Darul uloom

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Darul uloom (Arabic: دار العلوم) also transliterated dar al-`ulum, darul ulumetc.) is an Arabic term which literally means "house of knowledge". The term generally means an Islamic seminary or educational institution, similar to or often the same as a madrassa or Islamic school, although a Darul Uloom often indicates a more advanced level of study. In a Darul Uloom, Islamic subjects are studied by students, who are known as Talibs.

The conventional Darul Ulooms of today have their roots in the Indian subcontinent, where the first Darul Ulooms were founded by the Indian 'Ulamaa of the past. Darul Ulooms followed, and today continue to follow, the age-old Islamic curriculum known as the Dars-e-Nizami syllabus, which has its origins in the Nizamiyya Islamic schools of the Seljuk Empire but was developed in the Indian subcontinent, under Islamic thinkers and 'Ulamaa, such as Shah Waliullah. The Dars-e-Nizami syllabus comprises studies in Tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis), Hifz (Qur'anic memorisation), Sarf and Nahw (Arabic syntax and grammar), Persian, Urdu, Taarikh (Islamic history), Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Shari'ah (Islamic law), etc.

Today, Darul Ulooms are not only found in their home, the Indian subcontinent, but throughout the world. The UK has a vast number of Darul Ulooms, the first of which being Darul Uloom Bury in Bury, Lancashire, which was established in 1973 by the Deobandi scholar, Shaykh Yusuf Motala. In the Middle East, similar higher institutes of Islamic learning tend to be known as Madaaris - plural of 'Madrasah' (which are found throughout the entire Muslim world) or have become absorbed into the format of conventional modern universities, such as Madina University in Saudi Arabia and Al-Azhar in Egypt . The word Darul Uloom is not only associated to the Deoband teaching centres but to most islamic further education centres with a link to the Indian penisula of different beliefs too.