The orthodox section of the Muslim Ulema organized the Deoband Movement.
It was a revivalist movement whose objectives were to reestablish contact between the alim (scholars) and the average Muslims and to reorientate the Muslim Community to its original cultural and religious identity.
The Deoband School was founded at Saharanpur District in U.P., in 1867 under the leadership of Mohammad Qasim Nanotvi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.
The object was to train religious leaders for the Muslim community. While prohibiting English education, the Deoband school imparted original Islamic religion. Its object was moral and religious regeneration of the Mulsim community. It was in striking contrast to the Aligarh Movement which aimed at welfare of the Muslim community through western education. The Deoband School was not materialistic as it did not prepare its students for government jobs but for preaching Islamic faith.
In politics, the Deoband School welcomed the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885. In 1888 the Deoband ulema issued a religious decree against Sayyid Ahmad’s organisations, the United Patriotic Association and the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental Association.
The Deoband leader Mahmud-ul-Hasan tried to infuse a politcal and intellectual content to the religious overtone of the school. He wroked out a synthesis of Islamic principles and national aspirations.
The Jamiat-ul-Ulema gave a concrete shape to Hasan’s ideas of protection of the religious ad politcal rights of the Mulsims.
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