Sayyid Mawdudi’s Tafsir and Modern Challenges

تفسير السيد المودودي وتحديات حديثة

Abstract

Sayyid Abū al-Aʿlā Mawdūdī (1903-1979) lived at a time when Islam was attacked from many corners of the world, from Western scholars, orientalists, modern scholars, Muslim apologists, anti-Ḥadīth movement and so on. The Western scholars do not regard the Qur’ān to be divine words. To them, Muhammad, peace be upon him (PBUH), had just copied the Qur’ān from biblical texts. They only regard the Bible to be the divine words. Some modern scholars submitted to the limited ability of rationality and rejected many Qur’ānic issues which are based on supernatural sources and the miracles of the Prophet. Anti-Ḥadīth scholars rejected the authenticity and the validity of the Prophetic traditions. To them, only Qur’ān is considered as the primary source of Islam and nothing else. Sayyid Mawdūdī dealt with all these challenges strongly and many other anti-Islamic and anti-Qur’ānic forces. This study follows textual analysis based on the Qur’ān, and the Tafhīm al-Qur’ān, the famous tafsīr of Mawdūdī and his other related writings. The study concluded that a reader should not get biased by preconceived notions while reading the Qur’ān. Rather he should keep his heart and mind open in dealing with the Qur’ānic issues and principles. It will open the doors of divine guidance for all sound-minded people.