Deputy Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi (1836-1912 )

1. Deputy Nazir Ahmad Dehlvi (1836-1912) Presented by NurulAadilahSalleh NurulAiniHayatiAzizan Edited by Dr. Md. MahmudulHasan International Islamic University Malaysia 2010

2. Biography • Life - He is widely regarded as a prominent scholar, writer and social and religious reformer. - He is a pioneer of Urdu literature. - He began his career as an Arabic teacher. - In 1854, he joined the British colonial administration. - In 1856, he became a deputy inspector of schools in the Department of Public Instruction in Kanpur. - In 1857, he was appointed deputy inspector in Allahabad. - In 1877, NazirAhmad was offered a well-paid administrative position in the princely state of Hyderabad. - He died of a stroke in 1912.

3. Education - He learned Persian and Arabic from his father who was a teacher in a small town near Bijnore. - In 1842, his father took him to study under MaulviAbdul- Khaliq at the Aurangabadi Mosque in Delhi. - In 1846, Nazir Ahmad had the opportunity to enrol at Delhi College and studied there until 1853. • His religious and social reforms - He was a leading proponent of Muslim women’s education. - He was among the few who were aware of the problems and sufferings of Indian Muslims during those critical decades when Muslim society was in a flux. - Through his novels, he sought to eradicate social evils inherent in Muslim society, particularly those caused by ignorance, illiteracy and frustration.

4. Literary Works -He was the pioneer of the Urdu novel. He was a prolific writer and published books in varied genres. • Among of his works are: Mirat-al-Urus (The Bride's Mirror,1868–1869) - This novel is regarded as the first novel in Urdu. Bina-tul-Nash (The Daughters of the Bier) Taubat-un-Nasuh (Repentance of Nasuh, 1873-1874) Fasaana-e-Mubtalaa(1885) Ibn'ulWaqt(1888) Ayyamah (1891) Ruya-e Sadiqah (1892)

5. In later years, he was mainly engaged in translating and compiling commentaries on religious texts. • Was awarded the title of: -Shams al-Ulema(The Sun of the Learned) -The Degree of Doctor of Law from Edinburgh University (1902) -Doctor of Oriental Studies from the Punjab University (1910) Nazir Ahmad was one of three scholars who the lieutenant Governor Sir George Edmonston selected to translate the Indian Penal Code into Urdu. • His entire works are full of teachings of moral values especially on women’s education and character building. He stresses on developing moral values and guidance of young generation.

6. Mirat-al-Urus (The Bride's Mirror)1868-1869

7. TheBride's Mirror is regarded as the first novel of Urdu and the first Urdu bestseller. • After its release in 1869, within twenty years it was reprinted in editions totalling over 100,000 copies and translated into Bengali, Braj, Kashmiri, Punjabi and Gujarati. • In 1903, an English translation was published in London by G.E. Ward. • TheBride’s Mirror had been adopted for almost every Urdu syllabus and has never been out of print in Urdu from that day of its first publication.

8. The whole story is told in the colloquial and clear language. • In Preface, Nazir Ahmad mentions that he wrote this novel in order to provide his daughters with interesting reading material because they had nothing but sacred texts to read: Purely religious subjects of study are not suited to the capacities of children, and the literature to which my children's attention was restricted had the effect of depressing their spirits, of checking their natural instincts and of blunting their intelligence [...]. It was then I formed the design of the present tale. • Later he found out the novel beneficial to motivate women and submitted it for publication.

9. Synopsis It is a story of two sisters, Akbari and Asghari. Akbari, the elder, is mean-tempered and uneducated; while Asghari, the younger, is a literate, competent, pious and loveable. However, Asghari’s life is worse than Akbari’s in every way except one, she had received good training during childhood while Akbari is her grandmother’s spoilt pet. At the end of the novel, Asghari is able to control her life intelligently, while Akbari has to struggle to run her life. • Theme Its focus is women’s education and emancipation. Nazir Ahmad stresses the necessity for women to receive education and to express themselves. This novel also highlights the inner workings of women’s mind and their role in society.

10. In the novel, Nazir Ahmad wants women to be respected and their potential to be valued and admired. • He is distressed by the shortcomings he sees in women, such as: ignorance, credulousness, passivity, laziness, emotionalism, and superficiality. • He tries to illustrate and criticize these faults and to encourage female readers to overcome such shameful traits. • He is aware of women’s plight in society. They are relegated to the four walls of the house, denied access to formal education and experience of the larger world outside.

11. This novel also emphasizes the need for female education by highlighting the miseries of an uneducated Muslim bride, Akbari. • Nazir Ahmad believes that every young girl should strive to learn, to become educated, to acquire skills and abilities that will enable her to become a useful member of the family. • This novel shows that man and woman complement each other. Man and woman should strive to shine and excel in their own sphere. • Cooperation of both the sexes is necessary to maintain the family better. • The moral of this novel is that women should be given the opportunity to learn and to be educated because they are the managers of the home, responsible for the training of their children and essential for preserving the family in time of rapid social change.