A direct flight to revolution: Maududi, divine sovereignty, and the 1979-moment in Iran

Abstract

This article explores the engagement of the Pakistani Jamaat-i Islami (JI) with the Iranian Revolution. I argue that the Islamist JI was drawn to the events because it reflected a core concern and signature idea of Abu’l-Ala Maududi, namely to establish the sovereignty of God (hakimiyya) on earth. My analysis of various travelogues and JI publications from the 1980s demonstrates that JI observers were deeply familiar with internal revolutionary dynamics and Iran’s Shii identity. The prospect of seeing a proper Islamic system in action, with potentially global consequences for their cause, initially crowded out any sectarian concerns for the JI. At the same time, certain JI leaders began to voice criticism of what they perceived as rash revolutionary policies that differed from Maududi’s careful, irenic understanding of a proper Islamic revolution. They also took note of sectarian messages that damaged Iran’s ecumenical outreach. It was, however, the more general geopolitical climate in the Middle East and South Asia which forced the JI to publicly downplay its ties with Iran. By the late 1980s, being accused of harbouring affinities for the 'deviant Islam’ of Shiism was a charge that had to be avoided at all costs in Pakistan and beyond.