The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of law. It 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, and several others, after the Indian Rebellion of 1857–58. They consider themselves the continuation of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaat. The main purpose of this movement was to reject the grave worshipping, shirk and protect the orthodoxy of Islam from Bidah, as well as the influence of non-Muslim cultures on the Muslim of South Asia. The movement pioneered education in religious sciences through the Dars-i-Nizami associated with the Lucknow-based ulema of Firangi Mahal with the goal of preserving traditional Islamic teachings from the influx of modernist, 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 Khalifat movement and propagation of the doctrine of composite nationalism. The movement shares several similarities with Wahhabism.
Darul Uloom Deoband is an Islamic seminary in India at which the Deobandi movement began. It was established by the Indian Muslim theologians in the wake of the failure of War of Independence 1857 which had caused the abolition of Mughal Empire and politico-economic predicament of the South Asian Muslims. It aimed at reforming and uplifting the Muslim society on orthodox lines, and preserving the Muslim culture from the influence of modernism, Christian and Hindu missionary activities. It is located in Deoband, a town in Saharanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.
Imdadullah Muhajir Makki was an Indian Muslim Sufi scholar of the Chishti Sufi order. His disciples include Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and Ashraf Ali Thanwi. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he led the Muslims in Thana Bhawan to fight against British.
Ashraf Ali Thanwi (often referred as Hakimul Ummat and Mujaddidul Millat was a late-nineteenth and twentieth-century Sunni scholar, jurist, thinker, reformist and the revival of classical Sufi thought from Indian subcontinent during the British Raj, one of the chief proponents of Pakistan Movement. He was a central figure of Islamic spiritual, intellectual and religious life in South Asia and continues to be highly influential today. As a prolific author, he completed over a thousand works including Bayan Ul Quran and Bahishti Zewar. He graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband in 1883 and moved to Kanpur, then Thana Bhawan to direct the Khanqah-i-Imdadiyah, where he resided until the end of his life. His training in Quran, Hadith, Fiqh studies and Sufism qualified him to become a leading Sunni authority among the scholars of Deoband. His teaching mixes Sunni orthodoxy, Islamic elements of belief and the patriarchal structure of the society. He offered a sketch of a Muslim community that is collective, patriarchal, hierarchical and compassion-based.
Thana Bhawan is a town in Shamli 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 highway, it is 100 km away from Delhi, 65 km from Saharanpur, 38 km from Muzaffarnagar and 59.6 km away from Panipat (Haryana). Border of this district is connected with district Muzaffarnagar in east and with Haryana in west and with Saharanpur in north and with district Baghpat it is connected in south. It is said that the name Thana Bhawan emerged from the name of Devi Bhawan Temple. In the 18th century it was home to mostly Hindu and Muslims families. It is situated on the Delhi–Saharanpur highway NH 709B around 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Delhi.
Mahmud Hasan Deobandi 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 the freedom of India. He was the first student to study at the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary. His teachers included Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi and Mahmud Deobandi, and he was authorized in Sufism by Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.
Muhammad Masihullah Khan Sherwani Jalalabadi was an Indian Deobandi Islamic scholar known as an authority in Sufism. He was among the senior khalifahs of Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who gave him the title "Masih al-Ummah".
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.
Shah Abdul Wahhab, born Shah Abdul Wahhab, also known as, was a Sunni Islamic scholar and reformer of the late 19th and early 20th Century from the southern part of India. Like Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlvi he was worried about the state of Muslims of South India, especially those of Nagore and its nearby regions. He founded the Madrasa Al-Baqiyat As-Salihat in Vellore in the year 1857.
Shams al-Ḥaqq ibn Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Chirāgh ʿAlī al-Farīdfūrī, or simply known as Shamsul Haque Faridpuri was an Islamic scholar, educationist, and social reformer. He was the founder-principal of Jamia Qurania Arabia Lalbagh. He also founded many other madrasas and mosques. Organisations which he initiated include; Khademul Islam Jamat and Anjuman-e-Tabligh-al-Quran.
Idris Kandhlawi was a Pakistani Sunni scholar during the mid-twentieth century, widely recognized for his contributions to various fields of Islamic studies, including hadith, Quranic studies, Islamic jurisprudence, Prophetic biography, and theology. Holding the titles of Sheikh al-Hadith and Sheikh al-Tafsir, he traced his lineage to Abu Bakr on his father's side and Umar on his mother's side. His educational journey commenced in Thana Bhawan, where he received instruction from Ashraf Ali Thanwi. He excelled in the study of hadith, completing his studies first at Mazahir Uloom under Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, and later at Darul Uloom Deoband under the guidance of Anwar Shah Kashmiri. His professional career began at Madrasa Aminia and subsequently led him to Darul Uloom Deoband. In 1929, he embraced a new position in Hyderabad State, where he had the privilege of accessing the vast collections of the Asafia Library. This experience enabled him to produce a five-volume Arabic commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih titled Al-Taleeq al-Sabeeh, of which the first four volumes were published in Damascus. His scholarly work garnered recognition in the Arab world. He later assumed the roles of Sheikh al-Tafsir at Darul Uloom Deoband and Sheikh al-Hadith wa al-Tafsir at Jamia Ashrafia. In addition, he served as the Chancellor of Islamia University of Bahawalpur during its tenure as Jamia Abbasia.
Najib Ali Choudhury was a 19th-century Bengali Islamic scholar and teacher. He was notable for his founding of the Madinatul Uloom Bagbari, the first madrasa in the Barak Valley region.
Muḥammad Mazhar Nanautawi (1821–1885) was an Indian Muslim scholar and a freedom struggle activist who played a crucial role in the development Mazahir Uloom. He participated in the Battle of Shamli.
Ahmad Hasan Amrohi was an Indian Muslim scholar and freedom struggle activist who served as the first principal of Madrasa Shahi in Moradabad. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband and among the founding members of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi's Thamratut-Tarbiyat. He was an authorized disciple of Imdadullah Muhajir Makki.
Shah Sultan Ahmad Nanupuri, also known by his daak naam Badshah, was a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, teacher and author. He established numerous madrasas in Bangladesh and was the founding principal of Al-Jamiah Al-Islamiah Obaidia Nanupur for seventeen years.
Deobandi jihadism is a militant interpretation of Islam that draws upon the teachings of the Deobandi movement, which originated in the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century. The Deobandi movement underwent three waves of armed jihad. The first wave involved the establishment of an Islamic territory centered on Thana Bhawan by the movement's elders during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, before the founding of Darul Uloom Deoband. Imdadullah Muhajir Makki was the Amir al-Mu'minin of this Islamic territory. However, after the British defeated the Deobandi forces in the Battle of Shamli, the territory fell. Following the establishment of Darul Uloom Deoband, Mahmud Hasan Deobandi led the initiation of the second wave. He mobilized 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. After his release, he and his disciples entered into mainstream politics and actively participated in the democratic process. In the late 1979, the Pakistan–Afghan border became the center of the Deobandi jihadist movement's third wave, which was fueled by the Soviet–Afghan War. Under the patronage of President Zia-ul-Haq, its expansion took place through various madrasas such as Darul Uloom Haqqania and Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) provided political support for it. Trained militants from the Pakistan–Afghan border participated in the Afghan jihad, and later went on to form various organizations, including the Taliban. The most successful example of Deobandi jihadism is the Taliban, who established Islamic rule in Afghanistan. The head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S), Sami-ul-Haq, is referred to as the "father of the Taliban."
I'la al-Sunan is a work that aims to clarify the role and importance of hadiths in the Hanafi school of Islamic thought, particularly in response to criticisms from the Ahl-i Hadith movement in India. Zafar Ahmad Usmani, the author, dedicated over twenty years to crafting the book, which includes more than 6,100 hadiths and their sources, along with evaluations of their chain of transmission and text. Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Usmani's teacher, entrusted him with the task of writing the book. In addition to its scholarly value, I'la al-Sunan also addresses contemporary issues and opposes certain movements, such as the Qadiani movement and efforts to make interest halal. The book has received praise for its objective evaluation of the opinions of the schools of Islamic law.
Shah Abd al-Wahhab was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator, jurist,preacher of Islam(tableeghi) and spiritual leader. He served as the second rector of Darul Uloom Hathazari, was a former vice-president of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and served on the jury of Chittagong Court for 23 years. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Deoband and Mazahir Uloom, and one of the important disciples of Ashraf Ali Thanwi. He is considered the second architect of the Darul Uloom Hathazari. He established several madrasas and mosques in Bangladesh and played various roles in the Bishwa Ijtema, the spread of Tablighi Jamaat across Bangladesh and Myanmar, Befaqul Madarisil Arabia Bangladesh, the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, and the Islamic University, Bangladesh.
Deobandi politics refers to a political phenomenon that originated during the 1857 Indian Rebellion in British India. Its primary objective is to establish Sharia law in various parts of the world, with a particular focus on South Asia. The movement is associated with the promotion of a conservative and orthodox interpretation of Islam that emphasizes strict adherence to Islamic law and tradition, and frequently concentrates on moral and social issues, such as the promotion of Islamic education and the defense of traditional values. The Deobandi movement has not adopted a singular model to achieve its objectives and has utilized both militant struggle and mainstream politics. Deobandi politics has undergone three waves of armed struggle, which can be identified as Deobandi jihadism. The first two waves failed, but the third wave resulted in the establishment of an Islamic state named the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan. During the second wave of armed struggle, Mahmud Hasan Deobandi attempted to defeat the British in India with the assistance of the Ottoman Empire. However, his attempt failed, and he was arrested by the British. After his release, he and his disciples engaged in mainstream politics and were associated with the creation of political parties and social movements, such as the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind. During the Indian freedom struggle, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind evolved and embraced composite nationalism, rejecting the partition of India as the better future for Indian Muslims. Nevertheless, other Deobandis refused to accept this and developed Muslim nationalism against composite nationalism, establishing the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam to support the creation of Pakistan.
Darul Uloom Banskandi is an Islamic seminary located in the Cachar district of Assam. It is the largest Islamic university in North-East India and extremely follows the methodology of Darul Uloom Deoband.
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