FROM MAULANA’S DESK

FROM MAULANA’S DESK 1. The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2020, Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Jordan. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognized as one of its most influential Muslims1. His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi. SETTING THE RIGHT PRIORITIES I N view of the faith of the Muslims, their tradition, history and numbers in India, the Indian Muslims are in a position to make a major contribution in the development of this country. In any developed country no particular community remains backward. This is a law of nature. The saying ‘in giving we receive‘ could well have come true for the Muslims. But for this to become a reality, they need a period of tranquillity, and this is possible only if they unilaterally withdraw all their grudges and complaints against other communities. They should now rise above the reactionary psychology of the times. Unfortunately, the Muslim leadership has failed to give the necessary guidance. As a result, the Muslims in general are reduced to being a group ‘with demands’ and as such have not become a giver group. The religion of Islam as it is, gives them enough stature to play a constructive and effective part in tackling the grave problems that our country is facing. But, due to the intellectual bankruptcy on the part of the Muslim leadership, no such solutions are forthcoming.