Secularism, Islam and Modernity: Selected Essays of Alam Khundamiri

Syed Alam Khundmiri (1922-83) was an important intellectual figure of his time, a true humanist with rare philosophical insights ranging over a wide field. His three major concerns were Marxism, existentialism and Islam which he wove together to evolve an organic and dynamic view of mankind’s destiny. His writings are also suffused with an awareness of history, politics, and economics combined with questions of time, self, reason, morality and law. The volume brings together Khundmiri’s seminal essays which set out his dominant concerns: Marxism, with its indifference to questions of minorities in nationalism; existentialism, which he saw as being closed off to the problems of community; and Islam, which he examined in relation to history and notions of time and change. Following the introductory essays by M.T. Ansari and Asghar Ali Engineer, the book is divided into four sections. The first contains essays on Islamic traditionalism in the context of modernization. Apart from discussing the Islamic perspective of God, they tackle problems of inter-religious understanding and the application of religion in modern life. The next section focuses on Islamic theology and philosophy where Khundmiri discusses the central arguments of noted philosophers of classical and later Islam, particularly the work of al-Ash’ari, al-Farabi, al-Ghazali and Rumi. The third section highlights Khundmiri’s intense appreciation of the work of Mohammad Iqbal, engaging exclusively with Iqbal’s political philosophy, notions of time and self, understanding of human knowledge and his contribution to Indian Sufism. The final section completes the exercise of placing Islam in a contemporary socio-cultural context and examines the religion in relation to concepts such as secularism, fascism and democracy. Overall, this absorbing collection of essays encapsulates Khundmiri’s dual project of situating Islam in the modern context and scrutinizing the modern in the light of Islam. Particularly relevant in the present context of the increasing sacralization of politics, it will be read with great interest by students and scholars of philosophy, history, sociology, Islamic studies, Marxism, comparative religion, cultural studies, and political and social theory, as well as by the aware and concerned lay reader.