Sir Say ad Ahmad Khan is a well-known personality
among Pakistanis. His services to his community are very great, and the create
Mohamed an Anglo-Oriental College at Alighar, which has now developed into a
first class Residential University, is a standing monument to his patriotic
efforts. He was a far-seeing statesman, a sincere lover of his community, and a
very loyal citizen. His fellow coreligionists cherish his memory with love and
veneration, and as the fruits of his labor are gathered more and more, his
claims on the gratitude of the people will grow stronger and stronger. He was a
great man in the true sense.
He thought that English is very necessary for the
development for the development of the Muslims. He saw with the foresight of a
seer the advantages of English education for the Mohammedans, and in the face of
opposition from those whom he sought to benefit. He persevered in his efforts,
and succeeded in raising the noble institution at Aligarh. This great
educational institution has done incalculable service to the Mohamed a
community’. Ever since its establishment, it has been a center of Muslim
culture and enlightenment in India. And has attracted young men from all parts
of the country, thus exercising a great unifying force for the community. The
lines on which he conducted it show his practical sagacity and intimate acquaintance
with the needs of his community. The College leaves a distinct impression on
its alumni.
Say ad belonged to very noble and educated family.
He was born in 1817. He joined Government service, and became a Subordinate
Judge. During the Mutiny he rendered great help to the British Government.
He was an intellectual person and he had fine,
literary tastes, and if he had not founded the Aligarh College, he would have
been known as a great prose-writer. Even now, he has a place among the foremost
literary men of his time. He was a member of the Legislative Council, and was
knighted in recognition of his great services. He died in 1898. His
perseverance, his honesty. His singleness of purpose, his fervent patriotism,
and his advanced and liberal views on religion and politics, mark him out as
one of the greatest men of Sub-continent.