Muslim Reform Movements
The Aligarh Movement and Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan[1817-1898]
Movements for religious reform were late in emerging among the Muslims. The Muslim upper classes had tended to avoid contact with western education and culture. After the Revolt of 1857 modern ideas of religious reforms began to appear among the Muslims. A beginning in this direction was made when the Muhammedan Literary Society was founded at Calcutta in 1863. This society promoted discussions of religious, social and political questions in the light of modern ideas and encouraged Muslims to take to western education.
The Aligarh Movement and Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan[1817-1898]
The most important reformer among the Muslims was Sayyid Ahmed Khan. He was impressed by modern scientific thought and worked all his life to reconcile it with Islam. He tried to modernize the outlook of the Muslims. He tried to reform the social abuses in the Muslim community.
He declared that Quran alone was the authoritative work and all other Islamic writings were secondary. He interpreted the Quran in the light of rationalism and science. In his opinion any interpretation of the Quran that conflicted with human reason or nature was in reality a misinterpretation. He condemned the institution of slavery. His progressive social ideas were propagated through his magazine ‘Tahadhib-ul-Akhlaq’.
All his life he struggled against blind obedience to tradition, ignorance and irrationalism. He urged the people to develop a critical approach and freedom of thought. He also warned against fanaticism, narrow mindedness, and exclusiveness. He urged students and others to be broadminded and tolerant.
He urged Muslims to give up medieval customs and ways of thought and behaviour. He advocated removal of purdah and spread of education among women. He also condemned the customs of polygamy and easy divorce.
Sayyed Ahmed Khan believed that the religious and social life of the Muslims could be improved only by imbibing modern western scientific knowledge and culture. As an official he founded schools in many towns. He translated many western books into Urdu. In 1857 he founded the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh as a center for spreading western sciences and culture. Later, this college developed as the Aligarh Muslim University.
The college became the centre of the political activities of the Muslims. Ts principal Theodre Beck deeply influenced the ideas of Ahmed Khan. Beck impressed upon him the need for co-operation with Britishers in the interests of his community. Ahmed Khan started a newspaper, ‘Loyal Muhammadans of India’.
Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan laid the foundation of the Annual Muslim Educational Conference in 1886. In 1888 Ahmed Khan and Raja Shiva Prasad of Benares founded the Patriotic Association to act as a rival to the Indian National Congress. In 1863 he founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental Defence Association.
Sayyid Ahmed Khan was a great believer in religious toleration. He believed that all religions had a certain underlying unity. He condemned any sign of religious bigotry in personal relations. He was also opposed to communal friction. However, towards the end of his life, he began to talk of Hindu domination to prevent his followers from joining the rising national movement. Basically, he was not a communalist. He only wanted the backwardness of the Muslim middle and upper classes to go.
His politics were the result of his firm belief that immediate political progress was not possible because the British Government could not be easily dislodged. On the other hand, any hostility by the officials might prove dangerous to the educational effort which he saw as the need of the hour. So he advised the educationally backward Muslims to remain aloof from politics. In fact, he had become so committed to his college and the cause of education that he was willing to sacrifice all other interests to them. Consequently, to prevent the orthodox Muslims from opposing his college, he virtually gave up his agitation in favour of religious reform. For the same reason he encouraged communalism and separatism. This was a serious political error , which was to have harmful consequences in later years.
Sayyid Ahmed Khan was helped by a band of loyal followers who are collectively contributed as the Aligarh School. Chiragh Ali, the Urdu poet, Altaf Hussain Hali, Nazir Ahmed and Maulana Shibli Nomani were some of the other distinguished leaders of the Aligarh School. The Aligarh Movement brought about the social and political regeneration of Muslims. It raised the status of Muslims, helped them in their education and improved their economic and social status.
The Aligarh Movement and Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan[1817-1898]
Movements for religious reform were late in emerging among the Muslims. The Muslim upper classes had tended to avoid contact with western education and culture. After the Revolt of 1857 modern ideas of religious reforms began to appear among the Muslims. A beginning in this direction was made when the Muhammedan Literary Society was founded at Calcutta in 1863. This society promoted discussions of religious, social and political questions in the light of modern ideas and encouraged Muslims to take to western education.
The Aligarh Movement and Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan[1817-1898]
The most important reformer among the Muslims was Sayyid Ahmed Khan. He was impressed by modern scientific thought and worked all his life to reconcile it with Islam. He tried to modernize the outlook of the Muslims. He tried to reform the social abuses in the Muslim community.
He declared that Quran alone was the authoritative work and all other Islamic writings were secondary. He interpreted the Quran in the light of rationalism and science. In his opinion any interpretation of the Quran that conflicted with human reason or nature was in reality a misinterpretation. He condemned the institution of slavery. His progressive social ideas were propagated through his magazine ‘Tahadhib-ul-Akhlaq’.
All his life he struggled against blind obedience to tradition, ignorance and irrationalism. He urged the people to develop a critical approach and freedom of thought. He also warned against fanaticism, narrow mindedness, and exclusiveness. He urged students and others to be broadminded and tolerant.
He urged Muslims to give up medieval customs and ways of thought and behaviour. He advocated removal of purdah and spread of education among women. He also condemned the customs of polygamy and easy divorce.
Sayyed Ahmed Khan believed that the religious and social life of the Muslims could be improved only by imbibing modern western scientific knowledge and culture. As an official he founded schools in many towns. He translated many western books into Urdu. In 1857 he founded the Muhammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh as a center for spreading western sciences and culture. Later, this college developed as the Aligarh Muslim University.
The college became the centre of the political activities of the Muslims. Ts principal Theodre Beck deeply influenced the ideas of Ahmed Khan. Beck impressed upon him the need for co-operation with Britishers in the interests of his community. Ahmed Khan started a newspaper, ‘Loyal Muhammadans of India’.
Sir Sayyed Ahmed Khan laid the foundation of the Annual Muslim Educational Conference in 1886. In 1888 Ahmed Khan and Raja Shiva Prasad of Benares founded the Patriotic Association to act as a rival to the Indian National Congress. In 1863 he founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental Defence Association.
Sayyid Ahmed Khan was a great believer in religious toleration. He believed that all religions had a certain underlying unity. He condemned any sign of religious bigotry in personal relations. He was also opposed to communal friction. However, towards the end of his life, he began to talk of Hindu domination to prevent his followers from joining the rising national movement. Basically, he was not a communalist. He only wanted the backwardness of the Muslim middle and upper classes to go.
His politics were the result of his firm belief that immediate political progress was not possible because the British Government could not be easily dislodged. On the other hand, any hostility by the officials might prove dangerous to the educational effort which he saw as the need of the hour. So he advised the educationally backward Muslims to remain aloof from politics. In fact, he had become so committed to his college and the cause of education that he was willing to sacrifice all other interests to them. Consequently, to prevent the orthodox Muslims from opposing his college, he virtually gave up his agitation in favour of religious reform. For the same reason he encouraged communalism and separatism. This was a serious political error , which was to have harmful consequences in later years.
Sayyid Ahmed Khan was helped by a band of loyal followers who are collectively contributed as the Aligarh School. Chiragh Ali, the Urdu poet, Altaf Hussain Hali, Nazir Ahmed and Maulana Shibli Nomani were some of the other distinguished leaders of the Aligarh School. The Aligarh Movement brought about the social and political regeneration of Muslims. It raised the status of Muslims, helped them in their education and improved their economic and social status.
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