The Cambridge Companion to Sayyid Ahmad Khan
By Yasmin Saikia

Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1817-1898), Sir Sayyid/Syed for many, is well known for his pivotal role in the foundation of Muhammadan anglo-brandgt;oriental college that became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. The University role in giving shape to a progressive Muslim community is the living legacy of Sayyid Ahmad Khan. He was a multidimensional personality - a pioneering thinker, an erudite scholar and a prolific writer, a rationalist theologian, community organizer, secularist leader, as well as a modernizer, deeply rooted in the Indian tradition. He serves as an inspiration even today, 200 years after his birth. He personified the reformist spirit of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and the fervent zeal to uplift his people as embodied by Mahatma Gandhi. Globally, one can place him alongside leading Muslim intellectuals of his time, such as the political activist jamaluddin al-afghani (1838-1897), modernist reformer and thinker Muhammad abduh (1849-1905), and theologian bediuzzaman nursi (1877-1960). while there are ample scholarly and academic books, biographical narratives, and descriptive histories on the above-mentioned personalities, serious and dedicated scholarship on Sayyid Ahmad that captures the breadth of his activities and legacies is absent. This book, with contributions from some of the leading scholars in the field, critically examines Sayyid ahmad's life and contributions in the context of his and our current times. Engaging with his multifaceted work offers a better understanding of the challenges Indians faced during colonialism as well as enables a constructive way for addressing difficult problems of today.