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The ascendency of the British in India after the revolt of 1857 brought Sir Syed Ahmad Khan to the forefront of Muslim politics. He evaluated the causes of the Mutiny and realised that there was a huge gulf between the rulers and the ruled. The Muslims were blamed for the uprising and this reduced them to sheer poverty. He decided to take a stand and to fight for their rights. But they were not ready to stand for themselves. They called him names and issued Fatwa against his movement for spreading western education among the Muslims. But finally after a long battle with orthodoxy, he was able to open the M.A.O. College in 1877, which later became the Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. The University organises the Sir Syed Memorial Lecture each year to commemorate the great sacrifies rendered by its founder and one of the greatest Muslim reformers of India - Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

In this volume he is viewed from the lens of different scholars who talked about his life, work, Movement and his relevance in the present day.

The indebtedness which the Muslims of India owe to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan can never be expressed in words. Though his name is associated with the Aligarh Movement and the foundation of Aligarh Muslim University, but the services he rendered to his country in general and community in particular is unparalleled in history.

Syed Ahmad Khan was a witness to the new system of government which devoured the rich and the poor alike. His decision of establishing the Scientific Society was not only a beginning of a change, but a beginning of a new era of learning.

Visionaries like Sir Syed Ahmad Khan are born, in centuries. We are fortunate to be a part of the institute which had been a dream of his lifetime. This book is a part of that programme which unravels the personality of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan through the lens of great scholars. This book will throw light on many unknown aspects of Sir Syed’s life and works and will be a boon for scholars working on The Aligarh Movement.