1. KHUDA  BAKHSH EXTENSION LECTURES (Delivered during 1986-88):

    These lectures are concerned with the ideological, political and economic aspects of my attempts to answer the crucial question: what does it mean to be a Muslim in the modern age with regard to three fundamental issues – tolerance, democracy and the economic system?

    I have drawn inspiration from both the East and the West. I have tried to think consistently and express my views honestly and fearlessly. My objective is to stimulate authentic dialogue, between genuine seekers of truth both within and without the Muslim world.

    What the human family needs is light and still more light. And a lot less of heat!

    The task of understanding Islam or any other religion, for that matter can never be completed. What is Islam and who is a good Muslim?  A good Christian? A good Hindu? A good Sikh? A good Indian? And for that matter a good Human Being? Only God knows. From Him we have come and unto Him is the return.

A.The Concept of the Islamic Economic System. (1986)

B.Democracy and Islam. (1987)

C.Tolerance and Islam. (1988)

(For more information about Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library please visi http://kblibrary.bih.nic.in )

2. The Concept And Role Of Tolerance In Indian Culture

    Sponsored by The Indian Council Of Philosophical Research, a three-day seminar on “The Concept And Role Of Tolerance In Indian Culture” was held in the Radhakrishnan Institute For Advanced Study In Philosophy, University of Madras, in 1992.Prof. Jamal Khwaja, was one of the Philosophers who was invited to lecture during the seminar.In his lecture Prof. Jamal Khwaja pointed out that Hindu thought evolved concepts such as; ‘ista–devta’,’ ista–marga’ and ‘adhikara’, which promoted religious tolerance. He emphasis’s the need to make a contextual as well as phenomenological analysis of the term “tolerance” in order to understand the sense in which the term is used in a particular context and also the conditions which are presupposed when it is used.

    Lastly he draws attention to the rigid caste system of the Hindus, which does not permit the choice of vocation, on the basis of one’s ability and aptitude. This chasm between theory and practice makes Khwaja conclude that, if tolerance remains incomplete without equality of status, than the Hindu concept of tolerance has only one leg to stand upon.” Read More>>

3. Sharing of Religious Life-Worlds

(Proceedings of seminar; “Religious Consciousness and Life Worlds” conducted at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla.)

    Instead of presenting a formal paper I would like to take up some of the questions that were raised by a number of participants here. One observation that was made was that Maulana Azad, Tagore and others were individual humanists and that this was not true of a vast majority of the people or the community as ...  Read More>>

4. What is Modernity?

(Proceedings of seminar; “Modernity & Contemporary Indian Literature” conducted at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla, 1968.)

    The purpose of this paper is (A) clarification of the uses of the words 'modern' and 'modernity', and (B) a neutral description or analysis of the thought-cum-value system which has evolved in the West during the last three ... Read More>>

5. Modernism and Traditionalism in Islam

(Proceedings of seminar; “India and Contemporary Islam” conducted at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla, 1971.)

    Modernism and Traditionalism in the sense of basic life attitudes are universal concepts. Every religion in every age has its modernists and traditionalists. In this paper ...  Read More>>

6. Science and Religion

(Proceedings of seminar; “Man, Science and Society” conducted at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla, 1970.)

    Science is systematic description and explanation of Reality at the level of human sense experience. The method of science is that of laws having progressively wider applicability. The function of a scientific law is to ... Read More>>

7. Is Islam a Total Code of Life?

(Proceedings of seminar; “Islam in the Modern World – Problems & Prospects” conducted at the Iqbal Institute,University of Srinagar.)

    In this very brief paper I wish to raise the question: Is Islam really a total code of life? This is a crucial issue as ...  Read More>>