Excerpt taken from the book “Aqeedah Tawheed par Jalali ke Shubhaat ka Izalah” by Shaykh Syed Tauseef-ur-Rahman Rashidi حفظه الله
Ashraf Jalālī Barelwī states:
“If we reflect, we must admit that this Ummah, after the appearance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, has never allowed any claimant of prophethood to succeed, nor tolerated shirk in prophethood (shirk fī al-nubuwwah). Anyone who claimed prophethood after the Prophet ﷺ has been strongly opposed. Therefore, how can this Ummah ever tolerate shirk in ulūhiyyah (divinity)?”
Ashraf Jalālī implies that shirk can never occur within this Ummah, citing the Ummah’s resistance to false claimants of prophethood as evidence. But perhaps, Mawlānā Sahib’s memory has faltered. Was Aswad al-ʿAnsī and Musaylimah al-Kadhdhāb not from this Ummah?
What about:
✔ Gohar Shāhī, a man from the grave-worshipping sect, who falsely claimed to be the Mahdī. He fabricated lies saying his image appeared in the Black Stone and the moon — but only visible to true believers, not to hypocrites. Naturally, no one wanted to be labelled a hypocrite, so they agreed: “Yes, we see your image.”
✔ Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmad Qādiyānī — before claiming prophethood, was he a Jew or Christian? No, he was from within this Ummah. After amassing followers, he declared prophethood — was that not shirk fī al-nubuwwah?
If someone responds, “These individuals were expelled from the Ummah for committing such shirk,” we reply: Whoever commits shirk with Allah is never part of the Ummah to begin with.
It is undeniable that a group within this Ummah has committed shirk, not only in Prophethood but also in the attributes, essence, and worship of Allah.
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ﴾
"Call upon Me; I will respond to you."
[Surah Ghāfir: 60]
﴿وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ﴾
"And turn your longing towards your Lord."
[Surah al-Inshirāḥ: 8]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"إذا سألت فاسأل الله وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله"
"When you ask, ask Allah; and when you seek help, seek help from Allah."
These teachings must be conveyed to those pilgrims who call from Makkah saying:
“I performed Ḥajj but now I have a fever — offer a niyāz at the grave of ʿAlī Hujwīrī (Dātā Ṣāḥib) and ask him to remove the fever.”
Even during Ḥajj and ʿUmrah, they call upon others besides Allah — is this not shirk? In Allah’s House, they still turn to His servants?
All prophets — from Ibrāhīm عليه السلام, the Imām of Monotheists, to Nūḥ عليه السلام, Ayyūb عليه السلام, and others — called upon none but Allah.
✔ When Ibrāhīm عليه السلام called to lā ilāha illā Allāh, his own people and household opposed him.
✔ When Jibrīl عليه السلام offered assistance in the fire, he responded:
“My need is from your Lord, not from you.”
✔ He said: "حَسْبُنَا اللهُ" — Allah is sufficient for us.
✔ Ayyūb عليه السلام, during illness, cried:
﴿رَبِّ إِنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ﴾
"My Lord, harm has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful."
[Surah al-Anbiyāʾ: 83]
Even during illness, he did not call upon any previous prophet.
Prophets, being the most elite of creation, never invoked anyone except Allah. Yet modern Ṣūfī stories narrate otherwise:
❖ The Fabricated Story of Junayd al-Baghdādī:
Such stories contradict the Qur’an and Sunnah and promote shirk.
Imām Ibn Abī al-ʿIzz al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله writes in Sharḥ al-ʿAqīdah al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah:
فهما توحيدان، لا نجاة للعبد من عذاب الله إلا بهما: توحيد المرسل وتوحيد متابعة الرسول
"There are two aspects of Tawḥīd — without which no one can be saved from Allah’s punishment:
① Tawḥīd of the Sender (Allah): that none be associated with Him in His essence, attributes, or worship.
② Tawḥīd of Following the Messenger: that one obey none but the Prophet ﷺ unconditionally."
✔ Claiming the Prophet ﷺ is “light from the Light of Allah” or ascribing divine attributes to saints is not Tawḥīd.
✔ Poetic couplets like:
"Baba Farīd is Allah inside, though outwardly a saint"
Or "From the outside he is a man, from the inside — Allah"
— are clear violations of Tawḥīd.
Naʿūdhu billāh — such claims are outright blasphemy.
① Calling on others besides Allah.
② Prostrating to anyone besides Allah.
③ Slaughtering animals in the name of other than Allah.
When ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim رضي الله عنه heard the verse:
﴿اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾
"They took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah."
[Surah al-Tawbah: 31]
He said:
“O Messenger of Allah, we never called them lords!”
The Prophet ﷺ explained:
"أما إنهم لم يكونوا يعبدونهم ولكنهم كانوا إذا أحلوا لهم شيئاً استحلوه وإذا حرموا عليهم شيئاً حرموه"
"They did not worship them, but they would declare something ḥalāl or ḥarām, and the people would follow them — and that was their worship."
"I bear witness there is no god for you except Iblīs (‘alayhi al-salām)."
Such statements are not just deviant — they are kufr and blasphemy.
As Ibn Abī al-ʿIzz al-Ḥanafī explains:
He responded:
“Say: Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Chishtī Rasūl Allāh.”
This is clear and manifest shirk — placing someone besides the Prophet ﷺ in the role of messengership.
Muftī Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī writes in Jāʾ al-Ḥaqq, p. 26:
“No one is allowed to follow any madhhab other than the four, even if a statement is from a Companion, a ḥadīth, or a verse of the Qur’an.”
How then can one claim this Ummah never tolerated shirk fī al-nubuwwah, while they raise their saints above the Prophet’s ﷺ rank?
These examples expose the falsehood of the claim that this Ummah never tolerated shirk in Prophethood or in Divinity.
Instead of explaining Tawḥīd, they have spread confusion, distorted Qur’anic meanings, and ignored the clear teachings of the Prophet ﷺ.
We ask: Why do they not reference the classical works of Imāms of the Ḥanafī madhhab that explain the reality of Tawḥīd and the definition of shirk?
May Allah grant us the ability to understand, explain, and act upon the truth. Āmīn.
❖ Refutation of Ashraf Jalālī's Claim: “This Ummah Cannot Tolerate Shirk”
Ashraf Jalālī Barelwī states:
“If we reflect, we must admit that this Ummah, after the appearance of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, has never allowed any claimant of prophethood to succeed, nor tolerated shirk in prophethood (shirk fī al-nubuwwah). Anyone who claimed prophethood after the Prophet ﷺ has been strongly opposed. Therefore, how can this Ummah ever tolerate shirk in ulūhiyyah (divinity)?”
❖ Rebuttal to This Misconception
Ashraf Jalālī implies that shirk can never occur within this Ummah, citing the Ummah’s resistance to false claimants of prophethood as evidence. But perhaps, Mawlānā Sahib’s memory has faltered. Was Aswad al-ʿAnsī and Musaylimah al-Kadhdhāb not from this Ummah?
What about:
✔ Gohar Shāhī, a man from the grave-worshipping sect, who falsely claimed to be the Mahdī. He fabricated lies saying his image appeared in the Black Stone and the moon — but only visible to true believers, not to hypocrites. Naturally, no one wanted to be labelled a hypocrite, so they agreed: “Yes, we see your image.”
✔ Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmad Qādiyānī — before claiming prophethood, was he a Jew or Christian? No, he was from within this Ummah. After amassing followers, he declared prophethood — was that not shirk fī al-nubuwwah?
If someone responds, “These individuals were expelled from the Ummah for committing such shirk,” we reply: Whoever commits shirk with Allah is never part of the Ummah to begin with.
It is undeniable that a group within this Ummah has committed shirk, not only in Prophethood but also in the attributes, essence, and worship of Allah.
❖ What Does the Qur’an and Sunnah Say?
Allah ﷻ says:
﴿ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ﴾
"Call upon Me; I will respond to you."
[Surah Ghāfir: 60]
﴿وَإِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ فَارْغَبْ﴾
"And turn your longing towards your Lord."
[Surah al-Inshirāḥ: 8]
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"إذا سألت فاسأل الله وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله"
"When you ask, ask Allah; and when you seek help, seek help from Allah."
Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī and others
These teachings must be conveyed to those pilgrims who call from Makkah saying:
“I performed Ḥajj but now I have a fever — offer a niyāz at the grave of ʿAlī Hujwīrī (Dātā Ṣāḥib) and ask him to remove the fever.”
Even during Ḥajj and ʿUmrah, they call upon others besides Allah — is this not shirk? In Allah’s House, they still turn to His servants?
❖ The Practice of the Prophets
All prophets — from Ibrāhīm عليه السلام, the Imām of Monotheists, to Nūḥ عليه السلام, Ayyūb عليه السلام, and others — called upon none but Allah.
✔ When Ibrāhīm عليه السلام called to lā ilāha illā Allāh, his own people and household opposed him.
✔ When Jibrīl عليه السلام offered assistance in the fire, he responded:
“My need is from your Lord, not from you.”
✔ He said: "حَسْبُنَا اللهُ" — Allah is sufficient for us.
✔ Ayyūb عليه السلام, during illness, cried:
﴿رَبِّ إِنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ﴾
"My Lord, harm has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful."
[Surah al-Anbiyāʾ: 83]
Even during illness, he did not call upon any previous prophet.
❖ The Dangerous Myth of “Special Tawḥīd” for the Elite
Prophets, being the most elite of creation, never invoked anyone except Allah. Yet modern Ṣūfī stories narrate otherwise:
❖ The Fabricated Story of Junayd al-Baghdādī:
- He supposedly walked over water by saying “Yā Allāh”.
- A disciple imitated him but was told to say “Yā Junayd”.
- When he instead said “Yā Allāh”, he drowned.
- Moral of the story: you can only reach Allah through saints.
Such stories contradict the Qur’an and Sunnah and promote shirk.
❖ True Meaning of
Imām Ibn Abī al-ʿIzz al-Ḥanafī رحمه الله writes in Sharḥ al-ʿAqīdah al-Ṭaḥāwiyyah:
فهما توحيدان، لا نجاة للعبد من عذاب الله إلا بهما: توحيد المرسل وتوحيد متابعة الرسول
"There are two aspects of Tawḥīd — without which no one can be saved from Allah’s punishment:
① Tawḥīd of the Sender (Allah): that none be associated with Him in His essence, attributes, or worship.
② Tawḥīd of Following the Messenger: that one obey none but the Prophet ﷺ unconditionally."
✔ Claiming the Prophet ﷺ is “light from the Light of Allah” or ascribing divine attributes to saints is not Tawḥīd.
✔ Poetic couplets like:
"Baba Farīd is Allah inside, though outwardly a saint"
Or "From the outside he is a man, from the inside — Allah"
— are clear violations of Tawḥīd.
❖ Real Examples of
- Some Barelwīs narrate that ʿAlī رضي الله عنه was so exalted that a Christian priest claimed:
“At that hour, it is not possible for a child to be born — only God could be born.”
Naʿūdhu billāh — such claims are outright blasphemy.- Imām Qatādah رحمه الله listed only 3 things as shirk:
① Calling on others besides Allah.
② Prostrating to anyone besides Allah.
③ Slaughtering animals in the name of other than Allah.
Reference: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī: 12/81, ḥadīth no. 13820
❖ What About Those Who Say: “We Don’t Call Them Gods”?
When ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim رضي الله عنه heard the verse:
﴿اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾
"They took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah."
[Surah al-Tawbah: 31]
He said:
“O Messenger of Allah, we never called them lords!”
The Prophet ﷺ explained:
"أما إنهم لم يكونوا يعبدونهم ولكنهم كانوا إذا أحلوا لهم شيئاً استحلوه وإذا حرموا عليهم شيئاً حرموه"
"They did not worship them, but they would declare something ḥalāl or ḥarām, and the people would follow them — and that was their worship."
Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3095
❖ Examples of Grave Worship & Idol-Like Devotion Today
- A procession of grave-worshippers marched to a Hindu temple with dhols, flutes, and green turbans — they offered flowers at the idol and prayed there.
- One Barelwī cleric, Miyān Maḥbūb ʿAlī Bābā, stood beside the Indian PM and lit a lamp at a Hindu idol's shrine.
- Their revered saint, ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Shaʿrānī, mentions in al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā (2/147) an incident where a so-called saint declared:
"I bear witness there is no god for you except Iblīs (‘alayhi al-salām)."
Such statements are not just deviant — they are kufr and blasphemy.
❖ To Truly Uphold
As Ibn Abī al-ʿIzz al-Ḥanafī explains:
- One must not submit to anyone else's judgment in opposition to the Prophet ﷺ.
- Do not suspend acting upon a ḥadīth just because a Shaykh or Imām said otherwise.
- Do not reinterpret clear ḥadīths to suit sectarian opinions.
- A believer should accept a ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth as if he heard it directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
❖ Examples of
- In “Faʾāʾid Farīdiyyah”, p. 83, it’s narrated that someone came to Khwāja Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī and requested to be a disciple.
He responded:
“Say: Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Chishtī Rasūl Allāh.”
This is clear and manifest shirk — placing someone besides the Prophet ﷺ in the role of messengership.
❖ Their Books Claim:
Muftī Aḥmad Yār Khān Naʿīmī writes in Jāʾ al-Ḥaqq, p. 26:
“No one is allowed to follow any madhhab other than the four, even if a statement is from a Companion, a ḥadīth, or a verse of the Qur’an.”
How then can one claim this Ummah never tolerated shirk fī al-nubuwwah, while they raise their saints above the Prophet’s ﷺ rank?
❖ Final Reflections
These examples expose the falsehood of the claim that this Ummah never tolerated shirk in Prophethood or in Divinity. Instead of explaining Tawḥīd, they have spread confusion, distorted Qur’anic meanings, and ignored the clear teachings of the Prophet ﷺ.We ask: Why do they not reference the classical works of Imāms of the Ḥanafī madhhab that explain the reality of Tawḥīd and the definition of shirk?
❖ Concluding Supplication
May Allah grant us the ability to understand, explain, and act upon the truth. Āmīn.
