THE WISDOM OF AVOIDANCE

THE WISDOM OF AVOIDANCE Maulana Abul Hassan Ali Hasani Nadwi initially issued a statement in the Urdu newspaper ‘Qaumi Awaaz’ (February 20, 1989) endorsing Ayatollah Khomeini’s edict as the correct stance. However, a few days later, he published another statement in the magazine Ta’meer e Hayat (March 10, 1989), where he amended his previous statement, merely reporting the reaction of Muslims to Ayatollah Khomeini’s edict. While the first statement was a personal confirmation of the fatwa, the second statement served as a report on Muslim sentiments. Similarly, former Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, India, Maulana Abul Lais Islahi’s statement praising Ayatollah Khomeini’s edict calling for the assassination of Salman Rushdie was published in the weekly magazine ‘Nai Duniya’ (March 3-9, 1989). However, he later published a detailed statement in the newspaper ‘Dawat’ on March 28, 1989, in which his approach had changed entirely. If the first statement aligned with Ayatollah Khomeini’s position, the second statement resembled the unanimously adopted stance of the conference of 46 Muslim countries in Riyadh. Considering these circumstances, it appears that Muslim religious leaders, concerning Salman Rushdie’s book, have violated God’s command. While Salman Rushdie’s book itself exposed him, its publication also exposed Muslims worldwide. According to the aforementioned Quranic injunction (49:6), Muslim leaders were obligated to thoroughly investigate the matter and make a decision considering all aspects. However, they displayed great