AN INTERVIEW

When a reader reads an author he likes so much, it is natural to form a mental picture of the writer. What difference did you find in the image and actual picture of Maulana? When I met Maulana for the first time, he was all alone in his office. I thought he would be crowded by the people. I thought about why he is alone. As I had read his writings, I knew that his is the true interpretation of Islam and futuristic. I told him that his literature is futuristic and Muslim thinking is not yet up to the level. In later meetings, he took me to different mosques each morning for Fajr prayers. I could see no one paid attention to him or knew what his status as an Islamic thinker and writer was! I was not demotivated that Maulana was not recognized and that these people didn’t recognize the true import of his writings. I knew that in the future there will be people who will understand it and make it a mission to carry forward Maulana’s writings and interpretation of Islam. Maulana would often read an Arabic saying to the effect that the people generally become enemies of the things they do not know. Now, we know that his books are read and appreciated all over the world. I agree with you Kaleem Saheb that Maulana’s literature is indeed futuristic. I remember that Maulana was invited to the Islamic Centre in New Delhi for a speech. It was a successful event. At the end of the programme, the President of the Islamic Centre Mr Siraj Qureshi met Maulana and emotionally said, “Your literature will be valued all over the world once you are gone.” Today, not just in religious and secular spheres, even in academic circles, his writings have become topics of research. In Sha Allah, this ideology will spread. How would you describe the thought process of Maulana behind the ideology he presented? Maulana’s interpretation of Islam is based on a thorough and indepth study of the Quran and the corpus of Hadith literature. It is then fortified by a master’s grasp over all the related fields of study. Maulana presented the results in a contemporary language. We cannot say that he presented something new. He did not present what was not there. He once wrote that after his madrasa education, he was not able to address the modern man and convince him about the veracity of Islam. He learnt English and the western mind on his own. He understood the mentality of the modern man. Then, he presented Islam in a modern idiom for the modern man. It is comprehensible for the modern man. His writings have a unique trait that they appear natural. For a seeking