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.
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.
Muḥammad Shafī‘ ibn Muḥammad Yāsīn ‘Us̱mānī Deobandī, often referred to as Mufti Muhammad Shafi, was a Pakistani Sunni Islamic scholar of the Deobandi school of Islamic thought.
Anwar Shah Kashmiri was an Islamic scholar and poet 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, as well as the fourth principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. With an ancestral heritage of religious scholarship rooted in Baghdad, he acquired training in Islamic sciences at Darul Uloom Deoband under the mentorship of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, alongside enjoying a spiritual journey with Rashid Ahmad Gangohi. Initiating his vocation as the first principal of Madrasa Aminia, he embarked on a hajj in 1906 with a sojourn in Medina, dedicated to exploring the depths of hadith literature. Subsequently, he joined Darul Uloom Deoband, serving as the post of Sheikh al-Hadith for nearly thirteen years before choosing Jamia Islamia Talimuddin as his final destination for his academic voyage. Although he displayed limited inclination toward the written word, a handful of treatises flowed from his pen. Yet, the bulk of his literary legacy has been preserved through the efforts of his students, who transcribed his classroom lectures, discourses, and sermons. While the crux of his scholarly work centered on championing the Hanafi school and establishing its supremacy, he also garnered recognition for his comparatively liberal approach to various religious matters. His publications found their place under the patronage of Majlis-i Ilmi, a scholarly institution established in Delhi in 1929. His scholarly credentials received official endorsement with the publication of Fayd al-Bari, a four-volume Arabic commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari, curated by Badr-e-Alam Mirati and published in Cairo, with the financial support of Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal.
Mazahir Uloom is an Islamic seminary located in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Started in November 1866 by Sa'ādat Ali Faqīh, and developed further by Mazhar Nanautawi and Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri; it is regarded as the second most influential and major Deobandi seminary in India. The earliest graduates of the seminary include famous Hadīth scholar Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri. In 1983, the seminary split into two with the establishment of Mazahir Uloom Jadeed as a new independent seminary. Since then the seminary has been named as Mazahir Uloom Waqf Qadeem.
Mahmood Hasan Gangohi (1907–1996) was an Indian Mufti and Islamic scholar and former Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband and Mazahir Uloom, Saharanpur. He was the most senior disciple of Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi.
Husamul Haramain or Husam al Harmain Ala Munhir kufr wal mayn 1906, is a treatise written by Ahmad Raza Khan which declared the founders of the Deobandi, Ahle Hadith and Ahmadiyya movements as heretics.
Mujahidul Islam Qasmi was an Indian Mufti, Qadhi and Islamic scholar, founder of Islamic Fiqh Academy. He served as the President of All India Muslim Personal Law Board.
Izaz Ali Amrohi was an Indian Islamic scholar who served as the second and ninth Grand Mufti of the Darul Uloom Deoband. His book Nafahtul Arab is taught in madrassas including the Darul Uloom Deoband.
Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad (1862-1930) was an Indian Muslim scholar, who served as the Vice Chancellor of the Darul Uloom Deoband for thirty five years. He was the Grand Mufti of the Hyderabad State from 1922 to 1925.
Saeed Ahmad Palanpuri, was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar and author who served as Shaykh al-Hadith and Principal of Darul Uloom Deoband. A number of his books are required readings in Darul Uloom Deoband.
Aziz-ul-Rahman Usmani was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar who served as first Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband. He is best known for his Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband. His brother was Shabbir Ahmad Usmani.
Al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad, also known as al-Tasdiqat li-Daf' al-Talbisat, was subsequently published in Urdu as 'Aqa'id 'Ulama' Ahl al-Sunna Deoband is a book that expresses some of the beliefs held by the Sunni Hanafi Deobandis. It was authored by the Indian Hanafi-Maturidi hadith scholar and Sufi master Khalil Ahmad al-Saharanpuri in 1907, who wrote a commentary on Sunan Abi Dawud, entitled Badhl al-Majhud.
Habībur Rahmān Khairābadi is an Indian Muslim scholar and jurist who serves as a Mufti at the Darul Uloom Deoband. He is an alumnus of Darul Uloom Mau, Mazahir Uloom and the Aligarh Muslim University. He has authored books including The Rules of Slaughter and The Importance of Zakat. He signed the Darul Uloom Deoband's first ever religious edict against terrorism in 2008.
Khalid Saifullah Rahmani is an Indian Muslim scholar, author and jurist who serves as the fifth president of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. He is the general secretary of Islamic Fiqh Academy of India. He has authored books including The Islamic Jurisprudence: Introduction and Codification and The Book of Fatāwa.
Deobandi fiqh is a school of Islamic jurisprudence that is based on the Hanafi school of Islamic law. It is associated with the Deobandi movement, which originated in India in the late 19th century and has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in South Asia. Deobandi fiqh emphasizes a strict adherence to the Quran and the Sunnah, and seeks to ensure that all aspects of daily life are guided by Islamic law. It places a strong emphasis on the principles of fiqh, or Islamic jurisprudence, and is known for its strict interpretation of Islamic law. It also emphasizes the importance of Islamic ethics and morality, and emphasizes the need for Muslims to lead a pious and virtuous life. Deobandi fiqh has had a significant influence on Islamic education and scholarship, particularly in South Asia and among the global South Asian diaspora. It plays a foundational role in the judiciary of Afghanistan. It has also been associated with various Islamic political movements and has been a subject of controversy and debate within the Muslim community.
Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband is an 18-volume compilation of Islamic legal opinions, or fatwas, issued by the scholars of Darul Uloom Deoband, a prominent Islamic seminary in India. The fatwas cover a wide range of topics, including faith, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, marriage, divorce, and more. The collection is considered a comprehensive guide to Islamic jurisprudence, and has been cited by scholars and academics around the world as a reliable source for religious verdicts on social, economic, political, and moral issues.
Nizamuddin Azami was an Islamic scholar who served as the twelfth and last Grand Mufti of Darul Uloom Deoband. He made contributions in Islamic jurisprudence, and his works include Muntakhabat-e-Nizām al-Fatāwa, a collection of selected fatwas he wrote during his tenure at Deoband.
Deobandi hadith studies is a field of Islamic scholarship within the Deobandi movement that critically examines and authenticates the sayings and actions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as recorded in the Hadith literature. The Deobandi approach to Hadith studies is based on the principles of the classical scholars of hadith.
