Sayyid Abul A‘la Mawdudi
WITNESSES
UNTO
MANKIND
The Purpose and Duty of
the Muslim Ummah
Edited & Translated by
Khurram Murad
© The Islamic Foundation 1986/1406 AH. Reprinted 1994/1415 AH.
ISBN 978-0-86037-172-4 (PB)
ISBN 978-0-86037-173-1 (HB)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
Editor: Khurram Murad
Cover design: Rashid Rahman
Published by
The Islamic Foundation
Markfield Dawah Centre
Ratby Lane, Markfield
Leicester LE67 9RN, UK
Quran House, PO Box 30611,
Nairobi, Kenya
PMB 3193,
Kano, Nigeria
New and edited English translation of the Urdu Shahādat Ḥaq (Lahore, 1947), which has previously been translated and published as the Evidence of Truth (Lahore, 1967).
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Mawdūdī, Sayyid Abūl A‘la
Witnesses unto mankind: the purpose and
duty of the Muslim ummah.
1. Islam
I. Title II. Murad, Khurram
III. Shahādat ḥaq. English
297 BP161.2
ISBN 978-0-86037-173-1
ISBN 978-0-86037-172-4 Pb
Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
In the Name of God,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
O believers, bow down and prostrate yourselves, and serve only your Lord, and do good, so that you might attain well-being. And struggle in the way of God as ought to be struggled in His way. He has chosen you, and He has not laid on you in your Din any constriction. Follow the way of your father, Abraham. He has named you Muslims, before and in this, so that the Messenger would be a witness before you, and you would be witnesses before all mankind. So establish the Prayer, give the Alms, and hold fast unto God. He is your Master. How excellent the Master, and how excellent the Helper.
(al-Ḥajj 22: 77–8)
Contents
Shahadah in Islamic Life and Discourse
The Responsibility of the Ummah
The Purpose and Duty of the Muslim Ummah
Responsibilities and Duties
The Only Purpose of Existence
Witness to the Truth
Nature and Importance
Responsibility of the Ummah
How Should We Witness to the Truth?
Word-witness
Act-witness
The Islamic State
Where Do We Stand?
Our Word-witness
Our Act-witness
And With What Consequences?
Our Punishment
In This World
Punishment in the World-to-Come
What is Our Real Problem?
Pseudo Problems
Our Real Problem
2. JAMA‘AT ISLAMI
