Social and Political Services of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s contributions to the Muslim community are genuinely outstanding. The socio-political contributions of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan made him a ‘saviour’ of the Muslims of the Sub-continent amid British Raj. To what extent did Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s political and social work during British rule in the Subcontinent earn him the title “saviour” of the region’s Muslim population? Let’s explore this in the following paragraphs.

The Muslims in the region looked to him as their true saviour at that time. The numberless benefits he has brought to Muslims cannot be underestimated. He brings Muslims and the British closer together and helps to resolve the misunderstanding that arose during the struggle for independence between the two groups. The following are the main actions that he made to accomplish what he set out to do.

Causes of the Indian mutiny

The members of the British Parliament were the intended audience for Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s (RA) book, which was named “Asbab-e- Baghawat-e-Hind.” In this work, he tried to demonstrate that the rebellion that occurred in 1857 was not, in any way, a war of independence; instead, this had been nothing more than an upheaval sparked by a small group of rebels.

He said that specific measures of the British government that were not very sensible helped pave the way for the turmoil that ultimately led to this sad occurrence. Sir Syed  (R.A.) consistently referred to the events of 1857 as a mutiny, even though most Muslims preferred to refer to it as the “War of Independence.”

Social Services

The loyal Muhammadans of the Indian

In 1860, Sir Syed (R.A.) published the first issue of the magazine “Loyal Muhammadans of India.” In this publication, he began to promote the services of Muslim lords who had risked their lives to rescue the lives of British authorities and civilians. He did this to bring attention to their heroic actions.

Literary services

Sir Syed (R.A.) penned several books and tracts, the most notable of which were Tehqiq-e-lafz-Nasara, Tobin-ul-Kalam (a commentary of the Bible), Risala-Ehkam-e-Toem-Ahle-e-Kitab, and Aligarh Institute Gazette. These works were written to foster better relations between the British rulers and Muslims.

Establishment of Schools

During the time that he was in service, Sir Sayyid (R.A.) established educational institutions in many locations, including Murad Abad (1859) and Ghazipur (1862).

 Establishment of the Scientific Society

The “Scientific Society” was the name that Sir Sayyid (R.A.) gave to the organisation he founded to translate significant works of English scholarship into Urdu.

 Study of the British Education System

It was 1869 when Sir Sayyid (R.A.) travelled to England. He made the most of this opportunity by travelling to several of Britain’s most prestigious educational institutions. After conducting an in-depth analysis of the academic programmes offered by these institutions, he established a committee in India and gave it the name “Khawastgaran-e-Taraqi-e-Taleem-e-Muslmamnan-e-Hind” (which translates to “Khawastgaran of the Curriculum of Muslim Educational Institutions in India”).

 Establishment of the M.A.O School

In 1875, the committee Khawastgaran-e-Taraqi-e-Taleem-e-Musaslamana-e-Hindes established a school in Aligarh known as the “Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental School.” This was the first step in the process.

Establishment of the M.A.O College

In 1877, the M.A.O. School received college status, making it equivalent to modern-day universities. In addition to laying the first stone of the College’s foundation, Viceroy Lord Lytton gave the institution a monetary donation of ten thousand rupees from his personal wealth.

 Establishment Of the Muhammadan Educational Conference

In 1886, Sir Syed (R.A.) created the Muhammadan Educational Conference to inspire Muslims to advance their education and become more contemporary. Annual gatherings of the Conference took place across India in a variety of historically significant locations each time. During the annual meeting of the Conference that took place in Dacca in 1906, the Muslim League was established there.

Political Services

Sir Syed’s (R.A.) services in the field of politics are highly meritorious; the following two are the most significant:

Member of the Imperial legislative council

Since he was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council, he was able to raise Indian issues with the Indian Government effectively.

Urdu Hindi Controversy

In 1867, the Hindus of Benaras began a movement in which they demanded that Hindi replace Urdu as the official language of the country rather than Urdu. This unwelcoming gesture left the great proponent of Hindu-Muslim harmony, Sir Sayyid (RA), feeling profoundly disheartened and frustrated. It was a clear result of his Hindu outreach that he demanded a separate electorate for Hindus. He insisted that the number of Muslim seats in the Viceroy’s Council is capped and that Hindu voters should be the only ones to elect Hindu members of the council, while Muslim voters should be the only ones to elect Muslim members.