Yesterday, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry, in one of his speeches, made some remarks regarding Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the establishment of Pakistan, Islam and secularism. Left-wing pioneers and prominent intellectuals Mubarak Ali, Mubashir Hassan and Pervez Hoodbhai had been trying to build a narrative that the founder of the nation wanted to build a secular state but failed.
Speech on topics such as the Independence Movement of Pakistan, Founders of Pakistan, Religious Leaders and Islam is definitely not worth giving a scientific and reasoned answer. It is necessary to discuss the speech for the correction of record, accuracy and guidance for the younger generation.
Now let’s discuss Fawad Chaudhry’s latest remarks. While inaugurating a photo exhibition on the life of Quaid-e-Azam in Islamabad, he said that Pakistan was fighting against extremism as there are extremists ruling India in the east of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the west. Interestingly, their prime minister and party chief, Imran Khan, likened the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan to freedom and travels around the world appealing for help.
The 17th Extraordinary Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) was recently held in Islamabad, in which the Pakistani movement to establish a fund to support the Taliban government in Afghanistan was agreed upon.
Later in the conversation, Fawad Chaudhry also talked about Tehreek-e-Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Islam and secularism. Referring to the personal life of Quaid-e-Azam, he said that his personal life was also liberal and he wanted to make Pakistan a liberal secular and a secular state.
In this statement, while Fawad Chaudhry mentioned the scholarly endeavors and importance of Maulana Azad and Maulana Maududi, on the one hand, due to his lack of knowledge, Maulana Maududi’s city of Afaq Tafsir-e-Qur’an connects with Maulana Azad’s. According to him, Maulana Azad’s Tafsir-e-Quran was accepted all over the world, although in fact this understanding is characteristic of the Qur’an, Fawad Chaudhry may not even know the name of Maulana Azad’s Tafsir-e-Quran. How many volumes does it contain and whether he was able to complete it or his scientific endeavor was left unfinished?
In the same way, it is important for our new generation to understand that Islam is not a system of the papacy, as is customary in Europe after the separation of religion and the world in the Vatican, but Islam is a complete code of life, Covering every aspect, Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not only a preacher but also the founder and ruler of a state, a merchant and a general and that is why the head of state in the state of Madinah was also the imam of the mosque.
The Righteous Caliphate has been based on this Sunnah and for fourteen hundred years the Ummah has been in agreement that Islam is not a religion or a combination of rituals and worship but a political, social and economic system, without its full implementation, the blessings cannot be availed.
So when Fawad Chaudhry says that he [Jinnah] was building a country for the Muslims but did not intend to create an Islamic state, then he is in fact propagating a misleading ideology. Not only is it contrary to the sayings and instructions of Quaid-e-Azam, but it is also against the writings of Maulana Azad and Maulana Maududi, the centuries-long scholarly and practical consensus of the Ummah and the teachings of the Prophet and the Qur’anic injunctions. This means both the country and the government belong to Allah and it is not a matter of liking or disliking the religion but of full implementation and full entry. That is why Allama Iqbal had also said that
اپنی ملت پر قیاس اقوام مغرب سے نہ کر
خاص ہے ترکیب میں قومِ رسولِ ہاشمی
