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Q1. Why was Sir Syed worried about the state of the Muslims after the War of
1857?Q. Why did Sir Syed focus on the enhancement of educational sector for
Muslims?

Sir Syed Ahmed khan inherited religious devotion from his father and later came
under the influence of Shah Abdul Aziz and Syed Ahmad Shaheed Bareilvi. He was
opposed to Muslim wasting time and energy over aimless rituals and superstitions.

The war of Independence in 1857 further confirmed his views that Muslims had lost
their economic, social and religious standing in the subcontinent. Muslims had
refused the education offered by the British and had receded into the background. On
the other hand, Hindus embraced the language of their new rulers and gained
economically through jobs in the British government.

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan wished to bring the Muslims out of their educational and
economic backwardness and join the fast-changing world that the West symbolized.
His slogan for the Muslims became “education, education and education.”

Q2. Explain the importance of Sir Syed’s writing on the Muslim community in
India?

Till 1872, Muslims were the ‘enemy’ in the eyes of the British. Sir Syed wished to
change the attitude of the British rulers towards the Muslims who were mostly
blamed for the 1857 War. He wrote a pamphlet “the Causes of the Indian Revolt” to
clarify the Muslims’ position after the war of 1857.

Sir Syed also wrote a commentary on the Bible, pointing out the similarities between
Islam and Christianity to remove Muslims’ reservations about working closely with
their British rulers. As a result, Muslims started to take interest in western education.

He also tried to bring about a social reformation among the Muslims and started his
famous journal “Tahzib-ul-Akhlaque” through which he called on the Muslims to
shed their conservatism and move to higher plane of thinking both individually and
collectively – only then they can live with dignity and honor.

The journal encouraged the Muslims to think creatively and purpose education to
improve socially, financially and spiritually.

Q3. How did he improve relations of Muslims with their British rulers? Q. How far
do you think Sir Syed was able to bring the British and the Muslims on friendly
terms?

Till 1872, Muslims were the ‘enemy’ in the eyes of the British. Sir Syed desired to
change the attitude of the British rulers towards the Muslims who were mostly
blamed for the war of 1857. Therefore:
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1. He wrote a pamphlet “the Causes of the Indian Revolt” pointing out the British that
Muslims should not be blamed entirely for the revolt. Blame had to be taken by the
rulers themselves equally whose policies had aggravated the situation.

2. He wrote “The Loyal Muhammadans of India” in 1860 relating stories of those

Muslims who had helped save British lives in the 1857 War and who had loyally
served the British rulers.

3. Sir Syed wrote a commentary on the Bible, pointing out the similarities between
Islam and Christianity to remove Muslims’ reservations about working closely
with their British rulers.

4. He also tried to bring about a social reformation among the Muslims and started
his famous journal “Tahzib-ul-Akhlaque” through which he called on the Muslims
to shed their conservatism. The journal encouraged the Muslims to think creatively
and purpose education to improve socially, financially and spiritually.

Q4. Explain the background of the Two-Nation theory of Sir Syed.

The two-nation theory is the basis of the creation of Pakistan. The two-nation theory
in its simplest way means that both Hindus and Muslims have cultural, political,
religious, economic and social dissimilarities.

The Hindi-Urdu controversy (1867) made Sir Syed revise his views politically. Urdu
was a common language for both Hindus and Muslims. He was shocked by the Hindu
insistence on Hindi Witten in the Devanagari Script as the court language and
administrations by replacing Urdu.

The Congress favoured parliamentary government for India through elections.

Hindus being majority would benefit from this as the Muslims were in minority.

The reaction of Hindus to Urdu language and the politics of the Congress brought
him to conclusion that the Hindus and Muslims would always take different paths and
will not come together. The idea of India having two nations – Hindus and Muslims –
was born and grew into Sir Syed’s Two-Nation Theory.

Q5. Explain how Sir Syed brough abut a renaissance or rebirth among Indian
Muslim?

Reforms and revival of Muslims through education was Sir Syed’s far most concern.
He worked hard for the renaissance among Indian Muslim and:

 In 1859, First educational institution called the Farzi Madrassa was set up at
Muradabad.
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 In 1864, a similar madrassah was established at Ghaziabad.

 The most important impact was to be felt through the Scientific Society of
Ghazipur founded in 1867 where works of Western arts and sciences were
translated into Urdu.

 In 1875, his final and long-lasting achievement “Mohammadan Anglo - Oriental

College was established at Aligarh.

Sir Syed had visited Britain and studied the workings of Oxford and Cambridge
Universities. He used his experience to establish a college of higher learning for
Muslims and at M.A.O college, Sir Syed combined a residential system of university
education. It provided scientific learning in both English and Urdu along with the
religious instructions.

Studies were supplemented with extra-curricular activities, moral training and

character building. Societies and clubs were made to promote independent thinking.
The Siddons Union Club followed the pattern of Cambridge Union Society, which
trained students in the art of public speaking and leadership.

In 1920, M.A.O college became the Aligarh Muslim University and its students came
to be recognized for their outstanding qualities. Some of its alumni led the Pakistan
Movement and provided leadership to the independent state of Pakistan.

Q6. What was the importance of the Mohammadan Educational Conferences?

The Mohammadan Educational Conferences was first held at Aligarh in 1886. It

played an important role in promoting Muslims education by uniting Indian Muslims
under one roof to exchange ideas on their future progress. The aim and objectives of
the conferences were:

1. To monitor the progress of Muslim education across the country

2. Teach European science and literature and translate academic Muslim writing into
English.

3. Compile the “firmans” of Muslim rule in India into a book

4. Undertake research on modern works

5. Introduce religion as a subject in English schools.

6. Establishment of Islamic high schools in almost every town and city across India.

These conferences continued annually till 1945 and were attended by Muslim
educationists and leaders including Liaquat Ali Khan and others.
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Q7. What were the steps taken to improve education of the Muslims in Sindh?

In 1885, Hassan Ali Effendi (an eminent lawyer of Sindh) wished to emulate the
educational services that Sir Syed had offered to the Muslim community. He visited
M.A.O college to see for himself how the college functioned and decided to repeat
the experiment in Sindh on the same lines. When Syed Ameer Ali had set up the
National Muhammadan Association for the social uplift of the Muslims of India, he
too visited Sindh for the same purpose.

A branch of Sindh Muhammadan Association was then set up with Hassan Ali
Effendi as the 1st president with the objective of setting up an educational institution.
The Institution set up was the Sindh Madrassa-tul-Islam at Karachi in 1885.

Q8. How was the Sindh Madrassa-tul-Islam set up?

A branch of Sindh Muhammadan Association was set up with Hassan Ali Effendi as
the 1st president with the objective of setting up an educational institution. The
Institution set up was the Sindh Madrassa-tul-Islam at Karachi in 1885.

The Municipal Committee of Karachi gave the site of Qafila Caravan Serai to Hassan
Ali Effendi to set up the Madrassa on a British public-school pattern which would
impart English education.

On 1 Sep 1885, the Viceroy of India, Lord Dufferin laid the foundation stone of the
Madrassa-tul-Islam School. The principals were British. Teachers and student were
asked to focus on “education” alone with co-curriculum activities taking place in the
spare time of the students. The madrassa provided scholarships to deserving Sindhi
and other students and were affiliated with the University of Bombay for its
Matriculation Certificate.

Q9. What was the role of Darul-Uloom Deoband?

Darul-Uloom Deoband was set up in 1866. This educational institution was for both
traditional and progressive education for Muslims. It was called Deoband in response
to the Western education of the British rulers.

The curriculum was called Dars-i-Nizami but English education was also offered to
those students who wished to pursue it. Law, medicine, religious teaching,
calligraphy and crafts were taught along with the facilities of library, mosque, hostel,
kitchen and administrative block. It was situated few kilometers from Delhi and its
degrees are still recognized by the present government of India.

Q10. What improvement did Nadvat-ul-Ulema bring into its curriculum?

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Nadvat-ul-Ulema was set up in 1898 in Lucknow and it followed the footsteps of

Aligarh Muslim University. Changes were made in curriculum to reform the
education system followed in the Arabic Madrassas. It brought different groups of
Ulema together. Compulsory teaching of English was started in 1905 and Hindi and
Sanskrit were also part of the curriculum.

Other subjects included philosophy, history, geography, logic and Arabic language
and literature.

Q. How Sir Syed legacy or mission was carried on after his death?

Sir Syed’s experiment of combining western education with religious education was
adopted in a different form by other Muslims who wished to safeguard their religious
and cultural heritage. These educational institutions were Deoband Darul-Uloom and
Nadvat-ul-Ulema.

Q. Why was Sir Syed opposed the idea of Muslims joining Congress?

When Congress came into being in 1885, Sir Syed opposed the idea of Muslim
joining it for two reasons:
 If the congress politics caused aggregation, then Muslims might again be blamed
by the British.
 The Congress favoured parliamentary government for India through elections and
Hindus being majority would benefit as the Muslims were in minority.

Q. Why did Sir Syed write ‘Causes of the Indian revolt’ and ‘Loyal Mohammadans
of India’.

Sir Syed wrote ‘Causes of the Indian revolt’ for pointing out to the British that the
Muslims should not be blamed entirely for the revolt; a substantial amount of blame
had to be taken by the rulers themselves whose policies had aggravated the situation.

The ‘Loyal Mohammadans of India’ was relating stories of those Muslims who had
helped save British lives in the 1857 War and who had loyally served the British
rulers.

Q. Discuss how successful the Aligarh movement was?

Sir Syed’s Aligarh movement was an effort to establish a modern system of education
for the Muslims. The movement had a lasting impact on the Muslims of India and
played a significant role in bringing intellectual revolution among the Indian
Muslims.
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Therefore, Aligarh movement was succeeded in achieving its major objectives i.e.,
educational progress and social reforms. His efforts earned Sir Syed the title of
“Prophet of Education”.

Q. How Sir Syed Ahmed Khan started writing?

During his 33 years of loyal services to the British government, Sir Syed took on the
job of self-education. He read histories of the British Empire and started to write
book on the history of the Muslims in Hindustan. His most famous books are:

Asar al-Sanadeed- a description and evaluation of the historical monuments of

Delhi.

Silsilat-ul-Mulk - a chronology of the kings, emperors and monarchs of India from

ancient time up to the Queen Victoria.

His other great interest was religion on which he also wrote many essays.

Shah Waliullah had started a movement in the 18th century to stop the political and
moral decline of the Muslims.

Syed Ahmad Shaheed Bareilvi tried to liberate the Muslims of the Punjab by fighting
the Sikhs.

Haji Shariatullah in Bengal led a movement against the exploitation of Muslims by

Zamindars.

It was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s efforts in the 19th century that led the way for the
reformation and progress of Muslims through “rebirth of learning” and education.

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was born in 1817 in Delhi.

His father was a Sufi with mystic approach to life and mother was a more practical
women who took interest in her son’s education and knowledge of Islam.

On his father’s death in 1838, he entered service with the East India Company as a
junior clerk under an English judge, Mr. Robert Hamilton.

He studied British law and passed the examination with merit.

He soon rose to be a junior judge in 1841.

By 1855, he was promoted to the rank of Sadr-e-Amin, the highest rank an Indian
could reach in the judicial service of the British.
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Sir Syed had to face the anger, abuse and even slander from orthodox Muslims for
his radical views and was even called Kafir or non-believer.

Sir Syed died in 1898 at Aligarh and is buried in the grounds of the university he
established.

Q. How Sir Syed’s view were changed?

Sir Syed was greatly impressed by the advances in technology and progress achieved
by the Europeans, especially the British. He travelled widely and saw for himself the
immense material progress that European nations has achieved.

This brought about a radical change in his thinking and views on life. He wanted the
Muslims of India also to progress in their social and economic lives.

Q. Was Sir Syed against learning Urdu language?

Despite Sir Syed’s efforts to encourage Muslims to learn English and acquire western
education to compete with Hindus in jobs and positions, the protection of Urdu was
very near to his heart.

He supported the progress of Urdu language and literature under Maulvi Abdul Haq,
known as Baba-e-Urdu, who had set up the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu.

Sir Syed wanted to bring a change in the writing of his time by making the Urdu
language simple and clear.

Q2. What was Urdu Hindi controversy?

The Urdu Hindu controversy aroused in 19th century out of the debate over whether
the Hindi or Urdu should be chosen as a national language. Hindus insisted that Hindi
written in the Devangri script and should replace Urdu as the language of the courts
and administration.

Q3. Discuss how two nation theory influenced the minds of muslims?