When Afghanistan’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived at Darul Uloom Deoband on Saturday, it marked the revival of a historical bond stretching back more than a century. The visit carried deep symbolic and spiritual meaning, as the last Afghan dignitary to visit the seminary was King Zahir Shah nearly 67 years ago.
Muttaqi’s remarks ahead of the visit reflected the emotional and spiritual dimension of the trip: “Deoband is a significant religious place for us. This place and its people have a long history with Afghanistan. The way our students come here to study engineering and science, they also come here for religious studies.”
Founded in the late 19th century by Sayyid Muhammad Abid, Fazlur Rahman Usmani and Mahtab Ali Deobandi, Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district is one of the world’s most influential Islamic seminaries. For over a century, it has produced generations of scholars who have shaped Islamic thought across South Asia and beyond.
Its curriculum is rooted in Manqulat -- Islamic education based on the Quran, Hadith, and classical texts. Students undergo eight years of study to earn the title of Maulvi or Maulana, later specialising in subjects such as literature, fatwa (jurisprudence), Hadith or tafseer (Quranic exegesis) English and even modern subjects like computer science. The seminary also offers lessons on Hindu religion and philosophy to help students appreciate India’s cultural diversity.
According to its website, Darul Uloom Deoband is “the largest institution for the dissemination and propagation of Islam and the biggest headspring of education in Islamic sciences” in the subcontinent. After Delhi’s decline as a centre of Islamic learning, Deoband rose to prominence, much like Cairo after the fall of Baghdad, becoming not just a seminary but a powerful intellectual movement.
{{/usCountry}}According to its website, Darul Uloom Deoband is “the largest institution for the dissemination and propagation of Islam and the biggest headspring of education in Islamic sciences” in the subcontinent. After Delhi’s decline as a centre of Islamic learning, Deoband rose to prominence, much like Cairo after the fall of Baghdad, becoming not just a seminary but a powerful intellectual movement.
{{/usCountry}}Deoband’s ideological influence extends to Afghanistan through its sister institution, Darul Uloom Haqqania, in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Haqqania’s founder, Maulana Abdul Haq, was a Deoband alumnus, and his son Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, known as the “Father of the Taliban”, later led the seminary where many Taliban leaders studied.
Afghanistan’s religious leadership, too, has been profoundly shaped by Deoband’s teachings. The ideological and academic influence of Deoband reached Afghanistan through its sister institution- Darul Uloom Haqqania- in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Haqqania’s founder, Maulana Abdul Haq, had studied and taught at Deoband before the Partition of India. His son, Maulana Sami-ul-Haq—often referred to as the “Father of the Taliban”- led Haqqania in later years, where several Taliban leaders and commanders were educated.
Muttaqi’s visit to Deoband thus went beyond diplomacy; it was a homecoming of sorts. In the serene courtyard of the 19th-century seminary, the Afghan minister’s presence reaffirmed a shared legacy of faith, scholarship, and cultural exchange that continues to link India and Afghanistan, a senior seminary official said.