IOS-MANNU organises a two-day webinar on ‘Islamic sciences during Muslim rule in the Deccan'

A two-day national webinar on ‘Islamic sciences during Muslim rule in the Deccan’, was jointly organised by the Institute of Objective Studies and Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad on April 7 and 8, 2021 via Zoom at Hyderabad.

Presided over by the acting vice-chancellor of MANNU, Prof. S.M. Rahmatullah, the first-day session began with the recitation of a verse from Qur’an by Dr. Atif Imran from the department of Islamic Studies. Prof. Mohammad Fahim Akhtar Nadwi, head of the department of Islamic Studies, presented the welcome address in which he thanked the IOS chairman, Dr. M. Manzoor Alam for extending cooperation in the organisation of the webinar. The topic was introduced by the assistant professor of Islamic Studies, Dr. Zeeshan Sarah. Before delivering his presidential speech, Prof. Rahmatullah released the book Hindustani Musalman Aur Islami Tasakkhush: Masa’ail Aur Hal written by Prof. Mohammad Fahim Akhtar Nadwi and published by the IOS. He welcomed the guests and congratulated the department of Islamic Studies of the University for organising the webinar.

In his key-note address, former vice-chancellor of Osmania University, Hyderabad, Prof. Mohammad Suleman Siddiqui, said that the history of Deccan Muslim was 600 years old. The six-century old history had in its wake a rich legacy of art and culture. But unfortunately, this area was left untouched by the researchers. He observed that during the rule of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq in Delhi, the Muslim urban centre came into being in Deogir (Daulatabad) in the Deccan. During the same period, Alauddin Hasan Gango Bahmani established the Bahmani kingdom. This period was marked by the visit of a number of ulema, sufis, etc., to the Deccan. Majority of these ulema were Shiite with the result that shi’ism flourished in the region. During the two phases of the Bahmani Kingdom, Gulbarga became the hub of the Sunni ulema who patronised scholarship and Bidar attracted Shiite ulema. Their influence continued to dominate during the entire period. He made special reference to Sheikh Ainuddin, Sheikh Rukunuddin, Sheikh Burhanuddin Gharib and Khwaja Gesudaraz, and threw ‘light on their writings and their contribution to scholarship. He referred to Ainuddin Ganjul Ilm’s book Atwarul Abrar that spoke of 132 sufis belonging to Junaidiya Sufi Order who made Deccan as their abode and enriched it with knowledge. He dilated on the nobles of Bahmani Kingdom, like Mir Fazalullah Anju, Mahmud Gawan and others.

As a guest of honour, dean, faculty of theology, Aligarh Muslim University, Prof. Saud Alam Qasmi, spoke on the contribution of sufis in the Deccan. He said that Khwaja Gesudaraz had already initiated inter-religious studies in the fourteenth century. The Khwaja learnt Sanskrit to study Buddhist and Hindu religious books in detail and tried to understand these religions for the purpose of Dawah. The director of Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof. Iqtedar Mohammad Khan, focused on the contribution of Asifjahis to Islamic learning. He made special mention of Maulana Maududi whose thoughts were influenced from the intellectual mileu of Asifjahi rule. The Asifjahi system of governance had a bearing on the ideas of Maulana Maududi. Former head of the department of Islamic Studies, JMI, Prof. Mohammad Ishaq, highlighted the love of the Bahmani rulers for knowledge and their contribution to its promotion. Head of the department of Arabic, MANNU, Prof. Syed Aleem Ashraf Jaisi mentioned the important books on Sufism, particularly the books written by Maulana Abdul Jabbar Malkapuri. He said that while only few places in the South were known for the spread of Sufism, the entire Deccan region was humming with sufis. They left their imprint everywhere in the region. He described Dairatul Maarif Osmania as one of the important centres of learning. Dean faculty of social sciences and former head of the department of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir, Prof. Naseem Ahmad Shah threw light on the contribution of Muslims to the art of translation and other sciences. He said that Muslim rulers of Deccan patronised literature, science, Islamic Studies and other branches of knowledge. In this respect, the Deccan assumed the same place in India as did Spain in the Arab world. Director of Haroon Khan Shervani Centre for Deccan Studies, MANUU, Prof. Mohammad Naseemuddin Farees commented that Muslim rulers of Arcot in Madras and Tipu Sultan in Mysore took interest in the promotion of knowledge, art and literature. Among those who spoke on the occasion included Vice-president, All India Majlis Tameer-e-Millat, Prof. Ziauddin Nayyar, Sheikh al-Fiqh, Jamia Nizamia, Hyderabad and the director, historical research projects, IOS, Prof. Syed Jamaluddin. Prof. Jamaluddin in his presentation said that the Muslim rulers accomplished the first task of attaining power in the region followed by reinforcing their political and economic power. Later on, they turned their attention to art, culture and literature. Referring to the spread of sufism in the Deccan, he noted that the sufis also contributed to the development of Tibbi system of medicine. They used to give written prescriptions for treatment of diseases. In this connection, he specially mentioned the name of the sufi saint, Syed Shah Aale-Rasool (Marehwi). One of the notable features of the period was that from Bahmani to Asifjahi rulers patronised different branches of knowledge, he concluded.

Technical Session-I

The first technical session of the webinar was chaired by Prof. Syed Aleem Ashraf Jaisi, head, department of Arabic, MANUU. Assistant professor of Islamic Studies, MANUU, Dr. Atif Imran conducted the proceedings. In this session a total number of 8 papers were presented. The first paper was read by the head of the department of history, MANUU, Dr. Danish Moin who spoke on ‘Influence of Shi’ism in the light of numismatic evidences’. It was followed by the presentation by Prof. Saud Alam Qasmi, who focused on Role of Khwaja Gesudaraz in the promotion of comparative study of religions. The third paper was presented by Aejaz Malik, research scholar in the department of Persian, University of Kashmir. His paper centered on ‘Promotion of the study of Hadith during Asifia rule. While the fourth speaker was the head of the department of Islamic Studies, Aliah University, Kolkata, Dr. Sumaiya Ahmad, who dwelt on Study of Qur’anic knowledge in the Deccan, the fifth speaker was the assistant professor of Islamic Studies, MANUU, Dr. Mohammad Irfan Ahmad who spoke on ‘Few scholars of the Deccan and their historical works’. The sixth paper presenter was assistant professor at Indian and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, Dr. Anzar Nadwi. He based his discussion on the Deccan Ghazals and Mathnavis in praise of the Prophet (PBUH). The seventh speaker was Dr. Ghatrif Shahbaz Nadwi from AMU who presented his paper on the review of the popularisation of Islam in the study of English orientalists. The session concluded with the presentation of the paper on initial imprints in the study of Hadith in the Deccan by the in-charge, Urdu section, IOS, Shah Ajmal Farooq Nadwi.

Technical Session-II

The second technical session was chaired by Prof. Naseem Ahmad Shah. Dr. Atif Imran conducted the proceedings. In all, 9 papers were presented in the session. Assistant professor, department of Islamic Studies, JMI, Dr. Umar Farooq was the first speaker who touched upon ‘Promotion of Islamic Studies under Bahmani Kingdom as told by Mahmud Gawan. It was followed by Maulana Faisal Ahmad Bhatkali Nadwi who teaches Hadith at Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema, Lucknow. He focused on ‘Kutubkhana Saeediya, Hyderabad: An Introduction’. The third speaker was Maulana Ilyas Hashmi Nadwi from Dairatul Maarif Osmania, Hyderabad, who presented his paper on ‘Libraries during and after Bahmani Kingdom’. He was followed by the assistant professor, department of Arabic, MANUU, Dr. Sameena Tabish who spoke on ‘Sufism: Study of the growth of Chishti order from fourteenth to seventeenth centuries’. Assistant professor at Central University of Karnataka, Dr. Majid Manyar was the fifth paper presenter who spoke on the ‘Writers of the Deccan: Contribution of Haroon Khan Sherwani and Ghulam Yazdani: An introduction’. The sixth paper was presented by Dr. Fazal Ullah Sharif who discussed the ‘Intellectual contribution of Ahyaul Ma’arif al-Noamania’. The seventh paper presented by Maulana Jamil Akhtar Jalili (Jharkhand) was devoted to the contribution of Islamic Studies during Adil Shahi rule. Research scholar in the department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, Maulana Saqib Raz, spoke on ‘the writings of Khwaja Gesudaraz with reference to Islamic Studies’. The ninth and the last paper was presented by Prof. Naseem Ahmad Shah who spoke on ‘The role of the Deccan institutions in the translation of scientific text into Urdu’.

Technical Session-III

The third session was chaired by the head of the department of Arabic, English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, Prof. Syed Rasheed Naseem Nadwi. Dr. Zishan Sarah, assistant professor of Islamic Studies, MANUU, conducted the proceedings. A total number of eight papers were presented in the session. While the professor of Arabic at English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, Dr. Muzaffar Alam spoke on ‘Tarikh-i-Farishta: A brief review’, Dr. Waris Matin Mazhari, assistant professor of Islamic Studies, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, dwelt on the ‘Poetry of Anwar-Ullah Farooqi: A study’. The third paper was presented by the Professor of Islamic Studies, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Prof. Aisha Mahmood Faruqi, who spoke on the establishment of Osmania University and its syllabi on Islamic Studies. She was followed by the assistant professor of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Dr. Mohd. Usama, who focused on ‘The role of Adil Shahi Kingdom in the promotion of Islamic Studies’. The fifth paper was presented by Dr. Najmus Sahar, assistant professor of Islamic Studies, Jamia Hamdard, who discussed upon ‘Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi’s contribution to Islamic Studies’. The sixth paper, read by the research scholar in Islamic Studies, MANUU, Mohammad Aziz Alam, centered his discussion on ‘The popularisation of Islamic Studies during Firoz Shah Bahmani’s rule’. The last paper of the session was presented by the head of the department of Arabic, EFLU, Prof. Syed Rasheed Naseem Nadwi, who based his discussion on ‘Syed Mohammad al-Husaini’s commentary ‘Al-Manaqat’: A Study’.

Technical Session-IV

Chaired by the assistant professor of Islamic Studies, Jamia Hamdard, Dr. Waris Mazhari, the proceedings of the fourth session were conducted by Dr. Zeeshan Sarah. The total number of papers that were presented in the session stood at eight. The session began with the presentation of the paper on ‘The intellectual contribution on Jamia Nizamia’ by Sheikh al-Fiqh, Jamia Nizamia, Hyderabad, Mufti Ziauddin. He was followed by the former head of the department of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, Prof. Mohammad Ishaq, who focused on services of Allama Shibli Nomani in the Deccan state. The third paper was presented by the assistant professor, Henry Martyn Institute, Hyderabad, Dr. Syed Wahidullah Multani on ‘The growth and development of Islamic learning during the reign of Mir Usman Ali Khan’ while Dr. Haziq Nadwi (Bengaluru) read his paper on the ‘Promotion of knowledge during the rule of Tipu Sultan’ as the fourth speaker, Dr. Atif Imran from the department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, focused on ‘Islamic Studies during the rule of Imad Shahi: A review’ as the fifth paper presenter. The sixth paper was presented by the research scholar in Sunni theology at AMU, Mohammad Ismail Islahi who spoke on the ‘Intellectual victories of Allama Falahi in Hyderabad’. The seventh speaker was Mujtaba Farooq, research scholar, department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, who touched upon the topic ‘Dairatul Maarif Al-Osmania: An Introduction’. The eighth and the last paper was read by Abdur Raqeeb, research scholar in Islamic Studies, MANUU, on the ‘Contribution of Maulana Abdul Qadeer Siddiqui to the study of Islamic literature.’

Technical Session-V

The fifth session was chaired by the former head of the department of Islamic Studies, JMI, Prof. Mohammad Ishaque. The proceedings of the session were conducted by the coordinator of the distance education, MANUU, Prof. Saleh Amin. The session had a total number of 11 papers.

The first paper of the session was presented by the ex-research scholar, department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, Syed Minhaj, who presented his paper on the ‘Writing of Islamic books and their publicisation during Asifjahi rule’. He was followed by the director, Abul Hasanat Islamic Research Centre, Hyderabad, Mufti Syed Misbahuddin, who centered his talk on the work on Hadith by the Mohaddis of the Deccan, Hazrat Abdullah Shah. The third paper was presented by the assistant professor, EFLU, Dr. Shahabuddin Sabili, who focused on ‘An introduction of kutubkhana Asifiya’. Dr. Abrarul Haq, assistant professor, department of Islamic Studies of MANUU at Lucknow, was the fourth paper presenter who spoke on the ‘Promotion of Islamic learning during the Bahmani rule’. Dr. Mufti Mushtaq Tajawari, assistant professor of Islamic Studies, JMI was the fifth speaker who dwelt on the ‘Sufis of the Deccan and their contribution to Islamic learning’. The sixth paper was read by the research scholar at department of Persian, MANUU, Syed Aijaz Husain which discussed the ‘History writing and its tradition during Asifjahi reign’. Dr. Mohammad Khalid Khan, assistant professor of Islamic Studies, JMI, presented the seventh paper which was devoted to the ‘Role of Jamia Darussalam, Umrabad in the promotion of Islamic Studies in south India’. While the eighth paper was read by Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, assistant professor, department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, dealt with the ‘Role of Darul Tarjuma in the promotion of Islamic Studies’, the ninth paper focusing on ‘Growth of Islamic learning during the Bahmani rule’, was presented by Prof. Saleh Amin, assistant professor of Islamic Studies and co-ordinator, distance education, MANUU. Mufti Amanat Ali Qasmi, research scholar at department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, presented the tenth paper which concentrated on ‘Mahmud Gawan and Madarsa Mahmudiya’. Dr. Zeeshan Sarah, assistant professor at department of Islamic Studies, MANUU was the eleventh and the last speaker who presented her paper on the ‘Islamic Studies during Qutubshahi era’.

Valedictory Session

The valedictory session was chaired by the registrar of MANUU, Prof. Siddiqui Mohd Mahmood. The secretary general IOS, Prof. Z.M. Khan and the professor of history, AMU, Prof. S. Chandni Bi were the guests of honour. In his address, Prof. Khan said that it was not only the high classes who had their history, but others too had their own history.  Keeping this in view, the IOS from the very outset paid attention to the study of the history of lower strata of people as well. It focused on the life of common people, especially on the regional history. He said that compared to north India, the Deccan was generally peaceful as a result of which knowledge received a big boost and facilities for its pursuit grew at a fast pace. He stressed the need for widening the scope of research by including geographical sciences into it as geography played a decisive role in economic, social, political, intellectual and cultural development of the area. He thanked Prof. Mohd. Fahim Akhtar Nadwi for hosting the webinar on an important topic.

Prof. S. Chandni Bi briefly discussed the scientific development during the Muslim period. She specially referred to the study of science and other disciplines during the Abbasid caliphate. In his presidential remarks, Prof. Siddiqui Mohd. Mahmood threw light on the state of study of science, intellectual pursuits and religious reciprocity. Referring to Daulatabad, he said that before the conquests of Alauddin Khalji, the region was ruled by the non-Muslim Yadava family. This family built several buildings, which included temples. Alauddin spared the temples built within buildings and constructed a structure known as Chand Minar. A masjid was later added to it. Successive Muslim rulers gave due respect to these religious structures. Continuing his speech, Prof. Mahmood noted that the father of Khwaja Gesudaraz wrote two books. These were Tohfat Unnaseh and Suhagin Nama. The latter was written in Hindi and professor of history at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Prof. Tailang worked on it. He termed the book as fine example of cementing the bonds of unity between Hindus and Muslims.

In his concluding remarks, Professor and head, department of Islamic Studies, MANUU, Prof. Mohd. Fahim Akhtar Nadwi, expressed happiness over the successful conduct of the webinar. He thanked Dr. M. Manzoor Alam and the entire IOS team for extending all possible cooperation to make the webinar a success. He said that all the papers presented at the webinar would be published in book form soon.

The webinar ended with a vote of thanks by Dr. Zeeshan Sarah.