The collapse of Muslim rule in the Subcontinent of India during the nineteenth century generated a new role for the ‗ulama‘. The study traces how the ‗ulama‘ profited from the decline in the central authority, to the extent that they emerged from a position of relative obscurity to the de facto leaders of a vanquished nation. They mobilized on the basis of the "Wali Allah" tradition and pursued two options. The political option was oriented towards the re- establishment of Muslim rule through jihad. The intellectual option was directed at the masses in an attempt to revive their religious consciousness and create a greater awareness for the Shariah. After the Mutiny of 1857 a group of ‗ulama‘ in Deoband, in pursuit of the second option, launched an Islamic seminary named, Dar al-ulum which gainedrapidacceptancethroughouttheNorthernProvincesof India.The Deobandi ‗ulama‘ emerged as a very powerful religious force within the Subcontinent of India. How did they exert their power, authority and influence over the general masses? The Dar al-Ulum Deoband and its particular school of thought as well as the movement associated with it i.e. ―Deoband movement‖ is mainly interpreted from two perspectives. The first perspective portrays it as a movement striving to establish an Islamic state governed by the Shariah. The second interpretation views it as a religious reform movement mostly concerned with the perfection of faith of ordinary Muslims. The contribution made by the alumni of this great institution to the cause of the political freedom of the subcontinent undoubtedly constitutes a golden chapter in the history of India. It was the great founders of the Dar al-Ulum who first raised the flag of Indian independence; they sought to unite the people of the land, irrespective of creed and community under this flag, and then they themselves came forward to make personal sacrifices in that great cause. The basic thesis of this study is to trace the political struggle and authority of the Deobandi ulama and their political influence over the masses in the sub-continent in general and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular.