Syed Abul A'la Maududi (Urdu: ??? ?????? ??????? – alternative spellings of last name Maudoodi, Mawdudi, also known as Abul Ala Mawdudi; (1903-09-25)25 September 1903 – (1979-09-22)22 September 1979) was a Pakistani Muslim philosopher, journalist and imam.
His numerous works, which "covered a range of disciplines such as Qur’anic exegesis, hadith, law, philosophy and history", were written in Urdu, but then translated into English, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Burmese and many other languages.
He sought to revive Islam, and to propagate what he understood to be "true Islam".
He believed that Islam was essential for politics, and that it was necessary to institute sharia and preserve Islamic culture from what he viewed as the evils of secularism, nationalism and socialism, which he understood to be the influence of Western imperialism.He was the founder of the Jamaat-e-Islami, the then largest Islamic organisation in Asia.
Maududi and his followers are thought to have been the pioneers in politicizing Islam and generating support for an Islamic state in Pakistan.
They are thought to have helped inspire General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq to introduce "Sharization" to Pakistan,
and to have been greatly strengthened by him after tens of thousands of members and sympathizers were given jobs in the judiciary and civil service during his administration.
He was the first recipient of the Saudi Arabian King Faisal International Award for his service to Islam in 1979.
He has been the second person in history whose absentee funeral was observed in the Kaaba, succeeding King Ashama ibn-Abjar.