The two-day international gathering sought to reassess the intellectual legacy of the ‘Imam al-Asr’ and reaffirm Darul Uloom Deoband’s scholarly vitality
Prof Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi
My visit to Deoband in December 2025 revolved entirely around participation in the International Conference on Imam al-Asr Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri (RA), held from 13 to 14 December 2025 under the auspices of Hujjatul Islam Academy, Darul Uloom Deoband Waqf. This academic gathering represented an event of exceptional intellectual depth and historical significance, reaffirming Deoband’s enduring position as a living centre of Islamic scholarship in the Indian subcontinent. I arrived in Deoband on the night of 12 December 2025, and at the railway station, I was warmly received by students and young scholars of Deoband. Their discipline, humility, and sense of responsibility immediately reflected the ethos of the institution. From the station, they escorted me to Darul Qur’an, where I stayed during the conference. From the very beginning, it was evident that this residence was not merely a lodging arrangement but an extension of Deoband’s scholarly and spiritual environment, where simplicity, devotion, learning, and discipline are seamlessly integrated into daily life.
The conference itself had been conceptualised before the COVID-19 pandemic and was realised after a prolonged delay. It was designed not as a ceremonial commemoration but as a serious academic effort aimed at reviving, reassessing, and transmitting the intellectual legacy of Imam al-Asr Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri, whose mastery of Hadith, jurisprudence, theology, and engagement with modern intellectual challenges remains unparalleled in recent Islamic history. The inaugural session commenced on the morning of 13 December 2025 at Darul Uloom Deoband Waqf with the recitation of the Qur’an, setting an atmosphere of reverence and scholarly sobriety. Maulana Dr Shakaib Ahmad Qasmi, Deputy Muhtamim of Darul Uloom Deoband Waqf, conducted the proceedings and presented a comprehensive introduction to Allama Kashmiri’s scholarly personality, highlighting his encyclopaedic knowledge and particularly his towering stature in Hadith studies. His introduction aptly captured the uniqueness of Allama Kashmiri through the poetic observation that it is not beyond divine wisdom to gather immense knowledge in a single individual.
The inaugural session was further enriched by the presence of eminent scholars such as Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, Maulana Sufyan Qasmi, Maulana Ahmad Khazar Shah Kashmiri, Maulana Rahmatullah Kashmiri, Maulana Faisal Rahmani, and others, whose participation underscored the national and international scholarly importance of the conference and reaffirmed the continued relevance of Allama Kashmiri’s legacy. Over the course of two days, the conference addressed multiple dimensions of his intellectual contributions, including his unrivalled command over Hadith literature, extraordinary memory, analytical precision, and ability to synthesise vast bodies of knowledge. Many speakers described him as one of the last truly encyclopaedic scholars of the Muslim world.
Special attention was paid to his juristic insight and ijtihadic capacity. Speakers repeatedly emphasised that while Allama Kashmiri remained firmly grounded in the Hanafi school, his adherence was rooted in intellectual conviction rather than blind imitation. This approach enabled him to engage respectfully and critically with other juristic traditions without undermining their legitimacy. A recurring theme was his broad-mindedness and intellectual magnanimity, especially his refusal to denigrate other schools of Islamic jurisprudence or their founding imams, reflecting scholarly maturity, ethical balance, and a powerful corrective to sectarian narrowness in contemporary religious discourse.
During the academic sessions, I presented my paper on Allama Kashmiri’s scholarly stature and the endorsement of his intellectual greatness by his contemporaries and later generations of scholars. In my presentation, I highlighted several interrelated dimensions of his legacy. I argued that, despite the substantial body of literature on Allama Kashmiri, the Muslim scholarly world still awaits a comprehensive and versatile study capable of encompassing the full breadth of his erudition, intellectual versatility, and methodological depth. No single work has yet captured the totality of his contributions across Hadith, fiqh, theology, philosophy, and engagement with modern thought.
I further emphasised Allama Kashmiri’s broad-minded approach, noting that although he was a deeply committed Hanafi scholar, he never sought to diminish the status of other schools of thought or their founding authorities. Instead, he treated them with respect and intellectual fairness, recognising the diversity of juristic reasoning within the unity of the Islamic tradition. An exceptional aspect of his scholarship was his engagement with leading intellectuals and philosophers of his time, who frequently sought his guidance on religious and metaphysical matters—a testament to his depth of learning and the confidence even non-traditional intellectual circles placed in him. Figures such as Rashid Rida openly acknowledged his intellectual authority, situating him not merely as a regional scholar but as a figure of international intellectual stature.
The final emphasis of my presentation concerned the contemporary relevance of Allama Kashmiri’s life, message, and intellectual approach, particularly in a world increasingly torn by materialism, secularism, and anti-God philosophies. I argued that the most authentic tribute to Allama Kashmiri lies not in conferences or academic praise, but in drawing inspiration from his intellectual courage, depth of faith, critical engagement with modern challenges, and unwavering commitment to truth. Applying these qualities to confront present-day ideological, moral, and spiritual crises is essential for preserving the integrity of Islamic scholarship.
These themes resonated strongly throughout the conference, which consistently stressed that Allama Kashmiri’s legacy offers a model of scholarship both rooted in tradition and responsive to contemporary realities. The conference benefited from the participation of distinguished scholars such as Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani, Maulana Saadatullah Husaini, Maulana Asghar Imam, and Maulana Bilal Abdul Hai Hasani Nadwi, whose contributions added depth and diversity, highlighting the wide-ranging influence of Allama Kashmiri across intellectual and institutional contexts. More than one hundred and fifty scholarly papers were presented over the two days, making the conference a major academic undertaking. Though time constraints required presenters to summarise their research, the sheer scale and thematic richness testified to the enduring relevance of Allama Kashmiri’s thought.
The organisational excellence of the conference was evident throughout, from the clarity of academic objectives to the disciplined management of sessions, thoughtful hospitality, and sustained coordination with participants, reflecting the seriousness and vision of Hujjatul Islam Academy and the administrators of Darul Uloom Deoband Waqf. Beyond the formal sessions, the conference created an atmosphere of vibrant intellectual exchange. I benefited greatly from personal interactions with scholars such as Maulana Sajjad Nomani, Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, Maulana Ahmad Khazar Shah Kashmiri, Maulana Atiq Ahmad Bastavi, Maulana Ayub Sahib, and Maulana Izharul Haq Qasmi, conversations marked by intellectual openness, scholarly humility, and mutual respect.
Throughout my stay, the broader environment of Deoband reinforced the impression that it remains a living centre of Islamic learning, where scholarship is integrated with discipline, spirituality, and ethical responsibility. This was evident in the dedication of students to Qur’anic memorisation, the accessibility of senior scholars, and the sobriety of academic discourse. As the conference concluded on 14 December 2025, it became clear that this gathering had succeeded not only in honouring the memory of Imam al-ʿAsr Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri but also in reaffirming the vitality of the scholarly tradition he embodied. The reception at the railway station, the stay at Darul Qur’an, the disciplined academic environment, the depth of scholarly exchange, and the substantive engagement together formed a coherent experience that reaffirmed a fundamental truth: authentic Islamic scholarship endures where knowledge, sincerity, intellectual breadth, and responsibility toward the Ummah converge.
In this sense, the International Conference organised by Hujjatul Islam Academy, Darul Uloom Deoband Waqf, from 13 to 14 December 2025, stood as a powerful reminder that Deoband is not merely a memory of the past but a living, breathing reality of Islamic intellectual life, capable of guiding the present and illuminating the future. It demonstrated once again that the intellectual soil which produced towering figures like Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri remains fertile, nurturing scholars who combine devotion, learning, and critical engagement to serve both tradition and contemporary society.
—Dr Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi (also known as Dr Hamidullah Marazi) is a distinguished contemporary Islamic scholar whose work significantly contributes to the dialogue between Islamic philosophy and modern Western thought. He is the author of several books. Through a rigorous comparative methodology and an emphasis on epistemological integrity grounded in Tawhid (the oneness of God), Marazi critiques secular paradigms and advocates for an integrative intellectual tradition. His scholarship not only critiques Western thought but also calls for mutual enrichment between traditions, emphasising Islamic metaphysics, ethics, and educational reform as central to contemporary challenges.
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