Jamia Mazharul Uloom, Banaras

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Jamia Mazharul Uloom, Banaras (جامعہ مظہر العلوم، بنارس) is an Islamic seminary in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was founded in 1893 by Hafiz Abdullah. The seminary teaches Islamic sciences, including the Dars-e-Nizami curriculum, Hifz (Qur’an memorization), and studies in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu.

Varanasi has long been a center of Islamic learning, and Jamia Mazharul Uloom was started to provide a permanent institution in the city as private madrasas declined in the early 20th century. Hafiz Abdullah dedicated his earnings and his ₹5,000 inheritance to building a mosque and supporting religious education.

In its early years the seminary offered lodging and meals for poor students and grew to host hundreds. By 1954 thousands of students had graduated, becoming huffaz (Qur’an memorizers), scholars, and imams who taught in mosques and schools across northern India. A notable alumnus is Shah Mun’ami, who later became Bihar’s Minister of Public Works.

The seminary teaches from elementary studies up to Dawrah-e-Hadith (advanced hadith study). Admissions require preliminary written and oral tests, and annual exams cover both religious and general subjects.

In 1941, the institution established an orphanage (yateem khana) to care for orphaned children, and in 1948 a separate facility began construction, with the foundation stone laid by Governor-General C. Rajagopalachari. By 1954 a protective boundary wall had been built with donor support. Twelve orphans were enrolled, and about fifty had graduated from the orphanage over about 13 years.

The seminary’s library held around 2,500 books, and a student group, Anjuman al-Balagh, organized weekly debates and religious events. In the 1950s, local donors mainly supported the seminary, with an annual budget of about ₹16,000.