The new rulers had introduced a social contract based on English medium secular education which the Muslim community was not ready to accept. Their response hence became an impediment in their social, economic and political progress.

Forty years of this indifferent attitude to modern education took its toll and by the early 1880s the Muslim community in Sindh had degenerated to an abysmally low standing. Other religious communities living in the province filled the vacuum left open by Muslims.

It may be interesting to note that in the first University of Bombay matriculation examination in Sindh, in 1870, only five students passed and none of them was Muslim.

A reformist movement amongst Muslims of India was initiated by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan in the north, Justice Syed Amir Ali of Calcutta in the east and Hassanally Effendi in the south-east using education as a tool. They wanted to free Muslims from the evils of ignorance, superstition and poverty. When Hassanally Effendi decided to establish the Sindh Madressah, both Sir Syed and Justice Amir Ali extended their fullest support including financial assistance.

Students from all over the region flocked to the Sindh Madressah which became the harbinger of positive change. The foremost attraction of this institution was subsidised, modern education imparted along with religious instruction. There was free boarding and lodging for the under-privileged which enabled poor farmers, labourers and menial workers to send their children to the SMI for a better future.

Though the SMI was founded for the benefit of Muslims essentially, the provision of quality education almost free of cost also attracted Hindus, Sikhs and Christians. Early records of the Madressah show that around ten per cent of the students were non-Muslim and that several non-Muslim teachers were on the payroll; contributing to the cosmopolitan culture of the institution.

Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah joined the institution in July, 1887 and studied there for the longest period of his academic life, from 1887 to 1892. He carried a deep imprint of the SMI on his mind throughout his life. This could be gauged from the fact that he bequeathed one-third of his personal property to the Madressah. He also helped upgrade his alma-mater to the college level and personally inaugurated Sindh Madressah College in June, 1943.

In a reminiscent mood, he declared that he knew every inch of the splendid grounds of the Institution where he had studied and played as a schoolboy 55 years earlier.

At the turn of the 20th century, great educationist Thomas Henry Vines headed the SMI as the principal for nineteen years, till he passed away in 1922. He motivated people in small villages and towns of Sindh to send their children to the SMI for education, and improved facilities at the hostel.

Many boys including Shahnawaz Bhutto and Allama I.I. Kazi, lived in Vines' newly constructed bungalow while he and his wife occupied only two rooms on the upper floor. He loved the institution so much that moments before his death in a hospital in London, he wrote “Sindh Madressah” on a piece of paper.

After the demise of the Quaid-i-Azam, the SMI witnessed a period of decline. The hostels discontinued providing accommodation to rural Sindhi students. In total disregard of the terms of allotment by the colonial government, rows of shops were constructed on the land allocated for education. Slowly and gradually, the institution lost its grandeur; by 1974 it was reduced to a non-descript entity.

However, the government of Prime Minister Z A Bhutto decided to take over the institution from the Government of Sindh to develop it as a befitting memento to the memory of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Many new developments have since taken place.

In 1994, three computer centres with most modern machines were established. An English-medium girls' secondary section was added along with an in-house museum named after the Quaid. A state-of-the-art auditorium is a new addition, the library has been updated and provided with new books. The grandeur of old stone buildings has been restored.

Recently, this historic institution has completed 125 years of its marvellous life and national commitment.

It is on its way to be chartered as a federal university with a campus in Islamabad also. The federal cabinet has already approved the proposal in principle and the modalities are being fulfilled. The aim is to rebuild the SMI to provide quality education to students from all over Pakistan.