Syed Mir Hassan

Syed Mir Hassan (18 April 1844 – 25 September 1929) was a scholar of the Qur'an, Hadith, Sufism, and the Arabic language during British India. He was a professor of Arabic at Scotch Mission College in Sialkot and was awarded the title of Shams al-’Ulama’ ("Sun of the Scholars") by the British Crown. Mir Hassan is best known as the teacher of the philosopher-poet Muhammad Iqbal and the poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz. He was also the paternal uncle of the Pakistani journalist Syed Nazeer Niazi and was affiliated with Sir Syed Ahmed Khan's rationalist school of Islamic modernism.

Early life Born on 18 April 1844. Mir Hassan belonged to a religious family of Eastern physicians but did not opt for that profession, and he also refused to take up a career as a traditional prayer leader because he did not want to live on charity. Much to the horror of his family he ended up teaching at a vernacular school run by Christian missionaries. At the age of nineteen he also visited Delhi to meet the famous poet Mirza Ghalib.

Syed Mir Hassan and Syed Ahmed Khan He was a great admirer of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, of whom he became a staunch supporter.