Deobandi Movement
History, Philosophy, and Present situation
Deobandi – The movement is named after the town of Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, India.
History – In 1886, several prominent scholars founded an Islamic Seminary in the
modest town of Deoband, north of Delhi. The founder of the institution is Qasim
Nanautawi. Rashid Ahmed Gangohi, a close friend and a scholar, was instrumental in
establishing the institution.
Founding – Majority of the rebellion and resistance to colonization had been crushed by
the East India Company. Therefore, the Ulamaa gathered at Deoband and created a safe
haven for those still committed to preserving Islam and resisting the occupation by the
British. Once gathered and organized there, they began to develop a plan to not only
build up a resistance, but also preserve and spread Islam in the subcontinent.
Principles –
1. Tawheed
2. Sunnah (Khatmun Nubuwwah)
3. Ittibaa’us Sahaabah wa Hubbuhum
4. Taqleedul Madhaahib fil Fiqh
5. Jihad fi Sabeelillah
Accomplishments –
 Awareness and Establishment of the Muslim Identity – Since before the end of
Mughal rule, the Muslim identity had been eroding away. Muslims had become
influenced over time by the Hindu customs and culture around them, the British
presence only worsened this situation. To counter this, a grassroots effort was
initiated to revitalize and preserve the Islamic identity and necessary religious
practices among the common populace.

Organization of Islamic Education – Up until the British colonization of the
Indian subcontinent, Islamic education at both the basic and advanced levels was
conducted in the classical model of seeking knowledge. After having dealt with
an organized effort against not only Islamic education but also against the Islamic
identity itself, coupled with the already deteriorating condition of the Muslims,
the Ulamaa decided to organize and structure the institutions and standard of
Islamic education. Thus the initiation of the Dar-ul-Uloom and the adoption of the
Dars-Nizaami curriculum.

Politics of the Subcontinent – Two phases:
o During British colonialism – The Ulamaa spearheaded the movement to
oust the British from the subcontinent. They devised ways to secretly
organize and recruit people in different areas of the subcontinent, and
eventually fought the British resulting in the martyrdom and execution of
many Ulamaa.
o After Partition – The Deobandi Ulamaa have remained politically active in
the subcontinent after partition in their respective countries. They strive to
give the religiously conservative Muslims a voice in their politics and
represent Islamic interests in the lawmaking and governing of their
country.

Deviant Sects – The Deobandi scholars have also been vigilant in refuting deviant
sects and erroneous thought.
o Shia – The Deobandi Scholars have been active in countering the efforts
of Shiaism in the subcontinent and therefore adopted love of the
Companions as one of their principles.
o Qadyaanism – A special division (al-Majlis al-Aalami li Tahaffudh
Khatmin Nubuwwah) was created to refute and eventually erase
Qadyaanism and other false religions of its type from the subcontinent.
o Shirk and Bidd’ah – As mentioned earlier, Hinduism had an effect on the
Muslims. This manifested itself in the shape of shrines, tombs, grave
worshipping, and other practices of Shirk. Sufism had also introduced
many corrupt thoughts and innovations into the Muslims. The Scholars of
Deoband have worked hard to combat these evils in Muslim communities.
o Modern thought and Hadith rejection – This was a Fitnah that slowly
transformed over time. It began with the erroneous interpretation of
Ahaadeeth and criticism of Sahaabah. This later developed into “reason
over obedience” and eventually took the form of all-out Hadith rejection.
Final Thoughts –
 The Deobandi movement and particularly the Dar-ul-Uloom system were
established to provide structure in the areas of education and politics for the
Muslims of the subcontinent. Emphasis was placed on Hanafi Fiqh because it was
the Fiqh of the majority. Strict adherence to Fiqh was encouraged to create
religious discipline in a people that had been corrupted for centuries, as
mentioned above, and who were now pray to new unorthodox ideologies.

However, there was not a uniformed Aqidah for the scholars of Deoband. There
has always remained a difference of opinion among the Deobandi Ulamaa in
regards to certain issues such as, Aqidah, flexibility in Fiqh, Tasawwuf and other
spiritual routines. These differences have remained until now and have influenced
some of the Dar-ul-Ulooms in certain aspects and in some institutions have
enriched the academic experience by providing an array of ideas and thoughts due
to the variety of the teachers and scholars. This has no doubt caused some issues
in certain parts of the world, especially in current times; nevertheless this
approach has served the Deobandi movement well.

The structure and simplicity of the educational system that the Dar-ul-Uloom is
based upon is a remarkable and potent combination. It has proven for over a
century that it can produce results very efficiently. Likewise it can be recreated
anywhere, at any time with wondrous results.

Memorization of the Quran has remained an integral part of the educational
curriculum in Deobandi institutions.
Famous Deobandi Scholars –
 Qasim Nanotwi (d. 1879)
 Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi (d. 1908)
 Mahmoodul-Hasan (d. 1920)
 Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (d. 1928)
 Anwar Shah Kashmiri (d. 1933)
 Ashraf Ali Thanwi (d. 1943)
 Ilyas Khandhalwi (d. 1944)
 Ubaidullah Sindhi (d. 1944)
 Shabbir Ahmed Uthmani (d. 1949)
 Mufti Kifayatullah (d. 1952)
 Hussain Ahmed Madani (d. 1957)
 Yusuf Khandhalwi (d. 1965)
 Idris Khandhalwi (d. 1974)
 Mufti Muhammad Shafi Uthmani (d. 1976)
 Yusuf Binori (d. 1977)
 Mufti Mahmood (d. 1980)
 Tayyeb Qasmi (d. 1980)
 Zakariyya Khandhalwi (d. 1982)
 Habeebur Rahman Azami (d. 1992)
 Manzoor Numani (d. 1997)
 Umar Palanpuri (d. 1997)
 Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (d. 1999)
 Abdur Rasheed Numani (d. 1999)
 Yusuf Ludhyanwi (d. 2000)
 Mufti Rasheed Ahmed (d. 2002)
 Mufti Rafi Uthmani
 Mufti Taqi Uthmani
 Fadhlur Rahman Azami
 Sulaiman Moola
 Tariq Jamil