PREFACE
TO THE SECOND EDITION

The first edition of the Urdu version of Tabeer ki Ghalati (The Error of Political Islam) was published in 1963. It quickly went out of print, and since then, the demand for it has continued. However, due to various reasons, its reprinting was repeatedly postponed. Now, over twenty years later, its second edition is being published. Apart from some minor wording revisions, no changes have been made in this edition. It is being printed almost exactly as it appeared in 1963. In the original format, the “Appendix” was placed at the end of the book; in this new edition, it has been moved to the middle.

The exchanges I had with certain scholars about the concepts under discussion are included here, as in the first edition. However, after the publication of the book, none of these scholars provided any further written responses, remaining entirely silent on the matter. Volume Four of Maulana Abul A‘la Maududi’s (1903–1979) Tafheem-ul-Quran was published after my book. It contains nearly seven pages of commentary under the verse from Chapter Al-Shura, “Establish the Deen” (42:13), which contains indications that suggest Maulana Maududi might have indirectly responded to Tabeer ki Ghalati (The Error of Political Islam). This extensive note not only has a rebuttal tone but also includes allusive phrases such as:

“How could anyone present this as the sole purpose of the Prophetic mission?”

“Above all, the thing with which this misinterpretation most directly comes into conflict is…”

After the publication of Tafheem-ul-Quran, Volume Four, I wrote to Maulana Maududi, asking whether his commentary on the verse in Chapter Al-Shura was intended as a response to my book. If so, I informed him, I would publish a refutation since, in my view, this entire discussion was irrelevant. In his reply, he denied that he had intended his commentary as a response to my book. I consider this simply an instance of lack of intellectual courage on his part, as he did not acknowledge that he had, indeed, indirectly addressed my objections. Nevertheless, I sent him a copy of my book Al-Islam through an informal channel, and according to a letter dated February 5, 1979, it reached him before his demise.

However, some of his disciples did publish responses. Among them was Mr. Amir Usmani (d. 1975), who, rather than addressing the core intellectual objections of Tabeer ki Ghalati (The Error of Political Islam), resorted to mocking its author in his characteristic style to imply that the author was not even worth responding to. Mr. Usmani’s lengthy article was published in his magazine Tajalli at the beginning of 1965. In response, I wrote an Urdu article titled “Critique or Ridicule?” which first appeared in the monthly Nizam (Kanpur) in December 1965 and was later reprinted in other journals. In this article, I systematically demonstrated the baselessness of Mr. Usmani’s arguments from an academic standpoint. “Critique or Ridicule?” has been published separately as part of a book collection titled Ja’izay.

After the publication of my article, Mr. Usmani became silent on this subject. Though he lived for another decade, he never again directly addressed the arguments presented in Tabeer ki Ghalati (The Error of Political Islam), perhaps realizing his error. That is why, in the August 1966 issue of the monthly Tajalli, he made up for this through a special issue titled “Crux of Study.” This special issue had featured many prominent writers, including Maulana Maududi. But the first and the most prominent article in this issue was one on myself. Mr. Usmani, while introducing my book Mazhab Aur Jadeed Challenge (God Arises), wrote in glowing terms about me. It would not be incorrect to say that he used his last word of acknowledgement in recognition of this book “Mazhab Aur Jadeed Challenge (God Arises)”.

I believe that the case of Maulana Jalil Ahsan Nadwi (d. 1981) was similar. He initially approached Tabeer Ki Ghalati (The Error of Political Islam) with a mocking tone, but when my monthly magazine Al-Risala began in 1976, he showed great appreciation for it. In fact, Al-Risala is based on the same religious perspective presented in The Error of Political Islam. Yet, Maulana Jalil Ahsan was not only a regular reader but also a subscriber. He wrote several encouraging letters regarding Al-Risala, and I sensed that he had become a silent supporter of my views.

Other individuals in this intellectual circle also attempted to refute The Error of Political Islam in various ways. Their method, however, was to avoid directly mentioning the book or citing its original text anywhere in their works. Instead, they created hypothetical objections, responded to those, and assumed they had refuted The Error of Political Islam. However, all such writings serve only as self-refutations, not as refutations of The Error of Political Islam. These individuals were aware that quoting the original text of The Error of Political Islam would leave them vulnerable to academic scrutiny. So, they constructed objections of their own making and addressed those instead, thinking they had refuted the book. However, in reality, they had only refuted their own assumptions, not the actual The Error of Political Islam.

The truth is that the ideas critiqued in The Error of Political Islam have been thoroughly defeated in the realm of academic discourse. However, the prejudice of the supporters of these ideas is inhibiting them from admitting this. Exhibiting a defeated mindset, they have resorted to a systematic campaign to discredit me. Unable to succeed in the field of critique, they have descended into slander. If only they realized that this approach weakens their case even further, showing not only their intellectual bankruptcy but also a decline in ethical standards.

The Quran mentions:

“Those who deny the truth say, “‘Do not listen to this Quran. Drown it out with noise, so that you may gain the upper hand’”. (41: 26)

Commenting on the term Wa’lghaw fihi (drown it out), Abdullah ibn Abbas interprets it as “a‘ibuhu” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Vol. 4, p. 98), meaning “defame it”—to criticize the Quran and its proclaimer.

Based on Ibn Abbas’s interpretation, there are two ways to express opposition to someone. One is critique, and the other is defamation. Critique involves rejection based on clear proof, whereas defamation entails levelling accusations and indulging in slander. Critique is an Islamic approach that allows everyone the right to analyse someone’s ideas based on evidence. But defamation is entirely an un-Islamic approach, one that the Quran associates with disbelievers. Those engaged in defamation campaigns should reflect to whose footsteps they are following with such behaviour.

—Wahiduddin

October 6, 1986