Excerpted from the book "‘Aqeedah Tawheed par Jalali ke Shubuhat ka Izalah" by Shaykh Sayyid Tauseef-ur-Rahman Rashidi
Ashraf Jalali states:
“As for being a helper, a savior of the drowning, a remover of difficulties, a fulfiller of needs, a provider, a helper of the helpless — remember, not even a leaf can move without Allah’s permission. But when Allah grants permission, then all these tasks can be performed by His servants as well.”
We say: Yes, if Allah gives permission... but where is the proof that those whom you revere as Dātā, Gharīb Nawāz, Ganj Bakhsh have been granted such permission by Allah for fulfilling people's needs and removing difficulties? Who informed you of this?
The reality is that you invoke and worship other than Allah in such a manner that it constitutes blatant disrespect to the Lord. For instance:
A qawwāl narrates the following scenario:
A woman engages in dhikr of Allah, reaches the Ka'bah with her prayer mat, and supplicates to Allah. She says:
“O my Lord! If You bless a beggar, he becomes a king. If You love an orphan, You make him a prophet.”
And then, an alleged voice replies:
"O foolish woman! What have you come here to seek from Me? Behind My veil is nothing but Oneness. Whatever is to be received, is received from the city of Muhammad ﷺ.”
(Astaghfirullah)
And another line like:
“If Khawaja doesn’t give, then who will?”
These are blatant blasphemous statements that clearly amount to kufr. Is there any greater proof of shirk than this?
Jalali Sahib! Before objecting to us, it would have been better had you studied the teachings of your own elders:
Let us take a look at a saying of Khawaja Ghulam Fareed رحمه الله:
In Maqabees al-Majalis, regarding Tawheed, he says:
"The beliefs of Wahhabis are similar to those of the Sufis. Wahhabis say that seeking help from Prophets and Saints is shirk. Verily, seeking help from other than Allah is shirk. Tawheed is that help be sought only from Allah, as the Qur’an commands:"
﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾
“You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help.”
[Surah al-Fātiḥah: 5]
So, we say: Seeking supernatural help from other than Allah is shirk, and you say it's not. Let us look again to your elders.
Let us now turn to the tafsīr of Surah al-Anʿām: 121 as explained by your own renowned scholar Na'eem ud-Din Muradabadi رحمه الله:
“To abandon the command of Allah in religion and follow someone else's command, or to regard anyone other than Allah as a legislator is shirk.”
(Ḥāshiyah Kanz al-Imān, p. 257)
Similarly, your Ḥakīm al-Ummah, Mufti Ahmad Yār Khān Naeemī رحمه الله, writes:
“This address is to Muslims. If you accept what the disbelievers say and do not differentiate between lawful and unlawful slaughter, then you too will become polytheists and disbelievers like them.”
(Ḍiyā al-Qur’ān, Vol. 1, p. 597, Ḥāshiyah 153)
Your elder Pīr Muhammad Karam Shāh al-Azhari رحمه الله from Bhera, writes in his tafsīr:
“This verse proves that if someone regards what Allah has declared haram as halal, then he has become a mushrik (polytheist).”
(Tafsīr Naeemī, Vol. 8, p. 64)
☞ Remember, these are not Salafi scholars, but your own Barelvi elders.
So the definition and application of shirk, according to your elders, is that:
“If someone follows another person besides Allah in religious matters, he has committed shirk.”
Yet today, if Qur'anic verses or authentic ahadith are recited, people respond:
“The point is correct, but it goes against our religion.”
A Maulvi from Lahore once remarked in a speech:
“The Wahhabis search the Qur’an for verses that go against our religion.”
This contradiction shows that you are unaware of your own elders' beliefs, and we are here informing you of them. You may dismiss us, calling us “Ghayr Muqallid” — but the facts stand.
Jalali Sahib claims:
“The Qur’an has made it clear: If anyone tries to connect with Allah directly without going through the Messenger, this is delusion. No one can reach Allah without the Prophet ﷺ.”
He then cites:
﴿وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ﴾
“The Jews and the Christians say: We are the sons of Allah and His beloved ones.”
[Surah al-Mā’idah: 18]
He interprets this as the Jews rejecting the Prophet, saying:
“We maintain a direct connection with Allah. We are God’s people, not followers of the Prophet.”
Then he cites:
﴿قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ﴾
“Say, [O Muhammad], if you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.”
[Surah Āl-ʿImrān: 31]
Jalali Sahib!
Throwing stones from a glass house is not wise. If someone retaliates, your house will shatter.
We challenge you — no Ahl-e-Hadith has ever claimed:
“We are Allah’s people, not the Prophet’s.”
By Allah, we are both: Allah's people and the Prophet’s ﷺ people.
You likened us to the Jews, but ironically, grave worshippers resemble the Jews more.
Let us show you some examples:
﴿وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ﴾
“The Jews say: ‘ʿUzayr is the son of Allah’ and the Christians say: ‘The Messiah is the son of Allah.’”
[Surah al-Tawbah: 30]
And today?
One so-called Muslim poet, Muhammad Yar Fārīdī Gharhī, writes in Dīwān Muhammadi:
“If the author considers Muhammad ﷺ as God, then he is a Muslim; otherwise, he is a deceiver.”
This is worse than what Jews and Christians said, who at least acknowledged Allah first.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Allah curses the Jews and Christians who made the graves of their Prophets into places of worship."
"Whenever a righteous man among them died, they built a mosque over his grave and made images. These will be the worst creatures in Allah’s sight on the Day of Judgement."
But today, grave worship is widespread — in India, Pakistan and elsewhere.
Even worse — people have built tombs over criminals and drug addicts!
Examples:
Example: A woman at Lal Shah’s grave said:
“He was close to Allah.”
When asked, “But he didn’t pray?”
She replied: “These saints are beyond rituals like prayer and fasting.”
Compare this with the Prophet ﷺ who prayed even in battle and cursed those who prevented him from prayer:
“O Allah! Fill their homes, graves, and bellies with fire — for they prevented Muhammad ﷺ from prayer.”
You say: “We are Rasūl-wālē, you are Rabb-wālē.”
We say: The one who is Rabb-wālā is also Rasūl-wālā — and only such a person succeeds.
Look at Abū Ṭālib:
He was devoted to the Prophet ﷺ but didn’t believe in Allah — and he will receive the lightest punishment in Hell.
In al-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah, it is narrated:
Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz رحمه الله said:
“I saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream and said, ‘Excuse me, O Messenger of Allah! I was so engrossed in Allah’s love that I could not focus on loving you.’
He ﷺ replied: ‘Glad tidings! Whoever loves Allah has indeed loved me.’”
(al-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah, Vol. 2, p. 494)
Our belief is:
Allah says:
﴿فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾
“By your Lord, they do not believe until they make you judge in all their disputes…”
[Surah al-Nisā’: 65]
So your claim that we are only “Rabb-wālē” and not “Rasūl-wālē” is false.
Those who call upon other than Allah in distress,
Those who bow their foreheads before graves,
Those who leave the Sunnah and follow human opinions,
They are neither Rabb-wālē nor Rasūl-wālē.
Only those who follow Allah’s commands and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ are truly both.
We are Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, because the Qur’an and the Prophet’s ﷺ statements are Hadith, and they are enough for us in every matter.
Conclusion:
You are not Rasūl-wālē if you rely on others besides the Prophet ﷺ.
You are not Tawheed-wālē if you seek help from other than Allah.
Whoever is truly Allah’s is also truly the Prophet’s ﷺ.
◈ Jalali’s Doubt: That Servants Can Also Perform Divine Acts with Allah’s Permission
Ashraf Jalali states:
“As for being a helper, a savior of the drowning, a remover of difficulties, a fulfiller of needs, a provider, a helper of the helpless — remember, not even a leaf can move without Allah’s permission. But when Allah grants permission, then all these tasks can be performed by His servants as well.”
❖ Refutation of This Doubt:
We say: Yes, if Allah gives permission... but where is the proof that those whom you revere as Dātā, Gharīb Nawāz, Ganj Bakhsh have been granted such permission by Allah for fulfilling people's needs and removing difficulties? Who informed you of this?
The reality is that you invoke and worship other than Allah in such a manner that it constitutes blatant disrespect to the Lord. For instance:
A qawwāl narrates the following scenario:
A woman engages in dhikr of Allah, reaches the Ka'bah with her prayer mat, and supplicates to Allah. She says:
“O my Lord! If You bless a beggar, he becomes a king. If You love an orphan, You make him a prophet.”
And then, an alleged voice replies:
"O foolish woman! What have you come here to seek from Me? Behind My veil is nothing but Oneness. Whatever is to be received, is received from the city of Muhammad ﷺ.”
(Astaghfirullah)
And another line like:
“If Khawaja doesn’t give, then who will?”
These are blatant blasphemous statements that clearly amount to kufr. Is there any greater proof of shirk than this?
❖ Advice to Jalali: Read Your Own Elders First
Jalali Sahib! Before objecting to us, it would have been better had you studied the teachings of your own elders:
Let us take a look at a saying of Khawaja Ghulam Fareed رحمه الله:
In Maqabees al-Majalis, regarding Tawheed, he says:
"The beliefs of Wahhabis are similar to those of the Sufis. Wahhabis say that seeking help from Prophets and Saints is shirk. Verily, seeking help from other than Allah is shirk. Tawheed is that help be sought only from Allah, as the Qur’an commands:"
﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾
“You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help.”
[Surah al-Fātiḥah: 5]
So, we say: Seeking supernatural help from other than Allah is shirk, and you say it's not. Let us look again to your elders.
❖ Statements from Recognized Scholars of Your Own School
Let us now turn to the tafsīr of Surah al-Anʿām: 121 as explained by your own renowned scholar Na'eem ud-Din Muradabadi رحمه الله:
“To abandon the command of Allah in religion and follow someone else's command, or to regard anyone other than Allah as a legislator is shirk.”
(Ḥāshiyah Kanz al-Imān, p. 257)
Similarly, your Ḥakīm al-Ummah, Mufti Ahmad Yār Khān Naeemī رحمه الله, writes:
“This address is to Muslims. If you accept what the disbelievers say and do not differentiate between lawful and unlawful slaughter, then you too will become polytheists and disbelievers like them.”
(Ḍiyā al-Qur’ān, Vol. 1, p. 597, Ḥāshiyah 153)
Your elder Pīr Muhammad Karam Shāh al-Azhari رحمه الله from Bhera, writes in his tafsīr:
“This verse proves that if someone regards what Allah has declared haram as halal, then he has become a mushrik (polytheist).”
(Tafsīr Naeemī, Vol. 8, p. 64)
☞ Remember, these are not Salafi scholars, but your own Barelvi elders.
❖ The Clear Definition of Shirk
So the definition and application of shirk, according to your elders, is that:
“If someone follows another person besides Allah in religious matters, he has committed shirk.”
Yet today, if Qur'anic verses or authentic ahadith are recited, people respond:
“The point is correct, but it goes against our religion.”
A Maulvi from Lahore once remarked in a speech:
“The Wahhabis search the Qur’an for verses that go against our religion.”
This contradiction shows that you are unaware of your own elders' beliefs, and we are here informing you of them. You may dismiss us, calling us “Ghayr Muqallid” — but the facts stand.
❖ Ashraf Jalali’s Belief: One Cannot Ask Allah Directly
Jalali Sahib claims:
“The Qur’an has made it clear: If anyone tries to connect with Allah directly without going through the Messenger, this is delusion. No one can reach Allah without the Prophet ﷺ.”
He then cites:
﴿وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ﴾
“The Jews and the Christians say: We are the sons of Allah and His beloved ones.”
[Surah al-Mā’idah: 18]
He interprets this as the Jews rejecting the Prophet, saying:
“We maintain a direct connection with Allah. We are God’s people, not followers of the Prophet.”
Then he cites:
﴿قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ﴾
“Say, [O Muhammad], if you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.”
[Surah Āl-ʿImrān: 31]
❖ Refutation of This Misleading Argument
Jalali Sahib!
Throwing stones from a glass house is not wise. If someone retaliates, your house will shatter.
We challenge you — no Ahl-e-Hadith has ever claimed:
“We are Allah’s people, not the Prophet’s.”
By Allah, we are both: Allah's people and the Prophet’s ﷺ people.
You likened us to the Jews, but ironically, grave worshippers resemble the Jews more.
❖ Similarities with the Jews and Christians
Let us show you some examples:
﴿وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ﴾
“The Jews say: ‘ʿUzayr is the son of Allah’ and the Christians say: ‘The Messiah is the son of Allah.’”
[Surah al-Tawbah: 30]
And today?
One so-called Muslim poet, Muhammad Yar Fārīdī Gharhī, writes in Dīwān Muhammadi:
“If the author considers Muhammad ﷺ as God, then he is a Muslim; otherwise, he is a deceiver.”
This is worse than what Jews and Christians said, who at least acknowledged Allah first.
❖ Worship at Graves: The Practice of Jews & Christians
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Allah curses the Jews and Christians who made the graves of their Prophets into places of worship."
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1330
"Whenever a righteous man among them died, they built a mosque over his grave and made images. These will be the worst creatures in Allah’s sight on the Day of Judgement."
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 427
But today, grave worship is widespread — in India, Pakistan and elsewhere.
Even worse — people have built tombs over criminals and drug addicts!
Examples:
- Darbār of Ghōray Shāh (Lahore)
- Tomb of Khōtay Shāh (Abbottabad)
- And even an electricity pole with offerings labeled: “Bābā Khamba Pīr!”
❖ You Made Graves for the Non-Praying!
Example: A woman at Lal Shah’s grave said:
“He was close to Allah.”
When asked, “But he didn’t pray?”
She replied: “These saints are beyond rituals like prayer and fasting.”
Compare this with the Prophet ﷺ who prayed even in battle and cursed those who prevented him from prayer:
“O Allah! Fill their homes, graves, and bellies with fire — for they prevented Muhammad ﷺ from prayer.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 4533
❖ Who Are Truly “Rasūl-Wālē” and “Rabb-Wālē”?
You say: “We are Rasūl-wālē, you are Rabb-wālē.”
We say: The one who is Rabb-wālā is also Rasūl-wālā — and only such a person succeeds.
Look at Abū Ṭālib:
He was devoted to the Prophet ﷺ but didn’t believe in Allah — and he will receive the lightest punishment in Hell.
❖ A Sufi’s Dream Clarifies: Loving Allah is Loving the Prophet ﷺ
In al-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah, it is narrated:
Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz رحمه الله said:
“I saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream and said, ‘Excuse me, O Messenger of Allah! I was so engrossed in Allah’s love that I could not focus on loving you.’
He ﷺ replied: ‘Glad tidings! Whoever loves Allah has indeed loved me.’”
(al-Risālah al-Qushayriyyah, Vol. 2, p. 494)
❖ The ʿAqīdah of Ahl-e-Ḥadīth Regarding the Prophet ﷺ
Our belief is:
- We love Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
- Whoever disrespects the Prophet ﷺ even slightly is a disbeliever.
- Whoever disobeys the Prophet ﷺ has no faith.
Allah says:
﴿فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾
“By your Lord, they do not believe until they make you judge in all their disputes…”
[Surah al-Nisā’: 65]
So your claim that we are only “Rabb-wālē” and not “Rasūl-wālē” is false.
❖ Final Words
Those who call upon other than Allah in distress,
Those who bow their foreheads before graves,
Those who leave the Sunnah and follow human opinions,
They are neither Rabb-wālē nor Rasūl-wālē.
Only those who follow Allah’s commands and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ are truly both.
We are Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, because the Qur’an and the Prophet’s ﷺ statements are Hadith, and they are enough for us in every matter.
Conclusion:You are not Rasūl-wālē if you rely on others besides the Prophet ﷺ.
You are not Tawheed-wālē if you seek help from other than Allah.
Whoever is truly Allah’s is also truly the Prophet’s ﷺ.
