Correspondence with Maulana Abu A’la Maududi

DISCUSSION AND CORRESPONDENCE The final comment in your letter has put me in a tough spot. I went through the trouble of writing this long article—or “book,” as you called it—and sending it to you because I wanted to know beforehand if I was wrong so I could avoid the mistake of publishing it unnecessarily. However, you have made it clear that you only want to comment after it has been published and made public. If I had been eager to publish it, I would have done so quite a while ago. I’ve been talking about this with various people for some time. But when I found no help from others, I turned to you. If that was a mistake on my part, I regret that it wasn’t just my error; many other members of the Jamaat, who still trust your thinking and hold it in high regard, also share this mistake directly. They advised and even insisted that I send my writing to you for your comments. If only you would agree to respond to my questions! As far as I am concerned, I am ready to sincerely consider it, objectively, in whatever manner and language you find appropriate. However, if, unfortunately, that does not happen, I am also fully prepared that if circumstances lead me to publish it, and after publication, I find through your comments for “the public” that I was indeed mistaken, then, God willing, nothing will stop me from retracting at any stage. Still, you will definitely bear the responsibility for not