Name: Waris Aqeel

Student I.D: BC-100401516

PAK 301
Assignment 1 Solution / Answer
Date: 25th October 2010

Describe the significance and contribution of Aligarh Movement for the revival and
regeneration of the Muslims of Sub-Continent. Why did Sir Syed advise the Muslims to
avoid joining active politics?

Answer:

The Aligarh Movement was one of immense significance which played a pivotal role in the
rebirth of the intellectual and academic inspiration that ultimately led to the realization that the
Muslims of the largely Hindu populated Sub-Continent could exist as a separate and united
nation.

The fall of the Mughal regime, at the behest of its British Conquerors, as well as the blame for
the mutiny in 1857 led to a lot of animosity mounting within the hearts and minds of the
Muslims. In order to counter any physical outcomes of such bitter emotions, the British initiated
and implemented a policy which aimed at eventual subjugation of the Muslim psyche at large.

This policy included, but was not limited to, the curbing of Arabic, Persian and religious
education at edification institutions. English was used as the sole medium of imparting education
and was made the official language in 1835. The Muslims, naturally, felt an aversion to western
culture. This led to an almost complete rejection of western trends and education. The
intellectual progress of the Muslims was stagnant because of which they further isolated
themselves in an already hostile atmosphere.

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, an enlightened individual, understood that if the Muslim masses did not
accept intellectual change as a tool for progressiveness and modernization, then the
consequences would prove to be catastrophic. He surmised that, in order to make the Muslims
into a force to be reckoned with, the masses would have to through a cerebral revolution. He
envisioned a revolution which would not only breathe fresh life into the hearts and minds of the
Muslims but would, at the same time, create an environment of understanding and empathy with
their British rulers through the acceptance of western culture and education. Thus, the
foundations of the Aligarh Movement were laid.

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan placed immense stress on the Muslim masses to learn the English
language and literature. He felt it necessary that in order to deal and negotiate with the ruling
elite, their language and traditions must be adhered. Also, he impressed upon them the
importance of learning new advancements in science and technology. In doing so, he hoped to
fulfill two interlinked goals:
 1. To acquaint the British ruling elite to Islamic culture and faith in order to remove the
collective feeling of animosity that existed between the Muslims and them.
2. To encourage the Muslim masses to learn new skills and education in order to find better
means of employment and to avail every opportunity present within the current system.

He stressed that the Muslims need not give up the fundamentals of their faith in order to accept
modernization as it was necessary to cope with the burden of the new age of scientific and
technological advancements.

The Aligarh movement, originating from Aligarh, attracted to its fore a number of other
enlightened souls such as the eminent poets Shibli and Hali, Maulvi Nazir Ahmad, a writer and
an intellectual as well Syed Mahmud, a jurist and scholar of great renown. The latter was also the
son of Sir Syed. The linking of such eminent personalities with the movement gave it a
legitimacy that helped in removing any doubts the Muslims had with such revolutionary ideas.

The salient features of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s efforts in association with the Aligarh movement
including:

1. The construction of various schools,

2. The setting up of the scientific society which translated English literature in local
languages,

3. The creation of the Aligarh Institute Gazette which provided information on history,
science and technology related to agriculture as well as other physical sciences and
modern and advanced mathematics.

4. The Creation of the M.A.O School which was later conferred with the status of a
university.

5. The creation of the Muhammadan Educational Conference which, on an annual basis,

stressed on the Muslims to consider modern education and to withdraw from active
politics. This conference would eventually be formed into the Muslim League

6. The publication of various books and articles by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan which stressed
the indoctrination of english, scientific and modern education in the lives of Muslims.
Also such publications outlined the similarities between Christianity and Islam and other
such topics in order to eradicate the stigma of isolation between the Muslims and the
British elite.

As mentioned, Sir Syed Ahmed stressed the need for the Muslims to withdraw from active and,
oftentimes, violent politics. He understood that within the Hindu dominated Congress Party, the
Muslims would never be able to properly represent the masses and their needs. Also, he
understood that the importance of the Muslims as a minority would eventually be diluted and
that the Muslim Masses would never be able to create their own distinct identity. The Urdu –
Hindi controversy, which had been started by Hindu nationalists who wanted to subjugate the
identity of the Muslim masses, also led Sir Syed to predict that the Hindus and the Muslims
could never co-exist as one nation. It was because of this that he demanded reserved seats for
Muslim within the parliament and also preached the idea that would eventually become the two
nation theory.

Through such efforts Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, and to a larger extent the Aligarh movement,
created a spirit of academic and intellectual revolution which spread like wildfire amongst the
masses. The Muslims of the Sub-Continent realized that in order to compete with the Hindu
majority on an equal footing as well as to guarantee a future for further Muslim generations, a
policy of reconciliation with the British elite through academic and intellectual enlightenment
had to be adopted.

A new class of Muslim intellectuals, armed with the knowledge and skills provided through
modern education, arose. A number of British intellectuals such Bech, Raleigh and Arnold
endorsed the Aligarh Movement and its aims which led to further bridging of the intellectual gap
between the British and the Muslims. Aligarh became the center of the revolution and many
Muslims, eager to do their part in helping to build prosperity through modern and scientific
education, thronged to the various academic destinations within the city. The Aligarh movement
was eventually a success and its significance can be measured by the outcome: the Muslims of
the largely Hindu dominated Sub-Continent realized their importance as not just a minority but
as a nation. The British elite gradually accepted and relented to the Muslim masses’ need for a
separate identity. This intellectual revolution would eventually end in the manifestation of a
separate state for the Muslims of the Sub-Continent in 1947.