Deoband vs Aligarh: Islam’s Great Divide |
In the wake of the failed 1857 uprising, India’s Muslims faced an unprecedented crisis. The collapse of the Mughal Empire, the closure of courts, and the loss of traditional patronage networks left Islamic authority in disarray. British colonial rule reorganised law, education, and knowledge, relegating religion to private practice and ritual. How should Islam respond? Two contrasting answers emerged in late 19th-century India: the Deoband school and the Aligarh........