Islam Against Inequity

About Islam Against Inequity

In the process of explaining the Quran Mr. Maudoodi is one of those who dare express most reckless opinions of his own. Of those who stand high in this respect Mr. Maudoodi is a very well-known figure. Of those who are responsible for corrupting the Quranic thought due to the application of personal views, Maudoodi has surpassed many.
If the Quranic expressions are not judged from the view points of the Quran itself, one can have only a kind of satisfaction of expressing one's own views and opinions instead of understanding the trend of thought in it. This is a truth for all readers.
There is neither a single utterance in the Quran and Hadith in support of material inequity nor can it be possible to have any such utterance in either of them, because there are about a hundred Hadith from the Holy Prophet in favour of equity and social justice. Mr. Maudoodi has however discovered in the Quran a number of utterances of material inequity which he used as quotations in favour of his own political and religious views. Mr. Maudoodi cannot be held responsible for this blunder as he is not acquainted with the very philosophy of the Quran. When a child begins to express his mind in writings he will naturally commit so many mistakes that his writings cannot be criticised against. He may, however, be taught and then be brought to such a stage of his advancement of learning that be fits him for a real criticism. One who will make childish and unauthorised expressions, far below any criticism, will naturally commit many mistakes because the very foundation of his views is based on wrong notions. So instead of criticising Mr. Maudoodi's views let me try to give a real interpretation of those Quranic verses supposed by him to be against material equity.
I am sorry to mention that it is very difficult to give a real interpretation of those verses without making the reader acquainted with the Quranic philosophy as a whole. This is because a short expression out of a whole, is linked up with the whole trend of thought of it. That is why no reader can be made acquainted with the interpretation of small expression out of a big verse without making him acquainted with the technical meanings of specific words used in the Quran. Meanings of such words as will be found in the dictionary will not help the readers at all. Many of the Quranic words have got their own meanings quite independent of the meanings generally used in the Arabic literature.

Mr. Maudoodi has long been publishing his misleading works and writings on religious and political views for this land. It is not Mr. Maudoodi alone, there are many Arabic learned persons who are quite ignorant of Quranic trend of thought and philosophy. So this humble attempt is made to refute an essay written by Mr. Maudoodi, the Bengali translation of which was published in the monthly Bengali Magazine "Prithibi" in the month of August, 1969.
In this connection, I shall request the readers to go through a Bengali Book named "Masjid Darshan" written by me. In this Book there have been defined a number of Quranic words which I think would help the reader to have a clear conception of the analysis of the quotations placed below.
(The Cattle vi : 165) It is He who hath made you inheritors of the Earth; and He hath raised you in ranks, some above others; in order to try you in the matters He hath given. Surely your Rob (i.e. Lord) is quick in punishment, and surely He is indeed forgiving Most Merciful.

Explanation : "Inheritance of the Earth" means ownership after the present possessors to whom a life tenancy has been given by the owner, have passed away. In fact ownership belongs to Allah alone. Quran says in (xv : 23) "We give life and death, and we are the Heirs (that is Inheritors)" In this verse No. 165 private ownership or authority over any property has not been mentioned. It carries a double meaning (i) spiritual and (2) worldly.