AN INTERVIEW WITH PROF. FARIDA KHANAM

What difficulties did you face when Al-Risala began to be published? The writings of my father Maulana Wahiduddin Khan presented Islam in a style and idiom that was totally novel to the readers. Many readers responded to this message with outright denial. There was so much opposition that no one was willing to publish advertisements of Al-Risala magazine in their newspapers even if we offered money. Nobody was willing to make annual subscription for the magazine. I still remember the joy we felt when someone made a subscription. The situation took a grave turn. We could not afford living and publishing the magazine from Delhi. There was a time when my father thought that he would have to go to the village now and there would be no work here. At this most critical time, my elder brother Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan who was working in Libya at the time offered his full support. It was a divine help indeed. It is my firm belief if the message is true, then God Almighty puts it in the hearts of the people and they become supporters of the message. The Urdu version is probably the most-read magazine in the Urdu-reading world. What is the importance of Spirit of Islam magazine for the mission? It was our aim to take the message of peace and spirituality to the English-speaking world. To cater to this Al-Risala English was published from 1984 to 2002 from Delhi by Dr Saniyasnain Khan. Thereafter, it was published under the name Spiritual Message from 2003 till 2012 from Mumbai by Mr Haroon Shaikh. Mr Haroon Shaikh, with just one assistant to help him in this task, painstakingly published the magazine for a decade. Also his efforts are fundamental in the Quran translation projects of CPS. The English magazine, however, became a standard in both the general public and the academic world when it was published as Spirit of Islam by Ms Fathima Sarah supported by her husband Aijaz Ahmed and an editorial team. The magazine re-engineers minds, especially the youth towards positivity so that people become peaceful members of society. Today the Spirit of Islam magazine (www. spiritofislam.co.in) is gaining in popularity and is widely read in the English-reading world. What was the need to bring another English translation of the Quran which you edited? My father came across a research from The Quran Complex, Madinah, Saudi Arabia on the English translations of the Quran that concluded: “In spite of 47 English Quran translations, none has received the acceptance of the modern world.” I started looking closely at the