Eighth to the Sixteenth Century - Rashid Islamic Center

168 • The Making of Islamic Science4.To have delivered in their meetings lectures on scientific orother useful subjects, illustrated, when possible, by scientificinstruments. (Malik 1980)In 1867, Ahmad Khan and the Society moved to Aligarh, wherehe procured a piece of land from the British government to establishan experimental farm. The Duke of Argyll, the Secretary of Statefor India, became the Patron of the Society and Lt. Governor ofthe N.W. Province its Vice-Patron. Ahmad Khan was the secretaryof the Society as well as member of the Directing Council and theExecutive Council.Khan was an ardent believer in the utility of modern science, adevout Muslim, an educator, and a man with a cause. His personalinfluence grew rapidly. His educational efforts were to change thecourse of Muslim education in the Indian subcontinent, and his ideaswere to have a major impact on the subsequent history of India. Hededicated his life to the uplifting of Muslims in India. He devotedall his energies and a portion of his personal income to the Societyhe established for the promotion of science. Eventually, he started toreceive small sums from like-minded Muslims and from non-Muslimphilanthropists, who saw in him a man of vision. On May 10, 1866,he established another organization: The Aligarh British IndianAssociation to Promote Scientific Education. Within two years theAssociation was in a position to assist persons traveling to Europefor educational and scientific purposes, but not many Muslims wereinterested in such trips at that time. Khan himself had never beento England, but he had been elected an honorary Fellow of theRoyal Asiatic Society of London in 1864. He now decided to go toEngland to see for himself the ways of the British in their homeland.Khan went with his two sons, Sayyid Hamid and Sayyid Mahmud.They left India on the first of April 1869; to pay for this trip, Khanhad to mortgage his ancestral house in Delhi and borrow 10,000rupees (Panipati 1993, 3–4). While in England, Khan was awardedthe title of the Companion of the Star of India by the Queen. Hisstay in England convinced him of the superiority of the British.“Without flattering the English,” he wrote in his travelogue, “I cantruly say that the natives of India, high and low, merchants andpetty shopkeepers, educated and illiterate, when contrasted with