MAULANA HUSSAIN AHMAD MADANI AND COMPOSITE NATIONALISM(RE-EVALUATING THE CONCEPT OF INDIAN MUSLIM NATIONALISM)

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This study examines the political ideology of Hussain Ahmad Madani (1879-1957), an Indian academic and activist prominent in the twentieth century. The essay focuses on Madani's contribution to the Indian independence struggle, particularly his influence on religious academics (the 'ulama) to maintain their support for a unified India. The essay commences by presenting the different groups vying for the Muslim representation in pre-independence India, which encompasses the Deoband tradition, from which Madani originated. It is noteworthy that the secular elite's endorsement of an independent Islamic state contrasts with the religious intellectuals' advocacy for a secular and unified India. I suggest that the primary factor contributing to this irony is Madani, and I analyze Madani's personal and public writings in order to recreate his ideology. Madani's writings indicate his adoption of liberal concepts, such as subjective rights, as a means to criticize the British from within their own framework. By adopting this method, Madani had to acknowledge the consequences, which included the realization that religion could not serve as the fundamental framework for constructing citizenship. Madani, in opposition to partition and the creation of Pakistan, advocated for the concept of "composite nationalism." This theory, although theologically contentious during Madani's time, played a significant role in establishing the legitimacy of the Indian Muslim community following independence.