ME AND MAULANA: A PERSONAL RECOLLECTION OF WAHIDUDDIN KHAN - John M. Butt

Facebook). His death was mourned not only in the subcontinent but globally as well. His death has indeed created a big void, which is impossible to fill, in the scholarly world. The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, also tweeted about MWK’s death on 22nd April, expressing grief over his death, and remembered his “significant contribution to peace, harmony and reforms in society” and “his insightful knowledge on matters of theology and spirituality”, respectively. Prof. Amitabh Mattoo, a renowned academic, in his Tweet mentioned him as a “scholar, theologian, writer and a great peacemaker”. Syed Sadatullah Husaini (JIH president), in a condolence message, said: “Maulana Wahiduddin Khan was undoubtedly an outstanding thinker who had a profound impact on our times. Maulana’s role in uniting different religious groups in the country and in creating an atmosphere of dialogue and discussion between them is unforgettable. the efforts of the late Maulana to present Islam in a modern style and with strong scientific and logical arguments will always remain his abiding legacy”. His death caused a wave of sorrow and grief not only in India but abroad as well, and a glimpse of this can be had from the headings of various news reports and obituaries published in various newspapers, magazines, and online portals—(inter) nationally: “In Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, India loses an advocate of inter-religious harmony to Covid-19: MWK dispelled false notions about Islam, and called for peace and harmony in the country” (Shubhangi Misra, The Print, 22nd April)