It was Maulana Syed Abu Ala Maududi (1903-79) who first laid the foundation of Jamaat-e-Islami in Lahore in 1941. He emerged as a visionary, thinker and leader on the horizon of India and impressed and influenced a large section of the Muslim Ummah and intellectuals.
After the turmoil of Partition of India, the Muslims of India were passing through very tough times. Another courageous and visionary leader of the Jamaat, Maulana Abul Lais Islahi Nadvi collected the disintegrated caravan of the Jamaat and re-establish Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in 1948. The Jamaat has inspired countless hearts and souls throughout the length and breadth of India.
This year India has become the most populous country of the world with its 144 crore citizens. The Jamaat is Islamic in the fullest sense of the term and its basic task is calling the people of this great country towards Almighty Allah. It presents before people the way to success in the worldly life as well as in the everlasting life of the Hereafter (Aakhirah).
It is the only organisation which presents the most comprehensive concept of the message of Islam and which is shaping the lives of Muslims on moral principles of Islam so that they may become an ideal community which is theoretically and practically the embodiment of what the Almighty wants and Islam creates.
The Jamaat has been giving equal importance to call the non-Muslim majority of India containing different religious segments of Indian fraternity. It has produced vast literature in all important Indian languages of the country along with the Qur’ān, Hadith, etc. to explain the life-giving and life-saving message of Islam. In this way the Jamaat has been successful in uplifting the character of crores of Muslims in particular and Non-Muslims in general. The Jamaat has completed comprehensive plans for socio-economic and educational improvement of people and has a disciplined cadre which is active in every state of the country for character building and uplifting the citizens, morally, socially and economically. It is fulfilling its duty of making the Indian society an ideal society.
Having done so much, now the Jamaat heart within and God overhead has a firm resolve to redouble its effort to turn India into a God-fearing, prosperous, human society. May Allah help us in this stupendous task.
Radiance has been wholeheartedly supporting these efforts of the Jamaat during its 60 years life. This Special Issue of Radiance is a humble effort to present some aspects of the great contributions of the Jamaat towards nation building on the universal principles of love, justice and cooperation.