🌱 Early Life & Education
Born in 1940/1942 in Kaleda village, near Palanpur, Gujarat, India .
Received foundational schooling at home from his father, learning Qur’an and basic Islamic sciences .
Around age six, began studies at Darul Uloom Chhapi to learn Persian under his maternal uncle for six months .
Continued Alim-level studies in Palanpur under local scholars including Mufti Muhammad Akbar Miyā Palanpūrī and Mawlānā Hashim Bukhārī .
📘 Seminal Studies & Scholarship
In 1958/1377 AH, joined Mazahir Uloom Saharanpur, mastering subjects like Nahw, logic, philosophy, and early Hadith .
In 1960/1380 AH, he enrolled at Darul Uloom Deoband, graduating in 1962 in the Dars-e-Nizami and earning distinction .
Studied under prominent scholars of Hadith: Fakhr al-Dīn Murādābādī, Ibrāhīm Balyāwī, Bashīr Aḥmad Khān, Mahdī Hasan, and Qārī Muḥammad Ṭayyib .
🎓 Teaching Career & Positions
Post‑graduation, enrolled in the Iftāʾ programme and by 1963/1382 AH became an assistant mufti—unusual for someone so young .
From 1965 to 1973, taught upper-level classes (Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh) at Darul Uloom Ashrafia, Rander, Gujarat .
In 1973, invited back to Darul Uloom Deoband on recommendation of Maulana Manzoor Ahmad Naumani, where he continued teaching Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi, Imam Tahawi’s works, and later Sahih Bukhari .
🏫 Leadership & Scholarly Influence
Held the positions of Shaykh al-Hadith (Chief Hadith Scholar) and Principal of Deoband from 2008 until his death in 2020 .
Taught for nearly five decades, profoundly shaping the seminary’s curriculum and guiding generations of students .
Notable students include Muhammad Salman Mansoorpuri, Yasir Nadeem al‑Wajidi, and others across India, UK, South Africa .
📚 Literary Works
Prolific author and commentator, with acclaimed works:
Tuhfatul Qari, Tafseer Hidayatul Quran (completed tafsir in 2016)
Mabadiyat-e-Fiqh, Aap Fatwa Kaise Dein?, Hurmat-e-Musahirat
Significant marginalia/commentaries, e.g., on Ashraf Ali Thanwi’s Imdad al-Fatawa, Medina Hasan Deobandi’s Adilla-e-Kamilah, Shah Waliullah Dehlawi’s Hujjatullah al-Balighah .
His Urdu tafsir Hidayatul Quran was published in eight volumes, later translated into Bengali .
🕊 Death & Legacy
Developed diabetes and fell ill; passed away on 19 May 2020 (25 Ramadan 1441 AH) in Mumbai; due to COVID‑19 restrictions, burial was limited .
His death drew profound sorrow across Deoband, India, and the wider Ummah, with scholars like Nomani and Madani acknowledging the loss of a key pillar of hadith and fiqh .
Awarded India’s prestigious Presidential Certificate of Honour in 2010 for his contributions to Arabic and Islamic studies .
🔎 Why He Matters
Regarded as an “ocean of knowledge and a great intellectual,” whose mastery of hadith and jurisprudence was unmatched in his era .
His teaching blended depth with clarity—students treasure his concise yet profound lectures, and he championed clear, thoughtful speech over reliance on technology .
As Shaykh al-Hadith and Principal of Deoband, he shaped not just individual students but entire curricula and intellectual trends in Sunni seminaries worldwide.
✨ Concluding Reflection
Shaykh Saeed Palanpuri embodied the classic Muslim scholar: rooted in tradition, steeped in the sciences, and unwavering in spiritual humility. He didn’t chase innovation for its own sake but elevated timeless knowledge to meet contemporary challenges—with clarity, courage, and grace.
