Syed Ahmad Khan

Born into a family with strong ties to the Mughal court in 1817, Ahmad studied the Quran and science before joining the East India Company in 1838, eventually becoming a judge. During the 1857 Indian Mutiny he saved European lives, then published a booklet blaming British policies for causing the revolt. Convinced that Muslim rigidity threatened their future, he founded Victoria School at Ghazipur in 1863, a scientific society in 1864, and in 1875 the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College — the first Muslim university in Southern Asia. He promoted Urdu as a common language, called for loyalty to t…