Response

Of course, this letter was not enough to satisfy me. Therefore, I sent the following letter on June 25 in response:

“Dear Sir, I received your letter dated June 15, 1962, in Rampur on June 23. Regrettably, contrary to my expectations, you acknowledged receipt of my writing and declined to respond to it. Once again, I implore you, for the sake of God, to kindly assist me. With God as my witness, I say in all sincerity that my intention is not to stir up controversy in the name of religion. Instead, after careful and unbiased study, I have reached a conclusion with complete honesty. Considering my current understanding, my reason and conscience compel me to believe that the interpretation of religion I have adhered to for the past fifteen years is incorrect. In contrast, the alternate interpretation, which appears correct to me, I have clearly explained in my writing.

Please read it and share your opinion with specific arguments. I assure you I will consider it seriously, and if my understanding confirms that your view aligns more closely with the Quran and Sunnah, God willing, I will have no hesitation in accepting it. Although you have expressed your views thoroughly in your books and articles, no written work can fully address all questions that might arise later. Your books reflect your perspective, not direct answers to my questions. If someone points out a flaw in the arguments supporting your view, you should clarify your position again in relation to the identified flaw.

You don’t need to go into much detail for this. Before, you’ve read a critic’s writing, identified the main points, and responded only to those, ignoring the rest. You can do the same with my writing.

You have repeatedly stated that if anyone believes your perspective does not align with the Quran and Sunnah, they should clarify it to you through the Quran and Sunnah and that you will indeed consider it. You have also asserted that if you ever realize that you have deviated even slightly from the Quran and Sunnah, you will immediately return to the truth. Therefore, when someone attempts to draw your attention to your mistakes in light of the Quran and Sunnah, how can it be appropriate to neither accept nor refute their arguments, nor even make an effort to read them in full, and simply dismiss them without justification?

Let me also clarify that this issue is not limited to myself alone. All the colleagues to whom I have shown this writing—including individuals from all levels—are also awaiting your response. Although they have not agreed with my ideas, they believe you need to provide a reasoned refutation of the objections raised in my writing to retain their confidence in the previous perspective. In such a situation, it would be a great injustice not only to me but to all these people if you remained silent. Additionally, I doubt you can indeed remain silent on this issue indefinitely. So, why not say now whatever you would eventually say in the future? This would be an attempt on your part to resolve this issue through private conversation, avoiding public debate and conflict, just as I sent you my writing before considering it for publication with the same intention.

In conclusion, if your knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah indicates that I am not on the right path and you have solid arguments for this, then it is your duty to correct me with those arguments. If you remain silent despite having evidence and tell me to continue promoting what you believe to be misguidance, I cannot understand how you will justify this before God.

Sincerely,

Wahiduddin