A gathering of clerics at the Darul Uloom in Deoband this week strongly condemned terrorism, calling it “un-Islamic”. It urged all Muslims to rise above sects and denominations and close ranks to fight terrorism. It also denounced what it called the deliberate targeting of Muslims in the name of tackling terror. So how do we read this unprecedented declaration? Anees Chishti maps the location — and the importance — of Darul Uloom

• What is the origin of Darul Uloom?

Darul Uloom (place of knowledge) is an institution of Islamic learning situated in Deoband near Saharanpur in west UP. A small ‘Arabi maktab’ (Arabic school) started soon after 1857 in the Jama Masjid of Deoband by Hafiz Syed Abid Husain and his associates was converted into an institution of higher learning on May 30, 1866.

• Who were its main founders?

The main founder was Maulana Muhammed Qasim Nanautavi, who was actively involved in the famous battle of Shamli in west UP. He had the cooperation of another learned Islamic scholar Maulana Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi. These religious scholars (ulema) were disgusted with British rule and wanted to liberate India from foreign dominance. Darul Uloom thus became a religio-political campaign.

The founders were adherents of the Hanafi tradition of Islamic jurisprudence and the spirit of rebellion against foreign rule. They believed they were followers of Shah Waliullah, probably the most important Muslim intellectual of 18th century India. Despite being Hanafis, they tried to keep channels open with the Ottoman sultans as they expected them to help India in the fight against the British.

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