Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi

Yaqub Nanautawi (1833–1884) was an Indian Islamic scholar, and one of the earliest teachers of Islamic Madrassa in Deoband, famously called Darul Uloom Deoband in India. He was the first principal of Darul Uloom Deoband.

Early life and education Yaqub Nanautawi was born on either July 1, 1833, or July 2, 1883, in the Siddiqi family of Nanauta and was the son of Islamic scholar, Mamluk Ali Nanautawi. coinciding 13 Safar 1249 AH in British India, in the town of Nanauta, part of the Saharanpur District of the modern province of Uttar Pradesh, India. His father was one of the senior Muslim scholars of India at the time, and the head-teacher of Delhi Colleges.

Nanautawi studied most of the Islamic sciences under his father and Shah Abd al-Ghani Mujaddidi. He was trained in tasawwuf under Haji Imdadullah and received khilafah (authorization) from him in the Chishti, Naqshbandi, Qadiri, and Suhrawardi orders.

Career In 1852, Muhammad Yaqub was appointed as a teacher in Government College Ajmer. At the recommendation of the College principal, he was offered the post of Deputy collector, which he rejected. He was transferred to Banaras, and later promoted to the post of Deputy Inspector, Saharanpur.

Students of Muhammad Yaqub include most of the second-generation Islamic scholars Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad, Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri and Ashraf Ali Thanwi. which was translated into Arabic by Arif Jameel Mubarakpuri as Al-Imām Muhammad Qasim An-Nanawtawi Kama Ra’aituhu.

Death and legacy Muhammad Yaqub Nanautavi died of cholera at age 51 in 1884 and was buried in his hometown, Nanauta.

Family life Muhammad Yaqub was maternal uncle of the Hadith scholar Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri.