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Part of a series on Sufi Islam
Schools of Law
Hanafi
Schools of Theology
Maturidi • Ash'ari • Athari
Movements
Deobandi • Barelwi
Beliefs
Tawhid • Anbiya' and Rusul Kutub • Mala'ikah Qiyamah • Qadr
Rightly Guided Caliphs
Abu Bakr Umar ibn al-Khattab Uthman ibn Affan Ali ibn Abi Talib
Major hadith collections
Sahih Bukhari • Sahih Muslim Al-Sunan al-Sughra Sunan Abi Dawood Sunan al-Tirmidhi Sunan ibn Maja • Al-Muwatta Sunan al-Darami
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The Deobandi (Urdu: دیو بندی devbandī) is a Sufi Islamic revivalist movement which started in India and has more recently spread to other countries, such as Afghanistan, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The name derives from Deoband, India, where the school Darul Uloom Deoband is situated. Deobandis follow the fiqh of Abu Hanifa. They follow Abu Mansur Maturidi's thought in Aqeedah and Ilm ul Kalaam i.e refuting criticism of Islam made using Greek logic and Islamic logic. Deobandi purport to be characterised by a strict adherence to the Sunnah and an emphasis on Sharia. The Deobandi associate themselves with the Sufi Tariqahs of the Naqshbandi, Chishti, Qadiriyyah and Suhrawardiyyah.^[1]

Contents 1 Tenets 2 History 2.1 Controversy and Criticism 2.2 Present 2.3 The Taliban 2.4 Tablighi Jamaat 2.5 In the United Kingdom 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links 6.1 Opposing views

Deobandi thought has five main principles, which are:

1. Tawhid: (Monotheism) of God; no one shares His attributes.
2. Sunna: Following the methodology of Muhammad.
3. Ħubbus-Sahaba: Following the methodology of companions of Muhammad.
4. Taqlid wal-Ittibā: Giving preference to the jurisprudence of one of the earliest jurists of Islam over that of later jurists.
5. Jihād fī Sabīlil-Lāh: Doing Jihād

The Deobandi movement developed as a reaction to the British colonialism in India, whom they believed to be corrupting Islam. Fearing this, a group of Indians Ulama led by Maulana Qasim Nanautavi founded an Islamic seminary known as Darul Uloom Waqf Deoband. The Arabic word "Waqf" refers to a social trust. It is here that the Islamic revivalist and anti-British ideology of the Deobandis began to develop. Gradually, their influence, through organisations such as Jamiat Ulema-e Hind and Tableeghi Jamaat, began to spread and hundreds of Madrassas and Darul Ulooms affiliated to Deoband sprouted. Notable Deobandi seminaries include Nadwatu l-Ulama in Lucknow and Darul Uloom Karachi Karachi, Pakistan.

Some of the early Deobandi scholars included Maulana Qasim Nanotwi, Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi, Maulana Husain Ahmed Madani, Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi, Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri, Mufti Kifayat Ullah Dahlavi, Maulana Ilyas Khandhelawi and Mawlana Ubaidullah Sindhi, Maulana Muḥammad Zakarīyā al-Kandahlawī, as well as Maulana Rahmatullah Kairanvi, the famous polemicist who emigrated to Arabia after the 1857 war, who was also associated with Deoband.

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)

The Barelwis oppose Deobandis for their opposition to several practices which are common in the Indian subcontinent, like the celebration of Mawlid an-Nabi. Deobandis claim these practices were never practised by the Sahaba and are considered to be bid'ah.

Prominent Deobandi scholars today include Maulana Saalim Qasmi, Mufti Taqi Uthmani, Mufti Ebrahim Desai, Grand Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani of Pakistan, and Maulana Tariq Jamil.

The Taliban are said to follow the teachings of the Deoband school, although some journalists, such as Ahmed Rashid, claim they follow a simplistic version of the school's teachings.^[2]

Some famous people who propagate Islam by joining the Tablighi Jamaat (a movement started by a student of the Islamic University, Deoband, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas) are Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi, Inzamam ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf (a recent revert/convert), Saqlain Mushtaq and many others. Also, former Pakistani cricketers including Saeed Anwar and Salim Malik. A very famous pop star Junaid Jamshaid is also a visible personality, propagating Islam to the masses amongst many others.

According to The Times, about 600 of Britain's nearly 1,400 mosques are run by Deobandi-affiliated clerics, and 17 of the country's 26 Islamic seminaries follow Deobandi teachings, producing about 80 percent of all domestically trained Muslim clerics.^[3]

• Islam in India
• Islam in Pakistan
• Islam in the United Kingdom

• Zaman, Muhammad Qasim (2002). The Ulama in Contemporary Islam: Custodians of Change. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691096805. 

• Ulama e Deoband online - Multimedia
• Deen ki Kuttab
• Dar ul Uloom Deoband
• Hadhrat Deobandi Rahimahullah
• al-Balaagh Magazine Canada
• Muslim group behind ‘mega-mosque’ seeks to convert all Britain
• Islamic solutions to problems within Islam
• Borough mosques ‘are not a hotbed for extremists’
• British Muslims Reject Trial by Media of the Deobandi Movement

• Our followers ‘must live in peace until strong enough to wage jihad’ - The Times, September 8th 2007
• A toxic mix of fact and nonsense - The Times, September 7th 2007
• Hardline takeover of British mosques - The Times, September 7th 2007
• A movement fostered by the fear of ‘imperial’ rule - The Times, September 7th 2007
• Moderates attack ‘fundamentally wrong’ approach to teaching Islam - The Times, September 7th 2007