Sir Syed Sultan Ahmed, KCSI (1880–1963,

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

, British India) was an Indian barrister and politician who had a very successful practice as a barrister, having victories over

Motilal Nehru Motilal Nehru (6 May 1861 – 6 February 1931) was an Indian lawyer, activist and politician belonging to the Indian National Congress. He also served as the Congress President twice, 1919–1920 and 1928–1929. He was a patriarch of the Neh ...

Tej Bahadur Sapru Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru (8 December 1875 20 January 1949) was an Indian freedom fighter, lawyer, and politician. He was a key figure in India's struggle for independence, helping draft the Indian Constitution. He was the leader of the Liberal pa ...

and

Sarat Chandra Bose Sarat Chandra Bose (Bengali: শরৎচন্দ্র বসু) (6 September 1889 – 20 February 1950) was an Indian barrister and independence activist. Early life He was born to Janakinath Bose (father) and Prabhabati Devi in Cuttack ...

. Sultan Ahmed was related to Sir Ali Imam and

Syed Hasan Imam Syed Hasan Imam (31 August 1871 – 19 April 1933) was an Indian politician who served as the President of the Indian National Congress and was elected in September 1918.Patna University Patna University is a public state university in Patna, Bihar, India. It was established on 1 October 1917 during the British Raj. It is the first university in Bihar and the seventh oldest university in the Indian subcontinent in the modern er ...

(1923–30) he was included as a delegate from British India, to the Round Table Conference (1930–31) in London which was attended by Mahatama Gandhi. He was Member of the Bihar Legislative Council in 1937 but resigned on the grounds of not getting enough time for politics. He joined the Viceroy’s Executive Council (1941–43) and was made the Member for Information and Broadcasting. Later he was also Advisor to the Chamber of Princes (1945–47) in India. In the

1945 New Year Honours The 1945 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1945 for the Briti ...

, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI). Syed Sultan Ahmed backed

M. C. Davar M. C. Davar (24 April 1913 – 9 November 1977) was a freedom fighter and associate of Jawaharlal Nehru who is remembered for his opposition to the partition of India, his work among the refugees from Pakistan and his championing the idea of a co ...

in his

opposition to the partition of India Opposition to the partition of India was widespread in British India in the 20th century and it continues to remain a talking point in South Asian politics. Those who opposed it often adhered to the doctrine of composite nationalism. The Hindu, C ...

, joining the United Party of India which aimed at bridging the gap between the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British ...

and All India Muslim League. Although

Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

offered him a cabinet position in Pakistan, he stated that he could not leave India as it contained the graves of his forefathers. Sir Sultan Ahmed had previously also refused the Nizam of Hyderabad's offer of being his Prime minister as his father who was himself a lawyer reminded him of the bad experiences of his relative Sir Ali Imam in that role. After Indian Independence, Sir Sultan turned to his law practice. In 1950 he became the President of the

All India Shia Conference All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * All (All album), ...

. Sir Sultan’s grandson, Syed Tanvirul Hasan’s ‘Freedom and Partition and Seasons Changed’ records the ‘Life and Times of Sir Sultan Ahmed’. However, prior to this book by Tanvirul Hassan which was published some time in 2007 a very comprehensive biography in Urdu with all important details and other references of related history was published by Ataullah Palvi in the June 1963 (just three months after the death of Sir Sultan) issue of the monthly "Nusrat", Lahore, Pakistan.It was a fifty page write up titled as "Dr.Sir Syed Sultan Ahmad" .Ataullah Palvi was a Sunni Muslim and he and his family were very much attached to Sir Sultan Ahmad and were his great admirer. He belonged to the same village of Pali, Bihar, India which was also of Sir Sultan Ahmad.(s.h.akbari) Sir Sultan edited the most popular book on Muslim Law "Mohammedan Law" for several years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Sultan 1880 births 1963 deaths Indian knights Knights Commander of the Order of the Star of India Bihari politicians Indian barristers Indian Shia Muslims Politicians from Patna Patna University faculty 20th-century Indian lawyers Patna University alumni Members of the Council of the Governor General of India Lawyers in British India