After preparing both versions, I handed them to Maulana Abul Lais Sahib. He agreed to choose one of these to consider when drafting his response, which he would send to me. He then returned to Delhi via Rampur, and after consulting with other associates, he sent the following response:

Delhi–January 29, 1963

Dear Brother,

Assalamu Alaykum,

In response to your letter dated January 23, I want to clarify the following: The main source for defining Jamaat-e-Islami’s ideology is its Dastoor (Constitution), and all members are essentially bound by it. One of its clauses clearly states, “The Quran and Sunnah shall be the basis of the Jamaat’s framework, and all other materials will be considered secondary, only to the extent that they are permissible according to the Quran and Sunnah.”

Regarding Jamaat’s literature, it is not limited to the writings of any single author; instead, it includes works by multiple authors that explain different aspects of deen. Collectively, this literature provides an accurate interpretation of the Jamaat’s objectives. However, as I have stated before in my writings on several occasions, this literature is created by human effort and intellect, and like all human works, it may contain errors. I am willing to admit that I believe some parts of our literature are not entirely aligned with the objectives and interpretations outlined in our Constitution.

Since we regularly clarify our objectives and provide explanations in alignment with the Constitution, we are confident that our members will consider the Constitution and its explanations as the primary source for understanding our goals rather than any statement that may not fully align with it. Therefore, such inconsistencies in our literature do not cause us any particular concern. Furthermore, I sense that all members of the Jamaat have consciously adopted the objective and ideological explanation stated in the Constitution. Hence they would not accept any writing that diverges from it. Conversely, any writing that aligns with it, regardless of the author, would represents the Jamaat’s ideology.

I am unsure whether this clarification will thoroughly address your concerns. We certainly hope you continue your work within the Jamaat. However, you know that accepting the Jamaat’s objective is a fundamental requirement for membership. Therefore, it is insufficient for our reassurance that your concerns regarding the literature alone are alleviated and that you would retract your objections and continue working within the Jamaat. You would also need to confirm that you accept the Jamaat’s objectives. This need for reassurance is particularly relevant because your previous discussions have been closely tied to the Jamaat’s objectives. Even when I inquired about this directly during our conversation in Azamgarh, you did not provide a clear response as to whether you still consider the objective stated in our Constitution and its explanation valid. Your recent letter also remains silent on this matter.

I look forward to your response to this clarification. May Allah grant both of us the guidance to follow the straight path.

Wassalam,

Abul Lais