THE SECTARIAN PHENOMENON

An example of an error of ijtihad from the contemporary period is provided by the Jama‘at-e-Islami, which is based on the ideas of Maulana Sayyed Abul ‘Ala Maududi (d. 1979). Maulana Maududi was born at a time when various political movements were powerful in different parts of the world — communist movements, democratic movements, movements for national independence, and so on. At this time, generally speaking, people considered politics to be the most important thing. Maulana Maududi was influenced by these conditions. And so he presented Islam in such a way as if it were a political system and as if its purpose was to establish its rule all over the world. In accordance with this understanding, he developed a political interpretation of the Quran and expressed the Sunnah or practice of the Prophet in political terms. This was clearly an example of an error in ijtihad, because Islam is a divine movement, and not some political movement. Solution of the Problem To solve the problem of sectarianism, each group must continuously introspect. They should continuously examine in an impartial manner, the ideas of their founding-figures or leaders. They should examine the teachings and practices of their leaders in the light of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. They must engage in this sort of analysis with a completely open mind. No religious movement or group can be exempted from this self-examination. It will help in elucidating the truth and in enabling every group to once again discover the religion of God and become established in it. Salvation in the Hereafter will not be on the basis of one’s sectarian affiliation. To consider a religious scholar or leader's words said under the influence of certain conditions, cannot, in its initial stages, be regarded as always and necessarily akin to sectarianism. Rather, it may well reflect his particular way of thinking, or his personal ijtihad. But when a group emerges around this person, and this group is infected with a prejudicial mind-set and gets crystallized as a distinct sect, the problem of splitting religion into sects begins. This problem slowly begins to grow, till it becomes extreme, so much so that every group, consciously or unconsciously, begins to think that it alone is in the right and that all other groups are false or deviant. This is called tahazzub in Arabic, or ‘groupism’, which the Quran (23: 53) refers to. People who fall prey to