Second Phase: Informal Conversation

inevitable. Practically speaking, these outcomes have already appeared within the Jamaat, though others attribute them to different causes. This conversation took place on October 28, 1961, and three months later, on February 6, 1962, I met him again. By then, his views had significantly changed, and he said, “I am now firmly convinced that it is incorrect,” though he did not explain the reasons or logic for his saying, ‘firmly convinced’. Five months later, on July 5, we had a third conversation. He said, “I am not in a position to provide a researched critique, but after reading your work, I still believe that Maulana Maududi’s interpretation is absolutely correct. While there may be an individual paragraph I disagree with, I fundamentally consider his interpretation to be right and yours to be wrong.” He provided no reasoning and did not analyse any of my points to explain why he considered my views incorrect. When I repeatedly insisted on an explanation, he became frustrated and said, “Consider me ignorant, if you will.” I encountered individuals who, after reading my work, emphatically asserted that Maulana Maududi’s interpretation of Islam is absolutely correct and that my writing is filled with misconceptions and weak arguments. Yet, despite repeated insistence, none of them made the effort to analyze my arguments or