Darul Uloom Deoband’s education department has issued a fatwa prohibiting students from learning English or any other language while studying in the Islamic seminary. Maulana Hussain Ahmed Haridwari, the in-charge of the department, issued the fatwa emphasising strict adherence, and that any dereliction of the fatwa would result in the student’s expulsion.
The fatwa said, “Any student found violating this restriction, or secretly engaging in language study, will face expulsion from the institution. Also, the students found absent from classrooms or leaving before the completion of their classes will face severe consequences.” The students are prohibited from learning English or another language throughout their tenure at the seminary.
It was reported that a student, under anonymity, said, criticised the management’s decision and said, “While we acknowledge that Darul Uloom is dedicated to Islamic studies, preventing students from learning English or any other language seems unreasonable.” The student further said that the “management should reconsider their stance.”
However, this is not the first time Darul Uloom Deoband has issued unreasonable dictums. On February 20, Darul Uloom Deoband, the biggest Islamic seminary in India, issued a fatwa warning the students against trimming their beards. The seminary body stated that any student who would trim or shave his beard would be cast out from the institution.
This notice of Darul Uloom has created panic in Muslim society. It was said that it is forbidden to cut a beard in Islam. According to reports, the notice was issued by Maulana Hussain Ahmad Haridwari. He mentioned in the notice that shaving or trimming of beard is a wrong practice as per Islam and that the students at the college shall never get their beards shaved.
The letter made it clear that any current student who shaves or trims would be dismissed from the university. Any student attempting to enter the university for the next semester by shaving off his beard would not be admitted to the premises, the letter added.
Reiterating that the students who shave beards would be cast out, the notice stated that the university would not tolerate student disobedience. The fatwa further recalled that on February 6, four of the Darul Uloom Deoband students were dismissed for trimming their beards.
The fatwa issued has been welcomed by the Ulema of Deoband, Maulana Mufti Asad Qasmi. Maulana Mufti Asad Qasmi of Madrasa Jamia Sheikhul Hind, who is also a former student of Darul Uloom said that everything that Hazrat Mohammad has adopted is Sunnat.
“Every Muslim should spend his life by following Sunnat and Shariah principles. It is Sunnah to keep a handful of beards in Islam. If the beard growing more than this is cut, then there is no harm in it. But it should be maintained,” he said.
Deoband, the Ulema-e-Karam says that keeping a fashionable beard is non-Sunnat. According to Quran and Hadith, keeping stubble is a Sunnat way. Earlier, the Ulema had issued a fatwa against Muslim women and had barred them from taking “unnecessary photographs” and uploading them on social media.
Darul Uloom Deoband had also issued a fatwa against Muslim women from shaping eyebrows or donning a haircut. It also said that any woman who shapes eyebrows or gets a haircut is indulging in un-Islamic behaviour.
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