Hujjatul Islam Mawlānā Qasim Nanotwi
A pioneering Islamic scholar, spiritual guide, and founder of Darul Uloom Deoband who dedicated his life to preserving Islamic education, nurturing faith, and serving the Ummah.
“The scholars are the inheritors of the prophets.”
(Tirmidhi)
Hujjatul Islam Mawlana Qasim Nanotwi was born in Sha’baan 1248 AH (January 1833) in Nanota, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He belonged to the Siddiqi lineage, descending from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq radiyallahu anhu. He received his basic Islamic education in Nanota before moving to Deoband at the age of nine, where he studied the initial books of Nahw and Sarf under Mawlana Mehtaab Ali. Due to illness, he later moved to Saharanpur and stayed with his maternal grandfather, Mawlana Wajeehuddeen, where he studied Hidayatun Nahw and completed the Persian curriculum. At the age of twelve, his maternal uncle, Mawlana Mamluk Ali, took him to Delhi to pursue higher Islamic education.
In Delhi, he studied the Islamic sciences under his maternal uncle and was enrolled in the Arabic college run by the East India Company. He also studied Hadith under the renowned Muhaddith Shah Abdul Ghani Dehlawi, the grandson of Shah Waliullah. During this period, he formed a lifelong friendship with Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi and was recognised for his intelligence, diligence, and quick understanding. He also developed a deep attachment to Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki, whom he had known since childhood. Through his spiritual association with Haji Sahib, he became devoted to spiritual practices and adhkaar and eventually received khilafah and ijazah from him.
After completing his Dars-e-Nizami at the age of seventeen in 1265 AH (1849), he worked at the publication house of Mawlana Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri, where he corrected errors in printed Islamic works. During a difficult period for Muslims in India under British rule, he became deeply concerned about preserving their faith and Islamic education. This concern eventually led to the establishment of Darul Uloom Deoband. On 15 Muharram 1283 AH (30 May 1866), its foundation was laid, with Mulla Mahmood as its teacher and Mahmoodul Hasan, who later became Shaykhul Hind, as its first student. The institution went on to become a major centre of Islamic learning whose influence spread far beyond Deoband.
He was known for his simplicity, humility, piety, and detachment from worldly recognition. He avoided fame and devoted himself to knowledge, spirituality, and service to Islam. His love and reverence for Nabi ﷺ were particularly profound. During his visit to Madinah Munawwarah, he would avoid walking with his shoes out of deep respect for the land upon which the blessed feet of Nabi ﷺ had walked. He passed away on Thursday, 4 Jumadul Awwal 1297 AH (April 1879), at the age of forty-nine, leaving behind a lasting legacy of Islamic scholarship, spiritual guidance, and religious education.