Nadwatul Ulama is a council of Muslim theologians in India which was formed in 1893 in

Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...

. The first manager of the council was

Muhammad Ali Mungeri Muḥammad Ali Mungeri (28 July 1846 – 13 September 1927) was an Indian Muslim scholar who was the founder Nadwatul Ulama and first chancellor of its Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Darul Uloom, a major Islamic seminary in Lucknow. He extensively ...

and the incumbent is

Bilal Abdul Hai Hasani Nadwi Bilal Abdul Hai Hasani Nadwi (born 3 October 1969) is an Indian Islamic scholar, da'i, Hadith lecturer and author who has served as the Chancellor of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama since 2023. He also serves as the General Secretary of the Payam-e- ...

. The council established the

Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama (translated as, House of Knowledge and Assembly of Scholars University) is an Islamic seminary in Lucknow, India. It was established by the Nadwatul Ulama, a council of Muslim scholars, on 26 September 1898. This ed ...

, a famous Islamic seminary in

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

, on 26 September 1898.

History

In 1893, during the annual congregation of the Madrasa Faiz-e-Aam in

, a group of Muslim scholars unanimously formed a council, Nadwatul Ulama, and agreed to schedule its first meet the upcoming year. This congregation was attended by

Mahmud Hasan Deobandi Mahmud Hasan Deobandi (also known as Shaykh al-Hind; 1851–1920) was an Indian Muslim scholar and an activist of the Indian independence movement, who co-founded the Jamia Millia Islamia University and launched the Silk Letter Movement for ...

Ashraf Ali Thanwi Ashraf Ali Thanwi (often referred as Hakimul Ummat and Mujaddidul Millat; 19 August 1863 – 20 July 1943) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, jurist, thinker, reformist and a revivor of classical Sufi in the Indian subcontinent during the Briti ...

Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (; December 185213 October 1927) was an Indian Islamic scholar of the Deobandi movement. He authored '' Badhl Al-Majhud Fi Hall Abi Dawud'', an 18-volume commentary on the hadith collection ''Sunan Abi Dawud''. He was ...

Sanaullah Amritsari Abul Wafa Sanaullah Amritsari (12 June 1868 – 15 March 1948) was a British Indian, later Pakistani, Muslim scholar and a leading figure within the Ahl-e-Hadith movement who was active in the city of Amritsar, Punjab. He was an alumnus of Maza ...

, Fakhrul Hasan Gangohi, Aḥmad Ḥasan Kanpuri and others. The motive behind the formation of this council was "to reform the prevalent educational system and to eliminate the differences among Muslim groups on different religious issues." Muhammad Ali Mungeri, who was appointed its first manager, is thought to be the prime founder. The first general congregation of the council of Nadwatul Ulama took place between 22 and 24 April 1894 in the Madrasa Faiz-e-Aam.

gave the idea of starting a Darul Uloom under the umbrella of Nadwatul Ulama and presented its draft on 12

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

1313 AH as the "Musawwada-e Darul Uloom". This draft was approved on 11 April 1896 in the third general meet of Nadwatul Ulama in

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

. The Darul Uloom established under the Nadwatul Ulama is the

Construction of Darul Uloom

Muhammad Ali Mungeri went to

alongside scholars such as Habibur Rahman Khan Sherwani and Zahoorul Islam Fatehpuri to look for a land in order to construct the

. Munshi Ehtesham Ali donated his land for the seminary. Prior to the construction of the seminary, he bought a big house in

Gola Ganj Gola Ganj (, ) is a neighbourhood in the city of Lucknow in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is home to the famous Lucknow Christian College Lucknow Christian College is a graduate and post-graduate college located in Golaganj, ...

and handed it over to the Nadwatul Ulama, and the office of the council shifted to

on 2 September 1898. The primary classes were started on 26 September 1898. The Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama is seen among the famous Islamic institutions in India.

Managers

was appointed the first manager of Nadwatul Ulama in its meet of inception. He was succeeded by

Masihuzzaman Khan Masīhuzzamān Khān (1840 – 17 December 1910) was an Indian Muslim scholar who served as the second chancellor of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama. He was the teacher of Mir Laiq Ali Khan and Mahboob Ali Khan. Biography Masīhuzzamān Khān was ...

as an interim manager for three years, who however resigned on 19 July 1903.

Khalilur Rahman Saharanpuri Khalilur Rahman Saharanpuri was an Indian Islamic scholar of the Deobandi movement who served as the List of chancellors and principals of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, chancellor of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama from 1905 until 1915. He was secretary ...

was appointed manager in 1905. He served the position till July 1915 when

Abdul Hai Hasani Syed Abdul Hai Hasani (1869–1923) was an Indian Islamic scholar, historian, biographer, writer, Sufi, and Hakim. He served as the fourth Chancellor of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama between 1915 and 1923. He was the father of Abul Hasan Ali Hasan ...

was appointed the manager. Ali Hasan Khan was appointed the manager following Hasani's death. The last four general meetings of Nadwatul Ulama where held during his time. On 9 June 1931, Hakeem Abdul Ali was appointed the manager. He remained on the post for thirty years. Abdul Ali was succeeded by

Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi Syed Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi (also known as Ali Miyan; 5 December 1913 – 31 December 1999) was a leading Indian Islamic scholar, thinker, writer, preacher, reformer and a Muslim public intellectual of 20th century India and the author of ...

as the manager in 1961.

Rabey Hasani Nadwi Mohammad Rabey Hasani Nadwi (; 29 October 1929 – 13 April 2023) was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar, who served as the president of All India Muslim Personal Law Board and as the chancellor of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, an Islamic seminary i ...

became the manager of Nadwatul Ulama in 2000, and was succeeded by

following his death on 13 April 2023.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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