The Refutations:

1. Refuting Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh’s Claim that they are “Travellers in His Cause”
2. Destroying the False Claim of the Tablīghī: Shaykh al-Islām Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb Harmed Ahl al-Sunnah and Killed “the Martyrs”
3. Seeking Intercession Through the Prophets and the Ṣūfī Imams
4. Claiming to See the Majestic Throne and Transcendency of the Need for Worship
5. Blatant Shirk and Refusal to Forbid Evil
6. The Foolish Self-Degradation and Major Shirk of the Tablīghī Leadership
7. Illogical Blind Imitation
8. Disproving the Claim that Senior Tablighī Figureheads Met the Prophet (ﷺ) and His Companions on the 27th Night of Ramaḍan and That He Revealed to Them That It Is Laylat al-Qadr
9. The Followers of the Prophets Are Potentially Superior to the Them By Virtue of Righteous Actions (Manifest Shirk) and the “Wahhābī” Belittlement of the Status of the Messenger (ﷺ)
10. Enlisting the Help of Devils Amongst the Jinn and Believing in Wahdat al-Wujūd (Unity of Existence)
    

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1. Refuting Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh’s Claim that they are “Travellers in His Cause”¹

Allāh says:

التَّائِبُونَ الْعَابِدُونَ الْحَامِدُونَ السَّائِحُونَ الرَّاكِعُونَ السَّاجِدُونَ الْآمِرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّاهُونَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَالْحَافِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“[Such believers are] the repentant, the worshippers, the praisers [of Allāh], the travellers [for His cause], those who bow and prostrate [in prayer], those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and those who observe the limits [set by] Allāh. And give good tidings to the believers.”
[Al-Tawbah, 9:112]

In response to the false claim made by the Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh that the travellers [for His cause] applies to them, Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī al-Din al-Hilālī mentioned:

Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) said in the tafsīr of the saying of the Most High: the travellers [for His cause] in the one hundred and twelfth verse of Sūrah al-Tawbah: [Narrations] have proven that what is meant by travelling here is jihād² as has been related by Abū Dāwūd in his ‘Sunan’ from the ḥadīth of Abū Umāmah (رضي الله عنه) that a man said to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم): “O Messenger of Allāh, grant me permission to travel [as a means of worshipping Allāh].” The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “The travelling of my ummah is only jihād in the way of Allāh.”³ Then, he [Ibn Kathīr] said: Travelling [as mentioned here] is not what some have understood who believe they are worshipping simply by travelling from one place in the world to another, or to spend time in mountains, caves, and plains. Such [travelling] has not been legislated except in times of social upheaval and religious discord. As Imām al-Bukhārī confirms in the ḥadīth of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “A time has almost arrived in which the best form of wealth will be to graze cattle at the mountain peaks and valleys [i.e being away from the people], just so that he may escape from the religious trials and tribulations with his dīn [intact].”³

Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn concludes:

The overarching sentiment of the callers to Jamāʿah al-Tabligh is the spread of innovation and ignorance. It is as if they are replying [to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)] saying: No, O Messenger of Allāh, it is not as you claim. Rather, simply travelling has been legislated as a means of worship without jihād in the path of Allāh [struggling to ensure the word of Allāh is highest in the way shown by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)]. Moreover, [according to them], no one shall reach the true essence of this religion without it. Even if one were to engage in acts of worship, whether they be obligatory or voluntary, their dīn will be deficient until they travel with us. This is the very pinnacle of misguidance. Rather, anyone who knows that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) has nullified common travel as being a form of worship in Islām, but still has chosen to confirm it, has indeed openly opposed Allāh and His Messenger. Thus, they will be from among the most humbled.⁴

2. Destroying the False Claim of the Tablīghī: Shaykh al-Islām Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb Harmed Ahl al-Sunnah and Killed “the Martyrs”⁵

Al-ʿAllāmah Ḥammūd al-Tuwayjirī [d. 1413 AH] said:

This is the wording of the statement of Ḥusayn Aḥmad [one of the tablīghī leaders] maligning Shaykh al-Islām Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (may Allāh, the Most High, have mercy on him]:

‘Know that the matter of Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb only became apparent in the beginning of the thirteenth century in Najd [Saudi Arabia]. His creed was corrupt and his views false. Hence, he fell into fighting and killing Ahl al-Sunnah. Thus, he forced them to defame and refute others using his creed and views. He even declared lawful the seizing of their assets, and held the view that in killing them there existed a great reward, save for the people of Ḥijāz [Western Arabia] whom he harmed greatly. He used to revile and insult the pious predecessors and display the most detestable of manners with regards to them. Many of his opponents gained martyrdom on his hands. In reality, he was an oppressive tyrant, war criminal, perpetually engaging in sin. This is the reason why the Arabs reviled him more than the Jews and the Christians.’

Al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī responded:

‘These are the words of a spurned devil, rejector of the truth, champion of falsehood. Allāh has made apparent his lies and clarified to mankind its scandalous nature. For He has blessed the call of Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb until it spread, circulating and gaining victory in all places. It is completely consistent with the Book [of Allāh] and the Sunnah of His Messenger [may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him].

His claim that his call was the cause of harm for the people of Ḥijāz is a blasphemous lie. As the people of Ḥijāz were the ones who prevented those from Najd from performing Ḥajj for twelve years until the victory of Allāh arrived. A war was fought between the people of truth and falsehood. The people of falsehood were defeated in a very short period of time and the country was returned to the people of tawḥīd. This is an incident that I have seen myself.

So, if the eradication of the domes [erect over the surfaces of graves] and the destruction of idols [worshipped besides Allāh] is a means of harm for the polytheists, then they continue to be in a state of harm. Indeed, the destruction of such domed structures and the culling of worship [next to it] is the unadulterated truth brought by the Messenger of Allāh [may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him].’

[Shaykh Ḥammūd said:] Then Shaykh Hilālī mentioned the ḥadīth of Abū al-Hayyāj al-Asadī who said: ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allāh be pleased with him) said to me: ‘Shall I not raise you upon the mission that the Messenger of Allāh [may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him] raised me? That I do not leave any raised grave except that it is levelled, and that I leave no likeness [portraying the companion of a grave] except that I have destroyed it.’

Then Shaykh Hilālī said: ‘Thus, if the followers of Shaykh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb fought the polytheists, destroying their idols, then the Messenger of Allāh [may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him] did likewise: [Allāh said]:

وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

‘And say, “Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart.’
[Al-Isrāʾ, 17:81]⁶’

‘For it is sufficient shame that such an insult is recorded from [Ḥusayn Aḥmad] against the people of knowledge and īmān, [Allāh said:]

وَسَيَعْلَمُ الْكُفَّارُ لِمَنْ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ

‘And the disbelievers will know for whom is the final home.’
[Al-Raʿd, 13:42]’

3. Seeking Intercession Through the Prophets and the Ṣūfī Imams⁷

Al-ʿAllāmah Ḥammūd al-Tuwayjirī (d. 1413 AH) said:

From among the corrupt creeds mentioned by Muḥammad Aslam with regards to Ḥusayn Aḥmad [tablīghī leader], as elucidated on page 45 of his book ‘al-Shihāb al-Thāqib: ‘Indeed, we issue our invocations using the prophets as interveners and as a means of access. Also, we seek this from the men of the tree of Ṣūfiyyah, Jushtiyyah, and Naqshabandiyyah and other than them from the mashāyikh of this chain.’ Then, he said: ‘As for the Wahhābiyyah⁸, they do not seek such intervention.’

Muḥammad Taqī al-Din al-Hilālī has refuted this claim in his book ‘al-Sirāj al-Munīr’ on page 26. He says: The people of innovation seek a means of access through physical beings. This means of access they seek is invalid. The ones who uphold the oneness of Allāh seek to access Him by means of His excellent names and His sublime attributes. They seek this access by means of their love for Him and their emulation of His noble Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). By means of the strife they put forward in making his sharīʿah victorious, and holding steadfast to his Sunnah. For such is the only correct means of seeking access to Allāh as taught by His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) when he related to us the story of the companions of the cave. Those three men sought access by means of their actions. The first sought this access by means of his righteous treatment of his parents. The second by means of his modesty that prevented him from engaging in fornication. The third by means of the justice and equity he displayed in treatment of one of his workers. This ḥadīth is confirmed in ‘al-Ṣaḥīḥayn’ from the narration of ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما). As for the tree of Ṣūfiyyah, this is non-existent in the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah. Just as it has never been narrated in the biographies of any of the companions or the Tābiʿīn or the imams of jurisprudence. Rather, it is nought but the tree of Zaqqūm: food for the ones who engage in sin. Save only for the ones among them that uphold the oneness of Allāh and follow His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) [i.e., after making sincere tawbah from this shirk]. For such a person, it may be that Allāh forgives him for the invention of this innovative term.

4. Claiming to See the Majestic Throne and Transcendency of the Need for Worship⁹

Al-ʿAllāmah Ḥammūd al-Tuwayjirī (d. 1413 AH) said:

From among the catastrophes mentioned by Muḥammad Aslam regarding some of the tablīghī leaders is what has been narrated from al-Khawājah ʿUthmān al-Hārūnī who said to one of his subjects Muʿīn al-Dīn al-Jushtī: Look at the sky above you.

I said: So I looked at the sky.

He said: Where are you currently looking?

I said: I look upon the majestic throne.

Then he said: Look at the earth.

So I looked at the earth.

He said: Where has your gaze reached?

I said: It has reached below the dirt.

Then a call was heard from the world of the unseen saying: I have accepted Muʿīn al-Din!

Then, I travelled to Madīnah with my guide to visit the grave of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). When I came upon the Rawḍah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), I offered my salāms to him (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Then, a sound was heard from inside the rawḍah saying: And peace be upon you O chief of all the mashāyikh on land or upon the sea.

So when this call was issued, ʿUthmān al-Hārūnī said: Excellent! Your work has now concluded.

I say: This fanciful tale is based on falsehood, raving madness, and senseless jabber. From among the most detestable aspects of falsehood it contains is the claim of the lying tablīghī that he was able to see the Majestic Throne and that his gaze was able to reach even that which is below the dirt. Also, from among the ugliest of lies is his claim that a call was issued from the world of the unseen testifying as to his acceptance. Also, detestable is his claim that he heard a call from inside the rawḍah returning the proffered salām and naming him as the chief of all of the mashāyikh in the land or upon the sea.

As for the saying of al-Hārūnī to Muʿīn al-Dīn al-Jushtī: ‘Excellent! Your work has now concluded’, it is apparently proving his belief that Muʿīn al-Dīn no longer requires worship or religious acts of any kind after the issuing of the call he heard from inside the rawḍah. This is from among the claims of the godless who allege that the ones who have come upon true knowledge and complete recognition derive no benefit from acts of worship. They use as evidence to support this the saying of the Most High:

وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ

“And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death).”
(Ḥijr, 15:99)

They say its meaning is: Worship your Lord until you attain true knowledge and complete recognition and certainty. If such a thing is attained, then worship is no longer necessary. This was mentioned by Shaykh al-Islām Abū al-ʿAbbās Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله): ‘Some of them may have even claimed: worship until you have attained Ḥāl (condition of overwhelming, encompassing piety according to Ṣūfī ideology). If you attain such a Ṣūfī Ḥāl, you no longer have need for acts of worship! Among those people are those who allege to have attained the said goal of true knowledge and complete recognition. Thus, they make permissible for themselves abandonment of that which is obligatory and perpetration of that which is unlawful. This is disbelief.’ Then, he said: ‘As for their evidencing this claim with the saying of the Most High: “And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death),” it opposes their interpretation rather than supports it. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said: Indeed, death is the only end-point Allāh has made for the actions of His slaves.’ Then, he recited: “And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death).” This is because ‘certainty’ here means death according to all of the scholars of Islām. As for the claim that it means: Worship your Lord until you attain certainty and then there is no worship after that point—this is complete disbelief according to all of the Imams of the Muslims.’ This is the end of the intended quote and a summary of his words (رحمه الله) taken from pages 417-420 from the eleventh volume of Majmūʿ al-Fatāwá.

Ibn Kathīr said regarding the verse “And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty (i.e. death)”: This noble verse proves that acts of worship, like ṣalāh and its like, are obligatory on every person as long as his intellect remains intact. It has been used as evidence to disprove the view of the godless that the meaning of ‘certainty’ is the attainment of true recognition or knowledge. Such that if one of them should come upon this claimed true recognition, they shall be unburdened of all religious responsibility. This is disbelief, misguidance, and ignorance. For, truly, the prophets (عليهم السلام) and their respective companions were the most knowledgeable of Allāh, superior in their recognition of His rights, attributes, and the glorification He deserves. In addition to this, they were among the most dedicated to His worship. They surpassed mankind in its entirety in the frequency of their acts of worship and their habitual practice of righteous acts. They continued on this path until they met their demise. Thus, ‘certainty’ here means death.’

In this story and in many others that have been narrated from the tablīghī leaders is that which proves their obstinate idiocy and complete intellectual foolhardiness. It acts to prove that Shayṭān has managed to form a firm hold over them, beautifying their actions of falsehood and playing with them to the furthest extent imaginable.

Indeed, Allāh has said:

وَمَن يَكُنِ الشَّيْطَانُ لَهُ قَرِينًا فَسَاءَ قَرِينًا

“And whoever takes Shayṭān (Satan) as an intimate; then what a dreadful intimate he has!”
(al-Nisāʾ, 4:38)

The Most High also said:

وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ

“And whosoever turns away (blinds himself) from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (Allāh) (i.e. this Qurʾān and worship of Allāh), We appoint for him Shayṭān (Satan – devil) to be a Qarīn (an intimate companion) to him.”
(al-Zukhruf, 43:36)

5. Blatant Shirk and Refusal to Forbid Evil¹⁰

Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī said:

They [the Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh] are a people—may Allāh guide us and them to His straight path and distance us from the path of the companions of the raging Fire— who believe in some of the Book of Allāh and disbelieve in other parts, although this disbelief is not vocalised on their tongues.

From this is that attempting to change objectionable acts is forbidden according to them. Rather, they claim that they enjoin that which is good but will not forbid that which is evil. One of their leaders told me that he spent a full day and night in a domed structure in which they used to worship others besides Allāh, and that he prayed in the attached mosque five prayers while being fully aware of what was narrated by al-Bukhārī from the ḥadīth of Āʾishah (رضي الله عنها) who said: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “May the Curse of Allāh be on the Jews and the Christians for taking the graves of their prophets as mosques”¹¹. [Āʾishah said]: He would caution against what they used to do. For if it was not for that, his grave may have been made open. Except that he feared that it would then have been made a place of worship. Narrated by Umm Ḥabībah and Umm Salamah (رضي الله عنهما) who described to the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) a church they saw in Abbasinya. They mentioned its adornments and the images therein. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “They are people who, when a pious man among them had died, would erect on his grave a place of worship and draw such images. They are among the most evil creatures according to Allāh.”¹²

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) cursed the Jews and the Christians as a way of cautioning his ummah from falling into their actions. Whomever prays next to a grave has indeed taken that grave as a place of worship. For a masjid is simply a place of prostration, regardless of whether a structure has been built in that place or otherwise. So I said to him [the Tablīghī]: How could you have effectively left five prayers? Are you not afraid of the curse of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) upon the one who does such an act? For the person who leaves a single prayer until its time completely expires is considered a disbeliever according to the consensus of the companions. Read my book ‘The Ruling of the One Who Abandons the Ṣalāh’ which is with the book ‘The Straight Path and Its Evidence.’ He was not able to answer.

If he did answer and decided to spread his secret, he would have said: Indeed, I prayed in that idol as a way of garnering the favour of the polytheists and their acceptance. So leave me to go on an excursion with them such that they are fully aware of my submission to them, never objecting to their way.

So how objectionable is this calamitous call upon its people! It has allowed them to fall into abandoning prayer which is outright disbelief. As for the ṣalāh they pray within these structures erected on graves, they are all absolutely invalid. This is because acceptance of an act of worship can never coincide with a curse falling upon the one carrying out the act.

Furthermore, they have termed correcting that which is objectionable as a form of immersing oneself with that which is of no concern. Rather, it has been termed frivolous excess by them. All the while Allāh, the Most High, has never disjoined enjoining good from forbidding evil in his great Book. Thus, whomever desists from one has indeed desisted from the other. Whoever claims that we have no need to correct that which is objectionable—whether it be in the form of shirk, innovation, or disobedient acts—has indeed falsified the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah. Allāh describes the hypocrites in Sūrah al-Tawbah, verse 67-68:

الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتُ بَعْضُهُم مِّن بَعْضٍ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمُنكَرِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَقْبِضُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ ۚ نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَنَسِيَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ ‎﴿٦٧﴾ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْكُفَّارَ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ هِيَ حَسْبُهُمْ ۚ وَلَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيمٌ

“The hypocrite men and hypocrite women are of one another. They enjoin what is wrong and forbid what is right and close their hands. They have forgotten Allāh, so He has forgotten them [accordingly]. Indeed, the hypocrites – it is they who are the defiantly disobedient. Allāh has promised the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the disbelievers the fire of Hell, wherein they will abide eternally. It is sufficient for them. And Allāh has cursed them, and for them is an enduring punishment.”

The Most High said when describing the believers:

وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ اللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ ‎﴿٧١﴾‏ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَمَسَاكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِي جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ وَرِضْوَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ ‎﴿٧٢﴾

“The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakāh and obey Allāh and His Messenger. Those—Allāh will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise. Allāh has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allāh is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.”
(Sūrah al-Tawbah, 9: 70-72)

Therefore, one cannot be truly safe from hypocrisy, described with īmān, except by combining between the two.

6. The Foolish Self-Degradation and Major Shirk of the Tablīghī Leadership¹³

Al-ʿAllāmah Ḥammūd al-Tuwayjirī (d. 1413 AH) said:

Among the foolish, raving madness of the Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh is the statement mentioned by Muḥammad Aslam regarding Shaykh Muḥammad Zakraiyyā al-Kandahlawī al-Sahāranfūrī al-Ḥanafī al-Diyūbandī al-Jushtī al-Naqshabandī, known to them as the ‘fragrant flower of India’ and the ‘blessing of our time’, ’the most senior of all the muḥaddithīn’, and ‘Shaykh of Ḥadīth.’

Muḥammad Aslam said: He is among the most senior scholars of the Diyūband province, the shaykh of all the mashāyikh, the highest ranking authority for the Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh.

Tablīghī Leader Characterises Himself as a Najs Indian Dog

He (Muḥammad Aslam) mentions that he wrote in one of his treatises: If you arrive before the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), then say these words to him: An Indian dog sends his salām to you (describing himself as a dog). If you are able to, in the same sitting with utmost respect and manners, after sending ṣalāh and peace on him, say: It is unbefitting for this impure najs to even send his salām on you. However, you are a mercy to everything in existence. This najs (impure one) possesses no recourse but to return to the compassion of your gaze.

I (Shaykh Ḥammūd) say: These foolish words emanate only from a man who has reached the very apex of nonsensical speech and thoughtlessness. It is most befitting for such a person to be considered among the three whose pen has been lifted¹⁴. This is because there is no intelligent person that would be pleased for another to say to him: ‘you are a dog’, or ‘you are najs’. As these two attributes are among the most blameworthy of characteristics. There is no intelligent person that could ever be pleased with such a description, much less attach such characteristics to himself. Allāh—the Most High—has mentioned the parable of the cur as one who, after receiving His signs, casts them away, opting instead to follow his own desires. Then, the Most High said:

سَاءَ مَثَلًا الْقَوْمُ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَأَنفُسَهُمْ كَانُوا يَظْلِمُونَ

“Evil is the likeness of the people who reject Our āyāt (proofs, evidences, verses and signs, etc.), and used to wrong their ownselves.”
(Al-Aʿrāf, 7:177)

Imām Ibn Kathīr on the One Who is Compared to a Dog

Ibn Kathīr explains: That is, evil is the likeness of the one who has been compared to a dog who possesses no regard except for the attainment of nourishment and sexual gratification. Thus, the one who extricates himself from the realm of knowledge and guidance, opting instead to follow his own carnal desires and whims, is most similar to a dog. How contemptible is such a comparison!

As for his referring to himself as najs, Allāh—the Most High—has described the polytheists with the same word, the Most High said:

إِنَّمَا الْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ

“Verily, the Mushrikūn (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allāh, and in the Message of Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)) are Najasun (impure).”
(Al-Tawbah, 9:28)

The first verse mentions the severe blame of the one described by the attributes of a dog. As for the one who refers to himself as a dog, he is even more deserving of this blame and censure.

The second verse indicates the severe blame of the polytheists. As for the one who seeks to resemble them, choosing to describe himself by their attributes, then he is like them. As the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever seeks to resemble a people will be from among them.”¹⁵ Narrated by Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd, with authentic chains of narration on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما).

As for his saying: ‘This najs possesses no recourse but to return to the compassion of your gaze,’ we say the following in response: Such a statement is a form of major shirk. As Allāh—the Most High—said to His Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم):

قُلْ إِنِّي لَا أَمْلِكُ لَكُمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا رَشَدًا

“Say: “It is not in my power to cause you harm, or to bring you to the Right Path.””
(Al-Jinn, 72:21)

Ibn Jarīr explains: This is because the One who holds that power is Allāh, the One who possesses sovereignty over everything in existence.

If the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did not hold the power to harm nor to bring about guidance to the path of righteousness while he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was still alive, then after his death it is even more befitting that he would not possess such power. With this, it becomes plainly evident that these words of Zakariyyā that specify the compassionate gaze of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as being his only recourse represents unadulterated major shirk.

7. Illogical Blind Imitation¹⁶

Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī said:

We [the Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh] say, as a group, that blind imitation is obligatory and compulsory. All of the prerequisites set by the pious predecessors for ijtihād [striving to reach the truth in an issue of Islamic jurisprudence in light of the Qurʾān and the Sunnah] are completely lost in the scholars of today. We also believe that legislated sufism is the only methodology that would facilitate attachment to Allāh, tasting the sweetness of īmān, and experiencing its characteristics. Due to this, any man or group that opposes us in these two matters is certainly and truthfully not from among our ranks.

Abū ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Barr said concerning the corruption of blind imitation in his book ‘Jāmiʿ Bayān al-ʿIlm wa Faḍlih’ after mentioning his chain of narrators to Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) that he used to say: “Go forth as either a scholar or a teacher, and do not depart as a characterless yes-man between these states.” Then he mentions with his chain of narrators to Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه): “In the time of ignorance, we would label the characterless yes-man as a person who, when an invitation to food is issued, he would bring others with him. Such a person exists among you today: he is the one who acquires his religion from men, that is, the blind imitator.” He [Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr] continues clarifying the blame associated with blind imitation until he says on page 142 of the second volume:

A group among the jurists and adopters of opinion have used intellectual, opinionated arguments in the justification of blind imitation. Among the most convincing of these arguments that I have seen is the saying of al-Muzanī (رحمه الله) whose wording I bring here.

He says: It should be said to the blind imitator, do you possess any evidence that supports the ruling you have made?

If he says yes, then blind imitation has been successfully falsified. This is because it is this evidence in actuality that has stipulated the issued ruling, not blind imitation.

If, instead, he says: I have issued this ruling without any evidence.

Then it should be said to him: Why would you allow blood to be spilled, or make permissible sexual relations between two people, or allow the consumption of wealth (i.e. legal rulings) while Allāh has made all of these things ḥarām except with a clear evidence. He—the Exalted in Might—says: “What warrant do you possess for this?” meaning what evidence do you have for this?

If he says: I know that the ruling I have issued is correct even if I do not know the evidence for it because I have blindly imitated a great scholar who only speaks in consideration of the evidence which is obscured from me.

Then it should be said to him: If it is permissible for you to blindly imitate your teacher who is a scholar and does not speak except with evidence that has been obscured from your purview, then should you not also be blindly imitating the teacher of your teacher because he also would only speak in accordance with the evidence which, here, is hidden from your teacher. Just as your teacher does not speak except in accordance with evidence that is hidden from yourself.

If he says: Okay, then he would have abandoned the blind imitation of his teacher for the blind imitation of his teacher’s teacher. Then, this could be applied to those teachers that are even higher than that going up the chain of teachers until finally arriving at the companions of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم). For if he was to refuse this fact, it would represent a clear contradiction.

It would then be said to him: How could you allow the blind imitation of one who is younger than you and possesses less knowledge, while seeing it impermissible to blindly imitate the seniors who possess a great deal of knowledge? This is a clear contradiction.

If he answers: This is because my teacher, even if he is younger, has combined all of the knowledge of those above him in addition to his own knowledge. Thus, he is most insightful both in terms of the opinions he adopts and as far as that which he chooses to leave.

Then it should be said to him: Then the ones who have learnt from your teacher would also be considered as having combined all of the knowledge of your teacher and those above him in addition to their own knowledge. Hence, you should blindly imitate them instead of your teacher. Also, you yourself are more deserving of blind imitation then your own teacher because you have combined the knowledge of your teacher and those above him in addition to your own knowledge.

If he then repeats his previous statement, then bring attention to the fact that, according to him, the most junior scholars and those who narrate from them are more deserving of blind imitation than the companions of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Just as his colleagues should be blindly imitating their own followers, and their followers and so on analogising his logic would mean that the higher categories of teacher must follow those beneath them until the end of the chain.

Sufficient in detestability and corruption is any stance taken that would lead to such a conclusion.

Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn comments: As for their complete rejection of ijtihād, it is a mistake from them and shows their complete ignorance. The purpose of ijtihād is to settle arguments and debate if there is no clear passage [from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah] which a judge may use, in which case he judges between the two arguing parties in accordance with his own opinion while saying as Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) said: “If this ruling is correct, then it is from Allāh. If it is a mistake, then it is from myself.” If, afterwards, it should become clear that his judgement in the matter was incorrect, he would rescind his ruling and issue a ruling in accordance with the truth.

As for matters of creed and acts of worship, there is no place for ijtihād in them except by way of judging one opinion to be correct among the others in the issues in which there is a difference of opinion. As Allāh—the Glorified, the High—is not worshipped with innovation. Rather, He is worshipped with that which He has legislated through the sayings of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), his actions and with that which he has silently approved. Anyone who is not a Muftī or a judge does not have to perform ijtihād. Rather, he must only follow what has been revealed unto the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). For it is sufficient for him and a curative measure [from ignorance]. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “A party among my ummah shall remain upon the truth. They are unharmed by those who oppose them until the order of Allāh is issued.”¹⁷

So what do the callers to blind imitation have to say concerning this authentic ḥadīth? How will they interpret it? Is the party among this ummah who remains upon the truth these ignorant, blind imitators? How do you know this party to be upon the truth? How could they claim that the entire Muslim ummah is ignorant of the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم), not a single one of them knows anything from their revelation? This is none other than a misguided straying, far away from the straight path.

8. Disproving the Claim that Senior Tablighī Figureheads Met the Prophet (ﷺ) and His Companions on the 27th Night of Ramaḍan and That He Revealed to Them That It Is Laylat al-Qadr¹⁸

From among the lies and foolishness of the Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh, as mentioned by Muḥammad Aslam with regards to Shaykh Abī al-Ḥasan al-Nadawī [senior tablīgh scholar] is that he wrote in his book “The Biography of Master Aḥmad Shahīd” saying: “He wanted to spend the twenty-seventh night [of Ramaḍān] awake and engaging in worship, but drowsiness overtook him after ʿIshāʾ. So, he fell asleep but was awoken by two men who held both his hands in the last third of the night. Then, he saw that it was the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) himself on his right and Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) sitting on his left. He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to him: “O Sayyid¹⁹ Aḥmad! Stand up quickly and perform ghusl.” When Sayyid Aḥmad saw them, he rushed to the water trough of the masjid, even though the water contained in it was ice-cold. He washed himself using this water and, upon finishing, he began to serve the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to him: “O my son! Tonight is the Night of Power (i.e. Laylat al-Qadr). So busy yourself with the remembrance of Allāh, invoking Him, and privately conversing with Him”. Then, they left after that.”

Shaykh Ḥammūd al-Tuwayjirī comments:

In this nonsensical story that is built completely on foolishness is that which proves the idiocy of the ones among the Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh who narrated this occurrence, while also proving the idiocy of the one who has chosen to mention it in the biography of that “Shaykh”, narrating it as if it represents one of his miracles. All the while, in actuality, it is baseless, nonsensical lies. The likes of which do not emanate from a man with even an iota of intelligence or religiosity.

For this occurrence comprises several aspects that are complete lies:

1. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and Abū Bakr and ʿUmar Were Not Resurrected For a Meeting with a Tablighī in India

   He claims the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) themselves held his hands and woke him, sitting on his right and left. This would mean that Allāh had given life to His Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه), the type of life they were granted when they lived in this dunyā. Then, He gave them permission to travel to India so that they could hold the hands of Aḥmad Shahīd and wake him up, while they sat on his right and left.

   This complete lie is similar to the lies concocted by some of the mashāyikh of the Ṣūffiyah wherein they claim to meet with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and see him in a state of wakefulness. They also claim that he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was present in their gatherings to celebrate his birthday and other such occasions.

   There can be no doubt that such claims represent Shayṭān’s mockery of the Ṣūfiyyah and their followers from the Jamāʿah al-Tablīgh, his desire to slowly extricate them from the fold of Islām, misguiding them with fanciful tales and imaginary occurrences that never actually happened.

   This claim also stipulates that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and Abū Bakr (رضي الله عنه) were able to leave their graves. Leaving them alive, just like the life they experienced before in this dunyā. Such a claim is not alleged by any person with an atom’s weight of intelligence. For Allāh has related to us that the graves of the dead will be turned upside down and their seals broken, and the dead shall leave them on the Day of Judgement. The Most High said:

   إِذَا السَّمَاءُ انفَطَرَتْ ‎﴿١﴾‏ وَإِذَا الْكَوَاكِبُ انتَثَرَتْ ‎﴿٢﴾‏ وَإِذَا الْبِحَارُ فُجِّرَتْ ‎﴿٣﴾‏ وَإِذَا الْقُبُورُ بُعْثِرَتْ ‎﴿٤﴾‏ عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ وَأَخَّرَتْ

   “When the heaven is cleft asunder. And when the stars have fallen and scattered; And when the seas are burst forth (got dried up); And when the graves are turned upside down (and they bring out their contents). (Then) a person will know what he has sent forward and (what he has) left behind (of good or bad deeds).”
   (Al-Infiṭār, 82:1-5)

   The Most High also said:

   أَفَلَا يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِي الْقُبُورِ ‎﴿٩﴾‏وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِي الصُّدُورِ ‎﴿١٠﴾‏ إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌ ‎﴿١١﴾‏

   “Knows he not that when the contents of the graves are brought out and poured forth (all mankind is resurrected). And that which is in the breasts (of men) shall be made known. Verily, that Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) their Lord will be Well-Acquainted with them (as to their deeds), (and will reward them for their deeds).”
   (Al-ʿĀdiyāt, 100:9-11)

   Ibn Jarīr [al-Ṭabarī] said: His saying “And when the graves are turned upside down” that is, when the graves are affected such that the dead are extricated from them in a state of life. It was also narrated that Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما) said regarding the word “turned upside down” that is, examined or investigated. The Most High also said:

   وَاسْتَمِعْ يَوْمَ يُنَادِ الْمُنَادِ مِن مَّكَانٍ قَرِيبٍ ‎﴿٤١﴾‏ يَوْمَ يَسْمَعُونَ الصَّيْحَةَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ الْخُرُوجِ ‎﴿٤٢﴾‏ إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي وَنُمِيتُ وَإِلَيْنَا الْمَصِيرُ ‎﴿٤٣﴾‏ يَوْمَ تَشَقَّقُ الْأَرْضُ عَنْهُمْ سِرَاعًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ حَشْرٌ عَلَيْنَا يَسِيرٌ

   “And listen on the Day when the caller will call from a near place, The Day when they will hear As-Ṣayḥah (shout, etc.) in truth, that will be the Day of coming out (from the graves i.e. the Day of Resurrection). Verily, We it is Who give life and cause death; and to Us is the final return, On the Day the earth will split open for them—(the dead)—to rush forth—(in response to the angel caller). That is a gathering easy for us (to make).”
   (Qāf, 50:41-44)

   The Most High also said:

   فَذَرْهُمْ يَخُوضُوا وَيَلْعَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يُلَاقُوا يَوْمَهُمُ الَّذِي يُوعَدُونَ ‎﴿٤٢﴾‏ يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ سِرَاعًا كَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ نُصُبٍ يُوفِضُونَ ‎﴿٤٣﴾‏ خَاشِعَةً أَبْصَارُهُمْ تَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ ‎

   “So leave them to plunge in vain talk and play about, until they meet their Day which they are promised. The Day when they will come out of the graves quickly as racing to a goal, With their eyes lowered in fear and humility, ignominy covering them (all over)! That is the Day which they were promised!”
   (Al-Maʿārij, 70: 42-44)

   The Most High also said:

   فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ۘ يَوْمَ يَدْعُ الدَّاعِ إِلَىٰ شَيْءٍ نُّكُرٍ ‎﴿٦﴾خُشَّعًا أَبْصَارُهُمْ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ كَأَنَّهُمْ جَرَادٌ مُّنتَشِرٌ ‎﴿٧﴾‏ مُّهْطِعِينَ إِلَى الدَّاعِ ۖ يَقُولُ الْكَافِرُونَ هَٰذَا يَوْمٌ عَسِرٌ ‎

   “So (O Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)) withdraw from them. The Day that the caller will call (them) to a terrible thing. They will come forth, with humbled eyes from (their) graves as if they were locusts spread abroad, Hastening towards the caller, the disbelievers will say: “This is a hard Day.”
   (Al-Qamar, 54:6-8)

   The Most High also said:

   وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَإِذَا هُم مِّنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَنسِلُونَ ‎﴿٥١﴾‏ قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا مَن بَعَثَنَا مِن مَّرْقَدِنَا ۜ ۗ هَٰذَا مَا وَعَدَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَصَدَقَ الْمُرْسَلُونَ ‎﴿٥٢﴾‏ إِن كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ جَمِيعٌ لَّدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ

   “And the Trumpet will be blown (i.e. the second blowing) and behold! From the graves they will come out quickly to their Lord. They will say: “Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our place of sleep.” (It will be said to them): “This is what the Most Beneficent (Allāh) had promised, and the Messengers spoke truth!” It will be but a single Ṣayḥah (shout, etc.), so behold! They will all be brought up before Us!”
   (Yāsīn, 36:50-53)

   The Most High also said:

   ثُمَّ إِنَّكُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ لَمَيِّتُونَ ‎﴿١٥﴾‏ ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تُبْعَثُونَ

   “After that, surely, you will die. Then (again), surely, you will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection.”
   (Al-Muʾminūn, 23: 15-16)

   It was authentically confirmed that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “I will be the first upon whom the earth shall cleave on the Day of Judgement.”²⁰ This ḥadīth, in addition to the preceding verses are sufficient to refute the ignorance of the Ṣūfiyyiīn and Tablīghiīn who claim that they met with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and sat with him in a state of wakefulness. It is also a most befitting refutation of the fanciful tale mentioned by al-Nadawī with regards to Aḥmad Shahīd.

2. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Did Not Use the Term: “O’ Sayyid So-and-So” and This Tablighī Did Not Serve the Noble Messenger

   He claims in this fanciful tale that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to him: “O’ Sayyid Aḥmad! Stand up quickly and perform ghusl.” When Sayyid Aḥmad saw them, he rushed to the water trough of the masjid, even though the water contained in it was ice-cold. He washed himself using this water and, upon finishing, he began to serve the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).”

   This lie may be refuted by the path of guidance set by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), and his habit when speaking to his companions (رضي الله عنهم). For it has never been narrated that he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) ever addressed one of his companions saying “O Sayyid so-and-so!”, even though they are more deserving of such a title than the senior, blessed scholars who came after them [who were not addressed in this way either], much less the mashāyikh of the people of innovation and their seniors.

   Also, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) objected to the bedouin who said to him: “You are our Sayyid” saying: “Allāh is al-Sayyid”.²¹

   If it is said: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said regarding al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) “This son of mine is a Sayyid”.²² He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) also said to the Anṣār [people of Madīnah]: “Stand to your Sayyid”²³ referring to Saʿd ibn Muʿadh (رضي الله عنه). He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) also said to Banī Salimah: “Your master is ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ”.²⁴ We answer this by saying: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) intended only to relate the honourable standing of these companions and their elevated status over their colleagues. Despite this, it was never narrated that he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) ever addressed one of them saying “O Sayyid so-and-so”. There is a clear difference according to the scholars between relating that a person is deserving of this title, and actually addressing him in this way.

   As for his saying “he began to serve the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)”, we answer it by saying: What service did this tablīghī offer to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)? If he [Aḥmad Shahīd] and al-Nadawī mean by “service” concocting lies against the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and that this somehow may be regarded as a form of service to him (صلى الله عليه وسلم), then may both they and what they surmise perish! For it has been confirmed, authentically from multiple independent lines of inquiry, that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “As for the one who intentionally concocts a lie against me, let him take his seat in the Fire”.²⁵

3. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Did Not Use the Term: “O’ My Son” Nor Did He Specify the Exact Date for Laylat al-Qadr Which Is Only Known to Allāh

   He said that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to him “O my son! Tonight is the Night of Power. So busy yourself with the remembrance of Allāh, invoking Him, and privately conversing with Him”.

   This lie is also refuted in consideration of the known path of guidance set by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and his practice when addressing his companions. It has never been narrated that he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) ever addressed a single one of his companions saying “O my son”. Rather, he used to address the seniors among them with either their names or kunyahs,²⁶ and to some of the younger ones he would say: “O my child”.

   As for his claim that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) specified to him the Night of Power, it is also refuted by the authentic saying of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) regarding the Night of Power: “I saw it and then was made to forget it”.²⁷ Also, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه), that the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “I was shown the Night of Power, but then I was awoken by some of my family and so I forgot it.”²⁸ And, on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) who said: The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was asked regarding the Night of Power and he said: “I was informed of it, then it escaped from me”.²⁹Also, on the authority of ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit (رضي الله عنه) who said: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came out to inform us of the Night of Power and found two men from among the Muslims insulting one another. So he said: “I came to inform you of the Night of Power. Then, so-and-so and so-and-so were insulting one another and its [news] was raised from me. It may be that this is better for you.”³⁰ And on the authority of Abū Dharr (رضي الله عنه) that he asked the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) concerning the Night of Power. He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied: “If I was given permission, I would inform you of it”.³¹ This was also narrated by al-Ḥākim with the wording: “If Allāh willed, he would have acquainted you with it.”³² In these ḥadīth, there is the most eloquent of refutations against anyone who alleges to have been informed by the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) of the Night of Power, or narrates it from others with approval and satisfaction.

9. The Followers of the Prophets Are Potentially Superior to the Them By Virtue of Righteous Actions (Manifest Shirk) and the “Wahhābī” Belittlement of the Status of the Messenger (ﷺ)³³

Muḥammad Aslam narrates from the Tablīghīin that, in their books, one of them said: “The superiority of the prophets does not stem from their actions. Rather, some of their followers may surpass them in engagement with actions.” Then, Ḥusayn Aḥmad [Tablīghī shaykh] said: “As for the Wahhābiyah, they show misconduct and vile behaviour in relation to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). They allege: “He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) possesses a miniscule amount of superiority over us. Also, he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) has no rights over us, nor has he displayed good conduct towards us, and he does not benefit us in the least after his demise. To the extent that the senior Wahhābī scholars have explicitly stated: “My stick proffers more benefit to us than the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). As I am able to use it to ward off curs and defend myself from them, while the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) does not benefit us at all.”³⁴

Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn replies:

These contemptible words emanate only from ignorance, the result of a creed that is similarly contemptible. Allāh—the Most High—said in Sūrah al-Aʿrāf:

قُل لَّا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۚ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ ۚ إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

“”Say (O Muḥammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)): “I possess no power of benefit or hurt to myself except as Allāh wills. If I had the knowledge of the ghayb (unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings unto people who believe.””
(Al-Aʿrāf, 7:188)

Allāh has, by means of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), benefitted the believers from this ummah in his delivery of the message. It is by him (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that Allāh has guided them to the straight path, extricating them from the darknesses into the light. His (صلى الله عليه وسلم) call has proffered both religious and worldly benefits. As for religious benefits, by means of his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) call and their adoption of it they have become righteous believers after previously being depraved disbelievers. As for this worldly life, Allāh has granted them power and strength by means of his call (صلى الله عليه وسلم), uniting their forces, and granting them victory after previously being the subjects of humiliation and subjugation.

As for guidance of the hearts, alleviation of sicknesses, satisfaction of needs, relief from suffering and calamity, opening the chests and granting of tranquillity and peace, none is able to bring about these things save for Allāh to whom no partners may be ascribed. This fact remains true regardless of whether the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is alive or after his demise. So, does this polytheist desire that we seek aid from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) after he has died? That we seek from him the satisfaction of our needs, relief from catastrophes, or victory over our enemies? This is unadulterated disbelief in Allāh, as Allāh—the Most High—alone is the only One able to accomplish these feats:

إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ ۗ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ

“If Allāh helps you, none can overcome you; and if He forsakes you, who is there after Him that can help you? And in Allāh (Alone) let believers put their trust.”
(Āli-ʿImrān, 3:160)

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and his companions sought aid from Allāh during the conquest of Badr. The Most High said:

إِذْ تَسْتَغِيثُونَ رَبَّكُمْ فَاسْتَجَابَ لَكُمْ

“(Remember) when you sought help of your Lord.”
(Al-Anfāl, 8:9)

He did not say: “When you sought help from your Prophet and your Prophet sought help from your Lord” which is the creed adopted by Ḥusayn Aḥmad, the polytheist. If, after the death of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), the people truly love him, follow him, obeying Allāh and His Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم), they would have lives of happiness and prosperity. Just as they would die in a state of contentment. However, the ones whose hearts have been sealed by Allāh, blinding their insight and ability to discern, will derive no comfort except by means of associating partners with Allāh. As Allāh—the Most High—said in Sūrah al-Māʾidah:

إِنَّهُ مَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ

“Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allāh, then Allāh has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Ẓālimūn (polytheists and wrong-doers) there are no helpers.”
(Al-Māʾidah, 5:72)

Then he has also stated a clear lie, alleging a plainly evident falsehood. Not a single person among the attesters of Allāh’s oneness would ever make such a statement: “This stick of mine is more beneficial to me than the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)“. Such a statement is among the hearsay concocted by the lying polytheists.

10. Enlisting the Help of Devils Amongst the Jinn and Believing in Wahdat al-Wujūd (Unity of Existence)³⁵

Shaykh Ḥammūd al-Tuwayjirī said:

From among the instances of shirk perpetrated by the Jamāʿat al-Tablīgh, as mentioned by Muḥammad Aslam on page 29, with regards to Shaykh Muḥammad Yūsuf al-Banūrī al-Ḥanafī al-Diyūbandī al-Jushtī who was from among the senior scholars of the Deoband province and the Jamāʿat al-Tablīgh.

Muḥammad Aslam said: When he [Muḥammad Yūsuf] desired to be acquainted with the knowledge of sickness prevention, he was able to attain distinguished ranking therein, to the extent that purely by means of his intent and desire, the sick person was rendered healthy. As if the person had never experienced the affliction in the first place. He also said: He used to heep exhaustive praise upon Ibn ʿArabī al-Ṣūfī.

I (Shaykh Ḥammūd) say: As for what he has mentioned with regards to al-Banūrī’s ability to cure sicknesses using only his intent, this is an absolute impossibility for him and all others among the creation. As curing sickness by means of an intention is among the specific attributes of the Lord, and is an ability that has not been granted to anyone other than Him. As the Most High said concerning Ibrāhīm (عليه السلام):

وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ

“”And when I am ill, it is He who cures me.”
(Al-Shuʿarāʾ, 26:80)

The Most High also said:

أَمَّن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ ‎﴿٦٢﴾‏

“Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations. Is there any ilāh (god) with Allāh? Little is that you remember!”
(Al-Naml, 27:62)

In these two verses there is clear evidence that none is able to remove evil—which refers to injury or harm of any kind—or cure sicknesses, except for Allāh, the Most High. These two verses also contain a clear, potent refutation against those who allege that anyone other than Allāh has the ability to remove evil, or cure sicknesses by means of their intent.

There are also passages from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that are consistent with the verses of the Qurʾān. Among them is the saying of ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها): The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to perform ruqyah with this invocation:

أَذْهَبِ اْلبَأْسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ بِيَدِكَ الشِّفَاء لَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

“Rid me of this suffering, Lord of mankind. In your hands is the cure. None is able to remove it save for You.” Narrated by Aḥmad, Bukhārī and Muslim.

Also narrated by ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها): If the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would visit a sick person, he would say:

أَذْهَبِ اْلبَأْسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ وَاشْفِ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي وَلَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءَ لَّا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمَا

““Rid me of this suffering, Lord of mankind. And cure me of it. Indeed, You are the One who Cures. There is no cure except for Your cure. [So grant me] a cure, which leaves behind no sickness.” Narrated by Aḥmad, al-Bukhārī, Musliim, and Ibn Mājah. There is also a similar narration to this on the authority of ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) as narrated by Imām Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī who said: “This ḥadīth is Ḥasan”. Just as a similar narration is mentioned on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as narrated by Imām Aḥmad, al-Bukhārī, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī who said: “This ḥadīth is Ḥasan, Ṣaḥīḥ’.” The same has also been narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه) from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as narrated by Imām Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd, and Ibn Mājah. This has also been narrated by Umm Jamīl bint al-Mujalal (رضي الله عنهما) from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as narrated by Imām Aḥmad and Ibn Ḥibbān in his ‘Ṣaḥīḥ’.

Also, narrated by Ṣuhayb (رضي الله عنه), the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mentioned a long story of a young boy who was able to cure the one who was born blind, the leper, and cure the people from other illnesses. In it, the young boy says to the king and those in attendance: “Indeed, I do not cure. It is only Allāh who cures.” Narrated by Aḥmad and Muslim.

These aḥadīth prove that all cure resides in the hands of Allāh—the Most High. He is the One who cures, the one who alleviates suffering by means of His intent as opposed to those other than Him. In it, there is also the most eloquent of refutations against the Dajjāl (liar) al-Banūrī, and against anyone among the creation who claims the ability to cure illnesses by means of their intent.

It is also not improbable that al-Banūrī used to seek aid from the Shayāṭin in order to achieve this alleged cure. Such that he is able to cure the sick in a way that is completely unbeknownst to them, just as those besides the sick person are likewise ignorant of this means. Leading them to believe that the achieved cure from a sickness had occurred completely as a result of al-Banūrī’s willpower. All the while it has only come about as a result of the actions of the Shayāṭin. Their curing of these afflictions is meant only as a trial for al-Banūrī and for those sick people as well as any other ignorant person such that they may fall into excessiveness and association of partners with Allāh. Among the evidences that prove that al-Banūrī used to seek aid from the Shayāṭīn in curing illnesses are the many instances in which it was mentioned that he would seek an audience with the spirits, which is from among the actions of the Shayāṭīn.

This is also proven by the fact that he used to venerate Ibn al-ʿArabī, the leader of those who allege a unified existence [between Allāh and His creation].³⁶ It is not an improbability for the one who would hold Ibn ʿArabī in high esteem to enlist the service of the Shayāṭīn who satisfy his needs such that he is subjected to a trial by means of Ibn ʿArabī’s ideas which then cause him to fall into his despicable ideology.

As for what has been mentioned from his seeking audiences with the spirits, it has two possibilities, both of which are from the actions of the Shayāṭīn:

1. Seeking the presence of the jinn and gathering them before him whenever he requires them. Their gathering before him, and seeking of their presence does not come about except out of seeking closeness to their leaders and chiefs by carrying out what is beloved to them. This includes seeking their protection and enacting their commands which involve shirk, rebellious sinning, and engaging in disobedient acts.
2. The claimed attainment of an audience involving the souls of those who have passed away. For such is the action of the Shayāṭīn, incorporated by them on behalf of those they consider as close friends and allies from among the humans. All with the express goal of misleading them and then other ignorant people by means of them. In order to accomplish this, these jinn adopt the appearances of those who have died in the past from among their close relatives and others whose presence they request. Those who are ignorant believe they are looking upon the souls of the dead. All the while they are only gazing upon the shayāṭīn who have adopted the appearance of the dead.

Just as Iblīs approached the disbelievers of Quraysh on the Day of Badr adopting the appearance of Surāqah ibn Mālik ibn Juʿshum. To the extent that the disbelieving Quraysh did not doubt that he was indeed Surāqah ibn Mālik. His army accompanied him, adopting the appearance of the men of Banī Mudlij to the extent that the disbelieving Quraysh did not doubt that they were indeed Banī Mudlij. Then, when the enemy of Allāh saw the angels descend from the heavens to aid the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم), they ran away while declaring themselves innocent from the Quraysh. Iblīs and his army fled from them. Their story is well-known as mentioned by many of the mufassirīn and scholars of the Islamic history.

It is also most suitable for me to mention here a small occurrence which happened to one of the more clever personalities³⁷ upon meeting those who claim to render audiences with the spirits of the dead. When he came to them, he said: I want you to bring before me my mother who died many years ago. So they brought before him a shayṭān who had adopted the appearance and characteristics of his mother. The shayṭān spoke to him with the same speech he used to know from his mother and told him things that that he used associate with her. To the extent that it was as if he was speaking to his mother and she was answering him. Upon seeing this, he desired to test them with that which would reveal their weakness. He said: I want you to bring before me a man that died more than one thousand three hundred years ago, more than a third of a century ago. The name of this man is: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib—that is, the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم). This clever person was fully aware of that which had been narrated in authentic narrations that the shayṭān are unable to adopt the appearance of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).³⁸ They promised to bring him before him. Then, they said: We are unable to bring this man. It then became abundantly clear that their actions were all born of trickery and misguidance. He then mentioned this occurrence to the people such that they may take precautionary measures against such people.

As for what had been mentioned with regards to al-Banūrī’s vehement praise for IbnʿArabī, it is among the clearest proofs of his disbelief. This is because Ibn ‘Arabī was the head proponent for the idea of a united existence—the proponents of this ideology being among the most potent and extreme disbelievers on the face of the earth. The most reputable among the senior scholars have said concerning him: Indeed, Ibn ʿArabī is a disbelieving atheist. While others have said: He is more extreme in disbelief than even the Jews and Christians. For his books are full of disbelief. Al-Dhahabī said in his book ‘Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ’: Among the most contemptible of his compositions is that of the book ‘al-Fuṣūṣ’. For if there is not blatant disbelief therein, then no disbelief exists in this world. We ask Allāh for forgiveness and safety. We cry out for aid and help to Allāh alone.

If this point has been satisfactorily established, then know also that one does not praise Ibn ʿArabī with exhaustive, vehement, commemoration except that he himself has also adopted the claim of a united existence, which is itself among the most contemptible forms of disbelief.

Endnotes:

[1] Al-Sirāj al-Munīr: 7
[2] Translator note: The jihād being referred to here is one that has fulfilled the prerequisites set in the sharīʿah, performed at its prescribed time under an appointed leader to make the word of Allāh highest according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
[3] Authentic: Narrated by Abū Dāwūd: 2486. Graded authentic by al-Albānī in ‘Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ’:2093.
[4] Authentic: Narrated by al-Bukhārī: 19.
[5] Al-Qawl al-Balīgh 76-7
[6] Here reference is made to the recitation of this verse by the Prophet [may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him] at the conquest of Makkah during the removal of the idols that used to be housed within the Kaʿbah.
[7] Al-Qawl al-Balīgh: 179-180
[8] Translator note: Wahhābī is a name used by the people of innovation to describe the ones they falsely claim blindly follow the daʿwah of Shaykh al-Islām Muḥammd ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb. The mashāyikh have refuted this claim and clarified its reason. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-ʿAbbād said: “The daʿwah of Shaykh Muḥammd ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (رحمه الله) is built upon following the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah, while while holding fasting to the way of the pious predecessors from the companions of the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and those who follow them in goodness. He did not invent a new way that opposed this methodology. Considering this, his daʿwah and those who benefit from his call should not be described as “wahhābi”. This is because associating oneself to a particular person is only applicable if the person in question originates a new way. However, he has not brought a way that is new. Rather, those who have not been guided to the upright, straight path aim to slander those who benefit from his call by naming them Wahhābiyyah. All for the sake of alienating others from benefiting from his blessed daʿwah that was built upon the Book of Allāh, the Sunnah, and that which the pious predecessors of this ummah had adopted.” See Manhaj al-Shaykh Muḥammd ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb fī al-Taʾlīf by Shaykh ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-ʿAbbād: 5-6
[9]  Al-Qawl al-Balīgh: 108-110
[10] Al-Sirāj al-Munīr: 10-11
[11] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī: 435-436 and Muslim: 531.
[12] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī: 417.
[13] Al-Qawl al-Balīgh: 127-129
[14] The Shaykh is being facetious here, referencing the ḥadīth: “The pen is lifted for three: the sleeping person until he awakens, the child until he experiences a nocturnal emission (reaches puberty), and the mentally retarded person until he attains mental clarity.” Narrated by al-Nasāʾī: 3432, al-Tirmidhī: 1423, and Abū Dāwūd: 4402. Graded authentic by Shaykh al-Albānī in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ: 3512.
[15] Authentic: narrated by Aḥmad 2: 50 and 92 and Abū Dāwūd: 4031. Graded authentic by Shaykh al-Albānī in Ghāyat al-Marām: 109.
[16] Al-Sirāj al-Munīr: 21-23
[17] Authentic: narrated with many wordings by al-Bukhārī 9:125 and Muslim: 1920, 1924. See also ‘Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr wa Ziyādatih’ 2:1219 by Shaykh al-Albānī for a collection of all the wordings of this ḥadīth.
[18] Al-Qawl al-Balīgh: 141-147
[19] Translator note: ‘sayyid’ is a term of reverence in Arabic and may be equivalent to ‘Sir’, ‘chief’, ‘master’ or ‘mister’ in English.
[20] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī: 2281.
[21] Authentic: narrated by Abū Dāwūd: 4806 and graded authentic by Shaykh al-Albānī. See Sunan Abī Dāwūd edited by Muḥī al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd.
[22] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī: 2557.
[23] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī: 5907.
[24] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī in al-Adab al-Mufrad and graded authentic by Shaykh al-Albānī in al-Rawḍ al-Nadhīr: 484.
[25] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī: 1229.
[26] See articles: “The Difference between Someone’s Name, Their Kunyah and Their Laqab” and “Some Important Facts about One’s Kunyah” by Shaykh Mūsá Shaeem 
[27] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhāri: 1912.
[28] Authentic: narrated by Muslim: 1166.
[29] Authentic: narrated by al-Bazzār: 1739 and graded authentic by Shaykh al-Albānī in Silsilah al-Aḥādīth al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 1112.
[30] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī: 1919.
[31] Weak: narrated by al-Bazzār: 4067 and graded weak by Shaykh al-Albānī in Dhaʿīf Mawārid al-Ẓamʾān: 154.
[32] Weak: graded weak by Shaykh al-Albānī in Dhaʿīf al-Jāmiʿ: 1646.
[33] Al-Sirāj al-Munīr: 41-42
[34] See al-Shihāb al-Thāqib: 53
[35]Al-Qawl al-Balīgh: 129-133
[36] See: A Clarification of Doubts Regarding Wahdah al-Wujūd by al-Allāmah Ibn Abu al-ʿIzz al-Ḥanafī
[37] Note: Those mentioned here were the grandchildren of King ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd.
[38] Authentic: narrated by al-Bukhārī: 110 and others.