A Review of Ideas of Abul Ala Maududi

Abul Ala Maududi is one of the most brilliant religious thinkers of Indian subcontinent. He had long lasting and immanent impact on thoughts and opinions of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent and other Islamic countries. Many of scholars believe that he was promoter and motivator of some Muslim groups which have started their political and religious activities. Maududi believed in realization of Islamic utopian world. The ideas that was a remedial treatment for the most weakened and hopeless contemporary Muslims. Some believe that Muslim secret army groups in the different Islamic areas were deeply influenced by his discourses¡ like “holy sovereignty”¡ “ignorance”¡ “Western civilization” and “necessity of realization of pure Islamic society”. This means the same dreamy world which from Sunni Muslims viewpoint was established only in the Prophet’s era¡ and thus Salafi movements are nothing but an attempt to achieve such historical purity and heritage that had only realized in the Prophet’s and Kholafay-e-Rashedin. In this paper¡ we are trying to provide a general conception of this vision¡ and to demonstrate that whether or not the portrait depicted by Maududi of his political thought has been comprehensive and effective. Finally¡ we want to analyze the point that to what extent Maududi has played a role in politicalizing the believers in Sharia in the Islamic world.