Ismail Jhangvi's Fifteen Lies

Author: Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him)

Some people continuously engage in propaganda against the Ahl-e-Hadith and are busy spreading lies. Among these individuals is Abu Bilal Ismail Jhangvi Deobandi. In this brief article, we present fifteen lies from the first part of Jhangvi's book "Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith" along with their rebuttals and references.

Lie No. 1​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"Sitting and urinating is not mentioned in Bukhari."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 4, also see p. 10]

Rebuttal:

Narrated Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sitting on two bricks, facing Bait-ul-Maqdis."[Sahih Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 27, Hadith 149; Irshad Al-Sari by Al-Qastallani, vol. 1, p. 238]

Note 1:

If someone claims that "relieving oneself includes only major defecation and not urination," this is baseless and rejected.

Note 2:

According to Ahl-e-Hadith, Sahih and Hasan (by itself) Hadith is evidence and a standard of truth, regardless of whether it is in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, or any other authentic and reliable book of Hadith. The Ahl-e-Hadith do not claim that only the Hadiths in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are evidence.

Summary of a Hadith narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not urinate while standing.[As-Sunan Al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi, vol. 1, p. 102, its chain is Hasan]

In another narration, the Prophet (peace be upon him) indirectly prohibited urinating while standing.[See Kashf Al-Astar, vol. 1, p. 266, Hadith 547, its chain is Hasan]

It is evident that urination should be done while sitting, and urinating while standing is either abrogated or permitted in case of necessity.

Lies No. 2 & 3​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not reply to a person who greeted him without a head covering (Mishkat)."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 13]

Rebuttal:

This is completely false and baseless. It falsely attributes a lie to both the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the author of Mishkat. Such a Hadith is not found in Mishkat.

Lie No. 4​

Ismail Jhangvi writes about Ahl-e-Hadith and Ahl-e-Sunnat:"They cannot be considered one. There is a great difference between them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) named us Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jamaat, not Ahl-e-Hadith."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 50]

Rebuttal:

Claiming that Ahl-e-Hadith and Ahl-e-Sunnat are separate and very different is a lie. The claim that the Prophet (peace be upon him) named Deobandis as Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jamaat is also a major lie.

Note:

Abdul Haq Haqqani (a follower of Taqleed) writes: "And the Ahl-e-Sunnat include Shafi'i, Hanbali, Maliki, Hanafi, and Ahl-e-Hadith as well."[Aqaid-ul-Islam, p. 3]

This book is reviewed and appreciated by Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi. See:[Aqaid-ul-Islam, p. 264]

Muhammad Kifayatullah Dehlavi Deobandi writes:"Yes, Ahl-e-Hadith are Muslims and included in Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jamaat. It is permissible to marry among them. Simply abandoning Taqleed does not take one out of Islam, nor does it exclude one from Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jamaat."[Kifayat-ul-Mufti, vol. 1, p. 325, Answer No. 370]

Lie No. 5​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"Ahl-e-Sunnat believe in punishment and reward in the grave, while the present-day non-followers (Ahl-e-Hadith) do not believe in it."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 53]

Rebuttal:

We and our teachers believe in the punishment and reward in the grave.For example, our teacher Sheikh Abu Muhammad Badiuddin Shah Rashidi Sindhi (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a book "Al-Qadha wa Al-Jaza bi-Amr Allah Mata Yasha" refuting those who deny the punishment in the grave, stating, "Denying the punishment of the grave is against honesty." [p. 4]

Our esteemed friend Dr. Abu Jaber Abdullah Damanvi (may Allah protect him) is an expert and a leading figure in refuting the deniers of the punishment of the grave. My highly respected teacher Hafiz Abdul Hameed Azhar (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote a book on this issue and strongly refuted the deniers of the punishment of the grave. My own book "Tahqiq wa Tarjuma Azab Al-Qabr lil Bayhaqi" is still unpublished.

Lie No. 6​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"Ahl-e-Sunnat consider visiting the Prophet's (peace be upon him) grave a virtuous act, while non-followers (Ahl-e-Hadith) consider it forbidden."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 54]

Rebuttal:

This is an outright lie. According to Ahl-e-Hadith, visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is a sign of love for him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed visiting graves because it reminds one of the Hereafter.[Sahih Muslim: 977, Tirmidhi: 1054]

Note:

There is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding traveling specifically to visit a particular grave. According to Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) and the scholars of Ahl-e-Hadith, the preferred view is to travel with the intention of visiting the Prophet's Mosque, and then visit the Prophet's (peace be upon him) grave or chamber afterward. Alhamdulillah.

Lie No. 7​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"Ahl-e-Sunnat do not believe in offering less than twenty rak'ahs of Tarawih."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 54]

Rebuttal:

Qadhi Abu Bakr Ibn Al-Arabi Al-Maliki (died 543 AH) states: "The correct view is that eleven rak'ahs should be offered."[Aridhat Al-Ahwazi, vol. 4, p. 19, Hadith 806; Tadad Raka'at Qiyam Ramadan ka Tahqiqi Jaiza, p. 86]

Were Qadhi Sahib not part of Ahl-e-Sunnat?

Allama Qurtubi (died 656 AH) writes: "And many scholars say that there are eleven rak'ahs."[Al-Mufhim min Talkhis Kitab Muslim, vol. 2, p. 390; Tadad Raka'at Qiyam Ramadan, p. 86]

Imam Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "If the rak'ahs are fewer and the standing longer, it is better, and I prefer this..."[Mukhtasar Qiyam Al-Layl by Al-Marwazi, p. 202, 203; Tadad Raka'at Qiyam Ramadan, p. 85]

Were all these scholars not part of Ahl-e-Sunnat?

Lie No. 8​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"Ahl-e-Sunnat consider it impermissible to recite the Quran while looking at it during Salah."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 54]

Rebuttal:

The slave of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) used to lead prayer by looking at the Quran in Ramadan.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 2, p. 338, Hadith 7215, its chain is authentic; Sahih Bukhari before Hadith 660]

The famous Tabi'i Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) saw no harm in leading prayer by looking at the Quran.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 7214, its chain is authentic]

Tabi'ah Aisha bint Talhah bin Ubaidullah Al-Taimiyyah (may Allah have mercy on her) would order her slave or someone to lead her in prayer by looking at the Quran.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 7217, its chain is authentic]

Hakam bin Utaybah (may Allah have mercy on him) allowed leading prayer by looking at the Quran.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 7218, its chain is authentic]

Hassan Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) also considered it permissible.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 7219, its chain is authentic]

The slave of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) would hold the Quran in his hand and recite by looking at it.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 7222, its chain is Hasan]

Imam Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) would pray, and the Quran would be near him. When he hesitated in any (verse), he would look at the Quran.[Musannaf Abdur Razzaq, vol. 2, p. 420, Hadith 3931, its chain is authentic]

Imam Ibn Shihab Al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Can one lead prayer by looking at the Quran? He said: Yes, since the beginning of Islam, people have been doing this.[Al-Masahif by Ibn Abi Dawood, p. 222, its chain is Hasan]

Yahya bin Sa'id Al-Ansari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I see no harm in reciting by looking at the Quran during Ramadan."[Al-Masahif, p. 222, it should read: "Muawiyah bin Saleh from Yahya bin Sa'id Al-Ansari," its chain is Hasan]

Imam Abu Hanifa's famous teacher, Imam Ata bin Abi Rabah Al-Makki Al-Tabi'i (may Allah have mercy on him), saw no harm in reciting by looking at the Quran during Salah.[Al-Masahif by Ibn Abi Dawood, p. 222, its chain is Hasan; Rabah bin Abi Ma'ruf is trustworthy according to the majority, and the rest of the chain is authentic]

What do you think? Were these Sahabah, Tabi'in, and pious predecessors not part of Ahl-e-Sunnat? Anyone who considers them outside of Ahl-e-Sunnat is himself outside of Ahl-e-Sunnat and misguided.

Note:

Some scholars, such as Hammad and Qatadah, disliked or considered it Makruh to read from the Quran while leading Salah. For example, see:[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 7230, its chain is authentic]

This statement is applied to intentionally reading from the Quran during Salah despite being a memorizer with correct beliefs.

Secondly, how can these statements be weighed against the statements of the Sahabah and senior Tabi'in?

Lie No. 9​

Ismail Jhangvi says:"Ahl-e-Sunnat do not offer Nafl after the Maghrib Adhan."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 55]

Rebuttal:

Narrated Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): "We used to pray two rak'ahs after sunset before the Maghrib prayer during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)."[Sahih Muslim: 302/836]

It is evident that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) and the Sahabah used to pray two rak'ahs after the Maghrib Adhan. In another narration, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I saw the senior Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) hastening to the pillars at the time of Maghrib (to pray the two rak'ahs)."[Sahih Bukhari: 503; As-Sunan Al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi, vol. 2, p. 476; Sufyan Al-Thawri confirmed its authenticity]

Among the prominent Tabi'in, Abu Tamim Abdullah bin Malik Al-Jashami (may Allah have mercy on him) used to pray two rak'ahs before Maghrib, and Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We used to do this during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him)."[Sahih Bukhari: 1184]

Remember that these rak'ahs are not obligatory but recommended. Leaving them is permissible, but praying them is better.(Abdur Rahman) bin Abi Layla (may Allah have mercy on him) used to pray two rak'ahs before Maghrib.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 2, p. 356, Hadith 7380, its chain is authentic]

Were these Sahabah and Tabi'in not part of Ahl-e-Sunnat?

Lie No. 10​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"According to non-followers, Surah Al-Fatihah is not part of the Quran."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 55]

Rebuttal:Audhu billah, we seek Allah's forgiveness, may Allah's curse be on the wrongdoers.All scholars of Ahl-e-Hadith agree that Surah Al-Fatihah is part of the Quran. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:"Do not recite anything from the Quran when I am reciting except the Umm Al-Quran."[Sunan Abi Dawood: 824, its chain is authentic; Nafi' bin Mahmood is trustworthy according to the majority, and Mak-hool did not narrate it alone; it was corroborated by Haram bin Hakm, Alhamdulillah]

Which Ahl-e-Hadith scholar has ever claimed that Surah Al-Fatihah is not part of the Quran? Provide a reference, or else Allah's curse be upon the liars.

Lie No. 11​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"Ahl-e-Sunnat consider Witr to be three rak'ahs, while non-followers (Ahl-e-Hadith) consider Witr to be one rak'ah."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 56]

Rebuttal:

There are so many narrations about one rak'ah of Witr that it is difficult to compile them in this brief article. Here are a few:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) offered one rak'ah of Witr.[Sunan Ad-Daraqutni, vol. 2, p. 34, Hadith 1656, its chain is authentic; Al-Nimawi in Athar Al-Sunan, p. 597: "Its chain is authentic"]

Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) offered one rak'ah of Witr and called it his Witr.[Sunan Ad-Daraqutni: 1657, its chain is Hasan; Al-Nimawi in Athar Al-Sunan, p. 604: "Its chain is Hasan"]

Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) offered one rak'ah of Witr.[Sahih Bukhari: 6356]

Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) offered one rak'ah of Witr after Isha.[Sahih Bukhari: 3764, 3765]

Abu Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever wants to pray three rak'ahs of Witr should do so, and whoever wants to pray one rak'ah of Witr should do so.[Sunan An-Nasa'i, vol. 3, p. 239, Hadith 1713, its chain is authentic]

Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) offered one rak'ah of Witr.[As-Sunan Al-Kubra by Al-Bayhaqi, vol. 3, p. 27, its chain is authentic; Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 2, p. 292, Hadith 6806, its chain is authentic]

Imam Ata bin Abi Rabah said: If you want, pray one rak'ah of Witr.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 6811, its chain is authentic; Abu Usama is free from Tadlis]

The family of Sa'd and the family of Abdullah bin Umar used to pray one rak'ah of Witr.[Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: 6812, its chain is authentic]

For details, refer to Maulana Abu Umar Abdul Aziz Nooristani's great book "Al-Daleel Al-Wadih Ala Ann Al-Itar Bi Rak'ah Wahidah Mustaqillah Shar'at Al-Rasool Al-Nasih (peace be upon him)," pp. 1-291.

Despite these authentic narrations, continuously claiming that Ahl-e-Sunnat only offer three rak'ahs of Witr (and not one rak'ah) is completely wrong.

Khalil Ahmed Saharanpuri Ambethvi Deobandi writes:"The one rak'ah of Witr is mentioned in the authentic Hadiths, and Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), Ibn Abbas, and others among the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) approved of it. Imam Malik, Imam Shafi'i, and Imam Ahmad held this view. Criticizing this is to criticize all of them. What remains of faith, then?"[Barahin Qatia, p. 7]

Lie No. 12​

Ismail Jhangvi writes:"The Imam offered fifty-five Hajj."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 59]

Rebuttal:

Claiming that Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) went to the Companions and prayed with them is not proven by any authentic or Hasan chain. In fact, it is not proven that Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) had the honor of seeing any Companion.

Here are two pieces of evidence:First:Imam Abu Hanifa said: "I have not seen anyone better than Ata."[Al-Kamil by Ibn Adi, vol. 7, p. 2473, its chain is authentic; another version in vol. 8, p. 237; Kitab Al-Asami wa Al-Kuna by Abu Ahmad Al-Hakim Al-Kabir, vol. 4, p. 176, its chain is authentic]

Imam's other statement: "I have not seen anyone more truthful than Jabir Al-Ju'fi and more virtuous than Ata bin Abi Rabah."[Al-Ilal As-Saghir by Tirmidhi with Sunan, p. 891, its chain is Hasan]

From these statements, it is clear that Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) had not seen any Companion, including Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), otherwise, he would not have said that he had not seen anyone better than Ata.

Second:Imam Abu Hanifa's two students (criticized by the majority of hadith scholars), Qadhi Abu Yusuf and Muhammad bin Hasan Al-Shaibani, did not present any proof of Imam Abu Hanifa's being a Tabi'i in their books. The great hadith scholar Imam Ali bin Umar Ad-Daraqutni (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Imam Abu Hanifa did not see Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) and did not meet any Companion.[Sualat Hamza bin Yusuf Al-Sahmi, p. 383; Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 4, p. 208, its chain is authentic]

In light of these two pieces of evidence and the statement of Daraqutni, the references from later scholars like Khatib and others are useless and rejected.

Lie No. 14​

Ismail Jhangvi writes about the Imams:"They were not followers (of Taqleed), but neither were they non-followers. They were Mujtahid. The definition of a non-follower does not fit them. A non-follower is someone who neither does Ijtihad nor follows a Mujtahid but rather insults the jurists and calls their followers polytheists."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 63]

Rebuttal:

The entire statement above is based on lies.Regarding the Imams and hadith scholars, Sheikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) states: "They were neither followers (of Taqleed) nor absolute Mujtahid."[Majmoo Al-Fatawa, vol. 20, p. 40; Deen Mein Taqleed ka Mas'ala, p. 50, 51]

Regarding Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him), Ashraf Ali Thanvi states:"Because it is certain that Imam Azam Abu Hanifa was a non-follower."[Majalis Hakim Al-Ummah by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Deobandi, p. 345; Haqiqat-ul-Ilhad by Imdad-ul-Haq Shevi Deobandi, p. 70; Deen Mein Taqleed ka Mas'ala, p. 57]

What do you think? Can the followers of Okara prove that Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) insulted the jurists and called their followers polytheists? If not, then their definition of a "non-follower" is false and rejected.

Lie No. 15​

Ismail Jhangvi writes about Qadhi Abu Yusuf and Muhammad bin Hasan Al-Shaibani:"They swear that they have no disagreement with their teacher (Shami)."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, p. 70]

Rebuttal:

Present the original text from Fatawa Shami and then provide an authentic chain from Ibn Abidin Shami to Qadhi Abu Yusuf and Muhammad bin Hasan Al-Shaibani.

Note:

In the book attributed to Muhammad bin Hasan Al-Shaibani, it is mentioned that Imam Abu Hanifa believed in paying Zakat on vegetables. Afterward, Shaibani said: "As for our opinion, there is no Zakat on vegetables."[Kitab Al-Athar, translated, p. 143, Chapter on Zakat on Crops and Ushr, Hadith 302]

Readers, the fifteen lies of Abu Bilal Muhammad Ismail Jhangvi Deobandi from his small book "Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith" have been presented with references and comments. There are many more lies in this book that have been omitted due to the fear of length.In his other books, Jhangvi has written many more lies. For example, regarding a weak narration attributed to Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) about abandoning Raf'ul Yadain, Jhangvi writes:"Zubair Ali Zai (a non-follower) called it Sahih in Noor Al-Ainain."[Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, Part Two, p. 159]

However, regarding this weak narration, the author has openly written that:"This Hadith is defective with a critical defect and is weak both in its chain and text."Noor Al-Ainain, first edition, p. 96; second edition (after composition, first) April 2002, p. 119; third edition March 2004, p. 115; fourth edition (new and revised with additions) December 2006, p. 130

In some places, it is printed as "defective in both chain and text" and in some places as "defective in chain and text."

It is evident that Jhangvi has surpassed Master Amin Okara in lying and attempted to set a world record for lying. (13 February 2007)

The detailed refutation of Ismail Jhangvi Deobandi's book "Tuhfa-e-Ahl-e-Hadith" has been published years ago under the name "Tuhfa-e-Hanafiyah," which can be downloaded from here.
 
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