Book Review: Sir Syed Ahmad Khan by Begum Naz

Syed Ahmad Khan's (SAK) grandfather had migrated from Herat. Syed was born in October 1817 to Mir Muttaqi. He was sent to a maktab. From his father he learnt archery and swimming. Khan's mother told him: 'Life is full of vicissitudes you must only form such habits as you can always live with' (p. 9).

Khan went to England where he visited Cambridge and studied the education system in the university.  Syed was an advocate of advanced scientific education. He was very practical and realistic. The author of this book states that Khan 'was not a preacher by vocation but by compulsion of circumstances, hence it would be safer not to treat this aspect of his personality further' (p. 48). Naz furthers stresses that Khan's greatest work was to instill lost confidence in the hearts of the Muslims and to open before them fresh alternative avenues and pathways which alone could relieve them from their state of utter hopelessness and despair (p. 56).

Khan was elected the honorary fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of London in 1864 (p. 10). The British took formal permission from Mughal Emperor to administer Bengal and Bihar during the time of Shah Alam (p. 11). There is an incident of the murder of a person named Nana by the English officer Saunders. This officer chopped Nana's nose, ears, fingers and toes (p. 14).

The role of missionaries, British plunder during the 1857 revolt, realism of SSAK and his publications are also explained in the book.