This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
In the Indian subcontinent, in opposition to the Tablighi Jamaat, the Barelvi school of thought established a group called "Dawat-e-Islami" at the residence of Maulvi Shah Ahmad Noorani Sahib in Karachi city to spread their invitation. Maulvi Ilyas Qadri Attar was appointed as its leader. Its center is located in the old vegetable market in Karachi city.
Ilyas Qadri Sahib compiled the book "Faizan-e-Sunnat" in response to the Tablighi Jamaat's curriculum "Fazail-e-Amaal." This book is filled with topics, weak and unsupported hadiths and sayings, and strange and bizarre incidents. A brief analysis of this is being presented in the following lines, InshaAllah.
Initially, Faizan-e-Sunnat was a detailed single-volume book, which has been thoroughly reviewed in the book "Meethi Meethi Sunnatein Ya...?" Now this book has been republished with a new arrangement, titled "Takhreej Shuda Faizan-e-Sunnat Volume One." In this referenced edition, there is an abundance of dreams, strange and bizarre incidents, as well as weak and fabricated virtues. Such things are presented in the name of religion and faith, which are not mentioned anywhere in the commands of Allah and His Messenger , nor in the biographies of the Companions .
Issue of Intention:
The Quran and authentic Hadiths have strongly encouraged sincerity and correctness of intention, so that all actions are performed purely for the pleasure of Allah. However, the Shariah has not bound us everywhere to utter specific words or make a particular intention at a certain place or while performing a certain act. Rather, the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
إنما الأعمال بالنيات.
Meaning, actions are judged by intentions.
The Guide of the World (peace be upon him), who narrated this Hadith, did not specify any particular words or a specific intention other than the pleasure of Allah. But Elias Qadri Sahib lists dozens of intentions for every single act. For example, he writes:
"O Allah! By the twenty-three letters of the widespread Fayzan-e-Sunnat, (23) intentions for reading this book."
Reference: Fayzan-e-Sunnat, p. 7, Maktaba al-Madina, Karachi.
Further, he has stated those intentions.
This is the method of the Amir of Dawat-e-Islami. Now let us come to the beautiful example of Muhammad Rasulullah (peace be upon him). Did the Prophet (peace be upon him) ever state any kind of intention while reciting the Holy Quran? Nor did the heavenly group of Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) narrate any such intention from the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Is Fayzan-e-Sunnat a more important book than the Quran that special arrangements are being made for it? In fact, its teaching methods have been formally explained,
Reference: pp. 11, 12
whereas it should have been that the Quran and authentic Hadiths are taught and encouragement is given to learn and teach them. This is why a member of Dawat-e-Islami is seen holding Fayzan-e-Sunnat close to his chest and teaching it in mosques, madrasas, markets, and streets and studying it. But the Quran is not seen in their hands. The reason for this is recorded as follows on
Reference: "Fayzan-e-Sunnat," p. xii
:Only the Teaching of Faizan-e-Sunnat:
(19) Besides Faizan-e-Sunnat, one can also teach from the Madani magazines published by Maktabah Madinah."
A note was added with number 1 on this:
(1) Apart from the letters of Ameer-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat, may Allah bless him, no permission is granted to teach from any other book. Central Majlis Shura.
It is understood that only the books of Ilyas Qadri will be taught. There is no permission to teach the Quran there.
Since the topic was about intentions, here are some other intentions to observe.
Intentions for Eating:
Ilyas Qadri Sahib, while explaining intentions for eating, writes:
43 intentions for eating are presented.
Reference: Faizan-e-Sunnat, p. 182.
Further, he has explained those intentions.
Intentions for Going to the Toilet:
Ilyas Qadri Sahib explains 41 intentions for going to the toilet.
Reference: Faizan-e-Sunnat, p. 641
Intentions for Ablution (Wudu):
Ilyas Qadri Sahib explains 7 intentions for ablution.
Reference: Faizan-e-Sunnat, p. 642
Intentions for I'tikaf:
Reference: Faizan-e-Sunnat, p. 191
He explains 41 intentions for collective I'tikaf.Intentions for Perfume:
Mr. Ilyas Qadri has written forty-seven intentions on page number 1225 of "Khushboo Lagane Ki Safha." Now, Allah Almighty knows best through which sources Qadri Sahib wrote these intentions, but we say with certainty, God willing, that there is absolutely no evidence for these intentions in the Quran and authentic Hadiths; rather, they are the mental inventions of the respected author.
In "Faizan-e-Sunnat," Qadri Sahib has narrated strange and bizarre stories, incidents, and dreams to encourage people to join Dawat-e-Islami. Since Dawat-e-Islami is a Barelvi school of thought, their beliefs are the same, i.e., seeking help from beings other than Allah, considering them problem solvers, believing that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the light from the light of Allah, present and observing, and the Knower of the unseen. Such incidents are also narrated which prove that saints help people and guide them even after their death. In short, these are similar to the incidents mentioned in "Fazail-e-Amaal," where names and characters change. Observe the following: The author writes:
I try to present the statement of a lover of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his own style and words. Our Madani caravan had arrived in "Na Keh Kharri" (Balochistan, Pakistan) for the training of Sunnis. One traveler in the Madani caravan had four small lumps on his head, which caused him to suffer from half-head pain. When the pain arose, the side of the face towards the pain would turn black, and he would writhe in such agony that it was unbearable to watch. One night, he was writhing in pain like this; we gave him pills and put him to sleep. In the morning, he woke up cheerful. He said, "Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah, I was blessed. In my dream, the Master of Prophethood (peace be upon him) appeared with four companions (may Allah be pleased with them). The Master of Madinah (peace be upon him) pointed towards me and said to Hazrat Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him): 'Remove his pain.' Accordingly, the companion of the cave and the companion of the shrine, Sayyiduna Siddiq Akbar (may Allah be pleased with him), performed a Madani operation on me by opening my head and removing four black lumps from my brain, and said: 'Son! Now nothing will happen to you.' Indeed, that Islamic brother had completely recovered. Upon returning from the journey, he had a re-examination done. The doctor was astonished and said: 'Brother, amazingly, the four lumps in your brain have disappeared.' Upon this, he wept and mentioned the blessing of the Madani caravan journey and the dream."
Reference: Faizan-e-Sunnat, p. 46.
In this book, in countless such dreams and incidents, some people’s appendix pain was cured, others’ hepatitis C was healed. In short, these are all blessings of joining Dawat-e-Islami and studying "Faizan-e-Sunnat."
Yes, someone might say that the mentioned incident was a dream, but sir, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) appeared to this person in person, because upon waking and showing the doctor, it was found that the lumps which Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) had removed were gone. If it were a dream, this would not be possible. Because a dream is a dream, and reality is reality. For example, in a dream, someone might see that he was shot or fell from a height, but upon waking, there is no wound or injury because it was a dream. Reflecting on this, it is understood that after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he appeared along with the four Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them). They possess knowledge of the unseen and relieve people’s difficulties. However, these views are explicitly opposed to the Quran and Hadith.
The shrine owner kindly assisted:
Ilyas Qadri Sahib has established this title and written:
Glory be to Allah, the Exalted! The noble saints, may Allah have mercy on them, even while residing in their shrines, show kindness and hospitality to their guests.
Reference: Faizan-e-Sunnat, p. 208.
Further on page 209, the title is established:
Saints continue to benefit even after death. Sweet, sweet Islamic brothers! People of the past had such a good belief about the elders and would seek their needs from them when necessary. They had the mindset that the friends of Allah would help by the divine gift of Allah, the Exalted. In any case, the saints of Allah, may Allah have mercy on them, live in their shrines by the grace of their Lord, the Exalted. They listen to the visitors, provide guidance and assistance, and also keep track of the affairs of their family members.
Respected readers! This thought and philosophy is what Dawat-e-Islami has taken up. And it has been spread in Faizan-e-Sunnat and other literature. Take this very writing. A permanent book can be written in its refutation, and it is clearly against the teachings of the Quran. Those interested in details should see our book "The Back Doors of Shirk."
◈ Claim of Love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
Generally, the brothers of Dawat-e-Islami appear to claim love and passion for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, whereas love is not proven by mere verbal claims but is known through obedience and following, according to the Quranic principle. In Faizan-e-Sunnat, Qadri Sahib usually writes the honored name of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in one line or one and a half lines with various titles, which generally gives the impression of proving love. But observe how Qadri Sahib writes the name of Maulvi Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi in the same book:
"My master, Aala Hazrat, Imam Ahl-e-Sunnat, benefactor, greatly blessed, highly ranked, the moth of the candle of Prophethood, reviver of religion and nation, Haji of Sunnah, eraser of innovation, scholar of Shariah, spiritual guide, cause of good and blessing, Hazrat Allama Maulana Al-Hajj Al-Hafiz Al-Qari Shah Imam Ahmad Raza Khan, may Allah have mercy on him, says."
Reference: Faizan-e-Sunnat, p. 2287
If love and affection were measured by titles, then Qadri Sahib loves Ahmad Raza Khan Sahib more than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Anyway, everyone has their own preference.
The conclusion is that in this book Faizan-e-Sunnat, under the name of Sunnah, personal opinions and self-constructed views contrary to the Quran and Hadith have been expressed. Whereas the Quran and authentic Hadiths contain such great virtues of Sunnah and deeds that there is absolutely no need to search for incidents elsewhere.
وصلى الله تعالى على نبينا محمد وعلى اله وأصحابه وسلم
