A Day in Deoband: From Darul Uloom to Shahi Masjid Qila The oldest mosque of saharanpur.

 Deoband is on the world map thanks to a famous institution that was established here in 1866.

          Deoband is a city in the district of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. It is located at about 150 km North of Delhi.

During a recent trip, I had the chance to visit Deoband, a town rich in history and religious importance. My first stop was the famous Darul Uloom Deoband, a world-renowned Islamic seminary that has been a center for Islamic education for over a century. After exploring the seminary, I decided to take a walk through Bazaar, close market Darullom Deoband, where I browsed through a variety of traditional clothing, books, and other local items.

                  While walking around, I heard about an ancient mosque called Shahi Masjid Qila, also known as Pathano Wali Masjid, which dates back to the time of Sikander Lodi in 919 Hijri. Curious to see it, I decided to walk there from Darul Uloom. Along the way, I passed by Jama Masjid, a mosque built around the same time as Darul Uloom, still standing as an important landmark.

          As I continued, I noticed several shops selling kurtas and pajamas. Not far from there, I came across a row of butcher shops, more than 30 of them, all selling buffalo meat. I asked one shopkeeper about the price, and he told me it was 240 rupees per kilogram.

   

          The road soon began to slope upwards, giving the impression of being in a hill station. As I walked further, I saw people working with old-fashioned typewriters outside an ancient courthouse, or katcheri. Reaching a junction (tiraha), I caught my first glimpse of Shahi Masjid Qila in the distance. The mosque looked stunning, standing tall amid the town's historic buildings. To its right was the Deoband Police Station, which dates back to the British era, and opposite it stood the town's main post office, still functioning today.

       Shahi Masjid Qila or Masjid e Qila has three gates: one leading to the bazaar, another directly across from the police station, and a third near the post office. I entered through the gate facing the police station. The mosque's exterior, with its high walls, resembled an old fortress, and I could see that renovation work was in progress as laborers working on the Gate of the Mosque.

As I went Inside, I felt a deep sense of peace. The mosque was beautiful and well-maintained. I was lucky to meet the caretaker(Mutawalli) Janab Nafasat Ali Khan, who gave me a tour of the mosque. It has three domes and a large veranda. Due to the heat, he told me, the Zuhr prayer is usually held indoors, while the other prayers take place in the courtyard, which has about 25 fans. He also showed me the imam and muezzin’s rooms and the rooftop. I was impressed by how well-maintained everything was, including a fridge in the wudu area, where I drank cold water after performing ablution(wuzu)

I had arrived after the Asr prayer, and while exploring the mosque, it was soon time for Maghrib. The imam led the prayer, and his melodious voice added to the spiritual atmosphere. After the prayer, Nafasat Ali Khan graciously offered tea and snacks, despite my initial polite refusals. We were joined by a few other worshippers, and I got to learn more about the mosque’s rich history.

During the conversation, some elders shared that Nafasat Ali Khan comes from a long line of caretakers. His father, Abdul Wajid Khan, had served as the mosque’s mutawalli (caretaker) for over 50 years, and even before that, their ancestors had taken care of the mosque. It was clear from how well the mosque was maintained that this family was deeply committed to its preservation.

As the evening progressed, I had a train to catch, so I said my goodbyes to the kind people I had met and left, taking with me wonderful memories of this enlightening visit to Deoband.