The Error of Political Islam

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION In this way, such an interpretation amounts, in its entirety, to expressing a kind of lack of confidence in the understanding of Islam held by our predecessors. It implies that they did not serve Islam in the manner it deserved. I am not hesitant to acknowledge that some of our scholars may have misunderstood certain verses or hadiths, or, in other words, may have erred in identifying the specific nature of certain aspects of the faith. Likewise, it is always possible to recognize the shortcomings and failings in their practical actions. However, it is entirely unacceptable to assert that they misunderstood the essence of Islam or that they failed to adopt the correct approach to serving the faith. For me, nothing in the world is more gratifying than the feeling that this book serves as a defence against such criticisms directed at our predecessors. I have taken it upon myself to defend them to the best of my limited abilities. This reminds me of an incident from March 7, 1963. During that time, I was intensely engaged in researching the arguments in Quran Ki Chaar Buniyadi Istlahein (The Four Basic Quranic Terms). I was in the central reading room of the Darul Musannefin, Shibli Academy, library in Azamgarh, surrounded by shelves filled with works on Quranic exegesis, Hadith, jurisprudence, history,