This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Irshad Ullah Maan's book The Search for Truth.
Preface to the Book The Search for Truth
My dear respected readers!
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh
[یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ حَقَّ تُقٰتِہٖ وَ لَا تَمُوۡتُنَّ اِلَّا وَ اَنۡتُمۡ مُّسۡلِمُوۡنَ]،[وَ اعۡتَصِمُوۡا بِحَبۡلِ اللّٰہِ جَمِیۡعًا وَّ لَا تَفَرَّقُوۡا ۪ وَ اذۡکُرُوۡا نِعۡمَتَ اللّٰہِ عَلَیۡکُمۡ اِذۡ کُنۡتُمۡ اَعۡدَآءً فَاَلَّفَ بَیۡنَ قُلُوۡبِکُمۡ فَاَصۡبَحۡتُمۡ بِنِعۡمَتِہٖۤ اِخۡوَانًا ۚ وَ کُنۡتُمۡ عَلٰی شَفَا حُفۡرَۃٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَاَنۡقَذَکُمۡ مِّنۡہَا ؕ کَذٰلِکَ یُبَیِّنُ اللّٰہُ لَکُمۡ اٰیٰتِہٖ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَہۡتَدُوۡنَ].
[O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims, and hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember Allah's favor upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.]
Reference: Al Imran: 103/102
There is no doubt that I too was standing on the edge of the pit of fire due to my misguidance, but in that state, my Lord bestowed His favor upon me, saved me from becoming fuel for Hell, and turned my direction towards guidance. فلله الحمد
My life story is such that I was born in 1938 in a small village of Sheikhupura district. I completed my matriculation in 1954 from Warburton High School and FSc in 1956 from Government College Lahore. In 1961, I became an employee at the District Council Sheikhupura. It was in 1962, when there was the Urs of Mian Sher Muhammad Sahib in the city of Sharkpur, some friends from Sharkpur invited me to come there. I accepted the invitation thinking that we would also see the Urs of Mian Sher Muhammad Sahib on this occasion. When my friends and I arrived at the Urs, we saw a very strange scene. A stage had been set up, and near me, scholars and sheikhs were seated on the stage. The stage secretary, Pakir, was calling out the names of the scholars one after another. Thousands of people had gathered. One by one, the scholars came to the microphone, gave speeches, and then returned to their seats. A Maulvi, whose name was Maulvi Noori Qasoori, came to the microphone, started his speech, and during the speech narrated an incident, which was as follows:
Junaid Baghdadi was a resident of Baghdad. The Tigris River flows alongside this city. Junaid Baghdadi took his prayer mat and went to the riverbank, spread the prayer mat there, and offered two rak'ahs of Nafl prayer. After that, he lifted the prayer mat and placed it on the flowing water of the river, and prayed two Nafl rak'ahs on the stationary prayer mat. Then he commanded the prayer mat to move to the other side of the river. Upon reaching the other side, he spread the prayer mat again, offered two Nafl rak'ahs, then lifted the prayer mat and placed it on the flowing water inside the river, and sat on it himself. The prayer mat continued moving back towards the city.
Not long after the prayer mat had moved a little distance into the river, a man emerged from a nearby forest. He said, "I also want to go to the city of Baghdad." Junaid Baghdadi commanded the prayer mat to return to the bank, and accordingly, the man was seated on the prayer mat as well. Junaid Baghdadi instructed him, "You keep saying 'O Junaid! O Junaid!' and I will keep saying 'O Allah! O Allah!' The city of Baghdad is ahead; we will reach soon." The man began saying "O Junaid! O Junaid!" and Junaid Baghdadi kept saying "O Allah! O Allah!" and the prayer mat started moving on the flowing water inside the river towards the city.
When half the journey was completed, Satan whispered into the man's ear that he was committing shirk (associating partners with Allah) by calling someone other than Allah. This is how Satan whispers into people's ears. The man thought the matter was correct, so instead of saying "O Junaid!" he began saying "O Allah! O Allah!" As soon as he said this, he began to drown in the water. When Junaid saw this situation, he grabbed him by the hair, placed him back on the prayer mat, and said, "This is what should have happened to you, that you reached Junaid but started calling upon Allah!"
Maulvi Noori Kasuri's statement set my whole body on fire. Although I did not know what Barelvis were?
What are Deobandis? Who are Ahl-e-Hadith? And what is Shia? Because I had only studied Islamic studies in matriculation and FSC, beyond that I had no religious study.
In my view, Maulvi Noori Kasuri's statement was a great blasphemy in the presence of Allah, so this thought settled in my heart that these people are misguided and I should investigate what the true religion is. Then from 1962 to 2005, I continuously researched what religion Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ have given us. This is why I read the complete translation of the Quran and Tafseer by Ahmad Raza Khan Sahib, the translation and Tafseer of the Deobandi school of thought, the translation and Tafseer of Ahl-e-Hadith, the Urdu translation and Tafseer of the Quran published from Saudi Arabia, the translations of Bukhari, Muslim, and Mishkat Sharif, and books of Hanafi Fiqh such as Hidayah, Durre Mukhtar, Kanz, Quduri, Sharh Waqayah, Fatawa Alamgiri, Malabad Manah, and Bahishti Zewar, etc. I studied Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani’s (may Allah have mercy on him) book Ghaniyat al-Talibeen, Haqiqat al-Fiqh, and many other books to find out the true religion. Besides this, I repeatedly discussed all the controversial issues of today with Barelvi, Deobandi, and Ahl-e-Hadith scholars in the light of the Holy Quran and authentic Hadith, because if a person holds a belief and acts upon it without acquiring knowledge of the true religion, then on the Day of Judgment when such a person will be presented before Allah Almighty, Allah will say: Your belief itself was not correct, therefore all your deeds are in vain and you deserve Hell.
[وَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَ کَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَاۤ اُولٰٓئِکَ اَصۡحٰبُ النَّارِ ۚ ہُمۡ فِیۡہَا خٰلِدُوۡنَ]
And those who disbelieve in Our verses and reject them - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.
Reference: Al-Baqarah:39
Thus, I have written the summary of forty-three (43) years of research in this book; the summary of my extensive research is:
① Acquire knowledge of the original universal and global religion Islam in the light of the Quran and authentic Hadiths, because both are clear revelation and hidden revelation. And in them, the religion has been completed.
② Adopt the pure belief and practice of the completion of monotheism, perform every action according to the example of the Messenger ﷺ, and strictly avoid innovations (bid'ah).
③ Islam rejects any sect, school of thought, or faction, and instead of inviting the Ummah to merely one sect, faction, or school of thought, it invites them to the universal and global message of Islam. Because if you want to go from Islamabad to Makkah and Madinah, and instead of boarding a flight from Islamabad to Jeddah, you board a flight from Islamabad to Jakarta, then your hope that you will reach Jeddah or Makkah and Madinah is merely wishful thinking and impossible.
④ Adopt the belief, obedience, Sunnah, and method of the Messenger of Arabia ﷺ, so that on the Day of Judgment you are called as one who follows the command of the Messenger of Arabia ﷺ, otherwise there is destruction. Because the status that the Imam of the Prophets, our Master Muhammad Rasul Allah ﷺ, holds with Allah is not granted to any other being, and on the Day of Judgment every person will be called by the name of the being to whom they showed obedience in this world. If on that day you are called as one who follows the command of Rasul Allah ﷺ, then you are successful; otherwise, unsuccessful. See:
Reference: (Tafseer Muradabadi Bani Israel:71, p. 159)
⑤ In this book, the books mentioned for reference, such as the Holy Quran, books of Hadith, and other books, create a library of them so that you can acquire complete knowledge of the religion. If one person cannot create this library, then do it collectively. Dedicate a little time every morning and evening for the study of religion. In this way, within two to three years, you will have your own library and will also gain correct knowledge of the religion. Be sure to also read the three-volume book by Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani Sahib, "Your Problems and Their Solutions."
The effort in this book has been to present only those arguments that are proven by the Quran and authentic Hadiths. The subject and weak Hadiths have been completely avoided. Friends, acquaintances, and scholars are requested that after studying in search of the truth, for the benefit of the public, they freely inform me of every defect and shortcoming found in it. The author will sincerely accept his mistakes with gratitude and, God willing, will definitely correct them in the next edition. And peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
A Cry from a Compassionate Heart
O children of my pure homeland!
Come, let us save Pakistan
My sons, daughters, youth, and elders living in the pure land!
Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you
This pure homeland, this sacred land... the focal point and center of the hopes of the Islamic world, this fortress of Islam which the world knows and recognizes as the Fort of Islam. We have achieved it through the passionate leadership of Quaid Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the sacrifices of millions of lives. The enemies of Islam, especially the Jews, Crusaders, and deceitful Hindus, have conspired from the very beginning to secretly foster sectarianism and religious group hatred among us, to tear apart our unity and brotherhood. By striking at our solidarity and unity, they have sown discord and division among us, replacing love with hatred and mutual enmity. By destroying our national unity, they aim to become a torment for the infidels by destroying Pakistan’s nuclear program... thus erasing our name and identity from the world map as if it were a typographical error.
Secret funds have been allocated for this nefarious purpose, plans have been made... puppet figures are appointed to key positions and are playing their roles. Their deadliest weapon prepared for our destruction and ruin is the bomb of sectarianism. That is, people belonging to different classes and schools of thought among Muslims are made to fight each other by mutual bloodshed. The infidels do not have to do anything practically, and one Muslim kills another, the second kills the third, and thus this chain continues, and Muslims who fight as a solid wall against the infidels on every front and field end up killing each other. The infidels are spared, and their enemy is automatically eliminated. These are the planned conspiracies and schemes of the enemies against Pakistan and Islam.....
Come! Let us pledge that we will neither fall prey to this weapon of the enemy nor tear apart our unity and brotherhood to destroy our strength and power, but rather, we will become stronger than before and not only protect the Muslims' country, this nuclear Pakistan, achieved under the unparalleled leadership of Quaid Muhammad Ali Jinnah, but also make it stronger and more powerful. Insha'Allah.
Young people of the Muslim Ummah and my dear sons!
I, your sympathetic and prayerful elder, Irshadullah Maan, am addressing you...!
I have now reached that stage of life where a person becomes very weak and frail, and begins to worry about the Hereafter. Now, I can only pray for your well-being at all times. For me, whether someone is Barelvi, Shia, Deobandi, or Ahl-e-Hadith, they are all like my sons. Just as a father loves his sons who have different temperaments and mindsets because they are his own blood, in the same way, you all are very dear to me, the apple of my eye. I never want any of my sons or daughters to become fuel for Hell after death, nor to cause discord, division, hatred, and animosity before dying. I want them to be successful and prosperous in this world and also dwell in Paradise in the Hereafter, God willing. To achieve this goal, I have written this book to weave the sons of my pure homeland, who have different thoughts, into the strong rope of unity. My aim is to bring them together on such a universal point that, by uniting on it, they cannot fall prey to the fire set by any enemy. That platform of unity and oneness for all Muslims is the platform of the Holy Quran, and then the Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. As an impartial judge and arbiter, I have provided guidance from the Holy Quran and then the blessed Hadith to end all differences, so that by ending sectarianism, we may unite on the command of Allah’s Quran and the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ sayings. Thus, the series of sectarian divisions will end, and we will become a powerful and strong nation capable of confronting the conspiracies of the Crusaders, Jews, and Hindus attacking Pakistan.
I have played the role of a neutral and honest judge. You know that the position of a judge is like the backbone of society. In any country, peace, tranquility, comfort, and security depend on justice and fairness. If a judge abandons justice and fairness, society falls victim to destruction, unrest, and insecurity, leading to ruin and devastation. Thus, a judge is a guarantor and standard-bearer of mutual love, protection, and peace in society. I have also played my role according to my capacity and strength to provide justice to people and to weave unity among them. I have examined the mutual differences of people in the light of the Quran, which no one objects to, as well as the authentic Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. In this way, I have proposed a healing and sufficient solution for them.فلله الحمد
Dear pure daughters! The essence of my life's research and quest has come into this book. Now that it is in your hands, read it with an impartial mind, free from any kind of sectarian bias. Evaluate it by the standard provided by the Quran and the Owner of the Quran, and leave behind all kinds of sectarian divisions and hold on to the hem of the Quran. In this way, we will be successful and prosperous both in this world and in the Hereafter.
O my pure believing daughters and sisters...
I request you to raise your children in the light of the Holy Quran. Teach them Tafsir along with short Hadiths, so that the foundation of their upbringing is the Quran, and they do not fall prey to any religious or national enemy's conspiracies and propaganda, struggling among themselves. They should not become victims of instability and disunity, causing weakness in Pakistan. In this way, the conspiracies of the enemies of Islam will be thwarted, and Pakistan will remain established and permanent on the world map forever, InshaAllah. Your well-raised children will grow up to be the architects of the future, becoming messengers of love, not hatred.
Come, join me in freeing this Ummah, chained by sectarianism, so that the purpose of the establishment of the pure homeland can be fulfilled. That purpose which, under the leadership of our Quaid Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the entire nation declared unanimously and openly before the whole world as:
What does Pakistan mean: There is no god but Allah
Then, swimming in rivers of blood... sacrificing millions of lives, adorning their chests with medals of martyrdom, sacrificing their relatives and loved ones, they succeeded in establishing this homeland, this beloved homeland, the center of hope for the Muslim Ummah, this garden... Pakistan. Today, once again, by making sacrifices, we have to free it from the clutches of sectarianism, make it strong, powerful, and invincible, and revive it. InshaAllah, for achieving this goal, the Quran is our guide and leader. It is this blessed final revealed book, the Quran, that I have made the guide in this book of mine. You too should accept it as your guide, unite with us on this point, save the beloved homeland Pakistan, and make it worthy of leadership, guidance, and sovereignty in the world. Because the Imam of the universe, the beloved of the universe, the benefactor of humanity, our beloved Prophet Sayyiduna Muhammad Mustafa ﷺ said that those nations who make the Quran their guide and leader, who make it their covering and bedding, Allah Almighty raises them in the world (makes them leaders and guides of the people of the world). And those nations who cast the Quran behind their backs and remove it practically from their lives, do not act upon it, Allah the Generous humiliates and disgraces them in this world itself and makes them losers and failures as a punishment for this crime. The Master of the two worlds said:
إن الله يرفع بهذا الكتاب أقواما ويضع به آخرين
Indeed, Allah Almighty elevates nations in this world and grants them honor and greatness through this book (the Quran), and it is through this book (and abandoning it) that nations are cast into the darkness of humiliation and degradation.
Come, dear friends! Caretakers of the Ummah of Muhammad...!
Move forward and make this Quran your guide to frustrate the enemies of Islam and Pakistan by ending your self-made sects, denominations, groups, divisions, disagreements, conflicts, rivalries, mutual hatreds, and animosities, and by holding the flag of monotheism, spread Islam throughout the world and make it dominant so that the word of Allah, the Owner of all dominion, is exalted across the world.
My sons, daughters, brothers, elders, and friends! Pray for me that Allah accepts my efforts and accepts all my selfless endeavors and efforts spent in spreading the Quranic message in this world and grants us Paradise as our destiny. Ameen, O Lord of the Worlds?
Servant of the Book and Sunnah
Engineer Irshadullah Maan
Mohalla Muslim Ganj, Nazo Stadium Park, Sheikhupura
[الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلام على أشرف الأنبياء والمرسلين]
It is a great favor and abundant grace of Allah, the Exalted, that He has made us among the Ummah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and granted us the pure religion, which is based on divine revelation and is fully preserved in the Book and Sunnah. The affirmation of our beliefs and actions is through Allah’s Quran and the Hadith and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These two are the fundamental principles and the means of our salvation, success, and prosperity, and the steps to victory and well-being. Our master Ibrahim Khalilullah (peace be upon him), while raising the walls of the House of Allah, prayed:
[رَبَّنَا وَ اجۡعَلۡنَا مُسۡلِمَیۡنِ لَکَ وَ مِنۡ ذُرِّیَّتِنَاۤ اُمَّۃً مُّسۡلِمَۃً لَّکَ ۪ وَ اَرِنَا مَنَاسِکَنَا وَ تُبۡ عَلَیۡنَا ۚ اِنَّکَ اَنۡتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِیۡمُ]
O our Lord! And make us submissive to You, and from our offspring a community submissive to You, and show us our ways of worship, and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful.
Reference: Al-Baqarah:128
The Prophet for whom Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) prayed is our Prophet Sayyiduna Muhammad ﷺ. Among the purposes of his mission is the teaching of the Book and wisdom. For more on this, see:
Reference: Al-Baqarah:151
, [Aal Imran:163], [Al-Jumu'ah:2[/ref]. Allah Almighty has revealed the Book and wisdom. The Almighty says:[وَّ اذۡکُرُوۡا نِعۡمَتَ اللّٰہِ عَلَیۡکُمۡ وَ مَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ عَلَیۡکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡکِتٰبِ وَ الۡحِکۡمَۃِ یَعِظُکُمۡ بِہٖ]
And remember the favor of Allah upon you and what He has revealed to you of the Book and wisdom by which He instructs you.
Reference: Al-Baqarah:231
In another place He says:
[وَ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ عَلَیۡکَ الۡکِتٰبَ وَ الۡحِکۡمَۃَ]
And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom.
Reference: An-Nisa:113
And these two things were recited in the homes of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ. The Almighty says:
[وَ اذۡکُرۡنَ مَا یُتۡلٰی فِیۡ بُیُوۡتِکُنَّ مِنۡ اٰیٰتِ اللّٰہِ وَ الۡحِکۡمَۃِ]
And remember what is recited in your homes of the verses of Allah and wisdom.
Reference: Al-Ahzab:34
The mention of wisdom along with the Book in these verses refers to the Sunnah, and almost all commentators have mentioned this. Imam Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
(ففرض الله على الناس اتباع وحيه وسنن رسوله).
Allah Almighty has made it obligatory upon the people to follow His revelation and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ.
Reference: Ar-Risalah: p.76, no. 244
Then, after mentioning the above verses, they write:
[فذكر الله الكتاب وهو القرآن وذكر الحكمة فسمعت من أرضى من أهل العلم بالقرآن يقول الحكمة سنة رسول الله وهذا يشبه ما قال والله أعلم]،[لأن القرآن ذكر وأتبعته الحكمة وذكر الله منه على خلقه بتعليمهم الكتاب والحكمة فلم يجز الله والله أعلم أن يقال الحكمة ها هنا إلا سنة رسول الله]،[وذلك أنها مقرونة مع كتاب الله وأن الله افترض طاعة رسوله وحتم على الناس اتباع أمره فلا يجوز أن يقال لقوله فرض إلا لكتاب الله ثم سنة رسوله]
Thus, in these verses, Allah Almighty has mentioned firstly the Book, which is the Holy Quran, and secondly wisdom. And among those who possess knowledge of the Quran, the most beloved person I have heard say is that wisdom is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. And this interpretation is more similar to the Divine statement. And Allah knows best! Because after mentioning the Holy Quran, wisdom is mentioned. And Allah Almighty, through the teaching of the Book and wisdom, is expressing His favor upon His creation, therefore here it is not permissible to call anything wisdom except the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ, and Allah knows best! And this is because (wisdom) is mentioned connected with the Book of Allah, and Allah Almighty has made obedience to His Messenger obligatory. And following your command has been made necessary, so no statement can be obligatory except the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ. Therefore, unconditional obedience and compliance to Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ is obligatory upon us.
Reference: Al-Risalah: p.78, no: 252 to 255
And obedience to Allah means accepting His Quran, and obedience to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ means accepting His Sunnah and Hadith. Unconditional obedience to anyone other than Allah and His Messenger is not obligatory upon us. When a person separates from the Quran and Hadith and considers obedience to anyone other than Allah and His Messenger as obligatory upon himself, then the door to misguidance opens. This leads to the destruction and ruin of the Muslim Ummah. Those who have made someone other than Allah their leader and one to be obeyed, then they have equated that person's words with the words of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, as mentioned in the speeches of Maulvi Mahmood Hasan on Tirmidhi and others, that the statement of an ijtihad scholar is also considered the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Reference: Al-Ward al-Shadhi: 2/30, Speeches of Hazrat Sheikh al-Hind, p. 24
Then the Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ is disregarded, and the sayings of their alleged Imam are given more importance and status. This is the condition of the misguided sects today. For them, the Quran and Hadith do not hold the significance and importance that the words of their clerics and spiritual leaders do. Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Gujarati has written:
Imitation of anyone other than the four schools of thought is not permissible, even if it aligns with the sayings of the Companions, authentic Hadith, and verses of the Quran. Whoever is outside these four schools is misguided and a misleader because taking only the apparent meaning of Hadith and Quran is the root of disbelief.
Reference: Jaa al-Haqq:23, Published by Zia al-Quran Publications Lahore
Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan has made it very clear that speaking without following Taqlid (imitation) is misleading, even if the statement is in accordance with the Quran, Hadith, and the sayings of the Companions. Therefore, we say that deviating from the great path of the Book and Sunnah leads to misguidance and error. The present book, Haq Ki Talash by Irshad Allah Maan Sahib, has been compiled with the invitation to bring people onto this great methodology, and the author has sincerely presented a true invitation to misguided humanity towards the right path. He has gathered the scattered flowers of the Quran and Sunnah into one garden for the reformation of beliefs and actions. The book covers many aspects of the widespread misguidance in society and corrects them through the texts of the Book and Sunnah. Therefore, it is a beacon of light for seekers of truth and sincerity and for those lost on the path. May Allah Almighty make this book a guiding light and a means of salvation for the author, publisher, readers, and all those who contributed in any way to its preparation. Ameen!
Abul Hasan Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani, may Allah forgive him
