This excerpt is taken from A Research Review of Mirza Muhammad Ali Engineer's Objections and Criticisms, authored by Haroon bin Shabbir Ahmad, may Allah preserve him, and revised by Fazilat al-Sheikh Maulana Muhammad Rafiq Tahir, may Allah preserve him.
“The First Naval Jihad” The Virtue of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, and the Objections of Engineer Sahib:
Among the virtues of Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), one of the hadiths narrated is: ”أَوَّلُ جَيْشٍ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يَغْزُونَ الْبَحْرَ قَدْ أَوْجَبُوا“ The first group of my Ummah who will engage in naval jihad, Paradise becomes obligatory for them
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 2924)
. The special reference of this hadith is to Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him)! Because the first naval jihad took place under his leadership
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 2800)
. Now, it is indeed a great honor and distinction that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) named a group and declared them as destined for Paradise, and this blessed army included the Companions as well. However, Mirza Sahib does not accept this, and he even seems to disdain it. When asked:This first naval jihad (the first army)............ “The first group to engage in naval jihad” — to which Companion was this virtue given? You respond by saying: “Yes, Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was included in it. Who has denied that, my brother!”
059-Public Q & A Session & Meeting of SUNDAY- 1:56:33
You can see Mirza Sahib’s face here, how he answers with a hanging face and dislike, and if this matter were against Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), his attitude and tone would be very passionate and his face lively, as those who listen to Mirza Sahib know very well. Anyway, at least the engineer admitted that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) is included in this virtue, but then his new version appeared that he now denies accepting this virtue and tries to create various doubts and suspicions about it.
So, at one point, he was asked that objections are raised that you deny the hadith about Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him)!
He replied: “They have falsely accused me! First, bring the lecture of mine in which I denied the hadiths related to Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), show me the denial! How is it possible that a hadith appears in Sahih Bukhari and I deny it? This is not possible at all. The hadith about naval jihad they mention, in which lecture did I deny it? We have time until the Day of Judgment, we give time to whoever we want, time until the Day of Judgment, bring my video in which I called this hadith weak or denied it. Now, as for the virtue, first protest to Imam Bukhari that why did he not include the hadith about naval jihad in the chapter of virtues of Hazrat Amir Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), which he named “Mention of Muawiyah.” Why did he not include the naval jihad hadith in that chapter? First protest to Imam Bukhari that your eagle eyes reached this virtue, so why did Imam Bukhari overlook it? He repeats every hadith dozens of times wherever related! For example, the hadith of the paper (Qirtas) where the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked for a shoulder bone and pen to write a will, Imam Bukhari included this hadith in the Book of Knowledge chapter as proof that knowledge was preserved in writing against the deniers of hadith. He also included this hadith in the chapter about the Prophet’s death because the issues of his death were being discussed, in Kitab al-Maghazi, in the chapter about the Prophet’s death (peace be upon him)! So if the naval jihad hadith meant what they think, that it is a specific virtue, then Imam Bukhari would have included it in the chapter of virtues of Hazrat Muawiyah, but he did not. This means he did not consider it a specific virtue for him but a general virtue. When we accept Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) as a Companion, my brother, we accept him as destined for Paradise, rather, whoever I consider a Muslim, I consider him destined for Paradise, whether he is Barelvi, Deobandi, Ahl-e-Hadith, or Shia, I consider all Muslims and all destined for Paradise, Alhamdulillah! Now, how they will reach Paradise, leave this matter for the Hereafter, who will go after paying the penalty for his sins, who will go by Allah’s mercy, who will go by intercession, the decision of the Hereafter is not ours to make here. There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim that whoever performs ablution properly and then prays two voluntary rak’ahs, Paradise becomes obligatory for him. If he prays two rak’ahs with full attention! So apply this hadith to all Muslims who have prayed two rak’ahs attentively. Surely, this does not mean that any later misdeeds will compensate for him, not at all. Mistakes remain mistakes; a person’s virtue can never be a compensation for his mistakes, especially when there are such severe warnings about that person in the hadiths
Reference: Sahih Bukhari - 2812
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In this entire dialogue, Mirza Sahib made four basic points:
(1) That I did not deny the hadith in which the virtue of Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) is mentioned.
(2) Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) did not mention this hadith in the chapter of virtues of Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), nor did he derive Hazrat Muawiyah’s virtue from it, while he derives various rulings from hadiths repeatedly. The lack of argument shows that even for him, this is not a specific virtue for Hazrat Muawiyah but a general virtue that every Muslim has, that all Muslims will enter Paradise. The evidence for this was stated as:
(3) There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim that whoever prays two rak’ahs properly, Paradise becomes obligatory for him.
(4) Now, how everyone will enter Paradise is unknown; some will go after paying the penalty for their sins, some through intercession, or some directly, because having virtue is not enough to compensate for sins, especially for a person about whom there are such severe warnings in hadiths.
Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, did not mention this among the virtues of Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him:
Firstly: Mr. Mirza, the straightforward fact is that neither you nor we are followers of Imam Bukhari, so your demand from us that why he did not mention it in the virtues is not justified!
Secondly: Before deducing anything from any hadith, one should see whether Imam Bukhari used it as evidence or not. And if, may Allah have mercy on him, he did not use it as evidence, then it is not permissible to use it as evidence. Is this a divine command? Or has it come in any hadith? Or has any Imam or Muhaddith presented this principle that if Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, did not use a particular hadith as evidence, then that evidence is invalid? If not, and absolutely not, then why are you confusing the public with these circles?
Thirdly: Mr. Mirza does not consider himself a Babi but, Mashallah, calls himself a scholar and a man of books. So whether Imam Bukhari used it as evidence or not, what concern is it of yours? Mr. Mirza himself makes strange and sometimes false deductions from many hadiths of Sahih Bukhari, and when asked whether any of the predecessors used that deduction, he clearly and transparently replies that it is not a condition that to deduce from a hadith, any predecessor must have used that deduction! So when Mr. Mirza himself behaves like this, why does he complain about us and impose the condition that Bukhari did not use it as evidence?
Fourthly: What is the proof that if Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, did not use a hadith as evidence, then it is wrong to use it as evidence according to him? Sir! If he did not use it as evidence for the virtue of Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, he did not negate it either, that this hadith does not prove the virtue of Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him! So we cannot make a definitive judgment from his style, as you say that since he did not use it as evidence, it means that according to him, this is not a specific virtue for Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him. On what basis are you saying this? Have you read or seen anything written? Or have you had any revelation or insight that Imam Bukhari does not consider this virtue specific?
Fifthly: Although Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, did not mention the virtue of Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, from this hadith, many other Muhaddithin have considered it a virtue of Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, and have mentioned it in the virtues, for example:
Imam Mahlab, may Allah have mercy on him, said about this hadith: "This hadith proves the virtue of Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him."
Reference: (Sharh Sahih Bukhari by Ibn Battal:107/5)
And many Muhaddithin and commentators have remained silent after quoting this statement of his under this hadith.
Imam Ibn Abdul Barr, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote under this hadith: "This hadith contains the virtue of Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him."
Reference: (Al-Tamhid:235/1)
Imam Abu Bakr Al-Ajri, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned this hadith under the virtues of Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him:
Reference: (Al-Shari'ah:1922)
Imam Abu Zakariya Al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote in the commentary of this hadith: "It contains the virtue of both groups."
Reference: (Sharh Al-Nawawi ala Muslim:58/13)
Allama Ibn Al-Arabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
هذا الحديثُ أصلٌ في تفضيل معاوية۔
"This is a fundamental hadith in the virtue of Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him."
Reference: (Al-Masalik:106/5)
So despite this, saying why Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, did not mention it in the virtues of Muawiyah is merely chest-beating and evading the hadith.
The point to note is that in this blessed group about whom the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, gave glad tidings of Paradise, there were many other companions as well. Even Sayyida Umm Haram, may Allah be pleased with her, had the Prophet, peace be upon him, pray for her and he gave her glad tidings that she would be included in this army. But why did the Muhaddithin mostly mention Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, that this hadith is a virtue for him? Perhaps in their view, there are some ignorant people who, by running their intellect, deny the virtue of Hazrat Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him. Allah knows best.
Sixthly: Mr. Mirza! Understanding the chapters of Sahih Bukhari and the style of Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, is not within your capacity. You are drawing a conclusion from Imam Bukhari not mentioning a hadith in a certain place... whereas the matter of Imam Bukhari and Sahih Bukhari is so complex that sometimes the wisdom and reason for Imam Bukhari mentioning a hadith under a particular chapter is not even understood. Take Fath al-Bari, which you consider the greatest commentary of Sahih Bukhari, and see how many places there are where Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, such an Imam, Muhaddith, and jurist, also gives up trying to understand what Imam Bukhari meant by mentioning this hadith at this place! So Mr. Mirza, how can you give a definitive statement from Imam Bukhari not using a hadith as evidence that why he did not mention a particular hadith at that place?
Seventhly: Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, has his own special style and method. He often uses a hadith as evidence in one place but does not mention it in another place, even when someone feels it should have been mentioned there. But why it was not mentioned, only Allah knows. It would be wrong to say that Imam Bukhari did not use it as evidence, so this evidence is invalid, or that not mentioning a virtue at a particular place means Imam Bukhari did not consider it a virtue. There are many examples of this, but since the discussion is about virtues, a few examples related to virtues will be given.
It is narrated from Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"I was shown (by revelation) that I entered Paradise and saw the wife of Abu Talha, Rumaisa, may Allah be pleased with her, and I heard the sound of footsteps, so I asked who it was. It was said, 'It is Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him.' And I saw a palace with a woman in front of it. I asked whose palace it was, and it was said, 'It is Umar, may Allah be pleased with him!' I felt like entering to see it, but then I remembered your (Umar's) modesty, so I did not enter." Upon this, Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said while crying: "May my parents be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! Should I be modest before you?"
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 3679)
Now this hadith clearly states that the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw Hazrat Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, in Paradise. In another hadith of Sahih Bukhari: يَا بِلَالُ حَدِّثْنِي بِأَرْجَى عَمَلٍ عَمِلْتَهُ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ. فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ دَفَّ نَعْلَيْكَ بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، "O Bilal! Tell me your most hopeful deed, for I heard the sound of your shoes in Paradise ahead of me."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:1149)
So there was virtue for Hazrat Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, but Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, did not mention it in the chapter of the virtues of Bilal, even though he brought this hadith only under the virtues of Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, while the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw Umar's palace but found Bilal present before him. Despite this, Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, brought it only under the virtues of Umar, not under the virtues of Bilal. So from this method, can you say that according to Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, there was no virtue for Hazrat Bilal, or no specific virtue? That is why he did not mention it in the virtues of Bilal? Further surprising is that Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, did establish a chapter on the virtues of Bilal, but did not bring any Marfu' hadith in his virtue, only mentioning Umar's statement that "Abu Bakr is our leader; he freed our leader," meaning Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him.
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:3754)
But the hadith we mentioned is Marfu' and a great virtue for Sayyiduna Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him! Moving on:
Hazrat Abu Musa Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates: I was with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in a garden in Medina when a man came and opened the door. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to open the door for him and give him glad tidings of Paradise. I opened the door and it was Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. I conveyed the glad tidings according to the Prophet's command, and he praised Allah. Then another man came and opened the door, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, said the same to open the door and give glad tidings. I opened the door and it was Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. I informed him of the Prophet's statement, and he also praised Allah. Then a third man came and opened the door, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, said the same to open the door and give glad tidings of Paradise after the trials and tribulations he would face in this world. It was Hazrat Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him! When I informed him of the Prophet's statement, he praised Allah and said: "Indeed, Allah is the Helper."
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:3693)
Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded this hadith under the virtues of Umar and Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them, but there is no trace of it under the virtues of Abu Bakr. So now it will be said that according to him, it was a virtue for Umar and Uthman but not for Abu Bakr? If not, then why is Mr. Mirza raising doubts about the "Awal Jaish" hadith because Imam Bukhari did not mention it under the virtues of Muawiyah?
A very great virtue for Sayyida Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, is also narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said about her: يَا فَاطِمَةُ، أَلَا تَرْضَيْنَ أَنْ تَكُونِي سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. أَوْ سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ. "O Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her)! Are you not pleased that you are the leader of the women of the believers or the women of this Ummah?"
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 6285)
This is a long hadith in Sahih Bukhari, and Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned it and derived the issue, but he did not mention it under the virtues of Sayyida Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her! Now let Mr. Mirza's students decide whether there is virtue for Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, or not? Despite such a clear glad tiding, it was not mentioned in the virtues. Did Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, not consider it a specific virtue for her? And can it be said from Imam Bukhari not mentioning it in the virtues that it is not correct to deduce from it, because Imam Bukhari did not derive virtue from it? Mr. Mirza has presented a strange logic that the virtue for Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, was visible to you people but not to Imam Bukhari; why was it hidden from him? He did not make the deduction you are making. Mr. Mirza has only proposed an excuse to reject it, nothing else.Now Mr. Mirza very cleverly took the name of Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, and gave the example of Hadith al-Qirtas, that he mentioned it in various places in Sahih Bukhari and solved different issues. Let us prove our point with your own argument for your satisfaction! So it is true that Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned this hadith in various places in Sahih Bukhari as needed and derived issues from it, but Mr. Mirza, you should know that the main subject of Hadith al-Qirtas is "Will" (Wasiyyah), as the hadith begins with the command to bring paper and pen to write a will, and at the end of the same hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, made three wills as stated in Sahih Bukhari: وَأَوْصَى عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ بِثَلَاثٍ that the Prophet, peace be upon him, made three wills near death.
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:3053)
But believe me, this hadith is not mentioned at all in the chapter of wills in Sahih Bukhari. Imam Bukhari mentioned narrations about writing and the permissibility or emphasis on making wills at the beginning of the chapter, but this narration is nowhere to be found among them. So sir! You have trapped yourself in your own example, and now this is not your argument but the proof of our claim that Imam Bukhari, may Allah have mercy on him, mentions or does not mention something at a particular place according to his discretion or for some wisdom, and from this, it cannot be said that according to him, this evidence is invalid, as you are trying to deceive.Is this a general virtue, and does every Muslim possess it?
The summary and purpose of all of Mirza Sahib's speech is that the virtue mentioned about this army is not a specific virtue but a general virtue that every Muslim possesses, that all will enter Paradise.
Mirza Sahib! You are, MashaAllah, an engineer, and if you apply your twisted logical arrows in your scientific field, there is no harm in that, because science is something in which, in every era, someone rises and presents a new research based on their intellect. But the matter of Hadith is quite different from this; here, understanding Hadith according to one's own comprehension and presenting new research that goes against the predecessors is not correct. The point is that when so many Imams and Muhaddithin have declared it as the honor and virtue of Hazrat Muawiyah (RA), and no one has said that the prophecy and virtue mentioned about Amir Muawiyah (RA) or this army is not a specific virtue but a general virtue for them! Then what right do you have to interpret the Hadith according to your own meaning and spread a misunderstanding among people?
As for the issue that the virtue mentioned in this Hadith is not specific but general, this is a very big mistake of Mirza Sahib.
If the glad tidings of Paradise mentioned for this army in the Hadith is not a special virtue but a general one, then what about the Ashara Mubashshara (the ten promised Paradise)? The companions whose names were mentioned by the Messenger of Allah (SAW) and were called people of Paradise. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) called Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) a person of Paradise, gave glad tidings of Paradise to Hazrat Umar (RA), called Hazrat Uthman (RA) a person of Paradise several times, and similarly gave glad tidings of Paradise to Hazrat Ali (RA). So would you say here as well that this glad tidings of Paradise is not a special virtue but a general one that every Muslim has, that everyone will enter Paradise one day? Absolutely not! Because even an ordinary Muslim understands and believes that when these personalities were specifically called people of Paradise by the Messenger of Allah (SAW), then this virtue is not such that we can say it is common to every Muslim, as all will enter Paradise. So then, when the Hadith mentions Hazrat Muawiyah (RA) and this army of companions, how can you call it a general and common virtue? Therefore, just as the glad tidings of Paradise by name for a companion and an ordinary Muslim being a person of Paradise are not equal, similarly, the glad tidings of Paradise given by the Messenger of Allah (SAW) to a specific group of companions cannot be equivalent to the glad tidings given to all other ordinary Muslims.
If you say that the glad tidings given to Hazrat Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali (RA) cannot be compared to Hazrat Muawiyah (RA) and this army, then Mirza Sahib, this is exactly what we want to explain: if the glad tidings of Paradise for the early and foremost companions is not equal to the glad tidings for the later companions, then how can the general glad tidings of Paradise that an ordinary Muslim has be equal to the glad tidings given to a companion of the Prophet (SAW), Hazrat Muawiyah (RA), and his companions? This very thing indicates specificity.
Mirza Sahib! Your statement that the virtue of "Awal Jaysh min Umati..." is not specific because the entire Ummah will enter Paradise is a result of great ignorance and lack of intellect! Please consider that if the entire Ummah is to enter Paradise and this glad tidings is generally for the entire Ummah, then why did the Messenger of Allah (SAW) specifically mention this particular group from his entire Ummah and call them people of Paradise? This is precisely a specific virtue for them! Otherwise, what is the meaning of calling this army specifically people of Paradise among the entire Ummah?
The companions were given glad tidings of Paradise from Allah in many places; sometimes it was said that these are the ones who have attained success
Reference: (Surah At-Tawbah: 88)
, sometimes it was said that Allah was pleased with the early companions and the later companions, and they were pleased with Allah, and for them, Allah has prepared Gardens
Reference: (Surah At-Tawbah: 100)
, sometimes before the conquest of Mecca, it was said that Allah promised goodness and well-being to the companions and those who came after them
Reference: (Al-Hadid: 10)
, sometimes it was said that Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward to these companions
Reference: (Al-Fath: 29)
. Yet, after all this, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) giving glad tidings of Paradise by specifically naming a particular companion or group of companions—can this still be considered a general virtue? If after all this someone still considers it general and tries to create doubts, then we can only express regret. The Hadith in which glad tidings of Paradise were given about Hazrat Muawiyah (RA) and this army of companions also mentions that this army of companions was shown to the Prophet (SAW) in a dream, and upon seeing them, he smiled and was very pleased.
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari: 6263)
And the Hadiths also clarify that the dreams of the Prophets are revelation, but Mirza Sahib, is this honor granted to every individual of the entire Ummah? Has the Prophet (SAW) been shown every individual of the Ummah through revelation in such a way that upon seeing them, he was so pleased and then gave glad tidings of Paradise about them? If the answer is no, then how can the special virtue mentioned in this Hadith be equal to the general virtue possessed by Muslims? How can the Prophet’s (SAW) dream be considered a general virtue about these companions?
Now, after this discussion, there is no need to explain the general virtue of praying two rak'ahs, which our Sahib presented as evidence. If everyone can attain Paradise by praying, then did the people of that army, about whom glad tidings were given in the Hadith, not pray? They were already included in the general virtue, but being specifically mentioned through revelation and then given glad tidings of Paradise—that is precisely a specific virtue for them. But what can be done when someone becomes stubborn and deliberately denies the truth?
The last part of Mirza Sahib's speech:
The virtue narrated in favor of Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) has been made highly doubtful, leaving no room for acceptance and closing the door to criticism. Therefore, more colors were added to the issue. The question was about virtue, which you denied, as you did in this video as well. Then what was the purpose of the statements made afterward? Did the questioner ask whether having virtue regarding someone serves as expiation for their bad deeds or not? That is an entirely different issue, Mirza Sahib, and completely unrelated to the topic, a pointless matter. Who said that having virtue regarding someone becomes expiation for their mistakes? We are merely responding to your claim that nothing is proven about the virtue of Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). And when we prove it, you do not stop there; instead of accepting it, you create doubts and suspicions about it as well. As for mentioning Sahih Bukhari -2812- and labeling it as a warning in favor of Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), its reality will also, God willing, be clarified in its proper place. Here, let us just point out that first of all, this hadith does not contain any warning for an individual. Even if it did, think a little: when the matter of glad tidings for Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) is being discussed, you immediately recall the warning, but you have never been seen narrating this warning hadith or drawing attention to this glad tidings hadith! In fact, you never narrate it. While this too is a hadith from Sahih Bukhari? Now whether behind this is a mission of truthfulness or something else, the decision is left to you.
