Shaykh Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi

(d. 1904)

»  Life and Education

»  Literary Work

»  Shaykh Zulfiqar Ali in the Views of French Author

»  His Death and Burial

Life and Education
Maulana Zulfiqar Ali was Shaykhul Hind Mahmud Hasan's father. He had studies in Delhi College under Maulana Mamlook Ali Nanautawi (d. 1267/1851). After graduation, he was appointed as a professor in Bareilly College and a few years later he was appointed as Deputy Inspector in the Education Department. After receiving pension (on retirement) he served as an Honorary Magistrate in Deoband. He was amongst the earliest founders of Darul Uloom Deoband and a close friend of al-Imam Mohammad Qasim Nanawtawi.

Literary Work
He had great mastery over the Arabic language and literature. He wrote Tashilud Darasa as com­mentary of Divan-e-Himasa, Tashilul-Bayan as the commentary of Diwan-e-Mutanabbi, AI-Ta'liqat ala assab'a al-Muallaqat as the com­mentary of the Sab'a Mu'allaqa, Irshad as the commentary of Qasida Bint Su'ad, and 'Itrul-Wardah as the commentary of the Qasida-e-Burda, in Urdu. He has translated the unfamiliar and difficult words and idioms of Arabic in such lucid and idiomatic language and the explana­tion is so agreeable that these tough books of Arabic literature have become very easy and intelligible for the Indian students. In Rhetoric’s he left behind Tazkiratul-Balaghat, and in mathematics, Tashilul-Hisab.

In A. H. 1307 he wrote a brief treatise in Arabic, entitled AI-Hadyatus-Sinya fi Zikril-Madrasatil-Islamiya al-Deobandiya, in which he has reviewed in a very subtle and literary style the attributes and accom­plishments of the elders of Darul Uloom and the peculiarities of Deoband.

Shaykh Zulfiqar Ali in the Views of French Author
Regarding Maulana Zulfiqar Ali, the famous author of France, Garcin de Tassy writes:

"He was an alumnus of Delhi College. After some years, he becomes a professor in Bareilly College. In 1857, he was a deputy inspector of schools in Meerut. Mr. Taylor who was acquainted with him says about him that Zulfiqar Ali, besides being intelligent and quick-wilted, was conversant with Persian and western sciences also. He has written a book. Tashilul Hisab (Arithmetic Made Easy) in Urdu, which has been published in Bareilly in 1852"

His Death and Burial
He died at the age of 85 years, in 1322/1904. His grave is situated to the east, near Hazrat Nanautawi’s. On his left lies buried Maulana Muhammad Ahsan Nanautawi, of which an interest­ing indication is given by the following Urdu verse composed by Maulana Fazalur-Rahman Usmani:­
   
"Yes, sleep more comfortably between your own two friends: Qasim of the banquet of affection and the suave Ahsan”.