Mahmud Hasan Deobandi

Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, born in 1851, was a prominent Indian Muslim scholar and a fervent activist in the Indian Independence Movement. He played a pivotal role in co-founding the Jamia Millia Islamia University and was instrumental in launching the Silk Letter Movement, which aimed at securing India's freedom from colonial rule. As the first student of the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary, he was deeply influenced by notable scholars such as Mahtab Ali Deobandi and Muhammad Qasim Nanawtawi, and he received Sufi authorization from Imdadullah Muhajir Makki and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi.

In his capacity as the principal of the Darul Uloom Deoband, Hasan established several organizations, including the Jamiatul Ansar and the Nizaratul Maarif. His scholarly contributions include a translation of the Quran into Urdu and several influential texts such as Adilla-e-Kāmilah and Īzah al-adillah. He was also a dedicated teacher of hadith and contributed to the copyediting of the Sunan Abu Dawud, mentoring many prominent students like Ashraf Ali Thanwi and Hussain Ahmad Madani.

A staunch opponent of the British Raj, Hasan actively campaigned against colonial rule, leading to his arrest in nineteen sixteen and subsequent imprisonment in Malta. After his release in nineteen twenty, he was honored with the title of 'Shaykh al-Hind' by the Khilafat committee for his contributions to the freedom struggle. He was a vocal supporter of the Non-cooperation movement and traveled extensively across India to mobilize Muslim support for independence.

In November nineteen twenty, he presided over the second general meeting of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and was appointed its president. His legacy is commemorated through institutions such as the Shaikh-Ul-Hind Maulana Mahmood Hasan Medical College, and in two thousand thirteen, the Government of India issued a commemorative postal stamp celebrating his role in the Silk Letter Movement.