Having recognized the steady decline in Mughal political power, Sir Syed decided to enter the service of the East India Company. He could not enter the colonial civil service because it was only in the 1860s that Indians were admitted. His first appointment was as a "Serestadar" (lit. Clerk) at the courts of law in Agra, responsible for record-keeping and managing court affairs. In 1840, he was promoted to the title of "munshi". In 1858, he was appointed to a high-ranking post at the court in Muradabad, where he began working on his most famous literary work.