BOOK REVIEW

BOOK REVIEW Name of the Book: The True Face of Islam Author: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (compiled and edited by Raamish Siddiqui) Published by: Harper Element, NOIDA First Published: 2015 Pages : 222 ISBN: 978-93-6177-592-8 Reviewed by: Suleiman Khan Over time, religious traditions come to be understood in multiple ways by those who claim to be their followers. This explains the proliferation of sects within every such tradition, each claiming to be the religion’s sole authentic representative. This interpretive diversity is not always simply a harmless intellectual phenomenon. Sometimes, it can be marshaled to fuel sectarian antagonisms, which can even take violent forms—as has happened down the centuries. Like many other religions, Islam has been and continues to be, interpreted in diverse ways. Different Muslim sects and ideologues claim that their understandings of Islam represent the ‘true face’ of the faith. As there is no living human authority that can conclusively judge between these conflicting claims in a manner acceptable to all sides, one can only say, as traditional Muslim scholars wisely used to, that ‘God knows best’. This does not mean hopeless relativism, though. One could contend that interpretations of religion that reflect God’s attributes such as love, justice, wisdom, compassion and generosity, are truer than others, in that they reflect vital truths about God and goodness. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, the well-known New Delhi-based Islamic scholar, has for decades been engaged in promoting an understanding of Islam that reflects these values—an interpretation of the faith that is rooted in love, compassion, and commitment to universal peace and harmony. In this engaging book—a collection of 38 short essays on