No doubt a child brings with him hope and forward looking thoughts, but almost 190 years ago, when Khwaja Fariduddin Ahmad held his grandson, Syed Ahmad Khan, in his arms, little did he imagine that the infant would one day be bestowed with the prestigious titles Jawwad-ud-Daula, Dabir-ul-Mulk, Arif Jung, the inseparable Sir and people shall call him with respect Sir Syed Al-Rahma.
Sir Syed was a visionary who realized that it was not a time for confrontation or combat with the British, rather there was an urgent need for reconciliation and regeneration. Sir Syed exhorted his community to come to terms with modernity and the West. He set up an institution on the model of Cambridge University. He sowed a seed in the form of Madarsat-ul-uloom, which in due course of time germinated into the M.A.O College and finally flowered into AMU, a distinguished Central University and one of the most respected modern academic institutions of the Muslim world, shaping the lasting destiny of millions, irrespective of religion, caste or creed.
Sir Syed had a multi disciplinary versatile personality. He was an educationist, a researcher, historian, social reformer, journalist and a political visionary. He introduced reasoning in place of dogma and established a scientific society for this purpose, launched Tahzibul-Akhlaq, a magazine for social reformation. He was a true nationalist and committed secularist in the real sense of inter-community relations. His actions, writings and eloquence institutionalized the concept of nationalism and secularism. He practiced what he preached but never used the notions for political expediency and social hypocrisy.He aws a political visionary, well aware that submission is not synonymous with secularism. It was his endeavour that education at AMU should combine Islamic traditions with science and modern education, striving to build a bridge between the Muslims and the West.
Sir Syed is alive, not in person, but in our will to re-assert and resuscitate his motto pure morality, free enquiry and large hearted tolerance.
Our aim is simply to shatter the disbeliefs and the foreign notions regarding Sir Syeds personality. Those who try to denigrate his personality are successful to a great extent in manipulating the true facets of Sir Syeds personality which in turn makes the people believe that Sir Syed was a non-secularist, a conservative and so on and so forth.
This website aim to modify the tainted views of Sir Syeds life and his efforts for the upliftment of Muslims in particular and Indians in general. The extensive research done by Prof. Iftikhar Alam Khan may be regarded as the most authentic and realistic work for understanding the life and works of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. The writer has meticulously provided the authenticated details in rationale and unbiased manner.
