BOOK REVIEW

The Al-Risala Movement today represents a growing number of Muslims, many of whom come from the intellectual and managerial classes. The movement has many followers who work independently and are not dues-paying members. Through his continuous efforts, Maulana Khan aims to transform attitudes by infusing what he calls a “moral spirit” in the practice of Islam, particularly in regard to relations with the so-called “other.” Today Khan’s following includes not only Muslims but also Hindus and people from other faiths whose participation has added a whole new layer of complexity to this unique Islamic movement and has also confirmed his own belief that the moral campaign alone is the heart and soul of Islamic revivalism. Key Objectives of the Al-Risala Movement As far as one can glean from the collective writings of Maulana Khan, the Al-Risala Movement seems to be emphasizing two main principles. A. Muslims need to exercise greater self-criticism and not be ashamed of the past mistakes of their forebears. They must not be bound to history and should not insist on glorifying it, especially since it is known to contain many less-than-glorious moments. Muslims should engage in ijtihad and rethink and articulate anew the core message of Islam in light of modern challenges and its applications. This amounts to reform from within. The key components of this rethinking are nonviolence and reconciliation. B. Muslims must engage in dialogue with others (with an intention to invite them to learn about Islam) because of the present realities of Indian polity. Muslims thus need to re-orient themselves to living in a pluralistic and multicultural ethos. They must develop intercultural, interreligious, and interethnic relations to cooperate on issues such as providing greater access to education and inculcating moral values. Khan believes that this form of activism, which to him is utterly Islamic, would attract others to Islam and hence allow Muslims to carry out one of their core Islamic duties of calling people to Islam. The Impact and the Current Focus Even though Khan primarily wrote on the general issues of Islamic life and ethics as well as Islam’s interrelationship with the modern age, he has also been writing about the life and struggles of Indian Muslims. From the beginning of the movement, his main focus has been reform among Indian Muslims with respect to how they view Islam as a faith and how they live out that faith as a minority group in the midst of others with differing historical perspectives. One major element