Mrs. Meer Hassan Ali

Mrs Meer Hassan Ali born Biddy Timms (born late 1700s - after 1832) was a British author who lived in a Shia Muslim household in Lucknow in India. Her book provided an objective insight into how Muslims lived in India and helped correct popular misunderstanding in Britain.

Life She was born Biddy Timms. She came to notice when she met and married Meer Hassan Ali who was an Indian Muslim who was employed in Addiscombe in south London as an assistant teacher. They married on 27 March 1817 at St James's Church in London and she was aged 21 or older. Her husband became disillusioned at the progress in his career in the Oriental department of East India Company's military college. He was also not well and he resigned in 1816. She and her husband moved to India in 1817. She remained a Christian and she wore western clothing but she gained access to, and understanding of, the life of Shia Muslims in Lucknow as she spoke fluent Hindustani. Other British writers had written travelogues about their travels in India, but her book was not structured as an account of her life. The book was divided into sections and it covered various aspects of life in Lucknow.