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

A SCHOLAR AND SEEKER OF PEACE Abdul Q. Siddiqui M aulana Wahiduddin Khan, an India-based Islamic scholar and peace activist, passed away in New Delhi from Covid-19 complications on April 21. He was well known for his exhaustive scholastic Islamic work that rendered the Quran’s meaning in simple English. His writings also explored the Quran and the Prophet’s life. In 1976 he established an Islamic publication house in New Delhi and launched his famous Al Risala monthly magazine. However, what most attracted me was his unique—and sometimes controversial, but nevertheless very popular— philosophy about God, humanity and this world. His first Al Risala article was so thought provoking that I couldn’t believe he was an Islamic scholar with his own convincing philosophy. It was about his journey from Istanbul to Mumbai. As far as I remember, one could summarize his philosophy as follows. “I was flying from Istanbul to Mumbai and looking out the window. I wondered how the aircraft was flying. I knew the mechanical theory of propeller jet engines, and yet I was having second thoughts. Surely, a force behind those engines was pushing the aircraft. That force had been created by God Almighty. God states in the Quran that He created humanity