Mahtab Ali Deobandi

Mahtab Ali Deobandi
Personal life
BornUnknown
Died1293 AH / 1877 CE (disputed; possibly 1304 AH / 1887 CE)
Deoband, India
Era19th century
RegionIndia
Main interest(s)Islamic education
Notable work(s)Contributions to the founding of Darul Uloom Deoband
RelativesZulfiqar Ali Deobandi (younger brother), Mahmud Hasan Deobandi (nephew)
Religious life
ReligionIslam
DenominationSunni
CreedHanafi
Senior posting
Students
Influenced by

Mahtab Ali Deobandi (died 1293 AH / 1877 CE) was an Indian Muslim scholar and one of the early founders of Darul Uloom Deoband. He was a member of the institution’s first governing council (Majlis-e-Shura) and participated in its establishment and early development.

Early life and education

Mahtab Ali Deobandi was the eldest son of Sheikh Fath Ali of Deoband. His younger brother, Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi, was also among the founders of Darul Uloom Deoband.[1][2]

He studied at Delhi College (then known as Delhi Arabic College), where he was a student of Mamluk Ali Nanautawi and Sadruddin Khan Azurda Dehlawi.[3] After completing his studies, he returned to Deoband. Coming from a prosperous family, he did not take up employment but instead began teaching locally.[4]

Career

Ali taught Arabic in a madrasa located in the guest house (baithak) of Sheikh Karamat Husain, a local notable of Deoband.[5][6] Among his pupils at this madrasa were Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, who later founded Darul Uloom Deoband, and Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi. He was about eleven years senior to Nanautawi. Other early students included Nihal Ahmad, one of the initial supporters of Darul Uloom.[4]

Role in Darul Uloom Deoband

When the idea of founding Darul Uloom Deoband emerged in 1866, Sayyid Muhammad Abid first consulted Mahtab Ali for advice and financial contribution. Ali was one of the earliest donors to the project, providing the second recorded contribution after Sayyid Muhammad Abid.[5][7][8]

According to Syed Mehboob Rizwi and Asir Adrawi, the first donation for the seminary was given by Sayyid Muhammad Abid, followed by Mahtab Ali.[9][10] The first public appeal for funds was later issued on 19 Muharram 1283 AH (1866 CE), in which his name appeared after those of Sayyid Muhammad and Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi.[11]

Ali became a founding member of the Majlis-e-Shura (governing council) of Darul Uloom and served from 1283 AH (1866) until about 1304 AH (1887).[12][13][14] He often examined students during the seminary's annual examinations.[15]

Students

Ali taught several figures who later played important roles in Islamic scholarship. Among them were:

Death

According to Syed Mehboob Rizwi, Ali died in 1293 AH (1877 CE).[9][19] Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi recorded his membership of the governing council until 1304 AH (1887 CE).[13] Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi, after reconciling these reports, suggested that 1304 AH is the more likely year of his death.[20]

References

  1. ^ Rizwi, Syed Mehboob (1972). "Maulana Mahtab Ali". Tārīkh-e-Deoband [History of Deoband] (in Urdu) (2nd ed.). Deoband: Ilmi Markaz. p. 331.
  2. ^ Khalili Qasmi, Muhammadullah (October 2020). Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Jame O Mukhtasar Tareekh [Comprehensive and Concise History of Darul Uloom Deoband] (in Urdu) (2nd ed.). India: Shaikh-Ul-Hind Academy. p. 516. OCLC 1345466013.
  3. ^ Adrawi, Asir (April 2012). "Maulana Mahtab Ali". Hazrat Shaikhul Hind: Hayāt aur Kārnāme [Hazrat Sheikh-ul-Hind: Life and Achievements] (in Urdu). Deoband: Shaikhul Hind Academy. pp. 32–33.
  4. ^ a b c Adrawi 2012, p. 32.
  5. ^ a b Rizwi 1972, pp. 331–332.
  6. ^ al-Bastavi, Mi'raj Ahmad (July–September 2023). "شيخ الهند محمود حسن الديوبندي وجهوده في إعلاء كلمة الله" [Shaikh al-Hind Mahmud Hasan Deobandi and His Efforts in Exalting the Word of Allah]. Aqlam Alhind (in Arabic). 8 (3). Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  7. ^ Ahmed, Nazir; Badshah, Hafiz Muhammad (2021). "Mawlavi Zulfiqar Ali Al-deobandi And His Creative Works: A Descriptive Study". Islamic Sciences (in Arabic). 4 (1): 5. doi:10.52337/islsci.v4i1.34. ISSN 2707-7470.
  8. ^ A History of the Freedom Movement: Being the Story of Muslim Struggle for the Freedom of Hind-Pakistan, 1707-1947. Pakistan Historical Society. 1957. p. 416.
  9. ^ a b Rizwi 1972, p. 331.
  10. ^ Adrawi 2012, p. 33.
  11. ^ Khalili Qasmi 2020, p. 516.
  12. ^ Khalili Qasmi 2020, pp. 746, 753.
  13. ^ a b Tayyib, Qari Muhammad (June 1965). Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Sad-Sāla Zindagi [Centenary Life of Darul Uloom Deoband] (in Urdu) (1st ed.). Deoband: VC Office, Darul Uloom. p. 102.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Barbara (1978). "The Madrasa at Deoband: A Model for Religious Education in Modern India". Modern Asian Studies. 12 (1): 116. doi:10.1017/S0026749X00008179. ISSN 0026-749X. JSTOR 311825.
  15. ^ Rizwi 1972, p. 332.
  16. ^ Gīlānī, Manāzir Ahsan (1975). Sawānih-e-Qāsmi [Biography of Qāsim Nanautawi] (in Urdu). Vol. 1. Idara Nashr-o-Ishā'at, Darul Uloom Deoband. p. 193.
  17. ^ Metcalf, Barbara D. (14 July 2014). Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband, 1860-1900. Princeton University Press. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-1-4008-5610-7.
  18. ^ Deobandi, Asghar Hussain (1921). Hayāt-e-Shaikhul Hind [Life of Shaikh al-Hind] (in Urdu) (first ed.). Deoband: Matba'-e-Qasmi. p. 15.
  19. ^ Ahmed & Badshah 2021, p. 6.
  20. ^ Khalili Qasmi 2020, pp. 517, 746.
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