Quranic Revival and Socio-Political Reform in Twentieth-Century South Asia: A Comparative Analytical Study of Maulana Abul A'la Maududi and Dr. Israr Ahmad

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive comparative analytical examination of two of the most influential Islamic reformist scholars of twentieth-century South Asia: Maulana Abul A'la Maududi (1903–1979) and Dr. Israr Ahmad (1932–2010). Both thinkers were deeply committed to the revival of Quranic principles and the implementation of Islamic socio-political values in Muslim societies; however, their methodologies, institutional frameworks, and reform strategies diverged significantly. Maududi conceptualized Islam as a comprehensive ideological state system and sought to implement it through structured political activism via Jamaat-e-Islami. In contrast, Dr. Israr Ahmad emphasized Quranic pedagogy, spiritual purification, and grassroots moral transformation through Tanzeem-e-Islami and Anjuman Khuddam ul-Quran. This research situates both scholars within the broader classical Islamic intellectual tradition tracing their intellectual genealogy to Ibn Taymiyyah's doctrine of socio-political responsibility and Shah Waliullah Dehlawi's theory of tajdid (revival) — and evaluates their convergences and divergences through primary and secondary source analysis. The findings demonstrate that while Maududi and Israr Ahmad represent distinct yet interconnected trajectories of Islamic revivalism, their complementary frameworks together offer a multidimensional model for contemporary Islamic socio-political renewal in an era of globalization and moral fragmentation.

Keywords: Quranic Revival, Islamic Revivalism, Maududi, Israr Ahmad, South Asian Islam, Tajdid, Jamaat-e-Islami, Tanzeem-e-Islami, Socio-Political Reform, Shah Waliullah