at once took steps to counteract this influence. He obtained from Moulvi Karamat Ali of Jaunpur, one of the most celebrated religious teachers of the day, an exposition of the law on the duty of Muhammadans in British India towards the ruling power. This he embodied in a paper which he read to the Muhammadan Literary Society on November 23rd 1870, showing clearly from the classical works of Muhammadan Jurisprudence that British India was Dar-ul-Islam and that as such it would be unlawful and irreligious for Muhammadans to preach a Jahad against it as the ruling power. Not only was this address fully approved by all the leading Muhammadans of India, it received also the approbation of the Muftis of Mecca who were consulted on the subject.
On the occasion of the Imperial Assembly at Delhi and the proclamation of the Queen-Empress came the first titular honour bestowed upon Abdul Latif by government, the sanad of the title of Khan Bahadur being personally presented to him at Belvedere by the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Ashley Eden, in the following August. In making the presentation Sir Ashley acknowledged how much the recipient had done 'to promote the interests of his co-religionists' adding that to him it 'was mainly due that they were then adopting the study of western literature and fitting themselves to compete with the young men of other classes.'
