Preface

Preface Perhaps this clause in the Jamaat’s Constitution was meant to allow for criticism against everyone but the framer of the Constitution himself. In his Khilafat wa Mulukiyat (‘The Caliphate and Monarchical Despotism’), Maulana Maududi wrote that the Caliphate was an ideal system of Islamic life, and noted that after this system collapsed, a system he termed as mulukiyat or Monarchical Despotism took its place. The objective of the Maulana’s efforts was to re-establish the system of Caliphate rule. What exactly happened when the Caliphate was replaced by Monarchical Despotism? The Maulana discussed this in terms of eight broad themes, one of which he termed as ‘The End of the Freedom of Expression’. In this regard, he wrote: Islam arranged, not just as a matter of right but also as a duty (and this was something that the proper functioning of Islamic society depended on), that the conscience of the community should remain alive and that its members should be able to speak out and admonish even the highest person for misdeeds and openly speak the truth. During the Righteous Caliphate, this right of the people was fully protected. The Righteous Caliphs not only permitted it, but even encouraged people to [exercise this right]. In this period, people who spoke the truth were rewarded not with scolding and threats, but with praise. Those who critiqued others were