This excerpt is taken from the book A Research Review of the Number of Rakʿahs of Qiyām Ramaḍān, authored by the contemporary ḥadīth scholar Shaykh Zubayr ʿAlī Zaʾī رحمه الله.
“Respected friend, Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Masʿūd Aḥmad Ṣāḥib Kāmilpūrī.”
(Taqrīẓ Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ: p. 4)
Since the aforementioned book attempts to deceive simple-minded people through lies and fabrications, the writer of these lines is writing this open letter. Otherwise, individuals like Masʿūd Aḥmad do not deserve a response, because replying to such people is like playing a flute before a buffalo. Who is unaware of their policy of “we will not accept” and “the crow is white”?
إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ
“Only those fabricate lies who do not believe in the signs of Allah, and it is they who are the liars.”
Despite this, countless people continuously lie day and night in order to prove white as black and black as white.
One of such individuals is Mawlānā Masʿūd Aḥmad Khān. Below, some of his blatant lies are presented.
“The Prophet ﷺ said: The prayer during which you sleep (Tahajjud) is superior to the Tarāwīḥ prayer during which you stand.”
(al-Bukhārī, Qiyām Ramaḍān, Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ, p. 20)
Leaving aside the self-made brackets and incorrect translation, it is submitted that neither in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī nor in any book of Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله does there exist any such ḥadīth attributed to our beloved Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ as mentioned by Masʿūd Aḥmad. Rather, this statement is the saying of the Mujāhid Imām and Rightly Guided Caliph, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه.
(See: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī with ʿUmdat al-Qārī: 11/125, ḥadīth: 2010)
This so-called Mawlānā falsely presented it as a prophetic narration, whereas even the Deobandī authority Anwar Shāh Kāshmīrī Deobandī states, while declaring it the saying of ʿUmar رضي الله عنه:
فَجَعَلَ الصَّلَاةَ وَاحِدَةً
“Thus, ʿUmar رضي الله عنه regarded Tahajjud and Tarāwīḥ as one prayer.”
“This ḥadīth states that the Prophet ﷺ used to pray four rakʿahs with one salām.”
(Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ, p. 58)
Whereas in the ḥadīth of Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها there is absolutely no mention of “one salām.” Moreover, Masʿūd Ṣāḥib himself has quoted this very ḥadīth in the same book on pages 56–57 without the words “one salām.” If the so-called Mawlānā can explicitly show the wording “one salām” in this ḥadīth from Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī or elsewhere, he will be awarded a full set of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī as a prize—in shāʾ Allāh. And if he cannot, then…?
“Therefore, during the era of ʿUmar al-Fārūq, Ubayy ibn Kaʿb رضي الله عنه himself used to lead twenty rakʿahs of Tarāwīḥ.”
(al-Bayhaqī, vol. 2, p. 694; Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ, p. 63)
The referenced page does not exist at all in al-Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī. Despite extensive searching, this reference could not be found anywhere from volume one to volume ten. Therefore, the above statement of Masʿūd Aḥmad Ṣāḥib is a blatant lie against both Sayyidunā Ubayy ibn Kaʿb رضي الله عنه and Imām al-Bayhaqī رحمه الله.
Perhaps it is due to such fabrications that Mawlānā Ghulām Ḥabīb Ṣāḥib and others praise a layman so profusely. Books of such individuals—accused of lying and abandoned in ḥadīth—are sometimes brought to me with the request to write a refutation.
You may judge for yourself: those who are deeply immersed in the disgraceful business of fabricating ḥadīth, and who do not refrain from lying against Allah and His Messenger ﷺ—how far can their responses be written? Ultimately, everyone must stand before the Creator of the universe. How will those people save themselves on that Day who used to lie in the world?
“Because the Noble Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ فَقِرَاءَةُ الْإِمَامِ لَهُ قِرَاءَةٌ”
(Muwaṭṭaʾ Mālik, Qirāʾat Khalf al-Imām, p. 32)
“For the one who has an imām, the recitation of the imām is his recitation.”
Whereas this narration with these exact words does not exist at all in Muwaṭṭaʾ Imām Mālik.
◈ Qārī Ṣāḥib further writes:
“Ḥaḍrat Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه says:
لَا صَلَاةَ إِلَّا بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَمَا تَيَسَّرَ”
(Abū Dāwūd: 1/118; Qirāʾat Khalf al-Imām, p. 32)
Whereas this narration with these exact words certainly does not exist in Sunan Abī Dāwūd.
◈ Qārī Ṣāḥib quotes a narration of “Jarīr ibn Sulaymān al-Taymī” with reference to Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (p. 174), then after adding words to the text, he states:
(al-Nasāʾī, p. 146; Qirāʾat Khalf al-Imām, p. 11)
Whereas this narration of “Jarīr ibn Sulaymān al-Taymī” does not exist in Sunan al-Nasāʾī at all.
Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm al-Andalusī رحمه الله (d. 456 AH) spoke the truth when he said:
وَأَمَّا الْوَضْعُ فِي الْحَدِيثِ فَبَاقٍ مَا دَامَ إِبْلِيسُ وَأَتْبَاعُهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ
“As for fabrication in ḥadīth, it will remain as long as Iblīs and his followers remain on the earth.”
As for a serious scholarly response, the Jamāʿat Ahl al-Ḥadīth stands ready. Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān Aʿẓamī Deobandī wrote a booklet on Tarāwīḥ, to which Mawlānā Naẓīr Aḥmad Raḥmānī Aʿẓamī رحمه الله replied with Anwār al-Maṣābīḥ. The burden of replying to that reply remains upon those who claim that only twenty rakʿahs of Tarāwīḥ in congregation during Ramaḍān are Sunnah Muʾakkadah, that whoever prays fewer abandons the Sunnah Muʾakkadah and is deprived of intercession, and that congregations exceeding twenty rakʿahs are not established, etc.
For details, study Anwār al-Maṣābīḥ, pp. 28–32. All the treatises of Masʿūd Aḥmad Ṣāḥib and his group have failed to prove the above-mentioned Ḥanafī claims; therefore, their status is nothing more than هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا (scattered dust). All praise is due to Allah for that.
Regarding the issue of al-Fātiḥah, you may consult my book al-Kawākib al-Durriyyah fī Wujūb al-Fātiḥah Khalf al-Imām fī al-Ṣalāt al-Jahriyyah.
And upon us is only the conveyance of the message.
Topics Related to the Author of Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ
Masʿūd Aḥmad Khān Deobandī Kāmilpūrī authored a book titled Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ fī Masʾalat al-Tarāwīḥ, upon which Ghulām Ḥabīb Ṣāḥib Pīrī Mamātī Deobandī and others have written commendatory notes. In our view, Masʿūd Aḥmad Khān is a layman; however, Ghulām Ḥabīb Ṣāḥib (may Allah preserve him) writes:“Respected friend, Ḥaḍrat Mawlānā Masʿūd Aḥmad Ṣāḥib Kāmilpūrī.”
(Taqrīẓ Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ: p. 4)
Since the aforementioned book attempts to deceive simple-minded people through lies and fabrications, the writer of these lines is writing this open letter. Otherwise, individuals like Masʿūd Aḥmad do not deserve a response, because replying to such people is like playing a flute before a buffalo. Who is unaware of their policy of “we will not accept” and “the crow is white”?
The Gravity of Lying
Lying is an extremely evil act and a major sin. Its condemnation exists in all divine laws. The Lord of the Worlds says:إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ
“Only those fabricate lies who do not believe in the signs of Allah, and it is they who are the liars.”
Reference: Sūrat al-Naḥl: 105
Despite this, countless people continuously lie day and night in order to prove white as black and black as white.
One of such individuals is Mawlānā Masʿūd Aḥmad Khān. Below, some of his blatant lies are presented.
Fabrications of Masʿūd
Lie No. ①
Masʿūd Aḥmad Khān writes:“The Prophet ﷺ said: The prayer during which you sleep (Tahajjud) is superior to the Tarāwīḥ prayer during which you stand.”
(al-Bukhārī, Qiyām Ramaḍān, Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ, p. 20)
Leaving aside the self-made brackets and incorrect translation, it is submitted that neither in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī nor in any book of Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله does there exist any such ḥadīth attributed to our beloved Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ as mentioned by Masʿūd Aḥmad. Rather, this statement is the saying of the Mujāhid Imām and Rightly Guided Caliph, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه.
(See: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī with ʿUmdat al-Qārī: 11/125, ḥadīth: 2010)
This so-called Mawlānā falsely presented it as a prophetic narration, whereas even the Deobandī authority Anwar Shāh Kāshmīrī Deobandī states, while declaring it the saying of ʿUmar رضي الله عنه:
فَجَعَلَ الصَّلَاةَ وَاحِدَةً
“Thus, ʿUmar رضي الله عنه regarded Tahajjud and Tarāwīḥ as one prayer.”
Reference: Fayḍ al-Bārī: 2/420
Lie No. ②
Masʿūd Ṣāḥib claims:“This ḥadīth states that the Prophet ﷺ used to pray four rakʿahs with one salām.”
(Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ, p. 58)
Whereas in the ḥadīth of Sayyidah ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها there is absolutely no mention of “one salām.” Moreover, Masʿūd Ṣāḥib himself has quoted this very ḥadīth in the same book on pages 56–57 without the words “one salām.” If the so-called Mawlānā can explicitly show the wording “one salām” in this ḥadīth from Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī or elsewhere, he will be awarded a full set of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī as a prize—in shāʾ Allāh. And if he cannot, then…?
Lie No. ③
The respected Deobandī Mawlānā further writes:“Therefore, during the era of ʿUmar al-Fārūq, Ubayy ibn Kaʿb رضي الله عنه himself used to lead twenty rakʿahs of Tarāwīḥ.”
(al-Bayhaqī, vol. 2, p. 694; Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ, p. 63)
The referenced page does not exist at all in al-Sunan al-Kubrā of al-Bayhaqī. Despite extensive searching, this reference could not be found anywhere from volume one to volume ten. Therefore, the above statement of Masʿūd Aḥmad Ṣāḥib is a blatant lie against both Sayyidunā Ubayy ibn Kaʿb رضي الله عنه and Imām al-Bayhaqī رحمه الله.
Perhaps it is due to such fabrications that Mawlānā Ghulām Ḥabīb Ṣāḥib and others praise a layman so profusely. Books of such individuals—accused of lying and abandoned in ḥadīth—are sometimes brought to me with the request to write a refutation.
You may judge for yourself: those who are deeply immersed in the disgraceful business of fabricating ḥadīth, and who do not refrain from lying against Allah and His Messenger ﷺ—how far can their responses be written? Ultimately, everyone must stand before the Creator of the universe. How will those people save themselves on that Day who used to lie in the world?
Further Examples of Fabrication
◈ Masʿūd Aḥmad Khān’s praised associate, Qārī Chan Muḥammad Ṣāḥib Deobandī, published a booklet titled Qirāʾat Khalf al-Imām, in which he has clearly given false references at several places. For example, he writes:“Because the Noble Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ فَقِرَاءَةُ الْإِمَامِ لَهُ قِرَاءَةٌ”
(Muwaṭṭaʾ Mālik, Qirāʾat Khalf al-Imām, p. 32)
“For the one who has an imām, the recitation of the imām is his recitation.”
Whereas this narration with these exact words does not exist at all in Muwaṭṭaʾ Imām Mālik.
◈ Qārī Ṣāḥib further writes:
“Ḥaḍrat Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه says:
لَا صَلَاةَ إِلَّا بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَمَا تَيَسَّرَ”
(Abū Dāwūd: 1/118; Qirāʾat Khalf al-Imām, p. 32)
Whereas this narration with these exact words certainly does not exist in Sunan Abī Dāwūd.
◈ Qārī Ṣāḥib quotes a narration of “Jarīr ibn Sulaymān al-Taymī” with reference to Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (p. 174), then after adding words to the text, he states:
(al-Nasāʾī, p. 146; Qirāʾat Khalf al-Imām, p. 11)
Whereas this narration of “Jarīr ibn Sulaymān al-Taymī” does not exist in Sunan al-Nasāʾī at all.
Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn Ḥazm al-Andalusī رحمه الله (d. 456 AH) spoke the truth when he said:
وَأَمَّا الْوَضْعُ فِي الْحَدِيثِ فَبَاقٍ مَا دَامَ إِبْلِيسُ وَأَتْبَاعُهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ
“As for fabrication in ḥadīth, it will remain as long as Iblīs and his followers remain on the earth.”
Reference: al-Muḥallā: 9/13, Issue no. 1514
Further Reading
For further details, studying the book al-Ṭawām al-Murʿishah fī Taḥrīfāt Ahl al-Raʾy al-Mudhishah by our respected teacher Mawlānā Badīʿ al-Dīn al-Rāshidī al-Sindhī رحمه الله, and my own book Akādhib Āl Deoband, is extremely beneficial.A Final Warning
As a warning, it is stated that these fabrications of Mawlānā Masʿūd Aḥmad Ṣāḥib and Qārī Chan Muḥammad Ṣāḥib are not scribal errors. Ṭāriq ibn Taslīm al-Shāfiʿī al-Ḥaḍrawī رحمه الله had already informed Masʿūd Ṣāḥib of some of his fabrications before the publication of Ḍiyāʾ al-Maṣābīḥ. Likewise, I had warned Qārī Ṣāḥib in Nūr al-Ẓalām fī Masʾalat al-Fātiḥah Khalf al-Imām. Despite this, they did not retract from their false statements.As for a serious scholarly response, the Jamāʿat Ahl al-Ḥadīth stands ready. Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān Aʿẓamī Deobandī wrote a booklet on Tarāwīḥ, to which Mawlānā Naẓīr Aḥmad Raḥmānī Aʿẓamī رحمه الله replied with Anwār al-Maṣābīḥ. The burden of replying to that reply remains upon those who claim that only twenty rakʿahs of Tarāwīḥ in congregation during Ramaḍān are Sunnah Muʾakkadah, that whoever prays fewer abandons the Sunnah Muʾakkadah and is deprived of intercession, and that congregations exceeding twenty rakʿahs are not established, etc.
For details, study Anwār al-Maṣābīḥ, pp. 28–32. All the treatises of Masʿūd Aḥmad Ṣāḥib and his group have failed to prove the above-mentioned Ḥanafī claims; therefore, their status is nothing more than هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا (scattered dust). All praise is due to Allah for that.
Regarding the issue of al-Fātiḥah, you may consult my book al-Kawākib al-Durriyyah fī Wujūb al-Fātiḥah Khalf al-Imām fī al-Ṣalāt al-Jahriyyah.
And upon us is only the conveyance of the message.
