Qadiani Problem is a book written by

Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi Abul A'la al-Maududi ( ur, , translit=Abū al-Aʿlā al-Mawdūdī; – ) was an Islamic scholar, Islamist ideologue, Muslim philosopher, jurist, historian, journalist, activist and scholar active in British India and later, following the parti ...

. It was first published in 1953. The term "

Qadiani Qadiani or Qadiyani ( ur, قادیانی, hi, क़ादियानी, pa, ਕ਼ਾਦਿਆਨੀ; ) is a religious slur used to refer to Ahmadi Muslims, primarily in Pakistan. The term originates from Qadian, a small town in northern Ind ...

" is a religious slur which refers to members of the

Ahmadiyya Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

branch of Islam.

Synopsis

The book deals with some of the interpretations of

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad (13 February 1835 – 26 May 1908) was an Indian religious leader and the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam. He claimed to have been divinely appointed as the promised Messiah and Mahdi—which is the metaphori ...

who claimed to be a prophet. It discusses the finality of prophethood, the claimed prophethood of Ahmad, and its consequences in Muslim society. It also mentions the status of the Ahmadiyya Community and the political plans which Maududi associated with them. In one of the appendices of the book, a discussion has been given which is claimed to have occurred between

Allama Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...

and

Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

. In this discussion Allama Iqbal is said to have expressed his views regarding followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and have rationalised his view that followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad be given a status of a different religious community in India.

Reception

A comprehensive rebuttal was published by the second Ahmadiyya leader at the time because the book was considered to be hate speech by the Ahmadiyya branch of Islam.

Legacy

In 1953, Maududi and his Jamat e Islami party participated in a campaign against the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan, joined by traditionalist

ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

who wanted Ahmadi Muslims designated as non-Muslims. Ahmadis such as

Muhammad Zafarullah Khan Chaudhry Sir Muhammad Zafarullah Khan ( ur, ‎; 6 February 1893 – 1 September 1985) was a Pakistani jurist and diplomat who served as the first Foreign Minister of Pakistan. After serving as foreign minister he continued his internati ...

sacked from all high level government positions, and intermarriage between Ahmadi Muslims and other Muslims prohibited. The campaign generated riots in Lahore, leading to the deaths of at least 2000 Ahmadis, and selective declaration of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

.Jamaat-e-IslamiGlobalSecurity.org
Retrieved 1 July 2007. Maududi was arrested by the military deployment headed by Lieutenant General Azam Khan and sentenced to death for his part in the agitation.Leonard Binder: ''Religion and politics in Pakistan'', p. 263. University of California Press, 1961. However, the anti-Ahmadi campaign enjoyed much popular support, and strong public pressure ultimately convinced the government to release him after two years of imprisonment. According to

Vali Nasr Vali Reza Nasr ( fa, ولی‌ رضا نصر, born 20 December 1960) is an Iranian-American academic and author, specializing in the Middle East and the Islamic world. He is Majid Khaddouri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studi ...

, Maududi's unapologetic and impassive stance after being sentenced, ignoring advice to ask for clemency, had an "immense" effect on his supporters. It was seen as a "victory of Islam over un-Islam", proof of his leadership and staunch faith.Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr: ''Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism'', p. 139. Oxford University Press, 1996.

References

Books by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi 1953 non-fiction books {{Islam-book-stub