Maulana Waheed-uz-Zaman Kiranawi (1930 - 1995)

(Faiyaz Nadwi, s)

By: Faiyaz Ahmad Nadwi, Ex Prof in Arabic-Al Ameen Institute of Management Studies Bangalore.

He was one of the intellectual and genius personalities of twenty century of Indian subcontinent, prominent product of Darul Uloom Deoband India and its ex professor of Arabic Language& Literature , Tafseer& Hadis, head of education department and acting vice chancellor, compiler of modern Arabic dictionary in India ,well known writer& orator of Urdu and Arabic ,successful teacher of Arabic language& literature, Hadees and Tafser and as well as vary good administrator and having a extensive knowledge and information of Madrasa education System but he has famed as Arabic linguistic scholar and teacher because he introduced the modern techniques, tools and skills of Arabic teachings in non Arabic spoken students and he was a symbol of earliest Muslims in life style, god fearing, knowledge and practice in his daily life .

He was born in his hometown town"Kiranah" and received primary education in Deoband Madrasa then traveled to «Hyderabad» in 1946 and learnt the Arabic language from Sheikh Mamun Damascus, and again enrolled in Darul Uloom in1948 and completed his graduation course in Islamic shariah and Arabic literature in 1952.

After the graduation he first worked as secretary to Maulana Habib Rahman Ludyanvi founder of Majlis Ahrar in 1956 and he visited to Saudi Arabia along with Haj delegation as a member speaker of deligation under the chairmanship of Maulana Ludhyanvi what was contained on nine prominent Islamic scholars of India and performed the Haj and Umra and visited the holy places and represented a delegation while staying in Makkah and Medina and also directly interacted with Arab scholars and shared the bilateral information of Muslim and Arab world .

After performing the Haj and Umra, he left the secretarial job and returned back to his educational land Deoband and adopted the scholarly life and here he founded the cultural form "Darol Fikr " in 1957 and its aims and objectives were to introduce and promote the education of modern Arabic along with English among Madrasas students and to provide them an opportunity for learning an Arabic and English and to create Arabic spoken environment among the students of Deoband.

Hence under the above aims and goals he released the Urdu monthly magazine" Al Qasim" and motivated the graduates of Madrasas for learning a Arabic and English and modern journalism and also introduced the aims and goals of Darul Uloom Deoband and highlighted its teachings and religious services, scholars and theologians, lifestyle, religious, understanding system of Qoran,Hadis and Fiq and during this period he has compiled and published his famous modern Arabic into Urdu and Urdu into Arabic dictionary in 1958 what has played vital role in understanding a new terms and term logy of Arabic journalism and scientific words and it boomed among the Arabic learners of Indian subcontinent and first time his personality emerged as a linguistic scholar among the circle of Arabic teachers and students and this dictionary became need of Arabic teachers and students while studying and understanding the word meanings of Arabic journalism and scientific words and rapidly famed in Indian subcontinent .

Advisory committee of Darul Uloom Deoband offered him for teaching and appointed as a professor of Arabic language& literature and Qoran&Hadis in 1963 and after joining the teaching services, he felt the need to release Arabic magazine and lunched Arabic quarterly magazine "Dauatul Haque" in 1965 by DarulUloom then he established the "Arabic Literary Club for students "in 1964 so that students exercise and express their habitual actions in Arabic interacted each other while speaking and he compiled and published his famous Arabic reader " Al Qiratul Waziha" during this period and it famed among the Arabic learners and students.

In 1977 he has visited to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE and observed closely system of education and interacted the prominent personalities, educationists, thinkers and social activists and also propagated the message of Darul Uloom Deoband and put upon them the current religious, educational and economic condition and status of Indian Muslim and launched an Arabic monthly magazine "Al Kifah " from Darul Uloom Deoband and it continued to publish till 15 yrs and .


After visiting to gulf states, he put his education formula and system upon the advisory committee and requested it to adopt and introduce in curriculum and syllabus and he tried to combine the syllabus of India and gulf in Deoband so he is only one man who combined modern and traditional system of Madrasa education through his motivated the mind of extensive experience and knowledge what he was gained while visiting, meeting and interacting.

He played goden role on occasion of century convocation of Darul in 1980 and he was the chief this committee what formed by Darul Uloom / Deoband and in 1981 stroked by the students and he provided them a temporary shelter and food and arranged the classes in terrible and horrible situation till that condition became the normal and in 1983 appointed head of education department and this year visited many countries of the world including Europe and Africa and popularized the message of Darul Uloom and in 1985 he became acting VC and this year he released the Urdu monthly magazine " Aena Darul Uloom " and this is publishing still now and all contents and articles of magazine are informative and comprehensive and it also presents the ideology, outlook and view of Darul Ullom Deoban and interprets.

in 1987 he resigned from the post of Acting V.C Darul Uloom due to some personal reasons and conditions and in 1988 established a cultural institution "Darulmoallafin and in 1988 he chosen the present of Jamiat Ulema Milli of India and in 1990 Shura Council of Darul Uloom conveyed him to the pension.
Same year, he visited on the invitation of the Ministry of Hajj and Endowment to Saudi Arabia and performed Haj and Umra and in 1992 he attended the World Conference of Islamic for the release of Kuwaiti prisoners of war. In the period of between 1993 and 1994 he involved and spent major time to compile his huge Arabic dictionary" Alqamos Alwahid" what published after his death.

After short illness he died in Delhi on 15 April 1995 and buried in Deoband Graveyard and survived behind him family members and large number of his pupils what reached to thousands and Darul Uloom Deoband is his performing place for what he spent his gold age of his life and left dept effect on the students of DaruUloom and put it up line of development and improvement and Al Qamosul Zadeed is a property of his entire life and Darul Uloom is the performing place of his educational activities and services and his life story is uncoupled without mentioning of Darul Uloom Deoband because he reached it on the pick of development and improvement and famed its name among Arabic people and he proved during the his services that Darul Uloom Deoband is a great movement of Muslim renaissance in world what is playing a key role in spreading the message of Islam and teachings of Islam.

Faiyaz Nadwi
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