The Birth of Traditional madrasahs
As was the practice from the days of Prophet (PBUH), mosques served as the centers of Muslim education for almost three centuries. It was during the Abbassid period that the need for a more organized educational system was felt because of the rapid expansion of knowledge and to meet the administrative needs of the empire. This gave birth to themadrasah
as a separate institution.
Madrasah,
pluralmadaris,
is the Arabic word for any type of school, secular or religious. It is variously transliterated as,madrasa, modresa, madraza,
etc. The wordmadrasah
is derived regularly from the triconsonantal root (d-r-s
) which relates to learning or teaching through thewazn maf al
, meaning “a place where x is done”.
Therefore,madrasah
literally means “a place where learning / teaching is done. The word is also present as a loan word with the same meaning in many Arabic influenced languages such as,Urdu, Hindi, Marathi, Persian, Turkish
, etc. In the Arabic language the wordmadrasah
implies no sense other than that which the word school represents in the English language, whether religious or secular.
It is believed that the firstmadrasah
in the Muslim world was established in the ninth century in the city ofFas (Fez
) in Morocco and was known asJamiat al-Qarawiyyin
. It was founded by Fatima al Fihri, the daughter of a wealthy merchant named Mohammad Al Fihri.
During the late Abassid period the Suljuk vizier Nizam-ul-mulk
created the first major official academic institution known in history as Madrasah Nizamyya at Nishapur. Nizam Al Mulk, who would later be murdered by the Assassins (Hashashin),
created a system of state-sponsoredmadrasahs
in various cities of the Abbasid empire towards the end of the 11th century of the common era. The syllabi of thesemadrasahs
included the teaching of theQur’an
andhadith
with increasing emphasis onfiqh
with the passage of time. The emphasis onfiqh
was aimed at providing trained people for the imperial courts. The subjects of mathematics, astronomy, and other human sciences were also taught in thesemadrasahs
.
George Makdesi contends that these earlymadrasahs
were relatively autonomous. But other scholars disagree and claim that they played crucial political roles by providing legitimacy to the rulers in the face of stiff opposition. The administrative staff of the state, including judges (qazis
), legal specialists (muftis
) and censors of public morals (mustahbibs
) was mades up of the graduates of thesemadrasah
s.
The most famous among theNizamia madrasahs
was established in Baghdad in 1067A.D. It was sponsored by the rulers and sizeable funds were allotted for it. About 6000 students were enrolled in thismadrasah
and it functioned until the fall of Baghdad in 1257. SinceMadrasah Nizamia
was propagating theShaafi mazhab,
the followers of the Hanafi school of thought also established their ownmadrasahs.
The Muslims rulers, nobles and wealthy traders establishedmadrasahs
in different lands and provided liberal financial supports for earning the blessings of God as they considered it a pious deed. Some of theulema
were directly linked with the rulers, while others avoided rulers but enjoyed great respect among the people.
Education inmadrasahs
was free of cost and students were drawn from far-off regions. They helped in the expansion of Islamic civilization by creating a class ofulema
who were linked by their common approach in the light of Islamic jurisprudence. In medievalmadrasahs
there were no rigid rules of admission, examination system, or age requirements. The personality of the teacher was more important than the institution itself. Piety, expertise, and scholarship were decisive factors for the student to be attracted towards a particular teacher. In addition to the transmitted sciences (ulum-al-naqaliyla
) such asQur’an, hadith
, andfiqh
, rational sciences (Ulum-al-naqliya
) i.e. grammar, poetry, and philosophy, mathematics and astronomy were also taught in medievalmadrasahs.
However, there was no rigid distinction between religious and secular education.
This system of Muslim education spread elsewhere in the Muslim world and Turkish rulers brought it to India when they consolidated their rule there. This leads to religious and socio-political transformation on Indian soil afterwards.
Madrasahs in the Indian Subcontinent
Missionary activities had been started with the advent of Muslims traders in the Subcontinent long before the Muslims conquests. However, the consolidation of the Muslim empire facilitated the establishment of an organized educational system elsewhere in the Subcontinent. Royal patronage was always available for this purpose. After the fall of Baghdad in 1257 A.D, a large number of scholars were attracted towards India. They also brought with them the syllabus and traditional methods of teaching which were adopted in Indianmadrasahs
. The courts of the Dehli
sultans were flooded with scholars and intellectuals from Central Asia. Some of the Sufis and scientists also migrated from Central Asia. They started preaching and teaching on their own without seeking royal patronage. They contributed to the conversion of large numbers of people to Islam.
The traditionalmadrasahs
in India mostly taughtHanafi fiqh
andAshrafia
, the descendants of Central Asianulema
were preferred for teaching. The rulers sought advice (fatwa
) of those scholars on certain matters but did not always act upon them because of the peculiar conditions of India and personal expediency. Especiallyfatawa
relating to the status of minorities in India were always ignored by most of the rulers.
In the time of the Dehli sultans
(1206-1525 A.D.) promotion of education was highly encouraged. However, no restriction was imposed in this regard by them. The rulers provided financial support and helped the teachers and students to carry on educational activities in a free environment. Teachers were free to manage their institutions, frame courses and syllabus, and decide the aims, nature, and methods of their teaching. These institutions taught specially prescribed courses which were not too rigid. Changes were introduced at different times, and, in some places, certain subjects were given more importance than others. But these changes were not affected in consequence of official interference. Endowments attached to large numbers of schools were monetary sources for these institutions. In addition to those teachers who got salaries, there was a class of teachers who were not taking salaries and worked on a voluntary basis, considering it a religious obligation and a source of gaining eternal salvation.
Every teacher was free in the selection of his place of teaching. The state facilitated him through monetary aid to devote himself exclusively to seeking knowledge and imparting instruction.
The in-charge of religious endowments arranged for grants of tax free lands toimams
,qazis
, and other religious groups who provided education, particularly, in Islamic subjects. The main subjects weretafsir
,hadiths
, andfiqh
. For the study ofhadith
the favorite text book wasMasharriq-ul-Anwar
and infiqh, Hidaya
held the field. In the Deccan, where contact with Iran was maintained, scientific subjects also got due attention. In northern India, literature, history and mysticism were taught along with religious subjects. The promotion of learning in the Deccan was largely the work of Persian statesmen and scholars whom the rulers had attracted from Iran.
In the time of the early Mughals rational sciences such as logic, mathematics, literature, and philosophy got more attention because these subjects were considered essential for aspiring civil servants. The Persian Shia scholar Mir Fatehullah Sherazi in the court of emperor Akbar, the Great Mughal, introduced books on ethics, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, logic, history, and theology. Interesting inventions such as the portable cannon, an instrument for cleaning gun barrels and self-driven corn mills, apart from organization of Mughal land revenue policy are attributed to the genius of Sherazi.
During Akbar’s reign Muslims and sizeable numbers of Hindus studied Sanskrit grammar and the books of Vedanta were introduced for Hindu children at the same places. The reaction of orthodox elements against Akbar was probably due to the increasing influence of the Shia and of rational sciences during his reign.
Dars-i-Nizami of Mullah Nizamuddin
Although Muslim rulers liberally spent on education, there was no separate education department, no regular examination system and no uniform standard to be maintained by authority. It was during the reign of Aurangzeb Alamgir that a man of religious learning Mulla Qutab-ud-Din, was encouraged to promote education among the Muslims of the Subcontinent. One of his descendants, Mulla Nizammuddin prepared a syllabus of studies in 1748, and introduced it in hismadrasah
at Farangi Mahal.
The scheme of studies introduced by Mulla Nizammuddin was known asDars-i-Nizami
. Even the present-day religiousmadrasahs
in South Asia follow the pattern of theDars-i-Nizami
in their scheme of studies with certain modifications.
In his scheme of study Mulla Nizammuddin added certain subjects ofmaaqulat
to the existing texts. Subjects like Arabic grammar, logic, philosophy, mathematics, and rhetoric were given more weight as compared to the study of theQur’an
andhadith
. The intended syllabus was mainly aimed at producingqazis
,muftis
, and legal officials required by Muslim courts. Persian was the medium of instruction. Transmitted sciences were given less importance as only two books ofhadith
,Mashariqul Anwar
andMishkat,
and two books ofQuranic
commentary,Jalalayn
andBezavi,
were included in the syllabus. However, the Farangi Mahalis produced renowned scholars and intellectuals in the field of both rational and transmitted sciences. The Farangi Mahal attracted both Sunni
and Shias
from across India.
Farangi Mahalis also fostered the tradition of combining scholarly and mystic learning. Thus, Sufis were attracted to the Farangi Mahal to study law that was considered to be the exclusive domain of theulema
.
The proximity to the courts was a special feature of the Farangi Mahlisulema,
a tradition which continued in the nineteenth century. The princes also encouraged this arrangement and took pride in entertaining the highest number of scholars and intellectuals. The later rulers did not keep this tradition alive. Although demand for theulem
a of Farangi Mahal
declined at courts, yet Farangi Mahalis earned fame and respect all over India because of their independent efforts to maintain intellectual standards and keeping the mystic tradition alive to guard the intellectual heritage of Indian Muslims.
Shah Waliullah
Shah Waliullah was born in 1703 towards the end of the reign of Aurangzeb. His father, Shah Abdur Rahim, was a leadingalim
of transmitted sciences and was the patron ofMadrasah Rahimiya
known after his name. After completing his education he made efforts for reforms, educational, social, and political. Under educational reforms he preferred the study ofhadith
to that of rational subjects. He preached against social evils and un-Islamic practices among Muslims. Under his social reforms programme, he tried to minimize Shia-Sunni differences. He stressed the need ofijtihad.
Instead of strict adherence to a certain school of thought he preferred to follow the one best suited to the needs of time.
Shah Waliullah sought a balanced relationship between the rulers and religious elites instead of accepting an advisory role for theulema
in the affairs of the state. He proposed that Muslim rulers should be guided by the religious leadership. The role he proposed for theulema
was contrasted with that of the Farangi Mahaliulema
. He himself avoided the role set up by the Farangi Mahali regarding the relationship between theulema
and the rulers of the time. However, he constantly contacted Muslim rulers to remind them of their obligation in the light of theQur’an
and sunnah
as he considered it his religious duty. Shah Waliullah denied the importance of the study ofmaaqulat
, calling it as a source of confusion. He emphasized the study ofmanqulat
or traditional subjects for every Muslim. He translated theHoly Qur’an
into Persian to be understood by the common Muslim. Before this the study and interpretation of theQur’an
was considered the exclusively domain of theulema.
Therefore, he faced tough resistance in this regard from theulema
of the time. However, he consideredijtihad
as the exclusive domain of the learned scholars. In fact, his personality was the symbol of tolerance, patience, compromise and forbearance in Indian Islam.
Both Shah Waliullah and theulema
of Farangi Mahal created stimulation among theulema
to fulfill their historic role of preserving the cultural heritage of the community in times of political uncertainty. The tradition of writing among indigenousulema
started with the impetus given by Shah Waliullah and the Farangi Mahali simultaneously. This gave an increasing role to theulema
of the eighteenth century in Muslim society in India.
Madrasahs under Colonial Rule
In the eighteenth century modern education was rapidly introduced by the Europeans in the Subcontinent when the decline of Muslim political power had already begun. In the changed` context of socio-political life in the Subcontinent with the establishment of British rule theulema
’s role was also to be seen from a different context. Under Muslim rule theulema
had enjoyed special privileges. With the collapse of Muslim political authority this source of patronage, which strengthened their claim as representatives and leaders of the community, was lost. In the changed political context the ordinary Muslim also became more conscious about the survival of his faith. The study offiqh
andfatwas
of theulema
assumed more importance for the Muslim to ascertain their role in the new environment. Therefore, a new relationship between theulema
and the common Muslim was established under which the source of strength for theulema
were common Muslims instead of the rulers of the time. Most of the reformist movements during the eighteenth century and early nineteenth century were led byulema
drawing support from ordinary Muslims. These movements were influenced by the thoughts of Shah Waliullah and inspired by the teaching of his son Shah Abdul Aziz. In 1803 Shah Abdul Aziz issued afatwa
declaring India to be aDar-ul-Harb
(an abode of war), exhorting the Muslims to fight for the emancipation of their religion. He was known as the most excellent teacher of theMadrasahs Rahimiya
. Hisfatawa
carried great importance in the daily life of the common Muslims of India.
The administrative and legal changes brought about by the British rulers brought new challenges for the Muslims of India. The response to these challenges further increased the importance of thefatawa
or religious decrees for ordinary Muslims. In the Muslim state,fatawa
were the prerogative of themufti
given for the guidance of judges. In colonial Indiafatawa
were directly addressed to the believers who welcomed them as a form of guidance in the changed circumstances. Ordinary Muslims got detailed guidance in minute matters concerning everyday life in the form of thesefatawa
under alien rule.
Though thefatawa
relating to the political status of India were always ambiguous and lacked consensus among theulema
, yet the contention of Shah Abdul Aziz that the organization of the Indian state was no longer in Muslim hands was shared by everyone. In the prevailing situation, when the state could no longer arrange to administer Muslim law, only theulema
could shoulder this responsibility. They could not force the compliance to the law but they could offer direction to the faithful on issues of civil behavior such as trade, inheritance, family relations and other religious matters.
In post-Mughal India with the need of the community and the facility of the printing press for publication,fatwa
became important tools for teaching adherence to the law, and Muslims felt that Muslim religious and political life could be fostered through such adherence.
Shah Waliullah’s followers not only made great contributions in the intellectual sphere but a class among them, believed in re-establishing Muslim political power throughijtihad.
The reform movement started by Syed Ahmad Barelvi and Shah Ismael was aimed at reforming social life along with practicaljihad
for the establishment of an Islamic state. It was inspired by the teachings of Shah Waliullah and his sons Shah Abdul Aziz and Shah Abdul Qadir. This movement gathered support from the Muslims of central and northern India. They stressedtauheed
or oneness of God and denounced those practices which would compromise that most fundamental tenet of Islam.
The views of Syed Ahmad and Shah Ismael regarding Sufism and the position of the Prophet led to sharp differences among theulema.
Those differences finally resulted in the division within the Sunni community which gave birth toAhl-e-Hadith
who are bitterly opposed to Sufism andtaqlid
(following a particularimam)
.The other group which drew inspiration frommujahidin
organized themselves in the form of the Deoband school, who believed intaqlid
and also did not oppose Sufism completely. Yet another group led by Ahmad Raza Khan of Bareilly emerged, who opposed bothAhl-e-Hadith
andDeobandis
and strongly insisted on the centrality of Sufism in Islam. They branded both the groups asWahhabis
and the agents of infidels. Each of these three groups runs a chain ofmadrasahs
in Pakistan and India even today, propagating their own points of view.
British Approach towards Muslim Education
The Muslim education system suffered because of the educational and administrative policies of the British in the Subcontinent. Deliberate attempts were made to ruin the Muslim educational system in India under colonial rule.
The worst steps towards this end were replacing Persian as court language by English and the confiscation of the free land or trusts by the East India Company. These lands were endowed by the Muslim nobles and rulers to give financial support to a large number ofmadrasahs.
When the British got power in Bengal there was a very large number ofmuafis
, which is a tax-free grant of land. Many of these were personal but most were in the shape of endowments for educational institutions. A vast number of elementary schools of the old type subsisted on them as well as some institutions of higher education. The East India Company was anxious to make money rapidly in order to pay dividends to its shareholders in England. A deliberate policy was therefore adapted to resume and confiscate thesemuafi
lands. Strict proofs were demanded of the original grants. But the oldsanad
and papers had long been lost or eaten up by termites. So, themuafis
were resumed and the old holders were ejected and the schools and colleges lost their endowments. Huge areas were resumed in this way and many old families were ruined. The educational establishments, which had been supported by thesemuafis,
ceased to function and vast numbers of teachers and others connected with them were thrown out of jobs.
Thus, with economic dislocation, the Muslim education system was also to be wiped out. The attitude of the British towards Muslim educational schools in Bengal has been described by W.W. Hunter, a British official, in the following words:
At an outlay 800000 pounds upon resumption proceedings additional revenue of 300000 pounds a year was permanently gained by the state, representing a capital at five percent of six million sterling. A large part of this sum was derived from land held rent-free byMusalman
or by Mohammadan foundations. The panic and hatred which ensued have stamped themselves for ever on the rural records. Hundreds of ancient families were ruined and the education system of theMusalmans
, which was almost entirely maintained by rent-free grants, received its death blow. The scholastic classes of the Muhammadans emerged from eighteen years of harrying absolutely ruined.
Thus, Muslims were the target of discriminatory polices in every sphere of life. They were socially disgraced and economically deprived. Describing the plight of Indian Muslims in the middle of the nineteenth century because of the discriminatory policy of British, Hunter says:
I have seldom read anything more piteous than the private letters and newspaper articles of BengalMusalmans
. The Calcutta Persian paper some time ago wrote thus: all sort of employments, great and small are being gradually snatched away from the Muhammadans and bestowed on men of other races, particularly the Hindus. The Government is bound to look upon all classes of its subjects with an equal eye, yet the time has now come when it publicly singles out the Muhammadans in its gazettes for exclusion from official posts. Recently, when several vacancies occurred in the office of the Sunderbans Commission, that official in advertising them in the government gazette stated that the appointment would be given to none but Hindus.
Several other British officials acknowledged their culpability in seriously undermining indigenous institutions of education. Ludlow, an early nineteenth century colonial officer, remarked that before the arrival of the British most Indian children could read and write. But in Bengal the extension of British rule had resulted in the almost total destruction of the indigenous system of education.
Changes in the legal system towards the end of the eighteenth century further curtailed the role ofulema
as most of the legal matters concerning Muslims began to be administrated by British judges, while the realm of theulema
was confined to the personal affairs of Muslims such as marriage, divorce, inheritance etc, and even in these matters, the non-Muslims judges could decide the cases. With this, the opportunities for theulema
in government services were considerably reduced. The replacement of Persian as official language by English totally isolatedmadrasah
students from government employment. Consequently, two streams of education came into being in colonial India, one representing the traditionalmadrasah
system, confined to the study of only religious subjects, while the other system came to be known as secular education under which rational and modern sciences were to be studied. This rigid separation between religious and secular education was introduced by the colonial masters. The concept was alien to Islam itself. Such distinction could not be found before this in the Muslim world. This is why the earlymadrasahs
taught both types of subjects, i.e. rational as well as traditional.
With limitingmadrasah
education to only religious subjects, the sphere of influence and role ofulema
was
restricted to matters relating to private lives of individual Muslims. With the passage of time the traditionalulema
behaved in such manner as to be content with the role they had been given by the colonial rulers as was reflected in their teaching, in their writing, and the contents offatwas
that they issued, which were concerned with personal piety and conduct, ignoring the issues of state and polity. Consequently,madrasahs
of the colonial period geared up to protect the private sphere of Muslim lives from outside interference. Their focus and role were different from that of the earliermadrasahs
.
Madrasahs and the Role of the ulema after 1857
The War of 1857 was fought in the name of protection of religion and Indian culture. Therefore, Muslims and Hindus both participated in this war and theulema
led the revolt in various places. Theseulema
had been inspired by the teachings of Shah
Waliullah. Practicaljihad
had already been started long before the famousfatwa
of Shah Abdul Aziz in which he had declared India aDarul Harb.
In the events of 1857 a large number ofulema
issuedfatwa
declaringjihad
against the infidel foreigners. TheWahhabis
remained at the forefront of uprising and faced tremendous hardships at the hands of the rulers after the war. A large number ofulema
were executed and many of them were exiled to the islands of Andaman for long spells of imprisonment at the end of the war.
The followers of Shah
Waliullah fully participated in the War of Independence in 1857. The founders of the Deoband School were among those who fought against the British in 1857, though this claim has been contested by some sources.
However, the results of the war of 1857 convinced every one of the futilities of armed struggle under the prevailing circumstances. Therefore, a major shift took place from armedjihad
towards educationaljihad
among the Muslims of the Subcontinent. During this period the concern ofulema
remained focused on reforming the individual lives of Muslims for preserving religious and cultural life through educationaljihad
. For this purpose, theulema
turned their attention to establishing educational institutions and training men to teach and guide Muslims of all backgrounds and classes in the society.
Dar-ul-Ulum- Deoband
Dar-ul-Ulum Deoband was founded in Deoband, a small town in the district of Saharanpur (UP) in 1867. Moulana Muhammad Qasim Nanotawi and Moulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi were the founders ofDar-ul-Ulum Deoband
. The establishment ofDar-ul-Ulum
was aimed at securing independence and freedom of Muslim religion and culture through peaceful means. This was the first private educational enterprise completely independent of official interference. Loyalty tomazhab
remained the tradition ofDeobandis
, which they claimed to be the traditions of Shah Waliullah.
The principle framed by the founders of the Madrasah embodied complete independence and collective decisions for running the affairs ofDar-ul-Ulum
. It also rejected the possibilities of government interference. In a short span of timeDar-ul-Ulum Deoband
became a great seat of learning in the Subcontinent, attracting students from all over India and even from outside. A network ofmadrasahs
also opened all over India on this pattern preserving and preaching the ideals ofDar-ul-Ulum Deoband.
The curriculum adopted formadrasahs
was largely based onDars-i-Nizami
with slight modifications. The founders ofDeoband
laid emphasis on the study ofQur’an
andhadiths
and other transmitted sciences on the pattern of the syllabus adopted by Shah Waliullah in theMadrasah Rahimiya
.
In 1869 the period of study was reduced from ten years to six years. Although not rejecting outright the study of rational sciences or modern subjects,Deobandis
were unable to arrange for teaching of modern subjects insideDar-ul-Ulum Deoband
. The behavior ofulema
inDeoband
also did not encourage the trend of studying modern subjects as they considered the student of religious studies superior to their counterparts in secular institutions. Yet there were a large number offatwas
justifying the study of modern subjects. This drawback in the curriculum ofmadrasahs
always earned criticism from outside, and sometimes, from inside thesemadrasahs.
Although training in crafts and trades had been initially included in the curriculum ofDeoband,
they got scant attention of the students. However, two kinds of vocational training such as calligraphy andtibb
(medical science) drew great interest from the students. The study of these subjects was in close conformity with the activities of theulema
and their study enhanced the influence ofulema
in the society.
Since the syllabus inDeoband
was loaded with study of traditional religious subjects, the students could not give attendance to modern subjects according to modern needs.
Students were examined at the end of finishing each book. The students were fairly examined and if one failed a certain book he had to repeat that particular book and not others. The medium of instruction was Urdu. Great emphasis was laid on the moral standard of students. Piety and respect for teachers were highly valued for students. For guidance of Muslims in their daily life, a separate departmentDar-ul-Ifta
(Center of Religious Verdicts) was setup atDar-ul-Ulum
Deoband.
Contrary to the founders ofDar-ul-Ulum
Deoband some Muslim leaders believed that the interests of Muslims of the Subcontinent could not be protected only through traditional religious education. The most fervent supporter of this idea was Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. He was convinced that without modern education the emancipation of Muslims in the Subcontinent would not be possible. Sir Syed sought drastic reforms in the educational system that was pursued by traditionalulema
as well as their approach towards scientific knowledge. The views of Sir Syed earned wrath from the traditional religious leaders. His idea of modern education was opposed and his religious views were strongly condemned. He was declared apostate and an enemy of Islam because of his outlook.
Sir Syed, however, established a modern Muslim educational college to realize his objectives. In Aligarh College religious subjects were also taught in the Department of Theology which was usually headed by a Deobandi scholar. Aligarh College proved to be more than a seat of learning. It soon became the center of political cultural and literary life of the Indian Muslims. Scientific society came into being under the patronage of Aligarh to translate the Western classics into Urdu. This opened ways for the Muslims to wider experiences of mankind in all branches of learning.
Efforts were also made to bring close the two seats of learning. However, the most conservative approach of Deobandis could not be reconciled with the modern Western style of Aligarh. This gave rise to two streams of educational systems. These differences also led to different socio-political trends among Indian Muslims which exist even today in both India and Pakistan.
Nadvat-ul-Ulama
Realizing the unbridgeable distance between Deoband and Aligharh, a group of Muslim moderates pondered over establishing an institution embodying a balanced approach towards traditional religious subjects and modern education simultaneously.
Nadvat-ul-Ulama
was established in 1891 for the said purpose. Maulana Muhammad Ali
Mungeri the first president of Nadwa,
while introducing the organization to theulema
in a letter, wrote:
Because it is seen that the graduates of Arabic madrasahs have little knowledge of the affairs of the world around them and they can do little else at their age, they remain dependent on the people of the world(Ahl-e-Dunya)
and are considered useless in the eyes of the public. They also do not possess the level of knowledge that they should. This organization seeks to bring about appropriate reforms in this regard in all Madrasahs.
Muhammad Ali Mongeri justified the study of English on the grounds that the religion of Islam could be easily preached to the Westerner through their language, which could serve to effectively resist the Western conspiracy against Islam.
For the guidance of Muslims in daily life, it also establishedDar-ul-Ifta
, providingfatwa
on matters of religious importance. The major goal of the Nadwa remained to defend Islam by building the character of individual Muslims and to spread Islam among non-believers.
Theulema
of the Nadwa hoped to achieve respect as the champions of Islam by being powerful and intellectually distinguished. The administration of Nadwa kept close relations with the British and accepted financial grants from the government. However, the relations did not go as far asAligharh
in courting British support. Themadrasah
also received financial support from rulers of various Muslim princely states and donations from individual Muslim supporters.
TheNadwa
attracted some of the leading Islamic scholars. Maulana Shibli,
a notedalim
joined theNadwa
in 1905. He advocated drastic reforms by introducing modern subjects in the syllabus so that Muslims could keep pace with the modern world. The views of Shibli, however, earned criticism from manyulema
within theNadwa
and he had to leave theNadwa
in 1913 because of this opposition.
Though the main concern of theNadwa
was to unite all the mutually opposing Muslim groups, this objective could not be achieved because of their mutual antagonism. TheShiah
were the first to withdraw. TheDeobandis
distanced themselves from theNadwa
because of the modernist theology of Shibli and its close relations with the government. TheBarelvi ulema
also opposedNadwa
for promoting free thought and irreligion in their view. Initially, there was close relationship between Aligarh and theNadwa
but this relationship also remained short-lived.
TheNadwa,
although never able to forge national leadership for the Muslims, neverthless made substantial impact on political movements in India. Still, the real accomplishment of theNadwa
was its involvement in the self-conscious dissemination of Muslim beliefs and practices, the fostering of Urdu as the language of theulema,
and the training of moreulema. Nadwi ulema
emphasized the teaching of Arabic and to some extent, theology. Their writing both atNadwa
and its offshoot theDarul Musannifin
were important contributions to history, biography, and essay writing in Urdu. In this way theNadwa
provided a common platform to different religious groups for free and open debate.
BesidesDeoband
and theNadwa
a large number ofmadrasahs
were established byAhl-e-Hadith
andBarelvis
to defend their respectivemaslaks.
Similarly,Shias
also set up their ownmadrasahs
whose aim was to prepare preachers and religious scholars to defend theShia
tradition from the onslaught of theSunni ulema
.
Someulema
were of the view that inter-maslak
rivalries led to Muslim decline and they pleaded the revival ofijtihad
to meet the challenges of modernity. Among theseulema,
Allama Hamidudin Farahi establishedMadrassat-ul-Islah
in 1909 near Azamgarh.
Farahi envisaged the aim of thismadrasah
as to liberate theulema
from inter-muslak
rivalries and strict adherence to a particularfiqh
. He also discouraged the study of medievalQur’an
commentaries and exhorted the students to understand theQur’an
directly with the help of dictionaries. Thismadrasah
also made arrangement for the teaching of mathematics, geography, English and Hindi. Several graduates of thismadrasah
later occupied senior positions inJammat-i-Islami
. About the main objective of themadrasah
to liberate the Muslim from the blind imitation offiqh
, a graduate of themadrasah
lamented that it promoted thetaqlid
of Farahi’s own understanding of theQur’an
.
Whatever might be the kind of educational institutions, modern or traditional, the main focus remained on education and social training during the second half of the eighteenth century. The political role of educational movements started with the beginning of the twentieth century on the eve of growing anti-colonial sentiments in the Subcontinent and the world over as well.
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Author: Sultan Ali
