Another doubt of Ashraf Jalali that the works of the Lord can also be done by His servants:
Jalali Sahib further says: As far as being a helper, ferrying across, relieving difficulties, fulfilling needs, being a giver, a supporter, and a benefactor to the poor are concerned, remember! Without the permission (allowance) of the Lord, not even a leaf can move, but when the Lord’s permission is granted, all these works can also be done by the servants of the Lord.
Refutation of this doubt:
We say that if the permission (izn) of the Lord is granted. But what is the proof that those people whom You have made generous, benevolent, and giving, Allah Almighty has granted them the permission and attribute to relieve difficulties and fulfill needs of Your people? After all, who informed You? The point is that here, someone other than Allah is called upon and worshipped in such a manner that it clearly and evidently insults the Lord. For example, the qawwal says to the woman who keeps saying Allah Allah, holding her prayer mat and reaching the House of Allah, and when she calls upon Allah and presents her need, Allah Almighty says:
Crazy woman! What have you come to take from Me? What is there behind My veil except Oneness? Whoever takes, is receiving in the city of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
(The qawwal says):
Rosary in hand, prayer mat under the arm
On the lips flowing Allah Allah
Saying this, she reached the House of Allah
And called out, O my Allah!
If You bless a beggar, he becomes a king
And if You wish, You make orphans prophets
O my Allah!
Then a voice came:
O crazy girl! What is there in my veil except unity? Go, take whatever you want in the city of Muhammad ﷺ. (Astaghfirullah)
And as if saying: If Khawaja will not give, then who will?
These are blasphemous statements openly insulting Allah Almighty, leading to disbelief. Do you want proof of polytheism beyond this?
Jalali Sahib! If only before objecting to us, you had read the teachings of your own elders:
❀ Let us observe a saying of Khawaja Ghulam Farid, may Allah have mercy on him:
In disputable gatherings (regarding Tawheed), Khawaja Sahib, may Allah have mercy on him, says: The beliefs of the Wahhabis are similar to those of the Sufis.
The Wahhabis say: Seeking help from the Prophets and Saints is shirk (polytheism), indeed seeking help from anyone other than Allah is shirk. Tawheed is that help should be sought exclusively from Allah, and that is why the Quran commands:
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
We worship You alone and seek help from You alone.
We say that seeking help beyond the means from anyone other than Allah is shirk, and you say it is not shirk. So let us see this in light of Khawaja Sahib’s statement, may Allah have mercy on him, and the matter becomes clear.
Listen to the tafseer of Surah Al-An’am, verse number 121, from the well-known and accepted scholar of our school of thought, Naeemuddin Muradabadi, may Allah have mercy on him, who wrote:
Because abandoning the divine command in religion and following the command of others, appointing anyone other than Allah as a ruler, is shirk.
Your Hakim al-Ummah Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: This address is to the Muslims that if you accept the words of the disbelievers and do not differentiate between lawful slaughter and carrion, then you too will be polytheists and disbelievers like them.
Your Pir Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari, may Allah have mercy on him, from Bahira, wrote in his tafseer: From this verse it is understood that whoever considers what Allah has forbidden as lawful becomes a polytheist.
Remember, these tafseers are not from Salafi scholars but from Barelvi elders and Pirs themselves, yet observe the definition and application of shirk.
That is, in religious matters, if a person follows anyone other than Allah, follows someone else, then he has committed shirk.
Alas! Nowadays, if Quranic verses and Ahadith are openly read and recited, the response is that the matter is correct but it is against our religion. I had the opportunity to listen to a speech by a Maulvi from Lahore, who said that Wahhabis search the Quran for verses that are against our religion.
Contrary to the definition of shirk presented by Jalali Sahib, there is a list of their elders. We refrain from elaborating due to fear of length. The reality is that you yourself do not know the beliefs of your elders and seniors; we are telling you by explaining their beliefs. Leave our words aside because according to you, we are non-followers anyway.
Ashraf Jalali Barelvi’s Belief: Cannot Ask Allah Directly
Jalali Sahib says:
This connection is of Tawheed and Risalat, and indeed the Holy Quran has made it clear that if a person wishes to establish a relationship with Allah Almighty without going through the Prophet, Allah has said: this is a mistake, no one can reach Allah without Him. Allah Almighty has explicitly mentioned the statement of the Jews and Christians. He said:
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ
The Jews and Christians said: We will not accept the word of this Prophet, we have a direct connection with our Lord. We are His sons. (May Allah forbid) We are His most beloved. We belong to the Lord, we will not become followers of the Prophet. We have a direct connection with the Lord.
This is the occasion of revelation (Asbab al-Nuzul) of this verse when this verse was revealed:
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ
Allah Almighty said: O My beloved! Those who want to have a direct connection with Me, tell them that if they want to be My lovers without you, whatever they do, I will not make them lovers. But if they become yours and then want to be Mine, I will also make them beloved. Look at this interpretation of the verse.
Jalali Sahib further says that some people wanted direct connection with Allah Almighty and then said that we do not need this Prophet; without him, we are people of the Lord. Even today, some people have the misconception that we are people of the Lord, and they tell us that you are people of the Messenger.
Refutation of this Misleading Suspicion:
Jalali Sahib! Sitting in a glass house and throwing stones is not a good pastime; if a madman throws a stone from the front, your house will be shattered. This is not an easy game, I swear by Allah! This phrase can never be proven from any Ahl-e-Hadith; if someone says so, we deny it and declare war on the belief you have imposed on us that we are the people of Allah and you are the people of the Prophet. No! I swear by Allah! We are the people of Allah and we are the people of the Prophet. Whoever is the people of Allah is also the people of the Prophet. You have insulted us like the Jews by saying that you are the people of the Lord. Sir! If the grave worshippers are compared to the Jews, most of the beliefs of the grave worshippers are taken from the Jews. If you do not believe, then come, we will take you to the valley of certainty. The Jews said:
وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ
And the Jews said: Uzair is the son of Allah, and the Christians said: Messiah is the son of Allah.
This is the claim of the Jews and Christians. The polytheists of today are four hands ahead of them. That is, they accepted two entities for Allah Almighty. (May Allah protect us) But what is the condition here? Muhammad Yar Fareedi Garhi says in his book Diwan Muhammadi:
If Muhammad Yar Sahib (the author) has accepted Muhammad (peace be upon him) as God, then he is a Muslim, not a deceiver.
The Jews and Christians accepted Allah Almighty and made Him their son. But the one who wrote Diwan Muhammadi says that if you accept him as God, then you are a Muslim, otherwise a deceiver. If this belief was not taken from the Jews and Christians, then from where else was it taken?
And before the Adhan الصلوة والسلام عليك يا نورا من نور الله that is, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is light from the light of Allah. Understand this by example: we have this paper in our hand, if we divide it into two parts, does its nature change? No, the nature does not change but it becomes two parts.
Similarly, it is that O Messenger of Allah! You are light from the light of Allah. Tell me, when a part of the light of Allah separated, was it Allah or not? If the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is light from the light of Allah, then tell me, when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came to this world, for whom did he pray? Whose marriage was with Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her)? Whose daughter was Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her)? Whose wives were Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her)? Who left Mecca? Whose blessed forehead was wounded? Whose blessed teeth were broken? Who did the people of Taif attack? On whom did Jibreel (peace be upon him) bring the divine revelation?
People said:
The same One who was the level of the Throne, became God
Descended in Medina as Mustafa
Let me tell you about another practice. The polytheists and the Jews and Christians are equally guilty in this practice. The Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is:
لعن الله اليهود والنصارى اتخذوا قبور أنبيائهم مساجد
May Allah curse the Jews and Christians because they made the graves of their prophets places of prostration.
And another Hadith is as follows:
أولئك إذا مات منهم الرجل الصالح بنوا على قبره مسجدا، ثم صوروا فيه تلك الصورة، أولئك شرار الخلق عند الله
It was their habit that if a righteous person among them died, they would build a mosque and pictures on his grave; on the Day of Judgment, these people will be the worst creatures before Allah.
This worst practice was among the Jews and Christians, but Muslims took this practice and filled the streets of the Indian subcontinent with it. In India and Pakistan, you will find many places where the dead are worshipped, prostrations are made, vows are offered, etc.
Here it should also be remembered that the Jews and Christians made the graves of prophets and righteous people places of prostration, but today’s polytheists have gone beyond this and built graves in the names of beggars, hashish smokers, opium users, and mendicants. Is there not the shrine of Ghode Shah in Lahore? Is there not the grave of Khote Shah in Abbottabad? If someone does not find these graves, I swear by Allah! I have seen with my own eyes an electric pole with sheets, sacks, and caps hanging on it, and it is written there:
Baba Khamba Pir Miskeen Khari Shah, may Allah have mercy on him. Similarly, Baba Garade Wali Sarkar.
They were Jews and Christians, but today the graves of those who curse mothers, sisters, daughters, and those who remain naked all the time have been built.
❀ Jalali Sahib! You must have seen the grave of Pir Noori Bori Sarkar in Lahore. This is the pir who used to make men and women dance, used to make them do dhamaal (a kind of devotional dance), used to dress young girls in flashy clothes and make them dance. And that old baba who made them dance used to say: Whoever does not do dhamaal, I will curse his mother and sister, and from his speaker, announcements were made that whether you are Wahhabi, do dhamaal; whether you are Barelvi, do dhamaal; whether you are Shia, do dhamaal; and whoever does not do dhamaal will not be saved on the Day of Judgment.
❀ Jalali Sahib! You have built graves of non-prayers. If you do not believe, go and ask a female devotee sitting at Lal Shah’s grave. When asked, “Madam! Who are these?” she said: These are the people of Allah. When asked: Madam, I have heard that they did not pray? She said: They are very advanced pirs; matters of prayer and fasting were not among them. These are non-praying pirs. But who can be closer to Allah than the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)? On one occasion during a battle, the disbelievers prevented the Prophet (peace be upon him) from praying, so when he prayed, he said: O Allah! Fill their homes, graves, and bellies with fire. They prevented Muhammad (peace be upon him) from praying.
Therefore, Jalali Sahib! We will find many beliefs of Jews and Christians in the homes of our own brothers who say the Kalima. So instead of mocking us and accusing us of lies, take a look at the people of your own society.
❀ Jalali Sahib! You say that these are the people of Rabb, we are the people of the Messenger
We say that the one who is connected to Allah is the one who is connected to the Messenger, and only his Hereafter is perfected. And whoever only becomes connected to the Messenger, but not to Allah, is not successful. For example: Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) was not connected to Allah but was connected to the Messenger. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was besieged in the Valley of Abu Talib, he defended him and said that as long as Abu Talib is alive, convey your message; whoever points a finger at the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), I will cut it off; whoever looks at him with an evil eye, I will blind it. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
قولوا لا إله إلا الله
He did not recite the Kalima, nor did he become connected to Allah, but when asked, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: They will receive the least punishment.
Let us hear a reliable reference from our own tradition, look at the book of the people of Tasawwuf الرسالة القشيرية, Abu Saeed Al-Kharraz (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates:
رأيت النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فى المنام فقلت: يا رسول الله، اعذرني فإن محبة الله تعالى شغلتني عن محبتك، فقال: يا مبارك من أحب الله تعالى فقد أحبني
I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in a dream and said: O Messenger of Allah! Forgive me, I became so engrossed in the love of Allah Almighty that I could not love you as much. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Blessed is the one who loves Allah Almighty, for indeed he has loved me.
You say that the Wahhabis have no time for Tawheed. This is your reference and your servant who says that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Whoever becomes connected to Allah automatically becomes mine.
The Belief of Ahl al-Hadith Regarding the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم
Jalali Sahib! Remember our belief that we love Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ, and whoever shows even the slightest disrespect towards the honor of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is a confirmed disbeliever. And whoever does not obey the Noble Prophet ﷺ, Allah Almighty has declared the negation of his faith, He said:
فَلا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
By your Lord, they will never become believers until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.
Jalali Sahib, your claim that we are the people of the Messenger and Ahl-e-Haq and Ahl-e-Tawheed are the people of the Lord is baseless.
Because the reality is that those who associate partners with Allah Almighty are neither the people of the Lord nor the people of the Messenger. Only the people of Tawheed are the people of the Lord and the people of the Messenger. And now, in the following lines, we clarify whether these are the people of the Messenger or if they are lying in their claim just as they lie in their claim of Tawheed, whose foreheads bow before other than Allah, whose tongues raise calls other than Allah, who call upon other than Allah in troubles and sorrows, and who, in their jurisprudential matters, abandon the Prophet ﷺ and consider the sayings of the Ummah as proof, wear the collar of imitation of the Ummah, and yet call themselves the people of the Messenger and claim Tawheed.
Whereas the reality is the opposite because our belief is that the love of the Lord is the most excellent and foremost, and by the command of the Lord, love for the Lord’s Prophet ﷺ is established. We obey and follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ because Allah has commanded it, and whoever obeys the Prophet ﷺ has indeed obeyed Allah. The Divine command is:
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ
Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, so Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.”
And He said:
فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.
And the command of Mustafa ﷺ is:
وأن يحب المرء لا يحبه إلا لله
A believer, whenever he loves anyone, loves only for the sake of Allah.
If these people were truly the people of the Messenger, they would have no need or dependence on anyone other than the Messenger. If you are the people of the Messenger, then become Muhammadi, why become Suhrawardi, Naqshbandi, Chishti, Qadri, Rizvi, Nuri? So if someone objects to us saying, why are you Ahl al-Hadith?
We are Ahl al-Hadith because the Divine command and the command of the Messenger ﷺ are called Hadith. We are the people of Allah and the people of the Messenger, therefore we are Ahl al-Hadith. You people did not even remain with Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him. Because Ilyas Qadri Sahib says that now we have taken hold of the door of Ahmad Raza Barelvi, may Allah have mercy on him, and this will take us to Paradise. But if you had adhered to Imam Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy on him, then you would still be our brothers, because the Imam taught the belief of Tawheed. Why are we Ahl al-Hadith? Because the Quran says:
أَفَمِنْ هَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَعْجَبُونَ
And indeed, it is a narration [Hadith] of the Lord of the worlds.
And the definition of Hadith has been stated:
Every statement attributed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in his speech, action, attribute, or tacit approval is Hadith.
We are sufficient with the Seerah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the commands and decrees of the Messenger ﷺ, beliefs, faith, prayer, fasting, Hajj, and all acts of worship.
Thus, from all these points it is clear that your claim that we are the people of the Messenger is false. If you were truthful in this claim, you would never seek refuge in anyone other than the Messenger. Therefore, whoever is the person of Allah is indeed the person of the Messenger. So do not attribute such lies to us.
