Waseem-ur-Rehmana from the Darul Uloom Deoband has passed the UPSC’s Civil Services examination. Rehman, 31, is the first madrasa product who has cleared the civil services exams in the country. He comes from a poor family in Siddharth Nagar, Basti, UP. He stood 404th among the 734 successful candidates. Rehman, who took history and Persian as his optional subjects, wrote his papers in Urdu.
Rehman said he worked hard for four years to crack the exam. “In my three earlier attempts, I failed in the prelims. This time, it being my last chance, I worked harder and made it a point to pass the exam. By the grace of Allah I am among the successful candidates,” he said.
Rehman completed his five-year school education from Madrasa Ahyaul Uloom, before joining Darul Uloom Deoband. He completed the three-year course in Islamic studies, Hadith (sayings of the Prophet), the Qur’an and Shari’ah laws from Deoband.
Rehman said, “I had to collect the books and notes from several places and would study at night and early in the morning since during the day time I would attend my college for MD course,” Rehman said.
“Madrasa education has given me the power to think and I have a good knowledge of philosophy since it was explained properly in the madrasa. I worked hard and the rest was in the hands of Allah,” he added.