Ziauddin Ahmed - Services To Aligarh Muslim University

Services To Aligarh Muslim University

Sir Ziauddin promised to Sir Syed that he will not left the MAO college and met his promise by leaving Indian Civil Service.He drafted the Constitution of Aligarh Muslim University and perhaps there would be no University without him. He founded most of the departments of AMU. In order to remove plight of poor he dreamed of opening a Medical College at Aligarh Muslim University which he carried quite ahead. He collected money for it, which later became Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College or JNMC. Later on University named Dental College after Sir Ziauddin.

He was the first Indian Principal of the M.A.O. College and became its first Pro-Vice-Chancellor. He was elected Vice-Chancellor in 1934 and remained so until 1946 and thus became the longest serving Vice-Chancellor in the history of Aligarh Muslim University. In 1946 he became Rector of the University and remained so till he died. Dr. Ziauddin Ahmad became an Honorary Professor in the Department, working simultaneously as Vice Chancellor of the University. Because of his love for the subject, he took his duties in the Department very seriously and even found time to take a number of lectures both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Thus he was the only teaching vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. Dr Sir Ziauddin was a Cambridge Wrangler.As he once entered a class, he was struck by a couplet the boys had written on the BlackBoard;

"Malika Boht hae Apni Riazi pe Aap Ko

Tool e Shab e Firaq zara naap dee jiyae"

(You have such command over your algebra, Do please measure us the Night of Separation)

Sir Ziauddin looked at the couplet,smiled and wrote

"INFINITY"…

Sir Ziauddin Ahmed spent money out of pocket to bring students to MAO College. One of the most important one was Hasrat Mohani from Kanpur who was planning to go to Lucknow. He had distinction in Math. Sir Ziauddin Ahmed noticed it and went there to prevail upon him and his family to send their bright young man to MAO College.

Maulvi Bashir Uddin who was Dr. Zia Uddin's uncle, spend all of his assets to establish Islamia College, Etawah which was a similar effort to establish another University as happened in the case of MAO college. He was a strong Congressite and wore Khadi and also published a highly respected paper al-Bashir. He was awarded Padam Shri, but he did not go to receive it, just as he did not go to receive the title of Khan Bahadur. Sir Ziauudin gave his full support and time to establish Islamia Inter College, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh.

He helped to establish a Muslim middle class in India. That in itself was a greater accomplishment after the Fall of Mughal Empire that had resulted in the financial and intellectual impoverishment of Muslims in India.

MAO College would not have received University status if inclusion of an Engineering College was not excluded. Higher research in physics was also introduced because of his support.

He wrote most of what was required to receive a charter. Student body at that time was less than 1500, but we did get AMU. Without his efforts, perhaps there would have been no Aligarh Muslim University.

With his efforts, in Lahore Islamia College was established. He laid down the foundation stone of that College. He also laid down the foundation stone of Islamia College Peshawar.

Sir Ziauddin revived the Scientific Society at MAO, which was more or less neglected by Syed Ahmad Khan after he moved to Aligarh. He published articles regularly in magazine and encouraged the faculty to do so. This did happened for few years and did not work. He was an educationist whose intention was to improve the quality of life for Muslims in India who were now way behind their fellow Hindus. He represented Allahabad University at the State Legislature,which was hardly a Muslim organization. He was clearly the most outstanding Muslim scholar of his time.

He is known as the savior of the University. Had he submitted and earned friendship of powerful political leaders there would have been no Muslim University in India and the National University would have been no different than Jamia.

Dr. Zia Uddin and his cousin Sir Muhammad Yamin Khan, and Nawab Ismail Khan lived in three of the four bungalow on four corners of the Windsor place, Lutyens' Delhi. Nawab Ismail Khan was highly regarded and respected person who was a lawyer and a political leader. They hail from the house in khair nagar Meerut, Uttar Pradesh Janat Nishan, where Sir Yamin Khan lived and it is family's ancestral home, established by Nawab Khair Andesh Khan, who was a General under Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and served as in the court of Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar.

Sir Ziauddin asked the Aligarians in Europe to return to their Alma mater and serve it.