Maulana Maududi’s Concept of an Islamic
Movement
Dr. Syed Hasanuddin Ahmad*
Maulana Abul A’la Maududi (R) was one of
top most scholars of Islam. He rose to instant fame by writing a book on
Striving in Islam. That book later won him very prestigious King Faysal Award. He
was a great proponent of Islam as a code of life. He forcefully advocated
establishment of Islam in every sphere of human life. He successfully removed
many misgivings and misunderstanding about Islam by writing more than hundred
books on different aspects of Islamic teachings. His unique style of logical
and rational writing in the light of twentieth century advancement of science
and industry made him very popular among learned and literate people. He died
in September 1979. Probably his greatest achievement was to found an
organization- Jamaate Islami- as an Islamic movement to call people to Islam
and to lead them to strive for establishment of Islam as a vibrant code of
life. This movement is not only well established and progressing well in
ORGANIZATION: According to Maulana
Maududi, in order to establish complete Deen and witness it truly, it is
inevitable that all such Muslims, who are conscious of their duties and its’
fulfillment, must unite and try to invite the world at large in an organized
way. He states: They should remove hurdles and resistance that are in the path
of establishment of Deen and invitation (Da’wah) to it. This is why ‘organization’
(Jama’ah) has been made imperative in Deen, and a life outside ‘organization’
is a life of ignorance, and living outside ‘organization’ is treated equivalent
to living outside Islam (1). He further asserts that real Islamic life without ‘organization’
is not possible (2).
GOAL OF HIS MOVEMENT: Explaining goal
of his Islamic movement, he writes: The goal for which Islamic Movement (Jamaate
Islami) is set up is to establish the entire way of human life with all its
aspects (Thoughts and Ideology, Faith, Religion and Morals, Character, Training
and Education, Civilization, Culture and Society, Economy and Politics, Law and
Justice, War and Peace, and International Relations) on the basis of service to
Allah and guidance of his prophets. We have termed our struggle to achieve this
goal as establishing Deen, witnessing Truth, and Islamic Movement (1). He has
further explained the goal by following three points:
1, we invite peoples in general and
those who are already Muslims in special to be servants of Allah;
2, we invite those who accept or claim
to profess Islam to remove deficiencies and hypocrisy from their lives, and
completely color themselves in color of Islam;
3, we invite to take away controlling
modes of human life from the hands of rebels of God and give those in the hands
of his righteous servants (4)
MEMBERSHIP: He clearly differentiates
between the working of an Islamic Movement and other organizations. He says a
lot of people do not understand the difference between membership of his
movement and that of other general societies or associations. According to him,
nobody should be admitted into an Islamic organization (Movement) until and
unless satisfaction of the following about a person (desiring to be a member)
is achieved:
He
explains his view by an example: Membership of this movement is not a coat that
can be worn at will and taken of at will. It is selling of one’s soul and body
and in return buying paradise (Jannah). Once sold can not be taken back (6). He
advises members of his movement thus: If you see some weakness in the movement,
do not think of running away from it, but try to remove the weakness with same
zeal and effort which you would employ to extinguish fire that envelops your
house (6). He expects members to be of very high moral conduct: Your morals
should be higher than that of people in your community. In fact you should
become exemplary in moral height, cleanliness of character, and in honesty and
trust (7).
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEMBERS AND
LEADERSHIP: According to his belief: All members of a movement should always
keep this in mind that it is their duty to obey a person of authority in
righteousness (ma’roof). To strengthen his hand is their obligation. This
obedience is a part of obedience to Allah and his Messenger (S) (5). Members
should treat suggestions and advises given to them by their leaders as orders
to be implemented. Hints, instead of specific orders, should be sufficient to
perform a job at a place or time (8). Regarding leadership, he explains his
point of view: Members should never elect a person as a leader who is desirous
of their leadership. Regarding election, members can sincerely exchange their
points of views, but there should be no canvassing or struggle for or against a
person (8).
Leaders
of a movement should also learn right way of governing. A leader of a movement
should never enjoy a taste of his greatness in giving an order. He should treat
his companions softly and gently. He should fear his wrong way of governing
that gives rise to disobedience and despondency among his workers (8).
CONSULTATIONS AND MEETINGS: He gives
detailed instructions on how to run an Islamic movement. He says: It is
obligatory for a person, who is given a responsibility or authority in a
movement, to consult others in his tasks. Also, it is obligatory for a person,
who is consulted, to sincerely give his real opinion.
Membership
of a movement (life in a movement) is another name of (complying with) system
and discipline. A member has to bear sacrifice in a movement- his freedom of
opinion has limits. He has to show humility by sacrificing his personal desires
and individual opinion versus movement’s decision (9).
According
to him, main objectives of meetings (of a movement for its members) are to know
each other, to be close to each other, to explore the ways of cooperation among
each other, leaders and followers should personally know each other, to enable
leaders to know the qualities and abilities of their followers to help them
utilize these in turn, to quite often evaluate work of each other, to visualize
weaknesses in work and then to think means of removing them, and improving it,
and to think how to continue progress by mutual consultations (5). To him
members’ attendance in meetings of Islamic movement is very essential. He says:
Members should be asked to punctually attend meetings. Written reasons should
be asked from those who either come late or do not attend. Persons, who absent
themselves from three consecutive meetings without prior permission or Shara'ee
excuses, should be issued show cause notices of expulsion from the movement (5).
He further exhorts:
After
associating with a movement, it becomes imperative on a member, after receiving
a call from the movement, to set aside all errands and strive to attend the
call. Only exceptions are those situations where Allah and his Prophet (S) have
given leave. It is a wrong notion of a member to think that his absence will
not matter or agenda is not worth attending. I say if there is no task at all
and you are called to gather, even then you must respond to it (6). However big
be a gathering, make sure that it does not turn into a noisy chaotic crowd. We
only need those people who in reality do something for movement. Whenever a
person starts showing slackness or lack of interest in movement, he is in fact
giving a warning of danger. It should at once be remedied. Whenever such
weaknesses and subsequent excuses are detected, the person involved should
first be confidentially advised to reform. If even then he does not mend his
attitude, he should openly be rebuked in movement meetings, and his excuses be
exposed and condemned. No unnecessary slackness should be employed to expel
such person from the movement, if he fails to mend his attitude in spite of all
attempts to reform him (10). Movement does not need that fat which, instead of
making its body strong, makes it too heavy to bear (6).
DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS AND CRITICISM:
He encourages members of his Islamic movement to express their different points
of view, and in this regard he emphatically introduces an effective system of
criticizing others as well: It is necessary for a member not to regard any
person, other than the Messenger of Allah (S), as the criterion of Truth. He
should not treat anyone above criticism. To keep movement on right track,
criticism is essential. No one is above this criticism, may that be a leader or
shura or the whole movement itself. It is inevitable to keep a movement healthy
by critical evaluation (8). It is a collective duty of every member to
criticize any weakness, without reservation, he sees in his companion or
organizational policy or system or in its leaders. He further states: Because
of lack of proper procedure and limits, there have been some mistakes in
criticism that in turn have resulted in some damages, but in spite of that we
never allow the spirit of criticism to
sleep (fade away) (3). The constitution of his organization states: “Every
member shall have a right of criticizing central authority in general assembly,
regional authority in regional meeting, and local authority in local meetings.”
However, criticism and replies should not continue without end. There should always be a forum in collective
system where disputes are finally settled, and are brought to an end after this
settlement (4).
TRAINING OF MEMBERS: Maulana Maududi
deems it essential, for members of an Islamic movement, to continuously acquire
knowledge and training of working of their organization and method of achieving
its goal. He writes: For training members, workshops and camps should
continuously be held. Even after these training camps and workshops, it should
be planned and implemented that members do continuous study of the Qur’an,
hadith, and Islamic literature (6).
Members
should be trained to discipline their whole life, to patiently pursue the goal
of their movement, to put brake on their worldly desires, to change their
habits and attitudes in life, and to accept and fulfill their duties without
any external pressure. They should be trained to strengthen their relationship
with Allah. Members should however not worry about acquiring power of miracles,
visions, tidings, or light.
He
further asserts: This sharia’h is not for cowards or slaves of self or world.
It is not for those who fly like straws in air or float in water like insects
or color themselves in color of society. It is for those brave lions that have
courage and determination to change direction of wind, and to alter flow
direction of river without caring for success or failure. He has advised
members of his Islamic movement to develop certain traits in their character in
order to work together in the movement. According to him: If members do not
learn to show good will, sympathy, sacrifice, and toleration to each other,
difference of mental attitude will not allow cooperation among them even for
four days. The first quality required for struggle in the path of Allah is
patience. Another important quality to be developed is sacrifice of time,
energy, and wealth. Yet, another quality to develop is devotion to cause of
Allah. Yet again, without power of purity of moral conduct, members can never
succeed. Real power is not materialistic one, but is a moral one (8).
Those,
who come forward to join us without true and correct understanding of heavy
duties of membership of our movement, can not continue with us for long in
spite of having the same goal. It is because they do not have deep
understanding of how our methods are different. These people in emotion of preferring
their own desired methods do flout the discipline of organization (6).
He
exhorts members to spend their wealth in cause of Allah. He writes: Members
should develop spirit of sacrificing their money. Islamic traits are not
fulfilled, if only body and soul are Islamic but money is not. Members should
not forget that Allah has his rights not only on their bodies, souls and time,
but on their wealth as well (8).
In a
series of editorials in his monthly Tarjuman-ul-Qur’an, he has warned members
of his movement of some evil traits, such as: undue pride, show-of, impure
intention, selfishness, backbiting, intemprament, najwa (conspiracy),
extremism, and weakness in determination. He has advised them to frequently
practice self-criticism, and strengthen their relationship with Allah, in order
to clean and purify their characters and lives from such evil traits (10).
WOMEN: During and before his days,
tradition had confined Muslim women to household duties only. Only men were
supposed to do da’wah work besides earning their livings. Maulana Maududi was
perhaps the first person to liberate Muslim women from the notion that she must
remain confined to house hold duties only, and tell them that they have equal
responsibility of propagating Islam besides their family duties. They are
equally answerable to Allah on the Day of Judgment to their struggle in his
cause. Thus, in a speech addressed to women of his Islamic movement, he says:
Try to acquire maximum possible knowledge of your Deen. Not only understand the
Qur’an, but try to study some Ahadith and Fiqh (Islamic Laws) also. Try also to
know the teachings of your Deen regarding your personal, family, and social
life as well.
Try to
fully seize opportunities, whenever they arise, to participate in men’s
training workshops where arrangement for purdah (separate sitting) can be made.
He further advised them that parents, husbands, and other elderly family people
deserve proper respect and obedience, but their rights are subservient to
rights of Allah and his Messenger (S). He advised them: Do not obey them, may they
be parents or husbands, if they want you to follow a path contrary to that of
Allah and his Messenger (S). Be prepared to bear their anger or reactionary
actions, and put your trust completely in Allah.
He
continued his address thus: Primarily, pay attention to your brothers, sisters,
near relatives, and your own children for transmission (tabligh) of Deen to
them, and their reformation. If you have more time after your household duties,
use it in imparting knowledge of Deen to other women as well. It is their duty
to demonstrate in an organized way that all real needs (of life), because of
which opponents of Islamic code think flouting it is inevitable, can be
fulfilled by remaining within Islamic limits (6).
References:
(1) Goal of Jamaate Islami, History, and Policy; (2) Islamic Da’wah and Its
Methodology
(3) Minutes of Shura Jamaate Islami, April 1951 (4) Minutes of Jamaate Islami, Part II
(5) Minutes of Jamaate Islami, Part I (6)
Instructions (Hidayat)
(7) Witnessing of Truth (Shahadate Haq) (8) Letters and Queries (Rsael-o-Masail)
(9) Muslims and Political Struggle (Musalman aur (10) Tarjuman-ul-Qur’an, June
1956- March 1957
Siyasi Kashmakash)
* He
is a retired professor of Industrial Engineering. He has authored many books on
Islam. At present He is Senior Vice President of ICNA.