Over the past 56 years, Jamaat-e-Islami has grown into an effective and most disciplined religio-political organisation. It has attracted people from all classes, but has particularly influenced the intelligentsia and youth of the South-Asian sub-continent and the world. Distinct from other religious and political parties, the Jamaat has been founded and run in accordance with a written constitution. Its objective has been: "To seek Allah’s pleasure by striving to establish the Islamic order "iqamah ad-din". Its membership is open to all but it demands commitment from those who submit to its discipline.

(1) Four Point Programme:

What is the basic strategy that the Jamaat has adopted to bring about an Islamic transformation of the society. This can be summed up in its four-point program:

(a) Appeal to Intellect:

The major point of this program is intellectual revolution which ensues when Islamic teachings are exposed reasonably, shorn of all false ideas and purged of all unhealthy accretions. This exposition should also show how the teachings of Islam can be applied in the present-day world for developing a sound and healthy order of life. The most distinct feature of this intellectual effort is to present Islam as a complete way of life and as an alternate civilisation. Such goal necessitates stock taking of both the Muslim heritage and the modern civilisation, followed by a judicious appropriation of healthy elements from both of them. So far, as the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah are concerned, they are eternally binding and should be followed by Muslims in all periods of history. The Jamaat’s intellectual appeal has produced vast multi-lingual literature dealing with different aspects of Islamic thought and culture.

(b) Appeal to Virtue:

Another ingredient of the program is to reach out to persons who are disposed to righteousness and who yearn to establish a noble and upright human society. Such persons are identified and united in an organised body. Not only that, an effort is also made to help such people develop a clear outlook, purify their lives and to cultivate qualities of good moral character. The Jamaat believes that Allah will permit the establishment of an Islamic Order only when a group of people, who are true combination of Islamic vision and intellectual competence, emerge on the world stage. Not only this, they are supposed to pool in all their strength and resources and strive in a systematic manner. Hence, the Jamaat always emphasises the necessity of maintaining an inner core of dedicated and virtuous men and women as the foundation of Islamic revival. Since a lasting revolution depends on popular support, the Jamaat has opened its door for people to join as members.

(c) Social Reform:

The 3^rd component of the program is to bring about change in society by reforming it in light of Islamic teachings. This can be done through a group of people dedicated to the cause of Islam, or at least having an Islamic orientation and a concern for the well-being of human society. They are motivated to take the initiative and spend their time, effort and resources to bring about maximal healthy societal change. This comprehensive program seeks to make the Mosque the hub of all Islamic activity. Heavy emphasis is placed on establishment of educational institutions, arrangements for adult education, communication of basic teachings of Islam to the common people and trend setting reading rooms to create enlightenment. An essential element of this program is moral uplift of the people and cultivating in them the spirit to defend their rights. People are expected to extend help to weaker elements of society in protecting their rights appropriately.

At a highly personal level, the social program of the Jamaat aims at inculcating in every human being the basic personal ethics of Islam. Ominously it starts with the creation of sense of personal hygiene and cleanliness and includes; fostering co-operation among people to ensure healthy conditions of living; listing orphans, widows, the crippled, the incapacitated, the poor students to arrange for their financial assistance, and; catering for the health requirements of poor people. In fact, the objective is to foster the religious, moral, social and material welfare of the people and to create social conditions conducive for a healthy change in life.

(d) Just Leadership:

The 4^th point of the program envisages change of leadership. By leadership is meant the intellectual, social, cultural and ultimately the political leadership. Change in political leadership marks the culmination of the process. While the state is an indispensable means for establishing the order envisaged by Islam, a truly Islamic state is considered inconceivable unless its affairs are directed by people of Islamic vision, commitment, and having upright character and competence.

How can change in leadership be brought about effectively? So far as non-political leadership is concerned, a great deal can be done by developing leadership qualities in people with right orientation. The Jamaat always kept this as one of its aims. For change in political leadership, general elections is the best possible mean. It is hoped that if the Islamic movement keeps on striving persistently, it will succeed in placing righteous men in power. The Jamaat believes in democratic order which can provide the framework for the Islamic movement to flourish, gather strength and bring about aimed transformation. For these reasons, the Jamaat favours prevalence of a truly democratic order in Pakistan.

(2) Significance of the Strategy:

Based on the above strategy, let us briefly sum up the distinctive contributions of the Jamaat and the problems it faces:

a. Comprehensiveness:

The Jamaat is an ideological and not merely a religious or political party. It has tried to influence almost all dimensions of life, intellectual, cultural, moral, educational, literary, economic and political. It stands, not for partial reform, but for total change. Its uniqueness comes from its comprehensiveness, which constitutes its distinctive merit and which is also responsible for some of the difficulties and complexities it has to face. Every vested group of the society has somehow been affected by its tasks. Its followers have come from all walks of life and its challenge has also been felt in all corners.

(b) Awakening among Muslims:

Secondly, the Jamaat has a unique influence in bringing about an awakening among Muslims that Islam is not a religion in the limited sense of the word; it is a din, a complete way of life. The demands of faith are not fulfilled merely by offering ibadat, the link between Salah and total obedience to Allah in all walks of life must be restored. If Munkar and Fawahish are not eradicated with the offering of Salah, prayers are not fulfilling their role in society. The sovereignty of Allah must be established in all fields of human existence. Mosque and Parliament, taqwa and adl, dikr and shariah are inalienable dimensions of the same reality. Islamic fulfilment is possible only through complete submission. The establishment of the Islamic society and state is as much a part of the Prophetic model as individual godliness and sexual morality. This may have been a meek voice in the ’20s and ’30s even ‘50s but today this is acknowledged as the language of Islamic resurgence and a formidable influence in shaping the future of the Muslim world.

(c) The Wholistic Approach:

The Jamaat, drawing its inspiration from the Prophetic mode of Madinah and the Islamic tradition of tejdid-o-ihya in history, has challenged the western approach to social change, which consists primarily in social and industrial reform. Islamic strategy for change gives equal importance to change within man (Iman and character) and change from without (society and its institutions). That is why the Jamaat has emphasised that the revival of Iman and the moral transformation of the individual are the key to healthy social change. Society and its institutions have to be changed and a new leadership evolved to see that the social-economic and political order also reflect the same values on which personal piety is based. Personal morality and social ethics must conform and strengthen each other. This being the basic approach, revival of Islamic thought and morality become the central passion of the Jamaat. This makes it a movement for education and re-education. Moral training and character building assume a critical position in its milieu for change. Hence, the emphasis on personal discipline and the two-tier membership.

(d) Emphasis on Unity of Muslim Ummah:

The Jamaat has tried to steer clear of the sectarian issues, biases and traditional controversies. It has emphasised that the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessing of Allah be upon him) are the corner-stones of Islamic faith and culture. There must not be a break with our history and traditions but we must differentiate between what is fundamental and what is peripheral, between the ideals, values and principles and the details and the minutia spelled out in different periods of our history. Authentic dissent and genuine difference of opinion and interpretations should be respected and looked upon as the area of flexibility within the Islamic framework. Instead of fighting among each other for our differences, we should learn to live with our differences and to work for building upon the large area of our agreement.

(e) Movement for the Middle:

The Jamaat has emerged as a third force, a movement of the middle, bridging the gap between the so-called modernists who almost uncritically adopted the modernisation model of the West and the so-called conservatives who refused to accept any modification or departure from the Muslim status quo. The Jamaat stands for change and reform, not in imitation of the West, but taking full cognisance of the fact that the world has changed materially under the influence of the Western civilisation whose fundamental values are at variance with the ideals and values of Islam. But everything that has developed in the West is not necessarily abhorrent to Islam. We must learn from the experiences of mankind without compromising on our principles and values. Direct inspiration from the Quran and Sunnah and an openness to avail from all schools of Islamic thought wherever necessary ensure greater flexibility and adaptability in the Jamaat approach to the challenge from the West. It was a result of this approach that the Jamaat has been able to build its cadre by drawing upon both the modern educated classes as well as the ‘ulema and traditional groups. It provides a meeting between the two.

(f) Building confidence in Islam:

The Jamaat has influenced people in all walks of life but its greatest contribution lies in saving millions of Muslim Youth from the agonies of scepticism and unbelief. It has offered before them Islam as an alternative to the contemporary ideologies of secularism, liberalism, nationalism, capitalism, socialism and the like. It has given them a new confidence in Islam and a new pride in working for the supremacy of Islam. This in part, has been the impact of the new literature provided by the movement, several hundred original works produced during the last five and a half decades and over a score of institutions engaged in producing new literature on Islam showing its relevance to the problems of today and tomorrow.

(3) Jamaat’s Problems:

The comprehensive nature of the Jamaat’s work has created many problems, both of quantity and quality, with which the movement has been grappling. The opposition from within the Muslim society as well as frontal attacks from the protagonists of the Western civilisation and from agents of western powers and agencies is not an insignificant phenomenon. Clash and confrontation have not been an unmixed evil but were responsible for a heavy toll. The movement has significantly influenced the educated classes but its influence on the common mass of people deserves to be extended vastly. It has developed a new language of Islamic politics but it has still to work very hard in overcoming the traditional sources of power in the society, with the result that its moral and ideological weight is not being fully and properly translated into political weight. It has been more effective as an ideological force, or even as a pressure group with immense street power, but not yet as a political power. There is new light on the horizon though the darkness is yet to be fully dispelled. We hope and pray and strive to further see that darkness recedes and the entire horizon is illumined.