Third Phase: Formal Correspondence

This is a brief account of my individual discussions with senior members of the Jamaat regarding my ideas, which continued for two full years. Eventually, I concluded that such discussions were not going to yield any fruitful outcome. I decided to seek the final and definitive response of the Jamaat on this matter. Consequently, I sent a copy of my written work to the Amir (leader) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maulana Abul Lais Nadwi (1913-1990), along with a letter dated April 1, 1962. The content of the letter was as follows:

“With this letter, I am sending a copy of my written work. My purpose in sending it to you is to present to you, as the responsible leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, the ideas that have led me to experience severe dissatisfaction with the Jamaat. I would like to receive a clear response from you on these matters, so I can make a final decision regarding my association with the Jamaat.

I have no suggestion regarding the form of your response. You may respond yourself or consult the Shura Council or scholars of the Jamaat and then inform me. In any case, whatever response I receive from you, I will consider it the Jamaat’s official reply and, based on it, decide the course of action I should take.”

Two weeks later, the Shura Council’s annual meeting began in Delhi. During the meeting, the Amir distributed copies of my written work to the members of the Shura for review. On April 19, they held two sessions throughout the day, devoting several hours to its examination. Since I was asked to step out of these sessions, I do not know what was discussed. However, at the end, the Amir called me into the meeting and informed me, “We all agree that your work needs to be considered with full seriousness, but a response cannot be provided hastily; it will require ample time.” Consequently, Maulana Sadruddin Islahi (1917–1998), a prominent scholarly figure of the Jamaat and one of its early members, was appointed to prepare a detailed response, and later, a four-month deadline was set, with Maulana Sadruddin expected to submit his written response by the end of August.

Additionally, the Amir and the Shura members expressed the wish to send a copy of my work to Maulana Abul A’la Maududi and Maulana Jalil Ahsan Nadwi, to seek their opinions on it. Maulana Maududi’s importance lies in the fact that he is the original thinker behind the ideology upon which Jamaat-e-Islami was founded. Maulana Jalil Ahsan Nadwi, on the other hand, holds a significant position within the Jamaat due to his extensive life dedication to studying the Quran. Even today, as a teacher of the Quran, he devotes his best hours to this noble book, making his opinion on the matter highly valuable.

I will now present the accounts of each of these three individuals separately.