Current Edge Daily Brief 18th October 2025

IE Explained: Mutaqqi visits UP seminary: What is Darul Uloom Deoband, why it is significant

Syllabus: Pre/Mains – History, Art & Culture

Why in News?

→ Afghanistan FM Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to Darul Uloom Deoband (UP) highlights Indo-Afghan historical ties & Deoband’s transnational religious influence.

Darul Uloom Deoband: Origin & Evolution

• Est. → 31 May 1866, Deoband (Saharanpur, UP) post-1857 revolt
• Purpose → Islamic alternative to British-run universities
• Sister institution → Nadwatul Ulema (Lucknow, 1883)
• Global reach → Students from Afghanistan, Iran, Bukhara, SE Asia, Africa
• Status → 2nd only to Al-Azhar (Cairo) in Islamic scholarship prestige
• Role in freedom struggle → Fostered anti-colonial consciousness among Muslims

Deoband Movement: Ideology & Influence

• School of thought → Sunni Islam → Hanafi jurisprudence
• Doctrine → Quran + Hadith + rational interpretation (Abu Hanifa)
• Goal → Revivalist reform, purity in practice, avoidance of Westernization
• Education model → Traditional Islamic sciences (Shariah, Sunnah, Tariqah)
• Global impact → Network of ~30,000 Deobandi madrasas worldwide

Link with Afghanistan

• Early ties → Afghan students among 1st foreign batches (19th century)
• Deobandi madrasas in Afghanistan → Founded by Deoband-trained scholars
• Post-Partition offshoot → Darul Uloom Haqqania (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) → “University of Jihad” → many Taliban leaders alumni
• Post-1979 → Shift of Afghan students to Pakistani Deobandi madrasas → ↑ militancy influence
• Current context → Afghan Sunni religious ethos still largely Deobandi

Muttaqi’s Visit: Symbolism & Message

• Event → Huge local turnout → public address cancelled (crowd control)
• Remarks → Gratitude for hospitality; hopes for ↑ Indo-Afghan engagement
• Gesture → Darul Uloom conferred honorary title ‘Qasmi’ to Muttaqi (ex-Haqqania alumnus)
• Diplomatic signal → India’s cautious engagement with Taliban regime
• Seminary stance → Maintains apolitical, non-alignment with Taliban or Pakistan policies

Significance

• Soft power → India’s religious institutions shaping Islamic thought in Asia
• Historical continuity → Deoband–Afghanistan intellectual linkage since 19th century
• Foreign policy angle → Platform for low-key outreach amid non-recognition of Taliban govt
• Cultural diplomacy → Shared religious heritage fostering people-to-people connect.

Test Your Knowledge 01

Q. With reference to the Deoband Movement, consider the following statements:

1. It originated as a theological reform movement within Sunni Islam following the Hanafi school.
2. It sought to integrate modern Western education with Islamic learning to strengthen Muslim society.
3. Its founders opposed British colonial rule and emphasized preservation of Islamic culture through religious education.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Hint: The Deoband Movement rejected Westernization (so 2 is wrong) and aimed at purifying Islam & resisting British influence.

Q. In terms of religious jurisprudence, the Deobandi school primarily differs from the Salafi school in that:

(a) It emphasizes reason (ra’y) and precedent (qiyas) under Hanafi tradition rather than strict literalism
(b) It rejects Sufism entirely
(c) It considers only the Quran as the sole source of law
(d) It follows Shia interpretations of jurisprudencer

Hint: Hanafi-Deobandi uses analogical reasoning & tradition; Salafis reject rationalist interpretation.