Language: Urdu
Pages: 20
Price: ₹12
Publisher: Markazi Maktaba Islami Publishers, New-Delhi, India.
Author: Syed Abul A‘la Maududi (R.A.)
Born: 25th of September, 1903
Place of Birth: Aurangabad, British India
Title: First Amir-e-Jamāt e Islamī, Shaikh ul-Islam, Mujaddid.
Religion: Islam
Movement: Jamāt-e-Islamī
Jurisprudence: Qur’ān, Hadīth and Ijma
Denomination: Direct descendant of Muhammad (PBUH) through Hussain Ibn Ali and Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti
Died: 22nd of September, 1979
Place of Death: Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Introduction: Syed Abul A‘la Maududi (R.A.) was a renowned Indo-Pakistani Islamic scholar, thinker, philosopher, jurist, and journalist. He was not merely the propagator of Dīn-e-Islām but the renovator of its true essence as well, a remedy for the emaciated points from which Islam had undergone over the centuries. He believes that politics is indispensable for Islam, which necessitates instituting the Shari‘ah on the land and safeguarding Islamic culture and civilization from what he perceived as the evils of secularism, nationalism, and women’s emancipation. The book is the speech delivered by Maulana Maududi (A.R) at the inaugural ceremony of Idār’a-e-Ma‘ārif-e-Islami, Karachi (Pakistan) on the 22nd of September, 1963 A.D. Syed Maududi, in his speech, categorized knowledge into two (02) categories and segments. First, the absolute knowledge, which a person acquires through the experience of his/her life, and is identical to a wide-ranging populace. Second, interpretative knowledge, which people interpret from the absolute knowledge according to their thoughts and system of belief, as a result, leads to the emergence of varied cultures and civilizations. He elucidates it by taking the replica of food, which is similar to everyone, yet different people prepare it in their way according to their tastes and temperaments. The author accentuates that the community/society/civilization or nation tied to ‘Ilm (knowledge), the indispensable rationale for the advancement & improvement of Muslim Ummah, dominates the world economically, politically, and socially devoid of which no civilization leads the human race. Leadership is always attached to knowledge. Humankind as a species got Vicegerency (Khilāfah) on earth only based on ‘Ilm. Hardships that the Ummah endures from illegal invasions, occupations, poverty, and civil war are the result of slackness and backwardness concerning research in the various fields of Knowledge. The civilization that progresses and interprets it according to its thought consequently dominates the world. Currently, the West made advancements to it and hence dominated other civilizations politically, economically, and socially. He recommends some things to be followed to alleviate the trouble of Ummah:
• ‘Ilm (knowledge) should be made absolute so that the world may realize that it is not the inherent property of the West. It can be demonstrated by accomplishing research in all the fields of knowledge.
• ‘Ilm (knowledge) should be made divine by interpreting it according to the Creator of knowledge. It means that we should Islamize knowledge so that people may observe and see the power and creation of Almighty Allah in every field of knowledge.
• The Islamic curriculum to be prepared based on which different books of Science & Technology, Philosophy, Education, Politics, Sociology, and Medicine, etc., should be accrued and published so that the apprentice may get introduction and involvement of Islam.
Syed Maududi (A.R) enlightened that the Muslims populated in the west, few in number, are governed by non-Islamic laws. Their kids study the curriculum in these institutions is based on western civilization. The translation should be made on different subject-matters of the Shari‘ah (Qur’ān, Sunnah, Fiqh, etc.) in diverse foreign languages, particularly in Hindi and English that it shall be uncomplicated for the Muslims to comprehend and follow Islam. Furthermore, it may smoothen the progress of preaching Islam in western countries. Syed Maududi (A.R) at the end informs people that Idār’a-e-Ma‘ārif-e-Islami is a step towards it and recommends the audience to assist through all possible ways in this splendid and divine cause.
(The author is a doctoral Candidate at Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar. Views are his own)