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Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was born in Delhi on 17th October I 817. He
started his career as a Naib Munshi in Agra, and promoted to Naib
Amin (Sharishtadar or reader) in Delhi 1838. He qualified three year
later as a sub-judge and served in the judicial department at various
places. The independence war of 1857 was one of the turning points
of Sir Syed Ahmed's life. So he devoted himself to the welfare of the
Indians irrespective of their race and religion. But the communal
attitude of the Hindus towards the Muslims compelled him to change
his view about them. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a great lover of Islam.
Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, he became the
pioneer of Muslim nationalism in lndia and is widely credited as the
father of the two-nation theory,which formed the basis of the
Pakistan movement
Sir Syed was extremely unhappy about the position of Muslims in the
subcontinent. Since the days of the Mughal declined the social and
economic status of Muslims had declined sharply and the role of
Muslims in the war of Independence had left further decline as British
took measures to ensure that their control was unchallenged.
Sir Syed Ahmed felt that the poor status of Muslims was due to they
were treated as second class citizen by British and Hindus and they
had to take some responsibilities themselves. Most Muslims thought
that British were no more than just invaders and they had nothing to do
with them. Sir Syed Ahmed believed that Muslims had to accept that
the British were there rulers and could only improve if they have a
positive approach towards them. They needed to accept the British
7. MODERNIZATION:
Sir Syed believed in the modernization of the Muslim community to
keep pace with the changing times. He encouraged Muslims to
embrace science, technology, and Western knowledge while staying
true to their faith.
8.RATIONAL THINKING:
Sir Syed emphasized the importance of rational thinking and critical
analysis. He encouraged Muslims to question traditional beliefs and
practices, promoting a scientific and logical approach to
understanding the world.
"The first stone of the foundation of Pakistan was laid by this old
man."