RAS question
The Deoband Movement (Darul Uloom) was founded in:
Correct answer: (A) 1866.
Darul Uloom Deoband, associated with the Deoband Movement, was founded at Deoband in 1866.
Explanation
Darul Uloom Deoband belongs to the post-1857 phase of modern Indian history, when religious and educational reform movements responded to colonial conditions in different ways. The official Darul Uloom Deoband site dates its foundation to Thursday, 15 Muharram 1283 AH, corresponding to May 31, 1866, at Deoband. Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi were central to its founding. The institution promoted Islamic education, opposed British rule, and rejected Western education. Thus, 1866 is the precise answer. Deoband is often contrasted with Aligarh because, although both were Muslim educational currents, their attitudes toward British rule and Western education differed sharply.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 1885 points to the founding of the Indian National Congress, not to the establishment of Darul Uloom Deoband.
- (C) 1857 marks the revolt after which Deoband emerged, but it is not the founding year of Darul Uloom Deoband.
- (D) 1875 belongs to the Arya Samaj and Aligarh-related context, whereas Darul Uloom Deoband was founded in 1866.
Concept
This tests socio-religious reform movements in modern India, especially the chronology and ideological contrast between Deoband and Aligarh. RAS repeats such dates because they anchor broader questions on colonial-era education, Muslim reform, and anti-British currents.