A CALL
FOR
JUSTICE
BY
ALLAMA
MOHAMMED ARSHAD-UL-QAADIRI
PUBLISHED BY
IMAM AHMED RAZA ACADEMY
DURBAN SOUTH AFRICA
A BARAKAATUR RAZA PUBLICATION
COPYRIGHT
RESERVED
Date
of Publication: Rajab
1422 A.H. (October 2001)
Number
of copies: 1 500
Publishers:
Imam
Ahmed Raza Academy
Ahmed
Raza Building
3rd
Floor, 20-22 Lorne Street
Durban.
4001
South
Africa
Postal
Address:
P.O.
Box 5325
Durban.
4000
South
Africa
Phone:
(031) 309-3642
Fax:
(031) 309-3707
Cell: 083-988-6554
Int.
Code: (27) (31) + Number
Web
Site: www.raza.co.za
e-mail: yunusraza@hotmail.com
ISBN:
0-9584436-3-7
FOREWORD
In
the recent past and the present era, Muslims in many parts of the world have
become divided and fragmented due to the mischief of some “scholars” who
have assumed wrongful leadership in the community. This division is observed in
their thinking, attitudes and behaviour regarding certain aspects of the Deen,
the chief aspects being, the love the Holy Prophet Muhammad(Peace Be Upon Him) and the Awliya Allah(Radi ALLAH Anh).
This
division among the Muslims originated from the writings of the Wahabi and
Deobandi “Molvis”. The Deobandi School of Thought has in their writings
expressed disrespect for the august and sublime personality of our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him)
and the Awliya(Radi ALLAH Anh).
Nay, they have even cast doubts of the Integrity of ALLAH. Through their views and convincing speech and false sincerity, they
have succeeded in splitting up families and labelling the old school of
worshippers as grave-worshippers and Bidatis. One fails to understand why these
individuals, who claim to possess vast knowledge, would want to insult the
Beloved of Allah(Peace Be Upon Him).
Their aim was to disassociate the true Muslims from the pristine teachings of
Islam and make them devoid of the love and attachment to the beloved Habeeb(Peace Be Upon Him).
When
the Ulama-e-Haqq could no longer tolerate these gross, unacceptable insults by
the Deobandi School on the personality of the Best of Creations of all mankind,
they published articles and arguments from authentic Islamic sources disproving
the views of the Deobandi scholars.
In
this treatise, Allama Arshadul Qaadiri, in his usual style, has
systematically analysed of the beliefs of the Deobandi Molvis and convincingly
refuted all the false claims made by the Deobandi Molvis. This book serves to
protect and safeguard the Imaan of the Muslims by furnishing him or her with the
necessary information to refute the baseless arguments of the Deobandi scholars
whose intention is to snatch you away from the Straight Path.
In
my humble opinion, I urge all Muslims who are in search of the truth to read
this book and protect himself or herself from falling prey to the false
pretences of the Deobandi Molvis.
We
would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank brother Mohammed A’qib Qaadiri of the United Arab
Emirates who kindly granted permission to the Imam
Ahmad Raza Academy (South Africa) to publish
this book. We make lots of Duas for Muhammad A’qib Qaadiri that ALLAH grant him the courage and means to continue
with his valuable service of translation Sunni Literature into the English
language. We salute him for this Khidmat.
We
also make Duas for the author, Allama Arshadul-Qaadiri for good health
and prosperity and that Almighty ALLAH grant him higher stations in Jannah for his
immense services to the Ahle Sunnat wa Jamaat. Amongst the masterpieces
of Allama Arshadul Qaadiri is the book “Tableeghi
Jamaat”. The English translation of this book was
printed for the first time in 1987 by the World Islamic Mission (South Africa)
under the banner of the Imam Ahmad Raza Academy (South Africa). He
has written numerous other books and each one was a magnum opus.
May
ALLAH, in His Infinite Mercy, grant the author and the translator more
knowledge and wisdom to protect us from these mischief-makers and may the Most
Supreme Creator Y
guide
us towards the Truth. Aameen.
Sheikh
Abdul-Haadi Al-Qaadiri
President
Imam
Ahmad Raza Academy
World
Islamic Mission
South
Africa
11
Rajab 1422 A.H.
29 September 2001
This book is
written for all those: -
1. Who
sincerely want to know about the differences between the scholars of the Ahle
Sunnah School and the scholars of the Deobandi School and who wish to remove the
real obstacles towards unification.
2. Who in
their private meetings address these serious and principled differences as:
a)
a deceit of the
Maulvis,
b)
a means of making
money,
c)
a way of making a
living etc., - and who receive applause from the people, for expressing such
thoughts.
3. Who,
despite being highly educated, consider making attempts at understanding and
removing such differences as a waste of time.
4. Who
consider the differences between the Ahle Sunnah scholars and the Deobandi
scholars, as merely trivial or secondary.
5. Who spend
their scholarly and research capabilities in clarifying and interpreting the
insolent writings of the Deobandis. (Perhaps religion will remain incomplete
without such explanations!)
6. Who
consider researching the differences between the Ahle Sunnah and Deobandi
scholars just a waste of time, whereas at the same time they are the most
zealous advocators of unification!
7. Who
consider that Teejah (meals for the poor on the third day of passing away of a
Muslim), Daswaan (meals for the poor on the tenth day of passing away of a
Muslim), Chaleeswan (meals for the poor on the fortieth day of passing away of a
Muslim), and visits to mausoleums are the actual differences between the Ahle
Sunnah scholars and Deobandi scholars.
8. Who
consider the publication and sale of literature based on blasphemous and
insolent writings, as the most important service to Islam!
9. Who feel uneasy at the mention of religious differences, but who
spend all their physical and monetary resources in tolerating and solving with
elegance all their official problems and business affairs.
10. Who
advise that as per the circumstances, disputed writings & problems should
not be discussed - but do not render this advice to the institutions that are
ceaselessly publishing such literature.
11. Who term
the issues of:
(a)
Respecting our Holy
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
(b)
The status of the Holy
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
(c)
The attributes of the
Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
(d)
Veneration of the
Companions(Radi ALLAH Anh) and of the members of the
family of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
(e)
Sainthood and
(f)
other Islamic issues,
as
“Sectarianism” perpetrated by the Ahle Sunnah school of thought - and in
this way such persons intentionally or unintentionally support infidelity and
heresy.
12. Who
understand the real causes of the differences and have the true spirit of
presenting a program on the national (or international) level, through which the
wide gulf of differences can be bridged and an initiative can be taken towards
unification.
If you have
a soft corner in your heart for the scholars of Deobandi school, the obvious
effect of reading this booklet will be that you will close it and put is aside
with frustration. However, if you are a great thinker and have the spirit for
searching facts by going deep into events, you will definitely attempt to find
out why the foundations of this dispute were laid - and what are the causes
owing to which the dispute still continues all over the world, after so many
years.
If the
dispute was limited to a few people, it could be ignored by considering that
personal or family interests may be involved - but the range of this dispute is
so wide that not only the whole country (Indian Sub-Continent) but a very large
region abroad has been dragged into it.
From Mosques
to religious schools (Madressahs), all aspects of our religious life have been
so deeply affected by it that from villages to cities, the entire country has
been divided by it.
Therefore,
just terming it as an individual strife between Bareilly and Deoband cannot
overlook the real reasons that actually started the dispute.
Regretfully
until now historians have not attempted to make an impartial research into the
real basis of our dispute with the scholars of the Deobandi school – a dispute
which is going on among millions of Muslims at home and abroad since the last
several decades. Due to it, the entire Muslim society has fallen prey to
spiritual agony and confusion. Can there be a greater mockery of our innocence
that our protest is termed as "Spread of Dissension", whereas it is
the right of every innocent individual to disclose his anger and sorrow?
After these
introductory words, we now present the details of this religious dispute before
our readers trusting that they will ascertain the real causes in light of what
is written here below. Even if reading this booklet is a burden on you, I would
still request you to read the details, because a seeker of the truth does not
have a bias towards any group.
PART ONE
THE THREE FOUNDATIONS OF
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AHLE SUNNAH SCHOLARS & THE DEOBANDI SCHOLARS
The
religious enmity between Deoband and Bareilly, and its negative effects that are
prominent from the press to the stage, and which started in the previous century
is not a baseless one. If your mind is open to the truth read below the real
foundations of the differences of this religious dispute that has divided the
Muslim nation into two groups.
A) THE FIRST
FOUNDATION OF DIFFERENCES (Insolent Writings of Deobandis against the Holy
Prophet r).
Everyone is
aware that a Muslim has a very strong and devoted relation with his Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
The belief regarding the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) is so reverential and
sensitive that a Muslim cannot bear any insult towards the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
In order to protect his honour, the Muslims of the sub-continent have offered
sacrifices in every era and with such an exemplary spirit that it is now a part
of history. This aspect of a Muslim’s love for the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him)
should be remembered - that while expressing anger and regret against the
insolent, a Muslim has never bothered to see who will be targeted. Whoever
commits any disrespect or blasphemy against our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) - whether the individual is an outsider or from among us – the swords of the
Muslims have become unsheathed against such people.
The
contemporary example of the outcast Salman Rushdie is before you. He made the
entire Muslim world his enemy by attacking the honour of our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
Indeed all those who gave numerous sacrifices to defend the honour of the Holy
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
deserve immense praise.
This itself
is the main foundation of our anger against the scholars of the Deobandi school
– because their elders have written insolent words and phrases against our
Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
A few examples of such insolent writings are as follows: -
1.
The
religious leader of the scholars of Deoband, Maulvi Ashraf Ali Thanvi in his
book entitled “Hifz-ul-Iman” (The Protection of Faith) has compared the
knowledge of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
with the knowledge of lowly creatures such as animals and beasts - and he
himself has confessed to this heinous crime! (May Allah protect us!)
Learned
people know that if anything is compared with a respectable thing, it implies
respect - whereas on the contrary, if anything is compared with a disgraceful
and shameful thing, it implies defamation and disrespect. This principle is so
well known and widely accepted in the Urdu language, that no learned person can
deny the authenticity of this interpretation.
On
this basis we claim that, beyond doubt, Mr. Thanvi is guilty of insolence
towards the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
By comparing the knowledge of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) with that of animals and lowly creatures, he has definitely committed the
heinous crime of insulting the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
2.
The
second and third leaders of the Deobandi school i.e. Maulvi Khalil Ahmed
Ambethvi and Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi have written in their book
"Baraheene Qatia" (The Definite Proofs), that on the issue of
encompassing the knowledge of the earth, the knowledge of Satan exceeds the
knowledge of our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
Furthermore, they claimed that if one believes that the knowledge of our Holy
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) exceeds that of Satan, such a person will become a “polytheist” (Mushrik),
because the vastness of Satan's knowledge is proven from Qur'an and Hadith,
whereas no such proof exists in respect of the knowledge of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
(May Allah protect us!).
In
the above-mentioned case, there are no two opinions that assessing the knowledge
of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) to be inferior to that of Satan, is a blatant blasphemy and insolence towards
the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
Similarly,
it is a blatant insolence and a blasphemy to say that in contrast to Satan,
anyone who believes in the vast extent of the knowledge of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him)
is a “polytheist” (Mushrik), but having the same belief about Satan is not
polytheism!
Likewise,
it is also a clear disrespect towards our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) to say that there is no clear proof in the Qur'an on the vast extent of his
knowledge, but there is proof in Qur'an as well as Hadith regarding the vast
knowledge of Satan!
3.
The
most important leader of the Deobandi school, and also the founder of the
Deoband Madressah, i.e. Maulvi Qasim Nanotvi, in his book
"Tahzeer-ul-Naas" has refused to accept our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him)
as the Last Prophet - whereas to believe in Prophet Mohammad(Peace Be Upon Him),
as the Last Prophet of Allah is proven both from the Qur'an and the Hadith.
He
has gone to the extent of writing that “even if it were assumed that a New
Prophet can come during the era of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
or after the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
it would not have an effect on the “Finality” (Khatemiat) of our Holy
Prophet r”.
Whereas every sane person can easily understand the simple principle that the
belief regarding the Finality of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) gets negated upon the arrival of a new Prophet. It is this very book of Maulvi
Qasim Nanotvi – i.e. “Tahzeer-ul-Naas” which the Qadianis term a
precursor to validate the prophethood of Mirza Gulam Ahmed Qadiani (May Allah
protect us).
It should be clear that our
dispute with Deobandi scholars on the issue of Khatm-e-Nubuwat (The Finality of
Prophethood) is not a secondary one, but is regarding Islamic principles and is
fundamental. It is not concerned just with the permissibility (hillat) or
prohibition (hurmat), but with infidelity and Islam.
The first
root cause of our disagreement with the Deobandi scholars with references to
their books, is before you. It should be clear that this basic cause of
disagreement is concerned with
(1)
Insulting the Holy
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
and
(2)
Denial of the
necessities of Islam.
And there is
no doubt in their infidelity. A number of verses of the Holy Qur'an bear
testimony to the fact that even a minor disrespect towards the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
breaks one's relation with faith and Islam. Under no circumstances can
superiority in knowledge or worship save one from the evil consequences of
insolence.
Here, I will
request my readers NOT to read the defamatory writings of the Deobandi scholars
with a view that it is just a religious dispute between Bareilly and Deoband.
Rather what must be kept in mind is that the attack of the Deobandi scholars is
upon the great personality of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
The attack of their insolent pen is NOT upon the Ahle Sunnah Bareillvi scholars,
but especially on the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) himself!
If you read
these lines with a view that it is just a dispute between the scholars of
Bareilly and Deoband then the sincerity you need to make a fair decision, will
vanish. The purpose of my above request is because to prefer the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him)
above any other beloved person is a requirement of our faith. Therefore, put
aside the scholars of Bareilly for a while and ask your faithful conscience the
following questions: -
Ø
Do
the writings of the Deobandi scholars attack the sanctity of our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
or not?
Ø
Do
these writings deviate from the basic requirements and tenets of faith, or not?
If you have
any doubt regarding the authenticity and the location of the references given,
you can yourself find and read them – these books are openly available at
bookshops, even to this day.
So what did
the Ahle Sunnah Bareillvi scholars do? It was just that after going through
these defamatory writings of the Deobandi scholars, the Ahle Sunnah Bareillvi
scholars openly displayed the reaction of the unbearable distress and the
spiritual agony that they were made to suffer all of a sudden. The hurdle of
relations did not come in their way.
They
contacted the Deobandi scholars and with authentic proofs asked them to first
seek repentance according to the Shari’ah from those writings - which vilify
our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
and which deny the necessities of Islam - and secondly, to delete those writings
from their books. But the spurious fame of the Deobandi scholars came in their
way and they preferred the everlasting punishment of fire to the disgrace of
this world.
I) A Common
Trait among those who Disrespect the Holy Prophet Muhammad(Peace Be Upon Him).
Deviating
from the above conversation, I would like to clarify a point to my readers,
trusting that the extra moments of waiting will not be a burden upon them.
Going
through the annals of history you will notice a common trait among those who
were insolent towards the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
After uttering or writing any blasphemous word due to hypocrisy, instead of
seeking repentance for their infidelity, they resort to wrong interpretations
and verbal jugglery when they are called to account and admonished.
During the
era of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
the very same attitude existed in the hypocrites of Medinah. Once when the Holy
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) was returning from a journey, the hypocrites used a derogatory word for him -
and when the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) called them to account after the honourable companions informed him, the
hypocrites resorted to giving wrong interpretations and lame excuses. It was
revealed in the Holy Qur'an to the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) as follows: -
“Do not feign excuses, you have turned
disbelievers after becoming Muslims” (Surah
Tauba 9:66 - from the Holy Quran’s English Translation “Treasure of
Faith” by Mohammed Aqib Qadri)
Had the
revelations not been going on, the hypocrites' fraud would not have been
disclosed and they would have concealed their infidelity by reciting Kalima in
the Muslim society.
If you wish
to know about the role of the hypocrites of Medinah in the present age, read
about the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia of New Delhi. In order to
be called a supporter of secularism, he expressed his views about the banned
book of Salman Rushdie in an interview for an English Magazine that “the
ban on this book (Satanic Verses) enforced by the Indian Government should be
lifted because everyone has a fundamental right to express his views.”
The clear
meaning of this phrase is that Rushdie cannot be called to account of the
Blasphemy he has done in his book because he has a fundamental right to express
his views. In other words, Mushir-ul-Hasan with his above phrase has openly
supported the disrespect towards our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
The courageous and sacrificing students of Jamia Millia deserve praise and
applause. When they read the interview of Mushir-ul-Hasan, and based on his
crime of supporting a blasphemer, they joined hands in the spirit of defending
the honour of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) and demanded from the then Indian Government that since a supporter of a
blasphemer is also a blasphemer, Mushir-ul-Hasan should be sacked from his post
– and that they cannot tolerate a blasphemer and cruel person at any cost.
As this was
a question of defending the honour of our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
a large number of teachers of the Jamia Millia became indifferent of the
consequences and announced their support with the students.
When the
Muslims of Delhi learned about the incident, a wave of hatred and detestation
spread, and the people of the city also started supporting the students. The
manner in which Anjuman-e-Raza of Zakir Nagar displayed their anger against
Mushir-ul-Hasan, gave correct advice to the students and encouraged everyone,
should be written down in letters of gold.
“The
students should see in the light of Islamic teachings, whether the one who is
being termed an insulter of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
is really an insulter or not.”
How
regretful and astonishing it is, that the students and the teachers of Jamia
Millia and the general public who are not scholars understood the blasphemy of
Mushir-ul-Hasan, but the scholars of Darul Uloom Deoband could not understand it
– although the appeal of the Chancellor Mr. Bashiruddin Ahmed about
Mushir-ul-Hasan was published on the last page of “Qawmi Awaz”, and
the following excerpt from it perfectly reveals the crime of Mushir-ul-Hasan.
“The
Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Jamia, Prof. Mushir-ul-Hasan has expressed his
opinion about lifting the ban on this book (Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie).
As this is a cause of annoyance, an environment of anger and revolt has been
created.”
It is clear
from the statement of the Vice Chancellor that the charge of the students
against Mushir-ul-Hasan is not baseless because he has based his statement on
the fact that every one has the right to freely express his views.
Therefore,
whatever Salman Rushdie has written against our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
is Rushdie's permitted right. But it is a matter of great regret that despite so
much explanation, the Deobandi scholars consider Mushir-ul-Hasan guiltless. The
most important justification given by them for his innocence is as follows: -
“The
one who is being termed an insulter of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) has clarified that he is free from this sin and has complete respect in his
heart for the Holy Prophet r”.
The insanity
of the Deobandi scholars is really pathetic that they do not even know that in
order to prove any charge, the confession or admission of guilt is NOT required.
His statements and the words he has used are more than enough to prove his guilt
– or else it should be pointed out where in the history of Islamic punishments
has a criminal been punished on the basis of his confession. Whoever has been
punished, has been punished on the basis of his words and statements. Can
Dar-ul-Ifta of Deoband prove that has anyone who was termed an infidel by it
because of uttering blasphemy, been made to confess his infidelity? But it is
obvious here that the Deobandi scholars would not have uttered such immature
statements if their love for the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
had not been overcome by the motive of supporting Mushir-ul-Hasan. They have now
to answer what was the reason for their supporting and advocating
Mushir-ul-Hasan.
We have
referred to this event just to clarify to our readers how the love of the Holy
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
unites the believers against the insulters - and how those whose hearts are
devoid of this noble spirit resort to indecent and ridiculous interpretations in
order to defend a blasphemer.
In order to
expose the mentality of the blasphemers as well as their supporters, I think I
have swayed far from the main subject. I now request you to direct your
attention to the discussion in the previous pages regarding the charges against
the elders of Deoband for insulting the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
The very
same thing happened at that time. In order to protect the insolent writings of
their elders, the Deobandi scholars adopted a stance of hostility and
stubbornness, and with all their might began propagating among the masses that
they were completely free from the charges of blasphemy. And furthermore, they
claimed that the scholars of the Ahle Sunnah Bareillvi school had created this
entire dispute and that the accusation against them – that of insulting the
Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) - is totally untrue, and baseless.
They had a
large number of resources and means of communication at their disposal. When
people started getting influenced from their false propaganda, we were left with
no other option but to go for discussions and debates and to reveal the fact
that the charges on the elders of Deoband school for writing insolent remarks
against the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
are NOT baseless, but in fact a reality.
Therefore,
in every debate, the insolent writings of their elders were read before them
along with proper reference to the page numbers and the Deobandi scholars never
said that the books from which the reference were given were not written by
their elders or that these insolent writings were not present in their books.
The most
important benefit derived from these debates was that the general public
realised that the charges of blasphemy on the Deobandi scholars are based on
solid grounds - and that the protest and agitation of the Ahle Sunnah scholars
which is reflected in their speeches is to defend the honour of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
B) THE
SECOND FOUNDATION OF DIFFERENCES (Incorrect Beliefs of the Deobandi School)
You have
read in the previous pages that the first basic cause of our differences with
the Deobandi scholars, is their disrespect of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
and their denial of the basic tenets of Islam. You would have definitely
assessed by now that our hatred and abhorrence of the Deobandi scholars because
of their blasphemy can never end - for it is a requirement of our faith.
The first
basic cause was quite sufficient for our separation from the Deobandi school,
but you will be astonished to know that there are quite a few special beliefs
upheld by the Deobandi scholars, which are also playing a vital role in widening
the gulf between us. Provided below are some of their beliefs, with reference to
their books: -
1)
A follower (member
of the Ummah) can surpass the Prophets in deeds.
(Tahzeer-ul-Naas)
2)
It is not necessary
for the Prophets to be immune from saying blatant lies.
(Tasfia-ul-Aqaid)
3)
It is wrong to
consider that saying lies is against the dignity of Prophethood.
(Tasfia-ul-Aqaid)
4)
It is wrong to
believe that Prophets are innocent of sinning.
(Tasfia-ul-Aqaid).
5)
A person engaged in
prayers becomes a polytheist (mushrik) upon diverting his thoughts towards the
Prophet.
(Siraate-Mustaqeem)
6)
To think about the
Prophet whilst one is in prayer is worse than being engrossed in the thoughts of
adultery, or thinking about a donkey or an ox. (Siraate-Mustaqeem)
7)
It is possible for
Allah to tell lies (Yakrozi).
8)
It is a heresy to
deem Allah free from time and space
(Idha-ul-Haq)
9)
The deceptions of
magicians are greater than the miracles of the Prophets.
(Mansabe-Imamat).
10) A
person, who labels the Companions of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) as “infidels”, is not out of the fold of Jamaat Ahle Sunnah.
(Fatawahe Rashidiah)
11) Whoever
is named “Mohammed” or “Ali” does not have authority over anything. (Taqwiat-ul-Iman)
12) All
creations – whether small (such as common men) or great (such as prophets and
saints) – they all are, before Allah's majesty, more lowly than even a
cobbler.
(Taqwiat-ul-Iman)
13) One
who considers the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) as his mediator and intercessor on the Day of Resurrection, is equal to Abu
Jahal in polytheism.
(Taqwiat-ul-Iman)
14) It
is polytheism to have names such as “Rasool Baksh”, “Nabi Baksh”,
“Gulam Mohiuddin” and “Gulam Moeenuddin”.
(Taqwiat-ul-Iman)
15) To
be “A mercy for the entire creation” (Rehmatul Lil Alameen) is not an
exclusive attribute of our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
The followers can also be the “A
mercy for the entire creation” (Rehmatul
Lil Alameen). (Fatawahe
Rashidiah)
16) Eating
from the food prepared for Fateha of the saints, causes the heart to die.
(Taqwiat-ul-Iman)
17) The
Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) is our elder brother, we
are his younger brothers.
(Taqwiat-ul-Iman)
18) It
is polytheism to say, “if Allah and His Prophet will a thing, it will be
accomplished”.
(Bahishti Zewar).
19) To
travel for the sake of visiting the mausoleums of any Prophet or any Saint, or
to illuminate their mausoleums, to carpet them, to sweep there, give people
water to drink or make arrangements for their ablution and bathing – (all
this) is polytheism.
(Taqwiat-ul-Iman).
Here I will
request my readers to reflect upon the above-mentioned beliefs of the Deobandi
school with justice and sincerity. Among these beliefs are a few that affect the
belief of Tauheed (the Oneness of Allah) and a few others which if accepted as
true would put the faith of a billion Muslims in danger - and this does not stop
here. Billions of our ancestors, who accepted faith contrary to these beliefs as
true Islam, will also come within the purview of such beliefs.
For a little
while, put the Bareillvi scholars aside, and with your religious temperament,
decide whether you agree with the above mentioned beliefs and actions or not -
and without any hesitation just decide in a clear YES or NO - whether the
present Muslim society is based on these beliefs or not. If not and obviously
not, then please give a decision regarding the scholars of Bareilly who have
disagreed with the above noted beliefs and have struggled to save the Ummah from
these filthy beliefs & actions, and have also striven to keep the Ummah
associated with the correct beliefs of Islam.
It is now up
to the Muslim masses to decide whether this significant achievement of the
righteous Ahle Sunnah Bareillvi scholars was in the interest of the Ummah or
otherwise - and whether the services they rendered caused dissension within the
Ummah or have saved it from breaking up.
If you agree
that the faith of the majority of the Muslims world-wide is the same as that
which the scholars of Bareilly upheld, you will then have to accept that it was
these scholars who were the true leaders of the Muslim masses. Those who, under
the influence of false propaganda of the opponents, accuse the Ahle Sunnah
Bareillvi scholars of sowing the seeds of dissension within the Ummah, deserve
to be called the worst ingrates in history.
Even if you
do not call yourself a Bareillvi, you must be thankful to the Ahle Sunnah
Bareillvi scholars for the noble role that they played by saving you from
falling victim of the incorrect teachings of the Deobandi school - and for
keeping the Muslim Ummah associated with proper beliefs.
C) THE THIRD
FOUNDATION OF DIFFERENCES (Improper Decrees Issued by the Deobandi School)
Under this
basis of differences are the verdicts and writings of the Deobandi scholars in
which the religious traditions of the Muslims masses (Jumhur) have been termed
as “Forbidden” (Haram) and heretic innovations. Read please the details
below: -
1)
They term the seeking
of mediation (Tawassul) from the Prophets and Saints as forbidden and a sin.
2)
They do not accept the
belief that the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) had knowledge of the hidden, even if it is given by Allah.
3)
According to the
explanation of Taqwiat-ul-Iman, they believe that the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him)
has mingled with dust.
4)
Holding of Meelad
(Mawlid) gatherings and Qiyam & Salaam (the prevalent way in which a devotee
prays for peace and blessings of Allah upon the beloved Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
in a state of standing upright) – all these are forbidden according to them.
5)
Holding gatherings in
order to convey the reward of Fateha, recitation of the Qur’an etc., either
for saints or for common Muslims – all these are forbidden according to them.
6)
They term it forbidden
to hold public meetings to narrate the martyrdom of Hadrat Imam Husain(Radi ALLAH Anh)
or to commemorate Gyarhween Shareef of Hadrat Shaykh Abdul Qaadir Jilani(Radi ALLAH Anh)
and Chatti of Hadrat Shaykh Moeenuddin Chishti(Radi ALLAH Anh).
7)
They term the
rejoicing, holding of public meetings and taking out of processions on the
occasion on the birth of our Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) as forbidden.
8)
According to them,
building of domes over the mausoleums of Saints and pious Muslims is forbidden.
9)
They term the slogans
of “Ya Rasool Allah” and “Ya Nabi Salam Alaika” as forbidden.
10) According
to them, inviting relatives and others on the occasion of Khatna (circumcision)
and Bismillah (The start of reciting the Qur'an) and Aqeeqah (sacrifice for
new-born) is prohibited.
11) Teejah
(meals for the poor on the third day of passing away of a Muslim), Daswaan
(meals for the poor on the tenth day of passing away of a Muslim), Chaleeswan
(meals for the poor on the fortieth day of passing away of a Muslim),
preparation of Halwa (sweet dish) on the occasion of Shabe-Bara`at (15th Night
of Shabaan) - all these are not permissible according to them.
12) According
to them it is not permissible to invite anyone on the occasion of weddings,
engagements etc., nor is it permissible for one to attend such gatherings.
13) They
decree the wearing of head-garlands by the grooms (on the day of wedding) as an
act of polytheism.
14) Regarding
the person who places wreaths on the mausoleums of Saints, and commemorates the
Urs of Saints - they term the marriage of any Muslim female with the son of such
a person as Haraam. They also forbid participation in the funeral prayers of
such a person, inquiring after his health and greeting him.
15) They
also term the seeking and obtaining of benefit (Faiz) from the souls of Saints
and seeking their assistance as forbidden.
16) According
to them, kissing the thumbs upon hearing the name of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him)
is forbidden.
17) They
also term the Fateha of Imam Jafar Sadiq(Radi ALLAH Anh) in the month of Rajab, as
forbidden.
18) They
term the illumination of mosques upon completion of the recitation of Holy
Qur'an in the month of Ramadan, as forbidden.
19) They
also deem prohibited the placing of epitaphs showing the date of death on the
grave of Muslims.
20) To
pray for the forgiveness of the deceased after the funeral prayers, is
prohibited according to them.
21) They
term the act of embracing each other on the Eid days as forbidden.
Now the
third root cause of our differences with the scholars of Deoband is also before
you. You have now to decide 3 things, with justice.
q
Firstly, do you agree
with the above-mentioned verdicts issued by the Deobandi scholars, or not.
q
Secondly, are these
verdicts contrary to the lawful traditions and customs practised in the Muslim
world, or not.
q
And thirdly, is the
religious and social system of our Muslim society harmed by these verdicts or
not.
If yes, and
surely yes, then according to these verdicts, is the entire Muslim society
involved in forbidden acts from dawn to dusk? And if so, where does our Islamic
society stand?
This is the
stage where you have to draw a line between the scholars of Deoband and that of
Bareilly - and you must arrive at the conclusion that all the efforts of the
Deobandi scholars were directed at proving that the entire Muslim society, each
and every member of it, was a sinner - whereas the efforts of the Ahle Sunnah
Bareillvi scholars was to prove that unless an act is explicitly forbidden by
Allah or the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
then no one has the right to forbid it.
Terming the
ethical and religious customs upon which the Muslim society is built, as
forbidden (Haraam) is a clear deviation from proven facts and an open enmity
with the Muslims.
If
my readers adopt a fair stance, they will have to admit that all the efforts of
the Ahle Sunnah Bareillvi scholars are in support of majority of the Muslim
Ummah, whereas those of the Deobandi scholars are directed against it.
Can there be
a greater ingratitude other than taking those who are hell bent upon attacking
and ruining us, as our greatest well-wishers – whereas on the other hand to
deem those who have put their lives and status in danger for us, as our greatest
enemies?
The purpose of clarifying the foundations of our differences, up to what
I have written until now, is that the readers may clearly understand the nature
of differences, and may not attribute our anger, frustration and separation for
any other reason.
If the
assault of the insolent pen of Deoband was on us, there could have been plenty
of ways for forgiveness and reconciliation. But the fact is that they tried to
harm the honour of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him), and have thereby caused suffering to ALLAH
and His Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him)
– and so the decision regarding them will come from these sources.
We do not
have any direct relationship with any scholar - it is through the means of the
Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him).
When someone severs his relationship with the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
then the question of our having a relation with him does not arise. Rather the
spirit of loyalty towards the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) demands from us that as long as we live, we shall not only have our relations
severed with such blasphemers, but shall continue our struggle of keeping each
and every Muslim away from them.
A) CHARGES OF THE DEOBANDI SCHOLARS
AGAINST THE SCHOLARS OF BAREILLY
The history
of our differences will remain incomplete if we do not narrate here the charges
that the Deobandi scholars have levelled against us. The most important blame on
us is that we have termed their learned and worthy scholars as infidels and we
have been very bold and careless in giving the verdict of infidelity, and
furthermore that we have been very biased and fanatical in our views.
In
defence, we only wish to state that the verdict of infidelity mentioned in our
book "Hussaam-ul-Haramain" (The Sword of the Two Holy Sanctuaries),
for the charge of insulting the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
and on the charge of denial of tenets of Islam, has been given against ONLY 5
(five) persons - and the verdict has been upheld and attested by the then
scholars of Mecca and Medinah, and other cities of the Arab world.
Of those
five, four are the very same elders from the Deobandi School (the blasphemous
writings of whom are detailed above) and the fifth person is the great liar and
impostor Gulam Ahmed Qadiani.
So
henceforth, if someone supports the blasphemous writings of any one of the 5
mentioned above, he will himself be responsible for the consequences and the due
punishment. The scholars of Bareilly are not interested in unnecessarily
expelling anyone from the fold of Islam. By supporting the blasphemous and
insolent writings and disrespect of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
it is they themselves who make arrangements for their own ruin in this life and
in the hereafter. It is absolutely ridiculous to blame anyone else for it.
A
Point To Remember: Here,
an important matter needs to be explained. A non-Muslim, after his recitation of
the Kalima and acceptance of faith and Islam, should be considered a Muslim –
and likewise it is necessary that if any Muslim commits blasphemy (Allah
forbid), he should be considered an infidel – this is a fundamental rule.
The Ahle
Sunnah Bareillvi scholars had to fulfil this unpleasant obligation under
specific conditions – and similarly, the Deobandi scholars have not lagged far
behind. As a proof, please read the letter of Maulvi Amin Ahmed Islahi,
extracted from his famous book “Hakeem-ul-Ummah” written by Maulvi
Abdul Majeed Daryabadi. This letter was written at the time when Maulvi Islahi
was the Chief Administrator of Madrasahe Islah, in Sarae Meer, District
Azamgarh, India. The following extract from the letter is worth reading: -
“The
verdict given by Maulana (Ashraf Ali) Thanvi that - 'Maulvi Shibli Nomani and
Maulvi Moeenuddin Farahi are infidels, and since the Madrassah is the mission of
these two individuals, it follows that the Madrassahe Islah is a teaching place
of infidelity and hypocrisy - to the extent that even the scholars who attend
its public meetings are also infidels and faithless’ - has now been
published.”
Upon
receiving this letter, Maulvi Abdul Majeed Daryabadi (a disciple and caliph of
Maulvi Thanvi) wrote a detailed letter as a confidante to Maulvi Thanvi in which
he referred to the piety, intense worship and “Tahajjud” prayers of Maulvi
Shibli Nomani and Maulvi Moeenuddin Farahi, as proofs of their Islam. His aim
was to convey that the verdict of infidelity against these two prominent pious
persons could not be easily accepted. The reply he received from Maulvi Thanvi
was as follows: -
“All
these are deeds - and beliefs are quite apart from them. It is possible for
wrong deeds to combine with correct faith and beliefs, and the opposite is also
possible.”
(Hakeem-ul-Ummah, page 476)
The only
possible inference from the above reply of Maulvi Thanvi is, that despite Maulvi
Shibli Nomani’s and Maulvi Moeenuddin Farahi’s fame, knowledge and piety,
the decree of infidelity issued by Maulvi Thanvi against the two is correct. In
order to prove that Maulvi Ashraf Ali Thanvi was correct in issuing such a
verdict, his devotees and fans will resort to the interpretation that surely
Maulvi Thanvi must have seen or noticed some act of infidelity (in writing or in
speech) in these two Maulvis - without a solid reason based on Shariah, he would
surely not have issued a verdict of infidelity.
Now
if we apply the same principle on Mr. Thanvi and other scholars of Deoband, then
it transpires that the verdict of infidelity issued against them by the scholars
of the two Holy Cities, is also NOT unfounded. They also had solid reasons based
on the Shari’ah for terming them infidels, the details of which you have read
in the earlier pages.
If the fame
and piety of Maulvi Shibli Nomani and Maulvi Moeenuddin Farahi could not save
them from being termed infidels, then has some special revelation descended from
the sky, which exempts these elders of the Deobandi school from being termed
infidels, despite their being guilty of blasphemy and disrespect of the Holy
Prophet r?
B) AN ANSWER TO THE CHARGE OF BIAS
AND FANATICISM
One of the
charges levelled against us by the Deobandi scholars is that we have been very
biased and fanatical in our views. At this juncture, it will be most appropriate
to show them their own face in the mirror, so that they may think before they
point a finger at anyone else!
I)
The First Example of Deobandi Extremism
You have
just read in the previous paragraphs the verdict given by Maulvi Ashraf Ali
Thanvi which was as follows: - ‘Maulvi Shibli Nomani and Maulvi Moeenuddin
Farahi are infidels - and since the Madrassah (Islah) is the mission of only
these two individuals, it follows that the Madrassahe Islah is a teaching place
of infidelity and hypocrisy - to the extent that even the scholars who attend
its public meetings are also infidels and heretics.’
Now you can
yourself decide - can there be fanaticism beyond that?
II)
Second Example of Deobandi Fanaticism
Maulvi
Thanvi is such an extremist in his views that he does not allow his devotees and
fans to even read the books of the persons he considers heretics. An extract
from the book “Kamalate-Ashrafia” (A collection of Maulvi Thanvi's
sayings etc.,) is as follows: -
“If a
person from a stray sect talks about religion, there is always evil hidden in
it. Their writings also contain evil hidden within, therefore one should never
keep their company and never ever read their books.”
(Kamalate-Ashrafia, page 55)
Now please
be fair with us - if we adopt the same strict attitude towards those whom we
consider infidels because of their denial of the necessities of faith and
disrespect of the Holy Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him),
we are reproached. Why should we not be allowed the same privilege that the
Shari’ah allows them?
Those who
are aware of the history of Nadwah, know that the elders of the Deobandi school
were against its very formation. To the extent that when the principle of Nadwah
Maulvi Mohammed Ali Mongeree went to invite Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi to
attend its yearly conference, he not only declined to accept the invitation, but
also refused to meet Maulvi Mongeree.
When Maulvi
Mongeree insisted that if Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi could not attend the
conference, he should allow any of his men to attend on his behalf, Maulvi
Gangohi's reply was: -
“It has
been made known to me that it (Nadwah) does not have a good ending. I therefore
cannot permit any of my men to attend on my behalf.”
(Tazkerat-ur-Rasheed, Vol. 2, page 205).
“It does
not have a good ending” – there cannot be better proof of this ILHAM
(revelation) other than the fact that Nadwah is now under the control of the
Deobandis!
And the
horrible picture of its ending will become clearer if you keep its beginning in
sight.
Learned
people know that Shibli Nomani occupied an important place amongst the founders
of “Nadwah”. One of his articles has been published in the sixth volume of “Makalate
Shibli”. He wrote this article at a time when there was some
misunderstanding between him and the principal of Nadwah. Gradually, the
differences rose to such an extent that the students went on strike in support
of Shibli. The excerpt is as follows: -
“When
the crisis was at its peak, the time of Mawlid Shareef arrived and the students
wanted to celebrate it according to their yearly routine - but knowing that I
(Shibli) would speak on the occasion of Mawlid Shareef, they were prevented from
it. At last some people intervened and persuaded him (the principal) that if
Mawlid Shareef celebration was not permitted, there will be widespread anger in
the city. So under this compulsion, the celebration of Mawlid Shareef was
allowed, but under various conditions and restrictions.”
(Makalate Shibli, Vol 6. Page 131)
But can the Mawlid S