Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and the Aligarh Movement
Modern History › Reform Movements and Their Leaders · Topic 12.15
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-98) founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875 and led the Aligarh Movement to spread modern education among Muslims without weakening their allegiance to Islam, to reform Muslim social practices, and to reconcile the Quran with Western science, while keeping Muslims out of politics.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Reform Movements and Their Leaders
At a Glance
- Leader Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-98), a loyalist judicial officer
- College Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College, Aligarh, 1875 (later Aligarh Muslim University)
- Journal Tahdhib-ul-Akhlaq
- Stand Education and jobs first; keep Muslims away from politics
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Reform Movements and Their Leaders
Where Does It Fit?
This is the fifteenth topic of the category on reform movements and their leaders. The previous topic covered the Ahmadiyya Movement. This topic covers the main liberal and modernist Muslim movement. The next topic covers the Deoband School, its revivalist counterpart. Previous topic: Ahmadiyya Movement.
Why Did the British Look to the Muslims After 1857?
The British view of the Revolt of 1857 held the Muslims to be the main conspirators, and this view was strengthened by the activities of the Wahabis, as in Titu Mir Disciple of Syed Ahmed; Bengal peasants;…">Wahabi Movement, Titu Mir and the Faraizi Movement. But later an opinion gained currency among the rulers that Muslims could be used as allies against the rising tide of nationalist political activity, represented among others by the foundation of the Indian National Congress. This was to be done through offers of thoughtful concessions to the Muslims. A section of Muslims led by Syed Ahmed Khan was ready to allow official patronage to stimulate the growth of Indian Muslims through better education and employment opportunities.
Who Was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan?
Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-98) was born in a respectable Muslim family and was a loyalist member of the British government’s judicial service. After retiring in 1876 he became a member of the Imperial Legislative Council in 1878. His loyalty earned him a knighthood in 1888.
He wanted to reconcile Western scientific education with the teachings of the Quran, which were to be interpreted in the light of contemporary rationalism and science, even though he held the Quran to be the ultimate authority. He said that religion should be adaptable with time or else it would become fossilised, and that religious tenets were not immutable. He advocated a critical approach and freedom of thought, not complete dependence on tradition or custom. He believed in the underlying unity of religions, or practical morality, and preached the basic commonality of Hindu and Muslim interests.
| Area | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Education | As an official he opened schools in towns and got books translated into Urdu; started the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875 |
| Women | Worked for better education for women; opposed purdah and polygamy; advocated easy divorce; condemned piri and muridi |
| Religion | Rational interpretation of the Quran; religion adaptable with time |
| Press | Propagated progressive social ideas in the magazine Tahdhib-ul-Akhlaq (Improvement of Manners and Morals) |
| Unity | Preached the commonality of Hindu and Muslim interests |
What Was His Political Position?
Syed Ahmed Khan argued that Muslims should first concentrate on education and jobs and try to catch up with their Hindu counterparts, who had the advantage of an early start. Active participation in politics at that point, he felt, would invite the hostility of the government towards the Muslim masses. Therefore he opposed political activity by Muslims.
The chapter judges that, in his enthusiasm to promote the educational and employment interests of Muslims, he allowed himself to be used by the colonial government in its obnoxious policy of divide and rule, and in later years began propagating a divergence of interests between Hindus and Muslims. This is the key contrast with his earlier view of Hindu-Muslim commonality. The Deoband school opposed him, as told in The Deoband School (Darul Uloom).
What Was the Aligarh Movement?
The Aligarh Movement emerged as a liberal, modern trend among the Muslim intelligentsia based in the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh. It aimed to spread (i) modern education among Indian Muslims without weakening their allegiance to Islam, and (ii) social reforms among Muslims relating to purdah, polygamy, widow remarriage, women’s education, slavery and divorce. The ideology of its followers was a liberal interpretation of the Quran, and they sought to harmonise Islam with modern liberal culture. They wanted to give Muslims a distinct socio-cultural identity on modern lines. Soon Aligarh became the centre of the religious and cultural revival of the Muslim community.
As an analytical point, Aligarh combined two things that pulled in different directions: a modernising, rationalist outlook, shared with the movements in Social and Ideological Bases of Reform, and a separate community identity, which the chapter says later fed divergence between Hindus and Muslims. This explains why it appears both as a model of modern reform and as a subject of political debate. It is classed as reformist in Brahmo Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Aligarh Movement Revivalist…">Two Streams of Reform: Reformist and Revivalist.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Core topic Sir Syed and Aligarh feature in most Prelims papers on reform
- Comparison Aligarh versus Deoband is a standard comparison
- Political link His stand on politics and the Congress leads into communal politics
What Came Next?
The next topic covers the Deoband School. Next topic: The Deoband School (Darul Uloom).
Key People and Terms
- Aligarh Movement The modern, liberal Muslim movement centred on the Aligarh college
- Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College The Aligarh college of 1875, later Aligarh Muslim University
- Tahdhib-ul-Akhlaq Syed Ahmed’s magazine on improving manners and morals
- Piri and muridi The system of spiritual guides and disciples that he condemned
- Loyalist One who supports the ruling government
- Imperial Legislative Council The central legislative body in which he sat from 1878
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- 1817-98; knighted 1888; member of the Imperial Legislative Council 1878.
- MAO College, Aligarh, 1875.
- Tahdhib-ul-Akhlaq.
- Quran as authority but read by reason and science.
- Opposed Muslim political activity at first.
Do Not Confuse With
- Aligarh and Deoband Aligarh: Western education, support of the British; Deoband: Islamic education, anti-British
- Sir Syed and Shibli Numani Sir Syed: Aligarh; Shibli: Nadwat-ul-Ulama, Lucknow
- College and movement MAO College was the base; the Aligarh Movement was the wider trend
Memory Hook
Sir Syed: college first, politics later, reason with the Quran.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for the contribution and limits of Sir Syed. These points add depth.
- Modern education The Aligarh college opened a modern path for Muslims
- Social reform Purdah, polygamy and women’s education
- Political limits Divide-and-rule policy of the government
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Evaluate the contribution of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan to the modernisation of Muslim society.”
How to Answer
- Background The British view after 1857.
- Reforms College, journal, social change.
- Ideas Rational reading of the Quran.
- Conclude Assess his political stand.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan?
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-98) was a loyalist member of the British judicial service who became a member of the Imperial Legislative Council in 1878 and was knighted in 1888. He founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875.
What was the Aligarh Movement?
The Aligarh Movement was a liberal, modern trend among the Muslim intelligentsia, based in the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College. It spread modern education without weakening allegiance to Islam and promoted social reform on purdah, polygamy, widow remarriage and women's education.
What were Sir Syed's religious ideas?
Sir Syed held the Quran to be the ultimate authority but wanted it interpreted in the light of rationalism and science. He said religion must adapt to time or fossilise, that tenets were not immutable, and that all religions share practical morality.
What was the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College?
The Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College was founded by Sir Syed at Aligarh in 1875 to give modern education to Muslims. It later became the Aligarh Muslim University and was the centre of the Aligarh Movement, which trained a modern Muslim middle class.
What was Sir Syed's attitude towards political activity?
Sir Syed advised Muslims to first concentrate on education and jobs to catch up with Hindus. He felt that active politics would invite government hostility towards the Muslim masses, and so he opposed Muslim political activity.
What was Tahdhib-ul-Akhlaq?
Tahdhib-ul-Akhlaq, meaning Improvement of Manners and Morals, was Sir Syed's magazine, in which he propagated progressive social ideas, such as opposition to purdah and polygamy and the importance of education, in order to improve the habits and outlook of Muslims.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Sir Syed Ahmed Khan founded the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh in 1875.
It later became Aligarh Muslim University.
2 Sir Syed advocated active Muslim participation in the Indian National Congress.
He opposed political activity by Muslims at that time.
3 Tahdhib-ul-Akhlaq was the magazine of Sir Syed.
It spread progressive social ideas.
4 The Aligarh Movement was classed as revivalist.
It was classed as a reformist movement.
5 Sir Syed held that religious tenets were immutable.
He said they were not immutable.
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