Core Ideology & Current Stances Of JIH

It is difficult for me to reconcile the original ideology of Jamā‘at-e-Islami Hind (hukûmat-e-ilāhiyyah or iqāmat-e-deen) eloquently and emphatically outlined in the literature produced by Maulana Maududi (rahimahullah) and the current stances of the Jamā‘at. Iqāmt-e-deen (as understood by the Jamā‘at) has been stressed upon as an obligation – fareezah (hence, Fareezah-e-Iqāmat-e-Deen by Maulana Sadruddin Islahi Marhoom). We often lament on not having stalwarts of the stature of Maulana Sadruddin Islahi Marhoom who could further strengthen the ideology of the Jamā‘at.

All those things which the Muslims are currently deprived of were they enjoying them earlier and, hence, the Jamā‘at did not require to fight for it then and opposed the very same mechanism which is now supposed to ensure those very things for (mainly) Muslims? All those things which the Jamā‘at wants to do now were required from before the inception of the Jamā‘at. But it did not focus on it and focused on its ideology, instead. Why that ideology is taking the backseat now and other issues are taking the centre-stage?

I am afraid, the Jamā‘at has begun to consider the Muslims as a racial group (nasli garoh) as different from a nazariyyāti (ideological) jamā‘at. This is what Maulana Maududi was not comfortable with and was, in fact, inimical, to. At this pace, however, of ignoring the core ideology where is the Jamā‘at heading to? The core ideology and the current policies need to be satisfactorily reconciled.

On the other had, there is an alternative course of action for the Jamā‘at. The urgent task in front of ALL the Indian Muslims is to do away with the duality of knowledge into ‘secular’ and ‘religious’, which is at the root of all our problems. As one significant step towards this objective we need to teach Arabic to all Muslim kids. The Jamā‘at – with its sincere and devoted cadre – can do a lot in this campaign. Hope this humble suggestion, besides all the previous ones, will be favourably considered by the Jamā‘at.