Sir Syed was born in a religious household which is quite visible in his earlier
works as they are somewhat orthodox in nature. Prior to 1857, his writing style as well
as the content was more primitive; however, after the War of Independence, his
writing became more modern. He tried to bring forth a doctrine which brought
together elements of both Eastern and Western cultures. In doing so, he ended up
addressing some matters pertaining to religion which brought about a wave of severe
criticism from many Muslims in the subcontinent.