The Many Roads of Islamization to the Islamic State: The Inherent Flexibility in Mawdudi’s Islamization Framework

Abstract

Mawdudi viewed Islamization as the process in which the people become reformed on the basis of Islam and Islam becomes entrenched in society. This process is viewed by him as a necessary prerequisite to establishing an Islamic state. However, a look at Mawdudi’s own writings and political decisions along with the various Islamic organizations that claim to adhere to his way show that different methods have been taken for Islamization based on the local context. This may seem to be a problem for his Islamization framework. I argue, however, that there is an inherent flexibility in Mawdudian Islamization where the main goal is the establishment of the Islamic state but different methods of Islamization can be taken to achieve it. By looking at the various methods that Mawdudi used for Islamization, I am able to ascertain the three main features of Mawdudian Islamization: focus on removing jahili (un-Islamic) elements in society; an Islamic vanguard must be formed to carry out the Islamization processes; and the approaches should be rooted in Mawdudi’s historical reading of the Prophet Muhammad’s biography (sirah) and the government led by the Rashidun Caliphs. After establishing this, I then look at how the various Jamaats, originally one group founded by Mawdudi, in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Jammu & Kashmir have pursued Mawdudian Islamization in their local contexts.