How relevant is Maulana Mawdudi these days?

How valid is Maulana Mawdudi these days? Dr. Zawaheri ( the Al-Qaida guy) quotes him extensively in his book.


Pakistani Jamaat-i-Islami founder and ideologue Mawdudi on the global mission of Islamic jihad.

Mawdudi had written, “Islam wants the whole earth and does not content itself with only a part thereof. It wants and requires the entire inhabited world. It does not want this in order that one nation dominates the earth and monopolizes its sources of wealth, after having taken them away from one or more other nations. No, Islam wants and requires the earth in order that the human race altogether can enjoy the concept and practical program of human happiness, by means of which God has honored Islam and put it above the other religions and laws. In order to realize this lofty desire, Islam wants to employ all forces and means that can be employed for bringing about a universal all-embracing revolution. It will spare no effort for the achievement of this supreme objective. This far-reaching struggle that continuously exhausts all forces and this employment of all possible means are called jihad.”

And further, “Islam is a revolutionary doctrine and system that overturns governments. It seeks to overturn the whole universal social order … and establish its structure anew … Islam seeks the world. It is not satisfied by a piece of land but demands the whole universe … Islamic jihad is at the same time offensive and defensive … The Islamic party does not hesitate to utilize the means of war to implement its goal.”

As is the case, all scholars are relevant only to the shool of thought that agrees with them. Maudoodi is no exception.

From "The Islamic way of life" by Maududi...

...even if all the Muslims outside the boundaries of an Islamic state are massacred, the state cannot unjustly shed the blood of a single non-Muslim living within its boundaries...

Given the attacks against Pakistani Christians in the post-9/11 environment, and against Pakistani Hindus and Jains following the Babri mosqu demolition, it is evident that many in Pakistan should pay heed to the words of Maududi - hence he is still relevant today.