Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic university and

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

( darul uloom) in

Deoband Deoband is a town and a municipality in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, about 150 km (93 miles) from Delhi. Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary and one of the largest Islamic Institutions of India is located ther ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, India, at which the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Deobandi Islamic movement began. Established in 1866 by

Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi Muhammad Qasim Nanawtawi (1832 – 15 April 1880) () was an Indian Sunni Hanafi Maturidi Islamic Scholar, theologian and a Sufi who was one of the main founders of the Deobandi Movement, starting from the Darul Uloom Deoband. Name and line ...

Fazlur Rahman Usmani Fazlur Rahmān Usmānī (1831 – 15 June 1907) was an Indian Muslim scholar and poet who co-founded the Darul Uloom Deoband. He was father of the scholars, Aziz-ur-Rahman Usmani and Shabbir Ahmad Usmani. His grandson Atiqur Rahman Usmani was ...

, Sayyid Muhammad Abid and others in 1866, it is one of the most important Islamic seminaries in India and the largest in the world. Mahmud Deobandi was the first teacher and

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 ...

was the first student. On 14 October 2020, the executive council of the seminary appointed Arshad Madani as the principal (''sadr-mudarris'') and

Abul Qasim Nomani Abul Qasim Nomani (born 14 January 1947) is an Indian Islamic scholar and the current Vice Chancellor and Sheikh al-Hadith of Darul Uloom Deoband. He has been ranked among the 500 most influential Muslims in the world. Biography Abul Qasim ...

as the senior hadith professor (''shaykh al-hadith'').

History

Darul Uloom Deoband was established on 31 May 1866 by

, Sayyid Muhammad Abid, Muhammad Qasim Nanotawi, Mehtab Ali, Nehal Ahmad and Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi. Mahmud Deobandi was appointed the first teacher, and

was the first student who enrolled in the seminary. In 1982, during the Vice Chancellorship of

Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi (known as Qari Muhammad Tayyib) was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar who served as Vice Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband for more than half a century. He was grandson of Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, the founder of the Darul ...

, administrative disputes occurred in the seminary which led to the formation of Darul Uloom Waqf. The spread of the Deobandi movement in the United Kingdom has produced some criticism concerning their views on interfaith dialogue and values including democracy, secularism, and the rule of law. In September 2007 Andrew Norfolk of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' published an article titled "Hardline takeover of British mosques" about the influence of the Deobandis whom the author called a "hardline Islamic sect". Masjid Rasheed

In February 2008, an anti-terrorism conference organized by the seminary denounced all forms of terrorism.

Program

The school teaches ''manqulat'' (revealed Islamic sciences) according to the

Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

school of

Islamic jurisprudence ''Fiqh'' (; ) is the term for Islamic jurisprudence.Fiqh
Encyclopædia Britannica ''Fiqh'' is of ...

. In this seminar, Nanawtawi instituted modern methods of learning such as teaching in classrooms, a fixed and carefully selected curriculum, lectures by academics who were leaders in their fields, exam periods, merit prizes, and a publishing press. Students were taught in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, and sometimes in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

for theological reasons or

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, for cultural and literary reasons. The curriculum is based on a highly modified version of the 18th century Indo-Islamic syllabus known as

Dars-e-Nizami Dars-i Nizami () is a study curriculum or system used in many Islamic institutions (madrassas) and Darul Ulooms, which originated in the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century and can now also be found in parts of South Africa, Canada, the United ...

. The students learn the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and its exegesis;

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

and its commentary; and juristic rulings with textual and rational proofs. They also study the biography of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

Arabic grammar Arabic grammar () is the grammar of the Arabic language. Arabic is a Semitic languages, Semitic language and its grammar has many similarities with the Semitic languages#Grammar, grammar of other Semitic languages. Classical Arabic and Modern St ...

, Arabic language and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

, and Persian language. The syllabus consists of many stages. The five-year ''Nazirah'' (primary course) teaches Urdu, Persian, Hindi and English. The next level is the ''Hifze Quran''. This involves the memorization of the Quran over two to four years. A few students will then choose ''Tajwid e Hafs'' (melodious recitation). The student is taught the detailed recitation rules of the Quran as laid down by Arabic Hafs. Still fewer will take up the next course, the ''Sab'ah and 'Asharah

Qira'at In Islam, (pl. ; ) refers to the ways or fashions that the Quran, the holy book of Islam, is recited. More technically, the term designates the different linguistic, lexical, phonetic, morphological and syntactical forms permitted with rec ...

'' (study of all the ten Quran recitations). A post graduate studies equivalent is the ''Fazilat'' course taken over eight years. It commences with ''Arabi Awwal'', in which the basics of the Arabic language is the main aim, and finishes with ''Daura e Hadith'', in which the main books of the sayings of Muhammad are taught. A prerequisite for this course is completion of primary education. Memorization of the Quran is also recommended. Students who complete the Fazilat may use the title ''Alim'' or ''Maulvi''. The ''Daurae Hadith'' (final year) class is taught in the basement of "an under construction seven storied building". In the 2017–2018 academic year (1438–1439 AH), 1664 students attended the Daurae Hadith class. Almost a quarter of the students who complete the Daurae Hadith continue their studies. These advanced courses include ''Takmil Ifta'' (

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

); ''Takmil Adab'' (Arabic literature); and ''Takhassus fil Hadith'' (

). Students who complete the ''Takmil Ifta'' take the title ''

Mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

''.

Role in the Indian independence movement

The political ideals of Darul Uloom Deoband were founded up to ten years prior to its opening. In 1857 (1274 AH), Imdadullah Muhajir Makki (a spiritual leader) and his followers,

Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi Muhammad Qasim Nanawtawi (1832 – 15 April 1880) () was an Indian Sunni Hanafi Maturidi Islamic Scholar, theologian and a Sufi who was one of the main founders of the Deobandi Movement, starting from the Darul Uloom Deoband. Name and line ...

, Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi,

Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi (1833–1884) was an Indian Islamic scholar, and one of the earliest teachers of Islamic Madrassa in Deoband, famously called Darul Uloom Deoband in India. He was the first principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. Name and li ...

and others gathered at

Thana Bhawan Thana Bhawan is a town in Shamli district (formerly part of Muzaffarnagar district) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was known as Prabuddhnagar first time, when this district came into focus. It is situated on Delhi–Shamli national h ...

to protest against British rule and continue their call for the independence of India. They fought what is called the

Battle of Shamli The Battle of Shamli or Battle of Thana Bhawan was fought on 10 May 1857 between the forces of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and the East India Company. It was part of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. On 10 May 1857, local Muslims under the leadership ...

. In , Nanautawi's pupil,

was a leader in the independence movement. He incited revolution through a scheme which the Rowlatt committee called the

Silk Letter Movement The Silk Letter Movement ('Tehreek-e-Reshmi Rumal') refers to a movement organised by Deobandi leaders between 1913 and 1920, aimed at gaining Indian independence from British rule by forming an alliance with the Ottoman Empire, the Emirate of A ...

. However, the scheme failed and Hasan and his followers were arrested and exiled. Hasan was returned from exile in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

, and he reached Bombay in June 1920. His group,

Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind or Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind ( ) is one of the leading organizations of Islamic scholars belonging to the Deobandi school of thought in India. It was founded in November 1919 by a group of Muslim scholars including Abdul Bari Fir ...

, which included

Hussain Ahmad Madani Hussain Ahmad Madani (; 6 October 1879 – 5 December 1957) was an Indian Islamic scholar, serving as the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was among the first recipients of the civilian honour of Padma Bhushan in 1954. ...

, Kifayatullah Dehlawi,

Syed Fakhruddin Ahmad Syed Fakhruddin Ahmad (1889-1972) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar and jurist who served as the Principal of Madrasa Shahi, and the sixth President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. He was a professor of hadith at the Darul Uloom Deoband. Biography Sy ...

, and later on, Hifzur Rahman Seoharwi,

Atiqur Rahman Usmani Atīqur Rahmān Usmānī (1901 – 12 May 1984) was an Indian Muslim scholar and an activist of Indian independence movement who co-founded Nadwatul Musannifeen and the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat. Usmānī was an alumnus of the Darul ...

Minnatullah Rahmani Minnatullah Rahmani (7 April 1913 – 20 March 1991) was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar who served as the first General Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama and Darul Uloom Deoband, and ...

Habib-ur-Rehman Ludhianvi Habibur Rehman Ludhianvi (3 July 1892 – 2 September 1956) was an Islamic scholar who served as the third president of the Majlis-i Ahrar-i Islam from 1935 to 1939. He belonged to an Arain tribe and was a direct lineal descendant of Shah ...

, and Muhammad Miyan Deobandi joined the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

. In 1926 and 1927 (1345 abs 1346 AH), graduates of the school called for Indian independence at Jamiat Ulama meetings in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

and

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

. Madani opposed the suggestion of the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India with the goal of securing Muslims, Muslim interests in South Asia. Although initially espousing a united India with interfaith unity, the Muslim L ...

for the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

along

sectarian Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism a ...

lines. He also advocated democratic government with religious freedoms and tolerance. On 29 December 1929, ''

Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam Majlis-e Ahrar-e Islam (), also known simply as the Ahrar, is a religious Muslim political party in the Indian subcontinent that was formed during the British Raj (prior to the Partition of India) on 29 December 1929 at Lahore. The group becam ...

'' (''Majlis-e-Ah'rar-e-Islam'', , or ''Ahrar''), a conservative

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

Deobandi 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 nam ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

was founded in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. The founding members of the party were

Chaudhry Afzal Haq Chaudhry Afzal Haq (1891–8 January 1942) was an Islamic scholar and writer who served as the second president of Majlis-i Ahrar-i Islam from 1931 to 1934. Biography A senior political figure in the history of the Indian subcontinent, he work ...

Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari Syed Ata Ullah Shah Bukhari (Urdu سید عطاء اللہ شاہ بخاری) (23 September 1892 – 21 August 1961), was a Muslim Hanafi scholar, religious and political leader from the Indian subcontinent. He was one of the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e- ...

Mazhar Ali Azhar Mazhar Ali Azhar (13 March 1895 – 4 November 1974) was a politician in British Raj, British India and later Pakistan, and one of the founders of Majlis-e-Ahrar-ul-Islam. He was elected three times to the Punjab Legislative Assembly (British I ...

Zafar Ali Khan Zafar Ali Khan (1873 – 27 November 1956) was a Pakistani writer, poet, translator and a journalist who played an important role in the Pakistan Movement against the British rule. He was one of the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam's founding memb ...

and

Dawood Ghaznavi Muhammad Daud Ghaznavi (better known as Dawood Ghaznavi or Daud Ghaznavi; 1895 – 16 December 1963), was an Islamic scholar, journalist, teacher, writer and politician in British India and a leader of the Indian independence movement. He serve ...

. The founding members were disillusioned by the

Khilafat Movement The Khilafat movement (1919–22) was a political campaign launched by Indian Muslims in British India over British policy against Turkey and the planned dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire after World War I by Allied forces. Leaders particip ...

, which had aligned with the

. The party gathered support from the urban lower-middle class. It opposed

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

, leader of the

and in the early years of Pakistan wanted Ahmadiyas to be declared non-Muslims.

Fatwas

A fatwa is “an issue arising about law and religion, explained in answer to questions received about it” by

mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...

s (Islamic jurists). Muftis at Darul Ifta (fatwa department), Darul Uloom Deoband are responsible for giving fatwas. On 31 May 2008, the seminary issued a significant public “Fatwa against terrorism” after a public rally in Delhi with around 100,000 representatives from nearly 6,000 madrasas across India, including those from different sects. The fatwa was a first of its kind in

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

and stated that "in Islam, creating social discord or disorder, breach of peace, rioting, bloodsan, pillage or plunder and killing of innocent persons anywhere in the world are all considered most inhuman crimes.” The edict was signed by Habibur Rahman Khairabadi.

Controversial fatwas

In January 2012, scholars from a Deobandi school issued a religious decision calling for the author

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British and American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern wor ...

to be barred from entering India to attend a literature festival because, in their opinion, he had offended Muslim sentiments. In May 2010, clerics from a Deobandi school issued a fatwa stating that men and women cannot work together in public offices unless the women are properly clothed. In September 2013, scholars from a Deobandi school issued a fatwa banning photography as un-Islamic unless it is for an identity card or for making a passport. In February 2024,

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is an Indian statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. The Commission works under the aegis of Ministry of ...

, demanded an FIR against the seminary's alleged promotion of the idea of Ghazwa-e-Hind, claiming that a supporting fatwa was available on their website, in response to a question seeking an answer to "whether Hadith talks about invasion of India or the Ghazwa-e-Hind".

Entry of women in campus

Darul Uloom Deoband has garnered attention for its stances on

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

, including issuing ''fatwas'' that restrict certain activities for Muslim women, including watching men's football, and plucking their eyebrows without their husband's permission. Additionally, the seminary faced criticism for its silence on the Taliban's ban on women's education, as the Taliban also aligns with the Deobandi ideology. In May 2024, Darul Uloom Deoband imposed a ban on the entry of women and girls to its premises, citing concerns over social media videos filmed on the campus. The seminary's rector

, stated that this decision responded to public complaints about the circulation of these videos, which were considered distracting and offensive by supporters of the institution. Prior to this, women were already restricted from entering the Rashidia mosque on campus; this restriction was now expanded to the entire seminary. In November 2024, the seminary lifted the ban on women's entry with conditions. Women were allowed on campus only if accompanied by a male guardian, wearing ''

purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of sex segregation prevalent among some Muslim, Zoroastrian and Hindu communities. The purdah garment is the same as a burqa, or yashmak, i.e a veil ...

'', and prohibited from taking photographs. Reports suggested that the original ban negatively impacted nearby businesses, which led to the policy's revision.

Administration

The seminary's co-founder Sayyid Muhammad Abid was the first vice-chancellor.

succeeded Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi as the thirteenth VC of the seminary on 24 July 2011.

Notable alumni

Alumni include: *

, leader of

Anwar Shah Kashmiri Anwar Shah Kashmiri (; 26 November 1875 – 28 May 1933) was an Islamic scholar from Kashmir in the early twentieth century, best known for his expertise in the study of hadith, a strong memory, and a unique approach to interpreting traditions, ...

, hadith scholar *

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 ...

, Sufi Shaykh and author of '' Bahishti Zewar'' and '' Bayan al-Quran''. *

, First General Secretary of the

All India Muslim Personal Law Board All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in India that represents the interests of Muslims in matters of personal law. It was formed in 1973 with the objective of protecting and promoting the appli ...

. *

Muhammad Shafi Muhammad Shafi (24 January 1897 – 6 October 1976), often referred to as Mufti Muhammad Shafi, was a Pakistani Sunni Islamic scholar of the Deobandi school, a Hanafi jurist and mufti, he was also an authority on shari'ah, hadith, Qur'anic ...

, first Grand Mufti of Pakistan *

Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi Muḥammad Ilyās ibn Muḥammad Ismā‘īl Kāndhlawī Dihlawī (1885 – 13 July 1944) was an Indian Islamic scholar of the Deobandi movement who founded the Tablighi Jamaat, in 1925, in Mewat province. Early life and education Muhammad I ...

, founder of Tablighi Jamat *

, author of '' Composite Nationalism and Islam'' * Taha Karaan, former head-

of Muslim Judicial Council. *

Publications

Darul ‘Uloom Deoband and its alumni publish: * ''

Al-Daie ''Al-Daie'' () is a monthly Arabic magazine that began as a biweekly newspaper in 1976, succeeding '' Da'watul Haq'' from Darul Uloom Deoband. It was initially edited by Wahiduzzaman Kairanawi under the supervision of Qari Muhammad Tayyib. In 1 ...

'', Arabic monthly periodical. * '' Monthly Darul Uloom'', Urdu monthly periodical. * ''Aaeenah Darul ‘Uloom'', Urdu fortnightly periodical.'Alwi K. (ed.) ''Aaeenah'' * Darulifta-Deoband.com

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1866 establishments in India Deobandi madrasas Islamic universities and colleges in India Madrasas in India Universities and colleges established in 1866