M. Athar Ali
| M. Athar Ali | |
|---|---|
M. Athar Ali
|
|
| Born | 18 January 1925 |
| Died | 7 July 1998 (aged 73) Aligarh |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Aligarh Muslim University |
| Occupation | Historian, Teacher |
| Known for | Authoring books on Medieval Indian History, President of The Indian History Congress |
| Spouse(s) | Feroza Khatoon |
| Children | Taimur Athar |
| Awards | Wilson Fellow (Smitsomian, 1986); Smuts Fellow (Cambridge, 1974-75); National Fellow (ICHR, 1990-1993); Barpujari award (1986) |
M. Athar Ali (18 January 1925 – 7 July 1998) was an Indian historian of Medieval Indian History. Throughout his career Ali was known to hold a strong stance against Hindu and Islamic extremism. He was a professor at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Medieval History at his Alma mater, Aligarh Muslim University.
M. Athar Ali was the son of Rehmat Ali. He was born in Pilakna in Uttar Pradesh, India. He was married to Feroza Kahtoon and had seven children. His oldest son, Taimur Athar was a renowned research scientist.
Ali was educated at Aligarh Muslim University where he was a student of Mohammad Habib, Nurul Hasan, and S. A. Rashid. He earned his doctorate at AMU in 1961 under the supervision of Satish Chandra. He started his career in research and teaching when he joined AMU as a research assistant. He and fellow historian Irfan Habib joined AMU's Department of History at around the same time in 1953. He became Professor in 1978. Athar Ali retired in 1990 after a five-year period of re-employment.
Ali wrote extensively on the Mughal Empire, comparative history of Islamic Empires, implications of secularism and early modern societies from Spain to Indonesia. Athar Ali's reputation for scholarship was firmly established in 1966, with the publishing of his book The Mughal Nobility Under Aurangazeb. A paper-back edition was brought out in 1970 and a second, revised, edition in 1997. Originally his doctoral thesis, it was soon acknowledged as the definitive study of India's late medieval ruling class. The book led to a reconsideration of many standard views of the ethnic composition of the Mughal ruling class and was widely regarded as a strong critique of communalist historiography in India and Pakistan. It also offered, for the first time, a more scientific and rational analysis of Aurangazeb the person, and the historical role of Aurangazeb, the last of the great Mughal emperors, whose reign between 1658 and 1707 hastened the disintegration of the empire. The theory, which still receives support from many quarters, that Aurangazeb's 'religious bias' generated a 'Hindu backlash' which brought about the downfall of the empire, was challenged by Athar Ali on the basis of hard evidence. "The evidence I assembled," wrote Athar Ali in his introduction to the revised edition of the book, "did not in any sense exonerate Aurangazeb, but I think it did set different limits within which the Emperor's personal preferences and decisions had impact: and it suggested a number of other factors, besides the one of religious bias..."
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