Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi

| image =

| caption =

| honorific_prefix = Khādim-ul-Quran, Mawlana

| office2 = 12th Vice Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband

| term_start2 = 11 January 2011

| term_end2 = 23 July 2011

| predecessor2 = Marghoobur Rahman

| successor2 = Abul Qasim Nomani

| office = First Rector of Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom

| term_start = 1979

| term_end =

4 May 2025

| predecessor = "office established"

| successor = Huzaifa Vastanvi

| module = {{Infobox religious biography

| embed = yes

| religion = Islam

| denomination = Sunni

| movement = Deobandi

| Madh'hab = Hanafi

| creed = Maturidi

| Sufi_order = Chishti

| disciple_of = {{ubl|Siddique Ahmad Bandwi|Yunus Jaunpuri}}

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1950|06|01}}

| birth_place = Kosadi, Surat district, Bombay State, India

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2025|05|04|1950|06|01}}{{cite web | last=Ayub | first=Md Irshad | title=Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Vastanvi, the renowned Islamic scholar and educationist passes away at 75. | website=Millat Times | date=4 May 2025 | url=https://millattimes.com/maulana-ghulam-muhammad-vastanvi-the-renowned-islamic-scholar-and-educationist-passes-away-at-75/ | access-date=11 May 2025}}

| death_place = Akkalkuwa, Maharashtra, India

| alma_mater = {{ubil|Darul Uloom Falah-e-Darain, Tadkeshwar|Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Islamic scholar|educationist}}

| founder = {{ubil|Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom|Indian Institute of Medical Science and Research}}

| children = {{ubl|Saeed Vastanvi (d. 2019){{Cite web |last=Siddiqui |first=Zafar |date=29 March 2019 |title="Khuda bakhshe, bohot si khoobiyan thein marne wale mein." Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Vastanvi ke sahibzada Maulana Saeed Vastanvi ke sanihah-e-irtihaal par Mufti Mahfuzur Rahman Usmani ka izhar-e-ta'ziyat. |trans-title="May Allah forgive him; the deceased had many virtues." Mufti Mahfuzur Rahman Usmani expressed his condolences on the passing of Maulana Saeed Vastanvi, the son of Maulana Ghulam Muhammad Vastanvi. |url=https://urdu.millattimes.com/archives/39178 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227062155/https://urdu.millattimes.com/archives/39178 |archive-date=27 December 2024 |access-date=27 December 2024 |website=Millat Times |language=ur}}|Huzaifa Vastanvi|Owais Vastanvi{{Sfn|Bastawi|2018|p=16}}}}

}}

Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi (1 June 1950 – 4 May 2025), also written as Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi, was an Indian Islamic scholar and educationist, known for his efforts to incorporate contemporary disciplines into traditional Islamic education. He was the founder and rector of Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom in Akkalkuwa, Maharashtra. This institution hosts India's first minority-owned medical college recognized by the Medical Council of India (MCI). Vastanvi also briefly served as the Vice Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband in 2011.

Early life and education

Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi was born on 1 June 1950 in Kosadi, the Surat district, Gujarat. In 1952 or 1953, his family moved to Vastan, from which his surname is derived. Vastanvi began his early education at Madrasa Quwat-ul-Islam in Kosadi, where he memorized the Quran.{{Sfn|Qasmi|2020|p=661}}{{Sfn|Qasmi|2012|pp=336–337}}

He later studied at Madrasa Shams-ul-Uloom in Baroda and pursued further education at Madrasa Falah-e-Darain in Tadkesar (also spelled Tadkeshwar), Gujarat, beginning in 1964. He studied there for eight years and completed his studies in early 1972 under scholars such as Ahmad Bemat, Abdullah Kapodrawi, Sher Ali Khan Afghani, and Zulfiqar Ali.{{Sfn|Qasmi|2020|p=661}}{{Sfn|Qasmi|2012|p=337}}

In late 1972, Vastanvi enrolled at Mazahir Uloom in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. There, he studied advanced Islamic sciences, including hadith, under scholars such as Muhammad Younus Jaunpuri. He completed his education in 1973.{{Sfn|Qasmi|2020|p=661}}{{Sfn|Qasmi|2012|p=337}} In addition to his Islamic studies, Vastanvi also earned an MBA degree.{{Cite web |date=20 January 2011 |title=Who is Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi? |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/who-is-ghulam-mohammed-vastanvi-126929-2011-01-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241219200250/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/who-is-ghulam-mohammed-vastanvi-126929-2011-01-19 |archive-date=19 December 2024 |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=India Today |language=en}}

In 1970, while studying at Falah-e-Darain, he established a reformative relationship with Zakariyya Kandhlawi. After Kandhlawi's death in 1982, he sought spiritual guidance from Siddique Ahmad Bandwi, who later authorized him in Sufism. He also received authorization in Sufism from Younus Jaunpuri.{{cite book |title=Tadhkira-e-Akābir|url=https://archive.org/details/tazkira-e-akabir/page/338/mode/1up |last=Qasmi|first=Nizamuddin|publisher=Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom, Akal Kawa, Nandobar, Maharashtra |pages=338–339|edition=2nd|date=September 2012|language=ur}}

Career

After completing his studies, Vastanvi began teaching in Bodhan, a village in Surat district, for ten days. Later in 1973, he joined Darul Uloom Kantharia in Bharuch, where he taught Persian and intermediate-level Islamic sciences.{{Sfn|Qasmi|2020|p=661}}{{Sfn|Qasmi|2012|p=337}}

In 1979, he founded Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom in Akkalkuwa, Maharashtra. Initially, the institution operated with limited resources, starting with six students and one teacher in a small location. Over time, it expanded significantly and became a notable institution blending Islamic and contemporary education. Vastanvi moved permanently to Akkalkuwa to manage the institution effectively. He served as the rector of the institution from its inception in 1979{{Cite news |last=Mehta |first=Yagnesh Bharat |date=29 January 2011 |title=Vastanvi a success story in Maharashtra town |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/vastanvi-a-success-story-in-maharashtra-town/articleshow/7383224.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20110203035036/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/vastanvi-a-success-story-in-maharashtra-town/articleshow/7383224.cms |archive-date=3 February 2011 |access-date=20 December 2024 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Mirsab |first=A |date=16 August 2016 |title=15000 students salute national flag during Independence Day celebration at Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom, Akkalkuwa |url=https://twocircles.net/2016aug16/1471330750.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819214632/https://twocircles.net/2016aug16/1471330750.html#.V7d-PXbgpKU |archive-date=19 August 2016 |access-date=19 December 2024 |website=Two Circles |language=en-US}}{{Cite book |last=Bastawi |first=Iftikhar Ahmad Qasmi|url=https://archive.org/details/39-saala-khidmat-e-jamia-akkalkuwa |title=39 Saalah Khidmaat-e-Jamia|trans-title=39 Years of Services to the Jamia|date=March 2018 |publisher=Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom|edition=1st |location=Akkalkuwa, Nandurbar|pages=60, 263|language=ur}}{{Cite news |last=Yardley |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Yardley |date=20 March 2011 |title=Mullah in Debate of Tradition vs. Modern Schooling |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/world/asia/21cleric.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240214052343/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/world/asia/21cleric.html |archive-date=14 February 2024 |access-date=20 December 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}{{Cite journal |editor-last=Nadvi |editor-first=Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi |editor-link=Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi Nadvi |title=زيارة جامعة إشاعة العلوم بـ " أكل كوا " ومدرسة فلاح الدارين ب" تركيسر " |trans-title=A Visit to Jamia Ishaatul Uloom in "Akkalkuwa" and the Madrasa Falah al-Darain in "Tarkeshwar" |url=https://archive.org/details/al-bas-el-islami-feb-march-1994 |journal=Al-Baas El-Islami |date=February 1994 |volume=39 |issue=1 |page=94|language=ar}} until his death on 4 May 2025. Following his passing, his son, Huzaifa Vastanvi was elected as the new rector by the members of the Jamia's council.{{Cite web |last=Qasmi |first=Khurshid Alam Dawood |date=12 May 2025 |title=قوم کے محسن حضرت مولانا وستانویؒ کی قابل قدر خدمات |trans-title=Valuable services of the nation’s benefactor Hazrat Maulana Vastanvi (RA) |url=https://fikrokhabar.com/moulana-ghulam-vastanvi/ |website=FikroKhabar |language=ur |access-date=24 May 2025}}

The institution includes primary and higher secondary schools, Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and Diploma in Education (D.Ed.) colleges, as well as vocational programmes. Professional courses such as engineering, pharmacy, and a medical college recognized by the MCI are also offered. Additionally, the institution provides vocational training in fields such as IT, office management, tailoring, and software development. The aim of this blended education model is to prepare students for both religious and contemporary societal roles.{{Cite web |last=Kazmi |first=SMA |date=31 January 2011 |title=It's all about control of Deoband seminary |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110131/main7.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213132736/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110131/main7.htm |archive-date=13 December 2024 |access-date=19 December 2024 |website=The Tribune (India)}}{{Cite web |last=Alvi |first=Naziya |date=24 July 2011 |title=Darul-Uloom Deoband pressurises Vastanvi to quit over pro-Modi Narendra remarks |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/darul-uloom-deoband-vastanvi-modi-remarks-138152-2011-07-23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214052342/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/darul-uloom-deoband-vastanvi-modi-remarks-138152-2011-07-23 |archive-date=14 February 2024 |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=India Today}}{{cite journal |last=Ansari |first=Shakeel |date=January 2022 |editor1-last=Mukhtar |editor1-first=Asad |editor2-last=Mahtab |editor2-first=Ahsan |title=Bayād Akābir-e-Darul Uloom Deoband (Vol. 2); A Trailblazing Figure of the Modern Era: Hazrat Maulana Ghulam Mohammed Vastanvi |url=https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/fikr-e-inqelab-shumara-number-228-ahsan-mahtab-magazines |journal=Fikr-e-Inqilāb |language=ur |location=Delhi |publisher=All India Tanzeem-e-Ulama-e-Haque |volume=10 |issue=228 |page=885 |via=Rekhta (website)}}

Vastanvi, in addition to founding and managing Jamia Islamia Ishaatul Uloom, also established various educational and welfare institutions across India.{{Cite web |last=Qazi |first=Moin |date=16 March 2017 |title=India's Emerging Modern Madrasas |url=https://thediplomat.com/2017/03/indias-emerging-modern-madrasas/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316011156/https://thediplomat.com/2017/03/indias-emerging-modern-madrasas/ |archive-date=16 March 2017 |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=The Diplomat |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=1 August 2013 |title=Maharashtra's first minority medical college recognised by MCI |url=https://www.milligazette.com/news/1-community-news/8944-maharashtra-first-minority-medical-college-recognised-by-mci/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514140654/https://www.milligazette.com/news/1-community-news/8944-maharashtra-first-minority-medical-college-recognised-by-mci/ |archive-date=14 May 2021 |access-date=20 December 2024 |website=The Milli Gazette}}{{Sfn|Ansari|2022|pp=885–886}} He was actively involved in managing and overseeing these and other institutions throughout the country.{{Sfn|Qasmi|2020|p=661}}

In 1998 (1419 AH), Vastanvi became a member of the governing council (Majlis-e-Shura) of Darul Uloom Deoband and also served as a member in his capacity as Vice-Chancellor during his tenure. He remained a council member until his death.{{Sfn|Qasmi|2020|pp=661, 759}}

= Vice-chancellorship and challenges at Darul Uloom Deoband =

Vastanvi was elected Vice-Chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband on 11 January 2011, a decision regarded as a reformist shift in the institution's leadership.{{cite book |last=Qasmi |first=Muhammadullah Khalili |author-link=Muhammadullah Khalili Qasmi |url=https://archive.org/details/darul-uloom-deob-ki-jamey-wa-mukhtasar-tareekh-edition-2 |title=Darul Uloom Deoband Ki Jame' o Mukhtasar Tareekh |date=October 2020 |publisher=Shaikhul Hind Academy |edition=3rd |location=Deoband |pages=661, 748, 759 |language=ur |trans-title=A comprehensive and brief history of Darul Uloom Deoband |oclc=1345466013}}{{Cite news |last=Khan |first=Atiq |date=4 December 2021 |title=Maulana Vastanvi resigns |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Maulana-Vastanvi-resigns/article15534223.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210211025810/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Maulana-Vastanvi-resigns/article15534223.ece |archive-date=11 February 2021 |access-date=21 December 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}} However, his conciliatory remarks regarding the 2002 Gujarat riots sparked controversy, leading to criticism from various quarters.{{Cite news |date=25 July 2011 |title=India Islamic school in Deoband sacks reformist leader |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-14271672 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241221114115/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-14271672 |archive-date=21 December 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} These statements were perceived as misaligned with the traditional ethos of the seminary, resulting in internal disagreements.{{Cite web |date=14 April 2011 |title=Darul Uloom starts probe against Vastanvi |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/latest-news/darul-uloom-starts-probe-against-vastanvi/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241220204224/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/latest-news/darul-uloom-starts-probe-against-vastanvi/ |archive-date=20 December 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}} On 23 July 2011, Vastanvi was removed from his position amidst mounting pressure and internal differences.{{Cite web |date=24 July 2011 |title=Darul Uloom Deoband ke Mohtamim bartaraf |trans-title=Darul Uloom Deoband VC dismissed |url=https://www.bbc.com/urdu/india/2011/07/110724_darululoom_vc_ka |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230206135908/https://www.bbc.com/urdu/india/2011/07/110724_darululoom_vc_ka |archive-date=6 February 2023 |access-date=21 December 2024 |publisher=BBC Urdu |language=ur}}

Following his removal, Vastanvi stated that he was "punished for no fault" and that his remarks had been taken out of context.{{Cite web |date=9 August 2011 |title="I was punished for no fault of mine" |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20110808-deoband-darul-uloom-ghulam-mohammad-vastanvi-747082-2011-07-30 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241220204538/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/nation/story/20110808-deoband-darul-uloom-ghulam-mohammad-vastanvi-747082-2011-07-30 |archive-date=20 December 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |website=India Today |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=24 July 2011 |title=There was conspiracy against me: Vastanvi |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/there-was-conspiracy-against-me-vastanvi/articleshow/9346870.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241221050101/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/there-was-conspiracy-against-me-vastanvi/articleshow/9346870.cms |archive-date=21 December 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} He emphasized that his intention was solely to focus on the progress of the Muslim community and to bring reforms to strengthen the institution.{{Cite news |last=Subrahmaniam |first=Vidya |author-link=Vidya Subrahmaniam |date=23 February 2011 |title=Vastanvi wins the battle, but with a caveat |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Vastanvi-wins-the-battle-but-with-a-caveat/article15455979.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411044807/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Vastanvi-wins-the-battle-but-with-a-caveat/article15455979.ece |archive-date=11 April 2021 |access-date=21 December 2024 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}} According to him, his dismissal was a result of opposition from anti-reform elements and internal politics.{{Cite news |last=Varma |first=Gyan |date=25 January 2013 |title=Q&A: Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/q-a-maulana-ghulam-mohammad-vastanvi-111021300032_1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210126201818/https://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/q-a-maulana-ghulam-mohammad-vastanvi-111021300032_1.html |archive-date=26 January 2021 |access-date=21 December 2024 |work=Business Standard |language=en}}

Death

Vastanvi died on 4 May 2025 in Akkalkuwa at the age of 74.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=4 May 2025 |title=مولانا غلام محمد وستانوی مالک حقیقی سے جاملے۔ امت مسلمہ کے لئے صدمۂ جانکاہ |url=https://urdu.thehindustangazette.com/maulana-ghulam-muhammad-wastanvi-malik-haqiqis-death-is-a-devastating-shock-for-the-muslim-ummah/ |access-date=4 May 2025 |website=The Hindustan Gazette Urdu |language=ur}}{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Islamic scholar Maulana Ghulam Vastanvi passes away at 75 |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/islamic-scholar-maulana-ghulam-vastanvi-passes-away-at-75-9984574/ |access-date=6 May 2025 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}{{efn|Sources mislabel his age as "75".}}

Ghulam Mohammad Vastanvi

Early life and education

Career

= Vice-chancellorship and challenges at Darul Uloom Deoband =

Death

Notes

References

Further reading