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

Khan’s lectures, where he elaborates on his philosophy, are available for streaming on YouTube. Khan gained nationwide popularity when he proposed his “peace formula” to resolve the Babri Masjid dispute, and urged Muslims to forego their claim on the land. In a ‘Speaking Tree’ column in The Times of India, Khan wrote: “The only solution to this problem is for the Muslims to decide to put a full stop to this issue. If they put a comma, then there will be no end to it. We have lost 60 years by putting comma after comma and now this is the last chance to bring closure to the issue so that the relationship between the Hindus and the Muslims may be normalised.” However, this idea was largely rejected by the Muslim community. Life and Achievements Maulana Wahiduddin Khan was born in Azamgarh in 1925 and was educated in a traditional seminary. Khan wasn’t well versed in English so immediately after graduating he self-taught himself the language. The Maulana was an avid reader of both Islamic teachings and modern disciplines. His research, claims a profile in Centre for Peace and Spirituality, led him to believe that the need of the hour was to present Islamic teachings in the style and language of post-scientific formula. Maulana was also involved in India’s struggle for Independence and was a strong supporter of Mahatma Gandhi. An Islamic scholar, through his work, Khan had also worked