Background
Syed Ahmed Khan was born on October 17, 1817.
(The nature of Muslim knowledge concerning the West throug...)
The nature of Muslim knowledge concerning the West through travel accounts makes for fascinating reading. The eighteenth-century encounters of Munshi Ihtisamuddin and Mirza Abu Taleb Khan, embedded in their travelogues, however, seem very distant and less urgent. With Syed Ahmed, however, begins an entirely new phase with his interplay between Muslims and the West, on the one hand, and between Islam and Christianity, on the other. Even though his portrait of England is sometimes facile, his account of his travels opens the door to new questions, particularly because this was the period when the relations between Europeans and Indians were at the centre of many debates. Consequently, passages in the Musafiran-i Landan introducing 'Europe' and 'England' are historically important enough to merit attention, since they are not used merely as fulsome descriptions of Western society's advances, but also contain the germ of the justification for an Anglo-Muslim rapprochement. This makes the Musafiran-i Landan an important source for the construction of the history of an era. Its English translation, the first ever to be undertaken in full, makes it accessible to those who have no knowledge of Urdu. Although several accounts of 'India and West' are available, A Voyage to Modernism is of special significance. Set apart from his later endeavours like the Tahzibul Akhlaq and Asar-al Sanadid, it is the Syed's impressions caught in A Voyage to Modernism that mattered to all those who knew anything about his standing in public life and his stature as an enlightened reformer in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. This eminently readable translation is enriched by editorial interventions by translators and editors of the work, and supported by rare archival photographs
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9380607075/?tag=2022091-20
(This book brings together in English translation for the ...)
This book brings together in English translation for the first time the two editions of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's classic account of the monuments and environs of the pre-colonial city of Delhi, titled in Urdu Asar-us-Sanadid (The Remnants of Ancient Heroes). The translator provides a commentary in the form of annotations and appendices that demonstrates the historical development of the text between 1847 and 1854, also reflecting the life of its subject, Delhi, which was to be irreversibly transformed by the cataclysmic events of 1857. The volume includes sketches based on the lithographs in the first Urdu edition. The translation fills a crucial lacuna in the historical archive for nineteenth-century Delhi and will be a valuable resource for urban historians and students of Delhi's monumental history.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9382381872/?tag=2022091-20
educationalist philosopher politician
Syed Ahmed Khan was born on October 17, 1817.
Syed Ahmed trained himself in Moslem law and religion.
Syed Ahmed Khan was employed by the British government. He served in several Indian administrative posts, gave assistance during the 1857 mutiny, and retired with honor 20 years later to devote himself to social and religious reform. In 1862 he formed a scientific society, and 13 years later he assisted in establishing the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, which prospered and became the key intellectual center for Indian Moslems, Aligarh University. The success of the college was largely due to his leadership and a curriculum embodying both Western and Oriental studies. He formed in 1888 an anti-Congress organization, the United Patriotic Association, and called on coreligionists to withdraw from Congress. The massive Moslem response left the Congress without significant Moslem cooperation for 3 decades. By his death on March 27, 1898, Syed Ahmed had indelibly stamped the ideology and life-style of Indian Moslems. His institutions such as the college and the Moslem Educational Conference continued to influence intellectuals, while his political stance remained a basic determinant of Moslem attitudes toward agitation and nationalism.
(This book brings together in English translation for the ...)
(The nature of Muslim knowledge concerning the West throug...)
Syed Ahmed's views on Islam in India fostered his political interest. First, he tried to assure the British of Moslem loyalty by countering the dual charge that Moslems had instigated the mutiny and that they were compelled by religious injunction to rebel against a Christian government. He also urged Moslems to avoid "seditious" political activity. These tactics reflected his belief that if the British were convinced of Moslem support, the resulting official patronage would help Moslems overcome their relative backwardness in education and employment. Two factors were judged necessary for Moslem advance, special British assistance and a reorientation of attitudes among Moslems. Syed Ahmed increasingly opposed Hindu and nationalist leaders after the creation of the Indian National Congress in 1885. Although sympathetic to criticism of British injustice, he saw Congress as a potentially dangerous organization. If enacted, Congress proposals favoring open competition for jobs and elected legislative councils would further hamper the growth of the Moslem minority. Too, association with anti-British politicians might undercut Syed Ahmed's attempt to strengthen Moslem-British ties.
Throughout his life Syed Ahmed showed concern with how Indian Moslems could adapt to intellectual and political change accompanying Western rule. His first mission became reinterpretation of Moslem ideology so as to reconcile tradition with Western education and science. He argued in several books on Islam that the Koran rested on a deep appreciation of reason and natural law and therefore did not preclude Moslem involvement in scientific methodology. These themes, mixed with a call for Moslem education, continually appeared in his journals, the Mohammedan Social Reformer and the Aligarh Institute Gazette. Syed Ahmed's ideas became institutionalized despite criticism from theologians.
Quotations:
“The first requisite for the progress of a nation is the brotherhood and unity amongst sections of the society. ”
“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. ”
“Superstition cannot be the part of Iman (faith). ”
He was a tireless worker who devoted his entire life to the promotion of education for the masses. A highly knowledgeable man and a prolific writer, he wrote on a number of subjects including history, politics, archaeology, journalism, literature, religion and science.
He married Parsa Begum in 1836, and the couple went on to have three children: Syed Hamid, Syed Mahmood and Amina.
He was personally close to Emperor Akbar–II and served as his personal adviser.
He served as Wazir (lit. Minister) in the court of Emperor Akbar–II.
He held a mansab (lit. General)– a high-ranking administrative position and honorary name of "Mir Jawwad Ali Khan" in the court of Emperor Alamgir II.
