By IndiaTomorrow.net,
Aligarh, 28 March 2015: “Aligarh Muslim University shall never forget the services of Maulana Shibli Nomani who served this institution for sixteen years during its early period as a confidant of Sir Syed and AMU will consider establishing a chair to perpetuate the memory of Maulana Shibli Nomani and Khwaja Altaf Husain Hali”, said AMU Vice Chancellor Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah.
He was addressing at the inaugural session of two-day National Seminar on “Shibli and His Times” at AMU on Saturday. He said that Shibli’s contributions will always be remembered.
Gen. Shah said that “we will be celebrating Sir Syed’s bicentennial birth anniversary in 2017 and the University is planning to make this occasion a big celebration”. For this, a committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Prof. A. R. Kidwai, Director, UGC Academic Staff College and several programmes have been initiated to this effect, Gen. Shah added.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Ishtiaque Ahmad Zilli, Director, Darul Musannifeen, Shibli Academy, Azamgarh said that this century will mark Shibli’s revival and this seminar is another step in this direction. He said that Shibli is considered to be the pioneering scholar of modern times who worked as a bridge between the modern and classical literature.
Prof. Zilli said that Shibli’s arrival at Aligarh was a great historical event. He became a confidant of Sir Syed and worked with him for the development of the MAO College. Sir Syed even provided a small residence to Shibli in the premises of his house.
Prof. Zilli said that Aligarh had an important place in Shibli’s life and Shibli and Darul Musannifeen were in fact extensions of Aligarh Movement. He said if Darul Musannifeen has a library in future, it will be named after Sir Syed. He pointed out that Shibli was the person who initiated teaching of Quran in MAO College.
