https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Mahtab_Ali_DeobandiMahtab Ali Deobandi - Revision history2026-11-15T19:32:39ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahtab_Ali_Deobandi&diff=515089&oldid=prevSilentbram: made first biography with sources...2025-10-13T00:39:25Z<p>made first biography with sources...</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian Muslim scholar (died 1887)}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}{{Infobox Muslim scholar<br />
| name = Mahtab Ali Deobandi<br />
| religion = Islam<br />
| denomination = Sunni<br />
| school_tradition = [[Hanafi]]<br />
| main_interests= Islamic education<br />
| influences = [[Mamluk Ali Nanautawi]], [[Sadruddin Khan Azurda Dehlawi]]<br />
| students = [[Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi]], [[Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi]], [[Mahmud Hasan Deobandi]]<br />
| relatives = [[Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi]] (younger brother), [[Mahmud Hasan Deobandi]] (nephew)<br />
| notable_works = Contributions to the founding of [[Darul Uloom Deoband]]<br />
| era = 19th century<br />
| region = India<br />
| birth_date = Unknown<br />
| death_date = 1293 AH / 1877 CE (disputed; possibly 1304 AH / 1887 CE)<br />
| death_place = Deoband, India<br />
}}<br />
'''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.<br />
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== Early life and education ==<br />
Mahtab Ali Deobandi was the eldest son of [[Usmani family of Deoband#Shaykh Fateh Ali|Sheikh Fath Ali]] of [[Deoband]]. His younger brother, [[Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi]], was also among the founders of Darul Uloom Deoband.<ref name="Rizwi">{{cite book |last1=Rizwi |first1=Syed Mehboob |author1-link=Syed Mehboob Rizwi|title=Tārīkh-e-Deoband |trans-title=History of Deoband |chapter-url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/tareekh-e-deoband-syed-mahboob-rizvi-ebooks#331 |year=1972 |publisher=Ilmi Markaz|location=Deoband |edition=2nd|page=331|chapter=Maulana Mahtab Ali|language=ur}}</ref><ref name="Khalili">{{Cite book |last=Khalili Qasmi |first=Muhammadullah |author-link=Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi|url=https://archive.org/details/darul-uloom-deob-ki-jamey-wa-mukhtasar-tareekh-edition-2/page/n517/mode/1up |title=Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Jame O Mukhtasar Tareekh |trans-title=Comprehensive and Concise History of Darul Uloom Deoband |publisher=Shaikh-Ul-Hind Academy |edition=2nd|date=October 2020 |location=India |language=ur|oclc=1345466013|page=516}}</ref><br />
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He studied at [[Zakir Husain Delhi College|Delhi College]] (then known as Delhi Arabic College), where he was a student of [[Mamluk Ali Nanautawi]] and [[Sadruddin Khan Azurda Dehlawi]].<ref name="Adrawi">{{cite book |last1=Adrawi |first1=Asir |author-link=Asir Adrawi|title=Hazrat Shaikhul Hind: Hayāt aur Kārnāme |trans-title=Hazrat Sheikh-ul-Hind: Life and Achievements |date=April 2012|publisher=Shaikhul Hind Academy|location=Deoband |pages=32–33|contribution=Maulana Mahtab Ali|language=ur}}</ref> After completing his studies, he returned to Deoband. Coming from a prosperous family, he did not take up employment but instead began teaching locally.{{Sfn|Adrawi|2012|p=32}}<br />
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== Career ==<br />
Ali taught Arabic in a madrasa located in the guest house (''baithak'') of Sheikh Karamat Husain, a local notable of Deoband.{{Sfn|Rizwi|1972|pp=331–332}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=al-Bastavi|first=Mi'raj Ahmad|title=شيخ الهند محمود حسن الديوبندي وجهوده في إعلاء كلمة الله|trans-title=Shaikh al-Hind Mahmud Hasan Deobandi and His Efforts in Exalting the Word of Allah|url=https://www.aqlamalhind.com/?p=2881|journal=Aqlam Alhind|date=July–September 2023|volume=8|issue=3|language=ar|access-date=2025-09-20}}</ref> 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.{{Sfn|Adrawi|2012|p=32}}<br />
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=== Role in Darul Uloom Deoband ===<br />
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.{{Sfn|Rizwi|1972|pp=331–332}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ahmed |first1=Nazir |last2=Badshah |first2=Hafiz Muhammad |date=2021 |title=Mawlavi Zulfiqar Ali Al-deobandi And His Creative Works: A Descriptive Study |url=https://islamicsciences.org/index.php/islsci/article/view/34 |journal=Islamic Sciences |language=ar |page=5 |volume=4 |issue=1 |doi=10.52337/islsci.v4i1.34 |issn=2707-7470|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pVxuAAAAMAAJ&q=mahtab+Ali+deoband |title=A History of the Freedom Movement: Being the Story of Muslim Struggle for the Freedom of Hind-Pakistan, 1707-1947 |date=1957 |publisher=[[Pakistan Historical Society]] |page=416 |language=en}}</ref><br />
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According to [[Syed Mehboob Rizwi]] and [[Asir Adrawi]], the first donation for the seminary was given by Sayyid Muhammad Abid, followed by Mahtab Ali.{{Sfn|Rizwi|1972|p=331}}{{Sfn|Adrawi|2012|p=33}} 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.{{Sfn|Khalili Qasmi|2020|p=516}}<br />
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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).{{Sfn|Khalili Qasmi|2020|pp=746, 753}}<ref name="CLODUD">{{cite book |last1=Tayyib|first1=Qari Muhammad|author1-link=Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi|title=Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Sad-Sāla Zindagi |trans-title=Centenary Life of Darul Uloom Deoband |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/detail/darul-uloom-deoband-ki-sad-saala-zindagi-qari-muhammad-tayyab-ebooks#118 |publisher=VC Office, Darul Uloom|location=Deoband|page=102|date=June 1965|edition=1st|language=ur}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Metcalf |first=Barbara |date=1978 |title=The Madrasa at Deoband: A Model for Religious Education in Modern India |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/311825 |journal=[[Modern Asian Studies]] |volume=12 |issue=1 |page=116 |doi=10.1017/S0026749X00008179 |jstor=311825 |issn=0026-749X}}</ref> He often examined students during the seminary's annual examinations.{{Sfn|Rizwi|1972|p=332}}<br />
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=== Students ===<br />
Ali taught several figures who later played important roles in Islamic scholarship. Among them were:<br />
* [[Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi]] – studied early Arabic texts with him.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gīlānī |first1=Manāzir Ahsan |author-link1=Manazir Ahsan Gilani |title=Sawānih-e-Qāsmi |trans-title=Biography of Qāsim Nanautawi |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/sawaneh-e-qasmi-volume-001-sayyad-manazir-ahsan-geelani-ebooks#198 |year=1975|publisher=Idara Nashr-o-Ishā'at, Darul Uloom Deoband|volume=1|language=ur |page=193}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Metcalf |first=Barbara D. |author-link=Barbara D. Metcalf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BdH_AwAAQBAJ&dq=mahtab+Ali+deoband&pg=PA382 |title=Islamic Revival in British India: Deoband, 1860-1900 |date=2014-07-14 |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=978-1-4008-5610-7 |pages=76–77 |language=en}}</ref><br />
* [[Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi]] – his younger brother and father of Mahmud Hasan Deobandi.{{Sfn|Adrawi|2012|p=32}}<br />
* [[Mahmud Hasan Deobandi]] indirectly benefited, as Ali was his uncle and teacher of his father.<ref name="Asghar">{{cite book |last=Deobandi|first=Asghar Hussain|author-link=Asghar Hussain Deobandi |title=Hayāt-e-Shaikhul Hind |trans-title=Life of Shaikh al-Hind |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/hayat-e-shaikh-ul-hind-syed-asghar-husain-ebooks#15 |publisher=Matba'-e-Qasmi |location=Deoband |edition=first |year=1921 |page=15 |language=ur}}</ref><br />
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== Death ==<br />
According to [[Syed Mehboob Rizwi]], Ali died in 1293 AH (1877 CE).{{Sfn|Rizwi|1972|p=331}}{{Sfn|Ahmed|Badshah|2021|p=6}} [[Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi]] recorded his membership of the governing council until 1304 AH (1887 CE).<ref name="CLODUD" /> [[Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi]], after reconciling these reports, suggested that 1304 AH is the more likely year of his death.{{Sfn|Khalili Qasmi|2020|pp=517, 746}}<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Founders of Darul Uloom Deoband]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam]]<br />
[[Category:Deobandis]]<br />
[[Category:19th-century Muslim scholars of Islam]]<br />
[[Category:1877 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:1887 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]<br />
[[Category:Members of the Majlis-e-Shura of Darul Uloom Deoband]]</div>Silentbram