Role of Maulana Maududi's 'Concept of Afterlife and Moral Accountability' in the Preservation and Revival of Islamic Civilization in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent: A Research Analysis

برصغیر پاک و ہند میں اسلامی تہذیب کے تحفظ و احیاء میں مولانا مودودیؒ کے 'تصورِ آخرت و اخلاقی جوابدہی' کا کردار: ایک تحقیقی جائزہ

Abstract

This research paper presents a critical analysis of Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi's 'Concept of Afterlife (Akhirah) and Moral Accountability' and its pivotal role in the preservation and revival of Islamic civilization in the colonial Indo-Pak subcontinent during the twentieth century. The civilizational landscape of the subcontinent was caught between the onslaught of Western materialistic secularism on one hand, and the passive escapism, pessimism, and monasticism induced by the traditional philosophy of transmigration (tanasukh/Awagaman) on the other. In response to these profound intellectual challenges, Maulana Maududi presented the belief in the afterlife not merely as a dogmatic or ritualistic creed, but as a dynamic civilizational force. He argued that belief in accountability before God acts as an 'internal police or conscience-keeper' (Nafs-e-Lawwama), establishing an inner self-regulatory mechanism that compels individuals to adhere to moral and legal boundaries voluntarily, even in the absence of external state coercion. This paper analyzes the limitations of physical-material laws, provides a rational critique of transmigration, and explores the practical and civilizational impacts of the afterlife doctrine in safeguarding Muslim identity and preserving Islamic civilization in South Asia.