This booklet is the English translation of a speech delivered by Maulana Syed Abul Aala Maududi at a public meeting in Dar-ul-Islam near Pathankot (East Punjab) on 10th of May 1947. The audience that was present when this speech was delivered consisted of several Hindus and Sikhs, besides Muslims. The speech should be studied while keeping in consideration the turbulent times when entire East Punjab had turned into a raging volcano about to explode shortly with all its fury. This was the time when the inevitable partition of British-controlled India was on the verge. Only three months after this address was delivered, the conflagration of violence and bloodshed the disastrous effects of which now form a tragic episode of history had swept over the entire land.
This speech was initially published in Urdu by Islamic Publications, Pakistan with the title Banao aur Bigar [Construction and Destruction]. The current edition has been the re-rendering of the English edition produced by Ahsan
Publication for the Bangladeshi readers in 2006. While preparing this version, we have revised some of the translation while referring back to the original Urdu edition and added notes and comments to enhance clarity and understanding, where applicable. In addition, we have also organized the content of this book in three separate chapters in order to facilitate the readers in easily remembering the key messages and the flow of argument. Considering the need for a clear way forward for the Muslim minorities in present times, the editor has translated from Urdu and included an appendix comprising of a summary of the four-point agenda that Maulana highlighted in a pre-partition Ijtema (gathering) of members of Jamat-e-Islami at Madras.
Editorial Team,
Australian Islamic Library,
Perth, 17 October 2017
