Often controversial, always outspoken, the Maulana’s deep and absolute commitment to building peace was remarkable in its resoluteness despite some of his pronouncements being berated—mostly on Babri Masjid. In person the Maulana extended an aura full of positivity, greatness, composure to even non-believers and his charisma could be often building. Whenever one met him or heard him, his faith in essential goodness of humanity was rejuvenated.

Khan’s journey to prominence was striking. Born in Bhadaria in Azamgarh, he had most of his education in Madarssa, and was deeply influenced by Gandhian non-violence as well as the role played by science and rationality in becoming instruments of progress. He fused these diverse impulses into a study of Islam; and injected the need to contemplate a practical way in gaining spiritual wisdom. Although formally nosufi order, his deep emphasis on self-introspection as well as his personality lent him a dervish-like persona. He was prolific in writings and his talks - Arrisa (the Magazine) a magazine he started in 1976 “consisting of almost entirely his writings and articles”.

For him peace was an absolute end in itself and it had to be pursued unconditionally. Only once peace was established did it throw open the opportunity to achieve goals. For him, therefore, and often to the discomfort of a section of his follows, “peace and justice” were non-sequiturs. Peace was indivisible and had to be pursued for its sake.

The Maulana also saw his mission to help the world that the essence of Islam (both etymologically as well as substantively) was peace. Indeed the Centre for Peace and Spirituality that he set up inspired activism by encouraging its members to become ambassadors of peace, including by promoting positivity and interfaith dialogue. A great champion of inter-faith dialogue: and matrimony(rather than debate which provokes and strife). For him the conversation between different religious leaders had to be based (not on glossing over deep differences between faiths) on mutual respect. D Quoranic verse “for your religion, for me mine”.

The Maulana was drawn into controversy after he agreed with Supreme Court verdict on Babri Masjid. Even earlier he had said that a solution to the issue was relocation of Masjid. For him the masjid issue had been magnified by the Hanifi school of jurisprudence, which believed that the land on which the Masjid stood has to be used as mosque in perpetuity. Instead he draw attention at the hadith, which held that the entire planet is a mosque for you wherever you happen to be at the moment of prayer.

The Maulana’s profound understanding of Jihid was fascinating. He often used the aftermath of the chazwa-e-Tabukas an example, where the prophet of Islam had made a sharp distinction between Jihad (of a lower order) against one’s opponents and the Jihad–ei-Akbari (the highest order Jihad) against one ’nafz’ and argued that was the supreme meaning of Jihad. In one of the final lectures he suggested that the cause of coronavirus was deviating from the path of nature. And eventually, if there was recognition, introspection and the return to the path of being in harmony with nature, a more blessed world would revolt itself. We can only pray that the Maulana, with his infinite wisdom, was right on this occasion as well.
(IPA Service)