"Driven by ulterior motives, many claim that communism is the enemy of religion. The truth is that, in matters of religion, we advocate for the utmost freedom and tolerance. Whoever believes in our principles—whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or Buddhist, and regardless of whether they follow a religion or not—will be welcomed into our party. In other words, we acknowledge all religions. Furthermore, we consider the absence of religion—that is, atheism—to be a religion in itself.
Some Muslim leaders are making the baseless accusation that communism is the enemy of Islam. In reality, this is not true at all. On the contrary, Islam is even more opposed to capitalism than communism is, and as long as even a single living being remains starving, the wealthy have no right to accumulate wealth through business. It is for this very reason that the obligation of 'Zakat' has been mandated.
In the Quran, emphasis is placed on Zakat immediately after prayer (Salah). The first Caliph declared Jihad, or holy war, against those who refused to pay 'Zakat'. Earning interest solely on capital without any labor is unjust. This is why taking interest is forbidden for Muslims. Usurers consume interest by lending money without exerting any labor. This is precisely why the religion of Islam views the acceptance of interest with such immense contempt. Communism, too, declares this practice of taking interest to be unjust.”
Source: Langal, 7th Magh, 1332, Volume 1, Issue 5.
Note: In the last week of December 1925, the first conference of Indian communists was held in Kanpur. The magazine Langal, edited by Kazi Nazrul Islam, prominently published the news of that conference, the presidential address, and Maulana Hasrat Mohani's speech. According to Langal, among many others present at the conference were 'Maulana Azad Shobhani' [Sobhani] and 'Maulvi Muzaffar Ahmed'. The Langal magazine published Maulana Hasrat Mohani's speech under the title "What is Communism?". The excerpt titled "Communism and Religion" from that piece has been reproduced here for the readers of 'Akhra'.