“To be treated cruelly by your brethren,
But to live for their good;
To be pierced by the arrow,
and to remain fond of the arrow;
To live anxious to serve your nation,
And to die with that anxiety in your heart.
You may aspire to be a Syed Ahmed,
If you can live up to his ideal life.”
- Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali
But to live for their good;
To be pierced by the arrow,
and to remain fond of the arrow;
To live anxious to serve your nation,
And to die with that anxiety in your heart.
You may aspire to be a Syed Ahmed,
If you can live up to his ideal life.”
- Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali
“A man may die, civilizations may rise and fall, but his ideas live on.”
So does the vision of this enlightened soul – living through the Thirty thousand students, fourteen hundred teachers and many more alumni of this noble institution and will continue to do so for many generations to come.
The man who struck a perfect balance between the intellect of the West and the traditions of the East – laying more emphasis on mind than on matter, standing for Liberalism than for Conservatism – this is the man who lifted Muslims from the depths of uncertainty and took them towards the light of modernity. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the Founder of this Cambridge of the East needs no special introduction.
He was no less than a Messiah for the entire Muslim community which had to face the vengeance and hatred of the British Rule after the Revolt of 1857. As a desperate measure he launched the Aligarh Movement with Educational and Social reforms at its core. Sir Syed firmly and rightly believed that the ultimate panacea for upliftment of Muslims was education as was clearly evident in his words, “Acquisition of knowledge of Science and Technology is the only solution for the problems of Muslims.”
Sir Syed compiled and published ‘The Loyal Mohammedans of India’ and also wrote the famous book ‘Asab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind’ (‘The Causes of the Indian Revolt’ in English). These writings and publications dramatically changed the outlook of the British towards Muslims, thus reducing the prevalent hostility and hatred against the community.
The whole life of Sir Syed Ahmad was an example of ‘large hearted tolerance’ and ‘religious coexistence’. He strived relentlessly for the upliftment of the Muslim community, but at the same time never failed to emphasize the importance of religious and communal harmony, as is evident in his words- “We (Hindus and Muslims) eat the same crop, drink water from the same river and breath the same air. As a matter of fact we are the two eyes of the beautiful bride, that is, Hindustaan. Weakness of any one of them will spoil the beauty of this bride.”
Sir Syed always advocated that logic and scientific reasoning must prevail over blind belief. He urged the people to differentiate between superstition and faith. “Get rid of superstitions, they hinder human progress. Superstition cannot be a part of faith.” he said.
The Scientific Society, started in 1863, aimed at creating a scientific temperament among the Muslims and to make the Western knowledge available to Indians in their own language. The Aligarh Institute Gazette, an organ of the Scientific Society was started in 1866 and succeeded in transforming the minds in the traditional Muslim society. Another journal, ‘Tehzibul Akhlaq’ (named in English as ‘Mohammedan Social Reformer’ ) was also started by Sir Syed.
Sir Syed’s untiring efforts led to the establishment of the Mohammedan Anglo Oreintal (MAO) College in 1875, which marks one of the most important events in the educational and social events in the history of Modern India. In 1920, the MAO College was elevated to the status of a Central University by an Act of Parliament.
A visionary par excellence, his thoughts and teachings remain as enlightening, as refreshing and as relevant as ever even today. All throughout his life, he stressed on three main points-
Firstly - Education is the only means of ensuring the development of the weaker sections of the society so that there is no feeling of discrimination and neglect, and the whole community progresses as a single unit.
Secondly – the need for Communal Harmony and Mutual Tolerance for the wholesome development of the Nation. Religious and cultural differences should never stand in the way of development and progress.
and Thirdly – that Scientific reasoning and logic should prevail over mindless and superstitious rituals.
The essence of his teachings and thoughts is the ultimate remedy for all the problems our country is facing today. Be it the regional clashes like those in Maharashtra, or religious ones like in Orissa and Gujrat.
The implementation of his teachings will help to fill the vast lacuna that exists between the rich and developed, and the poor and underprivileged.
So does the vision of this enlightened soul – living through the Thirty thousand students, fourteen hundred teachers and many more alumni of this noble institution and will continue to do so for many generations to come.
The man who struck a perfect balance between the intellect of the West and the traditions of the East – laying more emphasis on mind than on matter, standing for Liberalism than for Conservatism – this is the man who lifted Muslims from the depths of uncertainty and took them towards the light of modernity. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the Founder of this Cambridge of the East needs no special introduction.
He was no less than a Messiah for the entire Muslim community which had to face the vengeance and hatred of the British Rule after the Revolt of 1857. As a desperate measure he launched the Aligarh Movement with Educational and Social reforms at its core. Sir Syed firmly and rightly believed that the ultimate panacea for upliftment of Muslims was education as was clearly evident in his words, “Acquisition of knowledge of Science and Technology is the only solution for the problems of Muslims.”
Sir Syed compiled and published ‘The Loyal Mohammedans of India’ and also wrote the famous book ‘Asab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind’ (‘The Causes of the Indian Revolt’ in English). These writings and publications dramatically changed the outlook of the British towards Muslims, thus reducing the prevalent hostility and hatred against the community.
The whole life of Sir Syed Ahmad was an example of ‘large hearted tolerance’ and ‘religious coexistence’. He strived relentlessly for the upliftment of the Muslim community, but at the same time never failed to emphasize the importance of religious and communal harmony, as is evident in his words- “We (Hindus and Muslims) eat the same crop, drink water from the same river and breath the same air. As a matter of fact we are the two eyes of the beautiful bride, that is, Hindustaan. Weakness of any one of them will spoil the beauty of this bride.”
Sir Syed always advocated that logic and scientific reasoning must prevail over blind belief. He urged the people to differentiate between superstition and faith. “Get rid of superstitions, they hinder human progress. Superstition cannot be a part of faith.” he said.
The Scientific Society, started in 1863, aimed at creating a scientific temperament among the Muslims and to make the Western knowledge available to Indians in their own language. The Aligarh Institute Gazette, an organ of the Scientific Society was started in 1866 and succeeded in transforming the minds in the traditional Muslim society. Another journal, ‘Tehzibul Akhlaq’ (named in English as ‘Mohammedan Social Reformer’ ) was also started by Sir Syed.
Sir Syed’s untiring efforts led to the establishment of the Mohammedan Anglo Oreintal (MAO) College in 1875, which marks one of the most important events in the educational and social events in the history of Modern India. In 1920, the MAO College was elevated to the status of a Central University by an Act of Parliament.
A visionary par excellence, his thoughts and teachings remain as enlightening, as refreshing and as relevant as ever even today. All throughout his life, he stressed on three main points-
Firstly - Education is the only means of ensuring the development of the weaker sections of the society so that there is no feeling of discrimination and neglect, and the whole community progresses as a single unit.
Secondly – the need for Communal Harmony and Mutual Tolerance for the wholesome development of the Nation. Religious and cultural differences should never stand in the way of development and progress.
and Thirdly – that Scientific reasoning and logic should prevail over mindless and superstitious rituals.
The essence of his teachings and thoughts is the ultimate remedy for all the problems our country is facing today. Be it the regional clashes like those in Maharashtra, or religious ones like in Orissa and Gujrat.
The implementation of his teachings will help to fill the vast lacuna that exists between the rich and developed, and the poor and underprivileged.
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