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

Although Maulana Wahiduddin Khan wrote on almost every subject, and published over 200 books in his lifetime, it would have been impossible to encompass all of them. Therefore, I chose the subject that resonates with my own work. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan’s work typified the core teachings of almost all world religions: Do not expect a world free of evil. No amount of political action will ever suffice in providing mankind eternal bliss on earth. He tried to rescue his faith from the clutches of political utopians who read into Islam a complete political system, promising that the Kingdom of God can indeed be emulated in the “City of Man” (to borrow the phrase from Saint Augustine of Hippo). Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is no more; but let us hope that his approach would inculcate in all of us, so that we too would seek self-correction and self-purification. It is only his approach to Islam that can bring us out of the turmoil that we find ourselves in. May his message of peace, tolerance, compassion, and pluralism echo forever in our minds and hearts. “Thou hast created us for thyself O lord, and our hearts are restless until they come to rest in thee.” – Saint Augustine, 4th century Christian mystic. (i) Solution to Terrorism | CPS International (cpsglobal.org) (ii) From Mawdudi to Ghamidi: The legacy of Political Islam (tribune.com.pk) (iii) The Political Interpretation of Islam - Dr Khalid Zaheer (iv) Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism; Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr. (v) Solution to Terrorism | CPS International (cpsglobal.org)