Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: religion, politics and the Two-Nation Theory

O Level Pakistan Studies History · Cultural and historical background to the Pakistan Movement: 1857, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and languages. A short explanation of the idea, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid, a worked example and practice questions with answers.

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The idea

Sir Syed worked to end the distrust between Muslims and the British. He explained to the British that the revolt of 1857 came from misunderstanding, because Indians had no voice in government, and he showed that many Muslims had stayed loyal. His religious writings aimed to build understanding between Muslims and Christians.

In 1867 some Hindus in Benares campaigned to replace Urdu with Hindi. This Hindi-Urdu Controversy convinced Sir Syed that Hindus and Muslims were separate nations. This is the origin of the Two-Nation Theory.

For the same reason he told Muslims to stay out of the Indian National Congress. In Western-style elections the Hindu majority would win most seats.

Rules to remember

Common mistake

Sir Syed did not ask for a separate Muslim state. He argued that Muslims were a separate nation with interests to protect; the demand for a state came much later.

Worked example

Why did Sir Syed oppose elections on the Western model, although he wanted Indians to have a voice in government?

  1. In a Western-style election the group with the most voters wins the most seats.
  2. Hindus were the majority in India and Muslims a minority.
  3. So Muslims would always be outvoted and their interests could be ignored.

Answer: He feared permanent Hindu majority rule, so he opposed simple elections while still wanting Indian views to be heard.

Practice questions

Try each one, then open the answer.

1. What was the aim of Sir Syed's 'The Loyal Muhammadans of India'?

  1. A
    to show that many Muslims stayed loyal in 1857
  2. B
    to urge Muslims to join the Indian National Congress
  3. C
    to call on Muslims to wage jihad against British rule
  4. D
    to list the demands later made by the Simla Deputation
Show answer

Answer: A. He gave examples of Muslims who helped the British, to counter the belief that Muslims as a whole were disloyal.

2. What was Tabyin-ul-Kalam?

  1. A
    Sir Syed's study of the old buildings of Delhi
  2. B
    Shah Waliullah's Persian translation of the Quran
  3. C
    Sir Syed's commentary on the Bible
  4. D
    Iqbal's first collection of Persian poems
Show answer

Answer: C. It pointed out common ground between Islam and Christianity. His book on Delhi's monuments was Asar-us-Sanadid.

3. What sparked the Hindi-Urdu Controversy of 1867?

  1. A
    a British order making English the only court language
  2. B
    a Muslim demand for Arabic to replace Urdu in schools
  3. C
    the Congress decision to adopt Hindi as its language
  4. D
    a Hindu campaign in Benares to replace Urdu with Hindi
Show answer

Answer: D. The campaign for Hindi in Devanagari script began in Benares in 1867, long before the Congress existed (1885). Sir Syed saw it as a threat to Muslim culture.

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