By Anis Ansari,
My visit to Darul Uloom Deoband was on Sunday, 9th March 2008, unannounced for my own convenience. I was surprised to note that the historic madrasa was located right on the main highway between Saharanpur and Meerut (Uttar Pradesh). Its campus is spread out throughout the town surrounded entirely by Muslim neighborhood. The population of Deoband is about 100,000 with Muslims constituting 65% of it.
Darul Uloom Deoband is a more than 150-year-old Islamic institution, well known for its premier higher Islamic teachings. It is undoubtedly the largest of its kind in India on par with Al-Azhar University in Egypt. There are more than four thousand students studying there. The Darse-e-Nizami curriculum followed by Darul Uloom, Deoband, is a 17th century Indo-Islamic syllabus that teaches Islamic Law (Shariah), Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), and rational Islamic spirituality, known as tasawwuf. The current syllabus consists of four stages. The first 3 stages can be completed in 8 years. The final post-graduate stage is devoted to the science of Hadith, Fiqh, etc, according to Wikipedia.
We were escorted by our relative and former graduate of the madrasa straight to the guest house, where the accommodation was generous without any charge for the guest. The news had already reached the students from our part of UP called Mau district. Students poured in to greet us and made us feel at home. One of the teachers who happened to be our distant relative, whom I had never seen or met, promptly invited us to dinner. Another teacher from our town of Kopaganj, who owned a small store, did not let us go until we were fully fed with special treats and tea. We also visited the grave of Hujjatul Islam Al-Imam Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotwi, the founder of Darul Uloom Deoband, and prayed for his Magfirah and highest level in paradise.
The historic seminary seems to be well populated with rich architecture, large dormitories, lush garden, and beautiful mosques. The Rashid Mosque, named in honor of Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, one of the original founders, is the state-of-the-art architecture with its dome on pattern of Masjid e-Nabavi and the gates like Delhi’s Jama Masjid. I was told that this mosque is being built for over 15 years with large number of workers. There are a total of 6 mosques within 2-3 block radius. Looking at students on Sunday when there are no classes, it looked like a sea of white caps, white kurta and white pajama. All the people were wearing almost the same outfits. We (my brother Ateeq Ansari from Chicago accompanied me) were the only two individuals with shirt and pants and without a cap on our heads upon our arrival. Some people thought we were media people. Praying together with everyone was a real treat and exhilarating.
The importance of Darul Uloom Deoband cannot be expressed in words. After the fall of last Mughal emperor, Muslims of North India must have worried about their religion’s future. Establishment of this institution provided comfort and continued Islamic growth in India. Now it has become the place for higher Islamic education and has been well respected by Muslims and politicians alike.
From time to time, it has played a significant role in molding Muslim mind. On 25th February 2008, there was an international seminar held here to condemn any form of terrorism committed in the name of Islam. The leaders also highlighted the unfair treatment that Muslims were receiving in different states especially in Gujarat and Maharashtra. They demanded the government to take immediate action to prevent such incidents.
We left the place early next morning. It was once-in-a lifetime experience. It is easy to get impressed with the magnanimity of the task, grandeur of the structures and enormity of the tasks. It is important to mention here that all students are enrolled on the basis of merit and education; education, lodging, and in most cases food is free. It is hard to imagine how a small town has been the torch bearer of Islam in India since 1857.
Despite all the achievements, the establishment is not without some shortcomings. Even though it has full fledged computer courses, but English as a second language was introduced only a few years ago. However, students are not allowed to take English course until they complete graduation in Islamic studies. Poor English language skill has become a big impediment in assimilation of graduates from this madrasa in the U.S. The U.S. Muslims are also troubled by Deobandi Ulema’s insistence on having strict Purda (while scarf is enough in the rest of the world), separate entrance for women, discouragement of women from going to mosques, and most of all, Juma Khutbah being in Arabic only, here, and in India. It is noted that Arabic-only Juma Khutbah is mainly practiced in Northern India, but not anywhere else by Hanafi Muslims. Even in Southern part of India, Khutbah is given in Arabic/ local languages. Having a small speech in some mosques before the first Azan is not considered part of Khutbah.
It is my humble opinion that both points of view may be right but the difference is in their interpretation and emphasis. When Caliph Umar proposed to compile the Quran in book form, there were major differences of opinion. The argument was as to how we can do something like this when it was not done at the time of Prophet Muhammad. But, later the common sense prevailed. I think it’s time to take a fresh look at the old issues. Some changes regarding this issue seem necessary. I have seen the adverse affect of Arabic-only Khutbah in towns and countryside on my visits. A large number of Muslims have no means to increase their knowledge of Quran or Hadith since many mosques do not have regular Hadith readings or tafseer of Quran lessons on a regular basis. In my opinion introducing local languages in the Friday Khutbah will be helpful in increasing their Islamic knowledge.
I would like to urge the Ulema from different institutions like Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and Nadwatul Ulema to sit together and form a consensus on the solution of the issue discussed above. May Allah bless everybody associated with Deoband from organizers, teachers, students and other staff members who have dedicated their life for preservation of Islam in this part of the world!
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(Anis Ansari is a renowned nephrologist at Medical Associates in Clinton, Iowa, United States. He is one of the founder members of the Islamic Society of Clinton County). Photos by Anis Ansari.