Islam Today

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I October 30, 2001

AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, a misconception that has gained ground is that Islam allows and even encourages violence. Nothing can be farther from the truth. It's true that Islam permits its followers to fight in self-defence, but that's allowed by all religions and legal systems. Perpetration of violence, though, is altogether another matter. And it's forbidden in Islam.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Pioneer I August 17, 1997

Jihad is regularly misconstrued as war, with all its connotations of violence and bloodshed. However, in the Islamic context, and in the literal sense, the word jihad simply means a struggle –doing one’s utmost to further a worthy cause. This is an entirely peaceful struggle, with no overtones even of aggression. The actual Arabic equivalent of war is qital, and even this is meant in a defensive sense.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I Hindustan Times I April 25, 1995

When an enraged mob of Hindu fanatics demolished the Babri Masjid of Ayodhya and replaced it with a makeshift mandir, it became an act, which was both climactic and terminal. It was not the peaking of an upsurge, but its end. Every destructive activity has an outer limit, and when this limit is reached, no further destruction can take place.

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I February 11, 1993

The issue of Ayodhya’s Babri masjid has turned into one of life and death for the Muslim community. The tragic event of December 6 gave a serious jolt to the conscience of the country. What was deplorable was that it made a mockery of the promises by the leaders of the Ram mandir movement. Given all these factors, the destruction of the mosque was not simply the demolition of a structure; it was akin to the negation of an entire history.

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