INTERVIEW WITH MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN

INTERVIEW WITH MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN Tabish Mehdi (b.1951) is an Urdu poet and critic. He published the Urdu book Mera Mutal’a in 1995 which carries answers by some noted Muslim scholars to a set of questions. We are publishing English translation of the question-and-answer section of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. What importance do you give to reading in human life? The importance of reading in human life is extremely fundamental. If food is necessary for physical existence, then reading is necessary for mental existence. The perfection of human personality is not possible without reading. When and how did the passion for reading arise within you? The family I was born into already had a tradition of reading, especially literary study. Therefore, the passion for reading arose within me since childhood. However, my passion for reading in a disciplined manner emerged when I read a book by Sir James Jeans (1877-1946). This book opened up a whole new world of reading before me. What has been your purpose of reading? The purpose of my reading is primarily twofold: to understand Islam through its original sources and the classical Islamic scholars, and secondly, to directly learn about the modern intellectual challenges facing Islam. Then, in the light of this study, to write books on the introduction of Islam and to address and answer modern intellectual challenges to Islam. What type of books did you start reading for your study? Initially, I mostly read literary books. After that, as a result of the education at the religious seminary, I started reading Islamic books. And then, I started reading books related to modern atheism. What is the pace of your reading? My reading and writing both go hand in hand. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the pace of my reading in terms of quantity. I just keep reading day and night. And during reading, when a topic comes to my mind, I write it down.