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Who is regarded as the 'Father of the Muslim Renaissance in Bengal' and founded the Mohammedan Literary Society (1863)?
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Answer: Option B — Nawab Abdul Latif
Detailed Solution
Nawab Abdul Latif (1828-1893) is regarded as the "Father of the Muslim Renaissance in Bengal", and founded the Mohammedan Literary Society in Calcutta in 1863.
About Nawab Abdul Latif:
- He was born in 1828 in the Faridpur district of Bengal (now in Bangladesh).
- He was educated at the Calcutta Madrasa, where he learnt English as well as Arabic and Persian.
- He served in the government as a deputy magistrate.
- He believed that the Muslims of Bengal had fallen behind other communities because they had not taken up modern, English education after the decline of Persian as the official language.
His work:
- He encouraged Muslims to learn English and modern subjects, while keeping their religious traditions.
- He founded the Mohammedan Literary Society (Anjuman-i-Islami) in Calcutta in 1863, which organised lectures and discussions on modern education, science and social issues.
- He worked to reform the Calcutta Madrasa and to introduce English and modern subjects there.
- He helped establish the Presidency College's facilities for Muslim students.
- He promoted loyalty to the British government, believing that cooperation would help the Muslims progress.
- He was given the title "Nawab" by the British in 1880.
Other Muslim reformers of the 19th century:
- Syed Ahmad Khan: founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at Aligarh (1875), which became Aligarh Muslim University; leader of the Aligarh movement.
- Syed Ameer Ali: founded the Central National Muhammadan Association in Calcutta (1877); wrote "The Spirit of Islam".
- Dudu Miyan: a leader of the Faraizi movement in Bengal, which fought for the rights of peasants.
- Haji Shariatullah: founder of the Faraizi movement.
- The Deoband movement: founded by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi (1866), which emphasised traditional Islamic learning.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Syed Ahmad Khan worked mainly at Aligarh.
- ✗Syed Ameer Ali founded a different association.
- ✗Dudu Miyan led the Faraizi movement.
Quick tip
Remember: Nawab Abdul Latif = "Father of the Muslim Renaissance in Bengal" (Mohammedan Literary Society, 1863); Syed Ahmad Khan = Aligarh (1875); Ameer Ali = Central National Muhammadan Association (1877).
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Socio-Religious Reform Movements — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Socio-Religious Reform Movements, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
In the 19th century, reformers worked to remove social evils and revive Indian society. This topic covers organisations such as the Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Prarthana Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Theosophical Society, Satyashodhak Samaj and the Aligarh Movement, along with their founders and the social reforms they achieved. Questions usually ask who founded an organisation and when, or which reformer is linked to a reform. For example, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Samaj and campaigned against sati, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar championed widow remarriage, and Jyotiba Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj. A table of organisation, founder, year and place covers most questions. Practise the socio-religious reform movements questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.