The Real Fault of the Ahl-e-Hadith Movement
Our opponents label us as Wahhabi, non-followers (ghair muqallid), non-religious, Khariji, Hashwi, Shia’s younger brothers, etc.
and so on. This propaganda has been so widely spread that today the words non-follower, Wahhabi, and non-religious have become insults. After all, what harm have we done to them? Have we seized any property or hurt their self-respect? No, absolutely not. Then why is this discriminatory treatment being meted out to us, while the teaching of the Quran is that
وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ
meaning: Do not insult the false gods of the polytheists.
It is worth considering whether our crime is so unforgivable that we are called by bad names to provoke us. Some misguided sects attribute to us things, ignoring خشیت الہی, which we ourselves consider disbelief and misguidance. Those who insult the great Imams of the religion are called common by us, even though we openly declare that we do not insult any of the great figures of the blessed Ummah. The names by which you address us have no religious connection or relation with us at all. Yet these people consider our oaths false, our prayers showy, our passion for following the Sunnah as a display, and they call the service of the Quran and Sunnah a matter of self-interest.
The humble writer has pondered many times: what exactly is our crime for which such severe punishment is pronounced upon us? Brothers, as far as my intellect and thought have worked, I found this fault: instead of blind following (taqlid), we made following the Messenger (ittiba’ Rasul) our way of life; instead of Hidayah, we called towards the Quran; instead of Kanz al-Quduri, we gifted people the hadiths of the Messenger; instead of translations of jurisprudence, we made translations of the Quran and hadith. Instead of slavery to the English, we promoted جہاد فی سبیل اللہ; instead of global fatwas in the country, we demanded the implementation of the Quran and Sunnah; instead of innovations, we irrigated the Sunnah; instead of polytheism, we taught monotheism. This very fault became an unforgivable crime in the eyes of those people, just as our beloved Prophet Muhammad Mustafa ﷺ was called a Sabiyy (heretic), similarly we were labeled non-religious. Just as he ﷺ was condemned, we were called Malak (possessor of wealth). Just as the Prophet ﷺ was called an offender of false gods for teaching monotheism, similarly we were declared offenders of saints for teaching monotheism. Just as the Companions were called fools for following the Messenger
, similarly we were called non-jurisprudential. Just as the Companions were called Sabiyy (wild camels) for following the example of the Messenger, similarly we were called vagabonds (the word non-follower is used by these people in this sense) for following the Messenger. Alas, if a common person is given Hidayah to read, he will remain on the path of guidance; if given the Quran and Bukhari, he will become misguided and vagabond. This injustice has no limit.
But listen carefully: these fatwas have no value before Allah. Religion is not of your Imams and jurists; it belongs to Allah and His Messenger. We are happy that we had to endure everything like our Master and we were patient. May Allah make these things a provision for the Hereafter and expiation for our predecessors and us, and through this good deed grant us the intercession of our beloved Master and Lord Muhammad Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم and companionship in Paradise, and guide those people. آمین یا رب العلمین Fortunately, such actions of those people did not dishearten the true scholars, and they continued their mission, as a result of which soon issues like taqlid and others moved from scholarly circles to the public, and some incorrect and Quran and Sunnah-opposed fatwas of the Hanafi school were ridiculed. The Hanafis reflected on their way of thinking and, to defame Ahl al-Hadith, resorted to twisting texts, interpretation, and distortion. Some of their scholars, intellectuals, and debaters made mocking the Sunnah of the Messenger their habit. Our contemporaries also mocked hadiths about standing and urinating during prayer, lifting a child, and unlocking a lock during prayer.
Due to enmity towards Ahl al-Hadith, objections were raised against the narrations of Bukhari and Muslim; sometimes the authority of hadith was questioned; sometimes doubts and suspicions were raised about the compilation of hadith. When these objections appeared in the market, ignorant and clerical types found these objections reasonable, resulting in their outright denial of the authority of hadith and, contrary to the collective stance of the Muslim Ummah, denial of obedience to the Messenger.
Author’s Open Challenge to the Gift of Ahl al-Hadith
We openly challenge Abu Bilal to refute our stance with arguments and to identify at least ten objections from the deniers of Hadith, objections that were invented solely by the deniers of Hadith and which the Hanafi scholars did not previously raise against us out of enmity towards Ahl al-Hadith. But remember, not even half of ten such objections can be proven. I say this with full confidence that if any Hanafi or Abu Bilal claims to have identified such objections, then this humble writer will prove with evidence that their originators and providers of scholarly material are Hanafi clerics from the Indian subcontinent.ان شا الرحمٰن
From this, one can also discern the piety, fear of Allah, and hypocrisy of these people; if they truly feared Allah, they would not object to the common sources (Quran and Hadith) but would only dispute the matters of imitation and Hanafi jurisprudence. Yet, out of enmity and hatred towards us, these people did not distinguish between what is lawful and unlawful and indiscriminately attacked all.اناللہ وانا الیہ راجعون
