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(The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, professor Shafey Kidwai explains how Sir Syed Ahmad Khan stood by reason while championing the cause of modern education.)
“When a nation becomes devoid of arts and learning, it invites poverty,” said Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, popularly known as Sir Syed, as he championed the cause of modern education at a time when blind adherence to ancestral beliefs looked gratifying, and people sought succour from the superstition taken as religion.
It is evident in the observation of American sociologist William H Whyte who described India in colonial times as a religious, not a political, continent because of the centrality of religiosity, not spirituality. In the clerical, oppressed national culture, arts, literature and pursuit of learning did no good, leaving the nation tattered on all counts.
Hence, Sir Syed’s advocacy for modern education is a testament to his progressive vision that enabled him to make significant contributions to modern India. However, his alignment with the British and his community, at times, led to criticism of him as a British collaborator and a promoter of faith-based identity.
Let’s explore how this modernist and progressive thinker “preached the gospel of free enquiry of large hearted tolerance and of pure morality”.
Not many know that Sir Syed was one of the prominent public intellectuals of nineteenth-century India who confronted unsettling questions across a broad spectrum of issues, including religion, culture, history, identity, education, morality, ethics, patriotism, nationalism, human rights, western worldview, modern sciences, polity, and ethnicity.
At the core of his intellectual pursuit was his unwavering commitment to reason. Sir Syed sought to elucidate and resolve the conflict by being on the side of reason. It has been inspiring generations to come without a rhetorical flourish. For instance, he believed that sentimental attachment to one’s religion and culture produces a sense of self-exaltation and thwarts personal and national progress.
Cultural pluralism was very close to Sir Syed’s heart, and his writings tell a nuanced story of colonised India’s ideological and social crosscurrents. Through his periodicals and a couple of other newspapers, including Oudh Akhbar and The Pioneer, he tried to eliminate the sectarian attitude that fostered emotionally charged and conservative points of view.
The launch of three bilingual periodicals – The Loyal Mohammedans of India (1860), The Aligarh Institute Gazette (1866), and The Tehzibul Akhlakh (1870) – was a significant step by Sir Syed in abating the medievalist worldview and faith-based bigotry that plagued Indian society.
Sir Syed looked at bigotry as the worst human trait, striking at the roots of virtues and qualities humans must possess. His critique of bigotry was a powerful call for a more enlightened society. In his well-argued article on bigotry published in Tehzibul Akhlakh (December 1870), he pointed out, “bigotry prevents man from acquiring virtues, and a bigot lacks justice and fair play, man’s best qualities. Man is naturally social and cannot fulfil all the necessary needs alone.
“He requires helpers who can be won by love and friendship. Both intellectual and natural laws demand that a man adopt the more beneficial things and bring more comfort, capability and honour. But a bigot is deprived of all these blessings. Art, craft and knowledge are such good things that each should be acquired to the highest degree.”
He further warned that bigotry becomes a threat to society when it appears in the garb of religious virtue – despite the fact that bigotry is hardly linked to religion. He asserted, “We must be firm in our religion with great sincerity and honestly get rid of bigotry, which is a bad trait of our character. All human beings are our brethren. Our natural obligation is to love them all, deal with them honestly, have sincere friendship, and sincerely wish for their well-being.”
This commitment to progress and the well-being of all was reflected in Sir Syed’s advocacy for education. His top priority remained propagating education among Indians. Initially, he pleaded for imparting modern education through the vernacular, but a visit to England (1869-1870) changed his outlook.
During a visit to Cambridge and Oxford, his interaction with British academia convinced him that modern knowledge through English could change their fortune. On his return, Sir Syed dedicated himself to establishing a school modelled on Cambridge and Oxford to impart modern education to Indians.
In 1875, he founded Madrasatul Uloom – a school modelled after British institutions that included hostel facilities for students. In 1877, the school was elevated to a college and renamed the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College. It was inaugurated by then Viceroy Lord Lytton.
Primarily targeting Muslims, MAO College kept its door open to all communities, and a sizeable number of Hindus joined the college. It is worth mentioning that the first graduate was Ishwari Prasad. From 1877 to 1898, 182 students passed different examinations. At the time of Sir Syed’s death on March 27, 1898, there were 285 Muslim and 64 Hindu students.
On the occasion of laying the foundation of the College, Sir Syed mentioned, “this college may expand into a university whose sons shall go forth throughout the length and breadth of the earth to preach the gospel of free enquiry, of large-hearted tolerance and of pure morality.”
Khaliq Ahmad Nizami rightly concluded that Sir Syed envisaged a community institution, not a communal one. Later, in 1920, MAO College became Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) – one of India’s premier educational institutions.
Apart from his contributions to education, Sir Syed was also active in governance. He served twice as a member of the Viceregal Council (1878-1883), as a member of the Lieutenant Governor’s Council of the North-Western Province (1887), and as part of the Imperial Education Commission (1888) and the Royal Public Service Commission (1886).
His speeches, manifesting his engagement with social, cultural, moral and political issues, and the ideological undercurrents of his time resonate with contemporary challenges. It offers valuable insights into navigating complex issues and fostering mutual trust, coexistence, justice, and social equality.
“When a nation becomes devoid of arts and learning, it invites poverty,” said Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. In light of this statement, assess the role of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as a reformer in modern India.
How did Sir Syed’s commitment to reason shape his response to religious and social issues in 19th-century India?
How is Sir Syed’s vision relevant in addressing contemporary challenges?
What lessons can be drawn from Sir Syed’s emphasis on mutual trust, coexistence, and justice for today’s society?
(Shafey Kidwai, a bilingual author, is a professor of Mass Communication at Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.)
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