Ahmad Khan, Sir Sayyid
Ahmad Khan, Sir Sayyid (1817–98). Often known simply as Sir Sayyid, founder of Islamic Indian modernism and an educational reformer. Sir Sayyid's greatness lies in restoring Muslim confidence and bringing them into the modern age through a practical programme of social and educational reform. He recognized the weakness of Indian Muslims and the futility of armed insurrection against strong British rule (e.g. the failure of the Indian Mutiny, 1857). The only course of action for him was to recognize British rule and raise the standard of the Muslims by working from within. His establishment of a Muslim college at Aligarh (1875) modelled on the lines of Cambridge and Oxford, provoked violent reaction from al-Afghānī, the Shīa, and the orthodox ʿulamā. His two major works Essays on the life of Mohammed (1870) and a Quranic commentary (1880–95) were attempts to demythologize the Qurʾān, and to offer psychological and naturalistic interpretations of Islam. He also, unusually, wrote a Bible commentary, Tabyīn al-kalām.
More From encyclopedia.com
Muhammad Iqbal , IQBAL, MUHAMMAD (1877–1938), Indian poet and philosopher. Muhammad Iqbal was born on 9 November 1877 at Sialkot, a border town of the Punjab. Iqbal's… Muhammad Iqbal , Iqbal, Muhammad
IQBAL, MUHAMMAD
IQBAL, MUHAMMAD (1877–1938), Indian poet and philosopher. Muhammad Iqbal was born on 9 November 1877 at Sialkot, a bo… Muslim , Muslims
MUSLIMS There has been an ongoing controversy for many decades regarding the ways in which Islam entered Indian civilization and culture. Thi… Pan-islamism , Pan-Islam
Pan-Islam is the ideology that calls for the unity and cooperation of Muslims worldwide on the basis of their shared Islamic identity. Apar… Ibn Tumart , Ibn Tumart
Ibn Tumart (1077–1130 (AH 470–524)). A Muslim reformer in Morocco who was known as al-Mahdī of the Almohads. He grew up under the Almoravi… Muhammad Abduh , ʿAbduh, Muḥammad
ʿABDUH, MUḤAMMAD (ah 1266–1322/1849–1905 ce), Egyptian intellectual regarded as the architect of Islamic modernism and one of the mo…
About this article
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan
All Sources -
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan