Manzoor Nomani

Muhammad Manzoor Nomani (1323-1417 AH / 1905-1997 CE) was a prominent Indian Islamic scholar associated with the Deoband school. He studied at Darul Uloom Deoband, where he came under the influence of major Deobandi scholars, and also became a close associate and student of Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi. After completing his studies he dedicated his life to Islamic education, writing, and da'wah.

Nomani was a prolific author whose works addressed Islamic theology, Sufi thought, and polemical topics. His most important work is Ma'arif al-Hadith (Knowledge from Hadith), a multi-volume collection of hadiths with explanations aimed at educating ordinary Muslims about the Prophet's ﷺ guidance on various aspects of life. This work became one of the most widely read hadith explanation books in South Asia.

He also authored Maulana Mawdudi ke Sath meri Rafaqat ki Sargurzasht (My Association with Mawlana Mawdudi), a detailed account of his years of association with Abul Ala Mawdudi and his eventual parting of ways, which provides an important insider perspective on the early history of Jamaat-e-Islami. He was a vocal critic of Mawdudi's religious interpretations from the perspective of traditional Deobandi scholarship. He also wrote extensively on Sufi spirituality and the spiritual benefits of dhikr.

Nomani spent his later years in Lucknow, where he wrote and taught until an advanced age. He passed away in 1997, having contributed significantly to both the preservation of Deobandi scholarly tradition and the broad Islamic education of South Asian Muslims.