PART TWO
A) CHARGES OF THE DEOBANDI SCHOLARS AGAINST THE SCHOLARS OFBAREILLY.
The history of our differences will remain incomplete if we do not
narrate here the chargesthat the Deobandi scholars have leveled
against us. The most important blame on us isthat 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 defense, we only wishto 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 and
blessings 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 beenupheld and attested by the then scholars of Mecca and Medinah,
andother cities of the Arab world.
Of those five, four are the very same elders from the Deobandi School
(the blasphemouswritings 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 ofany 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 and blessings be upon him), it is they
themselves whomake arrangements for their own ruin in this lifeand in
the hereafter. It isabsolutely 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 theKalema 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 fulfill this unpleasant
obligation under specificconditions - and similarly the Deobandi
scholars have not laggedfar behind. As a proof, please read the letter
of Maulvi Amin Ahmed Islahi, extracted from hisfamous 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 surelynot have issued a verdictof 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 2 holycities, is also NOT
unfounded. They also had solid reasons based on the Shariah 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 termedinfidels, 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?
B) AN ANSWER TO THE CHARGE OF BIAS AND FANATICISM.
One of the charges leveled against us by theDeobandi scholars is
thatwe 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!
B1) The First Example of Deobandi Extremism.
You have just read in theprevious paragraphs theverdict 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 decide yourself, can there be fanaticism beyond that?
B2) 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
considersheretics. An extract from the book "Kamalate-Ashrafia" (A
collection of Maulvi Thanvi's sayings etc.,) is as follows: -
"If a person from an astray sect talks about religion, there is always
evil hidden in it. Their writings also contain evilhidden within,
thereforeone 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 weconsider infidels because of their denial of the
necessities of faithand disrespect of the Holy Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him), we are reproached. Whyshould we not be allowed
the same privilege that the Shariah allows them?
B3) Another Example of Deobandi Extremism
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
inviteMaulvi 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 Gangohicould 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 Vol2 page 205).
"It does not have a goodending" - 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 wantedto 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 lastsome people
intervened and persuaded him (the principal) that if Mawlid Shareef
celebration was not permitted, there willbe 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 Shareef celebration be held in the courtyard of
Dar-ul-Uloom Nadwah inthis age? Is the trend of celebrating Mawlid
Shareef still prevalent among the students of Nadwah? No. Because
Nadwah has now been usurped by Deobandis.
Just think! That was the beginning and this is theend - and strangely
enough, note that the"Ilham" of Maulvi Rasheed Gangohi relatesonly
with its "evil" end - not with the beginning!
B4) Yet Another Example Of Deobandi Fanaticism.
You have read one example of the fanaticism of Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed
Gangohi. Now please read one more example of his extremism and
stubbornness.
His hatred for the Saints and their mausoleums had reached to such an
extent, that he hated even their Urs. The mausoleum of one of
thefamous Chishti Saints Hazrat Maulana Abdul Quddoos Gangohi is also
in the same Gangoh, which happens to be thenative place of Maulvi
Rasheed Ahmed. The hatred in his heart for the great saint, and for
the celebration of the saints' "Urs" can be gauged from the following
extract from the book of Maulvi Zakaria - the Shaykh-ul-Hadith of
Saharanpur.He writes in his book"Tareekhe Mashaikhe Chisht" - page 294
(The History of Chishti Shuyukh) as follows: -
"The Urs of Hazrat Maulana Abdul Quddoos Gangohi which Maulvi Rasheed
Ahmed was powerless to stop, distressed him so much that it was almost
impossible for him to bear it. At first, he used to leave Gangoh and
stay in Rampur in those days, but in the last few years of his life he
was compelled to bear this anguish and had to spend the time of the
Ursin his Khankah (house).During the days of Urs, he also detested his
disciples coming to Gangoh to such an extent that he often showed his
anger and even avoided speaking to them. One of his Caliphs and
disciples, Maulvi Mohammed SalehJalandhari set off for Gangoh in order
to have the privilege of seeing Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi.
Incidentally, the Urs was in full swing.Although Maulvi Mohammed Saleh
did not have the faintest idea of the Urs, Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed
instead of replying to his greetings, did not even bother to ask him
whether he had taken his meal, or even ask him the reason of his
arrival."
"Two days passed away in the same stalemate. Seeing Maulvi Rasheed
Ahmed Gangohi's face turned away from him, and purposely ignoring his
presence was unbearable for Maulvi Mohammed Saleh. At lasthe
approached Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed, and with tears in his eyes he asked
Maulvi Rasheed as to what had he done, forwhich he was being punished
so severely. As an apology he further said, 'Hazrat, Allah knows that
from the very beginning, I have no interest in things like Urs. I
swear that I have not come to Gangoh for the sake of attending the
Urs. I did not know that the Urs was being held in these days.' Imam
Rabbani said, 'Although your intentionwas not of attending theUrs, but
on the way through which two men were coming to attend the Urs, you
were the third!' ".
Readers must now decide with justice - can there be fanaticism more
intense than this? His disciple had not come to Gangoh for the sake of
attending the Urs, but had come to meet his Shaykh. But as he had made
the terriblemistake of coming at thetime of Urs, he was punished
severely, as if he had committed a heinous crime!
Now the question arises that if Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed had so much
hatred for the Urs of Maulana Abdul Quddoos Gangohi, then why did he
ever become a disciple in the Chishti Sabri order of saints? And
whereas the fact is that in this order, right from Hazrat Khwaja
Moeenuddin Chishti, to Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, Baba
Fareeduddin Ganj Shakr,Meboob-e-Ilahi Hazrat Nizamuddin Awliya, Hazrat
Sabir Pak, Hazrat Chirag Dehli, Hazrat Banda Nawaz Gaysu Daraz, Hazrat
Turk Panipati, Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Haq Radolvi, Hazrat Shaykh Abdul
Quddoos Gangohi, Hazrat Shaykh JalaluddinThanesri, Hazrat Akhi Siraj,
Hazrat Alauddin Pindvi and Hazrat Sultan Ashraf Jehangir Samnani-
among them there is not a single saint who has not held the Urs of his
Shuyukh.
It is quite strange to note that only because of the fact that his
disciple had come during the time of Urs, Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi
turned his face away from him. Whereasall the Shuyukh of the Chishti
order who have kept the tradition of Urs alive, believe him (Shaykh
Abdul Quddoos) to be their Dastageer (aide). Now the questionwhich
swings like a sword above the head ofMaulvi Rasheed Ahmed is- how can
someone who(according to the beliefs of Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed) is
himself involved in "Moharrimat wa Bidaat" (forbidden acts and
innovations), take someone else close to Allah?
C) ANOTHER OBJECTION BY THE DEOBANDI SCHOLARS -AND ITS ANSWER
The people against whom Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Raza (of Bareilly) used
his pen could not bear their wounds, and kept moaning all their life.
Revenge is a basic instinct of every wounded person - and naturally,
when a personcannot restrict his enemies, he resorts to hurling
abuses. The same thing happened with Ala Hazrat. The people who could
not defend the charge of insulting the Holy Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) through knowledge and proper arguments,
concluded that the only way of satisfying their lust for revenge was
to tarnish the image of Ala Hazrat - by any means, fair or foul.
When they could not find anything objectionable in the dignity and
personality of Ala Hazrat, they concocted the false charge that Ala
Hazrat has revived various innovations instead of reviving the Sunnah
- whereas as a Renewer ofIslam, the greatest accomplishment of Ala
Hazrat is his differentiation and segregation of right from wrong, and
truth from falsehood - innumerable examples of these are spread over
huge volumes of his decrees (fatawas).
The name of Shaykhe Deoband Husain Ahmed Madani, tops the list of
those who raised such accusations against Ala Hazrat. In his book
entitled "Al Shihab-ul-Saqib", he has hurled about 600 abuses on Ala
Hazrat, among which is"The Renewer of Innovations" - which is ascar on
the page of his book.
But at this stage, I wish to salute the character and dignity of Ala
Hazratagain and again that despite the Deobandis' grave enmity, the
accusers have not yet been able to prove him as a pioneer of
innovations.
The difference in the meaning of "Pioneer" and "Renewer" is well known
to every learned person. Those who called Ala Hazrat the"Renewer" of
innovations must now prove who is the"Pioneer" of the"innovations"
which supposedly Ala Hazrat has revived. And they will also have to
give account, as to how manytimes have they abused the "Pioneers" of
such innovations.
Although it is not the main topic, I do have a long list of
innovations - the "pioneers" of which are none other than the Deobandi
scholars themselves! Though I do not have ample time, butto prove my
objection and in relevancy with the occasion, I quote only some of the
innovations pioneered by the Deobandi scholars, as listed below:
1. Reading the complete Saheeh Bukhari Shareef (the famous Hadith
collection), in order raisemoney for the Madressah, while giving the
excuse that this was done for "repelling calamities & fulfilling
needs" - the pioneer of this innovation is none other than the Darul
Uloom Deoband itself.
2. Assigning a specific place for funeral prayersin the courtyard of
DarulUloom Deoband, not on the basis of administrative reasons but on
the basis of wrong beliefs - the pioneer of this innovation is none
otherthan the Darul Uloom Deoband itself.
3. Stipulating that the shroud of a dead Muslim must always be made of
Khaddar (a hand spun coarse cloth) - and refusing to lead / offer the
funeral prayers in the absence of Khaddar -the pioneer of this
innovation is none otherthan the Shaykh of Deoband, Maulvi Husain
Ahmed!
4. Holding a large celebration upon completion of 100 years of Deoband
Madressah, with huge arrangementsand publicity for the sake of
conferring certificates to scholars - and inviting a polytheist,"Gair
Mahram" (forbidden even to look at) woman on the stage, and giving her
the seat of "Chief Guest" - and as if this was not enough, seating all
their elderly scholars and students at her footsteps below the stage -
the pioneers of these several evil innovations are none other than the
scholars of Deoband.
5. Standing up respectfully on hearing the National Anthem (of India)
which contains several polytheistic phrases, and that too in the
courtyard of a religious school - the pioneers of this evil innovation
are none other than the scholars of Deoband.
6. Considering that it is a"religious duty" to help a Congress Leader
to gain victory in elections - the pioneer of this innovation is none
otherthan the Shaykh of Deoband, Maulvi Husain Ahmed!
7. Holding a public meeting with invitations, for the sake of
condoling the death of their elders and then reciting eulogies based
on heresy and apostasies- the pioneer of this innovation is none
otherthan the Darul Uloom Deoband itself.
8. Compulsorily stopping the people after a predetermined particular
Salat (obligatory prayer) and delivering a lecture fromthe book
"Tableeghi Nisaab" - the pioneers ofthese several innovations are none
other than the scholars of Deoband. (This book has now been
named"Fazaile Aamal").
9. Taking the people out of their homes for"special worship" and on
tours around the world in the name of inviting people to recite Kalema
and offer Salat - the pioneers of this innovation are none other than
the scholars of Deoband.
10. Ordering all the people present to stand up in respect of the
Indian President when he arrived, while the national anthem (of India)
was being sung inthe courtyard of the Darul Uloom - the pioneers of
this innovation are none other than the scholars of Deoband, who were
themselves present on the stage. Now they must answer as what kind of
innovation this was.
These and countless other innovations have been pioneered by the
Deobandi school - but they never get tired of terming Ala Hazrat as an
Innovator!
Scholars of the Deobandischool give the decree of"heresy" without any
hesitation on every newly originated action,and by terming it as
prohibited, they create new differences and new intrigues among the
Muslims.
Take the case of Mawlid as an example. The most important reason given
by them to prove that it is "an innovation, haram(prohibited) and a
heresy" is that it is a 700-year-old innovation.In its present state,
it was neither at the time of the Holy Prophet, nor in the age of the
Companions or Tabayeens. But when it is asked, that if according to
you it is a heresy only because of itbeing a newly invented act, then
please point out any of its components which eradicates any Sunnah or
comes under the category of forbidden acts - so they have no answer,
except to keep silent.
Following are the components of a Mawlid Shareef gathering:
1. Public announcement
2. Carpeting, stage, tent, etc.,
3. Illumination
4. Perfumes and sprinkling of rose water
5. Distribution of sweets
6. Gathering of Muslims
7. Narration of events that took place at the time of birth of the Holy Prophet
8. Remembrance of Allahand His Holy Prophet.
9. Standing and recital of Salaam.
In the above list, except for the standing and recital of Salaam,
there is not a single component that is missing in their gatherings
for Seerah, sermon, preaching, or for honoring their scholars. Public
announcement, stage, illuminations, gathering of people, speeches by
one or more speakers - all these are present - so by their own decree,
they should also term these as prohibited.
The only remaining issueis that of Standing and reciting Salaam. This
too is not the reason of prohibiting Mawlid Shareef - for according to
them, the celebration of Mawlid Shareef is prohibited even
withoutthis. (According to the explanation of the decree issued by
their famous Maulvi, Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi)
And if it is asserted that the reason of prohibition is the narration
of incorrect traditions in it, then I would like to remind you that
Maulvi Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi prohibited the Mawlid Shareef even if the
traditions narrated in it are correct!
In a number of debates I have asked the scholars of the Deobandi
school, that when the components of our Mawlid gatherings and that of
your various gatherings are one and the same, then why are your
gatherings for the purpose of delivering sermons permissible - and at
the same time, why are our gatherings for Mawlid impermissible? An act
cannot be permitted or prohibited just because the reason of our
assembly is Mawlid Shareef and your assembly is for delivering a
sermon or for seerah.
When they could not come up with any reply, I said that there is only
one reason which comesto my mind - and that is -on the occasion of the
birth of the Holy Prophet, when the entire universe was celebrating,
only Satan (along with his disciples)was mourning and casting dirt
upon his head.
Only Satan the outcast was aggrieved at the birth of the Holy
Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him). Possibly you too feel hurt
and follow Satan's footsteps, because the event of his noble birth has
taken place a long time ago, and now only its memories are left. When
you people celebrate the"Diamond Jubilee" of Madressah Deoband,
Shariah does not stop you - and when we celebrate Mawlid Shareef, the
Deobandi school starts screaming!
Someone has rightly said- that when the heart is envious of someone,
it gets enflamed even at the mention of his name! PART THREE
A VERY PAINFUL QUESTION AND ITS ANSWER
After going through this article, a question may come to mind - why is
it that when there are so many astray sects, that the scholars of Ahle
Sunnah seem to come together against only the Deobandi School of
thought, and not so much against any other?
Before answering this question, I consider it essential to point out
that by Allah's grace, the scholars of Ahle Sunnah have fought
against, anddenounced and refuted every stray sect by speech,
literature and debate - there is ample proof of this. We have never
compromised withanyone in our quest to overcome evil and to protect
the true faith. A number of treatises written by Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmed
Raza (and other scholars) in denunciation of Shias, Qadianis, and
Non-Abiders (Gair Muqallid) have been published in millions and are
being published right up to this day. AfterAla Hazrat, his caliphs,
pupils and disciples performed religious duties through their speeches
and writings and the influence of their services has spread all over
the world. It would be wrong to assume that we have a soft corner for
any deviated sect.
REASONS FOR A STRICT STANCE AGAINST THE DEOBANDI SECT
A point that remains to be clarified is - why is the attitude of the
Ahle Sunnah scholars, so severe against the Deobandi sect? There are a
number of reasons for it - they must be readand understood with a cool
mind.
Reason # 1 - Their Infidelity
The first and foremost reason is the infidelities and blasphemies of
the Deobandi scholars - these are actually the fundamental
differences- these heretic beliefs are written in their books and are
ingrainedin the hearts of the Deobandis.
Reason # 2 - Difficulty In Identification
As far as actions are concerned, they too call themselves Hanafi, and
apparently they offer Salat (prayer) as we do. Their call of Salat,
Salat of Eid etc. are the same as ours. In short, there are no outward
signs with which the simple Muslims can identify / recognize them.
There is every possibility that simple Muslims will misunderstand
them. Therefore it was necessary that the beliefs of the Deobandi
school be presented clearly to the masses, in order that there is no
difficulty in identifying them.
As far as Shias are concerned, their call for prayers, their mode of
prayer etc., are vastly different from that of Sunnis - they are
easily identifiable. The same is the case of the Non-Abiders
(Gair-Muqallid). Their compulsory prayers, Witrprayers, Taraweeh and
Eid prayers clearly warn others that they have different beliefs.
Therefore the need to warn people of such deviated sects is not as
urgent as is the need to educate them about the deviant Deobandis.
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And Allah Knows the Best!
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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA
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