Q2.

Which of the following services of Sir Syed played the

most
important role in the revival of Muslims in the
subcontinent?
(14)
1. Political
2. Educational
3. Social
Ans. In the darkest hours of their life, the Muslim
community
produced a great and courageous leader in the person of
Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan who rendered invaluable services for the
cause of
downtrodden Muslims of his time. His educational, political
and
social services played a great role for the revival of Muslim
community in the subcontinent.
Among his educational services a school was established
in
Muradabad in 1859 and also in Ghazipore in 1864. In
1863 he
founded a Scientific Society in Ghazipore where scientific
works
were translated from English into Persian and Urdu for
better
understanding of Muslims. In 1864 the Scientific Society
issued
the Aligarh Institute Gazette. He visited England in 1869
and, on

his return, started his famous movement for the

establishment of
the Muslim University. So in 1875 the Muhammadan Anglo
Oriental School was set up. It was upgraded to a college
level in
1876 and then to the University of Aligarh in 1921. In 1886
the
Muhammadan Educational Conference was set up to raise
the
educational standard of Muslims living in the subcontinent.
He did a great deal to improve the relations between the
British
and the Muslims. The war of 1857 had developed great
mistrust
between the British and the Muslims. The British blamed
the
Muslims for starting the revolt. To clarify the causes of the
war Sir
Syed wrote Essay on the Causes of the Indian Revolt in
which he
stated that the Muslims were dragged into the war by the
Hindus.
He also issued the Loyal Muhammadan of India to
remove the
wrong perception of the British that the Muslims were
disloyal. In
it he outlined the loyal services the Muslims had rendered
to the
British Empire. The British resented being called Nadarath
but Sir

Syed clarified that Nadarath came from an Arabic word

Nasir
meaning helper. He wrote a book Tabyin-ul-Kalam which
was a
commentary on Bible. In it he also pointed out the
similarities
between Islam and Christianity. Through this book he
proved that
Muslims could eat with Christians. He also issued an Urdu
journal
called Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq which contained articles from
influential
Muslims. In it he also criticized the conservative attitude of
the
Muslims and emphasized the need to study.
In 1885 when the Indian National Congress was founded,
Sir Syed
soon came to know that it was to work only for Hindu
interests.
As it was a threat to Muslims, Sir Syed openly demanded
for
separate seats for Muslims in local elections so they had
the right
to speak out. He restrained Muslims from joining the
Congress
instead he organized an alternative body called the United
Patriotic Alliance which in 1893 became the Muhammadan
Defense Alliance. In the beginning,. Sir Syed was a great
advocate of Hindu-Muslim Unity but the Hindi-Urdu
controversy of

1867 had brought a change in his political thinking. In it

Hindus
openly demonstrated against Urdu language and instead
wanted
Hindi to become the official language. In response to this
he
developed his Two-Nation Theory in which he clarified that
Muslims and Hindus were two separate nations who could
never
live together. This Theory later on became the base of
Pakistan
Movement.
In view of the services rendered by Sir Syed to the Muslim
community, his social services were the most important.
His
social services improved the relations between Muslims
and
British. Had the relations not improved, the Muslims would
have
still been considered as disloyal. They would not have got
the
right to express their demands nor would they have been
able to
counter the Hindus. With the help of these services, the
Muslims
recognized their identity as a separate nation.
Q3. Why did Sir Syed present his Two Nation Theory? (7)
Q4. Why was Sir Syed accused of being pro- British? (7)
Ans. After the War of Independence in 1857, sir Syed
started

working to bridge the gap between Muslims and British but

he
was accused of being pro-British. This perception was due
to
some reasons. When the war of 1857 had broke out, sir
Syed was
working as a chief judge in Bijnaur. He saved the lives of
many
British women and children. This made the Muslims
unhappy and
they labeled him as a traitor. Another thing which may
have
become the reason was that he advocated scientific ideas
and
western education. In his Urdu journal Tahdbib-ul-Akhlaq
he
asked Muslims to gain scientific knowledge and western
education whereas the Muslims at that time considered
scientific
education as un-Islamic. Thirdly he advocated English as
the
medium of education and that Muslims could only get their
right
when they will know how to speak English. Also to counter
the
Hindus, they would have to know how to speak English.
These
reasons may well support that why was Sir Syed Ahmad
accused
of being pro-British.
Q5. What was the Aligarh Movement? (4)

Ans. The Aligarh movement was the movement led by Sir

Syed
Ahmed Khan after the 1857 rebellion. It aims were to
develop
good will between the British and Muslims by removing
British
doubts about Muslims loyalty and Muslim doubts about
British
intentions, to improve the social and economic position of
the
Muslims by encouraging them to receive Western
Education and
take up posts in civil service and army and also to
increase
political awareness amongst Muslims that there was a
threat to
their position from Hindu side. Its most significant
achievement
was the establishment of Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental
College at
Aligarh, which later became Aligarh Muslim University.
Q6. For what services do Muslims remember Sir Syed
Ahmad
Khan? (10)
Ans. In the darkest hours of their life, the Muslim
community
produced a great and courageous leader in the person of
Sir Syed
Ahmad Khan who rendered invaluable services for the
cause of

downtrodden Muslims of his time. His educational, political

and
social services played a great role for the revival of Muslim
community in the subcontinent.
Among his educational services a school was established
in
Muradabad in 1859 and also in Ghazipore in 1864. In
1863 he
founded a Scientific Society in Ghazipore where scientific
works
were translated from English into Persian and Urdu for
better
understanding of Muslims. In 1864 the Scientific Society
issued
the Aligarh Institute Gazette. He visited England in 1869
and, on
his return, started his famous movement for the
establishment of
the Muslim University. So in 1875 the Muhammadan Anglo
Oriental School was set up. It was upgraded to a college
level in
1876 and then to the University of Aligarh in 1921. In 1886
the
Muhammadan Educational Conference was set up to raise
the
educational standard of Muslims living in the subcontinent.
He did a great deal to improve the relations between the
British
and the Muslims. The war of 1857 had developed great
mistrust

between the British and the Muslims. The British blamed

the
Muslims for starting the revolt. To clarify the causes of the
war Sir
Syed wrote Essay on the Causes of the Indian Revolt in
which he
stated that the Muslims were dragged into the war by the
Hindus.
He also issued the Loyal Muhammadan of India to
remove the
wrong perception of the British that the Muslims were
disloyal. In
it he outlined the loyal services the Muslims had rendered
to the
British Empire. The British resented being called Nadarath
but Sir
Syed clarified that Nadarath came from an Arabic word
Nasir
meaning helper. He wrote a book Tabyin-ul-Kalam which
was a
commentary on Bible. In it he also pointed out the
similarities
between Islam and Christianity. Through this book he
proved that
Muslims could eat with Christians. He also issued an Urdu
journal
called Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq which contained articles from
influential
Muslims. In it he also criticized the conservative attitude of
the
Muslims and emphasized the need to study.

In 1885 when the Indian National Congress was founded,

Sir Syed
soon came to know that it was to work only for Hindu
interests.
As it was a threat to Muslims, Sir Syed openly demanded
for
separate seats for Muslims in local elections so they had
the right
to speak out. He restrained Muslims from joining the
Congress
instead he organized an alternative body called the United
Patriotic Alliance which in 1893 became the Muhammadan
Defense Alliance. In the beginning,. Sir Syed was a great
advocate of Hindu-Muslim Unity but the Hindi-Urdu
controversy of
1867 had brought a change in his political thinking. In it
Hindus
openly demonstrated against Urdu language and instead
wanted
Hindi to become the official language. In response to this
he
developed his Two-Nation Theory in which he clarified that
Muslims and Hindus were two separate nations who could
never
live together. This Theory later on became the base of
Pakistan
Movement.
In short, sir Syed came forward to guide the Muslims when
they
were on the verge of elimination from the Indian society
because

of Hindu and British domination. He awakened the

Muslims to
animate their dormant spirits in order to put up a resolute
struggle for the revival of their past position of eminence.
He can
rightly be called the father of the Pakistan Movement.

. Education
Sir Syed gave much importance to modern education and his
efforts and contribution to Muslim education and his efforts
and contribution to Muslim education is very important. He
opened schools at several places where he was posted. He
established Scientific Society and printed the Aligarh Institute
Gazette. He was visited England in 1869 on his own expenses
to observe the working of British Universities. Most important
achievement in education sector was the founding of M.A.O
College at Aligarh in 1877. Sir Syed founded the
Mohammadens Educational Conference whose objective was to
discuss and solve the education problems of Muslims in the
sub-continent. His efforts for Muslim education served double
purpose. It helped the Muslims to get good jobs and raised
their status in society. It also helped in removing the mistrust
between the British and the Muslims. Therefore education was
the most important aspect of Sir Syeds services in the
Muslims of India.

3. Politics
Sir Syeds advice to Muslims in the political field is also
important. He believed that under the European system or
democratic government the Muslims of India would always be
at the mercy of Hindu majority. He suggested separate

electorate for Muslims. He advised the Muslims not to join

Congress. He opposed the system of competitive examinations
for government posts because Muslims were much behind the
Hindus in education. Sir Syed strongly opposed the
replacement of Urdu with Hindi as court and official language.

4.Religion
In Religion Sir Syed united the Muslims by supporting the Two
Nation Theory and the Hindi-Urdu controversy of 1867 in
which Hindus wanted Hindi to be the official language while
the Muslims wanted Urdu. He realised the threat to Muslims so
united them and gave them good education.

i) Sir Syeds Educational Services

ii) Sir Syeds Political Services
iii) Sir Syeds Literary works
iv) Sir Syeds Social Services
i) Sir Syeds Educational Services:
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was the first Muslim leader who realized the importance of education
for his people. In order to equip Muslim with the ornament of knowledge, he opened many
educational institutions and societies which revolutionised the life of the Muslims.
Two Madrassahs in Muradabad (1859) and Ghaziabad (1862) which imparted education in
Persian.
In 1864, Sir Syed laid the foundation of a Scientific Society which translated English works
into Urdu.

 M.A.O High School was founded in 1875.

In 1877, M.A.O High School was given the status of a college and inaugurated by Viceroy
Lord Lytton. Later on, this college became a University in 1920A.D.
Muhammadan Educational Conference:
Sir Syed Ahmed khan established Muhammadan Educational Conference in 1886 in order
to bring political awareness among the Muslims. The Conference held its annual
conferences regularly till 1906 when in its Dhaka session All-India Muslim League was
founded.
ii) Political Service:
Sir Syed Ahmed khan rendered meritorious political services in order to defend the rights of
the Muslims. His services were as under:
After the War of Independence 1857, sir Syed compiled a pamphlet entitled Rasala-iAsbab-e-Baghawat-i-Hind, in which he explained to the British that the Muslims were not
the only force behind the catastrophe of 1857. He enlisted the following factors which led to
the uprising.
a) Misunderstanding of the people about the rulers.
b) Maladministration by the army.
c) Governments unawareness of the conditions and grievance of the people.
d) Promulgation of regulations which were contrary to the wishes of the people.
Sir Syed Ahmed khan wrote a commentary on William hunters book.
He is regarded as one of the greatest exponents of Two-Nation theory because after the
Hindu-Urdu controversy he was convinced that Hindus were not sincere towards the
Muslims. Answering a query of Mr. Shakespeare, Commissioner of Banaras, he remarked."
Now I am convinced that both these communities will not join whole-heartedly in anything
though, at present, there was no open hostility between the two communities, but on
account of the so-called educated people it will increase immensely in future."
Sir Syed founded a Patriotic Association in order to counter the anti-Muslim propaganda
by the Hindus.
Soon after the establishment of Indian National Congress, he came to realise that it was a
purely Hindu organisation. Consequently, he asked the Muslims to desist taking part in its
activities.
He proposed the system of separate electorate for the Muslims in order to protect the
political rights of the Muslim Community. He highlighted his views in this regard in a
speech in 1883 by saying, "The system of representation by election means the
representation of the views and interests of the majority of the population".
iii) Sir Syeds Literary Works:

Sir Syed Ahmed khan was not only a prominent educationalist but also a capable author.
His writings include the following:
Asarul Sanadid
Rasala-i-Asbab-e-Baghawat-i-Hind
Tarikh Sarkashi-e-Bijnaur
Risalah Ahkam-i-Taam-i-Ahle-Kitab
Tabeen-Ul-Kalam
Kutbat-e-Ahmadiyah
Risalah Tehzib-Ul-Akhlaq
Jame-Jama
iv) Sir Syeds Social Services:
Sir Syed wanted that Muslims of the Sub-continent should get an honourable position in the
Hindu dominated society. For this purpose he not only opened many schools but also
established an orphanage at Muradabad to provide refuge to the orphan Muslim children.
In fact his whole life revolved round his desire for the betterment of his community.
He took several steps for the revival and betterment of the Muslims. He wrote the most
influential magazine Tehzib-ul-Akhlaq in which he outlined the ethical aspects of the
Muslims life. In this magazine he criticized the conservative way of the Muslims and
advised them to adopt new trends of life.
He set himself to the task of protecting the Urdu from being faded away and replaced by
English. He worked laboriously for the promotion of Urdu and gave a new tone and colour
to the Urdu literature. He founded Anjuman-i-Tarki-i-Urdu which worked for the protection
of Urdu. He wrote another magazine as Ahkam-i-Taam-i-Ahle-Kitab in which the principles
and etiquettes of eating and dinning in Islam were discussed. In this magazine Sir Syed
wrote that it was not against Islam to eat with the Christians on the same table. He gave
references from the Quran and proved that it was not un-Islamic to eat with a nation who
was the bearer of Holy book.
v) Sir Syeds Religious Services:
Sir Syed rendered many religious services through his movement.
Essay On Life Of Muhammad (PBUH)
William Muir, a Christian writer, wrote a book, "Life of Muhammad of (PBUH)" and used
derogatory remarks against the last prophet of Islam. Sir Syed took frequent notices of his
book and wrote essays on the life of (PBUH) named Kutbat-i-Ahmadiyah in which he gave
befitting reply to William Muir.
Tabeen-e-Alkalam:

Sir Syed also wrote a commentary on Bible in a philosophical style and explained the
similarities between the Islam and Christianity with solid arguments.

Educational Services
Sir Syed rightly said,
From the seed which we sow today there may spring up a mighty tree whose branches, like those of
the banyan of the soil, shall in their turn strike firm roots into the earth and themselves send forth
new and vigorous saplings. This college may expand into a university whose sons shall go forth
throughout the length and breadth of the land to preach the gospel of free enquiry, of large hearted
toleration, and of pure morality.
Sir Syed established Gulshan School at Muradabad in 1859, Victoria School at Ghazipur in 1863, and a
scientific society in 1864. In April 1864, Syed Ahmad Khan was transferred to Aligarh where he took
the office of the newly founded Society. The Aligarh Institute Gazette, which was published in two
languages English and Urdu. Its two-fold object was to keep the British informed of the trends of
Indian opinion and enable the Indians to appreciate the methods of British administration.
When Sir Syed was posted at Aligarh in 1867, he started the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental School in
the city. Sir Syed got the opportunity to visit England in 1869-70. During his stay, he studied the
British educational system and appreciated it. On his return home he decided to make M. A. O. High
School on the pattern of British boarding schools. The School later became a college in 1875. The
status of University was given to the college after the death of Sir Syed in 1920. M. A. O. High School,
College and University played a big role in the awareness of the Muslims of South Asia. The following
were some of the famous associations which were founded for the uplift of the Muslims.
The Muhammadan Educational Conference(1886)
The Indian Patriatic Association(1888)
The Mohammadan Defence Association of Upper India(1893)
The Mohammad Anglo-Oriental Defense Association
Social Services
Sir Syed was much worried about the social conditions of the Muslims and desired to see the revival of
the Muslims in their social life. He published the most influential magazine Tahzib-ul-Aklaq in which he
outlined the ethical aspects of the Muslim life. In this magazine, he criticized the conservative way of
life and advised them to adopt new trends of life. He opened a number of orphan houses in order to
provide them shelter. He did not want these children going to Christian missionaries.
For the promotion of Urdu, he founded Anjuman-i-Tariki-i-Urdu. He also wrote Akham-i-Taam-i-AhleKitab in which he highlighted that it was not against Islam to eat with the Christians on the same
table.
Religious Services

It was a gloomy period when Muslims were not allowed to practice their religion as they wanted. The
Aligarh Movement protected the religious activities of the Muslims by defending them against the
Christians Missionaries who were against Islam.
A Christian writer, Sir William Muir, had written a book on Life of Muhammad in which he had
criticized the Holy Prophet(PBUH). So Sir Syed had great love for the Holy Prophet and his remarkable
work, the Essays on the Life of Muhammad, is an ample proof of his love and reverence which he
always carried for the Holy Prophet(PBUH)