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ABSTRACT

"INDO-MUSLIM RELIGIOUS THOUGHT IN 19 CENTURY:

SIR SYED AHMAD KHAN AND HIS CRITICS"

This study on the "Indo MusHm religious thought in 19'*^

century: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and his critics" has been divided into

five chapters with an introduction. This part of the study gives a brief

historical account of Mughal decadence and also takes into account

eminent religious scholars like Shah Waliullah, his successors and

followers. It has also been pointed out that the Islamic legacy was

continued till it was vibrantly used by Sir Syed, Maulana Azad and

Justice Amir Ali.

The first chapter briefly describes the life and works of Sir

Syed Ahmad Khan. It deals with his genealogy which ascends to the

prophet. The chapter also speaks of his maternal ancestors. Sir Syed

was influenced by his mother and maternal uncle and grand father.

His father had a sufi inclination and taught his son the lesson of

sobriety and devotion. In brief the chapter also gives a picture of the

social milieu. Sir Syed lived in.

The second chapter entails a precise palaver on the trends of

rationalism in Islam. At the outset of the discussion the place of

reason in Islam is taken into account. Verses of the Quran have been
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cited to substantiate the argument. Reference lias been made to the

traditions which provide impetus for the application of reason.

The third chapter deals with the early phase of Sir Syed's

religious thought. It has been divided into two parts. Part one

discusses his attempts seeking harmony between Christianity and

Islam. He, however, insisted that the Muslims must preserve their

socio-religious identity.

Besides, the palaver includes his image where he appears to be

a conventionally staunch Muslim. He believes in the miracles,

exorcism and popular superstitions. All the books that he wrote in this

period reiterate the common Muslims belief. Here he emphasizes the

Muslims to follow the pure and simple religion of the Prophet and

his companions.

It should be noted that this chapter also includes the discussion

on his emotional but well argued responses to the challenges thrown

up to Islam by the Christian missionary. Khutbat-e-Ahmadi is one

such treatise offering a befitting reply to William Muir's book "The

Lifeof Mohamat".

Besides, Sir Syed seriously pursues his earlier efforts to bring

the two communities closer to each other. He wrote the commentary

of the Bible which remained incomplete. It is, however, a sober

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attempt to convince the Muslim Ulema on the basis of his scholarly

argument that the Christians must not be despised but accommodated

in accordance with the divine indictments contend in the Quran. Sir

Syed, as a prelude to his commentary on the Bible, wrote ten

discourses discussing the vital problems like prophet hood, revelation,

corruption and abrogation etc in the divine books to apprise the

religious scholars of both the communities of the affinities and the

points of disagreement in the approach of the two religions to the

above mentioned problems. The chapter has critically analysed these

discourses and explained their significance in the comprehension of

the structure of the two religions. Sir Syed, at this stage, is thoroughly

rational and disowned his earlier held convictions.

In addition to his commentary on the Bible, Sir Syed also wrote

some smaller but significant treatises like dining with Christians and

the earlier mention pamphlet explaining the word Nasara used to

mean the helper justifying it from the Quran. The Christians,

however, interpreted it otherwise considering it as a derogatory term.

Sir Syed persistently convinced the Muslims that the Christians being

the people of book (ahl-e-kitab) could not be their enemies. His

efforts, however, were not appreciated either by the Muslims or by

the Christians. The former doubted his allegiance to Islam and the
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latter perceived designs to prove the superiority of Islam over

Christianity. Sir Syed, nevertheless, did not give up his mission but

followed it with new vigour and zeal.

In the later phase of his religious thought Sir Syed takes a

different stand. He rejects all superstitions and examines the religious

truth on the touchstones of reason and nature. In this chapter his basic

principles are examined and deliberated upon . The discussion herein

has proceeded from his relevant articles, epistles and the books like

the one Tafsir-al-Quran (The exegesis of the Holy Quran). Sir Syed

has meticulously explained the above referred touchstones later on

applied them in examining the articles of faith. This part of his

religious thought deals with his views on God, His angles, His Books,

His prophets, day of judgement akin to it the reward and punishment

(heaven and hell) and good and evil (destiny). Sir Syed explains all

these articles of faith on the basis of these two principles and very

often emphasizes that the 'word of God' is never in-contradiction

with the 'work of God'. To present it otherwise is the error either of

perception or of judgment.

Sir Syed very emphatically denies the possibility of miracles.

He also rejects the common place concept of angels and jinns. He

frequently admonishes the young Muslims to go through the religious

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literature with care and caution and challenges the authenticity of the

Sirah and the hadith literature.

Sir Syed's incomplete exegesis of the Quran has also been a

subject of severe criticism. His views on Quran and his principles of

exegesis aroused a great controversy even in the minds of his friends

like Mohsin Mehdi. The chapter also projects his on going religious

mission which imbibes his political, social and educational thought.

A separate chapter has been devoted to the contemporary

critics of Sir Syed's religious thought. The Muslms and the Christians

both were suspicious of his intentions. Even his serious works like the

two commentaries were not welcomed with a note of appreciation

because Sir Syed's faith which stood as a challenge to the clergy of

both the communities adversely affected the common religious faith.

His interpretation of the Christian doctrines and of incarnation, trinity,

original sin etc could never convinced the ecclesiastical class and his

views on the miracles, Jinns and angels could never appeal to the

Muslim elite and the theologians. Many of them therefore criticized

him quite harshly and opposed him to the extent that they could

manage the mandate (fatwa) issued against him from the holy cities:

Mecca and Madina.

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Among the severe critics of his reUgious thought Ali Bakhsh

and Imdad Ali were the most acrimonious scrutinizers. Ali Bakhsh

wrote two treatises, Taid-e-Islam and Shahab-e-Saqib which have

been discussed in this chapter. The two treatises appear to be an

attempt of calumny instead of being serious academic works. Sir

Syed's answer to his points of criticism has also been included herein.

In his defence he is always argumentative and never apologetic.

Sometimes, however, his arguments are weak but not absurd. Ali

Bakhsh has raised some thirty objections particularly in his defence of

Islam {Taid-e-Islam) but many of them are allegations, sometimes

due to his inability of understanding him in right perspective and

sometimes an account of his mischievous designs against Sir Syed.

Imdad Ali also followed his contemporary and criticized Sir

Syed for his religious views. He managed to have O-fatwa from the

Ulema of the holy city of Mecca and tried to tarnish Sir Syed's image

as a leader and scholar in the eyes of Muslims. Both of them could

not succeed because they were not honest in their efforts.

Amongs his friends many disagreed with his religious views

but Mohsin Mehdi came out forcefully and presented his arguments

to dissuade him from his religious ideas. The discourse between the
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two friends particularly on the exegesis of the Quran is carried

through in their epistles.

The last chapter is the conclusion which is an upshot of the

preceding discussions in the earlier chapters. It is educed on the basis

of the erstwhile concepts that Sir Syed has always advocated with

emphasis and enthusiasm. The conclusion describes his views on

several controversial concepts and superstitious beliefs like

corruption, abrogation, preservation of the divine books in the pristine

form, angels, jinns and other miraculous deeds that Muslim adored

close to their heart. It also describes the vital significance of his two

basis principles; reason and nature serving as touchstones to examine

the veracity of religious truth. The principles also serve him as a tool

to reject and eliminate the corrupt material from the religious

convictions.