Encyclopedia of Islam

Ahmad Khan, (Sir) Sayyid

---

began to publish books on Delhi and Mughal his-

tory, revealing that despite his inadequate school-

ing, he had a gift for self-guided learning that 

allowed him to see things in new ways. When the 

1857 uprising occurred, Ahmad Khan remained 

true to British authorities and subsequently took 

some pains to demonstrate to them that most 

Muslims had not supported the rebellion. As part 

of this effort, he even published a commentary on 

the Bible in 1862 to promote better understanding 

between Muslims and Christians. Nonetheless, 

he also felt that Indians should “honestly, openly 

and respectfully speak out their grievances” to the 

British (Gandhi 26).

The real turning point in his career came in 

1869, when he journeyed with his two sons to 

England, where one of them was to be enrolled at 

Cambridge University with a government scholar-

ship. Ahmad Khan stayed in England for about a 

year, became familiar with its system of higher 

edUcation

, and wrote a number of essays on the 

life of Muhammad. When he returned to India, 

he began to publish his ideas for reforming Islam 

in a new journal, Tahdhib-i akhlaq (Refinement 

of morals). There he criticized areas of 

fiqh

 (tra-

ditional religious law) that dealt with polygamy, 

interest, dress, and 

dietary

 

rUles

, arguing that 

many of the traditional rules conflicted with the 

eternal message of the q

Uran

, which was in com-

plete conformity with reason, or natural law. He 

also called for more use of independent judgment 

(ijtihad), especially in relation to modern life. Fur-

thermore, Ahmad Khan implemented what he had 

learned about British education with the founding 

in 1875 of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental Col-

lege in the town of a

ligarh

, where Muslims and 

Hindus were to gain a modern education in the 

arts, science, and law. He also remained involved 

in Indian politics, opposing the creation of the 

Indian National Congress in 1885 because he 

thought that Indians had not yet reached the point 

at which they could really govern themselves. 

He believed a status quo arrangement between 

Indian elites and the British was more realistic, 

and he won support for his views from other lead-

ing Muslims and Hindus. In appreciation for his 

efforts, the British awarded him a knighthood in 

1888. The Indian nationalist currents prevailed, 

however, despite Ahmad Khan’s dream of coop-

erative governance of India by British and Indian 

elites. The last years of his life were spent in 

Aligarh, continuing his efforts at reform and writ-

ing a modernist commentary on the Quran.

See also  a

ll

-i

ndia

  m

Uslim

  l

eagUe

;  h

indUism

and

 i

slam

; 

reneWal

 

and

 

reForm

 

movements

.