scientific, and economic development of Indian Muslims.