Introduction
The first time I visited a large madrasa (Islamic seminary), I was struck by its presence, and spontaneously uttered, “Madinat al-‘Ilm,” which means “city of knowledge.” Every madrasa is essentially a city of knowledge, with only the distinction being that some are larger cities while others are smaller.
During the early period of Islam, when Muslims spread across various countries, they established such cities of knowledge wherever they went. This was a new chapter in history. In ancient times, large structures were generally built either as massive temples, palaces, forts, or tombs. The concept of educational institutions, in the modern sense, did not exist in ancient times. A Western scholar has rightly noted that the idea of universal education and hundred percent literacy was introduced to history for the first time by Muslims.
Where did this intellectual inclination among Muslims come from? It was directly a result of the Quran. If the Quran is read with an open mind, it becomes evident that the Quran emphasizes knowledge, education, and learning more than anything else. It can be stated without exaggeration that the Quran was the first book to break knowledge out of a restricted sphere and introduce humanity to the concept of mass education.
The Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, was born in 570 CE in the city of Mecca in Arabia. The first revelation descended upon him in 610 CE while he was in the Cave of Hira. The first word of that revelation was Iqra (Read). It is narrated that the angel Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, Iqra (Read). The Prophet responded, Ma ana biqari (I am not able to read) (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 3). Gabriel repeated Iqra a second time, and the Prophet again said, Ma ana biqari. Gabriel said it a third time, after which the Prophet recited the words of Chapter 96, Surah Al-‘Alaq, the verses that Gabriel had brought as the first revelation.
Reflect on this initial incident of revelation. The Prophet of Islam was undeniably unlettered. Despite this, why did God’s angel insist repeatedly, saying, Iqra (Read)? This indicates that even if you do not know how to read, you should strive to read; even if you do not know how to write, you should endeavour to write. In this sense, Islamic culture can be described as synonymous with Iqra culture.
This was an extremely revolutionary teaching that was granted to the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, and indirectly to his followers, at the very beginning of his prophethood. As a result, the pursuit of knowledge became a permanent aspect of his followers’ activities. The practice of reading and writing grew so extensively that a time came when Muslims became the teachers of all other nations.
When the Muslims ventured out of Arabia and spread to various parts of the world, they made reading and teaching their special mission everywhere they went. This movement began in Mecca, reached Medina, then Damascus, and subsequently centered in Baghdad and Cairo. Later, it entered Cordoba and Granada, from where it spread further to the entire world. During this era, all cities in the Muslim world became centers of education and learning.
The influence of this intellectual inclination among Muslims was such that when their caravans entered the Indian subcontinent, they established numerous madrasas and educational institutions, both individually and collectively. It would be accurate to say that the widespread dissemination of knowledge in the subcontinent occurred for the first time through Muslims. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru acknowledged this in his book The Discovery of India, stating that the Arab Muslims brought a brilliant culture to India. (The Discovery of India, 1994, p. 231)
However, in the first half of the 19th century, as British dominance in the Indian subcontinent increased, the decline of Muslim educational institutions began. This was primarily because the initial political resistance against the British was largely led by Islamic scholars. This led the British to perceive Islamic madrasas as intellectual centers of anti-British movements. Consequently, they became hostile toward these institutions and attempted to suppress them in various ways. For example, they confiscated the endowments and land grants that supported these madrasas, cutting off their resources. Many scholars were arrested, and so on. As a result, a large number of madrasas across the country were forced to shut down.
After the British established political control over India, Muslim leaders spent a significant amount of time believing that their first priority should be to expel the British from the country. Only then, they thought, would there be an opportunity to resume religious efforts in the nation. The armed uprising of 1857 was a result of this line of thinking, but it failed to achieve its objective.
After this experience, the scholars realized that armed confrontation with the British was practically futile. The only viable course of action now was to abandon the path of conflict and instead focus on constructive work through peaceful means. From an Islamic perspective, they identified this work as the pursuit of knowledge and education. Consequently, the scholars decided to redirect all their energy toward educating the nation, leaving behind the approach of confrontation with the British.
Under this new mindset, the movement for madrasas spread across the Indian subcontinent in the latter half of the 19th century. Both internal and external circumstances became increasingly favourable for this effort, and over time, the madrasa movement expanded to the point where it has now become a movement for revolution.
Since an early age, I have been closely associated with scholars and the madrasa movement. My father passed away in 1929 when I was still a child. As a result, my cousin, Maulana Iqbal Ahmed Khan Suhail, an advocate with an M.A. and LL.B., became my familial guardian. He was highly intelligent, well-educated, and held great respect for scholars.
During the pre-partition era, the controversy surrounding the Two-Nation Theory arose. In response, Maulana Hussain Ahmed Madani stated in 1937, “In modern times, nations are formed by homelands.”
At the time, advocate Iqbal Ahmed Suhail, composed a reasoned response in the form of a Persian poem, two verses of which were:
Translation:
Turn to Deoband if you seek salvation, For the demon of the self, unruly and naive, is your enemy.
Follow the path of Hussain Ahmed if you seek God, For he is the heir of the Prophet and from the Prophet’s lineage.
It was my cousin, Maulana Iqbal Ahmed Suhail, who gave me my first conscious thought about life. Thus, even in my youth, I was connected with scholars and the madrasa movement, a connection that has never been severed.
I have maintained a continuous relationship with the world of madrasas. My education also took place in a madrasa. I have regularly interacted with individuals associated with madrasas and frequently participated in madrasa gatherings and programs. However, I had not yet written formally about madrasas. While some of my miscellaneous writings on this topic had been published, I had not compiled a comprehensive book on the subject.
Scholars associated with various madrasas often urged me to write a book or a detailed article about madrasas, but I had not been able to undertake this task. Finally, in May 2000, everything fell into place and I was able to complete this essay, which forms the book ‘Deen-o-Shariat’ published in 2002, pp. 73-160..
On May 9, 2000, I received an invitation from Tanzeem Abnaa-e-Qadeem Darul Uloom Deoband. The invitation informed me of an international gathering titled “Al-Imam Muhammad Qasim Al-NanautawiSeminar”, scheduled to take place in New Delhi from May 20-22, 2000. The organizers invited me to participate in the opening session as a guest of honour and to deliver a speech on the “Madrasa Movement in India”.
Subsequently, several scholars from Delhi, such as Maulana ‘Ameed uz-Zaman Kairanwi, Maulana Muhammad Mazammil Haq Al-Husseini, Maulana Badr uz-Zaman Qasmi, and Maulana Waris Mazhari Qasmi, among others, met with me. They specifically emphasized the importance of this work. Motivated by their encouragement, I finally made the decision to undertake the task, began my study, and started writing on the subject.
The speech I initially prepared to present at the mentioned seminar was only 10 pages long. However, as I conducted further research on the topic, it continued to expand, eventually resulting in this 80-page essay.
Wahiuddin Khan
New Delhi
