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اردو اثاثہ
Risala Asbab Baghawat-e-Hind / رسالہ اسباب بغاوت ہند
Syed Ahmad Khan was serving as Sadr Amin in Bijnor when the Revolt broke out in Delhi on May 10, 1857. The events of 1857, directly or indirectly, not only shook the very foundations of British rule, ultimately resulting in an independent India, but also shattered the unity between Muslims and Hindus, and in particular the mindset of Syed Ahmad Khan. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he remained loyal to the British Empire and was noted for saving several European lives. After the Revolt, he penned the book The Causes of the Indian Mutiny – a daring critique, at the time, of British policies that he blamed for causing the uprising. The events of the Revolt have been described in detail by Syed Ahmad Khan in his Tarikh-i-Sarkashi-i- (“Zila”) Bijnore or the History of 1857 Revolt and its causes (Asbab-e-Baghawat-e Hind or The Causes of the Indian Mutiny).
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1903
About the author
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
15 books17 followersA visionary who carved a space for rationalist thought, gave a new direction to education, and laid the parameters of modernist Urdu prose, is none other than Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. He did not only evolve a new philosophy and pedagogy for public instruction and write remarkable discursive prose, but also affected a change in the attitude of people, especially of the Muslim community, towards social, cultural, and national identity. He was an iconoclast who promoted a scientific view of life and found space for pure rationalism as opposed to romantic sentimentality. As he also influenced poets and writers, he came to be acknowledged and valued as one of the major reformers of modern India.
Sir Syed was born on October 17, 1817, in Delhi. His father, Syed Muttaqi Mohammad was an advisor to Emperor Akbar II, while his grandfather, Syed Hadi Alamgir, held a position of prominence in the Mughal court. His mother, Azizunnisa, was a suave and highly cultured lady who brought up Syed in his formative years with great care. He received his early education from his maternal grandfather, Khwaja Fariduddin, and learnt about the workings of the courts from his uncle, Maulavi Mhammad Khalilullah.
Syed got his first job in the court at Agra as an assistant clerk. He proved his worth as a hard and sincere worker in the courts which brought him promotions one after another. Apart from working in Agra at the beginning of his career, he also served his tenures of appointment at Mainpuri and Fatehpuri Sikri. Later, he worked as the chief Ameen in Delhi and then in Bijnaur. He then served on the higher position of Sadr-us-Sudoor in Moradabad, then Ghazipur and Banares. As he worked in these places with complete dedication, he became very popular with people as well as the British administration which decorated him with the title of “Sir”.
While Sir Syed worked on important positions at all these locations in Uttar Pradesh and got proper recognition for his services, he also had an opportunity to sympathetically but critically observe the condition of the society in general, and the lives of the people in particular from close quarters. The cataclysmic events of 1857 also impacted him greatly. He got intensely concerned with the plight of the countrymen, especially those of the Muslims, who needed all round rejuvenation. He thought that propagating the message for imparting right education would be the best way to take the people from their current state of stasis. He firmly believed that people must get rid of biased opinion against English language and Western domains of education, if they were to survive in the modern world. This is how, he argued, that they could be brought to see the realities of the new world and usher themselves in an age of awakening. He further believed that people would have to remain satisfied serving the foreigners in menial capacities. In order to pursue this aim, he established Scientific Society at Ghazipur in 1864. This Society was directed towards getting the translations of Western knowledge texts into Urdu. He also started publishing Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq in 1870 to instill modern consciousness among the Muslims. This was the main aim and spirit that led him to establish Madrasat-ul-Uloom, then Mohammedan Oriental College at Aligarh, which later grew into Aligarh Muslim University. Today, this university stands as a living testimony to Sir Syed’s vision and has had a remarkable reputation across the globe.
The way Sir Syed shaped his Aligarh Movement; he influenced Indian society and culture in multiple ways. This movement not only opened new horizons to Urdu language and literature, but also created a condition for developing new discourses and in a new idiom for larger appeal. He thus brought literature and intellectual preoccupations close to each other in order to bear upon the contemporary realities of life.
Sir Syed himself expressed his rational thoughts in a kind of prose that was simple, effortless, a
Sir Syed was born on October 17, 1817, in Delhi. His father, Syed Muttaqi Mohammad was an advisor to Emperor Akbar II, while his grandfather, Syed Hadi Alamgir, held a position of prominence in the Mughal court. His mother, Azizunnisa, was a suave and highly cultured lady who brought up Syed in his formative years with great care. He received his early education from his maternal grandfather, Khwaja Fariduddin, and learnt about the workings of the courts from his uncle, Maulavi Mhammad Khalilullah.
Syed got his first job in the court at Agra as an assistant clerk. He proved his worth as a hard and sincere worker in the courts which brought him promotions one after another. Apart from working in Agra at the beginning of his career, he also served his tenures of appointment at Mainpuri and Fatehpuri Sikri. Later, he worked as the chief Ameen in Delhi and then in Bijnaur. He then served on the higher position of Sadr-us-Sudoor in Moradabad, then Ghazipur and Banares. As he worked in these places with complete dedication, he became very popular with people as well as the British administration which decorated him with the title of “Sir”.
While Sir Syed worked on important positions at all these locations in Uttar Pradesh and got proper recognition for his services, he also had an opportunity to sympathetically but critically observe the condition of the society in general, and the lives of the people in particular from close quarters. The cataclysmic events of 1857 also impacted him greatly. He got intensely concerned with the plight of the countrymen, especially those of the Muslims, who needed all round rejuvenation. He thought that propagating the message for imparting right education would be the best way to take the people from their current state of stasis. He firmly believed that people must get rid of biased opinion against English language and Western domains of education, if they were to survive in the modern world. This is how, he argued, that they could be brought to see the realities of the new world and usher themselves in an age of awakening. He further believed that people would have to remain satisfied serving the foreigners in menial capacities. In order to pursue this aim, he established Scientific Society at Ghazipur in 1864. This Society was directed towards getting the translations of Western knowledge texts into Urdu. He also started publishing Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq in 1870 to instill modern consciousness among the Muslims. This was the main aim and spirit that led him to establish Madrasat-ul-Uloom, then Mohammedan Oriental College at Aligarh, which later grew into Aligarh Muslim University. Today, this university stands as a living testimony to Sir Syed’s vision and has had a remarkable reputation across the globe.
The way Sir Syed shaped his Aligarh Movement; he influenced Indian society and culture in multiple ways. This movement not only opened new horizons to Urdu language and literature, but also created a condition for developing new discourses and in a new idiom for larger appeal. He thus brought literature and intellectual preoccupations close to each other in order to bear upon the contemporary realities of life.
Sir Syed himself expressed his rational thoughts in a kind of prose that was simple, effortless, a
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 16, 2019
After 1857 Baghawat in India, Syed Ahmed Khan felt that Britishers think that Muslims were the majors cause of that Baghawat. So he disagrees with that analysis and thought that reasons were different and if he is able to get point across with Britishers, Government might better treat Muslims.
One of the major reason was that British Government was not "inclusive" for Indians. Other reasons is that Britishers failed to understand the culture and religion of people.
One of the major reason was that British Government was not "inclusive" for Indians. Other reasons is that Britishers failed to understand the culture and religion of people.
January 7, 2024
This book was meant to ease the blame of agitation on Muslims during failed India's War of independence of 1857. So The writer tried to please English by calling it a revolt and use somewhat bitter flattery to convince them that not all Muslims joined this cause and many joined it because they have no other options left. After all due to the absence of some settled Authority for past 150 years, people were switching loyalities whenever they saw it fit.
September 24, 2010
post-mutiny apology from the leading intellectual of the losing party: funny, pathetic and somewhat illuminating.
May 1, 2012
Good insight into the causes of the revolt - from a different perspective.
December 7, 2016
difficult to read, but if you want a non western review of the depot mutiny firsthand, this it it.
June 27, 2012
Revivalist Sir Syed Ahmed Khan tried to seek a some cool corners for his nation.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews