The Great Reformer

[Note: Dr Basharat Ahmad died before the third volume of Mujaddid Azam could be printed so he did not get a chance to write the Foreword for this volume. However, in an article in Paigham Sulh, 24th September 1942, he gave the rationale for writing the third volume, and this article can well act as the author’s foreword for this volume. The English translation of the article is given below.]

I had sent both volumes of the book Mujaddid Azam to Allama Abul Ala Maudoodi for him to ponder upon them. However, without even reading it he wrote a letter to me saying that he does not consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian even to be a mujaddid, and therefore asking me why I have called him the great mujaddid.

Along with his letter he sent me two issues of his magazine, Tarjuman-ul-Quran, December 1940 and January 1941. They contain an article about the mission of prophets and mujaddids. What is interesting is that while the magazine is called Tarjuman-ul-Quran (Exponent of the Quran), yet none of what Maudoodi believes to be the work of prophets and mujaddids is based on the Quran but upon his own ideas and desires.

I was surprised that he describes the chief work of prophets and mujaddids as being to establish a political state. He goes to the extent of describing those prophets as juzi (incomplete) who did not establish a state. According to this definition, every prophet, except the Holy Prophet Muhammad or the prophet David, would be an incomplete prophet. Even Moses could not establish a state, and Solomon merely inherited a state. All the other prophets nowhere near fulfil his standard. If possessing state power is such a basic constituent of prophethood that prophethood is not complete without it, then Chengez Khan, Alexander the Great, Napoleon and Hitler, etc., would be at least “incomplete prophets,” since by creating empires they attained this incomplete prophethood in a magnificent way. One would also have to accept that the objection of the Christian critics of Islam is perfectly true that the Holy Prophet Muhammad aimed to create a state first and then to get his religion accepted through the force of government, and that Islam spread by the strength of its political power!

I was deeply disappointed by reading this article of Allama Abul Ala Maudoodi, and the favorable view I held about him suffered greatly because of this. At last, I reached the conclusion that when a man pursues his own ideas and desires of the self, then even if he is a man of intelligence, he stumbles so badly as to stop only at the gates of hell. To say that this is the work of prophets and mujaddids is merely a concept originating from his own thinking. In support of this, he could not present even one verse of the Quran. He has described these concepts of his own mind as being accepted Islamic beliefs, and thus he claims he does not need to provide support for them from the Quran. It is as if whatever Allama Maudoodi writes becomes the accepted Islamic beliefs. I seek pardon from him for saying this, but when a man presents ideas of his own as accepted Islamic beliefs, and does not regard it as necessary to support them from any verse of the Quran, what else can this be called other than inflated egotism? And the principles in support of which not even one verse of the Quran is cited cannot be anything other than desires of the self.

Anyhow, I sent a reply to Allama Maudoodi saying that this book (Mujaddid-i Azam) will help him determine whether Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian was the Great Mujaddid, and that he should read both vol- umes and then make an assessment, a fair assessment, as to whether even a small fraction of the grand work of the revival of the religion done at the hands of Hazrat Mirza Sahib is found in the achievements of other mujad- dids. No doubt every mujaddid in his turn rendered very great services. However, the magnificence of the religious services rendered by Hazrat Mirza Sahib in this age of the Dajjal is not seen in the life of any other mujaddid. So, what else should we call him but Mujaddid Azam?

God knows if Allama Maudoodi read the book or not. I do not know because he did not reply to my letter. In the end, I was moved by feelings of defending our honor to write a concise but comprehensive article to show how Hazrat Mirza Sahib ranks as the Great Reformer among the mujaddids. When I started to write it, I began to feel that one article would not be sufficient, so I envisaged a series in many parts. Just at that time I received a letter from my friend Inamullah Khan Salari in Fort Sandeman asking me why I was not writing the third volume of Mujaddid Azam. I replied that in view of the paper shortage due to the [Second World] War the Anjuman, or anyone else, would not be able to print the book. He responded as follows: “The classical scholars of Islam produced their writings by relying on God. You too should trust in God and begin the work. He will arrange for the printing Himself.”

It occurred to me also that what I was writing was nothing other than Mujaddid Azam Volume 3. It was as if Allah, by His grace, was causing me to write this book without me realising that it was this book which I was writing. Perhaps the wisdom of Allah in this was that since, due to infirmity and old age, I felt I could not write a book, so I should start writing an article which would become lengthy and assume the form of a book. I recalled from the life of Maulana Rumi that when he started writing his Masnawi, at the insistence of his disciple Zia-ul-Haq Hussam-ud-Din, he intended to write no more than one section (daftar). But when he began to write, it finished with six sections. Had he lived longer, God knows how many more sections he would have written.

Anyhow, I started writing that book, and have completed one-third of it. It is not as detailed as I would have wished. However, the advantage I can see in this is that while historical narratives can be read in detail it is difficult to read philosophical arguments at such length; hence brevity is better. Still, it will be about 300 pages.

The difficulty arising now is that due to my frailty and lack of resources I lose my determination. Sometimes such complex issues have to be written about that I feel unable to take up the pen since intense mental exertion is required. So, in this month of Ramadan I appeal to my friends to pray during tahajjud prayers with special attention that Allah, with His grace and help by the Holy Spirit, may enable this book to be completed and make it beneficial for the world.

After this, God willing, I wish to write the third part of Anwar-ul- Quran, consisting of commentary on parts 28 and 29 of the Quran. For this too, I cannot find the strength. So, I appeal to friends to pray that Allah may grant me life, health and opportunity to complete these services to the faith. If it is punishment for my misdeeds which is holding me back, please pray that Allah may forgive me and have mercy on me. A human being is powerless and fallible, while Allah possesses all power and is forgiving and merciful.