Correspondence with Maulana Abul Lais Islahi Nadwi

Rampur – August 19, 1962 Respected Sir, Peace be upon you, I received your letter dated August 13, 1962. I had intended that, if you requested my thoughts on Maulana Sadruddin Sahib’s writings, I would respond by commenting clearly on each point. However, since you have asked me to summarize my views, I will present a few key points. Maulana Sadruddin Islahi Sahib first mentioned that I based my critique of Jamaat-e-Islami’s aims and interpretation of Islam on its literature, while the correct approach would have been to quote the Jamaat’s constitutional clause on its objective and critique that directly. 1. I must clarify that my critique is not about “Jamaate-Islami as a legal structure” but rather on its particular interpretation of Islam, which led to the formation of this structure. These interpretative details are found in its literature rather than in its constitutional provisions. Furthermore, the adjustment in the constitution’s phrase regarding the objective does not mean that Jamaat’s core concept of Islam has changed. Rather, the revised phrasing, as indicated in the footnote of the amended the Constitution itself, is merely a new expression to encapsulate the previous concept of Islam.