(b. Oct. 17, 1817, Delhi; d. March 27, 1898, Aligarh), Sayyid also spelt Syad or Syed , Ahmad also spelt Ahmed , Muslim educator, jurist, author, and thinker whose influence on Islamic thought and polity would shape and define Muslim responses to modernism in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Founder of the Anglo-Mohammedan Oriental College at Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Sayyid was the principal motivating force behind the revival of Indian Islam in the late nineteenth century. In 1888, he was made a Knight Commander of the Star of India.
Sayyid's forefathers claimed to be the descendants of the Prophet of Islam through his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Ali. His family was closely attached to the Mughal court. While his maternal grandfather had twice served as prime minister of the Mughal emperor of his time and had also held positions of trust under the East India Company, Sayyid's father received an allowance from the Mughal administration. The death of Sayyid's father left the family in financial difficulties, and after a limited education Sayyid had to work for his livelihood. Starting as a clerk with the East India Company in 1838, he qualified three years later as a subjudge and served in the judicial department at various places. Sayyid's brother established one of the first printing presses at Delhi and started one of the earliest newspapers in Urdu, the principal language of the Muslims of northern India.
Sayyid was involved in a wide range of activities, from politics to education. He wrote Tarikh Sarkashi-e Dilca Bijnore (A History of Insurrection in Bijnor District) and Asbab-e Baghawat-e Hind (The Causes of Indian Mutiny). His career as an author (in Urdu) started at the age of 23 with religious tracts. In 1847, he brought out a noteworthy book, Athar as-sanadid (Monuments of the Great), on the antiquities of Delhi. Even more important was his pamphlet The Causes of the Indian Revolt . Despite fighting for the British during the Indian mutiny, in this booklet, he -fearlessly laid bare the weaknesses of the British administration that had led to countrywide dissatisfaction and rebellion. Widely read by British officials, it had considerable influence on British policy. In 1860-61, he published Risalah Khair hawahan Musalman (An Account of the Loyal Mohammedans of India), in which he claimed that Indian Muslims were the most loyal subjects of the British Raj because of their kindred disposition and because of the principles of their religion.
His interest in religion was life-long. He began a sympathetic interpretation of the Bible, wrote Essays on the Life of Muhammad (translated into English by his son), and found time to write several volumes of a modernist commentary on the Quran. In these works, he sought to harmonize the Islamic faith with the scientific and politically progressive ideas of his time. The supreme interest of Sayyid's life was, however, education in its widest sense. He began by establishing schools, at Muradabad (1858) and Ghazipur (1863). A more ambitious undertaking was the foundation of the Scientific Society, which published translations of many educational texts and issued a bilingual journal in Urdu and English.
These institutions were jointly operated by Hindus and Muslims. In the late 1860s, there occurred developments that were to alter the course of his activities. In 1867, he was transferred to Banaras, a city with great religious significance for the Hindus. At about the same time, a movement started at Banaras to replace Urdu, the language cultivated by the Muslims, with Hindi. This movement and the attempts to substitute Hindi for Urdu in the publications of the Scientific Society convinced Sayyid that the paths of the Hindus and the Muslims must diverge. Thus, when during a visit to England (1869-70) he prepared plans for a great educational institution, they were for "a Muslim Cambridge". On his return, he set up a committee for this purpose. Tahdhib al-Akhlaq (Social Reform), an influential journal started by him, advocated the "uplift and reform of the Muslim". After retirement, Sayyid worked towards turning a Muslim school, established at Aligarh in May 1875, into a college. In January 1877, the viceroy laid the foundation stone of the college. In spite of conservative opposition to Sayyid's projects, the college made rapid progress. In 1886, Sayyid organized the All-India Muhammadan Educational Conference, which met annually at different places to promote education and to provide the Muslims with a common platform. Until the founding of the Muslim League in 1906, it was the principal national centre of Indian Islam.
Sayyid believed that "work of God (nature and its laws) was in conformity with the Word of God (the Quran)", an adage that earned him the title of Naturi. He advised Muslims against joining active politics and to concentrate instead on education.
In 1878, he was nominated as a member of the Viceregal Legislative Council. In 1889, he received an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh.
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