After several days went by without any response from Maulana, I sent a second letter with these words:

Azamgarh–April 6, 1963

Respected Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi,

Greetings of peace,

The articles I sent you were returned to me in the mail on March 26 without any response from you or any accompanying letter explaining why they were returned unopened.

I had initially sent these articles to you in May 1962. While in Makkah, you had assured Mr Shams Peerzada that ‘I will respond to them.’ However, despite this promise, you returned them without a reply in July.

Following further correspondence, you requested my articles again and, in your letter dated August 25, 1962, promised, ‘I will certainly try to help you understand within my capacity.’ Thus, I sent the articles to you once more.

I was now fully expecting that you would comment on my writings, hoping your response would offer a chance for deeper reflection on the matter. This issue concerns you directly, and no one else could clarify it as well as you can. During this time, we exchanged letters in which you repeatedly assured me you would address this concern. Your special assistant, Mr. Ghulam Ali, mentioned in his letter dated September 12, 1962, that ‘Maulana will spare no effort to address your concerns.’ Later, I received a letter dated December 8, 1962, signed by you, stating, ‘After reading your articles, I will inform you of my thoughts.’ Then, in a letter dated January 17, 1963, Mr. Ghulam Ali wrote, ‘Maulana will share his thoughts on your articles.’

Despite all these assurances, the quiet return of my articles is surprising. I am unsure how to interpret this. Immediately after receiving the returned articles, I sent you a letter on March 26, but I haven’t received a response yet. I am writing again now. Please let me know the reason for this. If the articles were returned due to a misunderstanding, I am willing to send them a third time.

I await your response on this matter with anticipation.

Sincerely,

Wahiduddin