Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was born in 1817 in Delhi. He came from a wealthy from a wealthy family which was well known and respected in the area. Great care was taken by his father to ensure that he received a high quality education. By the age of 18 Sir Syed was skilled in Arabic, Persian, mathematics and medicine. He had also been introduced to some of India's most able writers and had developed a love for literature.

In 1838 Sir Syed's father died and he was forced to seek employed. He quickly rose from a lowly position in the legal system to become a judge in Delhi in 1846. That year he wrote his well-known book on archaelogy called Athar-al-Sanadeed. When the war of independence broke out in 1857 Sir Syed was working as a chief judge Bijnaur and is said to have saved the lives of many women and children during the fighting. In return for his loyalty the British offered him an estate with a large income, but he refused the offer. His belief that armed uprising against the British was pointless made his unpopular with some Muslims, but it did not stop him from working towards a reconciliation between the British and the Muslim community after the war. He was appointed Chief Justice in Muradabad and later was transferred to Ghazipore.

In 1864 He was transferred to Aligarh where he played an important part in establishing new college. In 1876 he retired from His work in the law to concentrate on running the college and to devote himself to improving the the position of Muslims in the Sub-continent through education. Aligarh became the centre of a ''Muslim Renaissance''. He died on 27 MARCH 1898, having served his fellow Muslims in a way which few had rivalled.