My Life: A Fragment, authored by Mohamed Ali, reflects the fears, anxieties and aspirations of many educated Muslims who lived through the first two decades after the death of Syed Ahmad Khan in 1898. It is also an important personal statement, a document of deep religious feeling which serves to illuminate Mohamed Ali’s inner self-awareness of Islam. For this reason, his book invites comparison with other texts written around the same time in other countries by Muslim scholars and publicists. Its historical value, having long been recognised by historians of Indian nationalism and Indian Islam, is enhanced by the absence of a similar text written in India by any other leading actor of the period. At a time when social scientists are engaged with the overriding theme of identity politics and with issues of identity-formation in South Asia, Mohamed Ali’s insights enable us to understand how a specifically Muslim identity was being constructed in early twentieth century north India. This is particularly so at a time when scholars are also trying to come to terms with ‘communal’ or communitarian solidarities and their role in the private and public domains. Finally, My Life: A Fragment illumines how influential public figures like Mohamed Ali reflected on the changes ushered in by the colonial government and their impact on his community and the nation. This important text is essential reading for the political, social and cultural history of north India.
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