I here a lot about Mowlana Ala' Mawdudi these days, and about all the confusions he has spread threw out the muslim ummah. Respected Mufti Saab, What are your feelings about this man?

Respected Brother-in-Islam

Assalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatuhu

Kindly refer below our standard reply to similar queries.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

FATWA DEPT.

I refer to your email concerning the criticism that Moulana Ludhianwi

leveled against Mr. Abu Ala Mawdudi. The gist of your email was that the

criticism of Mr. Mawdudi by Moulana Ludhianwi was against the ethics of

Islam.

Ibrahim ibn Abdur-Rahmaan al-Azri (Radhiallaahu Anhu) narrates that

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, 'Straight and upright people

will seek their knowledge (of Deen) from their pious predecessors. They

(straight and upright people) will remove from knowledge, the distortion of

the extremists, incorrect attribution of the false people, and incorrect

interpretation of the ignorant ones.' (Mishkaat pg.36; Qadeemi)

In view of the above mentioned Hadith, it is the responsibility of the Ulama

to preserve the pristine purity of Islam. The Arabic word used to describe

that responsibility is 'yanfoon', which is derived from the Arabic root word

of 'nafyun' which means to remove. The practice of pointing out and removing

faults is called criticism. (Oxford School Dictionary; JM Hawkins)

The writer of the article, well-recognised by the non-Arab as well as Arab

Ulama and a well recognised expert in Firqa-e-Baatila (deviated sects),

Moulana Muhammad Yusuf Ludhianwi (RA), has maintained his intellectual

honesty by fulfilling his scholarly responsibility of pointing out

(criticizing) Mr. Mawdudi. The writer is concerned that Mr. Mawdudi has

attacked the very fiber and backbone of Islam by criticizing the illustrious

Prophets and building a wall between the Ummah and the Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu

Anhum). In his constitution, Mr. Mawdudi says, 'No human should be made a

measure of truth besides Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam).'. but

Allah Ta'ala clearly declares the Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu Anhum) as a measure

of truth in the innumerable verses of the Qur'aan NS in particular, Chapter

2 verse 13 and chapter 48 (Fath), Verse 29.

Mr. Mawdudi should have first consulted with the Ulama before publishing

such articles, thus, indoctrinating an anti-Sahaaba ideology in the Muslim

masses. Should Mr. Mawdudi have discussed the matter only with the Ulama,

then it could be a purely scholarly matter between him and the Ulama and not

for general publication and consumption. However, Mr. Mawdudi himself

sidestepped scholarly ethics and published his articles before

consulting/confirming with the Ulama and made his views known to the public

for mass consumption. It is very appropriate and incumbent for the Ulama

(like Moulana Ludhianwi (RA) has done) to respond then and now publicly

(given that Mawdudi's views are still disseminated), to correct the

inaccuracies in Mawdudi's ideas.

The writer, well-recognised by the non-Arab as well as Arab Ulama and a well

recognised expert in Firqa-e-Baatila (deviated sects), Moulana Ludhianwi is

acting within (and not against) the commands of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu

Alayhi Wasallam). For example, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam)

said, 'When you see anybody speaking ill about any Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu

Anhu), say to them, 'May Allah's curse be upon your evil.' (Mishkaat pg.552;

Qadeemi). The learned scholar, Moulana Yusuf Ludhianwi has spent his entire

life in defending the position of the Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu Anhum) in the

Ummah and was physically (not only his character) assassinated recently by

the enemies of the Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu Anhum). The learned scholar's

criticism against Mawdudi is similar to the criticism against others (such

as Khomeini) whose ideas and writing go against the fixed, settled,

permanent and sacrosanct principles of Islam. For example Khomeini once made

a statement which was published in the Tehran times (Kitaab be Noujawanaan -

P8) that if he conquers Madina Munawwarah, he will remove the two idols

(Hadhrat Abu Bakr and Hadhrat Umar (Radhiallaahu Anhuma) besides Rasulullah

(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam).

I am certain that no believer will accept such a statement against the great

luminaries of Islam. Brother Amin, are we then to condemn only Khomeini and

condone Mawdudi knowing well that Mawdudi was a close friend of Khomeini and

was sympathetic to his course. In a book titled, 'Two brothers - Maududi and

Khomeini' page 129, the following statement of Dr Ahmad Farouk Maududi (son

of Abul-A'ala Maududi) was published in Roz Naame, Lahore - 29 September

1979, "Allama Khomeini had a very old and close relationship with Abba Jaan

(father). Aayaatullah Khomeini translated his (fathers) books in Farsi and

included it as a subject in Qum. Allama Khomeini met my father in 1963

during Hajj and my father's wish was to create a revolutionary in Pakistan

similar to Iran. He was concerned about the success of the Iranian

revolution till his last breath.' You mention in your statement, 'those who

attack him after he passed away are not following Islamic ethics.' The

writer subjects Mawdudi's views to criticism because condoning Mawdudi will

be showing complacency to the crime of distancing the Ummah from the Sahaaba

(Radhiallaahu Anhum). The writer is concerned that such distancing will

eventually lead to distancing ourselves from Islam. After all, the Sahaaba

(Radhiallaahu Anhum) are the main link between us and Rasulullah

(Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam).

You intimate in your email that the writer was not acting in terms of

Islamic ethics by attacking Mawdudi after he passed away. Brother Amin, the

criticism of Moulana Ludhianwi is consistent with the rules and principles

of criticism called for in Islam. For example, Hafiz ibn Hajar (RA) in his

famous work, 'Nukhbatul Fikr Fee Mustalahi ahlil Asr' under the chapter of

Jarah (criticism), outlines the rules and principles of criticism, which

are extensively applied in determining the authority of a Hadith. The

Muhadditheen have criticized many narrators with the sole purpose of

determining the authenticity of the Ahaadith. Criticizing them is certainly

ethical in Islam and only conducive to preserving the pristine purity of

Islam. What if the Muhadditheen did not make Jarah of every narrator and

criticize many who did not fulfill the criteria of being Aadil? What if

every person goes against the directives of the Qur'aan and Hadith and

criticize the Sahaaba (Radhiallaahu Anhum)? What will be left of Islam?

Should Mawdudi have the right to criticize the Prophets and Sahaaba and we

don't have the right to criticize him simply because he says, ''It is

Allah's faith that I did not commit any deed or say any word under the

influence of my passions, nor did I commit it. Every word that I uttered in

my lectures, I measured each one of them before saying them, remembering

that I would have to account for it before Allah and the creation.

Therefore, I am assured in my position that I did not utter a word against

Haq'. Maududi Mazhab, page 29. Should someone become emotional when Mawdudi

is criticized because he is my friends icon? Moulana Ludhianwi is reminding

us ot be rational and to follow the guidance of Abdullah ibn Mas'ood who

said: ''If you wish to follow anyone, then follow the path of those who have

passed away, because one is not safe from the fitnah of a living person. I

mean those who are among the Sahaabah of Muhammed Sallallahu alaihi

waSallam. They were the best among this Ummah; they possessed the clearest

of hearts; they attained the deepest of knowledge; and had the least

formalities. Allah Ta'aala had chosen them as companions of His Nabi and to

up- keep His Deen. Therefore, recognize their virtues, and follow their

footsteps. As far as possible hold fast unto their characters and qualities,

because they are on the straight path'. (Mishkaat, Chapter of I'etisaam bil

kaab Wassunnah; Qadeemi)

It would be ironic for someone to say today do not criticize Mawdudi, given

that Mawdudi criticized so many of the illustrious sahabah. Such a stance

will also be against the entrenched precept of Article 1 of the By-Laws of

ICM (copy obtained by me in 1999 during your blessed rein of leadership):

'You are the best of people evolved for mankind - Enjoining what is right,

Forbidding what is Wrong and Believing in God.' (Surah Aali Imraan).'

Brother, I have limited my response primarily to your concern about whether

the criticism of Moulana Ludhianwi is within the ethical prescriptions of

Islam. If you feel that Moulana Ludhianwi misrepresented or fabricated the

record of Mawdudi please let me know which aspect or aspects concern you. I

will be glad to comment on that as well.