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Dear readers! This servant of the
Ahl-e-Sunnat submits that whatever has been written by the author of the booklet
"Johannesburg to Bareilly" is a story wholly concocted by him, and is greatly
insolent to the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam). No Sunni Musalmaan
with correct beliefs throughout the world can even think of doing such a thing
much less actually does it. We Ahle-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at hold the belief that
whosoever does so has got nothing to do with Islam. I challenge the author of
"Johannesburg to Bareilly" and every preacher of Deobandi Wahaabi-ism to prove
that it (what this wicked person has written) is practiced anywhere at any
Meelaad Shareef congregation. He must admit that by levelling such a slander he
has not only hurt the feelings of true Musalmaans but has also been insolent to
the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) and his pious mother, Hazrat
A'minah (Radiyal Laahu Anha), and thus invited the wrath of Allah to visit him.
This wicked person will be, Insha Allah, punished for slandering us like this.
Dear readers! The Wahaabis of
Deoband have slandered the Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at by concocting several
unfounded things against them, since to do so is their fundamental aim and
according to their favourite bad habit, and tried to defame us,
Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at, amongst the general public. Besides this, the author of
the booklet "Johannesburg to Bareilly", has wrongly quoted some couplets and by
twisting their meaning has indulged in his favourite pastime, that is
slandering.
It was the wish of this servant of
the Ahl-e-Sunnat to dissect each and every sentence, rather each word, of the
booklet "Johannesburg to Bareilly", and to present a post-mortem report to the
readers. But the manuscript became so voluminous that friends advised me to
withhold pan of it for the time being, and to present it in volume 2 of the
rejoinder to "Johannesburg to Bareilly". This was a correct advice, and I
accepted it. Still, in the present volume under your perusal all the accusations
and allegations levelled by Deobandi-ism on us, that is the
Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at, have been, by the grace of Allah, answered well and
adequately. This servant of the Ahl-e-Sunnat submits that by indulging in such
acts the Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi band, instead of harming us, exposes its own
ugly face and people come to know how very bad and how big liars these votaries
of Wahaabi-ism and ulama of Deoband are! May Allah protect us from their evil!
Dear readers! The author of
"Johannesburg to Bareilly" and all those who adhere to the
Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi creed, as well as their ulama, take Deen to be their
fiefdom, and so, at every step they call true Musalmaans as polytheists and
innovators. They think that only they are Musalmaans and all true Musalmaans the
world over have nothing to do with Imaan and Islam. These
(Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi band), in fact, do not do justice but indulge in
transgression, which has been defined as calling what is right to be wrong and
what is wrong to be right, and holding somebody else to be guilty while the
guilt lies on somebody else. These Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi people call every
act which is lawful and desirable according to Sunnat as shirk and bid'at.
Readers should themselves decide whether calling a lawful and good act to be
wrong and pernicious act does not come under the definition of the term
transgression. And it has been clearly declared in the Qur'aan that, "Surely,
Almighty Allah does not guide a people who transgress."
On page 17, part 1, of the booklet
"Johannesburg to Bareilly", the author has levelled the following calumny upon
true Musalmaans. He says: "On the occasion of ('Urs) the death anniversaries of
the saints and friends of Allah, Sunni Musalmaans circmbulate their graves,
prostrate before their graves and indulge in other shirk practices. Unless Sunni
Musalmaans recant from their practices, they cannot be allowed to enter into a
marriage contract". I have already said that this is a great calumny upon us.
Kissing a grave or its covering is done only out of love and it is proved to be
a correct practice even according to the writings of Thanvi Sahib, the
Hakeem-ul-Ummat of the Deobandi Wahaabis. To call it a shirk practice is a great
injustice. No Sunni Musalmaan can ever indulge in acts like prostrating before
any other being than Allah and circumbulating any grave etc. except Ka'batul
Laah. They are transgressors, indeed, who level such a calumny against Sunni
Musalmaans. In the writings of such Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi ulama, who
declare true Sunni Musalmaans to be polytheists, there is enough scope in this
fatwa for dubbing their own stalwart ulama as polytheists. But they do not have
any perception of their own polytheism.
Maybe that this
Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi band is not aware of the correct definition of shirk
and bid' at.
I deem it necessary to humbly state before my readers our beliefs regarding
shirk and bid' at according to the Qur'aan and the Sunnat, so that readers may
know how great transgressors are these Deobandi-Wahaabis who call us,
Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at, to be polytheists.
We believe that none can be the
equal of Allah, the One and Unique, the Almighty, in His being and in His
attributes, in His names and in His acts. We, the Sunni Musalmaans, consider
Allah Almighty and Allah Almighty alone to be worthy of worship. We do not
consider anyone else to be Allah Almighty's partner or His equal in His Dominion
or His powers. We do not believe that any one (whoever he may be) except
Almighty Allah is the Absolute, who wields absolute power. Our firm and
announced belief is that everything in the universe, at every moment and in
every act, is surely dependent upon Almighty Allah, while Allah Almighty is not,
nor can He ever be, dependent upon any one of His creations at any moment, or in
anything or in any act. To put it in a language more easily understood we,
Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at (i.e. Sunnis), do not believe Almighty Allah's
Messengers, Prophets, friends of Allah to be the equal of Allah, in His being or
in His attributes, and do not at all take anybody else than Almighty Allah to be
worthy of worship.
THE MEANING OF SHIRK ACCORDING TO
THE SHARI'AH:
In "Lisaunul 'Arab", Vol. 10, Page
449, it is said: "When it is said that somebody committed shirk with Almighty
Allah, it means that he has joined (Except Allah) somebody else in Almighty
Allah's Dominion and Powers. And shirk means to join anybody else with Him in
His being Rabb, whereas Almighty Allah is independent of all forms of joiners".*
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* Will the author of the booklet "Johannesburg to Bareilly"
please consider the sentences that occur in his book "Fazaa'il-e-Durood Shareef
' by his Sheikh-ul-Hadith, Muhammad Zakariya Kandhalvi, and try to answer us? In
the two sentences the Imam of the Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi band has joined
Mu'mineen with Allah.
1. "What greater
excellence can there be that Mu'mins join Allah and His angels in this act."—
Page 6.
2. "In this act of
honouring the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam), apart from people,
Almighty Allah Himself participates"—Page 7
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Dear readers' You have seen what,
according to the Shari'at, the word shirk means, and before this you have also
seen what beliefs about Almighty Allah we hold. Now, does not your inspiration
urge you to say that there is not even an inkling of polytheism in our beliefs?
It is a pity that without knowing
the meaning of the word shirks in its true and Shar'ee import, these
transgressors have defined polytheism and infidelity to mean 'joining together
of two things in one attribute'. If this definition were to be accepted in full,
the Muftis of Deoband would find themselves immersed in polytheism and
infidelity. In the light of this definition by the Deobandi-Wahaabis, look at
the following writings of theirs. The line in which this argument runs is this:
Allah exists and man also exist, that is to say, in the matter of being both
share the same trait; Almighty Allah hears, so does man; Almighty Allah sees,
and so does man; Almighty Allah is knowing, and man, also, ha
knowledge; Almighty Allah is Paak
(Pure), and man calls himself, his clothes, his food, his utensils and his place
pure, and there are such other examples.
If shirk, in the eyes of the "Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi group, merely means
sharing of one attribute or one matter by two beings, then these Muftis of shirk
should kill themselves and get rid of their beings; should pour boiling coal-tar
in their ears so that they may get rid of hearing; should put burning iron rods
in their eyes to help themselves get rid of sharing with Allah the faculty of
seeing; should so hammer their heads that all matter relating to consciousness
gets destroyed and they become altogether ignorant; should put themselves before
beasts and then announce the almightiness of Almighty Allah; should act rid of
every purity in them by adorning themselves with all sorts of filth and evil.
What a pity that these Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi band who are at all times
ready and willing to fire salvos of polytheism and infidelity on true Musalmaans
would not, "under any circumstances", dare to do so. When they come under the
mischief of their own fatawaa linen they begin to take cover behind "because",
"thus", "if", "supposing", and "that is to say".
Dear readers! It is the most firms
conviction of us, the Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at that 'being' in fact, belongs to
Almighty Allah. Hearing, seeing, knowledge and authority are the personal and
real attributes of Almighty Allah. Almighty Allah is the true originator and
owner of all things but He has also granted some of His own attributes to some
of His creations. Can it be denied that Almighty Allah can grant some of His
best attributes to some of His best creations, more than most of His creations?
Almighty Allah makes some of His creations the manifestation of some His
attributes. Only he can make a true estimate of the bounty of His attributes
whom He has so blessed him with, otherwise ordinary people may estimate His
bounty to His favoured person in the measure of the bounty conferred upon them.
This is not so. It is proved with reference to the Qur'aan and the Sunnat that
tremendous blessings are showered by Allah upon these whom He chooses, and there
is no limit to the greatness and loftiness of the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu
Alaihi Wasallam) who is a special manifestation of Almighty Allah's 'being' and
attributes.
It is a miracle of Allah that the
writings of the stalwart ulama of Deoband bear witness to this fact. In
Sheikh-ul-Hadith Muhammad Zakariya Sahib's books, Tableeghi Nisaab (Re-named
Fazaa'il-e-A'maal) which is apparently regarded by Deobandi Wahaabi Tableeghi
group of South Africa as more important than even the Qur'aan and
Kamaalaat-e-Ashrafiyah, Page 56, this command of Allah (Hadith-e-Qudsi) can be
found: "My bondsman attains to My nearness through offering voluntary prayers to
the extent that I make him My beloved. And then I become his hearing with which
he hears, and I become his sight with which he sees, and I become his hand with
which he holds, and I become his feet with which he walks, and I become his
tongue with which he speaks, and I grant him whatever he asks of Me." (Bukhaari
Shareef).
By way of explaining this Hadith-e-Qudsi, Imam Fakhrud-deen Raazi (Alaihir
Rahmah) says that eminence of a bondsman who becomes Allah's beloved is such
that he sees and hears everything near or far and has sway over things, since
according to Allah's command Allah's exclusive powers become such a bondsman's
attributes. This means that that bondsman becomes a special manifestation of
such attributes of Allah. Consequently, having faith in this command of Allah,
we the Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at, believe that Allah's Prophets and the friends of
Allah are, undoubtedly, persons blessed by Allah with spiritual and other
special powers and help Allah's creations through powers and authority granted
to them by Allah.
The biographer of the Imam of the
Deobandis, Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi, and A'lim of Deoband, Muhammad A'shiq llaahi
Meruthi, has devoted a whole chapter to what he calls, "tazkiyyah and tasarruf'
(sanctification and power to give). He says: "He (Gangohi) departed from this
world, but his powers to help people are still at work" — (Page 151, Volume 2.)
The renowned Aalim of Daarul-Uloom
at Deoband, Mahmood-ul-Hasan Sahib, says this in praise of his Gangohi Sahib:
"O Rabb! To whom should I go for
redress of my worldly and other-worldly needs.
Now that the redresser of my
spiritual and physical needs is gone".
On page 252, Vol. 2, of this very
book Tazkiratur Rasheed, Gangohi Sahib himself says: "The powers to benefit and
miracles of the friends of Allah are extant not only after their death, but
their power to benefit and their miracles arc augmented after their death. In
this statement, Ibne Abdul Barr also quotes a Prophetic hadith".
On page 9 of his another book
Imdaadus Sulook, Gangohi Sahib says:
"The disciple must also believe
that (Rooh), the spirit, of the Sheikh is not confined or limited to any
particular place. So, the disciple, wherever he may be, either near or far, is
removed from the Sheikh’s mortal body but is never removed from the Sheikh's
spirituality. When he attains total belief in this fact, and remembers his
Sheikh all the time, then a spiritual affinity develops which will always be
beneficial. The disciple whenever he happens to be in need of some lining should
ask for it from his Sheikh, for the affinity which has developed between him and
the Sheikh will stand him in good stead."
On page 12 of the magazine,
"Ashraf-ul-Uloom" for the month of Sha'baan, 1355, A.H., Thanvi Sahib writes:
"Graves do benefit, at times through the intentions of the persons being
benefited and at times without his express intention, like the sun benefits
without the intention of the person benefiting from it".
On page 30 of the same magazine
for the month of Jamaadeen 1354 A.H. Thanvi Sahib says: "The Maulana (Gangohi)
saw a truthful person in his dream and told him that Almighty Allah has, after
my death, granted me His vice grency. By this, he probably meant that he had
been granted permission to use his sway over things for the benefit of others.
This is the power, which is the point of distinction, and it is not commonly
bestowed. Some holy men arc granted this after their death.
To a question put by somebody
about the nature of this sway, he said that it was like somebody beginning to
feel great zeal and zest (for acquiring Allah's nearness) after visiting the
grave of a pious man and this condition is produced because of the power and
attention of that cleaved person.
Somebody from the audience said
that such benefit can also occur by sitting at home. At this he (Thanvi) said
that the dead has a special connection with the grave, so there are greater
chances of benefits accruing there".
On page 166 of his book
"Ta'leem-ud-Deen", the same Thanvi Sahib has reiterated that "one should try to
benefit from the graves of the friends of Allah".
One page 223, of
Kamaalaut-e-Ashrafiyah, Thanvi Sahib says: "It is the habit of Allah that He
does not bestow blessings without intercession".
On page 80 of his last book
'Bawaadir-un-Nawaadir', Thanvi Sahib says: "It should be understood that some
friends of Allah use their power to benefit others and perform miracles even
after death, and this they do repeatedly".
The present set of ulama of the
Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi band altogether denies that it is at all possible for
anyone created to have the power to benefit others, but their stalwarts say that
the friends of Allah are not only capable of having the power to benefit others
but also have this power even after death, and go on increasing in them. Readers
should now themselves know that the present band of propagandists of Deoband is
being proved wrong even by those of their elders who are considered by them to
be their Imams and leaders.
Dear readers! The present-day
Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi band is totally against Prophets and friends of
Allah. They are unjust to the extent that they hold the belief that love for,
and devotion to them, is polytheistic. To venerate Prophets and friends of Allah
is, in their eyes, polytheism. Perhaps, they do not believe in the Qur'aan or
they do not study the Qur'aan. They should be questioned, if merely venerating
or showing respect and honour is polytheism or amounts to worship then how is it
that Almighty Allah in the Qur'aan gives the command Watu'az-ziroohu Watu
Waq-qiroohu ("Show respect to him and venerate him").
The holy Qur'aan abounds in
commands to pay utmost respect to the holy Prophet. For instance, it says: "La
Taqooloo Raa'ina Waqoolun Zurna" (Do not say make concession to us, but say
please turn your kind attention to us).
It also says: "La Tar fa'oo
Aswaatakum Fauqa Sautin Nabiy" (Do not ever raise your voice over that of the
Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam).
At another place it is said, "La
Taj'aloo Dua'ar Rasooli Bainakum Kaduaa'i Ba'dakum Ba'da" (Never call the
Prophet, Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam), as you would call one another but call
him with deep respect and veneration."
We have also been told, "Wa Maien
Yu'az-zim Sha'aa'iral Laahi Fa'innaha Min Taqwal Quloob." (And those who
venerate the Prophet and friends of Allah their hearts are filled with the fear
of Allah).
All these verses speak of the
importance of veneration. The Holy Qur'aan clearly says, "Wa Lil Laahil iz-zatu
Wall Rasoolihi Walil Mu'mineen" (And honour is for Allah, and His Messenger and
true Mu' mineen).
And along with this, it has been
said, "Walaa kinnal Munaafiqeena La Ya'lamoon." (But the hypocrites are not
aware of this).
It is thus proved that those who
deny honour and respect to the Prophets and the friends of Allah are, according
to Qur'aanic judgement, "ignorant hypocrites". In fact, such people deny the
Qur'aan itself, for the Qur'aan calls for honouring and respecting the Prophets
and the friends of Allah, describes paying respect to be the signs of Allah as
fearing Allah in the heart, while these unjust people describe honouring them to
be polytheism.* What is it, if not a denial of the Qur'aan?
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Readers should know that those who believe in
Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi-ism act contrary to what they believe in. They have
already seen how they indulge in exaggerated respect for their elders.—Kaukab
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Dear readers! The friends of Allah (Ridwaan-ul-Laahi Alaihim) are the beloved of
Allah and his elevated bondsmen. Their favour to the Millat is that they have
guided Allah's creations on the right path, and filled their hearts with the
love of Allah and the love of the Prophet of Allah (Sallal Laahu Alaihi
Wasallam). They fully adhered to the Shari'al and Sunnat while they were
physically alive, and admonished the creations of Allah to adhere to the
Shari'at and the Sunnat, and devoted themselves to the correction of their
beliefs and practices. When the friends of Allah depart from this mortal world,
then people go to their graves, because, according to the Book of Allah and the
Prophetic traditions, the graves of the friends of Allah are blessed places,
where supplications are listened to. People do go to their graves out of their
love for them, but in no case do reverential prostration before neither them nor
they circumbulate their graves. They do not believe the great man in the grave
to be the partner of Allah. What they do is simply this: stand before the graves
of the elevated bondsmen of Allah, pray to Allah through the intercession of the
men in the grave, whom they supplicates to intercede with Allah on their behalf,
kiss the graves out of love and respect or having touched the graves or their
coverings place their hands over their faces. Doing so can never be called grave
worship or polytheism.
Dear readers! Kissing the graves
can raise the question in people's minds as to why graves are kissed when they
are made of earth and stones. And it is obvious that the graves by themselves
have no standing. In answer to this, it can be said that their residences or
their graves are kissed only because of love for them in view of their
association with Allah. If it is thought strange that earth or stone should be
kissed, then it should be remembered that the Hajr-e-Aswad (Black Stone) is
kissed by everybody although it also is a stone. You might say that it is kissed
because it is a stone from Paradise, so it has gained distinction and importance
because of its association with Paradise. At this point, I may submit that a
Mu'min's grave also becomes associated with Paradise, for the Holy Prophet
(Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) is reported to have said: Qabrul Mu'mine Raudatum
Min Riyaadil Jannah, i.e. "a Mu'min's grave is a garden from amongst the gardens
of Paradise". So, its distinction and importance cannot be denied. Moreover,
consider this. All Or us kiss the Holy Qur'aan only because of our love for it
in view the fact that it is the Word of Allah. Even though the Words of Allah
are the words which are printed on paper in ink, but we kiss the paper, the ink,
the card-board with which these papers are bound or the cloth in which the
Qur'aan is wrapped. We kiss all these because all of them get associated with
the Word of Allah. The most vital thing is the special relationship with
Almighty Allah. Similarly, whatever honour and rank the friends of Allah attain
to is only because of their special attachment to Almighty Allah. Thus, all
those things which become the beloved of Almighty Allah are, also, fit for being
loved and respected.
Just because the feet of a beloved
bondswoman of Allah, Hazrat Haajrah (Alaihas Salaam) touched the hillocks of
Safa and Marwah, these hillocks turned into the signs of Allah
(Sha'a'iril-Laah). We learn through the Qur'aan that the places which are
touched by the feet of the friends of Allah become signs of Allah, and so how
can greatness and grandeur be denied to those places where the friends of Allah
are resting with their whole being?
All the same, I deem it necessary
to state that the graves and the relics of the friends of Allah are kissed only
because of love, and merely kissing them is not worshipping them; although doing
so is not without its rewards. Consequently, details of the daily routine of the
Imam of the Deobandis-Wahaabis, Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi, is mentioned in
Tazkiratur Rasheed, including details of kissing the relics and reverencing
them. And the stalwart ulama of Deobandi Wahaabiism have proved in their
writings the greatness attained by people through their association with the
blessing and excellence of places and peoples. Thus, Ashraf Ali Thanvi Sahib
says: "A good deal of effect attaches to the relics of pious people and still
greater good accrues from being in their company". He further says: "It is
inconceivable to estimate the good that accrues from being in the company of
pious men or from visiting them. And this is the truth about their relics. By
laying eyes on them, their remembrance is revived which puts light into our
hearts, and we get associated with Almighty Allah".— (Kamaalaa'-e-Ashraf yah,
Page 68.)
Thanvi Sahib says: "Because of
them (pious people), hearts get illuminated and purified. The condition that
attaches to their being benefited by blessings is devotion to the pious men".—
(Kamaalaat-e-Ashraf iyah, Page 130.)
On page 85 of his
Bawaadir-un-Nawaadir, Ashraf Ali Thanvi Sahib says: "Like the company of fire
heats up water, and this accompaniment benefits the living as well as the dead
when the souls of the two have affinity with each other, which is the
pre-condition for benefiting, In the same way, if the person in the grave has an
affinity and the affinities of the two have a relevance with each other and as a
result the condition of the visitor gets strengthened, this is called progress
and power, and since this affinity is unitary so one also gets inspirational
benefit".
Remember that to worship a thing
is one act, and to respect and honour a thing is just another. There is a great
difference between the two. Remember, also, that polytheism is concerned with
beliefs, and we, Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at do not ever take the person in the
grave (Whether he be a Prophet or a friend of Allah) to be the permanent and
real authority, but even when they go to the graves of the friends of Allah they
still supplicate to Allah hoping that He, in His forgiveness and mercy and
grace, will erase the black spots in their scroll of deeds, for the sake of the
goodness of His elevated bondsmen, their prayers and their service to the Deen
and Millat.
If the Deobandi-Wahaabi
Mulla-worshipping people still insist on calling this action of ours as
"grave-worship" then I must ask them this question: By what name would they call
those who go to Bait-ul-Laah (Makkah Mukarramah) and prostrate before the K'abah
from near or far? These Deobandi-Wahaabi-Tableeghi people very well remember the
word (Chair ul Laah) "non-Allah” and they use this epithet with great contempt
and insolence for Prophets and friends of Allah although they are not at all
aware of the meaning of (Chair) "non". Let me put this question to these
transgressors: The stones with make up the four walls of what you call Ka'bah
are also non-Allah, then why do these Deobandi-Wahaabis turn their faces towards
these stones while saying their prayer? The obvious answer would be that it has
been commanded to "prostrate facing the stones used in the building of
K'aba-Tul-Laah". They should then be told that they should also accept the
position that if Almighty Allah were to command prostration before any
"non-Allah" such a command has to be obeyed. To this, these people would say:
"While we are apparently clinging to the walls or the cover of the Ka'bah and
weeping, or supplicating, or asking for the grant of our wishes, yet never but
never the thought occurs in our minds that the stones which make up the walls
are worthy of being worshipped or ask them for the grant of our wishes." So, O
you Deobandi-Wahaabi Tableeghi who issue fatwa why do you have a misconception
about those who visit the graves of the friends of Allah and the sacred places
not because they take the friends of Allah to be deities but because they deem
them to be the beloved of Allah and pious beings, and while there supplicate to
Allah alone. Why do you, then, consider them to be polytheists?
The ulama of Deoband know that the
inner part of the Ka'batul Laah (Hateem) contains the graves of Hazrat Isma'iel
(Alaihis Salaam) and his mother, Hazrat Haajirah (Alaihas Salaam). For this
reason, it can be said that those who circumambulate the Ka'bah, those who
protraste in the direction of the Ka'bah, those who cling to the Ka'bah while
supplicating, do not ask Allah for the grant of their wishes but, in fact, to
placate those inside these graves. If in reply to this the ulama of Deoband say
that practice is related to beliefs: so long as no polytheistic beliefs with
regard to those buried in the graves are involved, then no conception can come
that circumambulation or prostration of the Ka'bah is not taking place but that
of the graves is. So also those who go to the graves of the friends of Allah
bear no such beliefs which are polytheistic, rather the visitors to the graves
of the friends of Allah supplicate to Allah alone and never circumambulate the
graves or prostrate in the direction of the graves. After knowing this fact, how
very unjust it is to call true Musalmaans as polytheists. Those who say so are
most unjust. May Allah protect us from their evil! (If it is possible for them
to do so, the author of the booklet, "Johannesburg to Bareilly" and people of
his ilk should read the chapter "28th Ghareebah" of Bawaadir un Nawaadir, the
last book by their own Thanvi Sahib. This will make them aware of the greatness
and excellence of the friends of Allah).
O Deobandi-Wahaabis! If you can be
called Musalmaan even after prostrating in the direction of one of the things
which is non-Allah (That is, stones of the Ka'bah) because, in your eyes, the
real deities are not those stones but the True Deity is the being of the
Almighty Allah, then why you begin firing salvos of polytheism against those
true Musalmaans who visit the graves of the friends of Allah but say that "we
supplicate only to Almighty Allah while being near to the beloved of Allah, and
our true goal is Allah Himself"?
O you who are bereft of wisdom!
Perhaps you do not know it, but it is a fact that the treasure of Deen and
Imaan, the proper way to bow before the one and only Allah and to behave as His
slave, the way to ask of Him in the right manner are gifts which have been given
to us by these very friends of Allah, whom you contemptuously and continuously
call 'non-Allah' and we the Sunnis never tire of affectionately calling them
(Ahlul Laah) "people of Allah".
Because of the favours of these
very "people of Allah", we have been guided in the straight path. These are the
monasteries through which people receive admonition and guidance.
It is for this reason that we
occasionally visit their tombs and present ourselves before "people of Allah" to
get from them confirmation of our devotion and association. It is but true that
these "people of Allah" are gates to the mercy of Allah, and had there not been
their tombs then there would have been no clue to Him who is limitless and
without any fixed abode.
Dear readers! I might present
before you a saying of the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam). The
beloved of Allah, the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) says! "I do
not have any fear of my ummah committing polytheism, but I think my ummah will
become more inclined towards this world".
This hadith can be found in
Kitaabul Maghaazi of Bukhaari Shareef. Of course we belong to the ummah of
Allah's beloved Prophet, and when our Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) had
no fear that we would indulge in polytheism, then we can never become
polytheists only because these fatwa issuing muftis of polytheistsm give such a
fatwa against us. Remember that if we are not polytheists in the eyes of Allah
and our belief is in the unity of Allah, as has been taught to us by the Qur'aan
and the Sunnat, then by the grace of Almighty Allah we are true Musalmaans. We
pray to Almighty Allah to keep us firm on the true path and protect us from the
evils of Deobandi-Wahanbi-Tableeghiism!
After refuting polytheism, I will
now briefly touch upon the subject of bid'at (Innovation) in the light of the
Qur'aan and the Sunnat. (This servant intends, Insha Allah, to write a complete
booklet on the subject of "the truth about bid'aat", in which I will try to
prove the veracity of my true standpoint on the basis of the writings of the
ulama of Deoband themselves).
Dear readers" Every true Musalmaan
knows it well that belief in faith is founded on the Qur'aan and the Sunnat. Any
saying or action of any /mare, Mujtahid or Mufti which is not exactly according
to the Qur'aan or the Sunnat is altogether unacceptable and cannot be thought to
be a Shar'ee argument. Nobody in the whole universe has any authority to bring
about changes in the commands given by the Qur'aan and the Sunnat only because
in his opinion it should be so. Those who gave priority to their own opinion in
the mailer of the Qur'aan and the Sunnat and gave importance to their thinking
have not only themselves been mislead but have also mislead others. The
principle enunciated by the Qur'aan and the Sunnat is this: "He who explains the
Qur'aan according to his own opinion builds for himself a place in Hell". It is
possible for the fatwa of a Mufti to be wrong since it is not according to the
Qur'aan and the Sunnat, but it cannot be that the commandments contained in the
Qur'aan and the Sunnat are wrong. If some of the commandments are not properly
grasped by some one, then the fault lies with their understanding, for which
they should undergo treatment.
Dear readers! It is an axiom that
"everything is recognised by its Opposite (Tu'raful Ashyaa'u Bi Azdaadiha).
Sunnat and bid'aat are two opposing linings. In Arabic dictionary and in the
terminology of Shari'at, Sunnat means "way". According to the sayings of the
holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam), such a way is the way of the holy
Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) himself, of his right-guided caliphs and
of those of the perfectly devoted persons who followed them. According to the
dictionary, every act which is of recent origin is called bid'at (Innovation)
and in the terminology of Shari'at absolute bid'at is that act which is not
proved by Shari'at and Sunnat.
It is proved by authentic sayings
of the holy Prophet that the Prophet's companions adopted many an act, many a
way of reciting Allah's names and praises, and many a supplication which had not
been practiced by the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) nor had he
ordered these, and yet the companions believed that these acts were included in
"good acts" which is what the Deen of Islam aims at.
As Almighty Allah commands in the
Qur'aan: Waf'alul Khaira La'allakum Tuflihoon (Be engaged in doing good acts in
the hope that through them you may attain to success). And the holy Prophet
(Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: "He who invents a good way in Islam, for
him there is a reward and good, And he will also derive cumulative good of all
those acting on the good way invented by him and those coming afterwards and
acting on that way will not be given less good."
This very hadith can be seen in a
letter from the spiritual guide of the ulama of Deoband on page 115 of
Tazkiratur Rasheed and on page 113 of Kamaalaate-Ashrafiyah and on page 353 of
Badaadir-un-Nawaarid. This saying of the Holy Prophet does not mean that anybody
who so desires can devise a new way, but there are set rules and regulations for
this in Islam. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that whatever new way is
devised must be within the framework of Islamic rules and regulations and
arguments and testimonies. This is to say that every new way must be in
consonance with the Shari'at and the Sunnat. That way alone is good which the
Shari'at and the Sunnat hold to be good, and that which the Shari'at and the
Sunnat do not approve of can never be good. The matter must be decided in the
spirit of the Shari'at and the Sunnat, not on somebody's personal opinion.
It is related about Hazrat
Saiyidina Bilaal-e-Habshi (Radiyal Laahu Anhu) that the holy Prophet (Sallal
Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) said to him: "I heard the sound of your footsteps in
Heaven. What special acts you do"? Upon this he (Bilaal-e-Habshi) said, "Every
time I do the ablution, I perform two rak'aat of namaaz". The holy Prophet
(Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) had not ordered him to act thus, but to bring
home to other companions the nobility and goodness of this blessed act, the holy
Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) put this question to him in the presence
of other companions so that everybody should know that a good act is after all a
good act, and accrues from it. So, the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi
Wasallam) approved of the new way practiced by Hazrat Bilaal. It is stated in
Sahih Bukhaari Shareef that Hazrat Khubaib (Radiyal Laahu Anhu) was the first
martyr who established the tradition of saying two rak'aat of namaaz before
being martyred. Once when the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) while
saying his prayer was getting up after (Ruku') bowing down said "Sami Allahu
Liman Hamidah" a companion who was following him during the prayers said
"Rab-bana Wa Lakal Hamd" and with this he also uttered the words "Hamdan
kaseeran Mubaarakan Feeh." When the prayers came to an end, the holy Prophet
(Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) enquired as to who was the person who had uttered
these words. He (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) also said, "I saw more than 30
angels darting forward, each one of them trying to write down the words." This
is to say that uttering these words was an act of immeasurable reward and good.
There are several such instances
which go to prove that whatever good act is done while remaining within the
framework of Shari'at and Sunnat is a blessed act, and a blessed act cannot,
under any circumstances, be called bid'aat. It is thus proved that while
remaining within the four corners of the Shari'at and the Sunnat there is a good
deal of scope to deal with human affairs. Every such act which is testified to
by the Shari'at and the Sunnat as being desired, and which is not against any
Qur'aanic text nor is likely to spread corruption or violence is not at all
bid'at. Islamic Deen presents solutions to all problems in all ages. With change
in the times and in nations new events do take place and will continue to take
place. If Islamic solutions to such problems are to be forbidden as bid'at, then
it is questionable if Deen would continue to be a complete code of life.
Woe be to such people who never
tire of declaring as bid'at good acts which are perfectly in accordance with the
Shari'at and Sunnat, yet turn a blind eye to those bid'at which can only result
in the destruction of Imaan and of those having Imaan. Western-style government
called "democracy" is, without a doubt, the most diabolical of all bid'at. And
yet those who call Meelaad of the holy Prophet as a bid'at are most eloquent in
praise of this form of goverment. This is a nefarious conspiracy hatched by the
enemies of Islam. This bad bid'at (Innovation) has led Muslims away from obeying
the Shari'at and the Sunnat and instead taught them disobedience to Shari'at,
which is otherwise given the name of law of the land or the constitution.
Those who term as bid'atis people
who, for the love of him, send praises and salutations to the holy Prophet
(Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) in fulfilment of Allah's commands, those who have
become self-proclaimed monopolists o Deen, do nothing whatsoever against this
bad innovation concerning governance which has enveloped many a Muslim country.
In Pakistan, most ulama of Deoband, in order to bring about the supremacy of
this very democracy, are not only supporting rule by a woman but a Deobandi
aalim occupies the position of an adviser to that very woman whose rule is
clearly against the injunctions of the Qur'aan and the Sunnat. Not only this,
they are doing their best to justify rule by a woman and are condemning those
who call rule by a woman to be unlawful.
This hadith has been reproduced on
page 10 of part 1 of "Johannesburg to Bareilly": Every bid'at (Innovation) and
every bid'ati (Innovator) is a denizen of Hell". By reproducing this hadith the
author of the series of the booklets has tried to establish that we, the
Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wa-Jama'at, are (According to him) bid'atis (Innovators). The blame
for this calumny is on these transgressors.
By way of explaining this hadith,
Hazrat Imam Navavi (Rahmatul Laahi Alaih) says that bid'at in this hadith means
the (acts) bid'at for doing which there is no justification in the Shari'at and
the Sunnat, and acts (bid'at) which are correct according to the Shari'at and
the Sunnat are not at all bid'at.
On page 22123, volume 2 of his
book kitaab Tahzeeb-ul-Assarnua-wal-Lughaat, Imam Navavi (Rahmatul Laahi Alaih)
has quoted from the book Kituab-ul-Qawaa'id by the famous Imam, Abu Muhammad
Abdul Azeez bin Abdus Salaam (Alaihir Rahmah) that there are five kinds of
bid'at—waajibah (permissible), maharramah (forbidden), mandoobah (delegated),
makroohah (abominable) and mubaahah (lawful). He has also quoted Imam Shaafi'ees
dictum. He says: "One kind of bid' at is bad and another is good, and a bad
bid'at is that which is against the dictates of Shari'at and such bid'at is a
bid' at of ignominy. A good bid' at is that which is not against any good act
done during the first period and is also not against the dictates of the
Shari'at. Such a bid' at is a good bid'at. *
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* This reference is given in the authentic book of the Deobandi
school of ulama, Ad-dur-rul-Munazzam.
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On page 11/12 of his book "Sunnat and Bid'at", the renowned Mufti of Deobandi
Wahaabis, Muhammad Shafee Sahib, says! 'Prayers which have their justification
in the sayings of the holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallam) or in his
acts, explicitly or by indication, cannot be called bid'at, nor is an act a
bid'aat which was not done during the times of the holy Prophet but necessity
for which arose later on in order to achieve a goal of Deen." He further says:
"In Ahaadees; forbid innovations in religion (Ahdaas-fid-deen) are forbidden;
innovations for the sake of Deen (Ahdaas-fid-deen) are not forbidden".
Ashraf Ali Thanvi Sahib says: "The
truth about bid'at is that it should be adopted as part of Deen. How can it be
deemed to be bid'at if it is adopted as a cure. Thus, there is one bid'aat which
is introduced in religion (Ahdaas-fid-Deen) and the other one is a bid'aat
introduced for the sake of religion (Ahdaas-fid-Deen). Ahdaas-fid-Deen can, in
truth, be called Sunnah".— (Al-faazaat-ul-Yaumiyah, Volume 1, Page 205.)
The same Thanvi Sahib also says:
"At lanes bid'at is obligatory, for example the establishment of exchange and
the teaching of grammar; al times it is proper to do so, for instance to
establish ribaat and madrasa.` etc. and also all those good acts which were not
done in earlier times". — (Bawaadir-un-Nawaadir, Page 777.)
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