KARACHI, Oct 21: Writers, critics and intellectuals at a meeting held at the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology here on Saturday night to mark the Sir Syed Day paid glowing tributes to the person and services of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the great scholar, educationist and reformer.

The meeting was addressed by Prof Sharif-al-Mujahid, former director of the Quaid-i-Azam Academy, Dr Farman Fatehpuri and Dr Fazlur Rehman, besides Z. A. Nizami and Zakir Ali Khan, Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of the university, respectively.They said that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was one of those few enlightened personalities who served the cause of Muslims of South Asia with sincerity to take them out of quagmire of ignorance, illiteracy and social and economic backwardness.“While Quaid-i-Azam is Father of the Nation, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan is grandfather of the nation”, one of the peakers said.Shedding light on various facets of the life of the great refor-mer, Prof Sharif-al-Mujahid said that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was a born moralist who advocated paradigmatic shift in the social values and brought about an apotheosis of reasons and enlightenment.He said Sir Syed termed modern education as panacea for all social and moral ills of the society which the Muslims suffered from.Dr Fazlur Rehman said that every aspect of the life of the great educationist and reformer attracted people even 100 years after his death.He said Sir Syed was a great follower of Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), adding that Seerat-i-Tayyaba remained the most favourite subject of his studies throughout his life.Renowned critic Dr Farman Fatehpuri said that Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was not a man of mere ideology but a practical person indeed.He said Sir Syed authored numerous books but the one he had written on the life of the Holy Prophet was worth mentioning. For this book, he travelled to England to complete his strenuous research work on the subject and through it he gave a rejoinder to Sir William Muirs’ treatise on the life of the Holy Prophet.In his presidential address, Z. A. Nizami highlighted the importance of English as a language and the role of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in the dissemination of modern knowledge.

“Without learning English, we cannot compete in the world, Mr Nizami remarked.He made special reference to the SSUET’s establishment, and said it was named after Sir Syed Ahmed Khan because despite being a great educationist, who never desired establishment of an institution in his name during his lifetime.Engr Zakir Ali Khan also addressed the gathering and highlighted the traditions of Aligarh Muslim University.—APP