Ghulam Ahmad Parwez (; 1903–1985) was a well-known teacher of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He posed a challenge to the established Sunni doctrine by interpreting Quranic themes with a logical approach. The work 'Islam: A Challenge to Religion' is widely acknowledged as one of the most significant works in the history of Pakistan, according to Nadeem F. Paracha.

Early and personal life

Parwez was born on 9 July 1903 in Batala, Punjab, in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. He migrated to Pakistan in 1947. He delved into the holy book of Islam and other religious texts. In 1934, he obtained a master's degree from the Punjab University. His ideas, based on modern science, helped people better understand Islam. He was introduced to Muhammad Ali Jinnah by Muhammad Iqbal. He was appointed to edit the magazine Tolu-e-Islam, which was established to counteract the propaganda emanating from certain religious circles that favour Congress. He died aged 81.

Career

Parwez was appointed to the Central Secretariat of the Government of India in 1927, and became an important figure in the Home Department. When Pakistan became independent, he stayed in the same job in the government and retired early as an Assistant Secretary (Class I gazetted officer) in 1955. He spent all his time doing his job. Parwez argued that his insights from the Quran were in stark contrast to both capitalist and Marxist political ideologies. Before the creation of Pakistan, Parwez was recruited by Muhammad Ali Jinnah to help popularize the need for a separate homeland for Muslims in South Asia. He emphasized the importance of the government's structure in adhering to Islamic ideals. The principles of Islam, as enumerated in the Quran, require that individuals reside in a nation that upholds God's commands, rather than their own.

Ideas and contributions

Even though this right almost always came before any form of authority, Parwez believed in individual freedom. Parwez, in line with this, strongly opposed slavery, arguing that it lacked any legal justification according to the Quran. Further, he said that Islam challenged the truth, validity, and very idea of religion. Parwez assessed the supporting evidence for the suppositions contained in the Quran passages that are often associated with awe-inspiring happenings, celestial beings, and jinns, weighing it all objectively, without attempting to invoke the supernatural. Parwez also pushed for the adoption of

Islamic socialism Islamic socialism is a political philosophy that incorporates elements of Islam into a system of socialism. As a term, it was coined by various left-wing Muslim leaders to describe a more spiritual form of socialism. Islamic socialists believe ...

, a political philosophy that seeks to reorganize society in line with Islamic ideals. He argued that socialism is the most efficient means to uphold the principles of property, justice, and the distribution of wealth, as outlined in the Qur'an. In addition, he said that the Prophet was a prophet who wanted to stop capitalists and the corrupt bureaucracy of Byzantium and Persia from exploiting Quraish merchants although Quraish merchants had little contact with the traders from the then two supreme powers. He advocated the implementation of scientific and agricultural reforms to improve economic development. Parwez has been called a "quranist" by Nadeem F. Paracha, as Parwez rejected most hadiths. In essence, the rejection of one well known hadeeth means the rejection of Sunnah. Further, Paracha claimed that Parwez approved praying Namaz in Urdu. Even while Parwez was alive, his opponents spread these claims. In 1960 more than 600 Islamic Scholars issued a

fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

declaring Ghulam Ahmad Perwez

Kafir ''Kāfir'' (; , , or ; ; or ) is an Arabic-language term used by Muslims to refer to a non-Muslim, more specifically referring to someone who disbelieves in the Islamic God, denies his authority, and rejects the message of Islam as ...

due to his views on Quran and Hadith. Ghulam Ahmed Perwez was also criticized due to wrong interpretation of Quran.

Translated works

* Exposition of the Holy Quran * Human Fundamental Rights * Dictionary Of the Holy Quran Vol 1-4 * What Is Islam * The Quranic System of Sustenance * Islam: A Challenge To Religion * The Life In The Hereafter * Islamic Way Of Living * Letter To Tahira * Quranic Laws * Jihad Is Not Terrorism * Glossary of Quranic Words * Human and Satan * Constitution Of Islamic State The books written by Syed Abdul Wadud, a close friend of Parwez, are based on his ideas. * Conspiracies Against the Quran * Phenomena Of Nature * Quranocracy * The Heavens the Earth and the Quran * Gateway to the Quran

Publications

* ''Matalibul Furqaan'' (7 vols.) * ''Lughat-ul-Quran'' (4 vols.) * ''Mafhoom-ul-Quran'' (3 vols.) * ''Tabweeb-ul-Quran'' (3 vols.) * ''Nizam-e-Rabubiyyat'' * ''Islam A Challenge to Religion'' (English version) * ''Insaan Ne Kiya Socha'' (What Man Thought, A History of Human Thought) * ''Islam kia he'' (second part of Insan ne kia socha) * ''Tasawwaf Ki Haqiqat'' (The reality of Islamic Mysticism * ''Saleem Ke Naam'' (3 vols.) * ''Tahira Ke Naam'' * ''Qurani Faislay'' (5 vols.) * ''Meraj-e-Insaaniat'' (about Muhammad) * ''Barke toor'' (about Mosa) * ''Joe noor'' (about Ibrahim) * ''Shola e mastoor'' (about Esa) * ''man(o) yazdan'' (Me and God, about Allah in light of the Quran) * ''Shahkar-e-Risalat'' (a biography of Caliph Omar) * ''Iblis o Adam (Satan and Man)'' * ''Jahane farda'' * ''Mazahebe Alam ke Asmani Kitaben'' * ''Asbab e zwal e ummat''

References

External links

Books of G.A. Parwez in English
(PDF format) {{DEFAULTSORT:Perwez, Ghulam Ahmed 1903 births 1985 deaths Leaders of the Pakistan Movement People from Gurdaspur Translators of the Quran into English Scholars from Lahore Translators of the Quran into Urdu 20th-century translators Muslim activists 20th-century Muslim scholars of Islam Pakistani Muslim activists Muslim reformers Theistic evolutionists Muslim socialists