Deobandi Websites

The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, Ashraf Ali Thanwi and Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri after the Indian Rebellion of 1857–58. They opposed the influence of non-Muslim cultures on the Muslims living in South Asia. The movement pioneered education in religious sciences through the ''Dars-i-Nizami'' associated with the Lucknow-based of Firangi Mahal with the goal of preserving traditional Islamic teachings from the influx of modernist and secular ideas during British colonial rule. The Deobandi movement's Indian clerical wing, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, was founded in 1919 and played a major role in the Indian independence movement through its participation in the pan-Islamist ''Khilafat'' movement and propagation of the doctrine of composite nationalism.

In terms of jurisprudence, the Deobandis uphold the doctrine of ' (conformity to a school of thought) and adhere to the Hanafi school. Founders of the Deobandi school Nanautavi and Gangohi drew inspiration from the religious and political doctrines of the South Asian Islamic scholar, Salafi-oriented Sufi and theologian Ismail Dehlawi (26 April 1779 – 6 May 1831). In its early years, Deobandi scholars engaged in theological debates with Christian and Hindu scholars; with the objective of defending Islamic faith, and to form a popular struggle to overthrow British colonialism. Deobandi theologians of Jamiat Ulema e-Hind, in particular, discussed multiculturalism and opposition to the partition of India, with a strategic vision to safeguard the religious freedom of Muslims in India.

The movement has spread from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to the United Kingdom, and has a presence in South Africa. The Pakistani branch and the original Indian seminaries have far less contact since the Partition of India, for political reasons related to the India–Pakistan border. Followers of the Deobandi movement are extremely diverse; some advocate for non-violence and others are militant.

Foundation and expansion

British colonialism in India was seen by a group of Indian scholars—consisting of Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi, Shah Rafi al-Din, Sayyid Muhammad Abid, Zulfiqar Ali, Fazlur Rahman Usmani and Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi—to be corrupting Islam. The group founded an Islamic seminary (''madrassa'') known as Darul Uloom Deoband,
where the Islamic revivalist and anti-imperialist ideology of the Deobandis began to develop. In time, the Darul Uloom Deoband became the second largest focal point of Islamic teaching and research after the Al-Azhar University, Cairo. Towards the time of the Indian independence movement and afterward in post-colonial India, the Deobandis advocated a notion of composite nationalism by which Muslims and Hindus were seen as one nation who were asked to be united in the struggle against the British rule.

In 1919, a large group of Deobandi scholars formed the political party Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and opposed the partition of India. Deobandi scholar Hussain Ahmad Madani helped to spread these ideas through his text ''Muttahida Qaumiyat Aur Islam''. A group later dissented from this position and joined Muhammad Ali Jinnah's Muslim League, including Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani, Zafar Ahmad Usmani and Muhammad Shafi, who formed the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam in 1945.

Through the organisations such as Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and Tablighi Jamaat, the Deobandi movement began to spread. Graduates of Darul Uloom Deoband in India from countries such as South Africa, China, and Malaysia opened thousands of ''madaaris'' throughout the world.

India

The Deobandi movement in India is managed and spread by Darul Uloom Deoband and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind.

Pakistan

Of Pakistan's estimated 230 million Muslims, some 15-30% consider themselves Deobandi. This estimates that 15% of Pakistani Muslims are Deobandi and 20% Shia, which equates to about 19% of Pakistan's Sunni Muslims being Deobandi. According to Heritage Online, nearly 65% of the total seminaries (Madrasah) in Pakistan are run by Deobandis, whereas 25% are run by Barelvis, 6% by Ahl-i Hadith and 3% by various Shia organizations. The Deobandi movement in Pakistan was a major recipient of funding from Saudi Arabia from the early 1980s up until the early 2000s, where after this funding was diverted to the rival Ahl-i Hadith movement. Having seen Deoband as a counterbalance to Iranian influence in the region, Saudi funding is now strictly reserved for the Ahl-i Hadith.

Deobandi-affiliated groups such as the TTP, SSP, Let, etc. have a militant character and have attacked and destroyed Sufi sites holy to Sunni Muslims of the Barelvi movement, such as Data Darbar in Lahore, Abdullah Shah Ghazi's tomb in Karachi, Khal Magasi in Balochistan, and Rahman Baba's tomb in Peshawar.

Afghanistan

Deobandi Islam is the most popular movement in the Pashtun belt on both sides of the Durand Line that separates Afghanistan and Pakistan. Moreover, prominent Afghan and Pakistani Taliban leaders have studied in Deobandi seminaries.

South Africa

The Deobandi Movement has an international presence today, with its full-fledged manifestation in South Africa, a country where the movement was initiated through the Indian Gujarati merchant class. The Islamic education system of the Deobandi movement, as well as the necessary components of social and political organizations such as the Tablighi Jamat and Jamiatul Ulama South Africa are fully functioning effectively in South Africa, as they do in India. Madrasas in South Africa provide Islamic higher education and are now centers for Islamic education for foreigners who are interested in receiving a Deobandi-style education. Many of their graduates, especially from Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, are Western students. Some of South African madrasas are recognized globally, providing fatwa services. South Africa is now known for producing exceptional Islamic literature through translation and compilation. Similarly, the Tabligh Jamaat is a hub in South Africa that spreads throughout South and East Africa. Graduates of South African madrassas spend their time in service of the Tablighi Jamaat, among them are Zakariyya Kandhlawi, Masihullah Khan, Mahmood Hasan Gangohi and Asad Madni. South African Deobandi Muslims have many important and influential educational and socio-political organizations that educate the people and play an important role in religious and social activities. Among them are Jamiatul Ulama South Africa and the Muslim Judicial Council.

Iran

Students from various regions, including Sistan and Baluchestan in Iran, attended Deoband, which led to the spread of its founders ideas. This movement had a significant impact on some of the new generation of Iranian intellectuals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After entering Iran, the students of this school continued to expand this thinking and with the formation of missionary groups. These thoughts have been strengthened on one hand due to the cultural relationships between the Baloch tribes and on the other hand due to the connection of Sistan and Baluchestan's Iran and India's Hanafi religious leaders in Iran. Today, Deobandi thinking is one of the intellectual currents in Sistan and Baluchestan and preaching groups are active in different cities and villages. Its playing a crucial role in Iran's political landscape. The Deobandis aimed to homogenize religious schools and were opposed to certain popular practices. The Naqshbandi order played an important role for the Deobandi movement in the Persian-speaking world.

United Kingdom

In the 1970s, Deobandis opened the first British-based Muslim religious seminaries (Darul-Ulooms), educating imams and religious scholars. Deobandis "have been quietly meeting the religious and spiritual needs of a significant proportion of British Muslims, and are perhaps the most influential British Muslim group." In 2007, the Deobandis ran 17 seminaries (out of a total of 26 in the UK) and were producing 80 percent of home-trained Muslim clerics. They also ran 600 of Britain's nearly 1,500 mosques. In 2014 it was reported that 45 per cent of Britain's mosques and nearly all the UK-based training of Islamic scholars were controlled by the Deobandis.

Journalist Andrew Norfolk found that the leading Deobandi preacher loathed western values, called on Muslims to "shed blood" for Allah and preached contempt for Jews, Christians and Hindus. In 2015 Ofsted highlighted the Deobandi seminary in Holcombe as a good example of a school "promoting British values, preventing radicalisation and protecting children".Alternative URL
Norfolk disagreed with the assessment.

Beliefs

The Deobandi movement sees itself as a scholastic tradition that grew out of the Islamic scholastic traditions of the pre-colonial Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan, and it considers its visionary forefather to be Ismail Dehlawi (26 April, 1779 – 6 May, 1831).Profile of Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh on Encyclopedia Britannica
Retrieved 16 August 2018Profile of Dehlvi on books.google.com website
Retrieved 16 August 2018 Dehlawi was a contemporary of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, and they studied in Medina under some of the same teachers. Muhammad Iqbal said: "The Deobandi movement is neither a creed (Aqidah) nor a denomination (Tayifa) – terms by which its antagonists try to incite the masses against it – but it is a comprehensive picture and a complete edition of the tack of the Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah in which all the offshoots of the Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah are seen joined with their root."

Theology

Deobandis follow the Maturidi school of Sunni Islamic theology. Their schools teach a short text on beliefs known as ''al-'Aqa'id al-Nasafiyya'' by the Hanafi-Maturidi scholar Najm al-Din 'Umar al-Nasafi.Martin van Bruinessen, Stefano Allievi, Producing Islamic Knowledge: Transmission and Dissemination in Western Europe, p 100.

The official Deobandi book, '' al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad'' (The Sword on the Disproved), also known as: ''al-Tasdiqat li-Daf' al-Talbisat'' (Endorsements Repelling Deceits), is a work that summarizes the beliefs generally held by the Deobandis. It was authored by Khalil Ahmad al-Saharanpuri (d. 1346/1927) in order to defend and remit the Deobandis from the charge of kufr (unbelief or blasphemy) levied against them by their opponents.

According to Brannon D. Ingram, Deobandis differ from Barelvis on three theological positions. Gangohi stated that God has the ability to lie. This doctrine is called ''Imkan-i Kizb''. According to this doctrine, because God is omnipotent, God is capable of lying. Gangohi also supported the doctrine that God has the ability to make additional prophets after Muhammad (''Imkan-i Nazir'') and other prophets equal to Muhammad. Gangohi clarifies that although God has the ability to make prophets on "par" with Muhammad, he "would never do so".

Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence)

Deobandis are strong proponents of the doctrine of ''Taqlid''. In other words, they believe that a Deobandi must adhere to one of the four schools (madhhabs) of Sunni Islamic Law and discourage inter-school eclecticism. They themselves claim to be the followers of the Hanafi school. Students at madrasas affiliated with the Deobandi movement study the classic books of Hanafi Law such as ''Nur al-Idah'', ''Mukhtasar al-Quduri'', ''Sharh al-Wiqayah'', and ''Kanz al-Daqa’iq'', culminating their study of the madhhab with the ''Hidayah'' of ''al-Marghinani''.

With regard to views on ''Taqlid'', one of their main opposing reformist groups are the Ahl-i-Hadith, also known as the ''Ghair Muqallid'', the nonconformists, because they eschewed ''taqlid'' in favor of the direct use of Quran and Hadith. They often accuse those who adhere to the rulings of one scholar or legal school of blind imitation'','' and frequently demand scriptural evidence for every argument and legal ruling. Almost since the very beginnings of the movement, Deobandi scholars have generated a copious amount of scholarly output in an attempt to defend their adherence to a ''madhhab'' in general. In particular, Deobandis have penned much literature in defense of their argument that the Hanafi madhhab is in complete accordance with the ''Quran'' and ''Hadith''.

Hadith

In response to this need to defend their ''madhhab'' in the light of scripture, Deobandis became particularly distinguished for their unprecedented salience to the study of ''Hadith'' in their madrasas. Their ''madrasa'' curriculum incorporates a feature unique among the global arena of Islamic scholarship, the ''Daura-e Hadis'', the capstone year of a student's advanced madrasa training, in which all six canonical collections of the Sunni Hadith (the ''Sihah Sittah'') are reviewed.

In a Deobandi madrasa, the position of ''Shaykh al-Hadith'', or the resident professor of Sahih Bukhari, is held in much reverence. Their views were widely shared by a broad range of Islamic reform movements of the colonial period.

Sufism

Khalil Ahmad al-Saharanpuri outlined the creedal beliefs of Deobandis in his ''Al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad'' where he stated that

However, Deobandis are strictly opposed to celebrating the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the celebration of ''Urs'', and the ''Mourning of Ashura''.
Deobandis also reject the building of structures over graves, visitation to the shrines of Sufi saints, as well as the practice of loud ''Dhikr'', ''Qawwali'', ''Wajd'' and '' Sama'' - seeing them as too "innovative" in nature.

Deobandis oppose various forms of Tawassul and Istighatha, which they label as Kufr and Shirk.

Deoband's curriculum combined the study of Islamic holy scriptures (Quran, hadith and law) with rational subjects (logic, philosophy and science). At the same time it was hugely Sufi in orientation and affiliated with the Chishti order. Taqi Usmani - the most famous Deobandi scholar was trained in the Chishti order as were the four founders of the Deoband madrassa. Mahmood Ashraf Usmani, the former head of Darul Ulum Karachi, defended the concept of Tariqa and Bay'ah based on the Pledge of the Tree incident. Ashraf Ali Thanwi graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband and was widely considered a preeminent Sufi of modern India.

Founders of the Deobandi school, Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, were inspired by the doctrine of Shah Waliullah amongst other sources of inspiration. Gangohi studied under the Sufi shaykh Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki, although he differed with his views in many ways. However Gangohi's ''Fatawa-yi Rashidiyya'' opposed traditional Sufi practices such as loud ''dhikr'', visiting the tombs of Sufi saints, celebrating ''Urs'', visualizing or contemplating on a Sufi master (''tasawwur-e-shaykh''), reciting the ''Fatihah'' on special occasions, and engaging in ''Sema''.

Gangohi opposed the Sufi doctrine that Muhammad has knowledge of the unseen (''ilm e ghaib''). This belief of the Deobandis conflicts with traditional Sufi views of Muhammad having unparalleled and unequal knowledge that encompasses the unseen realm. Gangohi also issued multiple fatwas against the Mawlid and stated it is an innovation (''bidah''), and opposed the practice of standing up in honour of Muhammad during Mawlid.

Zakariyya Kandhlawi, noted hadith scholar and Sufi Shaykh of Deobandis, says that,

Scholarship

Deobandi fiqh

Deobandi fiqh, originating from the Hanafi school of Islamic law, is a distinctive school of Islamic jurisprudence that highly values the strict adherence to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, also known as Taqlid. Deobandi scholars view Taqlid as a crucial means of ensuring the proper interpretation and application of Islamic law, especially for individuals without the necessary knowledge and expertise to engage in Ijtihad. However, Ijtihad is also recognized as necessary for the evolution of Islamic law, but it should be approached with caution and respect for Islamic scholarship traditions. Darul Uloom Deoband established the first Department of Fatwa, or Darul Ifta, in 1892, followed by other Deobandi madrasas and organizations such as the Islamic Fiqh Academy (India), which constitute the bedrock for the development of the Deobandi fiqh. Rashid Ahmad Gangohi is considered the founder of Deobandi fiqh, with Ashraf Ali Thanwi and Aziz-ul-Rahman Usmani regarded as key figures. The earliest text of Deobandi fiqh is '' Fatawa-e-Rashidiya'', with other important texts including ''Imdad-ul-Fatawa'' and '' Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband''. Deobandi fiqh plays a vital role in Afghanistan's judiciary system, with Taqi Usmani and Khalid Saifullah Rahmani recognized as prominent contemporary faqihs of the Deobandi school. Digital initiatives such as Darulifta-Deoband.com and Askimam demonstrate the digitization of Deobandi fiqh. A significant fatwa in Deobandi fiqh is the ''Fatwa of Peace for Humanity'', issued by Farid Uddin Masood in 2016, endorsed by over 100,000 Islamic scholars from Bangladesh, declaring terrorism as haram or forbidden, based on Islamic scripture and tradition.

Politics

Deobandi jihadism

Deobandi jihadism pertains to a militant interpretation of Islam that draws upon the teachings of the Deobandi movement. The Deobandi movement underwent three waves of armed conflict. The first wave resulted in the establishment of an Islamic territory centered on Thana Bhawan by the movement's elders during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, prior to the founding of Darul Uloom Deoband. Imdadullah Muhajir Makki served as the Amir al-Mu'minin of this Islamic territory, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi as the Chief justice, and Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi as the Commander-in-chief. However, following the British victory over the Deobandi forces in the Battle of Shamli, the territory fell. After the establishment of Darul Uloom Deoband, Mahmud Hasan Deobandi initiated the second wave. He attempted to mobilize an armed resistance against the British through various initiatives, including the formation of the Samratut Tarbiat. When the British uncovered his Silk Letter Movement, they arrested him and held him captive in Malta. Following his release, he and his followers entered mainstream politics and actively participated in the democratic process. In the late 1970s, the Pakistan–Afghan border became the epicenter of the Deobandi jihadist movement's third wave, which was fueled by the Soviet–Afghan War. Under the auspices of President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, its expansion occurred through various madrasas, such as Darul Uloom Haqqania and Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, with political support provided by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S). Trained militants from the Pakistan–Afghan border participated in the Afghan jihad and later formed various organizations, including the Taliban. The most prominent example of Deobandi jihadism is the Taliban, who established Islamic rule in Afghanistan. Sami-ul-Haq, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S), is regarded as the "father of the Taliban."

Organizations

Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is one of the leading Deobandi organizations in India. It was founded in British India in 1919 by Ahmad Saeed Dehlavi, Sanaullah Amritsari and several other scholars including Kifayatullah Dehlawi who was elected its first interim president. The Jamiat has propounded a theological basis for its nationalistic philosophy. Their thesis is that Muslims and non-Muslims have entered upon a mutual contract in India since independence, to establish a secular state. The Constitution of India represents this contract.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) is a Deobandi organization, part of the Deobandi movement. The JUI formed when members broke from the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind in 1945 after that organization backed the Indian National Congress against the Muslim League's lobby for a separate Pakistan. The first president of the JUI was Shabbir Ahmad Usmani.

Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam

Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam (), also known in short as Ahrar, was a conservative Deobandi political party in the Indian subcontinent during the British Raj (prior to the independence of Pakistan) founded 29 December 1929 at Lahore. Chaudhry Afzal Haq, Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari, Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi, Mazhar Ali Azhar, Zafar Ali Khan and Dawood Ghaznavi were the founders of the party. The Ahrar was composed of Indian Muslims disillusioned by the Khilafat Movement, which cleaved closer to the Congress Party.Christophe Jaffrelot.
A history of Pakistan and its origins
'. Anthem Press, 2004. The party was associated with opposition to Muhammad Ali Jinnah and against establishment of an independent Pakistan as well as criticism of the Ahmadiyya movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Majlis-e-Ahrar divided in two parts. Now, Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam is working for the sake of Muhammad, nifaaz Hakomat-e-illahiyya and Khidmat-e-Khalq. In Pakistan, Ahrar secretariat is in Lahore and in India it is based in Ludhiana.

Tablighi Jamaat

Tablighi Jamaat, a non-political Deobandi missionary organisation, began as an offshoot of the Deobandi movement. Its inception is believed to be a response to Hindu reform movements, which were considered a threat to vulnerable and non-practising Deobandi Muslims. It gradually expanded from a local to a national organisation, and finally to a transnational movement with followers in over 200 countries. Although its beginnings were from the Deobandi movement, it has now established an independent identity though it still maintains close ties with Deobandi ulema in many countries with large South Asian Muslim populations such as the UK.

Associated organizations

* Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind
* Jamiatul Ulama South Africa
* Jamiat Ulama-e-Britain