Maulana Wahiduddin – A Critical Thinker
A month ago, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan passed away. Indeed we are for Allah and to Him, we shall return.
Maulana was an Indian Muslim scholar, author, and thinker. To us, it becomes very ironic when we hear about Islam in India. We are shocked for a while when hearing how an Indian can be a true Muslim scholar. We think true Islam and real Muslims exist only in Pakistan. This statement may be wrong, but such a perception exists in the country to a great extent. In Pakistan, Maulana has also fallen prey to such a biased perception.
Maulana is the author of two hundred plus books, and I have read almost his sixty books cover to cover so far. One may criticize or differ from his political views, but his philosophical Islamic contributions are irrefutable. He has interpreted Islam on the grounds of rationality, scientific approach, and modern needs, which have no existence at least in the eastern world in general and in Pakistan in particular.
Maulana blames Muslims for their decline. Maulana favors secularism for state affairs. He advised that Pakistan-like judicially weak countries avoid imposing sharia laws, blasphemy laws, and Jihad by force on society from the top. Maulana says every Muslim country has to adopt Lord Macaulay’s strategy for spreading Islam from the bottom. For such a purpose, Maulana forbids religious clerics from joining politics.
Is it possible in Pakistan? Maulana says all religious parties throughout the Muslim world are in Opposition rather than in government. Whether such a scholar can become acceptable for religious corridors in Pakistan?
Similarly, Maulana has been against the division of Hindustan or the partition of Pakistan. Maulana asks: has Pakistan become a peaceful country for Pakistanis so far? Are Pakistanis united in the name of Islam? Maulana holds Pakistani leaders accountable for dividing Muslim strength in the shape of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kashmir, and Indian Muslims. Maulana blames the Pakistani government and army for the Kashmir fiasco also. He suggests LOAC should be a permanent and official line between Pakistan and India. Maulana declares Balfour Declaration a solution to the Palestine issue and holds the Taliban responsible for the Afghanistan crisis. At least such a writer cannot become favorable for Pakistani political and military corridors as well. Pakistani media neither did give due coverage to his religious contributions nor did give coverage to his irreplaceable demise…. perhaps, he was an Indian.
Maulana was a moderate and rational religious scholar. He was a staunch and patriotic Indian as well. He advises Muslim religious clerics for seeking modern scientific education and contributing to economic affairs. He says history is a bank, he who possesses enough money (economic stability) in this bank, an investment of its choice in the world.
He has been against politicizing Islam and the outdated madrassa system, the reason he gives that madrassas lack modern scientific and vocational education and cannot compete with modern challenges. He has also been against Abul Aala Mududi and Allama Iqbal. He argues the former one preaches extremism in the name of Jihad and the latter one preaches fiction in the name of poetry. He has also been against Quaid e Azam and Ali brothers for they provoked Muslims against the British and Hindus as well. However, he favors Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali for their scientific approach and rationality. To him, no one is above criticism.
Maulana says the British were not a problem, but they were a blessing in disguise. He argues if the British were a problem for Islam or Muslims, today Muslim leaders, businessmen, and their offsprings would not live there.
In the end, Maulana has been the critic of Muslims. Maulana gives one the power of critical thinking, scientific approach, and co-existence. Maulana says our attitude determines our altitude. His policy is to avoid confrontation for the impossible and avail what you possess. He says we cannot change our neighbors, so we have to change our behaviors. He gives the lesson to adopt Islamic teachings unilaterally. He advises to follow Islam and respect other religions. The crux of his teachings is to live and let live. Here, what is of grave concern is that keep aside reading and writing, people are dying for and dying of critical thinking. So read Maulana!!!
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