Abu ‘Ala Mawdudi and Muslim Unity: A Critical Evaluation
Adebiyi Jelili A*
ABSTRACT
The thrust of this piece is to critically evaluate how Mawdudi’s rendition on Muslim unity can be contextualized as an operational guide for stimulating the unity of the Muslim ummah. The need for this is sequenced upon the fact that the devastating dichotomization of the ummah into ranks and files of dissenting, irreconcilable and despairing prejudices has further compounded its woes, abysmally incapacitated it to form a world-society and at worst, exposed the Muslim world to all forms of debilitating advances from its adversaries. Bailing the ummah out of this quandary underscores the theme of this paper, thus essentializing Muslim unity as the ideational basis of the ummatic vision of establishing a world-community that will lead humanity to the guided part. Taking into cognizance that Mawdudi’s proposal on the unity of the Muslims was a product of his time, this paper is thereby structured such that aside critically examining his theses on Muslim unity, his proposal was also re-examined, reconciled, re-interpreted in the light of the contemporaneous realities of the ummah. In the final analysis, this paper establishes that Mawdudi’s proposal on how to unify the Muslim ummah is contemporarily relevant and calls for a serious attention. If the proposal is put to work without allowing nationalistic and parochial interests blur its implementation, then, there is hope that we can evolve a united ummah which will once again lead humanity in the right direction.