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Sir
Syed
Ahmad
Khan,
one
of
the
greatest
Muslim
educationists,
writers
and
reformers,
was
born
at
Delhi
in
1817.
He
hailed
from
a
well
to-do
landed
aristocracy
of
Delhi.
Syed
Ahmad
had
no
formal
education
in
any
educational
institutions.
He
was
rather
a
self
taught
person
and
became,
through
self
study,
one
of
the
most
well
read
men
of
his
days.
Sir
Syed
was
born
at a
time
when
the
continued
existence
of
Muslims
in
the
Sub-continent
as a
separate
entity
was
in
serious
jeopardy.
For
nearly
half
a
century
he
struggled
against
the
apathy
and
dispondency
that
had
settled
upon
the
Muslims
in
the
wake
of
their
defeat
in
the
War
of
Independence
of
1857.
He
finally
took
them
out
of
the
abyss,
gave
them
a
national
identity
,
enthused
them
with
hope,
brought
clarity
to
their
perception
and
thought
and
put
them
on
the
road
to
progress
and
freedom.
In
1875
he
founded
the
Muhammadan
Anglo
Oriental
College
at
Aligarh
aimed
at
creating
a
confluence
of
traditional
learning
and
modem
sciences.
It
was
raised
to
the
status
of
Muslim
University
in
1920.
Sir
Syed
was
nominated
as
Member
Imperial
Legislative
Council
in
1878
and
renominated
in
1881
but
he
resigned
in
1883.
He
was
a
Member
Education
Commission
in
1882
but
resigned
because
of
differences
between
him
and
the
Chairman
Dr
-W-
W-
Hunter
In
1886
he
founded
the
"Muhammadan
Education
Congress',
but
later
named
it
'Conference'
(to
avoid
confusion
with
the
Indian
National
Congress),
to
carry
the
message
of
Aligarh
to
all
parts
of
the
country
and
remained
its
Secretary
till
1897
.
An
ardent
champion
of a
progressive
and
dynamic
approach
to
education
he
was
the
first
Muslim
leader
who
perceived
that
the
Muslims
of
India
were
a
separate
nation
and
must
not
be
absorbed
by
Hindus
in a
United
India.
He
made
the
prophetic
declaration
in
1867
"I
am
convinced
that
both
the
nations
will
not
willingly
cooperate
in
anything.
Their
mutual
hostility
will
increase
immensely
in
future.
He
who
lives
will
see".
He
thus
laid
the
first
brick
on
which
the
edifice
of
Pakistan
was
raised.
He
is
author
of a
number
of
famous
essays
and
books
namely'
Aasaar-
us-Sanadid',
,
Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind',
'Loyal
Muhammadans
of
India',
'Risala
Tahqeeq-e-Lafze
Nassara',
'Tabayyun-ul-Kalam',
'Strictures
upon
the
present
educational
system
in
India',
'Series
of
Essays
on
the
Life
of
Muhammad',
'Review
on
Hunter's
Indian
Musalmans',
'On
the
Present
State
of
Indian
Politics',
'Musalmanon
Ki
Kismat
Ka
Faisala',
'Sirat-e-Faridia'.
Sir
Syed
had
started
working
on a
commentary
on
the
Holy
Quran.
He
wrote
7
volumes
when
he
fell
ill
in
1898
and
did
not
live
long
enough
to
complete
it.
He
died
in
1898
and
buried
at
Aligarh. | 
