“I Saw the Bear for the First Time Just a Week Ago, Sir...!!!”

✒ Shareef Karuvarakundu

19 October 2026, 8 Jumada al-Awwal 1448 AH

A defamation case filed by a person is being heard in court. The defence lawyer asks the complainant, “When did my client call you a bear in public?” The complainant replies, “Ten years ago.” The lawyer asks, “Then why did you wait so long to file the complaint?” The complainant answers, “I saw a bear for the first time just a week ago, sir!”

When I read the article titled “A Scholarly Genius Who Connected Continents,” written by Sadharudheen Vazhakkad in the August 28, 2026 issue of the weekly Prabodhanam, the incident mentioned above came to mind.

A scholar whom Umar Maulavi neither knew personally nor had even heard of wrote a letter to Shaykh Ibn Baz in 1976, expressing his objection to Umar Maulavi’s harsh criticism of Jamaat-e-Islami and alleging that Maulavi was an agent of the Jews. The scholar who wrote the letter was Shaykh Muhammad Mubarak. The person who got the letter written and personally delivered it to Ibn Baz was none other than T. K. Ibrahim, whom Prabodhanam describes as “a scholarly genius who connected continents.” He was from Shivapuram.

Let us look at how Umar Maulavi recounts this incident:
“ T. K. Ibrahim himself took responsibility for getting the letter written and delivering it to the Shaykh. Shaykh Ibn Baz explained the matter to me. In his presence, the Shaykh wished to have a discussion with T. K. Ibrahim. I gladly agreed. I understood that he wanted to establish a cordial relationship between us, and so the discussion took place.

T. K. told the Shaykh that I was continuously spreading serious false allegations against Maududi Sahib and Jamaat-e-Islami through my magazine. When the Shaykh asked him for evidence, he said he did not have copies of Salsabeel with him. I had four years’ worth of issues bound into volumes in my bag. I had brought them along just in case they might be needed. Without any hesitation, I said, ‘Here, I have copies of Salsabeel,’ took them out of my bag, and handed them to T. K.

My action astonished and delighted the Shaykh. He praised Allah and prayed for me.

T. K. tried to convince the Shaykh by showing him some of my statements from Salsabeel. I explained, with examples, that I was criticising the ideas Maududi Sahib had expressed in his books. T. K. then said that nothing could be said without examining Maududi Sahib’s books. I felt astonished and disgusted.

Was he really so ignorant of Maududi’s writings? He did not have the courage to deny my allegations, nor was he willing to accept them. So he resorted to this excuse to escape the situation. He needed to examine the books, apparently! The discussion did not lead anywhere. Finally, the Shaykh intervened. He advised us to maintain cordial relations, avoid speculation, and engage in healthy dialogue.

I left it to Shaykh Ibn Baz to decide the matter concerning our ideological differences. Later, discussions were held with several scholars. T. K. organised discussions with many scholars who were sympathetic to Jamaat-e-Islami and Maududi Sahib. I gave everyone the same answer: ‘If I have made a mistake, I will apologise. You can obtain a response from Shaykh Ibn Baz.’ Everyone accepted this, and our discussions came to an end.

I wrote a letter to Muhammad Mubarak, the Syrian, saying: ‘You wrote to Ibn Baz claiming that I am a Zionist agent. If you did so because you believed someone’s words and were misled, I forgive you. If you did it deliberately, I leave the matter to Allah’s court. We shall meet there.’ He did not reply.”
(Ormakalude Theerath, pp. 257, Chapter 38)

Brothers, let us now see how the weekly Prabodhanam describes this incident, which took place fifty years ago:
“Once, an unforgettable incident occurred. Ibrahim Sahib went to meet Shaykh Ibn Baz along with K. Umar Maulavi, a Mujahid leader who was a strong critic of Jamaat-e-Islami. Ibrahim Sahib had copies of some articles written by Umar Maulavi against Jamaat-e-Islami in the magazine Salsabeel. Ibrahim Sahib showed them to the Shaykh, saying that these were articles in which Umar Maulavi had criticised Jamaat-e-Islami. After the meeting, as they came outside, the Shaykh’s secretary told Ibrahim Sahib, ‘The Shaykh is disturbed by the articles written by Umar Maulavi.’ This was an excellent example of Shaykh Ibn Baz’s attitude, as he held Syed Maududi in high regard.”
(Prabodhanam, August 28, 2026)

Look at this! Someone whom Umar Maulavi had never even heard of, and who did not know Umar Maulavi personally either, was made to write a letter accusing Maulavi of being a Zionist agent. That letter was then personally delivered to Shaykh Ibn Baz. Who committed this despicable act? T. K. Ibrahim, whom Prabodhanam describes as “a genius who connected continents”!

Who invited T. K. Ibrahim and Umar Maulavi to discuss the letter? Shaykh Ibn Baz! And what does the writer in Prabodhanam claim? That T. K. Ibrahim went to the Shaykh along with Umar Maulavi!

When the “scholarly genius” claimed that Umar Maulavi was making false allegations against Jamaat-e-Islami and Maududi through Salsabeel, what did the “scholarly genius” say when the Shaykh asked him for evidence? He said he did not have copies of Salsabeel with him! Who produced four years’ worth of Salsabeel issues? Umar Maulavi!

What did Shaykh Ibn Baz do then? He praised Umar Maulavi and prayed for him. And what did Umar Maulavi do? He demonstrated that, through Salsabeel, he had been criticising the un-Islamic views of Maududi Sahib. What did the “scholarly genius” do? He escaped by saying that nothing could be said without examining Maududi’s books!

What did Umar Maulavi do next? He asked Ibn Baz to give a verdict on the differences between Jamaat-e-Islami and himself concerning Tawheed. In the second volume of his Majmoo‘ al-Fatawa, Shaykh Ibn Baz included Umar Maulavi’s question and the corresponding answer as the very first question.

In that answer, Shaykh Ibn Baz referred to Umar Maulavi as “Allamah al-Shaykh Umar Ahmad al-Malaibari.” Moreover, the answer fully supported Umar Maulavi’s position.

Umar Maulavi recorded all these events honestly in his book Ormakalude Theerath. The book was published in 2002, and several editions had appeared long before the writer of Prabodhanam came forward with this false account.

Just as the complainant in court said, “I saw the bear for the first time just a week ago, sir,” anyone who reads Umar Maulavi’s Ormakalude Theerath and learns about the examples of the covert agendas pursued by these behind-the-scenes operators would be prompted to say, “I am only now discovering Jamaat-e-Islami!”

Although this falsehood concerns Ibn Baz and Umar Maulavi, the ideological objective of the writer in Prabodhanam is to create the impression that Shaykh Ibn Baz sided with Jamaat-e-Islami and Maududi. Otherwise, why did the writer not utter a single word about Ibn Baz’s world-famous fatwa responding to Umar Maulavi’s question on this very issue?

Furthermore, we are told that Ibn Baz, despite organising a discussion on such a serious matter, said nothing during the meeting! Only after they came outside did the Shaykh’s secretary privately approach T. K. Ibrahim, who had orchestrated all these manoeuvres, and tell him that the Shaykh was disturbed by Umar Maulavi’s criticism of Jamaat-e-Islami.

A cat may believe that no one will see it drinking milk if it closes its eyes, but that does not mean no one can see what it is doing.

Umar Maulavi also recalls another incident from that period in Ormakalude Theerath. It would be useful to read that account alongside the foregoing events.

“After Hajj, the crowds had dispersed. I was in Madinah. One day, T. K. Ibrahim approached me and asked for help. This was the situation: while working in America, he had permission to take his family with him, and tickets would also be provided. When he went to the office of Dar al-Ifta for this purpose, he encountered a technical obstacle. He had to submit certificates concerning his wife and children.

The office suggested an easy solution: it would be sufficient if a well-known Malayali at the Dar al-Ifta centre certified the details. T. K. then tried to find someone who could do this.

He could not find anyone among his own associates there. After making inquiries, he discovered that there was only one person present at the time who was suitable for the task. T. K. explained the matter to me. I immediately accompanied him to Dar al-Ifta and stated, ‘He has told me that he has a wife and two children. I am convinced that he is telling me the truth about this. Therefore, I hereby attest to the truth of his statement.’

His request was granted.

Let me also explain why I am mentioning this incident.

This man was an enemy who had committed the despicable act of portraying me as an agent of the Jews working against Islam, getting someone else to write a letter accusing me, and personally delivering it to Shaykh Ibn Baz. The pain of that betrayal had not faded from my heart.

Now, he had a personal need that could be fulfilled through me. For a moment, that thought crossed my mind. But my Lord widened my heart.

Praise be to Allah, the Most Generous, who softened my heart and enabled me to help, without imposing any conditions, an enemy whom I despised most at that very moment.”
(Ormakalude Theerath, pp. 258–259)

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