KARACHI: Imam Ahmed Raza Khan was a great visionary and had enunciated the two-nation theory in British India much before Allama Iqbal delivered his famous lecture on the issue in Allahabad, said a scholar at a conference held to discuss the political views of the revered Muslim thinker and religious scholar.

The conference, titled ‘Expert of social sciences Imam Ahmed Raza Khan’s political views, their effects and implementation’, was organised by Idara Tehqeeqaat-i-Imam Ahmed Raza in collaboration with the faculty of social sciences in the Arts auditorium of Karachi University on Thursday.

Prof Dr Akhtar Baloch, Vice Chancellor of Benazir Bhutto University, Lyari, presided over the event while Prof Dr Mohammad Ahmed Qadri was the guest of honour.

‘He said well-being of one Muslim was obligatory on another’

Speaking on the occasion, Syed Wajahat Rasool Qadri said Imam Raza created political awareness in the Muslims and guided such political leaders as Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal and the movement culminated in the creation of Pakistan.

Prof Dr Mujeeb Ahmed of the International Islamic University, Islamabad, said Imam Raza believed that India was a ‘Darussalam’ where the Muslims could follow their religion freely. “Now Pakistan is a Darussalam and we should make any sacrifice needed to safeguard its integrity.”

Mufti Abdurrehman, a lecturer at the Aga Khan College, said politics and religion could not be separated from each other. “Religious scholars should enter politics. If you don’t want to be ruled by people inferior to you, you must play your due role in politics,” he said, addressing the religious scholars and students.

He said Ahmed Raza Khan wanted to purge the political system of corrupt elements. “He also said the welfare of a Muslim was an obligation on another Muslim. Similarly, he wanted Muslim nations to joins hands to fight together their common enemies.”

Dr Saqib Khan explained what social sciences are and how they were vital to shape a society. He said Imam Raza touched upon almost all subjects of social sciences in his speeches and writings.

Underscoring the importance of the sciences, he said: “People in the West prefer their children to be educated in social sciences, which show how to deal with people,” he said. “Even our own politicians send their children to the West to get educated in social sciences to enable them to become leaders of their nation.”

He said Imam Raza was an expert in economics also and he urged the Muslims to trade with their own co-religionists only. He also wanted an Islamic banking system established for the Muslims. He even advised the Muslims to avoid overspending their resources.

Dr Hafiz Sohail Shafique, a teacher at Karachi University, said the Muslims were in a state of disarray after the 1857 War of Independence. “Ahmed Raza waged a jihad with his pen to unite and strengthen the Muslims politically and economically,” he said.

Senior politician and lawyer Azad Bin Hyder made a passionate speech and said religion and politics were inseparable.

Speaking on the debacle of Dhaka, he said he could not forget the words of then prime minister of India Indira Gandhi she had uttered at a ceremony in 1974. “She said this is not the defeat of the Pakistani army, nor is [it] a victory of the Indian army. This is the defeat of the ideology which led to the creation of Pakistan.”

Three books by Syed Wajahat Qadri were also launched at the conference.

The organisers of the conference said next year would be the death centenary [according to Islamic calendar] of Ahmed Raza Khan, which would be celebrated befittingly. They said 48 PhD theses had already been written on the great scholar, the number of which would go up to 50 in 2018.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2017