Who We Are

Through the efforts of Jamaat-e-Islami members and the growing circulation of Maulana Maududi’s literature, more and more women began to respond to the movement’s message. One lamp lit another, and the circle continued to expand.

On 15 February 1948, a gathering of around 150 representative women was held in Ichhra, Lahore. In accordance with a decision of the Central Majlis-e-Shura, Jamaat-e-Islami Women’s Wing (Halqa Khawateen) was formally established. Ameer-e-Jamaat Syed Abul A‘la Maududi appointed Jamaat member Hamida Begum as its first Qayyimah.

The women present at that historic gathering took to heart Maulana Maududi’s guidance:

“If you accept the Deen, then follow it sincerely. Do not adopt it partially; embrace the whole of Islam. Make your homes and the environments in which you raise your children truly Islamic, so that a Muslim generation may grow within them.”

From that day to the present, the Women’s Wing has continued its mission of carrying the message of Allah’s Deen to women across society. Generation after generation, the journey of guidance has continued, with each generation carrying forward the responsibility of da‘wah and entrusting it to the next.

From Aapa Hamida Begum to Dr Humaira Tariq, successive leaders have guided women workers in spreading the light of truth throughout Pakistan. In cities and villages, among the educated and the less literate, among homemakers and working women, in the political arena and across the vast field of public service, the women of Jamaat-e-Islami can be found striving for Iqamat-e-Deen, while upholding the values of modesty, dignity and Islamic character.