English book · The Error of Political Islam

LINGERING DOUBTS

English book, p. 469

By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

LINGERING DOUBTS flaws we see in this interpretation weren’t intentionally added but are results of this fundamental mistake. The truth is that everything has a real form. If you understand the real nature of something, you can also see all its outer features clearly. But if you misunderstand its reality, everything will seem different in your mind. For example, if an elephant statue is somewhere, recognizing it as an elephant helps your mind connect all its physical features to the idea of an elephant. But if you see that figure as a carved stone building, your interpretation changes completely. You might see its legs as pillars, its back as the roof, and the trunk and tail as drains hanging from the roof. Its ears could look like windows. In this way, the whole image of the elephant would turn into a building in your mind, and your view of it would change accordingly. Now, the form of an elephant would no longer imply a mode of transportation but might instead be seen as a shelter you could rest under, not ride. Your perspective on an issue shapes all your associations with it. Communism and the Sarvodaya movement both advocate for a collective economy, but the former views its purpose in material terms, while the latter sees it in spiritual terms. This difference causes communism followers to focus mainly on politics, whereas Sarvodaya followers appeal to human morals.

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