Maudūdī’s al-Jihād fi’l-Islām: A Neglected Document
The notions of virtuosity in Islamic civilization are sometimes construed with a metaphorical allusion to the ink of scholars and the blood of martyrs. The two aspects find a common ground in the web of meanings which are associated with the broader term jihad, which leaves the door wide open for di...
| Published in: | Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
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| Published: |
Diagonal-Verlag
2012
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| In: |
Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
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| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) |
| Summary: | The notions of virtuosity in Islamic civilization are sometimes construed with a metaphorical allusion to the ink of scholars and the blood of martyrs. The two aspects find a common ground in the web of meanings which are associated with the broader term jihad, which leaves the door wide open for different (re)constructions and multiple (mis)perceptions. Thus, this metaphor is rich enough for understanding the symbolism which functions behind the Muslim cultural and religious consciousness. Among other things, it implies that the ink of scholars can reinvigorate the inspirations for potential martyrs in the changing historical contexts. Against this background, the present paper introduces and analysis a neglected Urdu work of Sayyid Abu’l-A‘la Maududi (1903-1979), namely al-Jihad fi’l-Islam (the title can be translated as ›The Concept of Jihad in Islam‹). This was the first book written by Maududi (in 1927) in which he conceptualizes jihad in such terms as to become the foundation of the whole religio-political philosophy that unfolds in his later works. In fact, this book can be considered one of the key documents representing the particular strand of revivalist Islamic thought in the twentieth century which interprets Islam largely along political and ideological lines. Another aspect of this book which seems to be much relevant to the theme of the present volume is that it puts jihad in comparative religious context. According to my knowledge, this book has not been translated into any Western language; therefore, apart from the modest analysis, the paper seeks to draw attention of the scholarly community to this important work. Bereitgestellt |
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| ISSN: | 2194-508X |
| Contains: | In: Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/zfr.2009.17.1.61 |