Ashraf Jalali Barelvi Sahib further says:
If one reflects, it must be said that the nation which, after the manifestation of the Messenger of Allah did not allow any prophet’s prophethood to continue and did not tolerate shirk in prophethood, and after the Messenger of Allah confronted firmly anyone who claimed prophethood, how can that nation which has not tolerated shirk in prophethood due to the finality of prophethood of the Prophet tolerate shirk in divinity?
Refutation of this doubt:
Jalali Sahib, here you want to say that shirk (associating partners with Allah) will not come into this Ummah because they do not allow the prophethood of any prophet to continue after the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Perhaps Maulvi Sahib’s memory has become a little weak, otherwise, were Aswad Ansi and Musaylimah the Liar not members of this Ummah?
❀ Gohar Shahi was a member of the grave-worshippers’ group, who declared himself the Mahdi, then fabricated lies and said: My image has appeared in the Black Stone, and also in the moon; only the believer will see it, the hypocrite and the liar will not see it. Every person, to save himself from being a hypocrite and a liar, says: Yes indeed, your image is visible. Oh! Before Mirza Qadiani claimed prophethood, was he not a Jew or a Christian? He was a member of this Ummah. Seeing the multitude and strength of his followers, he claimed prophethood. Did he not commit shirk in prophethood? And if someone responds to this objection by saying that these people committed shirk in prophethood and were expelled from the Ummah, then we say that whoever commits shirk with Allah does not remain in the Ummah.
But it must be admitted that there was a group in this Ummah that committed the crime of shirk in the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and also committed shirk in the essence, attributes, and worship of Allah Almighty.
Jalali Sahib! Let us observe the message of the Holy Quran and the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Allah Almighty says:
ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
Call upon Me; I will respond to you.
وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ
And turn your desire only to your Lord.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا سألت فاسأل الله وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله
When you ask, ask Allah; and when you seek help, seek help from Allah.
This Hadith should be told to those pilgrims who go to Mecca and call saying, “I have performed Hajj but I have a fever, please offer prayers at the grave of Ali Hujwiri (Rahimahullah) and say, O Data Sahib! Please cure the fever.” Even during Hajj and Umrah, they call upon others besides Allah for help. Is this not shirk? Even after going to the House of Allah, they ask His servants. We learn many lessons from the lives and biographies of the Prophets (peace be upon them). All the Prophets called only upon the Lord of the Worlds. When Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the Imam of the Monotheists, invited to the Kalima لا إله إلا الله, his family, his own and others’ people, sometimes became enemies. When Jibra’il (Gabriel) came and asked, “Do you have any need?” he replied, “I do have a need, but not from you, from your Lord,” and he said:
حسبنا الله
And Sayyiduna Ayyub (peace be upon him) in his state of illness says:
رَبِّ إِنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
O my Lord! Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.
Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Ayyub (peace be upon him) did not call upon the Prophets who came before them. Sayyiduna Nuh (peace be upon him) preached for nine hundred and fifty years and invited to monotheism. Seeing his son drowning, he called upon his Lord.
From the biographies of these noble Prophets, we learn the lesson that whenever you call, call only upon Allah Almighty.
Blessed are those who have learned this lesson from the Prophets’ biographies.
Those who have not been granted this blessing will receive admonitions.
❀ In one such admonition, it is narrated that Junayd Baghdadi (Rahimahullah) was crossing a river without a boat, saying “Ya Allah, Ya Allah,” and he began to walk on the water as if crossing a road. A disciple came behind and said, “Shah Ji, I also want to cross.” He said, “Then say ‘Ya Junayd! Ya Junayd!'” He began to say this, and the river gave him a path as well. When he reached the middle of the river, the accursed Satan whispered in the disciple’s heart, “The master calls upon Allah, and I call upon the Pir? I will also call upon Allah.” He immediately said, “Ya Allah!” and he was submerged and went down. He said, “Pir Ji, I drowned.” He said, “Fool, who told you to say ‘Ya Allah’? Rather, say ‘Ya Junayd!'” He said, “Ya Junayd!” and the water immediately brought him up. When he came out, the disciple said, “What is this matter, Hazrat? You say ‘Ya Allah’ and I say ‘Ya Junayd’?” He said, “Fool! You have not yet reached Junayd, how will you reach Allah?”
❀ Jalali Sahib! If only you had explained to the public the meaning and requirements of shirk in prophethood, the public would not have fallen into the clutches of Pirs, Faqirs, etc., this whole business of Pir worship and its structure would have been shattered, and before using this word, you would have asked your Muftis whether this word was not coined by the Wahhabis?
❀ Mufti Iqtadar Ahmad Naeemi (Rahimahullah) writes in Fatawa Naeemiyah
:
Recently, these people have invented the word شرك فى الرسالت against Taqlid (imitation), although this word is neither in the Quran nor in Hadith.
Hazrat! You say that we do not commit shirk in Risalah (prophethood). On the other hand, Mufti Sahib says that this word is neither in the Quran nor in Hadith.
The word which you used to call an invention of outsiders until yesterday, how has it come to the tip of your tongue today? Well, better late than never.
What is Shirk in Risalat (Prophethood)?
Now let us understand what Shirk in Risalat means.
❀ Ibn al-Uzz al-Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, in his explanation of Aqeedah Tahawiyyah says:
فهما توحيدان، لا نجاة للعبد من عذاب الله إلا بهما: توحيد المرسل وتوحيد متابعة الرسول
There are two types of Tawheed: If a person wants to be saved from Allah’s punishment, he must accept these two types: The first type is Tawheed al-Mursil, meaning the oneness of the Sender (Allah), that no one should be associated with Allah in His essence, attributes, and worship. What does it mean to call the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, a light from the light of Allah? And these couplets:
Like a cicada in Medina and Kot Mithan is the House of Allah
In the apparent, Pir Farid is there; in the inner, Allah
From above, from Baba Farid, from within, Allah
Would you call these couplets Tawhidi (monotheistic) couplets?
❀ Similarly, a wretched person says in his speech that when Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was born, Abu Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, went to a priest. He said: A child was born on the 13th of Rajab at such and such time. Make his horoscope and tell how he will be. He took paper and pen and started making the horoscope, made one, tore it up, made another, tore it up, and after making countless horoscopes, kept tearing them. Abu Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, asked: What is the matter? He said: At this time, Allah can be born, but no child. (نعوذ بالله من ذلك)
If taken literally, a priest who believes in Allah having a son would make such horoscopes. When we condemn such filthy and false beliefs and events, we are called blasphemers and disrespectful.
❀ Imam Qatadah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
وإنا والله ما نعلمه كان شركا قط إلا بإحدىٰ ثلاث: أن يدعو مع الله إلٰها آخر، أو يسجد لغير الله، أو يسمي الذبائح لغير الله
By Allah! We did not consider anything else as shirk except these three acts: first, calling upon any deity besides Allah; second, prostrating to anyone other than Allah; and third, slaughtering animals in the name of anyone other than Allah.
❀ If someone objects that we do not call other gods besides Allah and we do not call our elders and spiritual guides gods, then my answer is as follows: When Sayyiduna Uday ibn Hatim, may Allah be pleased with him, heard this divine command:
اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ
He said that they made their scholars and monks lords besides Allah.
He said: O Messenger of Allah! We did not call our leaders lords.
Then you, peace be upon him, said:
أما إنهم لم يكونوا يعبدونهم ولٰكنهم كانوا إذا أحلوا لهم شيئا استحلوه، وإذا حرموا عليهم شيئا حرموه
They did not worship them, but when they declared something lawful for them, they considered it lawful, and when they forbade something, they considered it forbidden.
❀ Similarly, Sayyiduna Abu Waqid al-Laithi, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, set out for the Battle of Hunayn, he passed by a tree of the polytheists,
يقال له ذات أنواط
This tree was called Dhāt Anwāt. They used to hang their weapons on it.
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, saw this tree and said: O Messenger of Allah, make for us a Dhāt Anwāt like theirs.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: Glory be to Allah! Your statement is just like the people of Moses, peace be upon him, who said:
اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ
Make for us a god like their gods.
Jalali Sahib! You say that shirk is to consider anyone other than Allah as the Necessary Being and worthy of worship, so did the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, consider the tree as the Necessary Being and worthy of worship? Certainly not! Nevertheless, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: You have said what the people of Moses, peace be upon him, said. Therefore, no believer can even think of shirk regarding the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and even the slightest disrespect towards the Companions leads to destruction and ruin.
Hence, it is clear that merely calling someone other than Allah a god does not mean believing in them as Allah, but doing acts that are exclusive to Allah is also equivalent to making them Allah. Qatadah, may Allah have mercy on him, said the second thing that prostrating to anyone other than Allah is also shirk. Now the situation is such that far from prostrating, prayers are offered facing graves and shrines. The third act included in shirk is that animals to be slaughtered are named in the name of others besides Allah, meaning these animals are sacrificed on certain occasions in the name of elders, on Urs, and on other occasions, etc.
The Suspicion of the Love of Idols Prevailing and the Love of God Being Overpowered
It is said: Look all over the world, you will not find a single individual from this Ummah whose belief in monotheism has become so sandy, so hollow, that the love of idols prevails in his heart and the love and belief in God is overpowered.
Removal of this Suspicion:
That is, according to these gentlemen, if the love for idols becomes greater, prevails, and the love for the Lord is overcome, then he will be a polytheist.
I say, if the love for idols and the love for the Lord become equal, then will he be a believer? In India, if in one room there is a picture of the Kaaba and on the other side a picture of Bhagwan, and both are loved equally, is he then a believer? Whereas the teachings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ clearly show that where there is even a hint of polytheism, the worship of Allah is not valid. The Prophet ﷺ took such care that when a questioner asked if he could slaughter an animal at Buwana where he had vowed, the Prophet ﷺ asked: Was there a fair of polytheists there? He said: No. Did they have any idols there? He said: No. Then the Prophet ﷺ said: Go and fulfill your vow.
❀ O respected one! You will not find just one individual in the nation, but many individuals. I have seen with my own eyes a procession of grave worshippers in India, wearing green turbans, playing sarangi and drums, going to Baba Ji’s temple, which is a Hindu temple, a temple of idols, and there they offer flowers to the temple, worship it, call upon it, and ask from it. Now what will you call these Muslims? Polytheists or monotheists?
❀ Similarly, a grave worshipper from India, Mian Maqbool Ali Baba, stands with the current Prime Minister of India and garlands an idol and lights a candle. People! This is why we forbid grave worship, because it leads to idol worship.
❀ Likewise, your Pir Abdul Wahab Sha’rani, may Allah have mercy on him, whom Imam Ahmad Raza, may Allah have mercy on him, praised greatly in his Malfuzat. Pir Abdul Wahab, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates an incident of a pious elder in his book
. That elder, Sarkar Muhammad al-Ghubari, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
كان من أصحاب جدي أنه جاءهم يوم الجمعة فسألوه الخطبة وقال: بسم الله فطلع المنبر فحمد الله وأثنىٰ عليه ومجده فقال: أشهد أن لا إله لكم إلا إبليس عليه الصلاة والسلام فقال الناس: كفر فسل السيف ونزل وحارب الناس كلهم من الجامع فجلس عند المنبر إلىٰ آذان العصر
He says that Sarkar Muhammad al-Ghubari, may Allah have mercy on him, was among my grandfather’s companions. Once on a Friday, he came to them, and people asked him to deliver the Friday sermon. He said: Bismillah. So he ascended the pulpit, praised Allah Almighty, and described His greatness. Then he said: I testify that your god is only Iblis (Satan). The people said: He has become an infidel. So he drew his sword, descended from the pulpit, and all the people fled from the mosque. Then he sat near the pulpit until the Asr call to prayer, waiting to see who would come.
Now tell me, is this polytheism or not?
Ibn al-Uzz al-Hanafi, may Allah have mercy on him, explained the second type of Tawheed: توحيد متابعة الرسول that is, following the Messenger ﷺ. And how will this be?
He says:
فلا يحاكم إلىٰ غيره، ولا يرضىٰ بحكم غيره، ولا يقف تنفيذ أمره وتصديق خبره علىٰ عرضه علىٰ قول شيخه وإمامه وذوي مذهبه وطائفته ومن يعظمه، فإن أذنوا له نفذه وقبل خبره وإلا فإن طلب السلامة فوضه إليهم وأعرض عن أمره وخبره، وإلا حرفه عن مواضعه، وسمىٰ تحريفه تأويلا وحملا فقال: نؤوله ونحمله فلان يلقىٰ العبد ربه بكل ذنب، ما خلا الإشراك بالله… خير له من أن يلقاه بهذا الحال، بل إذا بلغه الحديث الصحيح يعد نفسه كأنه سمعه من رسول الله صلىٰ الله عليه وسلم فهل يسوغ أن يؤخر قبوله والعمل به حتىٰ يعرضه علىٰ ر أى فلان وكلامه ومذهبه؟ بل كان الغرض المبادرة إلىٰ امتثاله من غير التفات إلىٰ سواه، ولا يستشكل قوله لمخالفته ر أى فلان، بل تستشكل الآراء لقوله، ولا يعارض نصه بقياس، بل تهدر الأقيسة وتلفىٰ لنصوصه، ولا يحرف كلامه عن حقيقته
We cannot attain salvation until we consider Allah Almighty as the only deity and accept the teachings of the Noble Messenger ﷺ as obeyable, neither taking judgment from others besides him, nor accepting their judgment, nor hesitating in implementing the commands of the Prophet ﷺ, nor presenting his commands on the sayings of any Imam or Sheikh. If their sayings agree, then implement them; do not delegate to Imams or Sheikhs and commit distortion while calling it interpretation. All this is contrary to Tawheed in the message, and a person with such views cannot attain salvation. Rather, if a person goes to the Divine Court with all sins except polytheism, it is better for him than to abandon obedience to the Messenger ﷺ and prefer obedience to some Imam or Sheikh or give precedence to their sayings over the sayings of the Prophet ﷺ. A Muslim’s condition should be such that when he learns a correct Hadith, he understands that he is hearing it directly from the Messenger ﷺ. Is it befitting for a person, and is there any justification, that before accepting and acting upon the Hadith of the Messenger ﷺ, he presents it according to the sayings or religion of some Imam? It is necessary that he accept the Hadith of the Messenger ﷺ without any hesitation, not turn to others, nor raise the objection that this Hadith contradicts the opinion of such and such Imam. He should abandon the opinions of Imams before the Hadith of the Messenger ﷺ, not oppose the text with analogy, disregard all analogies and adhere to the texts of the Sunnah. He should not commit any distortion, nor change the words from their true meanings to fit reason. Reason is unknown and far from the right path compared to the Sunnah. The Hadith of the Messenger ﷺ must be accepted regardless of agreement or disagreement, without considering anyone’s opinion.
The righteous predecessors, Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, clearly showed in their lives and conduct that they did not fear for their lives for the meanings and concepts of the Hadith of the Messenger ﷺ, nor did they turn away from their true meanings and concepts, nor did they distort or change them.
Whereas today, Hadiths are distorted. For example, the blessed saying of the Messenger ﷺ is:
لعن الله المحلل والمحلل له
May Allah curse the one who makes permissible and the one who causes to make permissible.
But its meaning is explained as: The words are cursed but it may mean mercy.
The belief regarding authentic Hadiths should be that when authentic Hadiths come, the servant should understand that he has heard them from the Messenger ﷺ himself. Whereas your belief is that a solitary report is not proof in belief until it becomes mutawatir (mass-transmitted). Until then, it will not be acted upon. Then your belief is also that the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, and Sayyiduna Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, will not be acceptable until it conforms to analogy.
Jalali Sahib! You have this famous principle. It is in the principle of Karkhi:
إن كل آية تخالف قول أصحابنا فإنها تحمل على النسخ، وإن كل خبر يجيء يخالف قول أصحابنا فإنه يحمل على النسخ
Every verse of the Holy Quran that contradicts the sayings of our companions (i.e., Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, etc.) will be considered abrogated (i.e., that verse is abrogated), and every Hadith that contradicts the sayings of our companions will also be considered abrogated.
Jalali Sahib! According to the principle of your elders, your opinion has increased over the verse of the Holy Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. Yet you say that we do not tolerate shirk in the message? Yet you claim respect in the presence of the Noble Messenger ﷺ? If this is respect, then what would you call rudeness and disrespect?
Come, let us learn more to refute this claim. Khawaja Ghulam Farid, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote a story in his book
that a person came to Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti, may Allah have mercy on him, and said: Make me your disciple.
He said: If you become my disciple, then read: لا إله إلا الله چشتي رسول الله.
You say that we have not committed shirk in prophethood, yet you have seated your elders, Pirs, and faqirs in the position of prophethood. And if you say they are of the Sufi kind, therefore they are Majzub (ecstatic). Hey! The books of Majzub people are secretly read in your circles, and you say about their shrines that they have become centers of radiant light. If they were Majzub, then why is the publication of their kufr statements ongoing? Should the statements of Majzub people be published?
Remember, you are not tolerating شرك فى النبوة but these so-called Majzub are robbing prophethood. As long as the Ahl al-Hadith are alive, God willing, they will never allow such robbery to succeed. By Allah! We are the guardians of the belief in the finality of prophethood. As long as there is a drop of blood in these bodies, we will guard the finality of prophethood.
❀ Similarly, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes in
:
Following any school of thought other than the four madhhabs is not permissible, even if it agrees with the sayings of the Companions, authentic Hadith, and verses of the Quran.
Jalali Sahib! From these evidences it is clear that your claim that we do not tolerate shirk in prophethood is completely false, and it has become as clear as daylight that you have made a failed attempt to spread doubts and objections regarding Tawheed and have cited Quranic verses, Hadiths of the Messenger ﷺ, and books of other misguided people to support your beliefs and views. First, you have misinterpreted the meanings of the Quran and Hadith, and second, instead of citing the books of the great Imams of the Hanafi school to explain the reality of Tawheed and the meaning of shirk, why have you not done so?
May Allah grant us the ability to understand, explain, and act upon the truth. Ameen.
