Correspondence with Maulana Abul Lais Islahi Nadwi

to any single book or a few paragraphs of any book but applies to his entire body of dawah literature. I believe Maulana Maududi’s error is not a minor one but a fundamental mistake in establishing the overall understanding of deen, causing a shift in the relative significance of each component of deen in his mind. Consequently, all his interpretations of deen have been affected by this. On the other hand, you and the other members of Jamaat-e-Islami see this literature as the genuine representation of the Jamaat’s ideology and, as a result, the most accurate interpretation of deen. Given this, I cannot understand how I could stay within Jamaat-eIslami. My beliefs about the literature naturally lead me to try and challenge or correct it. But whenever I do this while remaining inside Jamaat, I feel it goes against integrity. Because, as one Jamaat member said, this is like “sabotaiging” the Jamaat from within. Someone with such views should work from outside the Jamaat rather than from inside. I will certainly comply with your request if you wish to proceed with a conversation. However, given that this process has continued for two and a half years without yielding any results, I do not hold much hope for the future. You may recall that our discussions began in June 1960. Since then, we have had numerous opportunities for dialogue, including detailed written exchanges