Muslims and Nationhood

Before independence, there were two main perspectives on the issue of nationhood in the Indian subcontinent. The first was that of Muhammad Iqbal, who maintained that nationhood is based on religion. The second view was held by Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani, who stated:

“In the modern age, nations are formed on the basis of territory.” In other words, faith is related to religion, whereas nationhood is related to one’s homeland.

In my view, Maulana Madani’s perspective was correct. I believe that all Muslims across the world are united in terms of their religious belief, but when it comes to nationhood, it is rooted in one’s geographical homeland. That is to say, a Muslim community’s nationhood is determined by the country they belong to.

This means that if a Muslim-majority country were to attack a country like India, it would not be considered an attack on the religion of Indian Muslims, but rather an act of aggression against their shared homeland.

In the face of such aggression, Muslims would defend their nation just as their non-Muslim fellow citizens would—regardless of whether the attacking country is Muslim or non-Muslim. (Al-Risala, August 2000—“Jodhpur ka Safar”)