Deoband–Aligarh relations

The Deoband–Aligarh relations refers to the historical and ideological tensions that existed between the Deobandi and Aligarh movements in British India during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Darul Uloom Deoband and Aligarh Muslim University are two influential Islamic educational institutions in India that have played significant roles in the country's history. Darul Uloom Deoband is a conservative Sunni Islamic seminary that was founded in 1866 and has focused on traditional Islamic learning and the promotion of Islamic values and practices. Aligarh Muslim University, primarily Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, on the other hand, is a modernist Islamic institution that was founded in 1875 and has focused on modern education and the promotion of rationalism, science, and social reform. The relationship between Deoband and Aligarh has been complex and has often been marked by tensions and disagreements.

The Deobandi movement was a traditionalist Islamic movement that sought to preserve and promote Islamic knowledge and practices, while the Aligarh movement was a more liberal and modernist movement that sought to promote Western-style education and social reform. The tensions between the two movements arose from their differing visions of the role of Islam in Indian society. The Deobandis were opposed to Western-style education and sought to preserve traditional Islamic knowledge and practices, while the Aligarh movement embraced Western education and sought to modernise and reform Indian society. Deoband has been critical of Aligarh's emphasis on modern education and has accused it of promoting Western values and undermining traditional Islamic values. Aligarh, in turn, has criticised Deoband's conservatism and resistance to change, seeing it as an obstacle to progress and modernisation.