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Essay on Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

Article · September 2010

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Md Umar Hashmi
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MD.UMAR HASHMI
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ESSAY FOR THE SUBMISSION OF ALL INDIA SIR SYED DAY ESSAY
COMPETITION

ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY

 
 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

“Sir Syed was an ardent reformer and he wanted to reconcile modern scientific

thought with religion by rationalistic interpretations and not by attacking basic

belief. He was anxious to push new education. He was in no way communally

separatist. Repeatedly he emphasized that religious differences should have no

political and national significance”.

-Jawaharlal Nehru, Founder Prime Minister of India

The charisma of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s personality was that he was a

great visionary, statesman, social reformer, jurist, educator, author, politician and

many more to count; and he proved his versatility in every sphere of his

expertise. Sir Syed was a person who thought beyond his times. Some people

may say differently about him but he was the one who strived for his entire life for

a single purpose and i.e. the emancipation of the Muslims: socially, educationally

in the entire Indian sub-continent. As mentioned in the words of Allama Iqbal that

“the real greatness of Sir Syed consists in the fact that he was the first Indian

Muslim who felt the need of a fresh orientation of Islam and worked for it, his

sensitive nature was the first to react to modern age”. Sir Syed’s passion and

perseverance for the social upliftment of his community makes him the most

significant Muslim social reformer of all times. During his educational career he

made himself acquainted with Arabic, Persian, mathematics, science, medicine

and literature, to name a few. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was also a great critique,

who convinced others with his holistic, vivid and straight forward way of thinking.

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

It was his this ability that acted as the propellant for reviving Urdu language as a

whole. In the issue of Tahzibul Akhlaq dated 1 Muharram 1289 (March 11, 1872),

he wrote:

There could be nothing worse or more defective than the art and practice of

poetry as in vogue in our time. Themes there are none except of love and

romance, and even those do not convey the better human emotions. Rather, the

theme [of love] points to those evil emotions which are opposed to true culture

and morals.

These are Sir Syed’s thoughts referred to how poetry became ensnared in

the toils of a few trifling ideas: that is, romantic themes, carefree drinking of wine,

creating illusory colors etc. His write-up also exemplifies the fine balance in Sir

Syed’s personality which says to adopt modern education (have a conscience)

and remain a human being who is decent, civilized, respectful, sensitive and

cocooned to the evils of modern societies. And the outrageous thing is that if

poets want to speak of some real matter, than they express that very idea in

metaphors. It was clear that Sir Syed disapproves of imagery i.e. metaphor

usage. He wanted Urdu poets to write natural poetry. He suggested poets to

emulate the goods of English poetry which is much richer in variety, this shows

his broad minded approach. Sir Syed wanted to enlarge the scope of Urdu

poetry. It was Syed Ahmad Khan, who collected a group of writers to popularize

a style, marked by clarity, simplicity, intellectual honesty, and modernity of

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

speech. It was a vigorous prose. Through his journals, he also helped the

evolution of new criticism, which had thrown up pioneers like Mohammad Husain

Azad and Hali.

Sir Syed promoted the adoption of Urdu as the lingua franca of Indian

Muslims, and mentored a rising generation of Muslim politician and intellectuals.

It was only because of Sir Syed that Urdu has achieved the capability to strike

out from the realm of love and loving and to express ideas from the realms of

governance, politics, ethics and morals, history, and in fact from all other fields,

and it can do so with a force, effectuality, concision or amplitude, simplicity and

clarity, as has not yet fallen to the fortune of its mentor, Persian. This

development was particularly very significant as Urdu is the identity of the

Muslims of Indian sub-continent. And reviving the identity means strengthening

the character of entire community as a whole.

History of social and educational reforms in Indian sub-continent cannot be

completed without Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. He is one of the great thinker,

philosopher and revolutionaries who had dedicated his complete life for his

nation and especially for his community. Sir Syed said: “After the Revolt of 1857,

I was grieved neither on account of the plunder of my house nor on account of

the loss of property that I had suffered. What saddened my heart was the misery

and destruction of people. When Mr.Shakespeare offered to me the Taluqa of

Jehanabad, which originally belonged to a distinguished Syed family, and yielded

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

an annual rental of more than a lac rupees, as a reward of my services, my heart

was deeply hurt. I said to myself, how can I accept this jagir and become the

Taluqdar while all the people are in distress. I refused to accept it.”

This was referred to the atrocities committed by the British on the Muslims

of Delhi, as they were considered the reason for 1857 revolt. Sir Syed also

witnessed the death of some of his close relatives during this era, but he proved

his strength and penned ‘Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind’ (the cause of Indian revolt)

which was published in 1859. This was a daring critique of British policies that he

blamed for causing the Indian mutiny. He also published pamphlets to highlight

the weakness and errors of British administration that had lead to dissatisfaction

and countrywide explosion.

Sir Syed tried to motivate the Indian Muslims toward seeking modern

education. He clearly foresaw the imperative need for Muslims to acquire

proficiency in English language and modern sciences if the community were to

maintain its social and political identity. He also observed that education can only

improve the worsening economic condition of the Muslims in India. He even tried

to modernize the Madarasa’s, update their syllabus as per the need of the hour.

In the history of India’s transition from medievalism to modernism, Sir Syed stand

out prominently as a dynamic force pitted against conservatism, superstitions,

inertia and ignorance. He contributed many of the essential elements to the

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

development of modern India and paved the growth of a healthy scientific attitude

of mind which is sine qua non for advancement, both material and intellectual.

Sir Syed always hailed the cause of modern education and development of

scientific temper in an individual, but he considered that education to be

complete when it is done with character building. He considered proper

knowledge of Islam and Quran equally important. He wanted to preserve and

transmit to the younger generation the rich legacy of the past. During his stay in

England he once said, “I wish that youth of India should follow the example of

young men and women of England who are religiously engaged in the hard work

of industrial development of their country". Sir Syed thought the conservative

Muslim attitude was the greatest obstacle to the material, social and intellectual

progress of the Muslims. He felt the need, therefore to re-examine the

foundations of the Islamic faith. He claimed that the door of ijtihad (free inquiry)

regarding the legal injunctions of Islam should be reopened, and claimed the

right to re-interpret the Qur’an and the traditions in the light of modern

experiences. Although Sir Syed did sterling work in the modernization of the

Indian Muslim community, he remained extremely conservative in some areas of

life, for example he advocated the purdah system (seclusion of women). Sir

Syed's greatest achievement was his Aligarh Movement, which was 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

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

at Aligarh in 1867, he started the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental School in the city.

Sir Syed wanted MAO College to act as a bridge between the old and the new

systems. His famous quote is that “a true Muslims is one who must have the holy

Quran in one hand and the science in the other''.

Let us take an instance of Sir Syed’s life to know what kind of character he

wanted to have among all of the Muslim community. In 1875, Maulavi Mushtaq

Husain (1841-1917), who as Intisar Jang Vaqar-ul Mulk became a high official in

Hyderabad and a prominent Indian Muslim much active in the affairs of the MAO

College and was a Tahsildar in a district whose Collector routinely objected to his

taking a short recess for afternoon prayers. Mushtaq Husain sought Syed

Ahmad’s advice. Here is what Syed Ahmad wrote in reply:

Namaz is obligatory upon us from God. We may discharge it ill or well, given

the infamy of our actions, but were someone to say, do not do the namaz, we

won’t stand it for a moment. Such talk is impossible even to be heard. In my

belief, not doing namaz is just a sin which can be expected to be pardoned by

God. But not to do namaz, or postpone it because of someone’s behest is in my

view a sin which will never be pardoned. You ought to have in the beginning itself

adopted a course of conduct that wouldn’t have let things to come to such a

pass. And if you didn’t do it at that time, then why this abject begging and flabby

entreaty now? It was absurd and contemptible to plead, ‘Please at least grant me

leave, my honorable sir!’ ‘You may suitably dock my pay if you please!’ To hurl

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your resignation at him was the thing to do, and to have said plainly, ‘ I will obey

the command of my magnificent Lord, God the Omninpotent, and not yours.’ So

what would have been the consequence? You wouldn’t have had a job? You

would have starved to death? That would have been an extremely good

consummation. Peace be upon you.”

It must be remembered that a Tahsildar may have been a minor functionary in

the general scheme of things, but his was a job highly regarded and universally

prized in colonial India. Quitting such a job, and that too on the ‘meagre’ issue of

afternoon prayers would generally have been considered to be something

caused by a softening of the brain. For Syed Ahmad to have given such advice

and for Mushtaq Husain to have accepted it were both acts of high moral

courage and prove, if such proof were at all needed, that Syed Ahmad gave to

the Indian Muslim a sense of worth and self-respect otherwise rare at that

time. Sir Syed persevered for a new hope for regaining some of the moral ground

lost since 1857.

He wanted the Muslim world to know their worth, their responsibilities, their

behavior, etiquettes that are to be inherited by us from our fore-fathers. He

wanted to imbibe a sense of self esteem among all of us and that was the reason

he started with reviving of Urdu language. He wanted us to be proud of our

identity and not to escape from it. That was the kind human being he wanted to

make out of all the Muslims during that era, no doubt that such a renaissance

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

would have empowered us in every arena. This vision of Sir Syed is still largely

preserved in the hostels of Aligarh Muslim University, now that is the charm of its

founder, brilliance of his personality that its sparkling has not been reduced. His

ideologies are very clearly seen in the objectives framed for the Aligarh

Movement, which are as follows:

¾ To protect Islam against the onslaught of orientalists

¾ Remove bitter enmity and establish friendly relation with the British

¾ To interpret the teaching of Islam and bring them in harmony with modern

science and philosophy so that educated Muslims while holding on their

religion, might take a rational and enlightened view of life and meet the

demands of new age.

¾ To persuade Muslims to learn the English language and western sciences

so that they might secure a substantial share in the administration of the

country.

¾ To maintain Urdu along with English as an associate language and to

develop it through translations and original writings.

These objectives clearly indicate his attitude towards the importance of

character building and modern education and how they could lead the community

towards empowerment. His interest in religion was also active and lifelong. He

began a sympathetic interpretation of the Bible, wrote Essay on the Life of

Muhammad (PBUH) and wrote several volumes of a modernist commentary on

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the Quran. In these works he sought to synchronize the Islamic faith with

scientific and politically progressive ideas of his time.

Sir Syed suggested Muslim’s to remain passive in national politics,

because he knew the educational backwardness of his community would at the

end lead them astray, so he focused all his attention in educational upliftment of

the Muslim world in Indian sub-continent. His thoughts were "emancipatory",

"democratic" and "progressive" in nature. He held that the western form of

democracy and nationalism would not operate in India. He was one of the first

thinkers who laid the foundation of secular nature of Indian governance present

today. He once said, “We (Hindus and Muslims) eat the same crop, drink water

from the same rivers and breathe the same air. As a matter of fact Hindus and

Muslims are the two eyes of the beautiful bride that is Hindustan. Weakness of

any one of them will spoil the beauty of the bride (dulhan)”.

Sir Syed considered education as the prime mover of modernization, progress

and development. At the same time, it puts Great emphasis on keeping intact the

community’s own distinctive cultural identity and base. Holistic in its approach, he

gave equal importance to character building along with scholastic instruction. The

movement also aimed at introducing social reforms among Indian Muslims. Sir

Syed condemned polygamy and social ban on widow remarriage.

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

Empowerment comes with knowledge, awareness, character and social

identity. Sir Syed knew that in a country with such variety there should be a

sense of unity in the community to bring out meaning full changes in governance

and implement significant changes right from grass root level. Sir Syed once

said that, “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.” He tried to make the community aware of the glorious past and feel proud

of the great civilization with such rich collection of culture and tradition. Referring

to the community he once said that we should not, by remaining ignorant and

illiterate, tarnish the image of our able elders. Sir Syed famous speech which he

made while foundation of MAO College which was laid down by Lord Lytton on

18th January, 1877 is the soul of Aligarh Movement. Sir Syed said: “from the

seed which we sow today, there may spring up a mighty tree, whose branches,

like those of the banyan of the soil, shall in their turn strike firm roots into the

earth, and themselves send forth new and vigorous saplings”. Sir Syed’s words

are very rightly proved by the institution which calls itself a citadel of learning,

imparting knowledge without any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed or

religion. In Tahzeebul-Akhlaq Sir Syed presented the two things on which the

educational vision should be based:

¾ Adoption of Modern education

¾ Moral Education

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

Sir Syed breathed his last on Sunday, 27th March 1898. Maulana Altaf Hussain

Haali- writer of Sir Syed’s biography, HAYAAT-E-JAVED mentioned:

“After Sir Syed’s death, it was not only by words but also by actions that the

people proved their love and respect for his high ideals. Almost at once, some

people began to press for the foundation of Muslim University. The movement

spread all over India and abroad and people started raising money for Sir Syed’s

finest memorial.. Even in England students raised money for the Muslim

University. People were surprised to see the interest of Englishmen and their

efforts to collect money to fulfill the dream of Sir Syed to make MAO College as

Muslim University. There is an old saying that a good friend is like a leafy tree.

For when a tree is in full bloom one has the pleasure of its shade and the

enjoyment of its fruits, and when it withers, its wood is put to many uses. Sir

Syed was such a friend to the Muslims. When he was alive, he laboured for

them with his body, his words, his pen and his money. When he died he left the

memory of his love and work imprinted on their hearts so that they might come

together and build on the foundations he has laid. “

Today Sir Syed is not with us but his ideologies are with us. We need to

revitalize his thinking once again because now we are sickened by even worse

kind of problems. Citing condition of the Muslim world from famous Sachar

Committee Report, which will give us the glimpses of the same problems faced

by Sir Syed which he in a very able manner solved in his life time.

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¾ The sense of insecurity and the crisis of identity makes Muslims perceive

day to day problems as community-specific.

¾ Significant regional differences regarding the relative importance of

identity, security and equity were however, evident across states.

¾ With regard to school education, the condition of Muslims is one of grave

concern. The data clearly indicates that while the overall levels of

education in India, measured through various indicators, is still below

universally acceptable standards, the educational status of the Muslim

community in particular is a matter of great concern. For example, both the

Mean Years of Schooling (MYS) and attendance levels of Muslims are low

in absolute terms and in contrast to all SRCs except in some cases

SCs/STs. In fact, in several context, SCs/STs are found to have overtaken

Muslims.

¾ Muslim parents are not averse to modern or mainstream education and to

sending their children to the affordable Government schools. They do not

necessarily prefer to send children to Madarsas but there are wide

variations in the trends.

These are some of the instance to highlight that we are not yet out of our

‘misconceptions’ and ‘stereotypes’. Striving for empowerment of Muslims in

today’s era we must strive for education and preserving our culture. It is a matter

of great sorrow that we don’t have Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in twenty first century

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 SIR SYED’S VISION OF EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CHARACTER BUILDING & MODERN EDUCATION

where the entire Islamic civilization is struggling for its identity. Sir Syed is very

aptly described by a couplet by Allama Iqbal which says:

`'Mubtalaayay dard koi azu ho roti hai aankh

Kis qadar hamdard saray jism ki hoti hai aankh''

(The eye weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body, How

sympathetic it is to the entire organism)

To the Muslim community Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was and is like the eye

which weeps for the suffering of any and every part of the body. The sufferings of

the community worried him. He took an oath to reform, educate and empower the

Muslim community and was successful to a great extent in implementing it

despite strong opposition from innumerable sources. Indeed the dream of Sir

Syed will be strengthened with the opening of five regional centers of AMU

across the country. We must live the dream of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan…

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REFERENCES:

1. http://aligarhmovement.com/sir_syed

2. http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/history/

3. http://www.famousmuslims.com/index.html

4. http://www.ummid.com/news/October/20.10.2009/sir_sayyad_life_and_visi

on.htm

5. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan: His Life And Contribution, By Azhar Mohammed K

6. http://www.aligarhmovement.com/Aligarh_Movement

7. http://hubpages.com/hub/Sir-Syed---Aligarh-Movement

8. ALIGARH MOVEMENT - Could it fulfil the dream of Sir Sayed Ahmed

Khan?, by R. Upadhyay

http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/papers7/paper611.html

9. http://www.storyofpakistan.com/articletext.asp?artid=A024&Pg=2

10. (From Antiquary to Social Revolutionary: Syed Ahmad Khan and the

Colonial Experience, By Shamsur Rahman Faruqi)

11. www.amu.ac.in

12. Sachar Committee Report

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