Shah was deeply influenced by the views of
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan. Sir Khan was the founder of what would eventually become the
Aligarh Muslim University. Shah later became a supporter of the institution, contributing funds and advocating for its role in Muslim education. Shah himself can be considered an
Islamic modernist and an intellectual of the
Aligarh movement. From a religious perspective, Shah followed a
modernist approach to Islam. Although he opposed a wholesale replication of Western society by Muslims, Shah did believe increased contact with the West would be overall beneficial to Muslim society. Like several other Islamic modernists of his time, Shah was critical of the traditional religious establishment (the
Ulamā), particularly their emphasis on formalism, legalism, and literal interpretations of scripture. Instead, he advocated for renewed
ijtihād (independent reasoning) and
ijmāʿ (consensus), the latter of which he understood in a modernist way to mean consensus-building. Once the principles of the faith were discovered, they would be seen to be universal and modern. Islam, in his view, had an underlying liberal and democratic spirit. He also called for full civil and religious liberties, peace and disarmament, and an end to all wars. Shah opposed
sectarianism, which he believed sapped the strength and unity of the Muslim community. In specific, he called for a rapprochement between
Sunnism and
Shīʿism. This view did not imply a belief that religious distinctions would disappear; he continued to emphasize the importance of doctrinal commitment, instructing his
Ismāʿīlī followers to remain dedicated to their own teachings. However, he believed in unity through accepting diversity, and by respecting differences of opinion. On his view, there was strength to be found in the diversity of Muslim traditions. He called for social reform in Muslim society, and he was able to implement them within his own Ismāʿīlī community. Shah argued that Islamic principles supported social justice and the alleviation of poverty, and he advocated for efforts aimed at reducing economic inequality. Like Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Shah was concerned that Muslims had fallen behind the Hindu community in terms of education. He was an advocate for compulsory and universal primary education, and also for the creation of higher institutions of learning. In terms of women's rights, Shah was more progressive in his views than Sir Sayyid and many other Islamic modernists of his time. Shah advocated for women's rights not solely on the basis of their roles as mothers or wives, but as a matter of individual empowerment and social equity. He endorsed the spiritual equality of men and women in Islam, and he also called for full political equality. This included the right to vote and the right to an education. In regards to the latter issue, he endorsed compulsory primary education for girls. He also encouraged women to pursue higher university-level education, Whereas Sir Sayyid prioritized the education of boys over girls, Shah instructed his followers that if they had a son and daughter, and if they could only afford to send one of them to school, they should send the daughter over the boy. Shah campaigned against the institution of
purda and
zenāna, which he felt were oppressive and un-Islamic institutions. Shah also restricted polygamy in his community, encouraged marriage to widows, and banned child marriage. He also made marriage and divorce laws more equitable to women. == Racehorse ownership and equestrianism ==