Bareilawis History and Beliefs PDF

ii~t .
; n
EHSAN ELAHI ZAHEER
ted by
Dr. Abdullah
(Ph.D.)
IDARA T ARJUMAN AL-SUNNAH

hadm .ahore (Paklltan,
Phone No 41 .J I 30, 4' 3131
BAREILAWIS
History and Beliefs
By
EHSAN ELAHI ZAHEER
Translated by Dr. Abdullah

(Ph.D.)
IDARA TARJUMAN AL-SUNNAH

475 Shadman Colony Lahore (Pakistan)
Phone No: 413130. 413131
Ail rights reserved by the Idara
First Published
in 1985
Printed by Rasheed Ahmad Chaudhry

at Maktaba Jadeed Press,
4-Shara Fatima Jinnah, Lahore-3.
CONTENTS
Chapters page
Translator's Note 15
Foreword J7
Preface 25
Bareilawis 25
The need of writing a book on them 26
Excommunication of Muslims by them 27
Unity and Intergration 30
Chapter — I
Bareilawis: Their History and Founder 33

The Founder of iBareil* is
His Diseases 34
His Callousness and Harshness 36
Exaggerations of these poopleabout him 37
Infallible 39
Lies 41
His Family 42
Accusing the Bareilawi and rtis Family
of being a Shia by his,Adversaries .44
His Livelihood 45
His Habits 48-
His Method 49
His Works 51
The Lies of these peopleand their Exaggeration 53
The Realities 60
The Opposition of the Bareilawi to Jihad and
Mujahidin. 6'1
Agents of the Imperialism |6l
The Khilafat Movement 67
Non-Cooperation Movement 68
The Fatwa of the Bareilawi for Suspension
of Jihad. 70.
His Death 7*
The Exaggeration of the Bareilawis
about the Bareilawi 73'
The Defamation of the Companions of the
Prophet 73.
More Lies and Fabrications 76
The Leaders of Bareilawiyyat , 78
Nairn al-Din 78
Amjad Ali 79
Didar Ali 79
Hashmat Ali 80
Ahmad Yar 80
Chapter-II
Bareilawiyyat and its Doctrines 83

The Beliefs and Doctrines of Bareilawiyyat 83
Seeking help and relief from others
besides Allah 85
Seeking help from Prophet 85
Seeking help from Shaikh Abd al-Qadir Jilani 86
Seeking help from Ahmad Zaruq 87
Seeking help from Ibn-Alwan, Muhammad
al-Hanafi and Sayyid al-Badawi 88
Seeking help from Abu Imran, the Sufi Imams,
Musa al-Kazimi and Ibn al-Furghul 89
Refutation on the basis of the Quranic verses 90
The Verses of the Qur'an 91
Al-Bareilawi .91
The Power and Authority of the Prophets 96
and the Saints
The Verses of the Qur'an 97
The Belief of the Bareilawi 102
The Prophet, the Sustainer and the Donor 103
Shaikh Jilani, the Giver of Life and Death 107
The Bareillawi too 109
His Tomb too 110
Selection from his Tafsir (exegesis)
The Hearing of the Dead 113
The Dead hear 113
The Prophets are alive and hear 115
The death did not occur to the Prophet 115
There is no difference between his life
and death 116
The saints too are alive 116
Refutation on the basis of the Qur'an of the
Quran'ic verse by al-Alusi and Rashid Rida 118
The question of the knowledge of the Unseen 122
The word of Allah, the Exalted 123
The Prophets possessthe knowledge of the Unseen 124
The Prophet (peace be upon him) knows the fine
unseen things 124
These unseen things are not known to anyone
except to Allah—form the Qu>'an—from
theSunna 125
The Bareilawis oppose the explicit Qur'anic
verses 129
The Saints too know the five unseen things 135
And so and so
The Qur'anic verses belie them 135
The events too falsify them
The Question of the Humaneness of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) 136
The explicit verses indicate the Humaneness
of the Prophet 136
The Traditions of the Prophet too 140
The Opposition to the Qur'an and Hadith by
the Bareilawis
The Messenger of Allah is light from Allah
The Throne and supreme authority (Kursi ) have
been created from the light of the Prophet 147
The Angels too have been created from the
light of the Prophet
The Prophet had no shade . 149
Allah came down in Medina in the shape of ISO
the Prophet
The Question of Omnipresence and Omnis- 151
cience of the Prophet The Messenger of
Allah is Omnipresent and Omniscient
He witnessed the Creation of Adam and 152
whatever happened to him
The Prophet keeps watch over the Creationsand 152
the Chiefs of the righteous see him
The verses of the Qur'an falsify them 154
The events of the Life of the Prophet too 155
belie them.
Chapter-III
The Bareilawis and their Teachings '°1

The Teachings of the Bareilawiyyat 182
Sunna and Innovation in Religion
Plastering the graves with gypsum and building 184
erection over them
The Haoafi jurists and their viewpoint about 165
the plastering of the graves with gypsum
building erections over them
The reward for putting covers, turbans and 171
garments on the graves
Lighting lamps at the graves 171
The Teachings of the Hanafi Fiqh 172
The early centuries
The religious festivals and the death anniversaries 173
The Qur'an, the offering of al-Fatiha and
holds feasts after the death of a person on
appointed days 173
The Birthday ceremony of the Prophet 175
The Teachings of eating, drinking, usurping •
and plundering
The Teachings of Islam 176
Going round the graves
The Teachings of the Hanafis 177
The discourse on the birthday ceremony of
the Prophet on holding feasts after the
death of a person 177
Hiring some persons for recitation of the Qur'an 178
Visiting the sacred relics and getting blessing
from them
Getting blessing from the tombs of the
Prophets and Saints 178
Getting blessings from the figures and Illustra
tions 178
The Offerings to the attendants of the graves
who look after the visitors 179
The Teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) 179
The legal device for expiation for the liabili
ties due to the dead
The kissing of both thumbs after hearing the
name of the Prophet during ad-han
Refutation of this practice Igl
Writing on the shroud igi
Supplication after the funeral prayer 199
The calling of ad-hanat the grave. 204
Chapter-IV
The Bareilawis and Excommunication of the

Muslims 215
Excommunication of the Muslims in general
The Islam of the Bareilawis 216
Declaring Abd al-Wahhab and his followers to
be unbelievers 217
Declaring the Deobandies to ho unbelievers 222
Excommunication of the Nadawis
Excommunication of the poets of reformation 223
Excommunication of the leaders of education
Excommunication of the politicians
Excommunication of those who raised the
standard of Jihad 226
Excommunication of the missionaries of hte
Islamic state
The opinion of Abd al-Hayy Lucknawi
about the Bareilawi and Bareilawiyyat 228
Excommunication of other Muslims
The causes of excommunication of these people 232
The cause of excommunication of Ahl al-Hadith
The belief of this sect
The excommunication of Shaikh Ismail of Delhi 232
. The cause of his excommunication
Declaring the Imam of Ahl al-Hadith in the
sub-continent Shaikh Nadhir Husain of Delhi 235
The method of the Bareilawi and Bareilawiyyat
Abuses and blames
Excommunication of those who admire Deoband 236
Those who cooperate with the Deobandis
The heresy of the Deobandis is more severe .
than the heresy of the Jews and Hindus 237
Command to urinate upon the literature of
the Deobandis 238
The excommunication of the Nadawis
They belong to the companions of hell 238
All these groups are Wahhabis
The Wahhabis are more mean than Iblis 239
Funeral prayer should not be offered over
their dead 241
One should not pray behind them 241
The law about their mosques
The law about their ad-han 243
The prohibition of admission of the Wahhabis
to the mosques of the Bareilawis 243
Whoever offers funeral prayer over their dead
is a Wahhabi
One who offers funeral prayer over a Wahhabi 243

Having association and dealings with them
Drinking water from their well
The law about the address of solemnisation of
marriage by a Wahhabi and his marriage
The marriage of a Wahhabi is not valid either
with human being or with an animal 244
Zakat should not be paid to them
The children should not be sent to them for
education
The animal slaughtered by the Jews,

Christians and the illegitimate child is lawful 244
The Wahhabis are moredisgraceful than the dogs
The work "Taqwiyyat al-lman" by Shah
Ismail Shah id
244
The cause of excommunicating theMuhaddith
Den lav i 245
Selection from the biography of Sayyid
Nadhir Hussain by al-Ansari al-Yamani
Selection by Abd al-Hayy Lucknawi
Excommunication of the disciples of Sayyid
Nadhir Hussain 245
Selection from their biographies
Declaring Imam Ibn Hazm to be unbeliever 245
Abuses and reviles for Ibn Taimiyya 245
Reviles for Ibn al-Qayyem 245
Abusing al-Shawkani 246
Abusing Ibn Abd al-Wahhab 246
Abusing his followers, the Wahhabis in general 246
Criticism and Curses 247
Lies and Falsehoods 247
The excommunication of the Najdis in general 248
The excommunication of Al-Saud in particular 249
The excommunication of those who do not
excommunicate the eminent persons of
the Deobandies 249
the eminent persons of the Deobandies. 251
The excommunication of Shaikh Nanawtawi 252
The excommunication of Shaikh Gangohi 253
Abuses and Reviles 254
Abuses of Ashraf AliThanawi 255
The Cause of his excommunication 256
The excommunication of his adherents 257
The excommunication of those who are
doubtful about their unbelief 258
The moral character of the Bareilawi and the
ethics of Bareilawiyyat 259
Prohibition of studying the works of Ibn 269
Taimiyya
The fatwa of the Bareilawis about postpone
ment of the Hajj 270
The poets of reformation in the sub-continent
and the Bareilawis 274
Nadhir Ahmad Dehlawi is an unbeliever 272
Shibli Nu'mani is an unbeliever 272
Altaf Husain Hali is an unbeliever 272
Dhaka Allah (Zakaullah) is an unbeliever 273
NawwabMahdi Ali Khan is an unbeliever 273
Allama Iqbal is an unbeliever 274
Zafar Ali is an unbeliever 275
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, the founder of the
Muslim University of Aligarh, is an unbeliever 276
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of
Pakistan, is an unbeliever 276
His Political party, the Muslim League, isan
unbeliever . ^g
Ata Allah Shah al-Bukhari, the orator of the
sub-continent, is an unbeliever 277
General Muhammad Ziaul Haq, the present
President of Pakistan, is an unbeliever
The Governors of the provinces are unbelievers 277
He who prays behind the Imam of Masjid 278
Haram (Sacred Mosque) is an unbeliever 278
He who insults the Turkish cap (hat) is an
unbeliever
278
He who wears the English cap (hat) is an
unbeliever
278
He who disgraces a Sayyid is an unbeliever 278
He who argues about the ulema is an unbeliever 278
He who opposes Abu Hanifa is an unbeliever 278
He who allows the prostration before a 279
person besides Allah, is not unbeliever
He who deifies the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) is not unbeliever 279
He who says: "Glory be to me, what a great
position I have", is not unbeliever 279
He who calls "alim" an "uwailim" is unbeliever 279
The statement of the Bareilawis: "The Barei
lawi was cautious in declaring Muslim un
believers (tak-fir)" 279
The last word 280
Chapter - V
Bareilawiyyat and non-sense talk 281

Anecdotes and absurd talk 282
Tragedies and comedies
Response of the spiritual guide to the call of
his novice at a distance of one year's yourney
Disposition of the dead
The story of Madyan b. Ahmad 283
The story of Muhammad al-Hanafi 283
The proofs and arguments of the Bareilawis
The power and authority of the saints 283
The disappearance of the Throne from its place "284
The beastsof prey fear the saintsand obey them 285
A brazen story 286
The accompanying of the spiritual guide with
his novice from the cradle to the grave 287
A wicked story
The offerings and oblations 288
The saints possess the knowledge of the Unseen 289
A marvellous anecdote 289
These are the people who have bought stray
ing for guidance 290
The prophets and the saints are alive in their
graves 290
^ They know everything and dispose 291

The dead and the living 291
More anecdotes 292
Transfer of the dead from one place to another 294
The power of the saints to revive the dead 294
Their power over life and death 294
A saint took food but he said that he did
not have sexual intercourse with his wife 295
The patent polytheism 296
The saints, own paradiseand hell 297
The saints admit the companions of hell
to paradise 297
More anecdotes about their polytheism " 298
Non-sense talk and absurdities 299
That is the reach of their knowledge 299
Translator's Note
In the nameof Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Bareilawiyyat is a fistula, a perpetual running-sore of
the Muslim society as it came to surface in the last decades.
It constitutes neither a sect, nor a school of thought in the
strict sense of the term, but it can be considered a cult,
having a whole system of doctrines of its own. It is not a
religion within religion, but beyond religion. Like other
heretical sects, Bareilawiyyat deviates also from the right
path, enunciated explicitly in the Qur'an and elucidated by
the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). The followers of this
sect use the name of "Ahl al-Sunna" which ismisleading for
a common man. Urder the name of Sunna, they are using
every kind of extremism, exaggeration, innovations,heresies,
and blasphemies. Their tenets are mostly against the basic
teachings of Islam. The Bareilawis have entrusted the whole
universe to Allah's creatures instead of Allah; the prophets,
saints, spiritual guides, their novices, the righteous men and
their tombs. Grave-worship has become rampant among the
ignorant Muslims owing to the efforts of the Bareilawis. A
Muslim, who was monotheist and a firm believer in Allah,
now stands before the tombs, and bows, prostrates and goes
round them and supplicates like the supplication to Allah.
This is all due to the teachings of the Bareilawis. The beliefs
and practices have been condemned by Islam; as the Islam
came to annihilate them.
They have excommunicated the eminent Muslim Mo
lars, thinkers, jurists and reformers; even Quaid-i-Azam
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, and
Generel Muhammad Ziaul Haq, the present President of
Pakistan, could notescape their 'fatwa' of unbelief.
In refutation of the Bareilawis and their beliefs many
books and treatises have been written in Urdu. But there are
no scholarly work on them in Arabic and English. It is a
collective duty (Wajib Kafai) of the Muslims to produce
literature for the Arabic and English readers in order to ex
pose them. Allama Ehsan Elahi Zaheer, a renowned, inde
fatigable and an erudite scholar, has made a laudable service
to write an authentic book on the Bareilawis. He has written
this book in Arabic, so that the Muslims of the Middle
Eastern countries and other parts of the world can get the
first-hand information about this Indian sect. He has exposed
these people through their own tongue. He hasgonethrough
the whole available printed material, written by the Bareilawi
authorities and he has taken painstaking and the strenuous
efforts to analyse and scrutinise the Bareilawi beliefs and
practices. He has made the laborious researches in the original
sources and tried to refute their beliefs with the reference of
their own works. Allama Ehsan Elahi Zaheer has a full
command over the Arabic language. He has written this book
in the current Arabic idiom, coupled with a lucid and fluent
style, rarely found in the Arabic writings of the non-Arabs.
May Allah bless him and give him a great reward.
Arabic and English have their own idioms and styles.
Hence, translation of one into another is always difficult
for this cleavage. I have tried to keep the translation closer
to the original as far as possible, but not at the cost of the
language. The transliteration of the Arabic words and names
is in accordance with the international standard, usually in
practice in such works. References in the text to the Qur'anic
verses and their translation are from the English translation
of the Qur'an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, published by Sh.
Muhammad Ashraf, Lahore, Pakistan.
Translated by
Dr. Abdullah (Ph.D.)
\7
FOREWORD
Praise be to Allah and peace be upon the Chief of the

creation of Allah and the last of the prophets of Allah. May
Allah, the Exalted, invoke His blessings upon him, his
posterity, his companions, and those who showed devotion
and fidelity to him.
To proceed: I have been given the opportunity of
reading the work "Al-Bareilawiyya" (in Arabic) by the
most worthy and learned Professor Ehsan Elahi Zaheer,
about this isolated sect. If you find a group or a faction
separating itself from another group or faction reviling
them, all this is designed unfortunately for selfish ends out
of internal motives or out of some investigation owing to
weakness in the souls or ignoranceand deficiency in thinking.
If you find a group of people isolated from its root, deviating
from the path of its brother-groups and declaring their
teachings fundamentals and minutiae as unbelief (Kufr),
this is an attitude not accepted by reasons recognized by any
methodology. We could never have any knowledge or even
conceive of this sect except through this book which the
learned Professor Ehsan Elahi Zaheer has presented to the
readers. He has known this faction from nearby, fathomed
the depths of their dimensions by his eyesight and insight,
inwardly and outwardly, exhaustively read their sources,
digested them, and lived along with them in his country.
Through these sources he was able to acquaint the readers
with the reality of this group and to unfold the inabicious
18
truth which they concealed in their hearts to every body

except themselves and to those who were not like them.
This truth is hidden in their ailing souls, and whatever their
hearts hide is probably for greater.
If the learned author of this book had not close
relations with this group, by reason of neighbourhood and
association with them, and had we not placed our reliance
on his honesty of scholarship, and on the documentation of
his book with the original sources of that group, we could
not have even conceived of the existence of a group like them.
When we became familiar-with the evident standpoint
of this group and weighed them by the academic methods, we
found that with respect to methodology they wore insignifi
cant and weightless, for they stood on the two extremes of
excess and negligence, and laid their foundations on super
stitions and baseless thoughts.
Viewed from the standpoint of their passionate feeling,
proliferation, activity for spreading their false beliefs, mis
interpretation of facts by their erroneous thoughts to the
simple people and its propagation outside its homeland
(India and Pakistan), and obliterating the signs of truth by
exercising every possible means, even by excommunicating
their opponents all these factors have made their danger
more crucial than any other. It is binding on every person
who knows the truth of this sect to expose them. The
learned author has spent an appreciable effort by presenting
this book to us, so that we may become well-informed of
the affairs of this sect.
A reader is accustomed to find a foreword in the
beginning of every book like it which enlightens him with
its subject-matter, discloses to him its chapters and weighs
it with the balance of. academic norms to be familiar with
its truth, and evaluate it to judge its style and expression.
But this book does not need it, and a reader having an
insight can evaluate it himself and taste its charming style.
What is possible for me is that I may put forward
19
to the reader a few words and their clearly defined stand

points.
As regards a few words, I put them on record about
the author of this book, his academic efforts, his struggle
against these sects, and the endeavours made by him for the
Muslims in Indo-Pakistan subcontinent inmodern times by the
strength of his charming style and by his scholarly research.
Alongside of his work "Bareilawiyya", he profoundly wrote
about Qadiyani and Baby sects.
He also produced numerous treatises on the Shi'ites,
disclosing their dimensions which are worth consideration in
modem times. His writings about the contemporary sects
with their demolishing dogmas and misleading methods,
presenting a great danger to the beliefs and doctrines of
Muslims, are reckoned with this respect like those of his
' predecessors who wrote in their time about their contempo
rary sects, although only their name has survived today, or
whatever they recorded in the annals of history, like the
Mu'tazila, Khawarij and similar other sects. He- has the
privilege of combining the two cultures, Persian and Arabic,
and has a command over the local languages, Persian and
Urdu, alongwith Arabic. He has vast knowledge of traditional
as well as modern sciences, fundamentals of Islamic
methodology, the Qur'an and the Sunna, and Islamic
Jurisprudence. He is well versed in the Hanafi Law and the
law based on Hadith complied with his mastery over the
creed held by the early Muslims, acquired equally in his own
country and during his studies in Islamic University
al—Madinat al—Munawwara. For these reasons his writings
are characterised by gravity and balance and supported by
reasonable arguments and truthfulness.
The most significant reason is that he argues on the
basis of the authorities of the sect itself on which he writes
a book. Hence his writings are beyond suspicion. There
20 .
seems no reason to discredit any source which' he chooses

from their sources. Therefore, his works about various
Muslim sects have become sources and authorities for
researchers. The same logic consists in his works about this
sect which goes by the name of Bareilawis. These are a few
words which I intend to present to the readers about the
learned author of this book.
A few significant points on which I want to stress
more, are concerned with Bareilawis and I have got these
points from the pages of this book.
First, the period relating to the life-hostory of the
founder of this sect, the detailed events of his life, and his
appearance on the. scene between 1272 A.H./1855 A.D.
and 1340 A.H./1921 A.D. was not one of academic,
intellectual and literary movement in India, for the country
during this period succumbed under the iron-hand of the
British colonialists to crush all the movements which seek
life or any movement towards life. Hence this sect appeared
under the patronage of the imperialists for selfish interests
and adjustment rather for rendering service to them. Nothing
is more indicative of this fact than the study of the atmos
phere of this movement in his day. The same case was with
the Qadianiyya. The learned author himself has exposed its
truth, and the attitude of its friendship and service of the
British Imperialism.
Allah has made him (the founder of the sect) speak
in some of his tracts that he warns the British against the
danger of the Wahhabis. This implies that he was a sincere
friend of the Britishers, who were opponents and adversaries
of the call (Da'wa) that was witnessed by the Muslim
intellectuals with all its benefits and abilities, The delegates
of the Muslims of the Islamic world paya visit to this country
to receive Islamic education in its universities. The historical
standpoint about the origin of this sect is sufficient to show
21
the object of its existence and the need for the support of the
Imperialists.
The learned author has disclosed the extent to which
the eponym of this sect received the aid and support from
the British, although he pretended to the naive people by its
use that he had only a small bag from which he used to
bring out money, jewellery and cloths.
As regards the genesis of its founder, his first teacher
was Mirza Qadir Baig who was a brother of Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad Qadiyani. Thus it is true to say that the Qadiyanis
and the Bareilawis were twin brothers in the service of the
Imperialists.
(Although he is not she, or she is not he, yet
he is her brother; his mother has suckled him
with her breast.)
If the Qadiyani and the Bareilawi (i.e. the founders)
had come to know the decline of the Imperialists in their
country, and withdrawal of their assistance from them, they
wo ild have changed their stand. Nonetheless, their eyes were
no blind, but their hearts in their chests were blind.
Secondly, now I deal with the school of thought of
rhe Bareilawis. They have combined the two extremes and
negligence.
(a) They have exaggerated in their beliefs about
their deities except Allah, whether they are alive or dead,
so much so that they have given them the attributes of
omnipotent. They believe that their divines and missionaries
have treasures of the world in their land, and the pens of
salvation in the next world lie with them.
These are the beliefs not held by a same person, not
even by a polytheist before Islam.
(b) They have exercised negligence by supposing the
ransom sufficient for a person who abondoned prayer during
his whole life; the ransom.is offered to their missionaries in
proportion to the number of years he had not prayed.
22
Thirdly, they have excommunicated all Muslims

except themselves, even the Deobandis and the Hanafis. This
implies their stupidity and short-sightedness, for the
Deobandis share the Hanafi law with them, and both the
groups owe their origin to the Hanafis when they excommu
nicate the Deobandis, while the Deobandis are the Hanafis
and the* Bareilawis too are the Hanafis, the conclusion is
that the Bareilawis are also unbelievers (Kuffar). This is an
obvious logical reasoning. The scholars in the past have
said: "He who abuses his genius abuses himself." They have
thus excommunicated themselves unconsciously. The
excommunication of others by them has become their
symbol; they did not leave anyone, and exceeded the limits
so much so that the author has mentioned about the founder
of. this sect that sometimes he excommunicated himself.
He was like the poet Jarir. When his satire knew no bounds,
he could not control himself to satarise; whenever he did not
find anyone to satarise, he satarised himself.
If we try to search for the cause of excommunication
of persons other than themselves, we find that it is one thing:
unbelief of others in their non-sense talk and superstitions.
As a result of this extremism, precipitance and easy
excommunication of others, they excommunicated
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, the Pakistani
poet of Islam, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, even the present
President of Pakistan, Muhammad Ziaul Haq.
I believe that this is but natural with them, for these
persons were the enemies of his friends, the Colonialists.
They were the people who struggled in expelling them from
their countries, and cut off what he (the founder) used to
recsitetrom them. Therefore, it is no wonder that they
were unbelievers {Kuffar) in their eyes.
Fourthly, they began the excommunication of
Muslims, outside the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent with Imam
23
tbn Taimiyya (may Allah have mercy on him) whose

excellence and prestige have been testified by the whole
world, and -even his opponent could not censure his
knowledge and merit. They also made the target of
excommunication al—Shaikh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al—
Wahhab, who touched the contemporary world and every
just person. He called all the Muslims to bring their cases
for adjudication to Allah's Book and to the Sunna of His
Prophet. He threw back the innovations and false beliefs
which are not held by the pious Muslims of the early
centuries of Islam. He prevented the people from the
following evils: begging from others than Allah, seeking
help from others than Allah, or doing an act repugnant to
the practice of the early Muslims — a period which has been
testified as good by the Prophet (may peace be upon him).
He invited to the unity of the Muslim people under the
banner of
( there is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah:), and to make the Shari'a
(Islamic Law) the arbiter.
At present when we are in need of unity and solidarity,
the Bareilawi (the founder of the sect) declares everyone
except himself as unbeliever [Kafir), thus splitting the Muslim
community and demolishing the foundation of religion.
He is reverting the people from the worship of Allah
alone to the adoration of many persons, who, in his opinion,
respond to those who call them, help those who call them for
help, and distracting them from the Sunna of His Messenger,
thus leading them to adherence to these evil passions and
desires.
It would be impossible for a man to testify to all
these facts existing in a sect, if the learned author did not
record the contents of this book to which we have appended
this Foreword. Soon the reader will see himself and give a
24
judgment. Allah is the guide to the straight path.

On this occasion when the Colonialists have departed
from their country and the ties with them have been
discontinued, I appeal to this group to return to the place
from where they started and to look afresh at the legal
school which they follow, and at the beliefs held by the
Imam (founder) of that school, i.e. Abu Hanifa (may Allah
have mercy on him), especially they should look into his
work al-Fiqh al-Akbar which pertains to the dogmas.
They should also look into the Book of Allah, the
Sunna of His Messenger (may Allah invoke peace and blessings
upon him) and the practice of the ancestors in the early
centuries of Islam. There is a chance for them that $lah
may illuminate their insight, disclose their breasts, and
guide them to the straight path. He has power over all
things.
A Itiya Muhammad Salim, Judge, Court of Law,

al—Madinat al—Munawwara, and teacher in
al—Masjid al—Nabawi.
25
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the

Merciful.
PREFACE
Praise be to Allah, than whom there is no god but He

alone, blessings and peace be upon His Prophet Muhammad,
the last of the Prophets, after whom there is no prophet,
and upon his posterity and companions, and upon those
who followed their way, and adhered to their manners,
till the day of judgement.
To proceed: I am presenting now to the readers a
new book about a new sect among the sects of Indo-Pakistan
sub-continent. This is the present work "Bareilawiyyat"
in their lands.
This sect is now among the sects of the subcontinent in

respect of its genesis and beliefs constitutinga partof a large
number of innovating and superstitious sects, spread all over
the Islamic world under different names and forms. For this
reason I thought that I should write a book on them in
Arabic, as I have written on other sects who have strayed
from the right path.
When a reader, to any country he may belong, reads
their beliefs and teachings in this book, he will feel that as
if he is reading about the same sects that are found in his
country under different names, as Tijaniyya, Sanusiyya,
Malidawiyya, Qadiriyya, Chishtiya, Rifa'iyya, and many
other spread all over the Islamic countries. Some inhabitants
of these countries know nothing about Islam except a few
customs and rituals which they have inherited from their
ancestors. By. persecuting offerings and sacrifices to the.
26
ignorant saints and sufi divines, they take it as performing

painstaking worship and discharging the obligatory duties
of religion. Among these rituals some of them are as follows:
to pay visit on every Thursday and on some particular days
during the year to the tombs of those whom they consider
their saints and divines; to hold death anniversaries at the
tombs, birthday celebrations and similar other evil practices
which permeated the Muslim society from the non-Muslim
neighbouring countries, like Hindus, Magians and idolators.
Some countries have inherited the evils from the most
ignoble Imperialism known to history, the English Crusaders
after their dominance over their countries.
A person, having some knowledge, knows that Islam
is a religion of action but the Muslims in general have kept
away from action and belief, except one who entertained the
fear of standing before his Lord, and restrained soul from
lower desires. Therefore, they have neither actions nor
beliefs. They shortened the way and changed it, and adopted
superstitions, rituals and ceremonies in place of deeds. The
reader will find a detailed discussion of these things in this
book authenticated with the original reliable sources, as
he will find such.things existing in actual practice.
I had no intention of writing on the Bareilawis after
I had written about straying sects and other rebellious
factions, like the Qadiyanis, Babis, Baha'is, Batinis and
the Shi'ah, for I thought that this sect was the product of
ignorance. The more the knowledge spreads wide and
ignorance diminishes, and the worthy world is illuminated,
the more the acrimony of their activity will subside the
excitement to be extinguished, their endeavours shrink, and
their tables be turned over. This will happen with them and
with the similar sects in the Muslim world. But I find that
their activities are on the increase, and their efforts are
accumulated, coupled with the cooperation of their brethren
27
in faith in foreign countries in order to spread their false

beliefs, and to disfigure the hoary face of Islam? They are
doing this by propagating the anecdotes, non-sense and
unfounded beliefs, talks and humbugs, like the supernatural
power of the prophets and saints, and the authorities of
divines and sufis, treating the obligations and sacrifices as
prayer, alms-giving (Zakat) and a substitute for fasting and
pilgrimage (Hajj), thus making the common man stray from
the straight path. They dupe and conspire against the
followers of the Qur'an and the Sunna, and against those
who call to the unity of Allah, and have belief in the purity
of the unity of Allah, in His godhead and lordship, and unity
of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him),
and against those who strictly follow the Sunna of the
Prophet (may peace be upon him) and exhort the Muslims to
adhere to the Qur'an and the Sunna in place of sayings of
the saints and sufis. They accuse everyone who calls to
action and to adhere to the Qur'an and Sunna, of Wahhabism
and of disparaging the saints and divines. Moreover, they
have issued fatwas (verdicts) of excommunication, declaring
as unbeliever (Kafir) everyone who does'not believe in their
superstitions and opposes their opinions based on false imagi
nation and beliefs derived from idolators, polytheists, and
Hindus, and their teachings which call the Muslims to
ignorance and non-sense. Besides, they attacked the eminent
1. They held a conference on a large scale in England

three years ago. A large number of people belonging
to this superstitious and innovating sect were assem
bled from most of the countries of the world. It is
curious to note that they could not find any Muslim
country or any Islamic state to hold this Conference.
28
scholars of this community who had the honour of spreading

the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunna and of defending
them, and refuted the interpolation of the interpolators, and
the allegories of the allegoristswho supported with them (i.e.
the Qur'an and Sunna) for their wordly ends, and mean evil
passions by their allegories. These scholars also repelled
anyone who intended to suspend the divine law and its
implementation.
My ignorance of. their true position prevented me from
writing about them, for I thought — and many others like
me would think — that they have deviated from the straight
path and the clear beliefs held by the early Muslims by
reason of their keeping away from true knowledge and
ignorance.
But when I wrote about the Shi'a and their beliefs
and scraped them, I found that they too had taken their
beliefs from that bubbling source: from the Bareilawis and
their likes in the past and present, attributed to the Ahl al-
Sunna. But there is a great difference between the Ahl al—
Sunna and these sects. They are in one velley, and the
Ahl al—Sunna are in another valley.
Hence, I was dismayed — and the reader will alsgbe
dismayed — when I read the beliefs of these people from
their original sources. These beliefs have no relation with
Islam, rather they are the very beliefs that were held by the
polytheists and the idolators of Arabia before the
commission of the Great Prophet (may peace be upon him).
Even such hyperbolism and extremism in associating with
Allah, and withdrawal of His power and authority as shown
by this sect were not in existence in pagan Arabia. The
status they give to their alleged saints, divines and leading
personalities, the various forms of polytheism and invention
of fables and anecdotes, and fabrication of false reports and
29
rumours by them, are all conclusive proofs of their fabrica

tion and invention. The proof of falsehood is but falsehood.
There is no comparison between the Arab polytheists and
idolators before Islam and the Bareilawis, as the latter have
far surpassed them in variety and multiplicity.
Secondly, I refrained from writing on them, especially
in Arabic, as in the beginning I thought that this sect did
not exist outside the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, although
the Islamic world is in need of acquaintances with the affairs,
beliefs and opinions of the Muslims of this part of the world
owing to the existence of a large number of Muslims in this
region. The Muslims of Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and other
neighbouring countries constitute more than three hundred
million people.
But this conjecture of mine did not last long, when I
found the same beliefs, dogmas,, non-sence talk, fables,
misinterpretation of the Qur'anic verses and interpolation,
negligence of the Sunna, deviation from the texts of the
Qur'an and the Sunna, arguments on the basis of preternatural
phenomena, and alleged miracles, in other countries from the
Far East to the Far West, from Africa to Asia.
I proceeded and commenced this work seeking help
from Allah and asking Him for success. I did not feel much
difficulty in forming my opinion that I should write about
them in Arabic alongside of writing in Urdu — the language
of the Muslims of this subcontinent, for this sect exists, with
its thoughts, beliefs and doctrines in other Muslim countries
under various names varying in local colour from region
to region.
Those who are concerned with the affairs of the
Muslims and their reformation, and those who want to work
in the Islamic field and to be armed with the fatal weapons
to fight against polytheism, innovation, deviation from the
right path, will benefit from the book, for their acquaintance
JO
with false beliefs of the followers of evil passions and

temptations, and arguments of pretenders. Similarly, the
general readers will also benefit from this book for their
familiarity with the hidden truths and secrets in their works
and treatises.
I am fully aware that some unwise and gullible persons
from the advocates of unity and nearness among the
Muslim sects will frown. But I have repeatedly stated that
unity and agreement are not achieved without the unity of
beliefs and doctrines, for unity means agreement on
principles and approach.
Therefore, it is essential that we should unite ourselves,

by returning to the Book of Allah" and the Sunna of His
Prophet, and by correcting the beliefs in their light, and
should give up fanatacism and following the sayings of men,
and adherence to the methods of the sufis and their
superstitions. It isworthy of note that in the beginning these
things appear to be very light and easy, but ultimately they
lead to deviation from Islam, and its teachings and methods.
The reader will find a detailed analysis of these points
in this book.
I have spent my best possible efforts in writing this
book and took pains in reading more than three hundred
treatises and books — devoid of sense and knowledge. A
person who has been involved in it can best understand
the phenomena. But when I made it incumbent on me
that I would mention everything in this book from the
sources of the sect whom I am going to refute, it became
necessary for me that I should have patience and perseve
rance. I believe that Allah will give me its reward.
In conclusion, let me put on record that this book
would not have come out with this beautiful get up —
inspite of some printing mistakes and lack of care— if
some of my friends and teachers of Islamic University,
Medina, and its authorities had not taken care of it.
31
Every one of them endeavoured to provide to me

what I needed and even what I did not need. As a result of
their efforts the printing of this book in a press in the city
of the Prophet (may peace be upon him) became possible,
for me. I am fighting against these oppressors and attacking
them to uplift the Sunna and to defend his teachings.
My gratitude is due to my brothers of Matabi' al-
Rashid in Medina who made their best efforts to complete
this work in the earliest possible time. May Allah reward
them all.
I feel myself proud at the moment when I am writing
these lines in the mid-night in front of al-Masjid al-Nabawi
in this blessed part of the world. I hope that Allah, the
Almighty, will accept this humble work from me, and make
it sincere and pure for His pleasure, and will help me to
defend His unity, self-sufficiency, power, and majesty, and
the Sunna of His Prophet, the Chosen one, Muhammad
(peace be upon him) as long as I live, the fingers move, the
tongue speaks and the heart throbs. He is the All-hearing
and All-responding.
May Allah invoke His peace and blessings upon our
chief Muhammad the last of the prophets, and chief of the
prophets, the leader of the pious, and upon hiscompanions,
whose foreheads are illuminated and who are blessed, and
upon their followers who follow them in a good manner,
and who are not innovators in religion, till the Day of
Judgment.
EHSAN ELAHI ZAHEER
AL-MADINAT AL-MUNAWWARA,
THURSDAY NIGHT,
23 March 1983.
12 Jumada al-Akhira, 1403 A.H.
33
CHAPTER-I
THE BAREILAWIS
THEIR HISTORY AND THEIR EPONYM
The Bareilawis belong to a sect which is among the

sects of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent belonging to the Hanafi
school of law. This name is applied to them for their
attribution to their eponym, the promotor of their word,
the founder of their bases, and the expounder of their
principles and foundations, Ahmad Rida, the Bareilawi,1
who was born in Bareilly,2 a city in India in the province of
Uttar Prgdesh.3 ,
This sect is distinguished by this name from other
Hanafi sects existing in the subcontinent, like the Deobandis,
Nadawis, Tawhidis and others.
The leader and founder of this'sect was born^ in a
learned family on 14 June 1865/10 Shawwal, 1272 A.H.
His father Naqi 'Ali and grandfather Rida 'Ali were considered
the Hanfi 'Ulama' (scholars).5 He was named Muhammad.
His mother named him Amman Miyan, his father Ahmad
1. Da'irat al-Ma'arif al-lslamiyya (Urdu), Lahore:

University of the Punjab, 1969, Vol.IV, p. 485.
2. Al'-Bastawi: A'la Hadrat Bareilawi, Lahore, n.d.,p.25;
Zafar al-Din Bihari Ridawi: Hayat A'la Hadrat,
Karachi, n.d.
3. Da'irat al-Ma'arif, loc. cit., Vol.IV, p.487.
4. Hayat Al'la Hadrat. Vol. I, p.1.
5. Tadhkira 'Ulama'i Hind. p.64.
34
Miyanand his grandfather Ahmad Rida.6 But he liked none

of these names and named himself 'Abd al-Mustafa,7 and
heused it regularly in his correspondence, treatises, and books.
It is said that he was deeply dark, having a murky
colour. His opponents used to condemn him on account of
the darkness of his face. A scholar produced a book in
refutation of his ideas. He named this book "al-Tin al-
Lazib 'ala al-Aswad al-Kadhib" (sticking clay on the dark
liar).8 His nephew himself has admitted it. He writes: "In his
young age he had deep brown colour, but strenuous efforts
changed his colour and removed the freshness of his face".
He was slim and slender,10 suffering from pain in
kidneys and from other chronic diseases.11 He always
suffered from pain in his back12 and from intense headache
and fever.13 He had a white speck in his right eye, and
felt severe pain in it as it was badly damaged on account of
this excess of water in this affected age. He underwent
medical treatment for a long time, but the eye was not
healed up till the end of his life.14 Reports tell us that once
his meal was placed before him, both bread and curry. He
ate the curry and drank the soup, but did notsee the bread.
When his wife asked him about it, he replied," I did not see
6. Al-Bastawi: Al-Bareilawi, p.25.

7. Al-Qadiri: Man huwa Ahmad Rida?, (Who is Ahmad
Rida), p.15.
8. He was Murtada Hasan, an eminent Hanafi 'alim
(scholar).
9. Al-Bastawi: al-Bareilawi, p.20,
10. Hayat A'la Hadrat, Vol.1, p.35.
11. Al-Bastawi: al-Bareilawi, p.20.
12. Hayat A'la Hadrat, p.28.
13. Malfuzat Bareilawi, p.64.
14. Ibid., pp. 20-21.
35
the bread," although it was placed before him with the

curry."15
He was absent-minded, weak in memory and utterly
forgetful. One of his disciples reports: "It was the habit of
the Bareilawi that he wore the glasses when he wrote or read
something, for his eyesight was weak, and he could not read
or write without glasses. During his leisure hours he lifted
it from his eyes and placed it on his forehead. Once some
persons came to him when he was writing. He lifted his
glasses and as usual placed it on his forehead; then he became
busy with talking to them. When he finished, he intended to
write and searched for the glasses. He forgot that it was on
his forehead. For a while he was perplexed and remained
inactive. When he suddenly wiped his face with his hand,
the glasses came down to his nose. Thereupon he remembered
that he had kept it on his forehead".'6
Once he suffered from plague and vomited blood.17
He was hot-tempered,18 quickly excitable, severely erasable,
insolent, given to cursing, reviling, obscene, and lewd in his
language. Sometimes he uttered the words that were not
worthy of a common man,<much less of a man to whom
learning and leadership have been attributed. Trhs habit
was so much deep-rotted in him that his friends and
advocates of his beliefs and thoughts were forced to say,
"He was hard-hearted and callous to his opponents. He did
not takeany care required by the Shari'a."20
15. Anwar Rida, p.360.

17. Ibid,p.22.
19. Mas'ud Ahmad: al-Fadil al-Bareilawi, p.199.
36
For this reason people hated him and separated from

him, so much so that his most sincere friends despised him
and abandoned him in the long run. One of them was
Muhammad Yasin, founder and manager of a religious
madrasa (seminary) called Isha'at al-Ulum-a pious and
learned person who considered the Bareilawi his teacher.
He abandoned Bareilawism, separated himself, from his party
and the Deobandis alongwith his madrasa (seminary)/1
Moreover, the madrasa (seminary) which his father had
established in .Bareilly and founded it under the name;
Misbah al-Tahdhib severed itself from Bareilawism on
account of his severity, callousness, and insolence to the
people, and declaring the Muslims as Kafir (unbeliever).
This madrasa (seminary) severed itself from him and it joined
the Wahhabis. Consequently, there remained no madrasa
(seminary) of the Bareilawis in their own city despite the
presence of A'la Hadrat (His Highness) in it.22 These were
the consequences of his harshness and crudeness.
The Bareilawis narrate anecdotes and fabricated stories
about their imam (leader) like other sects who build the
edifice of their sect on fictitious stories to raise the value and
rank of their imam and to promote their message and call,
despite the fact that falsehood draws disparagement and
blame instead of praise and laudation.
They narrate: He finished the recitation of the Qur'an
when he was four years old, rather far before this age. (i.e.
when he was three or even before that). When he sat before
his teacher to begin the Arabic alphabets, his teacher began
with "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the
Merciful." He then taught alif, ba, ta till he instructed him by
saying: tarn alif: la. The Bateilawi kept silence and his

22. Ibid.
37
teacher instructed him again. He said: lam alif: la. The

Bareilawi, the child said: I have read alif and read lam. Now
read as your teacher teaches you. The child then looked at
the grandfather in a manner which his grandfather'under*
stood by the light of his faith that this child would bear
learning and wisdom. He will illuminate the world by his
light, and he wants to disclose the secrets from his heart and
eye from now. So he said, "You are right. You have
previously read alif and lam, but the alif which you learned
previously was not the true alif, but it was hamza, because
alif is always vowelless and it is impossible to begin a word
with a vowelles letter. Hence lam was placed before it, so that
alif could be knov.n.The Bareilawi, the child, was still
dissatisfied the second time and he said: Why has the lam
been particularised for the beginning; it could be begun
with ba*tae, dal and sin.
The. grandfather was bewildered and said, "It was
begun with lam, for it agreed with alif in shape and
character23.....^!! the end of this non-sense talk .
One may ask these non-Arabs How is there the
agreement between the alif and lam in respect of shape
and character, which the child of three or four years of age
noticed, and that was not known even to the teachers of
the languages and experts, and they did not notice this
absurd talk?'
On the first day of his education the child realised
that his people wanted to establish resemblance between
their leader and the Prophets, for the latter learnt without
receiving education from any creature. Moreover, they
endeavoured to give him supremacy and to raise his rank
over them (i.e. the prophets). (We seek refuge with Allah
from such non-sence talk). No such hyperbolic praise, as they
23. Al-Bastawi, al-Bareilawi, pp.26-27; Anwar Rida, p.35.

38
allege, has been reported about any of the prophets through

sound chain of narrators in the reliable collections of Hadith,
except in the fabricated narratives and works, containing
fictitious stories and lies attributed to some of them (i.e.
prophets).
But they purposely designed to tell such tales about
him, for before telling this story many similar stories have
been mentioned in his biographies, implying that Ahmad
Rida did not need the education through his teachers, for
Allah Himself has taught him since his birth or perhaps
before his birth.
These story-tellers have expressly mentioned this
fact. Before narrating this story one of them says: 'The
knower of the unseen has filled his heart and soul, and his
mind and thought with faith and belief. He has filled his
chest with blessings and made it a treasure for them. Hence
the A'la Hadrat (His Highness) (Allah be pleased with him)
apparently walked on the paths of the world of causes".24
He himself was not satisfied with the rank less than
that of the prophets. Once he said to his followers and
novices while he was suffering from headache and fever,
'These diseases are blessed; they stuck to the prophets
(peace be upon them). Praise be to Allah; they have stuck
to me as they had stuck to them."26
Besides, he used to say: 'The date of my birth can. be
derived from the word of Allah and which applies to the
following verse:26
24. Ibid., p.26.

25. Malfuzat, Vol. 1,p.64.
39
"For such He has wirtten Faith in their hearts and

strengthened them with a spirit from Himself(LVIII:22)".
Writing about his childhood Zafar al-Din says that
while reciting the Qur'an (when he was less than four years)
his teacher instructed him in a Qur'anic verse. But the
Bareilawi could not recite it despite his repeated effort
to do. so. His grandfather noticed it and was amazed.After
looking in the copy of the Qur'an he saw that there was
some grammatical mistakes in the recitation of the teacher.
The Bareiiawi's tongue declined to recite this verse
u ngrammatically. '
This shows that he was infallible since his childhood.,
and he did not speak even an erroneous word. Some of his
followers have expressly mentioned it. How daring they are
to Allah I Many of them have written: "The pen of Ahmad
Rida and his tongue were immune from a slip, even from a
point, although it is an established fact that every scholar
has a slip".2.8 Another follower says "The Bareilawi did
not utter even a word from his tongue repugnant to the
Shari'a. Allah has protected him from every lapse".29
Another follower says: "Since his childhood Ahmad Rida
has been protected from straying and error, and adherence
to the straight path was ingrained in his nature".3"
Another statement goes: "Allah has protected his pen
and tongue from error".31 A more express statement runs:
"A'la Hadrat (His Highness), the Bareilawi, was in the hand
27. Ibid., p.22.

28. Abd al-Hakim Sharaf: Yadi AJia Hadrat, p.32.
29. Muhammad Asghar al-'Alawi: Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya
Introduction, Vol. II, p.5.
31. Ibid.,p.271.
40
of al-Ghawth al-A'zam (Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani) like a

pen in the wirter's hand, and al-Ghawth al-A'zam was in
the hand of the Prophet (may peace be upon him) like a
pen in the writer's hand, and the prophet (may peace be
upon him) does not speak of his own passion in the presence
of Allah".32
The Bareilawi himself has said about him: "Allah's*
pleasure lies with the Prophet's pleasure and the prophet's
pleasure lies with the pleasure of the Bareilawi".33 He
further says: "The existence of the Bareilawi is a sign from
the exact signs of Allah."34 Disgracing the companions of
the Prophet (may peace be upon him) one of his followers
said: "Our paying visit to the Bareilawi has lessened our
eagerness to visit the Companions of the Prophet (peace be
upon him)".36 These are the absurd talks and fictitious
'stories forged by them to prove their lies and fabrications
true, but the lie does not benefit the liar.
Finally, they have narrated another story. How mean
and wicked it isl It goes: A man met the Bareilawi when he
was three years and six months old. He talked to him in
eloquent Arabic, and the Bareilawi replied to him in Arabic
in the same manner. The man wasnot seen later.36
They were not content to narrate these fables. Above
all, they have narrated another story: "While teaching him
once K!s father said to him: "I do not know whether I
leach you or you teach me. At that time his age did not
exceed ten years".3'

33. Ayyub Ridwi Bagh-i Firdaus, p.7.
34. Anwar Rida, P,100.
35. Wasaya al-Bareilawi, p.24.
37. Introduction to Fatawa Ridwiyya, Vol.II, p.6.
41
It is worthy of note that the teacher who used to

teach him was Mirza Ghulam Qadir Baig,38 the brother of
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani. the false prophet. It is
reported about him that he (the Bareilawi) completed his
education and occupied the seat of ifta (issuing verdicts)
when he was below fourteen years.39 He himself has stated
in definite terms: Praise be to Allah, I issued the first fatwa
when I was fourteen years old on the 14th of Sha'ban,
1286 A.H. On this date prayer became obligatory on me,
and I turned to the Islamic injunctions".40 The Bareilawis
put forth this argument repeatedly to prove the eminence
of their leader during his childhood.41 But they forgot
this fabrication and the miracle of their leader when they
stated: He intended to learn the rational sciences from a
famous scholar who was expert in rational sciences from a
Shaikh Abd al-Haqq Khairabadi, son of Fadl al-Haqq
Khairabadi. But he did not agree to learn these sciences
from him, for he (the Bareilawi) was strictly opposed to the
Wahhabis, as they supposed.42 These people have expressly
stated that this event took place when he was twenty years
old.43 Moreover, they have written in their works that the
Bareilawi became the disciple of Sayyid Ali Rasul Shah in
1294 A.H./ 1876 A.D. and obtained a certificate from him in
Hadith and other sciences.44 Later he studied some sciences
with his son Abu'l-Husain Ahmad in 1296 A.H./1878 A.D 45
38. Al-Bastawi: al-Bareilawi, p.36; A'la Hadrat, p. 32.

39. Al-Bareilawi, p.32.
40. Al-Qadiri: Man huwa Ahmad Rida, p.17. .
41. Hayat A'la Hadrat, p.33; Anwar Rida, p.357.
42. Ibid.; Ibid.
43. Al-Bastawi: al-Bareilawi, p.35.
45. Hayat A'la Hadrat, pp.34-35.
42
It is obvious that there is a long period of twenty-four years

between the date of his birth. 1272 A.H./1865 A.D. and the
year 1296 A.H./1878 A.D. In such an age a man does not
need the learning of arithmatic. A man with a least
knowledge can understand it at first sight An old adage
goes: A liar has no memory.
HIS FAMILY AND LIVELIHOOD:
Not much is known about the family in which the

Bareilawi was born. His father and grandfather were amongst
those who were considered scholars.
The opponents are of the view that he (the Bareilawi)
belonged to a Shi'i family who exhibited themselves to be
the Sunnis for harming them. They argue on the basis of the
following points:
1. The names of his parents and ancestors were the
Shi'i names, and such names were not in vogue among the
Sunnis. These names are as follows: Ahmad Rida ibn Naqi
'Ali ibn Rida 'Ali ibn Kazim 'Ali.46
2. The Bareilawi has uttered such ignoble words
about 'A'ishah Siddiqa, the mother of the believers (Allah
be pleased with her) as cannot be conceived of uttering
them by a Sunni.47
3. He circulated among the Sunnis beliefs and ideas
which were not in circulation among the Sunnis in the
Indo-Pakistan subcontinent before him. All of them were
borrowed from the Shi'a. as the belief concerning the
knowledge of the unseen possessed by the prophets, and the
doctrine of will and power of man, and similar others.48
4. He used to narrate the Shi'i traditions and circulated
46. Ibid.,p.2.:..,_:..._.
47. A description of these words will follow.
48. Fatawa Bareilawiyya, p.14.
43
them among the Sunnis, as a tradition runs: " Ali is a

counterpart of fire.49. Another tradition says: "Fatima was
named so, for Allah has protected her children from fire".50
He said: "The order of the Helpers of the people
(ghawth) and of those who are called for help begins from
'Ali, ending at al-Hasan al-'Askari, the eleventh Imam of
theShia".5!
He said: " Ali removes calamity and obliterates misery
from him who recites the well-known Saifi supplication,
seven or three times, or only once. The supplication is
as follows:
i. " r"1' j**** L*J* jU'
t*il^Jl lyi iiJLJ l_j^* a^C
"Call 'Ali for help who is the manifestation of

wonders; you will find him a helper to you at the calamities".
"Every calamity and misery will be gone by your

protection, O'Ali, 0'Ali".52
Moreover, he said that the following couplet was
useful for the cure of the diseases; it is the cause of attaining
the medium and reward:'
49. AL-AMN WAL-ALA, p. 58

50. Al-Bareilawi: Khatm Nubuwwat, p.98.
51. Malfuzat.
52. Al-Amn wa'l • Ala, pp. 12-13.
44
"I posses five names by virtue of which I extinguish

the heat of the smashing epidemic: al-Mustafa. al-Murtada,
their both sons and F'atima".63
He then talks of divination Uafar), a Shi'i doctrine
and admits himself: "Jafar (divination) is a book written by
Ja'far al-Sadiq. In this book he has written for the family
of the Prophet (peace be upon him) whenever they need
it and.to realise it till the day of resurrection".64
The book "al-Jami'at al-Shi'a" also mentions it as
follows: "Al-Jafar and al-Jami'a are the names of books
written by 'Ali (Allah be pleased with him). He has.
mentioned in them incidents that would take place in the
world till the end of the time in the manner of the science
of letters. The well-known leaders among, his posterity
are familiar with it and themselves teach it".66 The Sunnis
have also reported the following false narrative admitted
by themselves: "It was said to the eighth Imam who was
infallible according to the Shi'a: Teach me words that I utter
when I visit any of you, 0 family of the Prophet(peace be
upon you). He replied: Come near the grave and utter the
words "Allah is most great" (Allahu Akbar) forty times,
they say: Peace be upon you, O family of the Prophet; I seek
your intercession and I submit to you my desire, my
intention, my problem, and my need. I call upon Allah as
a witness that I believe in your secrecy and in your openness,
and I acquit myself to Allah, the Exalted, from the enemy
of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, among the
Jinns and among men".66
He wrote in one of his epistles: 'There is no harm in
53. Fatawa Ridwiyya, Vol.lX, p.187.

54. KHALIS AL I'ATIQAD, p. 48
55. Ibid.
56. Hayat al-Mawat included in al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
45
keeping the statue of the tomb of al-Husain in the house

for the sake of blessing".67
Such examplescan be cited endlessly.
5. The claim of swearing allegiance to his spiritual
guide ends at the Prophet (may peace be upon him) through
the Shi'i Imams, as he himself has mentioned it in his own
words in Arabic.
"O Allah grant blessing, peace and favours to our
chief and master Muhammad, the chosen one, who occupies
a high place, to 'Ali al-Murtada, one with whom Allah is
pleased, and who occupies a lofty position, a submissive
person from his community, better than the persons bygone,
to al-Husain who is from his group, and better than so and
so, and to al-Husain, who belongs to persons who have
surpassed, to Zain al-'Abidin, who performs prostrations
frequently, B-aqir who possesses the teachings of the
prophets and supplier of the water of Kauthar, and master of
Tasnim, and to Ja'far who seeks the pleasure of his Lord, like
Moses, may Allah grant blessings to him,"
There are many grammatical mistakes in this passage
written in Arabic by the Bareilawi. This shows his eminence
and command over Arabic a person about whom it is said
that he used to speak Arabic when he was three years old.
We do not know which rules of grammar apply to
the following phrases in Arabic:
What is the meaning of the phrase: * *l-..".* •-' fJ^* •>**-*

And what does he mean by saying:
57. Vol. IV, p. 299.

58. Anwar Rida, p. 27.
46
6. He excommunicated the Ahl al-Sunna and the

eminent persons among them of this subcontinent and
outside it. He has expressly said that the Shari'a law of
mosques does not apply to their (Sunnis') mosques, i.e.
they are not mosques. It is not lawful to assemble with them
and to have marriage ties with them. But he did not make
the Shi'a the target of his Fatawa, and he did not talk of
their centres, their places of worship the traditions relating
to Husain. Conversely, they think that the Shi'a are the
posterity of Husain. Then they went to the Bareilawi to
choose a name for them, and he derived their name by
chronogram.69
7. He composed some odes in which he exaggera
ted the praise of the Shi'i leaders.60
For this reason his opponents accuse him and his
family of Shiism, and that he used to work for their cause,
and circulate their call under the guise of the Sunna.
As for his livelihood, various confused and contra
dictory reports have been related. Sometimes they say: He
belonged to the family of the farmers, and his family
reserved annual ration for him from their revenue, and on
this income he spent his days.61 But sometimes that amount
did not suffice him, so he borrowed money from others,
for it is reported that sometimes he did pot possess even a
single penny to buy the postage stamps.62 Sometimes they
say something antithetical: He was helped by the unseen
hand with a good deal of wealth. Al—Bihari al-Ridwi says:
"The Bareilawi had a locked hand-bag and opened it at the
time of, need. Whenever he opened it, he did not open
59. Sharaf Bareilawi: Yad A'la Hadrat, p. 29.

60. Al—Bareilawi: Hadaiq Bakhshish.
62. Hayat A'laXadrat, 58.
47
completely, except to the extent to which he entered his

hand. He would bring out wealth, jewelry, and clothes,
as-he liked".63
His son reports: "A'la Hadrat (His Highness) used
to distribute among the people and his friends a great
quantity of jewelry. Similarly, he bestowed on our wives
and daughters gold jewelry of various designs which he
brought out from that small bag. We were surprised to see
from where came all these valuable things".64
His opponents accuse him of getting a secret aid from
the British Government. This unseen hand was neither the
hand-bag nor any other thing. It was the hand of the British
Imperialism. They helped him in order to exploit him for
their selfish ends, especially for creating schism among the
Muslims, and for excommunicating those warriors who were
shedding their blood in the way of Allah, and sacrificing their
lives to promote the cause of Allah, and to purify their land
from the existence of the Imperialists.00
I myself think that this large income came from the
offerings and gifts presented to him by his simpleton followers
and novices, as it is the habit of the Indian Muslims, particu
larly of this sect and of other Sufi factions that they serve
their 'ulema and preachers by giving alms to them. Or that
might come from the salary reserved for them. The proof of
this assumption is that it is not certainly known about the
father and grandfather of the Bareilawi whether they were
engaged in agriculture, industry, trade, or some other
vocation, except that they led prayer in the mosques, and
the people gave them some remuneration for it. The
Bareilawi walked in their footsteps, for it is not established
63. Al— Bastawi: al—Bareilawi, p.75.

65. A detailed account will follow.
48
that he was engaged in any of these works even for a single

day. This is reinforced by the assertion by his disciple and
biographer al-Bihari. He says that the Bareilawi travelled
to Jaunpur and was guest withone of his followers. He present
ed to him thousand rupees in the currency of that day.
Ayyub 'Ali, one of his followers, relates that one day
not a single penny was left with the Bareilawi. He restlessly
spent the night. In the morning, a rich man came to him
and presented him an offering of Rs. 51/- through his son
Hasnain.67 Once again he became pennyless and had nothing
even to purchase postage stamps. A man who knew this
situation sent two hundred rupees to him.68
The literature of this sect is replete with such stories.
From these stories and narratives the reader can realise
that whatever we have stated about his income and livelihood
is authentic, and the rest is a fabrication, forged to raise the
degree of the man in the eyes of the rich people and of his
wandering followers, for a pleasure found in a lie is not found
in the truth. Otherwise, what is his poverty compared to his
generosity and endowments to the people from the vast
riches? What is the truth compared to the false and
imaginary stories?
HIS HABITS, MANNERS AND LANGUAGE:
Reports tell us that the Bareilawi was addicted to •

eating the Indian betel-leaf. This leaf grows abundantly
in India and Bengladesh. It is also said that during Ramadan
he was content to eating the betel-leaf alone after breaking
the fast.69
66. Hayat A'la Hadrat, p. 56.

67. Ibid., p. 56.
68. Ibid. p. 58.
49
He was also a /loofar/j-addict70 He preferred

smoking hookah even to eating and drinking. He himself and
his family used to present hookah to the visitors and the
guests,71 like the custom prevalent among the rabbles,
addicts and village** fn some regions of the subcontinent!
What is amazing is that once he said that the devil was his
companion when he smoked hookah and that he and the
devil smoked it by turns.72 One of his habits was that he
used to kiss the feet of the people. One of the Bareilawis
has written that he (the Bareilawi) used to kiss the feet
of AshrafiMiyan,73
Another Bareilawi says that whenever he was
informed that some person had returned from Hajj, he would
immediately go to him and ask him: Did you visit the
Prophet (i.e. his grave)? If he said, "Yes", hewould kiss his
feet instantly.74
As regards his manners, we have already stated that
he was severe to his opponents, callous and hard-hearted.
He was harsh in his words, and knew no graciousness and
mercy. Whenever he mentioned the opponents, heused their
nicknames, and mean words for them, whether their use was
good or bad. In this respect we find no parallel to him during
this last period. The words dog, swine, devil, liar, recalcitrant,
unbeliever, profligate, and apostate were commonly used by
70. It is amazing that how did the person who excommuni

cated others and declared them as impious for trivials
presented hookah to others, although some 'ulema in
the past and in our own day issued afatwa declaring it
.unlawful or at least disapproved.
72. Malfuzat al—Bareilawi.
73. Adhkar Habib Rida Lahore: Majlis Rida, p. 24.
50
him There is no value of these words in the language of the

BaTeilawis. He used them regard.ess.y and so frequent^ hat
one may say that none of his writings should be free from
these nicknames and abuses. He transgressed all moral
,imits, so much so that sometimes he ventured to describe
the attributes of Allah in away not worthy of a Muslim.
Sometimes he said about Allah that he was the God of the
Deobandis. Addressing them (the Deobandis) he wrote: A
woman is capable of committing fornication. Then according
to the opinion of your leader and teacher, it is necessary
that your God too should be capable of committing fornica
tion; otherwise the prostitutes of the brothers of the
Deobandis would laugh at Him and say: How do you claim
for Godhead? You are not capable of doing which even we
can do? This naturally implies that your God must possess
female sexual organ; otherwise where will be the sexual
intercourse?"75(We seek refuge with Allah from such
nonsense talk) till the end of these absurd talks. We •
ask Allah's pardon and turn to him in repentance.
It is not possible to put in his original words which
he uttered for his opponents and whatever he said about
them76
The following report by his followers indicates his
callousness: Once the Bareilawi went to an eminent scholar
of the subcontinent who was expert in rational sciences and
he wanted him to teach. The teacher asked him about his
work and business. He replied: Iwrite against the Wahhabis
and expose their straying from the right path and their
disbelief. He said to him; ". This is not worthy of you."
75 Al-Bareilawi: Subhan al-Subbuh, p. 142.

76 Pi brief description will follow in the chapter on
excommunication of the Muslims.
77. Al-Bihari: Hayat A'la Hadrat.
51
He returned from him and refused to learn from a person

who prohibited him from declaring the monotheists as
impious and disbeliever.
He wrote abstruse and ambiguous language not much
intelligible on account of intricacy of expression and
ambiguity of style. Sometimes he intentionally wrote in
a complicated manner to exhibit that he was a dashing
scholar and a prolific writer, for some people thought that
he who could not grasp the meaning and theme of his
writing was really a scholar. This has been admitted by the
Bareilawis themselves, as they said: He who wants to
understand his personality should be well-versed in the
arts and learnings.78
He was not eloquent either in writing or in speech and
he himself realised it. That is why he did not make any
speech on Friday or at the 'Id prayers, except on the
occasions of the third 'Id. which he and his followers and the
persons like him in the past had innovated. That is the
birthday ofthe Prophet (peace be upon him), 'Id Milad al-Nabi
as they call it. He also used to make aspeech or. che day his
spiritual guide. 'Ali Rasul. had died. They called it
Yawm al-Urs (death anniversary held at the tomb of the
dead)/3
HIS WORKS:
Before we talk of his works, we wish to draw the

attent.on of the reader that this sect at large is obsessed with
the love of hyperbole and exaggeration, for any word they
utter ,s a I.e. They are not satisfied with truth; they are
forced to tell a lie. They think that it is not possible to
pra.se a person without mixing it with exaggeration. Hence,
78. Anwar Rida.

79. Al-Bihari: Hayat A'la Hadrat.
52
their statements are contradictory on this subject, like those

of others. A person says that the works of the Bareilawi
are two hundred80 or thcee hundred fifty,81 or four
hundred.82 Another says that the number of his works
exceeds five hundred 83 and a fourth one says that it
exceeds six hundred.84 A fifth one did not think this
number sufficient but said: The number of his works reached
one thousand, rather more,86 although the books do not
exceed ten, even then is more. In the following paragraphs
we furnish the details of this story.
In fact, the Bareilawi did not produce any book. He
wrote Fatawa in reply to the queries sent to him by his
followers seeking their reply. He answered their questions
and issued Fatawa with the help of a number of persons who
were his assistants and employees to do this work. Sometimes
they were many. They collected material from the works on
Fiqh and wrote the Fatawa. Sometimes these queries were
sent to other cities where the relevant books and his
assistants were available. They supplied answers to him by
copying pages from the relevant works. Afterwards these
Fatawa were collected and presented to the Bareilawi who
would collect them and mould them in his own language
without any review. That is the reason why so much
ambiguity, confusion and complication are found* in these
Fatawa. Hence the reader is hard put to grasp them. Before
sending the Fatawa to the person concerned he would give
80. Al—Dawlat al- Makkiyya.

81. Ibid.
82. Al—Bihari: al—Mujmal al-Mu'addid..
83. Ibid.
84. Hayat al-Bareilawi p. 13. •
85. Man huwa Ahmad Rida, p. 25;
Supp. to al-Mu'taqid al-Muntaqid, p. 266.
53
an appropriate caution to every query, and named it

according to chronogram. After keeping the copies of the
Fatawa with him, he sent them to the persons concerned.
At times before sending them to the questioners he would
get them printed in the form of a pamphlet or a treatise.
His Fatawa generally dealt with the adherents of the
Qur'an and the Sunna and exponents of the pure unity of
Allah. That is why the reader will find that he frequently
writes about the controversial problems and absurd and
non-sense questions, as hisopponents call them. For example,
these problems are: the knowledge of the unseen possessed
by prophets and by the saints and the pious men, whether
they belong to mankind or to light, their existence at many
places in this world at the same moment, the question of
being alive after their death, and having power of complete
disposition of matters relating to this world during their life
in this world and after passing away from it, their power and
authority, getting blessing from tombs and from their
inmates, and from illustrations and pictures, and the like.
It can be safely asserted that he produced works
including his Fatawa as many as that can be counted on the
tips of fingers, for most of his Fatawa, though not all, are
devoted only to these themes, carrying the same spirit in
their essence.
Here we cite the texts from the books of these people
which substantiate our statement. First, the statement of
Bareilawis that the number of his works exceeds one
thousand cannot be established on the basis of any evidence.
The word Kitab (book) applied to his Fatawa alone, which
have been printed in eight volumes including those which
were printed on large size and those which were printed on
small size. The rest of them are treatises and pamphlets to
which the word 'book' cannot be applied.
Curiously enough, even the word "Book" cannot be
applied to the eight volumes of his Fatawa. for in them he
54
has included all his treatises and pamphlets. The most,

though not all. of these treatises arc included in these
volumes. Take the first volume of "al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya"
from these eight volumes. It consists of thirty-one
treatises which we have counted hurriedly. We give below
the names of these treatises:
1. Al-Jud al-Hulw.
2. Tanwir al—Qindil.
3. Ukhar Masa'il.
4. Al—Namiqat al-Anqa.
5. Rahb al-Sa'ah.
6. Hibat al-Hamir.
7. Masa 'il Ukhar.
8. Fasl al-Bir.
9. Bariq al-Nur.
10. Irtifa al-Hujub.
11. Al-Tirs al-Mu'addal.
12. Al-Tilbat al-Badi'ash.
• 13. Barakat al-Sama.
14. 'Ata'al-Nabi.
15. Al-Nur Wa'INuraq.
16. Sama'al-Nadr.
17. Husn al—Ta'ammum.
18. Bab al-Aqa'id.
19. Qawaninal—Ulama'.
20. Al-Jadd al-Sa'id.
21. Mujalli al-Sham'a.
22. Tibyan al-Wudu (Al-Daw')
23. Al-Diqqa Wal - Tibyan.
24. Al-Nahy al-Namir.
25. Al-Zafar li Qawli Zufar.
26. Al-Matar al-Sa'id.
27. Lam al—Ahkam.
28. Al-Ma'lam al-Tiraz.
29. Nabh al-Qawm.
55
30. Ajla al-A'lam.

31. Al-Ahkam Wa'l'llal.
Some of these treatises contain only six pages, Wife
"Tanvir al-Qindil". and seven pages, like "Tibyan al—DaW"
and some eight pages, like "Lam' al-Ahkam" and "Hibat
al-Hamir". ;»
This is the real picture of these people, and of the
.large number of works of the Bareilawi. These treatises have
also been mentioned while counting his works.86
Secondly, it is very easy to say that so and so has
composed one thousand, two thousand, or more books, for
this statement does not require any pain and trouble, but it
is very difficult to establish it. This principle applies to these
people.
The Bareilawi himself has mentioned that he has
produced two hundred books until that day,87 and
commenting on it his son says that this is the number of
books that were written in refutation of the Wahhabis. As
for the total number of his works, it reaches four hundred
works, including his Fatawa88 in twelve volumes.89
His disciplie and successor al—Bihari could not count
more than three hundred and fifty treatises and pamphlets.90
Later these people argued about this number and insisted
on it, then tried to go beyond it and exaggerate it, but still
86. Al-Mujmal al-Mu'addid li ta'lifat al-Mujaddid.

87. Al-Dawlatal-Makkiyya, p. 10.
88. See this fallacy and falsehood.His son and his followers
after him count his works more than this number.
They count this Fatawa his independent work. We have
previously mentioned the truth.
89. Al-Dawlat al-Makkiyya, p. 11.
90. Al-Mujmal al-Mu'addid.
56
they could not count more than five hundred and forty-eight
books.91
.To show the ridicule of these people we mention
below the names of some of the books which they have
enumerated among his works:
1. Hashiya Sahih al-Bukhari.
2. Hashiya Sahih Muslim.
3. Hashiya al-Nasa'i.
4. Hashiya Ibn Maja.
5. Hashiya al-Taqrib.
6. Hashiya Musnad al-lmam al-Azam.
7. Hashiya al-Taha'wi.
8. Hashiya Khasa' is Kubra.
9. Hashiya Kanz al-'Ummal.
10. Hashiya Kitab al-Asma' wal-Sifat.
11. Hashiya al—Isaba.
12. Hashiya Mawdu'at Kabir.
13. Hashiya Shams Bazigha.
14. Hashiya 'Umdat al-Qari.
15. Hashiya Fath al-Bari.
16. Hashiya Nasb al-Raya.
17. Hashiya Faid al-Qadir.
18. Hashiya Ashi'at al-Lama'at.
19. Hashiya Majma'Bihar al-Anwar.
20. Hashiya Tahdhibal-Tahdhib.
21. Hashiya Musamara wa Musayara.
.22. Hashiya Tuhfat al-lkhwan.
23. Hashiya Miftah al-Sa'ada.
24. Hashiya Kashfal Ghumma.
25. Hashiya Mizan al-Shari'a.
26. Hashiya al-Hidaya.
27. Hashiya al-Bahr al-Ra'iq.

57
28. Hashiya Munyat al-Musalli.

29. Hashiya Rasa'il al-Shami.
30. Hashiya al-Tahtawi.
31. Hashiya Fatawa Khaniya.
32. Hashiya Fatawa Khairiyya.
33. Hashiya Fatawa' Aziziyya.
34. Hashiya Sharh al-Shifa.
35. Hashiya Kashf al—Zunun.
36. Hashiya Taj al-'Arus.
37. Hashiya al—Durr al—Maknun.
38. Hashiya Usui al-Handasa.
39. Hashiya Sunan al-Tirmidhi.
40. Hashiya Taisir Sharh Jami 'al-Saghir.
41. Hashiya Kitab al-Athar.
42. Hashiya Sunan al-Darimi.
43. Hashiya al-Targhib wa'l-Tarhib.
44. Hashiya Nail ul Awtui.
45. Hashiya Tadhkirat al—Huffaz.
46. Hashiya Irshad al-Sari.
47. Hashiya Mir'at al-Mafatih.
48. Hashiya Mizan al-l'tidal.
49. Hashiya at—'Hal al-Mutanahiya.
50. Hashiya Sharh al-Fiqh al-Akbar.
51. Hashiya Kitab al-Kharaj.
52. Hashiya Bada'i 'al-Sana-i!
53. Hashiya Kitab al-Anwar.
54. Hashiya Fatawa 'Alamgiri.
55. Hashiya Fatawa Bazzaziyya.
56. Hashiya Sharh al-Zurqani.
57. Hashiya Mizan al-Afkar.
58. Hashiya Sharh Chaghmini.
This is what lies in the stock of these people. They
have mentioned all those books which were available in the
library of the Bareilawi, and which he used to study, or on
one or two pages of some of these books he had written
58
annotations. But they have treated them as independent

works of their renovator (mujaddid), and counted them
amongst his writings. Not all that, some of them have been
published so far, not even a pamphlet, let alone a book. Thus
it is possible for every person to claim and say that the
number of his works has exceeded thousands and people like
us, who write on sects and religions, and on refutation of
the false sects who have deviated from the straight path, and
study their works and write comments on them, may say
that the number of their writings has exceeded five thousand
works, for while writing on this sect, namely the Bareilawis,
we have studied more than three hundred pamphlets, treatises,
and books, and hardly we have left any book without reading
it and commenting on it. Therefore, these too should be
treated as our annotations on these books.
If the matter is so, what is the pride in it ?
In order to complete this discussion we quote the
contradictory statements of some other persons about the
description of the number of his writings. The Bareilawi said
that the number of his works had reached two hundred.92
His successor and disciple says that they are three hundred
and fifty in all,93 while his son says they are four hundred.94
The author of "Anwar Rida" says that they are five hundred
eighty four95 and al-Bihari says that they are six hundred96
or one thousand works. '
Thirdly, the number of the treatises and pamphlets
92. Al-Dawlat al-Mukkiyya, p. 1.

93. Al-Mujmal al-Mu'addid.
94. Al-Dawlat al-Makkiyya. p. 11.
95. Anwar Rida. p. 325.
97. Supp. al—Mu'taqid al-Muntaqid; Man huwa Ahmad
Rida, p. 25.
59
published from the day when the Bareilawi was alive until
this day of ours does not exceed one hundred and twenty
five as mentioned by the author of "Anwar Rida".98 and all
these writings are included in his Fatawa.
Fourthly, we mention another lie and exaggeration of
this sect in describing the writings of the Bareilawi to
al-Millah wa'l Din Maulana al-Mufti Muhammad Burhan
al-Haqq al-Qadiri al-Jabalpuri has written about him:
Al-Bareilawi was renovator (mujaddid), and the proof
of this assertion is that he has written the Fatawa which is
unparalled among the early and later Muslim jurists. It falls
into twelve copious volumes of large size, and each volume
contains more than one thousand pages.99
Apart from the value of the Fatawa, we draw the
attention of the readers to the clear and unequivocal lies of
this sect. He has said above, "His Fatawa fall into 12 volumes."
But it is generally known that only eight volumes have been
published up till now. Secondly, out of these eight volumes
only one volume has been published on large size and the rest
on the small size.
Thirdly, none of these volumes consists of a thousand
pages. The volume which has been published on the large
size consists of 264 pages, and the rest which have been
published on the small size consist of 500 or 600 pages. One
of them consists of 325 pages. We find no volume among
them which consists of thousand pages.
We have dealt with this theme in greater detail to draw
the attention of the readers to the fact that the faith of this
sect and of similar other sects is grounded on perbole,
extremism and lies.
Fourthly, the authors of these Fatawa were the

99. Al-Bastawi: al-Bareilawi. p. 180.
60
assistants of the Bareilawi. his followers, disciples, and

supporters. Al-Bihari has mentioned in a book while
writing a letter to one of his assistants: "I am sending you a
person who is a teacher in my madrasa (seminary) and my
assistant inwriting the Fatawa."100
In another letter he writes: "The passages of the
Tafsir (exegesis) have reached me, and I also need the rest
of them. What is Tafsir Ruh al-Ma'ani? Who is al-Alusi
al-Baghdadi? I do not know him. If you have his biography
or anything about the book, please inform me of that. I
also need a copy of the passage from the annotations of
al-Madarik.1ul I also require complete passages from these
works in connection with the question of dyeing the hair.
If you possess these books, then well and good; otherwise
go to Patna and copy them from there: Tatar Khaniya,
Zad al-Ma'ad, al-lqd al-Farid by Ibn 'Abd Rabbihi,
Nuzhat al-Majalis. Surah, al-Qamus, Taj al-Arus, Al-Fa'iq,
by al-Z.imakhshari, al-Mughrib by al-Mutarrizi, al-Misbah
al-Munir, Mukhtar al-Sibah, al-Nihaya by Ibn al-Athis,
Majma' al-Bihar, Tuhfah Makhzan al-Adawiyya, Tadhkira
Antaki, Jami' Ibn Baitar, Anwar al-Asrar, Mirqat. Ashi'at
al-Lam'at, Fath al-Bari, Umdat al-Qari, Irshad al-Sari,
Sharh Muslim by al-Nawwawi, Sharh al-Shamail by
al-Tirmidhi, Sharh Shirat allslam, Sharh Mashariq al-
Anwar, Taisir, al-Siraj al-Munir, and Sharh al.-Jami'al
al-Saghir".102
All this proves that he was not alone in writing these
Fatawa. But he had his assistants and helpers who made a .
research on the problems and presented it to him. then he
would send these replies to the persons concerned and
ascribe them to himself.
100. Hayat A'la Hadrat. p. 244.

101 Ibid. p. 266.
61
OPPOSITION TO JIHAD AND MUJAHIDUN BY HIM,
AND HIS SUPPORT TO IMPERIALISM
AND THE IMPERIALISTS:
The period in which the Bareilawi lived was one of
trial and catastrophe of the Muslims in the subcontinent,
for the tyrannical British Colonialism uprooted the Muslim
rule in the subcontinent. They took a complete control
over them in 1857 after shedding their blood, dashing their
glory to the ground, smashing their power, hanging their
'ulema at gallows, and expelling their leaders from their
homeland. The Imperialists believed that the Muslims were
left completely devoid of resisting power, which could check
their interests, usurpation and pillage; there was only a
sparkle in the ashes. They thought that its source lay in the
Muslims in general and in the Wahhabis in particular.103
They knew that the Muslims have revolted against the
Imperialism for the loss of their kingdom and country, and
for usurpation of their rule and power, since they were the
rulers of the subcontinent at the time of the capture by the
British Imperialism. They wrested their power and country
from them.
The Wahhabis among the Muslims were the most
revolting people. It is they who confronted them and
battled them in various fields. Tl« y fought against them,
raised the standard of Jihad (holy war) and straitened their
life and affronted them to the last letter.
A number of localities were demolished in totq, and
many populations, consisting of the young, the old and the
women were savagely destroyed on the charge that they were
the Wahhabis, and that they designed a revolt against the
103. The Imperialists used the word Wahhabis for the first
time in the subcontinentThey applied this word to the
monotheists and adherents to the Qur'an and the Sunna
and to those who cirticised them.Thus, they created'
hatred towards them among the people.
62
Imperialist, the usurper.104 More than one lac of scholars

who were the monotheists and adherents to the early pious
Muslims, were hanged on the charge of Wahhabism and
rebellion in Bengal alone.106
Hunter has written in his work "The Indian
Musalmans" that there is no danger to the British in India to
their power except from the Wahhabis, for they are causing
d/ffufbances against them, and agitating the people under the
name of Jihad to throw away the yoke of obedience to the
British and their authority.106
After the explosion, known as explosion of 1857,
and which is named Mutiny by the Imperialists, the
Wahhabis their iiiema and leaders were hanged on the
gallows,107 to uproot them by the Imperialists from 1863 to
1865. Those who were imprisoned during this period were
eminent ulema from the monotheists in general and from
the Ahl al-Hadith in particular, as Shaikh Ja'far Thanesary,
Shaikh 'Abd al-Rahim, Shaikh 'Abd al-Ghaffar, Shaikh
Yahya Ali Sadiqpuri, and Shaikh Ahmad Allah, and many
others.And at the endcomes the leader of the Ahl Al-Hadith,
the guide of the followers of the early pious Muslims, the
eminent scholar. Shaikh Nadhir Husain al-Muhaddith al-
Dihlawi.108
The Imperialists were not content to this alone, but
issued another edict to confiscate the properties of these
104. Tadhkira 'Ulama'i Sadiqpur.

105. Wahhabi Trials.
106. Urdu Translation, p. 32.
107. We shall speak about this movement in our forthcoming
work "Haraka Ahl al-Hadith."
108. Refer to the chapter "The Bareilawis and excommuni
cation of Muslims" in this book.
63
mujahidun (warriors).109 Moreover, their buildings and

homes were demolished and the graves of their families were
exhumed.110 Finally, the British Government designed in
the process of uprooting the Wahhabi movement to arrest
the leader of Ahl al-Hadith Nadhir Husain, but they were
afraid of his academic impressiveness, his eminent position
and his influence upon the Muslims. They were confused
in his matter, fearing that the Muslims at large might not
stand in revolt against them. Therefore, they put him in
prison for some time and ultimately were forced to release
him,111 still they kept watch on him as well, since he was
not agreeable to them. They were not at rest to infuriate
the Muslims in general, and the Wahhabis in particular.
So they decided to inculcate perversion and dissension
among the Muslim themselves, so that they might neglect
them and remain engaged in fighting against each other
among themselves. Therefore, they exploited a number of
persons to achieve their ends and to sow the seed of schism
among the Muslims. For launching this movement they
selected two persons from the Muslims. One of them was
Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani,112 and the other was the
Bareilawi, as the opponents accuse113 him. The matter
of the Qadiyani is obvious; but the matter relating to the
Bareilawi requires elucidation.
The watchword of the colonialism as reported from
them is "Divide and Rule." They assigned the job of
109. Wahhabi Tahrik, p. 292.

110.- 'Abd al-Rahim: Tadhkira 'Ulama'-i Sadiqpur.
111. Wahhabi Tahrik, p. 315.
112. See our another work "Qadiyaniat"
113. See "Bareilawi Fatwa," "Takfiri Afsani", Muqaddima
al-Shihab al-Thaqib", "Muqaddima Rasa'il Chand-
pur\"-Mirad\\ Bareilawi" by Masud Ahmad Bareilawi.
64
dissension and excommunication to Ahmad Rida al-

Bareilawi. He took this standard and raised it over the
whole subcontinent. He abused every person and declared
him impious and unbeliever, especially those who encountered
the Imperialists and fought against them. They always
looked forward for a calamity over them and awaited an
opportunity to give a fatalblow to them and expel them
from their country. The Bareilawi shot them with the same
arrows with which the Imperialists wished to shoot them.
He instigated the naive Muslims against them in the name
of religion and Islam. He accused them and their group of
disgracing the pious Muslims, lowering the rank of the
saints, and reducing the status of the prophets according to
the calculated plan. He sharpened his tongue and pen against
them, and drew the sword of his pen and speech. He issued
instruction to the people to keep away themselves from
them and from their national movements. Since these
Mujahidun (warriors) were the followers of the Prophet, who
himself was a brave mujahid (peace and blessings be upon
him), and who were exploiting the current events to turn
over the tables of the British rule in the Indo-Pakistan
subcontinent, the Bareilawi stood as a barrier before them,
and blocked their way by eleciting the support of the naive
Muslim public, who were illuded by the love of saints and
the pious, with the help of hidden hands behind the screens
and with their support In this manner and by these
activities, the Bareilawi made easy for the British colonialism
to exterpate their opponents, the Wahhabis. and those who
offered resistance to their rule and despised their existence
in their country. The eminent personalities and the great
leaders who played a vital role in the movements of
resisting the British rule in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent
were divided into various personalities, although the Muslims
respected them all. «
The reader will be surprised to know that there was
65
no movement launched in the subcontinent to defy and over

throw the colonialism but the Bareilawi opposed it, and
he and his followers held its leaders as unbelievers. 4
Now we make a mention of a movement known as
Khilafat Movement and another movement known as Tark
Mawalat. By the analysis of these movements his action and
his stand towards the colonialism and freedom of the
country from them will be apparent It will also expose
his viewpoint about the Muslims who were slaves and weak,
and his approach to his brothers and their calamities.
Before entering the treatment of the subject itself
we wish to mention the names of the great parties which
defied the colonialism and resisted the Imperialists. They
were as follows: The party of the monotheists, the
Mujahidun, called by their opponents the Wahhabis or the
Wahhabi Movement, Jami'at Ulama i Hind, Majlis Ahrar
Islam, Khilafat Party, the Muslim Leaque and Nili Posh
Party. These parties belonged to the Muslims. The
following were other parties: Fa'in Party, Azad,Hind Fauj,
Nationalists, Indian National Congress. The Bareilawi and
his followers set aside from all these movements and avoided
them. He and his followers declared all these parties as
unbelievers, particularly the Muslim League, and more
particuarly the party of the Mujahidun along with their
leaders. He prohibited his followers from entering them
and participating in fighting for the freedom of the country.
The reader will find the details of this brief description in
the chapter devoted to this purpose.
We may now begin the subject itself. The Bareilawis
and their head the Bareilawi himself commanded the
Muslims to keep away from all these movements and secede
114. For details see the Chapter "The Bareilawis and

excommunication of Muslims".
66
from them. He declared Jihad as unlawful in all quarters

of this country. He argued that India was not Dar al-Harb
(enemy territory) and Jihad could be allowed and proclaimed
only in Dar al-Harb. He was not content to it alone, to
please others he transgressed it and said: India is Dar al—Islam
(Muslim territory). He produced a monograph devoted to
this theme. It goes by the name: "flam al-A'lam bi anna
Hindustan Dar al-lslam."
What is more surprising is that a part of monograph
which contains only twenty pages of small size has been
specially devoted to the theme that India which has been
ruled by the British, the unbelievers, plundered and usurped
by them, is Dar al—Islam (Muslim territory). Another part
of this treatise has been devoted to explain a lie that the
Wahhabis are apostates and that it is not lawful to levy poll
tax (Jizya) on them. It further states that permanent protec
tion cannot be granted to them, it is lawful to enslave their
women, and it is not lawful to have marriage ties with them,
to offer funeral prayer over their dead, to have association
with them, to assemble with them, to talk to them and to
participate in their social affairs. Allah's curse be on them.
How are they deluded away from the Truth 1116
This shows the secret and the causes which motivated
the Bareilawi to compose this monograph and to issue the
Fatwa in the interest of the Imperialists and in opposition to
the sincere Mujahidun who were struggling for the liberation
of India from their claws.
As regards the Khilafat Movement, which shook the
British rule in India and weakened their power, was based
on the fact that the imperialist Britain promised the Indians
in 1917 A.D. to liberate their country at the end of the First
World War. But they acted treacherously after their victory
115. I'lam al-A'lam, pp. 19-20.

67
in this war (1918 A.D.), and did not keep their word.
Commenting on these circumstances one of the Bareilawis
says: "When the British triumphed over Germany and Turkey,
and made an agreement with the Turks on strict conditions,
they deviated from their word which they gave to the Indians •
for liberation of India. For that treachery the free Indians
became upset and stood furiously against them. They
intended to take revenge on the British for the breach of
agreement and their perfidy. They exploited the question
of Khilafat in Turkey for this purpose. They exhorted the
Muslims to protect the Islamic Khilafat, and it was their basic
duty to protect it. and it is binding on them to fight against
its opponents (i.e. the British). The Khilafat movement
stands on this footing and it roused a great tumult among the
Muslim quarters.' 116
In 1919 the Muslim leaders of the freedom movement
of the country actually made use of this slogan against the
tyrant British Imperialism. They moved the sentiments of
the people and instigated them to throw away the iron collars
and to break the chains and fetters. They exhorted them to
strike at the root of the Imperialism and the Imperialists.
This has been stated by one of the leaders of this movement,
a learned scholar, entitled Imam al-Hind, who spread the
call of the Salafiyya to follow the early pious predecessor. He
was Abu'l-Kalam Azad.117
The Bareilawi preceived the danger of this movement
and of the call to.Jihad and freedom of the country.
Therefore, he hastened to compose his well-known
monograph to put an end this movement and stood as
a strong barrier before it. He produced another tract "Dawam
'Aish" in which he refuted the claim of the advocates of the
116. Mas'ud Bareilawi: Introduction to Dawam al—al'Aish.

117. Ibid. p. 17.
68
Turkish Khilafat. He contended that only a person from

Quraish can be the caliph. The 'Uthmani Turks do not belong
to Quraish. Therefore, their Khilafat is not valid. Hence,
it is not binding on the Muslims of India to help them and to
fight against the British on account of it. He has explained
it in clear words: To support the Turks is a sheer delusion;
the real objective by mentoring the name of Khilafat is to
liberate India.118
Curiously enough, even in this tract which he had
written for giving a death blow to the movement of
liberating India he did not leave the Wahhabis, who raised
the standard of Jihad and spread the message of truth in
this country, without abusing and reviling them.
As for the Non—Cooperation Movement (Tahrik Tark-
i-Mawalat), it stood on the debris of the Khilafat Movement.
In 1920, when the Muslims of India saw that the British had
no design to surrender to their demands, to act according
to their interest, to abide by the agreementt which they had
made with the Indians, and to quit their country, they took
another step. They announced that the Indians should
boycott all sorts of transactions with the British Imperialists
and avoid them, and should completely :sever all their
connections with the British government. They should not
obey them, nor participate in their affairs. They should not
pay taxes and customs duty to them nor should they accept
any facilities from them. They should not bring their lawsuits
to them for adjudication, nor should they accept their
scholarships. The Hindus who sought freedom of India also
cooperated with them. The eminent Indian politician Gandhi
was at their head. This resulted in a great revolt against the
Imperialism, an unparalleled revolt not witnessed after the
revolt of 1857 A.D. All the Muslim parties, their leaders
118. Dawam al-'Aish (Bareilly'ed.), p. 63, Lahore ed. p.95.

69
and Ulema participated in this movement except the

Bareilawis. As usual they did not take part in this national
movement too. But on the contrary, they hurried in issuing
their Fatawa against the persons responsible for these move
ments in order to stand by the Imperialism and to help the
Imperialists. They cried out that the Non—Cooperation
Movement against the cruel British Imperialism, the
unbeliever, was forbidden (Haram). Consequently, the
Bareilawi wrote a pamphlet completely - devoted to this
subject. Later on, it was included in his Fatawa under the
title "al—Mahajjat al—Mu'tamana fi'ayat al—Mumtanana".
As usual he began this pamphlet saying: The worldly
transaction which does not harm the religion is not
prohibited except with the apostates as Wahhabis, the
Deobandis and their likes. Thereafter, he has written in plain
words: The object of this movement is to secure freedom
from the British, and no other purpose.119 Again, he said
in express word which imply what lie in their minds:
Jihad120 is not obligatory for us, the Muslims of India,
on the basis of the Qur'an. He who holds that it is obligatory
is an opponent to the Muslims and intends to harm them.121
He then refuted him who argued in favour of Jihad on the
basis of Jihad of Husain b. 'Ali (Allah be pleased with both
of them). He said: He (Husain) did not intend Jihad, but
the fighting was imposed upon him. It is unfawful for a
Monarch of Islam, on whom it is obligatory to-establish
Jihad, to begin fighting with the British when we have no
capability to do so?122 He then advised the Muslims by
119. Ahmad Rida: al-Mahajjat al-Mu'tamana, p. 155.

120. The same words were uttered by the Qadiyani, the
agent of Imperialism in India and contemporary of the
Bareilawi.
121. Al—Mahajjaat al— Mu'tamana, p. 208.
122. Ibid., p. 210.
70
quoting the following Quranic verse: 0 ye who believe)

guard your own souls: If you follow (right) guidance, no
hurt can come to you, from those who stray (V: 108). He
has distorted the words from their proper places.123 he has
ended the book by excommunicating everyone who fights
against the Imperialists and invites to non-cooperation and
prohibits from conducting transaction with them.124
Before writing this book he issued Fatawa to suspend
Jihad in his book Dawan al-'Aish by saying. "Jihad and
fighting are not binding on the Muslims of India."126
Consequently, he got the bad reputation of being the agent
of Imperialism and working for them. Hence, one of his
followers was forced to say: "The Muslims harbourd a bad
faith about him".126 Finally he wrote: "Most of his novices
and followers separated from him for their disagreement with
him on the Khilafat Movement."127
These are the acts which he committed during the
period when the Muslims were undergoing severe trials and
were passing through hard stages, straitened circumstances
and intolerable conditions, it is not possible for a judicious
person to keep silence on making the statement that all the
weight of the Bareilawi and of Bareilawism was in the scale
of the British Imperialism, the usurpers, although he may
not say that he was worker for their cause.The reason is that
he commanded the people to boycott the Jihad and the
Mujahidun, and not to cooperate with them against the
colonialism and the colonialists. But on the contrary, he
123. Ibid., p. 602.

124. See the conclusion of the book, p. 211.
125. Dawam al-'Aish, p. 46.
126. Introduction to Dawam al-'Aish, p. 18.
127. "Kitabi Dunya", an article by Hasan Nizami, p. 2,
referring to the Introduction to Dawam al-'Aish,p.18.
71
commanded the people to befriend with them and to cooperate

with them. The Muslims were being boycotted and disgraced,
while the Imperialists were being befriended and helped.
Hence the famous English writer Francis Robinson has put
In his work "Separatism among Indian Muslims" that
the Bareilawi supported the British Government. They
continued this support till the Khilafat Movement in 1921
and holding a conference in Bareilly. He gathered in this
conference those 'ulema who were against the Non-
Cooperation Movement, and those who wielded a great
influence on the public and the Muslim students.128
HIS DEATH:
The Bareilawi died of pleurisy. Reports tell us that

shortly before his death he made a number of wills. These
bequests have been collected in an independent tract
published under the name "Wasaya Sharif". In this tract he
bequeathed his party as follows:
"Hold fast to my faith and doctrine which is apparent
from my works. Hold fast to it and remain honest to it, for
19Q
it is the most significant duty among the duties.'"*3
He said, "I do not know how long shall I live among
you. You are the naive sheep of Mustafa (peace be upon
him) and the wolves have encompassed you from all sides.
They want to lead you astray and create schism and dissent
among you. They wish to carry to the hell-fire. So keep
away from them, especially from the Deobandis."130
Lastely, he said, "After my death if possible present
offering (fatiha) to me twice or thrice in a week and offer
128. Robinson: Separatism among Indian Muslims,

Cambridge, 1974, p.443.
129. Hasnain Rida (ed.): Wasaya Sharif, Agra, n.d., p. 10.
130. Al—Bastawi: al-Bareilawi, p. 105.
7?
the following dishes: iced rice pudding, even if it is made

from the milk of the buffalo, Biryani rice dish of Bukhara
type, cabobs, Kofta, Tabaq, cream, beans, samosa, apple
juice, pomegranate juice, a bottle of water, and iced milk.
If it is possible, you may present this offering everyday, even
adish of them; otherwise as you like."131
He died on 25th of Safar, 1340 A.H./1921 A.D. at the
age of 68 years at noon.13^
It appears from the study of literature of this sect
that the day of his death was not well-attended. A large
number of people did not attend his funeral. But in this
connection we have no confirmed reports. We cannot say
anything definitely in this regard, for we have made it binding
on us in this book that we would not say anything unproven.
Nevertheless, we can say that had his funeral been well-
attended like thatof other 'Ulema and saints of those days.the
Bareilawis would have talked of it repeatedly, since it is their
habit that they magnify the minor things, exalt the triflings
and exaggerate in their speech. But the Bareilawis have not
uttered a single word on this subject.
On the contrary circumstantial evidence indicates that
the people did not even care for his death, and were not
impressed by it. The reason is that his hard-heartedness,
rudeness, extremisn and excommunication of the Muslims
alienated him. Moreover, his abstention from the Islamic
movements, and his criticism on them and their leaders
created hatred towards him in the hearts of the people and
they kept away from him. This is supported by a statment
of his followers: "The opposition of the Bareilawis to the
Khilafat Movement and the Non—Cooperation Movement
131. Ibid. pp. 9-10.

132. Ibid. p. 11.
73
provoked the people against him."133 Further, he says,

"The Muslims began to hate him and to separate from him
near the days of his death on account of his opposition to the
Khilafat Movement."134
THE EXAGGERATIONS OF THE BAREILAWIS AND

THEIR OVERSTATEMENTS ABOUT IT:
If this had not been so, the episodes and tales would
have been told. Is the foging of false stories improbable by
the people who fabricated that when his lier was lifted some
persons saw that the angels of Allah lifted it on their
shoulders.136 Some said about it: "The Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) was sitting along with a group of
his Companions waiting for the coming of the Bareilawi," for
when he asked about his silence and that of his Companions,
he said: We are waiting for the Bareilawi till he comes, 36
Moreover, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
sent the gift of perfume for the washing of the Bareilawis.
We have begun our book with the exaggerations of these
people and their overstatemetns about the Bareilawi. Now we
wish to mention some more statements about him. The most
disgracing exaggeration of this sect is their statement about
him, is: The seeing of the Bareilawi reduced the eagerness
for visiting the Companions of the Prophet (may peace be
133. Introduction to Dawam al-'Aish, p. 18.

134. Ibid.
135. Anwar Rida, p. 272. Introduction to Ruhaun ki
Dunya, p. 22.
136. Al-Bastawi, op. cit. p. 121., Introduction to al—
Fatawa al—Ridwiyya, p. 13.
,137. Wasaya al-Bareilawi, p. 19.
74
upon him).138 We seek refuge with Allah.

"No versatile scholar like him is found in the last two
centuries."139 Another said: There is no parallel of him in
respect of his academic supremacy and perfect action. The
Bareilawi was unparalleled in his academic power and
soundness of opinion."140 A third person said: 'The
Bareilawi reviewed the religion by his teachings."141. A
fourth one said." The Fatawa Ridwiyya142containsa number
of questions which did not strike the ears of the ulema."143
A fifth one said: "Had Abu Hanifa (may Allah show mercy
to him) seen (Fatawa Ridwiyya), hewould have been pleased,
and made him one of the companions."144 A sixth one said:
"He was the Abu Hanifa of his time."146 Another one
thought that all this was not sufficent. So he said:"The
Bareilawi possessed the intelligence of Abu Hanifa in
Ijtihad, light of Khassaf, the intellect of Razi, and memory
of Qadi Khan."146 iNot only this, but also "he was a
reflection of Siddiq (i.e. Abu Bakr) in speaking the truth,
manifestation of Faruq (ie.Umai) in distinguishing the
false, shape of Dhil-Nurain (i.e. Uthman) in generosity
and mercy, and sword of 'Ali in striking the false."147An
eighth one made the same statement. A ninth one said:
138. Hasnain Rida (ed.): Wasaya al-Bareilawi, p. 24.

139. Ibid.
140. Introduction to Sharh al-Huquq, p. 8.
141. Ibid. p. 7.
142. What are the 'ulema compared to the false stories
under the name of religious question.
1143. Bahari Shariat, Vol. 1, p. 3.
144. Introduction to Fatawa Ridwiyya, Vol.XI, p. 4.
145. Ibid. Vol. V.
146. Ibid, p. 210.
75
"The Bareilawi was a miracle among the miracles of the

Prophet (may peace be upon him)."148 A tenth one said:
"Ahmad Rida is a proof of Allah on earth"! These are the
complete ten statements.
If these things indicate something, they also indicate
that these people complement one another in exaggeration.
We have previously mentioned that they claim that he was
protected from committing errors and was infallible, though
it is already agreed that infallibility was peculiar to the
Prophets (peace be upon them).
There are some other points that we mention here in
order to complete this topic and to prove that these people
are habituated to tell a lie. For example, they say: The
Bareiiawi saw some prostitutes on the way during his
childhood. He lifted his shirt and put it on his eyes to
veil from them. When his shirt was raised, he became naked.
Thereupon, the prostitutes laughed at him, and said: You
covered your face and disclosed your private parts. He
replied: "When the eyes slip, the hearts go astray; when the
heart goes astray, the private parts are exposed.'"ou At that
time he was thirteen years and six months old.
One may ask those who intend to make him super
human: How did a child who did not know to cover his
private parts realise that those women were prostitutes? How
did he know the maters relating to the eyes and heart and
their effect on the private parts ?
Does lie need reason ? No. never I
They also say. "The scientist of Europe and philoso
pher of Asia used to shiver on account of fear of the learning
of the Bareilawi. He memorised all the books, those in
148. Ibid.
149. Ibid, p. 303.
150. Badr al-Din: Sawanih A'la Hadrat p.110; Anwar Rida.
76
common use and those not, that were written or compiled

during fourteen centuries. The lexicographers were unable
to make a word which could express his high academic
position.152
On the other hand, they say: When the Bareilawi
proceeded to perform Hajj, he went to Masjid Khaif there
and passed the night in it. He was given the glad news that
he was granted salvation by Allah.153
"He was a renovator, chief, leader, spiritual guide,
master, intercessor. His house was the house of healing. It
was He Who gave eyes to the blind and gave ears tothe deaf.
He was the niche of the light of Allah, the mirror of the
beauty of Mustafa, and a lion from the lions of Allah"
to the end of such absurd talks.164 '
"He is the fulfiller of needs, remover of the calam
ities, obviater of the difficulties, supplier of the water of
Kauthar; the master of the grave, resurrection and congrega
tion. He is the helper, the pole of the saints, the successor
of Mustafa, the Khidr of the sea of guidance, the donator
and the sustainer."155
There are a number of such exaggerated statements.
These are the prople, and this is the Bareilawi, their
leader, and these are their speculations and extremism about
him. It is Bareilawi who himself instructed these passages
to his followers and taught them. He is peerless in exaggera
tion in the whole of the subcontinent. His speculations and
exaggerations will follow in the coming discourses. Here we
151. Ruhaun ki Dunya. p. 26.

152. Ibid. p. 265.
153. Al-Bihari: Hayat A'la Hadrat. p. 12; Anwar Rida.
p. 2.35.
154. Ayyub Ali al-Bareilawi: Nafkhatal-.Ruh, Bareilly,p.5.
155. Ibid., pp. 47-48.
77
wish to establish two points in support of our statement.

The Bareiiawi addressed Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani (may
Allah have peace upon him):
"0 Helper, all the saints of the world go round the
noble House of Allah (i.e. the Ka'ba), but the Ka'ba itself
goes round your exalted gate "156 yve seek refuge
. with Allah from this statement.
The following are some statements which the
Bareilawi has made in exaggeration of himself:
"I am the monarch of the domain of speech. The
people should accept whatever I say."157 "My breast is the
bag of learnings. Whenever I am asked about aything, I reply
to it immediately, be it concerned with any science." 158
Sometimes he reversed the matter in his exaggerations
as he brought out himself from the fold of humanity. He
addressed to himself: "No one asks about you, and no one
cares for you, because the dogs like you are numerous."159
He says of himself: "I am the dog of Ghawth-i-A'zam, and
his necklace is in my neck."160 Once the Shaikh(spiritual
guide) of the Bareilawi asked him for two dogs of pure and
noble origin belonging to an excellent breed. He.took both
of his sons to him and presented them to him saying: My
chiefl I have brought these two dogs of pure noble origin.
They belong to a good and high breed. Please accept them
from me."161
These are the exaggerated statements and their lowest
and highest extremes. He is the spiritual guide, the helper,
156. Al-Bareilawi: Hada'iqi Bakhshish, a collection of the

poems of the Bareilawi.
157. Anwar Rida, p. 319; Hadaiqi Bakhshish.
158. Introduction to Sharh al-Huquq, p. 8.
159. Ibid.p. 11., Hada'iqi Bakhshish.
160. Hada'iqi Bakhshish.
161. Anwar Rida., p. 238.
78
the pole, the fulfiller of the needs, the remover of the grief,
the one who takes away the affliction, the responder to the
calls and the father of the dogs.
On the basis of these exaggerations, speculations,
humbugs, and escapades stand the edifice of his Shari'a,
and on the same extremism is based his faith, flourishes his
market and his goods are in great demand.
THE LEADERS OF BAREILAWIS:
At the end of this discourse we wish to mention some

eminent figures who helped the Bareilawi in creating,
founding and strengthening this sect and in making their
regulations and doctrines.
The most outstanding of them is Na'im al-Din
Muradabadi. He was bom in January, 1883 A.D. He was a
contemporary of the Bareilawi. There was no coordination
between the two except opposing the monothiests, the
adherents of the Qur'an and the Sunna, supporting the
rites and ceremonies of the Hindus which permeated the
Muslims under the name of religion and were practised
among them. They had the common cause of helping the
spread of the innovations, getting blessings from the tombs,
seeking the medium of the pious, taking vows to the dead,
holding death anniversaries at the tombs, known as Urs,
and so forth.
He established a madrasa (seminary) in Muradabad
(India), and earlier named it Madrasa Ahl al-Sunna. Later
he changed its name and named it al-Jami'at al-Na'imiya
The graduates of this Madrasa are called Na'imis.
The Muradabadi saw the acrimony of the Bareilawi
and his callousness against the followers of the pious Muslims
of the early days of Islam, the advocates of the pure
monotheism, the adherents of the Qur'an and the Sunna.
He was much pleased with it, expressed his pleasure,
79
supported him, and wrote tracts in his support. He composed

some treatises on the same problems which the Bareilawi
had discussed.
Some important works of the Muradabadi are: (1)
Annotations of the Qur'an in Urdu. He named it "Khaza'in
Al-'lrfan", later on published along with the Bareilawi's
translation of the Qur'an in Urdu; (2) Atyab al-Bayan",'
a refutation to "Taqwiyat al-lman" by Shah Isma'il al-
Dihlawi; (3) Al-Kalimat al-'Ulya". dealing with the proof
of the knowledge of the unseen possessed by the Prophet
(peace be upon him). He wrote similar other tracts and
pamphlets. He died in 1948 A.D. His people gave him the
title Sadral-Afa-dil.163
One of their leaders is Amjid 'Ali. He was born at
Khosi in Azamgarh. He received education in Madrasa
Hanafiya at Jaunpur. He graduated from this Madrasa in
1320 A.H./1902 A.D. He supported the call of the
Bareilawi with his full force. He remained with the Bareilawi
for some time in Bareilly. He composed a number of works
in support of his thought and stand. He assisted him in
creating his sect and his school of thought. One of his
important works is "Babar-i Shari'at" in Fiqh. In this book
he has mentioned legal questions and injunctions of the
Shari'a in the light of the teachings of the Bareilawiyya Later
on this book became the encyclopaedia of Fiqh for the
Bareilawis.164 He died in 1367 A.H./Sept. 1948 A.D.
One of the leaders of the Bareilawis is Syed Didar
162. An eminent scholar form Ahl al-Hadith 'Aziz al-

Din Muradabadi (d. 1948).wrote a refutation entitled
"Akmal al-Bayan fi Tayid Taqwiyyat al-lman.
163. Tadhkira 'Ulamai Ahl al-Sunna; Hayat Sadr al-Afadil
Hashiyat al-lstimdad.
164. Al-lstimdad (annotations), pp. 90-91.
80
'Ali. He was born at Nawabpur in Alwar (India) in

1270 A.H./1853 A.D. and received his education from
Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri. After his graduation he studied in
many Hanafi Madaris till he settled in Lahore. His biographer
says: He protected Lahore from the Wahhabis and the
Deobandis and from their poisonous beliefs. He died in
October 1935. One of his works is 'Tafsir Mizan al- Adyan",
in two small volumes, and the other is "Alamat
al-Wahhabiyya", and he composed some pamphlets.165
One of the leading Bareilawi persons is Hashmat 'Ali
who was born in Lucknow. His father was one of the pupils
of Sayyid Didar 'Ali. He was also appointed as Qazi. He was
admitted in the Madrasa-i-Furqaniyya on the
recommendation of Sayyid Didar 'Ali. After obtaining the
primary education in Lucknow, he got the admission in the
Madrasa Manzar-i-lslam of Ahmad Rida Amjad Ali,
pommonly called "Sadr-ash-Shariyya", was also one of his
teachers. Hashmat 'Ali completed his education in 1330
A.H./1911 A.D. and was sanctioned by the son of Ahmad
Rida. Then he started propagating the beliefs and ideas of
the Bareilawi sect. He was designated "Fear for the
Hippocrates" ' by Ahmad Rida and he gained the popularity
in the refutation of the Wahhabis and Deobandis. He died
in 1370 A.H./1950 A.D. by cancer and burried in Peeli Bhet
(India).
One of their leaders was Ahmad Yar Na'imi. He was
born in Badayun in 1906 and studied for some time in
Madrasa Islamiya with the Deobandis. Then he shifted to
Muradabad and studied with Sayyid Nairn al-Din Muradabadi.
Hence, he calls himself with the title Na'imi. He was later
appointed as a teacher in his Madrasa and then shifted to
165. Al-lstimdad (annotations); Tadhkira Ulamai Ahl

al—Sunna.
81
various cities of India till he settled in Gujrat and established

a Madrasa, named "al-Jamia al-Gauthiya al-Na'imiyya". The
name of his Madrasa indicates his beliefs and doctrines. He
was a staunch supporter of the Bareilawi and Bareilawiyya.
He composed a number of books in support of his sect and
to spread their thoughts and beliefs. One of his important
works is "Ja'al Haqq" in which he has spent his'best efforts
to advocate his school of thought. He devoted all his
endeavours to refute the people whom they called the
Wahhabis, the adherents of the Qur'an and the Sunna, and
the followers of Tawhid (pure unity of Allah) in the
subcontinent. He has written annotations on the Urdu
translation of the Qur'an by the Bareilawi, known as "Nur
al-'lrfan". In these annotations he has fully supported the
beliefs and viewpoints of the Bareilawi.
He misinterpretted a large number of the Qur'anic
verses deviating from their original meaning and import,
like his teacher Muradabadi, and the eponym of his sect, the
Bareilawi. He also composed some pamphlets "Rahmati
llah bi Wasilat al-Auliya" and "Saltanat Mustafa", and
many others. He died in 1971.167
This is the picture of the Bareilawis, and these are
their leaders and founders of their doctrines. We have made
a detailed discussion on them from the sources of these
people themselves. Now we proceed to the next chapter,
to describe their doctrines and teachints.
Allah is the Helper, and it is He who is the guide to
straight path.
167. Sharaf al-Qadiri: Tadhkira Akabir Ahl al-Sunna,

p. 54; al-Yawaqit al-Mahriyya, p. 39. SiratSalik.
83
CHAPTER-II
BAREILAWIYYAT AND ITS DOCTRINES

Bareilawiyyat has its peculiar beliefs and doctrines
distinguished from other Hanafi factions of this sub-^
continent in particular, and from other Muslim sects in
general. Sometimes their beliefs resemble the Shi'i beliefs
and doctrines Truly, it is nearer to the Shi'ism than Sunnism.
We fail to understand which of them has been influenced.
Before we describe their beliefs, we wish to mention two
important things for the reader.
( First, the beliefs and doctrines which distinguish
Breilawiyyat or which the Bareillawis have supported and
adovcated. are the very absurd and nonsense rites, ceremonies
and superstitions which had spread in various countries
among the sufi circles. They shifted to the Muslims under
polJthelsts Tt9100
polytheists. fr°m the.,dolators'
The generates Ch"*ians,
inherited them one Jews
after and
the
other, and the people of selfish ends and desires transmitted
them continuously. The leaders of Islam and then renovators
of this true Islamic religion fought against them during
amTr°dS °f ^ ^ P,3CeS- S0me of the- exist*
bvT.
by t ofP,,9T
the hght Islam.ArabS bef°reand
The Qur'an thethewor,d wa* Muhammad
Prophet illuminated
peace be upon him, battled against them. But it is r^S
that they turned round, attacked, and returned, and in the
opinion of some persons they became the neceUry dutTes
of Islam after they had been rejected by Allah aTZ
Messenger(peace be upon him). Some of these beliefs „e
the seeking of help from persons other than Allah, the non-
humanity of the Prophets, the necessity of pos^ ng the
84
knowledge of the unseen, sharing.with Allah His attributes,

His power, and His dispositions and similar other matters
that we shall mention in this chapter.
Briefly, all these superstitions, nonsense talk and
escapades bhatahat) as they name them.unfounded stories,
fables and superstitious anecdotes were turned into beliefs
and doctrines in the common parlance of these people.
Before the origin of this Bareilawi sect, these things
were in existence among the ignorant Muslims, followers of
the sufi orders, unmindful people, simpletons and the seekers
of convenience. But the Bareilawi and his assistants painted
it with the religious colour. They supported them on the
basis of weak and spurious traditions. They demonstrated
them by proofs, even by misinterpreting the Quranic verses,
and by modifying the meaning of the traditiins of the
Prophet(may peace be upon him) and by entirely changing
them by proofs, even by misinterpreting the Qur'anic verses, e
habit of the innovators amongst the Shafi'is in the Arab
countries and of the sufis at the borders of Africa.
.Secondly, we are quoting these beliefs, doctrines and
arguments from the Bareilawi Ahmad Rida who named
himself 'Abd al—Mustafa (the servant of Mustafa), from his
leading personalities, from the distinguished leaders of this
sect and from the eminent and trustworthy figures.
As for the rest, I have neglected them despite the
abundance of their writings, and a large number of the
sources on this subject, for they were worthless in the eyes
of these people on account of disagreement among this sect
about them and about their books. Some persons have faith
in them and their works, and praise and extoll them. But
another group find fault with them and criticise their works.
By this we aim at establishing this opinion and
confirming it. Now we describe their beliefs seeking help
from Allah.
85
The appeal for aid to a person other than Allah and

seeking help from him.
The Bareilawis make such statements which Islam
refutes openly: "There are servants of Allah whom He
has singled out for fulfilling the needs of the people who
flee to them with their needs."1 The Bareilawi said: "Seeking
help and aid from anyone besides Allah is lawful and desired.
No onedenies it except an arrogant and obstinate."^
It is the same that the one whose help is sought may be
living or dead, a prophet or apostle, a saint or pious. There
is no difference between them, for they are the people
responsible for the affairs, suppliers of the needs.removers
of the calamities, healers of the diseases, and relievers of the
sufferings. The Bareilawi and the Bareilawis have explicitly
said: " Seeking help from the Prophets and the Messengers
and from the Prophets and the pious is permissible."3
He says: "The Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him) is the
remover of the calamity and bestower of the donation."4
"Gabriel is the supplier of the needs, and Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) is the supplier of the needs,
for the Prophet (peace be upon him) fulfils the needs of
Gabriel too."5 Ali (Allah be pleased with him) holds the
position as the Bareilawi has said :
19-
—: **±t~ &j f* J*
•-i6L—- o Ul „ do^^
1. Al-Bareillawi, al-Amn wal-'ula, Lahore:

Dar al-Tabligh, p. 29.
2. Al-Bareillawi, Hayat al-Mawat; included in al-
Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, (Pakistan ed.), Vol. IV, p. 300
3. Ibid.
4. Al-Bareillawi, al-Amn Wal'ula, p. 10.
5. Malfuzat, Lahore, n.d. p.99.
86
"Call'Ali.the manifestation of wonders. You will find

him an aid to you in calamities. All calamities and sorrows
will be removed by virtue of your guardianship. O 'Ali,
O'Ali.6
Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir Jilani (may Allah have mercy
upon him) said, as they have attributed this lie to him:
"If anyone seeks my help in a calamity, I shall remove it
from him; if anyone calls me in a suffering, I shall relieve
him of it; if anyone supplicates Allah through me in respect
of need, Ishall fulfil his need."7
Besides, there is a type of prayer, known as "Salat
Ghawthiyya." It is observed in the following manner: One
performs first two Rak'ahs. Then he steps forward towards
the direction of Baghdad numbering eleven steps. When
he keeps a pace, he seeks hlep from Griauth, (i.e. Shaikh
Jilani), calling him by his name, and then presents his need
to him and recites the following couplets:8
Cj J-"'- i"-^ Ij I „• *>«xJ1 o-i f-îj

^J>'.o jbj (â»JI (j^L> (j-U jt-*j
iS j _•«».' Jl-S* *• I•*,-'.•" (ji £l_* IM
"Can a wrong be done to me while you are my ammunition?
Can I be oppressed in the world while you are my helper.
Shame to the protector of the land while he is my helper,
a Al-Amn wa'l-'ula, p. 13.

7. Al-Bareilawi, Barakat al-lstimdad, included in:
Rasa'il Ridwiyya; al-Bareillawi, Fatawa Ifriqiyya,
p. 62; Ahmad Yar, Ja'al Haqq. p. 200.
8. Ahmad Yar, Ja'al-Haqq. p. 200.
87
when the rope of my camels is lost in the desert."

The Bareilawi used to say.
jOl aJIj -* £—-i 4-H J£l_*
^Jl_ -SJt.X..,,»C £,*& Ail I Vnr
^«>l iiillj-dLC ijjhe I »hc L-ah*
"0 Shade of the deity of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir I

Give me something for Allah's sake, Shaikh' Abd-al — Qdir I -
Affection, affection, 0 affectionate 'Abd al-Qadir. Remove
from us the vicissitudes of time, O'Abd al- Qadir."
He has also written in his work:
"There is a helper for the man of religion. He is 'Abd
al-Qadir."10 He said: "During my life I did not seek help
from anyone, and I do not ask anyone for aid except Shaikh
'Abd al-Qadir. Whenever I seek help, I seek it only from
him.; Whenever I ask for aid, I ask him alone. Once I tried
to ask for aid and seek help from another saint, (Hadrat
Mahbub llahi). When I intended to utter his name for seeking
help, I did not utter the words but "Ya Ghauthan" (0 one
whose help is sought). My tongue refused to utter the words
for seeking help from anyone except him."11
They have stated that Ahmad Zaruq have composed
19
similar verses in his ode: '*
a liUi£J £oL> ijjuj^J l_il
3 <•• o'-ojr" *JJ> Ua-l-o I-it
* «j - / ot OUJj'-^T' •*'---*
9. Hada'iq Bakhshish, p. 186.

10. Ibid. p. 181.
11. Malfuzat, p. 307.
12. Al-Bareillawi, Hayat al-Mawat, included in al-
Fatawa al- Ridwiyya, vol. IB, p. 300.
88
"I gather the scattered things of my novice, when the

oppression of time attacks him with an adversity. If you are
in straitened circumstances, calamity and gloom, you should
call upon "O Zaruq." I shall come to you immediately."
Ibn b. Alwan also said so: "If a person loses something
and intends that Allah may return it to him, he should stand
on a lofty place facing the Qibla. He should recite Surat
al-Fatiha and present its reward as a gift to the Prophet
(peace be upon him), then he should present its reward as
a gift to Ahmad b. 'Alwan, then say: 0 my chief, 0 Ahmad
b. 'Alwan, if you do not return my lost goods, I shall with
draw you from theregister of the saints. " 3
Al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Hanafi also did so. A story
goes about him: Muhammad al—Hanafi used to perform
ablution in privacy. One day he took off his sandal and threw
it in the air, and gave the other to his servant and said to him:
"Keep it with you till someone brings you the other." After
a long time a man came from Syria and he had the sandal
which the Shaikh had thrown and it disappeared in the air.
He said: My spiritual guide and Shaikh, a robber came to
plunder me and sat on my breast to slaughter me. So I called,
"0 my chief Muhammad Hanafi." The sandal appeared from
the unseen. I struck at the breast of that robber and he
became unconscions. Thus I was saved from him."14
Al—Sayyid al—Badawi also gave such instructions to
his novices. He said: "The novice and the seeker of help
should say: "O my chief, Ahmad Badawi, I am in the hazard
and running the risk."16 He is reported to have said: "If
13 Ja'al Haqq, p. 199.

14. Al-Baraeilawi, Anwar al-lntifah fi hall nida' Ya
Rasul Allah, " included in Majmu'ah Rasa'ilRidwiyya,
Karachi, Vol. I, p. 180.
15. Ibid.
89
anyone is in need, he should come to my tomb and ask for

the fulfilment of the need, I shall fulfil his need."16
Abu 'Imran Musa also followed suit:"When his novice
called him, he answered him, from the distance of one year's
journey or more."17
Besides, the Bareilawis said: "If anyone is related to
a prophet, or a messenger or a saint, it is necessary for him
to come to him and help him in the hardships."16 ''^he
sufi saints keep watch on their followers and novices in all
circumstances and sufferings."19 According to these people,
socking help is lawful not only from the living beings, but
also from the inmates of the tombs, as the Bareilawi says:
"When you are confused and helpless in matters, then seek
help from the inmates of the tombs."20 One of the
Bareilawis has said: "Paying a visit to the tombs is beneficial;
the inmates ofthe tombs assist the visitors."2l"The object of
paying a visit to the graves is to get benefit from their
inmates."22 "The grave of Musa al-Kazim is great
antidote."23
The Bareilawi said: "Muhammad b.al-Farghal used to
say: "I am one of those who have power of disposition in the
graves; if anyone has a need, he should come to me in front
of my face and make a mention of his need, I shall fulfil
it."24
16. Ibid., p. 181.

17. Majmu'ah Rasa'il Ridwiyya, Karachi, Vol, I. p. 180.
18. Al-Bareilawi, Fatawa Ifriqiyya, p. 135.
18\ Hayat al Mawat, included in Fatawa Ridwiyya,Vol. IV,
p. 289.
20. Al-Amn wal-'ula, p. 44.
21. Muhammad 'Uthman, Keshf Fuyud, p.39.
22. Ibid., p. 43.
23. Ibid., p. 57.
24. Anwaral-lntibah, p. 182.
90
Al—Sayyid al-Badawi is reported to have said after

his words, "I shall fulfil it (the need): there is a curtain
of earth between you and mu; if a curtain of earth conceals
aman from his fellow beings, he is not aman."25
These arc the bclicls ui such people with regard to
seeking help from persons besides Allah. Allah, the Exalted,
has said in his Book which he has revealed for the guidance
of mankind, and which is healing and mercy for the believers.
He has said in it through the tongue of the pious who have
learnt the belief in pure unity of Allah:
. ^*,",*.:• JL-i j Ji-*i Jl-i
"Thee do we worship and thine aid we seek."26

Allah, the Exalted, said, disapproving of the statement
of the polytheists and their act, and reprimanding them:
ajS la..? aJJI oj*» &> ^*j Cw^l****' J-3
"Say: Call upon other (gods) whom ye fancy, besides

Allah: They have no power not the weight of an atom — in
the heavens or on earth: No (sort of) share have they therein,
nor is any of them a Helper to Allah."27
Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, said:
^»UJ \jSU>~iTi'i fAj*Xl o! * J****3 O* Oj^-^h!*-*

ajL.;'" fjnj f^-i »>-L%5-«» U, ljyoa« jJj
25. Ibid., p. 181.

26. Qur'an, I : 5
27. Quran, XXXIV: 22.
91
"Such is Allah your lord: to Him belongs all Dominion.

And those whom ye invoke besides Him have not the
last power. If you invoke them, they will not listen to your
call, and if they were to listen, they cannot answer your
(prayer). On the Day of Judgement they will reject your
partnership. And none (0 man) can tell thee (the truth),
•»28
like the one who is acquainted with all things."
Explaining their mischief and unfolding their blemish
He said:
ol>»~J» (jj eJ^ ,»aJ fl J>Ji\ o-° l^2-4*- '<*•-» u^jj*
"Say: Have ye seen (these) partners of yours whom ye

call upon besides Allah ? Show me what it is they have
created in the (wide) earth. Or have they a share in the
heavens ? Or have we given them a Book from which they
(can derive) clear (evidence)? Nay, the wrong-doers promise
each other nothing but delusions.'0
Emphasising, He said to them:
"But those ye call upon besides Him, are unable to

help you, and indeed to help themselves."0"
28. Qur'an XXXV: 13-14.

29. Qur'an, XXXV: 40.
3Q Qur'an VII : 197.
92
Any others that they call upon besides Him hear

them."31
Allah also says :
"Nor have ye, besides Allah, anyone to protect or to

help."32
He said to His Prophet (may peace be upon him) to
ask the polytheists and the seekers of help from others
besides Allah to reply to His question:
ji^f aDi 17jjIÎ ^l &JJI fjj** o-° G^*"4-**-0 (*"'m''_r^*
i^.j|jl jl 4j*»ol_iiLS â. J*
ft" fl>^ Ol Sn Hft £ji Jj» &A>J_)
"Say: See ye then ? The things that ye invoke besides

Allah - can they, if Allah wills some penalty for me, remove
His penalty ? Or if he wills some grace for me. can they
keep back His grace."33
"Or, who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls

on Him, and who relieves -its suffering, and wakes your
(mankind) inheritors of the earth ? Can these be another
god besides Allah ? Little it is that ye heed."34
He then intended to make them understand saying:
fS>j6j\-a ^SJHol Jt_*c ailI oj*> G-» GJ**^ G*^1 G'
^ .bajUo pZ^tS ^1 p£J Ij •.>"... I p
31. Qur'an XIII: 14.

32. Quran X LI I : 31.
33. Qur'an XXXIX : 38.
34. Qur'an XXVII: 62.
93
"Verily those whom ye call upon besides Allah are

servants like unto you; Call upon them, listen to your prayer,
if yeare indeed truthful."35
He also said :
f4-Jii2 jjSJLvjl' * L-*Jjl 4J.jj o-° f^J*SLJI JJ»
"Say: Do ye then take (for worship) protectors other

than him, such as have no power either for good or for
harm to themselves."36
He then rebuked them saying:
LJLla_«£ ?\ 0J*±! G'j Lil-il Si AJjj Cj+ OJ*'** G1
i j^j^
"(The pagans), leaving Him, call but upon female
deities. They call but upon Satan, the persistent rebel."37
He then gave a decision saying:
uJI &J ly^-xl'iM-iV o-° *^' GJJ G-0 GJ^^ G-0-9 J1*' G-°J
"And who is more astray than one who invokes

besides Allah, such as will not answer him to the day of
judgment, and who (in fact, are unconscious of their call
(to them)."38
Allah, the Exalted, has mentioned in His Book a
number of prophets and His pious servants. They were in
need of seeking succour and help from Him. and needed
supplication to Him in their problems and calamities that
35. Qur'an VII: 194.

36. Qur'an XIII: 16.
37. Qur'an IV: 117.
38. Qur'anXLVI: 5.
94
befell them. They never sought help from anyone, nor did
they call anyone but upon their Lord alone, from Adam to
Noah, from Abraham to Moses, from Jonah to the last
Prophet, Muhammad b. Abdallah (may peace be upon all
of them). It is all the same whether they asked for forgive
ness, or a child, or healing, or deliverance from straitened
circumstances and ruin on account of an injury, poverty,
and imprisionment, or they asked for help. They did not
present their prayer to anyone but ot Allah alone. If any
calamity befel a servant of Allah who was close to Him, he
always sought help from Him alone. But the Bareilawi
says: "Whoever is related to a Prophet or an apostle, he must
help him during his sufferings."39
Another said: "The whole world belongs to the saints
like a palm of the hand which they are watching. If anyone
calls upon them and seeks help from them from any part of
theworld, they help him and supply his needs."40
The Prophet (may peace be upon him) said to his
cousine Abdallah b. Abbas (Allah be pleased with him):
"If you ask for anything, ask Allah, for it; if you seek help,
seek it from Allah; whatever you will meet in your future
life, that has been decreed for you; if all the creatures strive
to benefit you, they cannot benefit you but to the extent
Allah has decreed for you; if they strive to harm you, they
cannot harm you but to the extent Allah has decreed against
you."41
But the Bareilawi says: "If you are embarrassed in
your affairs, seek help from the inmates of the tombs"42
Above all, he criticises those who deny this assertion, and do
39. Al-Bareillawi, Fatawa Ifriqiyya, p. 13C.

40. Ja'al-Haqq. pp. 138-39.
41. Sunan al—Tirmidhi.
42. Al-Amn Wa'l-'ula, p. 46.
95
not seek aid except Him, nor do they trust anyone besides
Him, except adhering to the Book of Allah and the Sunna
of his Prophet (may peace be upon him). This innovator
reviles them saying: "In our day, a small group has cropped
up who denies seeking help from the saints, and they assert
whatever they assert; of that they have no knowledge. They
do nothing but lie."43
These are the words of Allah and the saying of the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about this question,
and this is the statement of the Bareilawis. They have
reversed the matter. They have named the adherents of the
Qur'an and the Sunna the innovators, and named themselves
the followers and the adherents of the opinions of the early
Muslims about whom Allah has not sent any authority. The
following words of Allah, the Exalted, apply to them:
2^£j. J-. IjJUi aJJI J>il La I^Lwl |oJU J^3 IJIj
qj>1 •«.«••? |<Jk' l_J i,L£ jJ j\ lj» l_-l a—JLe l \..,fl l| u
"When it is said to them: Follow what Allah hath revealed:

They say: Nay, we shall follow the ways of our fathers.
What! even though their fathers were void of their wisdom
and guidance" ?
They do not know that they are following those
early Muslims about whose rejection Allah has sent down His
revelation. He has said in more plain words:
e| jjl «^*J •?**?! * 'ttO-* u^l—» ij^c i5Jl_tfi dUL» I Jlj
43. Hayat al—Mawat, included in al—Fatawa al— Ridwiyya

Vol. IV, pp. 301-302.
44. Qur'an II: 170.
96
"When my servants ask them concerning Me, I am indeed

close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant
when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will. Listen to
my call, and believe in Me: that they may walk in the right
way. "45
"And your Lord says: Call on Me. I will answer your

(prayer)."46
THE POWER OF THE PROPHETS AND
SAINTS AND THEIR AUTHORITY.
There is another problem which is closely connected

with it. That is the problem of the power of the Prophets
and Saints and their authority. These people (i.e. the
Bareilawis) have treated Allah as suspended and isolated from
any authority, power and sovereignty we seek refuge in Allah
— for asking for aid and seeking help and ivoking prayer, all
come from an All-Powerful and All-Majestic. They allege that
the power of Allah, His sovereignty and His authority have
shifted to the prophets and saints. Nothing remained with
Him. Hence, it is essential that the people should return and
refer to them, seek help from them, and ask them for their
needs. Allah has assigned all matters concerning Him to them
and nothing remained with Him. Consequently, He became
retired and suspended from action and power, and His re
presentatives. His prophets and saints, have taken in their
hands the reins of worldly affairs. They are the masters of the
earth and of those who are on it and of that which it con
tains. They are the commanders of the heavens, and they
possess the absolute power. They implement their commands
45. Qur'an II: 186.

46. Qur'an XL: 60.
97
in the universe, and they dispose matters in it as they like. It

is they who create, it is they who give life and death, and it
is they who conduct the course of business. From them come
the help and succour, from them issue forth the healing and
grant, and everything comes from them. There is nothing for
Allah except worships, and even, in them they are His
partners.
Before we enumerate the texts from the literature
of these people, we like to draw the attention of the readers
to the fact that the unbelievers of Mecca, the polytheists of
Arabia and the idolators of the pre-Islamic days were not
more corrupt in belief and more debased in faith than these
people (i.e. the Bareilawis). The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) came to take them out from straying and
polytheism, and to purify them from idol-worship and
polytheism. Similarly, did the Messengers of Allah come
before him for anything besides rejecting such false thoughts
and ignoble and mean theories ?
Did the great Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
during the Meccan period of his life, spreading over thirteen
years, call to anything else besides the unity of godhead and
lordship and unity of names and attributes ?
How is it warranted for these people to attribute
themselves to Islam and to claim ascription to Muhammad b.
Abdallah, the truthful and trustworthy (peace be upon
him), the bearer of the standard of monotheism, and the
advocate of the unity of Allah, His power and His authority,
and the proclaimer by His order:
'•"'.••"•.i.'j o-a- j*> tfI aJt v
"There is no god but He I He gives life and death"47
47. Qur'an XXIX: 60

98
"Blessed be He in whose hands is dominion and He over all

things hath Power."48
a-JLc jljîj j*»-< j*j *&£ J£ o^S-Lo <jbw
Say: who is it in whose hands is the governance of all

things, who protects (all) but is not protected (of any) ?
(say) if ye know."49
"So glory to Him in whose hands is the dominion of

all things: and to Him will ye be all brought back."60
0„.".ft)l ijli\ ji $\ j^l j* «JJI g<
"For Allah is He who gives (all) sustenance, — Lord of

Power, steadfast (for ever)."51
UJx, *Ul ijJ* 1\ J>j^\ u»-ft 2-1 «i G- <-•
"There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance

dependeth on Allah.''52
"How many are the creatures that carry not their own
sustenance: It is Allah who feeds (both) them and you:
for He bears and knows all things."53
jjJLjj »Li- o*J jSJiÎ' h..^., o*j G'
48. Qur'an, LXVII: 1

49. Qur'an XXIII: 88
50. Qur'an XXXVI: 83
51. Qur'an LI: 58
52. Qur'an XI: 6.
53 Qur'an, XXIX; 60.
99
"Say: verily my Lord enlarges and restricts the provision to

whom He pleases."54
,>a.i i'LUJI £>~j »UL; &> dLUII ^jZ ..l lfl n aJU *aJJ|
"Say: 0 Allah, Lord of power (and rule), Thou givest

power to whom thou pleasest, and Thou strippest off power
from whom Thou pleasest: Thou endow, atwith whom Thou
pleasest, and Thou bringest low whom Thou pleasest; in thy
hand is all good. Verily, over all things Thou hast power."55
There are a large number of similar verses of which
the Qur'an is replete.
How is it justifiable for these people that on the one
hand they claim Islam and attributethemselves to Muhammad
(peace be upon him), and on the other hand they deny his
teachings, directions and orientations ? Thus, practically
they disclaim the verse that were revealed to him. The Lord
of the heavens and earth, the Lord of the Universe, has
revealed them, Gabriel, the trustworthy spirit, came down
with them to the heart ofthe chief ofmankind, the mercy of
the worlds, the guidance for the God-fearing, glad tidings for
the benefactors, and mercy for the believers.
The readers and researchers should do justice whether
those who make such statements have a right to attribute
their individual opinions to their eminent figures, and to the
•one who came to annihilate their idol-worship and their
joining gods with Allah.
JJaJltfj . jj^Wj C^JUaJIJlj . jr!+*Xj u*a*Vl tfJM-- Uj
g*-w aJJl 0| ol>oUI ij *Lw>5fl i$>2-e Uj i jj>»JI*j
(TY -H ,>UJI) j>-JUI o-i G- e***** c^1 ^ j ' ^ G "
54. Qur'an, XXXIV: 36

55. Qur'an, III: 26
100
"The blind and the seeing are not alike; nor are the
depths of darkness and the light, nor are the (chilly) shade
and the (genial) heat of the sun: nor are alike those that
are living and those that are dead. Allah can make any that
He wills to hear; but thou cannot make those to hear who
are (buried) in graves."56
Allah, the Exalted, has truly said:
Jl aJJl c*.. ft < 'au>lj aj>l ,j.t_JI ^LS
i>Sxj ) (jp^W wLV.^.tl pSbJLt Jjjl J « £xiji\ *> BJ
v>rfAJI VI a_*i ijiJb>l l_aj < a_*i |jJJLl>l I « ..BÎ-lJI
< jr »•'•„•,- 1—**? c^.'t.j->JI aA£p L> La J-b-< j>o a^jl
aU>^L_> JaJI G-° **•* lj>fl !"•>! LaJ l>*«T g^^' tf«**-*
• fija"i..,o Jbl^s ^Jl » Li- j>o i5**** aJJl j
"Mankind was one single nation and Allah sent

Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them
He sent the Book in truth to judge between people in
matters wherein they differed; but the people of the
book.after the clear signs came to them did not differ
among themselves.except through selfish contumacy..
Allah by his grace guided the believers to the truth
concerning that wherein they differed. For Allah guides
whom he will be a path that is straight"'57
What a pity to these unmindful people I Polytheism
has permeated them and idol- worship innovations, absurd
practices and paganism have crept into them like the creeping
of an ant, while they are unaware of them. The devil has
overpowered them and suggested to them that such beliefs
and practices as these were the real Islam. It is these people
about whom Allah the Exalted, has said:
56. Qur'an, XXXV: 19-22.

57. Qur'an, 11:213
101
U*i* OJ '*V fAilo>--A- fAj «-*iJJI 3U*JI

"Say: shall we tell you of those who lost most in respect of
their deeds ? There whose efforts have been wasted in this
life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by
their works ?"58
He previously said about them:
"(Unbelievers) whose eyes had been under a veil from
rememberance of Me, and who had been unable even to
hear. Do the unbelievers think that they can take my servants
as protectors besides Me ? Verily, We have prepared Hell for
the unbelievers for (their) entertainment."59
Now, I cite the statements of those people which
resemble the utterance of the unbelievers before them. The
Bareilawi says: The keys of the universe are in the hands of
the Messenger of Allah; he is the master of all; he is the
eldest vicegerent to the one who is All - Powerful. It is he
who is possessed of the word "Be" (Kun)."
His son wrote below these words in support of his
father quoting one of his followers from his sect: "Whatever
appears in the universe, our chief Muhammad (peace be
upon Him) grants it, in whose hands lie all the keys.
Therefore, nothing goes out from the divine treasures but at
his hands. Whenever he intends to do an act, nothing occurs
against rt (i.e. it is done) and nothing in the universe can
debar it.DU
The Bareilawi also said: "It is the Messenger of Allah
58. Qur'an, XVIII: 103-104.

59. Qur'an XVIII: 102-103.
6Q nn^r^Wi' a,-,stlmdad 'al* aival al-lrtidad,
pp. J*—33.
102
(may peace be upon him) who heals up the diseases and pains
removes every calamity from the Muslim people; he gives
life, and resolves the dilemmas, benefits all the creatures,
and raises their degrees. He is the guardian, the helper, the
remover of the adversity. It is he who cooled down the fire
upon Abraham. It is he who donates and bestows, and his
command is in force and his order is operative in the
universe."0'
He also said quoting one of his leaders: "He (peacevbe
upon him) is the treasure of mystery and object of enforcing
the command. No command operates . except him,
and no good shifts but from him.""*
He also said :
"From him is the hope, from him the bestowal, and

from him the help: in the religion, in this world and in the
hereafter for ever and for ever.' •* Another says: "The
Massenger of Allah, the Chief of the universe, is the generous,
the sustainer, and we all are needy to him."°4
"His name is written on the Throne, so that it may be
.known that the Throne belongs to him, and he is its master?'
We seek refuge with Allah from it. oa
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is the
disposer in every place.1"60
The Bareilawi has also said in a similar manner:
'The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) is the
61. Ibid. pp. 29-30.

62. Al-Amn Wa'l-'ula, p. 105.
63. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol.l, p. 577.
64.
65. Ib'd. p. 41.
66. Ibid. p. 336.
103
greatest vicegerent of Allah, and he is the disposer of all

things in the heaven and on earth."67
Another follower has reported the Bareilawi as saying:
"The Messenger of Allah is the master of the earth, master of
mankind, master of the people, and master of the creatures.
In his hand lie the keys of help and succour; in his hand lie
the keys to the paradise and hell, it is he who grants honour
in the hereafter, and he will be all-powerful on the day of
reservation. It is he who removes calamities and repels
adversity. He is the guardian and helper of his people.
Towards him the hands are raised for seeking benefit."68
Another said: "The Messanger of Allah (peace be upon
him) is the vicegerent of the Lord: he gives whatever he
pleases to whom he pleases, and strips off whatever he
pleases from whom he pleases."69
"The earth is in his possession'and disposition, and the
paradise is his domain and state. He is the distributor of
sustenances."™
A Mufti of the Bareilawis said: "The whole world
and all the matters lie in the hand of the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him). He disposes it to them as he pleases.
He grants anything he wishes to whom he wishes from it
and from them."71
This equally applies to the other prophets too. "The
Prophets dispose the internals of creatures and their
sustenances, as they dispose the externals of creatures."72
This equally applies to the Companions of the Prophet
67. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. VI, p. 155.

68. I'jaz, al-Bareilawi, Anwar Rida', p. 240.
69. Amjad 'Ali, Bahari Shari'at, Vol. I p 15
70. Ibid,
71. Ahmad Yaral-Bareilawi, Ja'«al-Haqq, p.195.
72. Ibid, pp. 195-19d
104
(peace be upon him), as the Bareilawi,has narrated spurious

traditions on this subject. One of them goes: "When the day
of resurrection comes, Allah will gather the early and later
generations, and two pulpits will be brought. One of them
will be set up on the right and the other on the left of the
Throne. Then one on the right side of the Throne will call:
O creatures I He who knows me knows me. But he who does
not know me should know that I am Ridwan, the Treasurer
(Khazin) of Paradise. Allah has commanded me to hand
over the Keys of Paradise to Muhammad, and Muhammad has
ordered me to hand over them to Abu Bakr and 'Umar, so
that their lovers might enter paradise. Lol Be witness.
Then the one on the left side of the Throne will call:
0 creatures I He who knows me knows me. But he who
does not know me should know that I am Malik, the guardian
(Khazin) of Hell. Allah has commanded me to hand over the
Keys of hell to Muhammad and Muhammad has ordered me
to hand over them to Abu Bakr and 'Umar, so that their
haters might enter the hell-fire. Lol Bewitness."73
He has also reported: "The Messenger of Allah(peace
be upon him) said: Ali is the counterpart of hell-fire. His
friends will enter paradise and his enemies will enter hell-
fire."74
As regards Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir Jilani, he is the
helper of the helpers and giver of aid and to those who seed
aid. The Bareilawi said about him:"Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir
has the power of disposition in the universe. He has been
granted permission and he has the authority. He is the
conductor of the affairs of the world."75 "0 my Helper!
73. Al-Bareillawi, Al-Amn wal'ula, p. 57.

74. Ibid., p. 57.
75. Al—Bareillawi, Hada'iq Bakhshish, p. 26.
105
you give life and death. The Prophet is the distributor and
you are the joiner."76 He invokes saying:
jJl aJIj ^ a II JJ> l-
jJl xJl^c jUjjJI IaJUL^j
»l •JJj u^>< ^»uJ Lîl
jJl iiJIjL-e j^JJI «JJ i-«..*
"0 Shade of Allah, 'Abd al-Qadir. 0 place of refuge,

'Abd al-Qadir. We are needy and indigent You are the
possesser of crown and integrity. Give me something for
Allah's sake, Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir."77
He said about him in his Arabic Ode:
Jl ,i All^l IJ L_. ]-*' Sll.^.a JôJuLj I JyO>
J1,9" 6JJ »>• *>..' !•" J,?*-IL. >-. 'i o t_a_» iS^lj*
JI t»"oHoJI jJUUIa-* J^jwoLj f '• «' ..
J' .eit-. Jl> jUUUIjurf Jit-Jly^lj ^Ju)|
"Praise be to you, O superior one, 'Abd al-Qadir, the

meritorious. My master, you have granted my demands
generously without asking for them.
0 bestower of blessings and favours, 'Abd al-Qadir,
you are the Exlated.
Show favour to me; answer the beggar, 'Abd al-Qadir,
fulfil my desires with generosity."78 He said: "The cushion
of 'Abd al-Qadir has been spread on the Throne, and the
76. Ibid., pp. 125-126.

77. Ibid.
78. 'bid.
106
Throne has been brought down on earth. " 79 He says:" 'Abd

al-Qadir provides aid for the religious people."8® "Shaikh
Jilani is the helper who has the power of the word "Be and
itis"(KunfaYakun):"81
He has lied against Shaikh Jilani that he has said:
I an-VL-.Lkj^l {JJ* ^"ijj
J' > J£ «j-» «i »«-i pa^xi
o *' I i J"' J <-&w¥ iS'l-tj'*
J1 " 'i H ai* J "•' ? |»jj»*
U-*l <fr .» «XJ> 5JI Bin II ^jajUSJ

(j e^ q>J u^JLa aJJl JiL,
(j—11 a* -i-3 on—-' IH, 1 i^LJSjl j
1 ra> aJJl j^L oJI oîaJ
J I, rfv.',')l i» *••- yric dJj^3*£
"Allah has made me a ruler over all the saints. My command

is in force in all circumstances. My novice, do not fear
calumniator, for I am resolute and killer in fighting. My
drums are beaten in heaven and on earth. The proud
happiness has appeared to me. Allah's territory is my empire
under my rule. My times for my heart are clear to me. I have
looked at Allah's territory entirely. They are like mustard
on the order of communion. I am Jili and my name is Muhi
79. Ibid., p. 184.

80. Ibid., p. 179.
81. Ibid., p. 122.
107
al—Din. and my flags (proper names) are on the

mountains.*
He also told a lie against him;"The crisis of the affairs-
o< the people of our times is in my heart. It disposes their
grant and rejection."83 They have also attributed the
following statement to him: "The hearts of the people are
in my hand. If I wish to turn them away from me, I can do
so; If I wish to turn them towards me, I can do so."
Another Bareilawi said: "Shaikh Jilani is the helper
of the helpers. He has the right of consolidation in the
guarded tablet. He has the power of turning a woman into
a man."85 He also said: "He (' Abd al-Qadir) repelled the
death of a person that was recorded in the guarded tablet,
and was decreed that he would die. Similarly, he altered the
divine decree and predestination about him."00
The Bareilawi has reported about 'Abd al-Qadir
on the authority of his leaders who led me astray:"Shaikh
'Abd al-Qadir used to walk, in the air in public in his
assembly, and would say: The sun does not rise until it
R7
greets me."°#
When Shaikh 'Abd al- Qadir has been granted permiss
ion and authority from Allah, and he is the disposer, the
giver of life and death, the helper, the bestower, and the
joiner, then why should one pray to Allah, and why should
one seek help and aid from Him and trust Him ? Whenever
a man is in need of asking for anything, he should ask Shaikh
82. Al—Zamzamat al-Qumriyah fi'-»dhabb 'an al—

Khumriya, p. 356 f.
83. Bareilawi, Khalis al—I'tiqad, p. 49.
84. al-Barakati, Hikayat Ridwiyya, p. 125.
85. Ayyub 'Ali, Bagh Firdaus, Bareilly edition, p. 26
86. Ibid., p. 26
87. al-Bareilawi, Al-Amn Wa'l-'ula',. p. 109.
108
Jilani for it we seek refuge in Allah from such absurdities.

This is not peculiar to Shaikh Jilani, the Companions,
Prophets, and Chief of the Messengers of Allah but all the
saints, the pious, the sufis, and the mystic saints in general
have the power to do all these things: the earth is in their
possession, the heaven is in their hands as the Bareilawi has
reported on the authority of a person like him. He quoted
him as saying: "All the leading jurists (Fuqaha) and sufis
intercede their followers, and watch each of them at the time
when his soul is taken away from him, and at the time of
questioning him by the angels "munkar" and "nakir" and at
the moment of resurrection and assembling after death! and
reckoning, and weighing his actions with the Balance, and
passing through the Bridge. They will not be unmindful of
them at any place. All the leading legal thinkers (Mujtahidin)
intercede their followers, and watch them when they are in
calamities, in this world, the intervening world(Barzakh)
and on the day of resurrection till they pass the Bridge."88
He said: "The domain of a saint (Badal) is from heaven
to earth, while the domain of a gnostic ('Arif) extends from
the Throne to the earth."89
The Bareilawi also said: "The order of the universe
is established through the agency of the saints."90 "The
saints give life to the dead, heal up the born blind and the
leper, and cover thewhole earth by asingle pace."91
"No period of time is free from a saint who provides
aid, and the heaven and earth stand through him alone."92
Another Bareilawi said: The saints (Friends of Allah)
help their friends and destroy their enemies."93
88. Al-lstimdad (annotations), pp. 35-36.

90. Ibid., p. 34.
91. Al-Amn Wa'l-'ula' p. 24.
92. Ibid, p. 102.
93. Didar 'AM, Rasul al-Kalam, Lahore, n.d. p. 129.
109
"The divines have power and authority to bring back

an arrow from the game."94 "The Wahhabis say: The saints
have no powerto remove a fly from their tombs. But they do
not know that they have the power to turn the whole
universe upside down. They however do not pay any atten
tion to that."95
"The divines (i.e. saints of Allah) have the power to
Qfi
change the divine decree which is suspended."00
Another Bareilawi says: "The disposing power of
the saints increases after their death."97
There are very many statements like this.
These are the beliefs of these poeple about the saints
and pious people, and about the prophets and Messengers
of Allah, like those of the Christians, and the Jews about
Jesus, Ezra and Moses, and like the beliefs of the polytheists
and idolaters of old about al-Lat, Hubal, al-'Uzza, al—
Manat, Yaghuth, Ya'uq, Nasr and other pious servants o*.
Allah, whom they associated with Allah.
Solong as the Prophets of Allah, His Messenger,
the saints (i.e. His firends) and the virtuous servants of Allah
possess this power, the founder of this sect would necessarily
have a share from it.
And actually his helpers and assistants ascribed to
Ahmad Rida, the Bareilawi, more than what he and they had
ascribed to the divines, pious people and the saints. They
have said about him (i.e the Bareilawi): "He is the master,
the sustainer, the chief the spiritual guide, the intercessor,
the helper and the like.98
94. Ahmad Yar, Ja'al-Haqq, p. 197.

95. Ibid, p. 231.
96. Bahari Shariat, Vol. I, p.6.
97. Al-Fatawa al-Na'imiya, p. 249.
98. Ayyub Ridwi, Mada'ih, A'la Hadrat, pp. 4-5.
1.10
One of his followers calls upon him and invokes him

saying: "0 my chief, 0 sustainer, give me from your
bestowal, for this dog of yours has been looking forward for
some time. Look at this humble servant of your with an eye
of generosity, for whatsoever errors and sins he has
committed, he is your dog."99 We also find the following
statement:"If we leave, your door, Ahmad Rida, from whom
we beg and seek help ? No one was disappointed from your
door, for you, Ahmad Rida, give the beggars whatever they
ask for."100
It has been said about his grave that it is a house of
healing up for the sick; he resolves the difficulties, makes
the matters easy and fulfils the needs.101
"The sick used to seek healing from Jesus,but Ahmad
Rida gives life to the dead."102 Another said: "Ahmad Rida
gives insight to the hearts and eyesight to the eyes, he grants
faith and gives deliverance in the hereafter."'03 He says:
"Ahmad Rida is the sustainer, the responder to the
supplications, and the resolvers of the difficulties, the helper
and the pole of the saints; it is he who will have the shade
on the day of gathering (i.e.in the hereafter after resurrection),
on the day when there will be no shade, and there will
be his company in the grave, and when the people are
resurrected and gathered (in the next world): He is the
sustainer and we are needy to him."104
Such are these people, and such are their doctrines
entirely repugnant to the teachings of Allah who has
mentioned them in the Qur'an. These are also in conflict
99. Ibid.
100. Ibid.
101. Ibid., p. 9 f.
102. Ibid., p. 25.
103. 'Abd al-Sattar al-Bareilawi, Naghmat al-Ruh, p.42.
.104. Ibid., p.46.
111
with the teachings of the Prophetlpeace be upon him) that

are established on the basis of his sound traditions. But
these are the very beliefs which the polytheists of Quraish,
the unbelievers of Arabia, pagans of the pre-Islamic period
had entertained and had faith in these doctrines. The Prophet
of Allah (peace be upon him) came to put an end to them
and to annihilate such beliefs, as we mentioned before.
Before we close this discussion, we would like to
quote a passage written by a learned scholar, Nawwab Siddiq
Hasan Khan, in his exegesis of the Qur'an "Fath al-Bayan"
under the verse: "Say, I have no power over any harm or
profit to myself except as Allah willth"(X).
"This is the greatest restraint and deepest deterrent
for one who has become habituated to call upon the
Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him), or to seek help from
him in the event of occurrence of calamities which cannot
be repelled by anyone except by Allah(glory be to Him).
Similarly, it is a deterrent for one who seeks from the
Prophet that which cannot be given except by Allah. This
is the position of the Lord of the Universe, who created
the prophets, the pious men and all the creatures, and who
sustained them, gave them life and will give them death.
How does he ask as prophet from the prophets, or.angels
from the angels, or a pious man from the pious men for a
thing over which they have no power, and which they cannot
give themselves ? How does he forsake seeking these things
from the Lord of the Lords, the All-Powerful over every
thing, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Bestower and the
Restrainer ? There is sufficient counsel for you in this verse,
for the chief of the children of Adam, and the Last Prophet
has been commanded by Allah to tell His servants: "I have
no power over any harm or profit to myself".how can he
then have power over it for others? How can a person other
than him(the Prophet) whose rank is lower than his, and
which is not equal to his rank, have the power over harm
and profit to himself, let alone his power over it for others?
112
Curiously enough, these people have clung to the

tombs of the dead, who are buried under the layers of the
earth. They ask them for their need over which only Allah,
the Exalted, has power why are they not alive of their
falling into polytheism, and why are they not aware of the
fact that they are involved in contravening the meaning of
the credo of Islam "there is no god but Allah," and the
import of the Qur'anic verse: "Say: He is Allah the one
and only ?"
And more curious than this is the fact that the scholars
are aware of the deeds these people are doing, still they do
not raise any objection to them, and they do not intervene
for their reversion to the pagan days before Islam, rather to
the belief more severe than those of the pre-lslamic Arabia.
They admit that Allah, Glory be to Him, alone is the Creator,
the sustainer, the Giver of life, the Giver of death, the
Harmer, the Benefiter. They make their idols intercessors
for them with Allah, drawing them near to Him, regard them
as powerful over harm and benefit, and invoke them some
times independently and sometimes along with Allah, the
Almighty. It is sufficient for you to hear such evil. Allah is
the helper of His religion, the purifierof His Sharia from the
dirt of polytheism, and from the filth of unbelief. The devil,
may Allah disgrace him, made it a means for his pleasure,
and coolness of his heart, and he is pleased by the unbelief
of a large number of these blessed people, while they think
that they are acquiring good by their works. To Allah we
belong and to Him is our return". 5
In his "Fatawa", Ibn Taymiyya relates that Bayazid al-
Bistami has said: Seeking help by the creature from the
creature is like seeking help by a drowning person from a
drowning person. He further reports al—Shaikh Abu 'Abd—
105. Nawwab Siddiq Hasan Khan, Fath al-Bayan, Vol.IV,

p. 225.
113
allah al-Quraishias saying: Seeking help by thecreature from

the creature is like seeking help bya prisoner from aprisoner.
Moses(peace be upon him)is reported to have supplicated
Allah as follows: 0 Allah, praise be to Thee, complaint is
to be lodged with Thee, help is to be sought from Thee,
aid is to be asked for from Thee, reliance is to be placed on
Thee, and there is no might and no power except in Thee.
Moreover, it is not known about any Muslim that he made
it lawful to seek unconditional help frqn» any person besides
Allah, or did not objectto any person who negatived seeking
help from anyone other than Allah.106
HEARING OF THE DEAD
The problem of hearing by thedead is connected with

the two previous problems, namely seeking help from a
person other than Allah, and the power of the Prophets and
saints and their authority. The ignorant persons who call
upon the prophets, saints and the pious men after their
death and invoke them besides Allah, the Exalted, do so on
account of their belief that the dead listen to them, answer
their supplication, and possess power and authority. Hence
they say: "The saints and the pious men hear and see in their
tombs more than the extent to which they heard and saw
during their life in this world."107
According to their belief, they were incapable before
their death and were chained by the causation of the
universe. When they died, they were released from those
causes. About this a Bareilawi says: "When the pious souls
are abstracted from the bodily connections, then they are
associated with the supreme sphere, and they see and hear
everything like a witness."108 Another Bareilawi says:
106. FatawaShaikh al-lslam, Vol.l, p. 112.
107. Amjad 'Ali, BahariShariat, p. 56.
108. Ibid., pp. 18-19.
114
109
"Shaikh Jilani sees every moment, and listens to the call
of all and sundry."110 The Bareilawi himself has written:
"The dead hear, for only he who hears] 1 is addressed."
He produced a monograph on this subject with the
title "Al-Wifaq al-Mubin Baina Sama' al-Dafin wa Jawab
el-Yamin." It was published amongst the treatises which
constituted "al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya". He has related several
false stories proving thereby that the dead hear, Indeed they
also speak. Among them there is an episode mentioned in
"Malfuzat", and "al-Hikayat al-Ridwlyya". It runs as follows:
"Once al-Sayyid Isma'il al-Hadrami passed by a
graveyard accompanied by his disciples. He stopped near
forty graves and remained standing there for a long time.
He kept on weaping till the mid-day and then laughed.
Ho was uskod about the cause of his wouping and toughing.
He replied: I passed by these graves, for their inmates were
being punished. Ithen began to intercede with the Lord and
weap for their punishment, till the punishment was removed
from them. When I finished, I heard awoman's call me from
the end of the graveyard, and say: I am so and so, a singing
girl. You interceded for them and deprived me. Ilaughed at
her words and said to her: You are one of them. Then the
punishment was removed from her."11
109. Ahmad Yar, 'llm al-QuKan, p. 189.
110. Mufti 'Abd al-Qadir, Izalat al-dalala, p. 6.
111. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. IV, p. 327.
112. This Is no argument, for there are many things that
are addressed, but they do not hear. When the Prophet
(may peace be upon him) saw the new moon, address
ing it, he said: My Lord and your Lord is Allah.
(Transmitted by al-Tirmidhi). In another version he
said: New moon for the good and right guidance.
I believed in Him who has greated you." (Transmitted
by Abu Dawud).
113 Al-Hikayat al-Ridwiyya. This book, deals with the
powers and authority of saints and the pious men.
115
His another follower says: "It is lawful to call upon

'All and Ghawth, for these favourites of Allah hear after
their death."114
The Bareilawi has said more than that:"The saints
and prophets do not die. They are buried while they are
living. Their life in.the grave is like that in this world, indeed
far better than it."Concerning the prophets the Bareilawi
says: "The life of prophets(after death) is real.sensuous
and like that in this world. Death befalls them for a moment
so that Allah's word is fulfilled. After a second, life returns
to them and they become living as they were before. To this
life apply the rules of this worldly-life. For this reason
their inheritance is not divided, their wives are not married,
nor do they pass waiting-period. They eat, drink and pray
in their graves."115
Another Bareilawi says: "The prophets are not left
10 their11ilrave8 after fortV n,9hts. But they pray before
Allah."110 Another says: "The prophets are alive in their
tombs. In them they walk, perambulate, pray, speak and
dispose the matters relating to the creatures."117 They say
about the Prophet(may peace be upon him): "He was alive
before his burial and was speaking." The Bareilawi says:
"When the Companions placed the body of the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) in his grave, he was speaking
and saying: My people, my people."118 Another says:
"Death did not occur to the Messenger of Allah(may peace
be upon him) even for a moment, for when it was intended
114. Nur Allah al-Qadiri, al-Fatawa al-Nuriyya, p. 527.

115. Malfuzat, Vol. J11, p. 276.
116. Didar 'AlI, RasuI al-Kalam, p. 1.
117. Al-Kazimi, Hayat al-Nabi., p. 3.
118. Al-Bareilawi, Nafy al-Fai' an man anara bi Nuihi
Kulla Shai', included in Majmu'ah Rasail Ridwiyya,
Vol.I, p. 221. Al-Kazimi, Hayat al-Nabi, p. 47.
116
to take his life for a moment, life existed there in his

body."119 A third one says: " There is no distinction
between the life and death of the Prophet(peace be upon
him) on account of his knowledge of their affairs,intentions,
designs and notions. All that is clear to him. There is no
hiddenness in it."120 Another says: 'When the people
left Medina for three days on the occasion of al-Harra,
and none entered the mosque of the Prophet, the call to
prayer (adhan) was heard from the grave of the Prophet
(peace beupon him) five times daily."
Another says: "When the hier of Abu Bakr (Allah
be pleased with him) was placed before the apartment of
the Prophet, the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him)
called and the people heard his call: Bring in the friend tothe
friend."122 This is not peculiar to the prophets. Saints and
prophets are identical in this respect, as one of the Bareilawis
says- " The saints of Allah do not die, but shift from one
sphere to another."123 The Bareilawi himself has said the
same thing: "The saints are living after their death, their
dispositions and miracles survive, their benefits continue,
and their help and aid still exist"124 Another Bareilawi
says: "The death of saints is like avision which they have
for amoment, like theHeating lightning."125 The Bareilawi
said: "The saints have eternal life in their graves, and their
knowledge, perception, hearing and seeing are stronger than
before."126 Their Imams (leaders) are reported to have said:
119. Hayat al-Bani, p. 104.
120. Ahmad Yar, Ja'al-Haqq, pp. 150-51.
121. Didar 'Ali, Hidayat al-Tariq fi Bayan al-Tahqiq wa'l-
Taqlid, p. 86.
122. Hayat al-Nabi, p. 125. ' " • ««
123. Iqtidar b. Ahmad Yar, al-Fatawa al-Na'imiyya, p. 245.
124. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol.IV, p. 236.
125. Al-Fatawa al-Na'imiyya, p. 245.
-126. Al-Hikayat al-Ridwiyya, p. 44.
117
"The saints are alive, although they die; they only shift
from one territory to another."127 "A person died, and
when his spiritual guide came to bury him in the grave.he
opened his eyes. He said to him: Are you alive? He relied:
yes I am alive, and every lover of Allah is alive. Me
established a heading: The prophets saints, martyrsâre
physically alive in their shrouds. 129 A story runs: A
person was travelling, and the night overlook him.. He
intended to take rest So he placed his baggage on the ground
and slept. He placed his head on a high mound. In the
morning he found that this mound was agrave of a person.
Suddenly, the inmate of the grave called him complaining:
You have been causing me trouble130, since last night.
These people compete each other in lying, as another says:
Aperson died. People washed and shrouded him. Afterwards
he called": Hurry up, and carry my.bier soon, since the
Prophet (may peace be upon him) is waiting for me to pray
132
over me. .'*' •
This is the non-sense talk of these people, and this
is their belief, entirely repugnant to what Allah, the Exalted,
and His Messenger(peace be upon him) have said, and
contrary to the Islamic Shari'a, clear and pure from the
dirt of polytheism, idolatry and superstitions. These people
127. Ahkam Qubur Mu'minin, included in:Rasa'il Ridwiyya,

p. 243.
128. Ibid. p. 245.
129. Ahkam Qubur Mu'mimn, p. 239.
130 One may ask:Placing the head caused h«m harm, but
the big domes built over the graves and the graves
built with marble, gold , and silver and lofty erections
built over them do not cause them harm. Their eyes
are not blind, but the hearts in their chests are blind.
131. Ahkam Qubur Mu'minin, p. 247.
132. Al-Kazimi, Hayat al-Nabi, p. 46.
118
harboured such beliefs to assign partners to Allah like, the

pagan Arabs about whom Allah has said:
"And who is more astray than one who invokes besides

Allah, such as will not answer him to the day of Judgmem^
and who(ln fact) are unconscious oftheircall (to them)?"
Allah, the Exalted, said:
tfo«dl uJl f*j*<* 0»J» CUJ*^ f*-^> V '>° f^
J>* j*j v*-?4" J> *" •JJI' ^J,6' ' ai>«' **'
î^j i^**--v **»J' i»» f^J*"*3 a'^' ^-^ f*~Aii
"Do they indeed ascribe to Him as partners things that can

create nothing, but are themselves created ? No aid can
they give them, nor can they aid themselves. If ye call
them to guidance, they will not obey: for you it is the
same whether ye call them or you hold your peace. Verily
those whom ye call upon besides Allah are servants like
unto you: call upon them, and letthem listen to your prayer
if ye are indeed truthful. Have they feet to walk with ?
or eyes to see with? or ears to hear with ? Say, call your
133. Qur'an, XLVI: 5.

119
god-partners, scheme (your worst) against me, and give

me no respect. For my protector is Allah who revealed the
Book (from time to time) and He will choose and befriend
the righteous. Not those ye call upon besides Him, are
unable to help you, and indeed to help themselves. If thou
callest them to guidance, they heard not. Thou wilt seethem
looking at thee but they see not."134
Allah, the Exalted, has given in the Qur'an an account
of the polytheists of the Quraish of Arabia and their belief
in seeking help from Allah, and asking others for aid besides
Allah in the following verse:
f*L, j»->i fAii y&j o15-0 J* o-? £>*" <**' ^J •

«i* &> i •."•„.?,•.> cA> cw^1 *J WW*-**- *"' ,^*«4
"He it is who enableth you to traverse through land and sea;

so that you even board ships; they sail with them with a
favourable wind, and they rejoice threat; then comes a
stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides,
and they think they are being overwhelmed: they cry unto
Allah, sincerely offering (their) duty unto Him, saying: If
thou dost deliver us from this, we shall truly show our
gratitude."135
It means that during their voyage they invoke none
but Allah for their belief that persons besides Allah cannot
help them in the seas and they have no power. But this is
against the doctrines of these people for they do not seek
aid on land and sea from persons besidesAllah. They invoke
134. Qur'anVII: 191-198.

135. Qur'an X: 22.
120
them alone, as we have quoted tre. Bareilawi as saying: I

did not seek aid during my life from anyone, nor did I ask
anyone for help besides al-Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir. Whenever
I seek help, I seek it from Shaikh Jilani.and whenever I ask
for aid I ask him alone for it. 136
For this reason al-Shaikh al-Alusi, the Hanafi exegete,
has said in his Tafsir under the commentary of this verse'
"This verse indicates that the polytheists did not invoke
anyone besides Allah in that situation. You are aware that
today when a calamity befalls the people on land or sea
they invoke one who can neither see nor hear. Among them
there are people who invoke al-Khidr and llyas, some call
upon Abu'L-Khamis and al-Abbas, others seek aid from an
imam, and some humiliate themselves toa Muslim saint. You
will not find anyone who humiliates himself to Allah and
calls upon Him, and occurs to his mind that if he calls upon
Allah alone he will get deliverance from this situation. I
adjure you, tell me: Which of these two groups is more
guided to the straight path and which of these two mis
sionaries is more upright in speech ?We complain to Allah of'
a time when the blast of ignorance is blowing, the waves of
straying are on the increase, the ship of Sharia has been
trotten, the seeking of aid from others besides Allah has
become a. means of salvation, enjoining what is good has
become adifficult task for the gnostics, and there are various
kinds of obstacles in the way of forbidding what is evil "137
Al-Sayyid Rashid Rida al-Misri has written in his
commentary of the Quran: "This and similar other verses
clearly indicate that the polytheists during their sufferings
and absence of means invoke Allah, their Lord. But alarge

137. Quoted from: Al-Ayat al-Bayyinat fi'adami Sama'i
al-Amwat, introduction, p. 17.
121
number of Muslims in our day invoke their dead deiters,

when a calamity befalls them, like al-Badawi, al-Rifa'i,
al-Dasuqi, al-Jilani, al-Matbuli, Abu Sari, and a large number
of others. You will find persons belonging to al-Azhar
wearing turbans on their heads, and the attendants in parti
cular, of the tombs that are worshipped by the people live
on their waqf property and offerings, and they have fallen
into the delusion of polytheism. They interpret it with
another name in the Arabic language like the word tawassul
(medium, agency) and others.
I heard a number of people in Egypt andSyria who relate
a story reporting from others, and it is repeated in both
these countries owing to likeness of their people, and most of
the Muslims have fallen a victim to such superstitions. I
summarise it in a few words. A group of people traversed
through the sea and a flood of water overtook them. They
were about to drown. Those who had belief in saints began
to invoke them. Some said: My chief, 0 Badawo ! Others
cried: 0 Rifa'i. A group called: 0 Abd al-Qadir, Jilani.... to
the end. There was among them a person who believed in the
pure unity of Allah. He was disgusted with these slogans,
and said: My Lord, drown them. No one, who knows you,
hassurvived."138
We ask Allah for guiding us to the straight path, and
for protecting us from polytheism and the polytheists.
THE PROBLEM OF POSSESSING KNOWLEDGE
OF THE UNSEEN
One of the most significant beliefs the Bareilawis

have against the Ahl al-Sunna (the people of the Sunna)
is that the prophets, the messengers of Allah, His righteous
servants and the saints possess the knowledge of the unseen,
138. Tafsir al-Manar, Vol.XI, pp. 338-39.

122
and of the unseen of the heavens and earth. This belief of

theirs is contrary to the explicit texts of the Qur'an and the
Sunna, and even to the Hanafi Fiqh, despite their ascription
to the Hanaf is. Allah, the Exalted, says in His Book :
(to - JîJi )
Say: None in the heavens or on earth, except Allah, knows
what is hidden.139Allah said:
(TA ->«-Ui) ."Verily Allah knows (all)

the hidden things of the heavens and the earth. Verily,
He has full knowledge or all that in (men's) heart. 140.
Allah, the Exalted, said :

&j, Un.1 La* ê-f aUI Ji^jVIj olîuJI «_»-*4 f, liLj dJJl jl
"Verily, Allah knows the secrets of the heavens and the
earth: and Allah sees well all that ye do."141
. &JS ô*| g*^ t^j tfjll j &\ j+*J\ u*-A &u
"To Allah do belong the unseen (secrets) of the heavens and
the earth, and to Him goeth back every affair (for
decision).' He commanded His Prophet to say:
139. Qur'an XXVII: 65.

1.40. Qur'an XXXV. 38.
141. Qur'an XLIX: 18.
142. Qur'an XI: 123.
123
"Say: The unseen is only for Allah (to know). Then wait
ye: Itoo will wait with your."143
>-JI o-i l-a f»-LarfJ J* i\ L^.it^j w-«JI CiP*-*-» aj^*J
oLoJfc oJ '<Li»tfj I>l» !(% VI '<Ujj Jjj JbJUS Uj ^*J|^
"With Him are the keys of the unseen; the treasures that none
knoweth there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf
doth fall but with His knowledge. There is not a grain in the
darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry
(green or withered) clear (to those who can read)."144
He said and He is the truest of all those who speak:
iîU-o ft I«,.;j &îall Jj-^j 5UUJI fJU ajJfcC «JU| ,;,',
O-i- U»j«*- Laj \Al tv,mSji\S Lo o-Jl- tSjîLoj |*L>^Î
• .«*> f*J* *JJ| 0« ' • o^yi^l ejL-
"Verily, the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone).
It is He who sends down rain, and He who knows what is
in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will
earn on the morrow: Nor does anyone know in what land
he is to die. Verily, with Allah is full knowledge and He is
acquainted (with all things).'
There is a large number of similar verses of the Qur'an
and the numerous traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) that will be cited later in the course of discussion,
fiut the Bareilawis hold views contrary to these verses and
traditions. "The prophets (peace be upon them) know,
rather see and watch over all. that which-happened and all
143. Qur'an X: 20.

144. Qur'an VI: 59.
145. Qur'an XXXI: 34.
124
that which will happen from the first day to the last"146
Another. Barielawi says: "The prophets know the unseen
since their birth."147 As for the Prophet (peace be upon
him), he possesses the knowledge of all subsidiary and
fundamental sciencess and encompasses them all."148 The
Bareilawi said: "The knowledge of the guarded Tablet, the
knowledge of the Pen, and the knowledge of whatever
existed and of whatever will exist are a part of the knowledge
of the Prophet (peace be upon him)"149 "His knowlege
(i.e. the Prophet peace be upon him) comprehended all
sorts of minutiae and essentials, realities and complexities,
impediments and learnings concerning the essence of Allah
and His attributes, and the knowlege of the guarded Tablet
and the Pen constitutes an iota of his knowledge, and a
channel from the oceans of his knowledge. Alongside of this
his knowledge and wisdom encircled the whole world by
hisblessed existence."150
He also said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) has
the knowledge of all things concerning the divine affairs,
and the commands of the attribtes of Allah, the names, the
acts and the signs. He comprehended all the external and
internal, and first and last learnings."151 Another scholar
belonging to his group said: "Nothing of the universe remain
ed hidden from the spirit of the Prophet (may peace' be
upon him) : he is acquainted with His Throne, high and
low dimensions, this world and thereafter the hell and
paradise, for all of them have been created for his sake."152
146. Ahmed Rida, al-Dawlat al-Makkiya, Lahore:n.d.p.58.

147. Ahmad Yar, Mawa'iz Naimiya, p. 19Z
148. Al-Dawlat al-Makk iya, p. 230. i
149. Ahmad R ida, Khalis al-' Itiqad, p. 38.
150. Ibid. p. 138.
151. Al-Dawlat al-Makkiya, p. 210.
152 Na'im al-din al-Muradabadi, al-Kalimat al-'Ulya li I'la'i 'llm
al-Mustafa, p. 14.
125
He said: "The knowledge of the Prophet (peace be upon

him)encompasses.all the unseen and divine information."153
Another Bareilawi says: "The Prophet (peace be upon him)
knows all the creatures, beings, and all their parts, present
and future. Nothing is hidden from him, and likewise he
knows their creator and their maker."154 Another Bareilawi
who surpassed him, said: "How is it possible that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) who knows the condition of hearts of
the inanimate objects and of the animals may not know the
condition of the hearts of.his lovers."155 He further says:
"If the Prophet (peace be upon him) places his foot on an
animal, it will have the knowledge of the seen and the
unseen. How does a saint on whom the Prophet (peace be
upon him) puts his hand, not know the seen and the un
seen."156 The Bareilawi said: "The companions of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) knew with certainty that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) had possessed the knowledge
of the unseen."157 Moreover, the Prophet (peace be upon
him) had the knowledge of the five unseen things that
were peculiar to Allah, the Almighty, and about which
He Himself has said:
lpJL« nitcgj i-bjall JjJuj 'A^LuJl jO-U »JJt* flJJl |jl
(5l_i (jaii aO"*-* l~8J I AC i,t.M^" I JLo vrJL.^j^l_oj pL>ji\
153. Ibid., p. 56.

154. Ahmad Said al-Kazimi, Taskin al-Khawatir fi mas'alat
al-Hadir wa'l-Nazir, p. 65.
155. Iqtidar, Mawa'iz Na'imiyya.
156. Ibid, pp. 364-365.
157. Khalisal-I'tiqad, p. 28.
126
"Verily, the knowledge of the hour is with Allah (alone).

It is He who sends down rain, and He who knows what is
in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he
will earn on the morrow: nor does anyone know in what
land he is to die. Verily, with Allah is full knowledge and
He said: He is acquinted(with all things.)'158
jj .-.lii^r^l ajUbiJIj *-#AJI fJU'jlAi** aoi* »yi JSj .

"Allah knows what every female (womb) doth bear, by how
much the wombs fall short (of their time or number) or do
exceed. Every single thing is before His sight, in (due) propor
tion. He knoweth the unseen and that which is open: He is
the great, the most High."159 He said:
"Verily, the hour is coming, my design is to keep it hidden,

for every soul to receive its reward by the measure of its
endeavour."160
Addressing Himself to His Prophet Allah, the Exalted,
said :
p<j>u.!iijj1ij*.\ »-JI L^cJUtt_ j» i\ LfcSJJjJ Lfc^J^V
. oâJUÛJI >iSl t^SJj *ui^*
158. Qur'an XXXI: 34.

159. Qur'an XIII: 8-9.
160. Qur'an XX: 15.
127
"They ask thee about the (final) Hour when will be its
appointed time ? Say: The knowledge thereof is with my
Lord (alone): None but He can reveal as to when it will
occur. Heavy were its burden through the heavens and the
earth. Only, all of a sudden will it come to you. They ask
thee- as if those wert eager in search thereof. Say: The
knowledge thereof is with Allah (alone), but most men
know not."161
Allah, the Exalted, also said :
• ailJJ*« UyaJU UJ»I JJ ILaLnJI ^tyUJI dULwrf
"Men ask thee concerning the Hour, say: The knowledge,

thereof is with Allah (alone)."162
f£ ajj* u*«4 J*ij iL>i lyoj ^ ^h ô f£ju> tf.iJija
"He it is who created you from clay, and decreed

a stated term (for you). And there is in his presence another
determined term; yet ye doubt within yourselves."163
And so many other similar verses like :
• f^jJCfiî 4^Jlj leUJI fJU AJJtAj

"With Him is the knowledge of the Hour (of judgment):
And to Him shall ye be brought back."164
♦ jb i\ 1ft.o la..? <->âJI g?Liu AO*»j
161. Qur'anVII: 187.

162. Qur'an XXXIII: 63.
163. Qur'an VI: 2.
164. Qur'an XLIII: 85.
128
"With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that
noneknoweth but He."165
The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself negated
the knowlege of these unseens from his as well as from
others, and mentioned that the knowledge of the unseen
is peculiar to Allah, the Exalted, alone; no one is His partner
in the knowledge of it The well-known tradition of Gabrie!
says that he asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) : when
will the last Hour occur ? He replied : The onewho is asked
about it is no better informed than the one who is asking.
I shall tell you about its signs. When a maid-servant begets
her mistress, and the herdsman of the camels exalt them
selves in buildings, (the Hour will come), as well as five
things which no one but Allah knows. Then the Prophet
(peace be upon him) recited: "Verily Allah has the know
ledge of the Hour."166
• 2L-5fl • iet-Jl fj« ajLKt aJJ| 0l
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The keys

of the unseen are five, and Allah alone knows them. Allah
alone knows what the wombs contain; no one knows what
will be on the morrow but Allah; and you do not know in
what land you will die but Allah; and no one knows when
the last Hour will come but Allah."167
There is also atradition to the same effect, transmitted
by Jabir (Allah be pleased with him). He said: "I heard the
Prophet (peace be upon him) say one month before he died:
165. Qur'an VI: 59.

166. Qur'an XXXI: 34. This tradition has been transmitted
by al-Bukhari.
167. Transmitted by al-Bukhari and the wordings are from
there. Muslim also transmitted it in his Sahih and
Ahmad in his Musnad.
129
You ask me aoout the Hour. The knowledge of it is with

Allah."168 Buraida (Allah be pleased with him) s>id "I
heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
These are five things which no one knows but Allah: the
knowledge of the Hour is with him; He sends down the rain;
He knows what is in the wombs; you do not know what
you will earn tomorrow; and you do not know in which
land you will die."169 These are many similar traditions
from the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the subject
But these people hold views entirely contrary to his teach
ings. The Bareilawi says: "The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) did not come out but after Allah had
taught him there five hidden things."170 "The Prophet
(peace be upon him) was endowed with the knowledge of
the five unseen things towards the end, but he was ordered
to conceal."171 Another Bareilawi said: "The Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) possesses the knowledge of
the unseen of the past and the future, and knows more than
what is contained in the guarded Tablet, and has the know
ledge of the last Hour."172
The following statement is reported from persons like
him: "Muhammad (peace be upon him) possesses the know
ledge of the initial affairs before the creation of the creatures,
and the events that would take place after them relating to
the day of the resurrection, and the wrath of the Lord. . .
he keeps watch over their circumstances, knows what would
be their condition in the hereafter, and the events of the
168. Muslim transmitted it.

169. Ahmad transmitted it. Ibn Kathir has mentioned it
in his commentary, and Ibn Hajar in his Fath al-Bari,
and others in their works.
170. Al-Bareilawi, Khalisal-I'tiqad, p. 53.
171. Ibid., p. 56; al-Dawlat al-Makkiya, p. 144.
172. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 43.
130
people of hell and paradise; they know nothing from his

information except to the extent he wishes to let them
know from it. The knowledge of the prophets and the
saints is like a drop of water from the seven seas and the
knowledge of our Prophet as conv-.ed to that of other
prophets is in the same proportion, namely a drop from the
seven seas. 3 He further says: "There is no distinction
between the life and death of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) in respect of watching his people by him, and his
knowledge about their events, intentions and resolu
tions."174 Another says: "The Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) keeps watch over whole world from
Medina."175 Another Bareilawi lied against the Prophet
of Allah (peace be upon him) saying: "The Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him): My knowledge after my death is
like my knowledge during my life, 0 people of guidance,
and those who possess excellence and piety.6 Not this
alone, but there is also more than it. The Bareilawi said:
"The Prophet (peace be upon him) not only knows these
five unseen things, but also he used to confer the knowledge
upon whom he liked from his servants."1'7 Another said:
"What is meant by these words of Allah: (He has power
over everything)— • f-J* *c*£ J5_. j&j
It refers to the Prophet (peace be upon him).1 8

These five hidden things are known not only to the
Prophet (peace be upon him) but also most of the people
173. Ja'al-Haqq, pp. 50-51.

174. Ibid. p. 151; Khalisal-I'tiqad, p. 39.
175. Ahmad Yar, Mawa'iz Na'imiya, p. 326.
176. Didar 'Ali, Rasul al-Kalam li bayan al-Maulid wal-
Kalam, p.1.
177. Al-Bareilawi, Khalisal-I'tiqad, p. 14.
178. Al-Kazimi, Taskin al-Khawatir, pp. 52-53.
131
know them, as the Bareilawi has explicitly said quoting

persons like him: "Nothing from the five unseen things
mentioned in the verse quoted earlier is hidden from the
Prophet (peace be upon him). How can that be hidden
from him, while the seven poles (aqtab) know them, although
they are lower than Ghawth (saint) in rank ? Then how is
with the chief of the first and the last of the people, who is
the cause of everything and which came into being by his
17Q
existence ? ,/0 He further says: "How can the matter of
five hidden things remain concealed from him, while a
person from the people endowed with the power of disposi
tion out of his Ummah cannot dispose things without having
the knowledge of these five unseen things. Listen to this,
0 deniers I Do not be rejectors of the saints of Allah, for
their rejection is a cause of damage to the religion. Allah
will soon take revenge from the deniers, and may Allah give
us refuge by virtue of his gnostic servants."180 Before
that he also established in his book; "We saw a body (of
saints) who had the knowledge of the time of death, and
they knew what the wombs had contained during the pre
gnancy of the woman as well as before it."181 One of
them said: "I frequently heard some saints say: It will
rain tomorrow, or tonight, and it happened so, as he said ...
1aslo heard some saints foretelling about the sex of the child
in the womb, whether male or female, and I saw with my
own eyes that it was as he had foretold. I also heard before
hand about the event of tomorrow before coming of that
day."182 One of such saints is al-Shaikh al-Makarim.
179. Khalis al-l'tiqad, pp. 53-54.

180. Ibid., p. 54; al-Dawlat al-Makkiyya, p. 48.
181. Al-Bareilawi, Khalis al-l'tiqad, p. 53., al-Muradabadi,
al-Kalimat al-'ulya, p. 35.
182. Al-Kalimat al-'ulya', pp. 94-95.
132
The Bareilawi included all these forged and false

stories in his book to establish the knowledge of the five
hidden things being possessed by him in contravention of
the Qur'anic verses and explicit teachings of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) on this subject He says in his own
Arabic: Abu'l Majd says: Iwas with Shaikh Makarim (Allah
be pleased with him) in his house at apure rever. It occurred
to my mind would that Isaw something from his miracles.
He turned to me smiling and said:Five persons will come
to us very soon. One of them is non-Arab and has white and
red colour. We find him on the right the left.. Nine months
have remained from his age. A lion will attack him in the
open country, and for this purpose Allah will send it.
Another is from Iraq. He has white colour: his eyes
are reddish and lame by one leg. He will suffer from illness
for a month with us and then die.
Another is from Egypt with brown colour. He has
six fingers in his left palm, and in his left thigh he has amark
of injury of a lance which he suffered thirty years ago. He
will live in India asa businessman after twenty years.
Another is from Syria. He has brown colour and
disfigured fingers. He will die in the land of Haram at the
door of your house after seven years, three months and
seven days.
Another hails from the Yemen. He has white colour.
He is Christian wearing a cross stripe under his clothes. He
has come out from his country three years ago and no one
knew him, with intent to test the Muslims whether any of
them could disclose this secret. The Iraqi will desire an
excellent goose; the Egyptian will demand honey with
cooking oil; the Syrian will desire an apple from Syria; and
the Yamani will ask for boiled eggs. None of them will desire
the things desired by another. Their sustenances and their
favourite dishes will soon be supplied to us abundantly
from every place: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
133
Abu' -Majd (Allah have mercy on him) said: By Allah,

after a short while five persons came to us,. as stated by
the Shaikh (Allah be pleased with him) lacking no quality
from his description. I asked the Egyptian about the mark
of injury in his thigh. He wondered at my question and said:
I suffered this injury thirty years ago. Then a man brought
all kinds of dishes which they had desired. He placed them
before the Shaikh (Allah be pleased with him). He command
ed him and he placed before each of them his favourite dish,
and said to them: Eat what you desired. Afterwards they
became unconcsious. When they came to themselves, the
Yamani said to the Shaikh: 0 my Chief, what is the quality
of a person who is informed of the secrets of the creation ?
He said: The quality is that he knows that you are a Christian
and you have a cross stripe under your clothes. The man
cried, stood before the Shaikh and embraced Islam. He said
to him: My son, every saint who sees you will realise your
circumstances. But they have known that you have embraced
Islam at my hand. So they have withheld themselves from
speaking to you.
He said: The same happened with regard to their
death, as the Shaikh had informed. It occurred at the same
time he had mentioned, and in the same place he had
appointed without any change. The Iraqi died with the
Shaikh in his hermitage after his illness for a month. I am one
of those who prayed over him. The Syrian died with us in
the Haram at the gate that had fallen to the ground. He was
called and he came out, and we found that he was our
friend, the Syrian. The period between his death and the time
when I met the Shaikh (Allah be pleased with him) is seven
years, three months and seven days (Allah have mercy on
him). Look at this, who is a servant from the sen/ants of the
servants of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, has informed
in a single breath about seventy-two unseen things that
were hidden in the breasts, about the places of death, the
M4
times of death, the causes of death, and what he will earn

tomorrow."18^
In addition, they have lied against the Shaikh Jilani
that he used to say: "The'sun does not rise until it greets
me, The 'Year' comes to me, greets me and informs me of
what will happen in it. The 'Month' comes, greets me and
tells me what will happen during it. The 'Day' comes to me,
salutes me and tells me what will happen in it. By the honour
of my Lord, the fortunate and the unfortunate are presented
to me; I have my eye to the knowledge of Allah and his
watch, I am a proof of Allah over all of you; I am the succ
essor of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and
hisheir on earth."184
Following is another example of lying against him:
"Had there been no reins ofShari'aon my tongue, I would
have informed you of what you eat and what you store.
You are like mirrors before me: I see whatever lies in your
innerselves."185 Invoking him another Bareilawi says:
"0 Great Ghawth (one who helps) ! you are aware of the big
and the small, and you know what occurs to our minds." lo°
When the door was opened to some, why is it not opened to
others ? Practically they opened it widely. They said: "A
man does not become perfect till he knows the movements
of his novice when he shifts to the loins, that is sperm,
since the day man made covenant with his Lord, till he is
1R7
settled in hell or paradise."lo/
The Bareilawi said: "The heart of a perfect man is
183. Al-Dawlat al-Makkiya, 162 p.

184. Al-Bareilawi, al-Aman wa'l-'Ula p. 109; al-Muradabadi,
al-Kalimat al-'Ulya, p. 67; Khalis al-i'tiqad, p. 49.
185. Khalis al-l'tiqad, p. 49.
186. Ayyub Ridwi, Baghi Firdaus, p. 40.
187. Al-Muradabadi, al-Kalimat al-'Ulya', p. 69; al-Kazimi,
Taskin al-Khawatir, p. 146; Ja'al-Haqq, p. 87.
135
the mirror of the upper and lower existence, all in minute

details."188 He also said: "A (perfect) man is not one who
is confined by the Throne, and the things sounding him, like
heavens, paradise and hell. The (perfect) man is one whose
eye goes far beyond all this existence."189
"The seven heavens and the seven earths in the eyes of
a believing servant of Allah are like a ring thrown in a
desert."190 Another says: "A servant of Allah is acquainted
with the realities of things and the unseen, and the unseen of
1Q1
the unseen become patent to him."lo'
These people have related silly and long stories on this
subject, and tried to establish that all the saints, let alone the
prophets and the messengers of Allah, possess the knowledge
of the unseen, even the laymen and the animals. They have
fabricated numerous fables about it. May Allah give us
refuge from them as well as from these absurdities.
This is the belief of these people in the unseen which
they establish for others besides Allah. But what Allah, the
Exalted, and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have said on
the subject is as follows:
• ^±2 *i»£ JS ,jJU &JJI jl • wjJil j» j\

"To Allah belongth the mystery of the heavens and the earth.
And the decision of the Hour (of judgment) is as the twinkl
ing of an eye, or even quicker: For Allah hath power over
all things."192
• AAmiI J A_; >A-il <j>ji\ J Ol J) flw.ll uui &J
188. Khalis al-l,tiqad, p. 51.

189. Ibid.
190. Ibid.
191- Ja'al-Haqq, p. 85.
192. Qur'an XVI: 77.
136
"With Him is (the knowledge of) the secrets of the heavens

and the earth: how clearly He sees, how finely He hears."193
"Verily, Allah knows all the hidden things of the heavens

and the earth: Verily, He has full knowledge of all that in
(men's) hearts." 194
"He knows what (appears to His creatures as) before or

after or behind them: But they shall not compass it with
their knowledge."1943
He commanded His Prophet (peace be upon him)
to say :
cuiS jJj tUi *u u VI \jj>ij L*ii b-*-.i dLLiV Jj

Lit oi 'j-J' i*^~* uj.â*J' ch»<z>y*zmi V***1 f>^«l
Ihave no power over any good or harm to myself except as

Allah willeth. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I should
have multiplied all good, and no evil should have touched
me: I am but a warner and a bringer of glad tidings to those
who have faith./195
Jj£\'ij<r^Mi\ fJUijfj till ^j> e?«xi* f£J JjSW jj
iSj^mg J* JJ5 ,^1 ^^ U.511 î 0, cLU ^1 J.SJ
193. Qur'an XVIII: 26.

194. Qur'an, XXXV: 38.
194.a Qur'an XX: 110.
195. Qur'an VII: 188.
137
"Say I tell you not that with me are the treasures of Allah,
nor do I know what is hidden nor do I tell you angel. I but
follow what is revealed to me. Say: can the blind be held
equal to the seeing ?will yethen consider not ?"196
Allah, the Exalted, said warning him and informing
the creatures that he had knowledge of the unseen:
oLAj-o criS-^ dU aJJI J>| U f>x£ f>J t>^J1 l*-l L-
* rV>-> _»** *Uij * d»\jj\
"0 Prophet I why boldest thou to be forbidden that which
Allah had made lawful to thee ? Thou seekest to please
thy consorts. But Allah is oft-forgiving most merciful."197
He negated the knowledge of the unseen from him'
by saying:
ffto l»'i v>»w fft-e InllV (jjLJCJI u-le IjJô *'-j *n11 Jjs| £y»*
"As well as (desert Arajs) among the Medina folk: they

are obstinate in hypocrisy: Thou knowest them not: We
know them."198
l>3a* ^.Dl dJ c>s-^- cP> fNft-l Cwil fj di* &U| Lie
wJLSJI f-lsCj
"Allah give the'grace: Why didst thou grant them exemption
until those who told the truth were seen by thee in a clear
light, and thou hadst proved the liars."199
Similarly, He negatived the knowledge of the unseen
from all the prophets by saying:
ljJ ^J«i ijJU f^->i liu JjJLti J~^Ji ail jA^w ^
• v>**J' (»iU cîl »iLm
196. Qur'an.VI:50.
197. Qur'an LXVI: 1.
198. Qur* anl X 101
199. Qur'an IX: 43.
138
"One day will Allah gather the apostles together, and ask:
what was the response ye received (from men to your teach
ing) ? They will say: We have no knowledge: it is Thou who
knowest in full all that is hidden."200
Similarly, He negatived the knowledge of the unseen
from His angels by saying:
stL>\ I••"•o Ip U 511 UJ ,Uc* dbt*^ . i^juj
• (B.^-vl! (n,,i laJI cwl
"They said: Glory to thee: of knowledge we have none,
save what Thou hast taught us: in truth it is thou who art
perfect in knowledge and wisdom."'201
There are numerousevents and accounts, in the Qur'an
and the Sunna, of the Prophets from Adam to Noah, from
Abraham to Moses, and from him to the last Prophet, the
Chief of the Messengers (peace and blessings be upon him).
The life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and its
accounts are replete with the circumstances which decisively
indicate that he (i.e. the Prophet) did not possess the know
ledge of the unseen. Had he possessed it, the incidents that
took place during his life-time would not have happened,
like the martyrdom of the Qur'an-readers at Bir Mu'una,
Bai'at al-Ridwan, the incident of bringing the lie against
A'isha, facundation of the palm-trees and the event of the
people of Uraina, and similar many other events. Still these
people insist that the prophets and saints possessed the know
ledge of the unseen, even the Bareilawi himself had the
knowledge of the hidden things, as they say: "Ahmad Rida
al- Bareilawi had the knowledge of the day of hisdeath, and
its exact time."202
200. Qur'an V: 112.

201. Qur'an II: 32.
202. Wasaya al-Bareilawi, p. 7.
139
They did so in order to defy the human being, and to

raise him to a degree to which he should not have been
raised. For this reason the Prophet (peace be upon him)
said to his Companions; do not raise me beyond my rank
which Allah has made me hold."203 He also said: "Do
not extol me as highly as the Christians had extolled jesus
son of IMary."204"
A girl said while singing: Among us there is a Prophet
who knows what will happen tomorrow. The Prophet (peace
be upon him) objected to her and said: leavn this and say
what you were saying previously: No one ki.ows what will
happen tomorrow except Allah.205
Allah, the Exalted, told the truth, and His Messenger
(peace be upon him) told the truth, and anyone who said
against it lied, as reported by Aisha Siddiqa, daughter of
Abu Bakr Siddiq and wife of the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) with whom she had lived, and "the mother of
the believers (Allah be pleased with her) : If anyone tells
you that he ( i.e. the Prophet, peace be upon him) possessed
the knowledge of the unseen, he tells a lie. But he says: No
one knows the unseen except Allah.*'*uo
THE PROBLEM OF HUMANENESS OF THE

MESSENGER OF ALLAH (PEACE BE UPON HIM):
One of the wondrous beliefs harboured by these

people, despite their ascription to Islam, their belief in the
Qur'an, and their naming themselves Ahl al-Sunna, is their
belief in the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he is light
203. Ahmad and al-Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab

al-lman.
204. Majma' al-Fawa'id.
205. Ibn. Majah
206. Al-Bukhari Transmitted it in "K itabal-Tauhid."
140
from the light of Allah, inspite of fact that the Qur'an

clearly declares his humaneness more than once. It has also
during the life-time of the Prophet, the Chief of the Messen
gers (peace be upon hjm), rejected the prophethood of all
of them because they were human beings, as Allah the
Exalted, has mentioned their denial in the Qur'an, saying:
J\ i\ (5JAJI ,»Jb* L> i\ tôj* J\ d-UJI £ô U>j
"What kept man back from belief when guidance came to

them was nothing but this: they said: Has Allah sent a man
(like us) to be (His) Apostle."207
He then rejected it by saying:
* "iyj LS-L *UwJI &» p«»M lr

"Say: If there were settled on earth angels walking about in
peace and quiet, we should certainly have sent them down
from the heavens an angel for an apostle."208
He has mentioned the reasonsof denying and rejecting
the prophets of Allah by some past religious communities.
He has given a detailed account of the people of Noah,
Ad, and Thamud showing how they rejected the Messengers
in the following words:
OLS L*c Lij.i*3 0\ ojîjZ UOi« jLf <Cw| 6' l>JL3
• O..' j"» »jLb-Li_, Li^Li LJjLgil j:^ ,
"They said: Ah ! ye are nomore than human, like ourselves.
Ye wish to turn us away from the (gods) our fathers used
to worship; then bring us some clear authority."2083
207. Qur'an xvii; 94.

208. Qur'an XVII: 95.
208.a Qur'an XIV: 10.
14i
The prophets rejected their contention admitting

that they were humanbeings:
^ «j]| ^JS <*-** ~r** O^ *' <*"Ly ^ Û
"Their apostles said to them: True we are human like your
selves, but Allah doth grant His grace to such of His servants
as He pleases."208b
Describing the events of the people of Antioch, He
said :
IjJULJ.iJLi-, L-jo*i L«A>-iSJ Ch^1 f*^1 Li-L,->'

511 *iil U IjJti • OJ*»j»- P**1II Lit
"Set forth to them, by way of a parable, the (story of)

the Companions of the city. Behold, tl re come apostles
to it When we (first) sent to them two apostles, they rejected
them: But we strengthened them with a third: They said:
Truly, we have been sent on amission to you. The (people)
said: You are only men likeourselves."
He has mentioned the account of Pharaoh and his
Chiefs in the following words:
J;;. 0LfaO-j Li^Lrft-, 0JJUb aLilj'o-^ LiJ-jl fS
, Û U^S U^S IjJLSj Ij^SS-l-* a«Lj oj*^ uJ«
"Then we sent Moses and his brother Aaron with our signs
and authority manifest to Pharaoh and his Chiefs: but
these behaved insolently. They were an arrogant people.
They said: Shall we believe in two men like ourselves."
208b. Quran XXI
209. Qur'an XXXVI: 13-15.
2-iq. Qur'an XXIII: 45-47.
142
He has given a detailed description of the people of

Noah when he was sent to them:
PS t-"a J?-i *' '•«> •-• *-o>» G* Ij^ G*^1 f3UJI JLJLs
iSiiU J>i5f aUI * Li jJj pS„. U jAiO- 0I ol.^
«* J>j 5fl J* 0» ' O^Jj^l LiiL-7 ^ !.**_, I ••b.8,1, U
«_< I
."The Chiefs of the unbelivers among his people said: He is

no more than a man like ourselves: his wish is to assert his
superiority over you: if Allah had wished (to send messen
gers), He could have sent down angels: never did we hear
such a thing (as he says) among our ancestors of old. (And
some said): He is only a man possessed. Wait (and have
patience) with him for a time."211
He has depicted an account of Thamud, the people
of Salih (peace be upon him). They uttered the same words:
t-" V,A*J» *^ GJ-1^ L« JSL, f,<, Ho JL* VI | Aft U
. oj^L*-1 !•*» fAil fSLJi.-l.A- f^3' CA»,J G^-Âi
"He is no more than a man like yourselves. He eats of that
of which ye eat, and drinks of what you drink. If ye obey
3 man like yourselves, behold it is certain you will be
lost."212
The companions of the wood (Ashab al-Aika) also
spoke the same words to Shu'aib:
0--..1LSJI j^J dLJiJ 0ij I • K.0 jL_. 5fl c*il L*j
"Thou art no more than a mortal (man) like us and we
think that thou art a liar."213
211. XXII: 24-25.

212. Qur'an XXIII: 33 34.
213. Qur'an XXVI: 186.
143
The unbelievers of Mecca <iIsj said the same words to

the last Prophet (peace be upon him) :
f* l*.o ji- 511 IJA Jjk lâJli ^.ill l£j>^J\ Iji^r-lj
. ij^j** ,'"> fi-'-1IJ j»m" GJHL-uiI
"The wrong-doers conceal their private counsels, (saying)
Is this one more than a man like yourselves ? will ye go to
witchcraft with your open eyes."214
Then He replies to them in the following words :
Jftl jJUiLi fA-«-M o>^ 3L»j 511 dLLJ> Li-L^l Loj
• tjjJtJjCi"} p", ;*> ^1 j£AJI
"Before thee, also, the apostles we sent were but men, to
whom we granted inspiration: if ye realise this not, ask of
those who possess themessage."215
Allah, the Exalted, commanded His Prophet (peace be
upon him) to say :
J>lj aJI f&AJ\ UOI yjl ^>j^ fS-LU JLs Lil UJ,l Jj
"Say: I am out a man like yourselves (but) the inspiration
has come to me, that your God is one God."216
• *J-v '.A- *' »sus J* ^j Gt^v- Jj
"Say: Glory to my Lord I Am I aught but a man, an
apostle."217
He explained to the people in general the nature of
the great Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in the
following words:
(OA-^.1 CH> *J~J ?****>** Jl G~->oJI ^ flJJl ^ oJU
214. Qur'an XXI: 3.

215. Qur'a. XXI: 7.
216. Qur'an XVIII: 110;XLI:6.
217. Qur'an XVII: 93.
144
"Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He

sent among them an apostle from among themselves."*10
"Now hath come unto you an apostle from amongst your

selves."219
He said :
. UwL.1 pfLj U j-Li- f£±o "ijmj fS^b Li-U_,l LoS

"A similar (favour have ye already received) in that we have
sent amongyouyo an Apostle of your own, rehearsing to you
our signs."2 20
The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself said about
him:
injur'• IJLi i GJ—^ LaS tA-l ' |»^ L* a jZ-i Li I LaJI
"I am but a man like you: I am caused to forget, as you

forget. So when Iforget, remind me."221
A'isha (Allah be pleased with her), the mother of the
believers, said about the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) :
&Û v '^jj a-p J-*- jZ-?X g-° '>^ VI G^ ^
Aw t'» |lii»wj
"He was but a man from mankind: he washed his clothes,

milked his sheep, and served himself,1"222
218. Qur'an III: 164.

219. Qur'an IX: 128.
220. Qur'an II: 151.
221. Al-Bakhari transmitted it.
222. Shama'il al-Tirmidhi.
145
The Bareilawi himself quoted in his book a tradition

that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
UtLu) i£4> cA1 'i-A1 G-" *-',>"• o-*J V ^.^-l*0 0-° "-0
• g-**^ Lff^ ft « 3o>lj &*j£

*
"Every child has dust in his navel from which he was created
till he is buried in it. Abu Bakr, 'Umar and I were created
from the same dust, and in itwe shall be buried."223
This is all what Allah has stated, and what His
Messenger(peace be upon him) has said about the humane
ness of the prophets and chief of the Prophets, contrary to
the belief of those who denied the prophethood of the
prophets. They denied it on the basis of their belief that a
man cannot be a prophet. In other words, the prophets do
not belong to mankind, for prophethood is incompatible
to man. Prophethood and humaneness cannot be combined.
One can be either a man or a Prophet. They surely knew
that these pious people were men like them. They were born
among them, married, procreated children, walked on earth,
ate and drank like men, and possessed all the necessary
qualities of man. Hence they rejected their prophethood.
As for the Bareilawi and other ignorant persons
like them, they were born in the Islamic environment and
in the homes of the Muslims, they could not reject their
prophethood, but harboured the same belief: the incompati
bility between humaneness and prophethood. Therefore
they denied the humaneness of the prophets, and resorted
to the spurious reports and fabricated stories, taking refuge
in the inner interpretation of the Qur'anic verses and
•traditions of the Propnet (peace.be upon him) borrowed
223. Fatawa Ifriqiyya (ed. A.H. 1236), p. 85.

146
from the extremist Rafidis and Isma'ilis. Hence they said:

"The Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him) is light from
the divine light, and all the creatures are from his light." 224
"Allah created the image of Muhammad from the light
of His name al-Badi 'al—Qadir (the incomparable originator,
the all—powerful), and looked at it with His name al-Qahir
(the Dominant). Then He became manifest to him with His
name al-Latif al-Ghafir (the Gracious, the Forgiver)."225
The Bareilawi composed a number of treatises to
establish that the Prophet(peace be upon him) was created
from the light of Allah. One of them is his treatise which
he named Salat al—Safa fi Nur al—Mustafa'. In its introduc
tion he has written the following passage in his marvellous
Arabic:
JS J^JS j^l* • juA1 Jj-'W ' JJ**-*! aXaAjt *ti-i f**"

ijîJI Ajj ij^jjl a\J £4 Lg ( j|î J£ A«-i Jj-'J 'j£*
Sj\-sj a liwj J* i j^jJ' «£*«? ' jlA" *^"j ' j,A" *-fc0j
*jj£ g^ cJLUj djjl G4 ""'« li* (5^ ,>„»'• aH ^j^- (A*
A-iLxaIj dJ| < Ajl j^»l ikail t^-Uj i I aj o^ ^J3JI
G***?»S ^LajIj
"0 Allah, praise be to you 0 Light, 0 Light of the

light, 0 Light before every light, 0 light after every light,
0 one who possesses the light, by Him isthe light, from Him
is the light, to Him isthe light, it is He who isthe light, grartt
blessing and peace to your radiant light which you have
created from your Light, and created all creatures from his
224. Ahmad Yar, Mawa'iz Na'imiya, p. 14.

225. Al-Fatawa al-Na'imiya, p. 37.
147
light, and bless the rays of his lights his family, companions
and moons, bless all of them."226
He has included in it a fabricated and false tradition
and attributed it to 'Abd al-Razzaq, saying that he has
transmitted it in his 'musannaf" despite the fact that it is
not there. This tradition goes as follows:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to
Jabir: 0 Jabir, Allah created the light of your Prophet from
His Light before He created all things. He then made that
light circulate by His power wherever He pleased. At that
time there was no preserved Tablet, Pen, paradise, hell, angel,
heaven, the sun, the moon, jinn, and man. When Allah
intended to create the creation, he divided the light into
four parts. From the first part He created the Pen, from the
second the Tablet, from the third the Throne, and then
divided the fourth part into four sub-divisions. From the
first He created the bearers of the Throne, from the second
the Seat (Kursi), from the third the rest of the angels. He
then divided the fourth division into four parts. From the
first He created the heavens, from the second the earths,
from the third paradise and hell, then he divided the fourth
into further four parts-., up to the end of the tradition."227
He commented on it saying :"The whole Muslim community
has accepted this tradition. If thecommunity at large accepts
a thing, this implies that it is a great thing which does not
need any chain of narrators for its support after it."228
We do not know which community the Bareilawi
means by the community? If he means by the community
the persons like him who follow ignorance and deviation
226. Al-Bareilawi, Salat al-Safa, included in: Majmu'a

rasa'il, p. 33.
227. Ibid. •
22a Ibid.
148
from the right path, it gives us no harm. If he means its

scholars and experts in Hadith, there exists no scholar who
has said that if the community in general accepts a tradition,
it puts it in a position that no chain of narrators will be
required?
How is it so ? This tradition evidently contradicts
the texts of the Qur'an and the established traditions about
the humaneness of the Prophet(peace be upon him). It also
contradicts the actual facts. The Prophet(peace be upon him)
was born in the home of 'Abdullah b. 'Abd al-Muttalib.
He was born orphan, as the Qur'an says:
• • tf/U La*A< *sJ-*** r01
"Did He not find thee ah orphan and give thee shelter
and care ? "(XCIII: 6). He was nourished in the lap of
Aminah, suckled by Halima al-Sa'adiya, and was nourished
,in the home of Abu Talib. He married Khadija, 'A'isha,
Zainab, Hafsa and others. May Allah show His mercy and
pleasure to them. He became youth in Makkat al-
Mukarramah, he becameold and migrated toTaibah (Medina).
He had children Ibrahim, Qasim, Tayyib and Tahir, Zanib,
Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum and Fatima. He had his near
relatives and father-in-law \ Abu Bakr, 'Umarand''Uthman,
and sons-in-law Abdul-'As, 'Uthman, and 'AM, (Allah be
pleased with them). He had his uncles Hamza, al-'Abbas,
Abu Talib and Abu Lahab, and paternal aunts Safiyya
and Arwa, and other blood relations.
What is the value of these weak traditions as compared
with these texts and facts?
Again, these people exaggerated in their statements
based on ignorance. They said:'Muhammad (peace be upon
him) is neither Allah nor other than Allah. He is the mani
festation of the attributes of Allah. He gives life to the souls.
From him were created the Jinns and the mankind. From
him came into being the Throne CArsh) and the Seat(Kursi).
149
From him existed Eve and from him is Adam(peace be

upon him).229 The angels came into being from him, as
the Bareilawi says: "The angels are the flames of these
lights, for he said: "From my light was created every
thing."230
He says: "No one holds the rank of existence except
Allah, and all the rest is His shade and reflection. Similarly,
no one holds the rank of creation except Muhammad(peace
be upon him), and all the rest is the reflection of his benefit
and perfection."231 "He is the soul of all existing things,
their life and the secret of their being. Had he not been in
existence, the whole' existence would have gone and
severed."232
In the beginning of a treatise which he composed to
establish the fact that the Prophet(peace be upon him) was
light, and that he had no shade, entitled "Nafy al—fi' 'amkan
anara bi nurihi Kulla shai", he has written: "Praise be to
Allah who created before all things the light of our Prophet
from His light. He opened up all the lights from the gleams
of his manifestation. He(peace be upon him) is the light
of the lights and helper of all the suns and the moons. His
Lord named him in His Glorious Book light and Bright Lamp.
If he were not born, the sun would not be illuminated, and
"today" would not be distinguished from "yesterday",
and the time of the five daily prayers would not be
determined."233 He has quoted his masters as saying; "His
shade did not fall (i.e. was not seen) on earth, as he was light
229. Diwan Didar'Ali, p. 41.

230. Al-Bareilawi, Salat al-Safa, included in: Majmu'ah
Rasa'il, Vol, I. p. 37.
231. Salat al-Safa, p. 60.
232. Ibid.
233. Al-Bareilawi, Nafy al-fai' 'amman anara bi Nurihi
Kulla Shai', included in'.Majmu'ah al-Rasa'il, p. 199.
150
When he walked in the sunlight or moonlight, his shade was

not seen."234
in his ode which he has named Qasid al-Nur he says:
" You are light, every limb of yours is light, every child of
yours is light, you are light in substance, and ail your root is
light"235 For this reason one of the Bareilawis has said in
an Urdu couplet which runs as follows:
J ^j ft I.1* LfeSjS^ *&j2~*.J> O—*,?
j—£ jA vj ih.n.0 GtH> *—+J&* «J ljh-f j*\-
"It is He who was seated on the Throne as God, has come
down in Medina as Mustafa (the chosen one)."
As regards the meaning of being light from the light
of Allah, the Shaikh the Bareilawi says: 'Nature of hisbeing
light from the light of Allah; hence there is no way of Its
acquaintance without the institution from Allah. It belongs
to the category of Mutashabihat, (vague things not clearly
explained in the Qur'an) for which we have been commanded
to have belief in them without ponderance on them."236
When the" verses which comprise the humaneness of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) were presented to them, they
said: 'From the word "Say" it is implied that it is not lawful
for others to say that "he is aman like you"237 except by
the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself.
It was the habit of the unbelievers to say that the
prophets were human beings.238 *
234. Ibid., p. 202.

235. Ibid. p. 224.
236. Shuja'at 'Ali, Man huwa Ahmad Rida al-Bareilawi
al-Hindi, p. 39.
237. .Ahmad Yar, Mawa'iz Na'imiya, p. 115.
238. Al-Bareilawi, al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya Vol.VI. 143;
Mawa'iz, Na'imiya, p. 115.
151
This is the actual position of these people, and this

is their hostility to the pure and sound teachings of Islam,
and their arrogance to the plain truth, and their opposition
to the manifest signs. May Allah give us refuge in Him from
them and from their doctrines. If Allah guides anyone, there
is none to lead him astray, and if he leads him astray, there
is none to guide him.
THE PROBLEM OF OMNIPRESENT AND OMNISCIENT
One of the chief beliefs which the Bareilawis harbour

is that which is repugnant to reason and tradition. It is that
the Prophet(peace be upon him) is present at every place and
sees everything in the sense in which these words are not
applicable even to Allah, the Creator, the most High, all-
knowing and fully informed. The Bareilawis say: "There is
no place and there is no time in which the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) is not present"239 They say: " It is
not improbable that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) be present at various innumerable places, with his
physical Holy Existence."240 Another says quoting his
masters: "When a saint is omnipresent and omniscient in
every place and time, then why will not be the Prophet be
so" ? He says: "Howsoever long the distance between the
two parts of land may be, but there is no distance for the
saints; they can find the existence of their physical bodies
at various places during one single moment."241 "The
Messenger of Allah (peuce be upon him) has power to travti
throughout the world with the spirits of the Companions,
and many saints have seen him."242 And many other people
239. Ahmad Sa'id al-Kazimi, Taskin ai-Khawatir fi Mas'alat
al-Hadir wa'l-Nazir, p. 85.
240. Ibid. p. 18.
241. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 150.
242. Ibid., p. 154.
152
have been reported as saying: "Looking into the deeds of his

people, asking forgiveness for their evils, supplication for
removal of suffering from them, haunting all corners of the
earth, and praying for blessing in it, and attending the
funeral procession of the pious people of his community—
these are the matters in which to Prophet (peace be upon
him) remain engaged."243 The Bareilawi himself says:
"The saints are able to visit ten thousand cities in a single
moment if they please and intend."244
As regards the Prophet He said: "The spirit of the
Prophet(peace be upon him) is present in the homes of the
people of Islam."245 Another statement goes: "The
Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him) is looking at every
atom from the atoms of the world every moment. He visits
the assembly of recitation of the Qur'an,recitation of the
account of his birthday, and recitation of the odes in his
praise. Similarly, he attends the funeral procession of the
virtuous people with his holy body."246 He says: "The
Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him) witnessed the
creation of Adam, and the honour was bestowed upon him.
He also witnessed his expulsion from paradise on account
of his disobedience to the divine command, and then the
turning of Allah towards him tillthe end of all that happened
with him. He also witnessed the creation of Iblis (Satan) and
whatever happened with him... .when the spirit of Muhammad
which was in Adam was taken from him, hedid not stray nor
did he forget what survived in it After taking it away
forgetfulness and its subservients took place."24' Another
243. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 145.

244. Al-Bareilawi, Malfuzat^ p. 113.
245. Khalisal-I'tiqad,p.40.
246.. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 155.
247. Ibid. p. 156.
153
says: "The righteous men of Allah see him(i.e. the Prophet?)

with their own tangible eyes in wakefulness may times."248
The statement further goes: "The people with insight see
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) even in their
prayers."2*" He further asserts: "The Prophet of Allah
(peace be upon him) is living with his body and soul. He
disposes anything whenever he pleases in any direction of
the earth and in the whole universe. He is present with the
same form which he' had before his death. Nothing changes
from him He is invisible from the eyes as the angels are
invisible although they are living with their bodies. When
Allah intends to remove the veil from any person by besto-,
wing upon him the honour of seeing him,he sees him with the
same shape and form which he had ((Juring his lifetime).
There is no impediment to that, nor is there any motive to
particularise it with the ideal vision".25**
The Bareilawi says: "Krishna, the unbeliever, used
to visit hundreds of thousands places in a single moment.
This he did despite his unbelief. Why cannot the saints
visit numerous places in a single moment?"25* Another
Bareilawi said: "The Messenger of Allah was present at
the time when every Messenger had received the Prophetic
mission and this continuously happened since the time of
Adam till he physically appeared."252 They have made1
248. Taskin al-Khawatir, p. 18.

249. Ibid. p. 86.
250. Ibid.
251. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol.VI, p, 142;
Mulfuzat, p. 114.
252. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 163.
154
these statements despite the address of Allah, the Exalted,

to His Prophet after He mentioned the events of Moses
(peace be upon him):
"Thou wast not on the western side when we decreed the

commission to Moses nor wast thou a witness of these
.events."253
He also said:
l_i£Jj U*3L*I fA-J* jJLi ^Jlo Jai o-» ô1- c*-"s '-"J
"But thou wast nor a dweller among the people of

Madyan, rehearsing our signs to them; but it is He who
sends Apostles (with inspiration)."
He also said:
"Nor wast thou at the side of (the Mountain of)

Tur when we called to Moses. Yet (art thou sent) asa mercy
from the lord, to give warning to a people to whom no
warner had come before thee: in order that they may receive
admonition."255
Allah said to His Prophet after relating the story of
Mary (Maryam):
f*J* J-**- fM fAaiUl q^jLL M ^jJcuiSUj
253. QuKan XXVIII: 44.

254. Qur'an XXVIII: 45.
255. Qur'an XXVIII: 46.
155
"Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows,
as to which of them should be charged with the care of
Mary: nor wast thou with them when they disputed the
point."256
Before it He mentioned the events of Noah and Joseph
to him, as in the following verse:
c-il I ft.o Inn o^SLo i cLJl i-»>j^ <-...>H * l_^l &» dUb
"Such are some of the stories of the unseen, which we

have revealed unto thee: before this, neither thou nor the
people knew them. So persevere patiently, for the end is
for those who are righteous."257
.11 fftwJ-l c*iSLoj i dLjJI 6^>J^ v_*«JI »LwI j^ dJ^
"Such is one of the stories of what happened unseen, which

we repeal by inspiration unto thee: nor wast thou(present)
with them when they concerted their plans together in the
process of weaving their plots."258
Allah has related in His Book about the journey of
His Prophet (peace be upon him) from the Sacred Mosque
(Ka'ba) to the Farthest Mosque (Masjid Aqsa) saying:
4*-uJl yj\ f>I jxil JxMâJI ^ 3LJ »±+*u tf^l ,5.1)1 ^Lx^
y» Ail L--L-T g* *<A-I ^J* ^j<- u?AJI u*ui*l
♦ ^jiniill ^_.Quill
"Glory-to (Allah) who did take His servant for a journey
by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque,
256. Qur'an III: 44

257. Qur'an XI: 49.
258. Qur'an XII: 102.
456
whose precincts we did bless — in order that We might

show him some of our signs: for He is the one who heareth
and seeth (all things)."269^
It means that He took the Prophet(may peace be upon
him) to the Farthest Mosque (Masjid Aqsa) where he never
had been; otherwise He would not have informed about his
journey to that place, and his people would not have
wondered.
(jîLS ju-J£ g*^1 *?v>i <i< «JJi */*•- «**•* 6jj*±Z 511
ftJJl G« CO*3* A->L*J J& '-41 J1-**1 Lr» Ua il GiASl
• LiJU
"If ye help not (your leader), (it is no matter): for Allah

indeed helps him. when the unbelievers drove him out:
he had no more than one companion: They two were in the
cave, and he said to his companion, Have no fear, for Allah
is with us."260
It means that the people of Mecca turned him out of
it and he travelled with Abu Bakr to the cava After his
going out of it he was no longer in Mecca, and before his
coming out he was not in the cave.
Allah said:
aJJlljJLlLi U.1I fiilj j±m 4JJI fSjAJ JJUj
• gjlA^ fvSJUJ
"Allah had helped you at Badr. when ye were a contemptible
little force, and fear Allah, thus may ye show your
gratitude."261
vSjJ'j u?j*aJi ajJ*Jl* f*j LâJi 3ja*ll* ah\ .11
259. Qur'anXVII: 1.
260. Qur'an IX: 40.
261. Qur'an III: 123.
157
"Remember ye were on the hither side of the valley, and

they on the further side and the caravan on lower ground
than ye."262
This shows that Allah helped His Messenger when
he encamped at Badr, and when he was on the hither side
while the unbelievers on the farther side. He went out from
Medina along with his 313 Companions who were fighting
in the way of Allah. He was not present in Medina after
he had went out of it, and similarly he was not present at
Badr before he proceeded to it.
Allah said:
. 6j>£J\<z»2 isLi^Lrf* MGri-O^1 G* *JJI is+J ^
"Allah's good pleasure was on the believers when they
swore fealty to thee under the tree."263
In the year 6 A.H. after his migration he was in
Hudaibiyya and he was not present in Medina, as he was
not present in Mecca; He was not present inHudaibiyya
before it, nor did he remain thereafter his return to Medina
G-Hi-bwo GiA>7 Allt >L£ £| fil^xJl A>«aJI g !*"•*"• I
"Ye shall enter the sacred Mosque if Allah wills, with minds
secure, heads shaved, hair cut short and without fear."264
It means that you will enter it where you were not
present before.
There are a large number of the Qur'anic verses and
daily events that occurred during the life—time of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) and indicate his presence in his
apartment, his waiting for his Companions in the mosque,
262. Qur'an VIII: 42.

263. Qur'an XLVIII: 18.
264. Qur'an XLVIII: 27.
158
his coming out from the house, his presence in the mosque,
his absence in the mosque when he was present in the
market, his absence in Medina when he was present in Hunain,
his presence in Tabuk and his absence in Medina and his
presence in 'Arafat during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and his,
absence in Mecca and Medina, and similar other incidents
and clear events that are hidden from him whose heart has
been blinded by Allah coupled with the blindness of his
eyes. Their eyes are not blind, but their hearts are blind
in the breasts.
The Bareilawis say: "The Messenger of Allah is
omnipresent and omniscient, and they also say: It is not
lawful to use the word 'hadir (omnipresent) for Allah, the
Exalted."265 They also assert: "The Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) knows the affairs of all the
existents and creations, and nothing is hidden from him."266
They also say: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
sees the whole world with his blessed eyes."287 "The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is not far away from
anyone and not unaware of anyone."268 The Bareilawi
says: 'His death and life (i.e. the Prophet's death and life)
makes no difference in keeping watch over his people, his
awareness of their affairs and intentions. All that is manifest
to him. There is no hiddenness."269 He says: "Weep, 0
Wahhabis, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) of Allah is
omnipresent and omniscient. Nothing happened in the
world and nothing will happen in it but he sees it and
observes it. He is present at every place, and sees every
thing."270 So long as the Messenger of Allah(peace beupon
265. Ahmad Sa'id, Task in al-Khawatir, p. 5.

266. Ibid., p. 65.
267. Ibid., p. 90.
268. Khalis. -al-l'tiqad, p. 39.
269. Ibid., p. 46.
270. Ibid., p. 46.
159
him) is omnipresent and omniscient, it behoves the Bareilawi

that he himself should be so, and actually they have said
about him: "Ahmad Rida al-iBareilawi is living and present
among us still today, helps us and redressess our
grievances."271
• ^W G^S O* i»^~*l tA* .'I....U
Let a weeper weep upon Islam I This is the reality of
religion according to the beliefs of this sect. This is the
right religion of Alhh brought by Muhammad (peace be
upon him), and abc. it which he said by the command of
his Lord:
G-j Lil 3^^, ^ û, ^j, ^.J| u, . 0^ ^
• G*S,A*J| G- l-il UjaJJl g«^S-j u --.-I
"Say thou: This is my way: I do invite unto Allah-on
evidence clear as the seeing with one's eyes - Iand whoever
follows me. Glory to Allah! and never will I join Gods with
Allah. "*,£
"Verily, this is my way, leading straight: follow it; foliow not

•other paths: They will scatter you about from His (great)
oattth: Thus doth He command you, that ye may be
righteous."*''*
Is there any thinker who may think and any reflector
who may reflect ?
. LjJLAjI v>u ^j* f\ 0i^jui oxw^ iUi
271. Anwar Rida., p. 246.

272. Qur'an XII: 108.
160
"Do this not then earnestly seek to understand the

Qur'an, or are their hearts locked up by them"274 :
We have only dotted the letters, as we have described
all the beliefs and doctrines of these people from their
authentic and reliable works mentioning their volumes and
pages.
These are the beliefs of non-sense talkers, innovators,
and polytheists whom the devil has led astray in the Muslim
and non-Muslim countries, besides India and Pakistan.
The explicit and true texts of the Qur'an and the Sunna
are before you, which oppose them and contradict their
beliefs and doctrines.
We seek help and success from Allah and ask Him
for gu idance to the straight path.
274. Qur'an XLVII: 24.

161
CHAPTER-lll
Bareilawiyyat and its1teachings -
The Bareilawis have their own teachings that are

peculiar to them, as they have their own doctrines. These
features distinguish them from the sects of Ahl al-Sunna
in general, and from the Hanafi sects in particular. All these
teachings circulate around eating and drinking and showing
respect, since this cult has been instituted only for snatching
properties from ighorants and simpletons, and to get benefits
for the learned and the monks. This system of religious laws
has been formed only for plunder and usurpation under the
nameof oblations and offerings from their followers, novices,
people devoid of reason and understanding, captives of
unthoughtfulness and Ignorance, by the miracles of saints
and artifice of the artificers.
The leaders of the Bareilawis have made the religion
a trade and a commercial business in which they need not.
invest any capital. They earned double and redoubled
profits without any hardship, effort and fatigue, more than
that which the capitalists earn after strenuous efforts and
toil. They commanded their followers to construct buildings
over the graves and tombs and made themselves their
custodians..Then they made obligatory for their adherents
to present oblations and offerings to them in order to reserve
them for themselves, to store them and to earn lot of money
by them. Then they celebrated festivals and death anniver
saries at them and made it imperative for the people to
attend them and to bring garments, carpets, lamps, wax
candles, oil, perfumes, sweets, screens,, offerings and many
other things to increase their riches and wealth. They have
162
made manykinds of innovations on the occasion of birth and

death of a person and made them obligatory for the unmind
ful people who spend and lose their property. They commit
sins instead of obtaining reward. They have blinded their
eyes and deafened their ears to protect their business and
sealed their hearts so that the pouring booties may hot slip
away from their hands. They have forbidden their followers
to listen to any of the monotheists, the followers of the
Divine Book, and the Sunna of His Messenger(peace be upon
him) to pay attention to them, to sit with them, tomix with
them, to attend their lectures and meetings, and to look into
their books, so that an unmindful person may not understand
the reality, one who is surrounded by darkness may not be
illumined, and one who is disinterested in ignorance may.
learn. So one of them said: "It is unlawful for the Muslim
to read the books produced by the Wahhabis, and to look
into them."1 "If anyone sits or mix with the Wahhabis
marriage with him is not lawful."2 There are many other
similar statements made by them.
All these precautions aimed at protecting their
ignorance and lucrative ranks which benefit them in asingle
moment. But if Allah intends the guidance of anyone and
wishes his good, this blockade cannot prevent him from
coming out from layers ofdarkness to the light.
j> G- «JL*i \j±, u tJJl Jj^ Jj.^j
( 40 -jjiii }
1. Baligh al-Nur included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya

Vol. VI, p. 54.
2. Al-Bareillawi, Mahi al-Dalala, included in: al-Fatawa

al-Ridwiyya,VoLV,p. 89.
163
"For any to whom Allah giveth not light, there is no light."

(XXIV : 40)
Now we present the texts of the teachings of these
people and we shall refute each of them after their
descirption from the works of the Hanafis, for they claim
their ascription to the Hanafis, so that it may be proved
thay they have no connection with them. Neither the Qur'an
supports them, nor the Sunna reinforces them, nor the
Hanafi Fiqh, countenances them, for they have no evidence.
In fact, they are the successors of their ancestors known
as the polytheists and idolators in the early, pagan times and.
as the worshippers of tombs, people practising absurdities
and non-sense acts and innovators in the later days because
of their distinction from the former with respect to forms of
innovations and geographical variance, while the Sunna is
universal. The Sunna of the Messenger of Allah(peace be
upon him) in all cities and parts of the world is the same, for
its source is the same. That is the personage of the great
Messenger of Allah(may peace be upon bim). As for the
innovation, it varies from place to place, time to time, region
to region and province to province, and also with the change
to motives and requirements. The reason is that their source
is the plurality of persons, varying according to their ends
and desires, and changing in accordance with their taste
and temperament. But the Sunna has been confirmed by the
following Qur'anic verse:
• KfJ* o>J 5»l ^ft G' ' sSj*-*\ G* ijM3-^ *-«J

"Nor does he say (aught) of his own desire. .
It is no less than inspiration sent down to him."3
But the -following Qur'anic verse applies to the innovation
(bid'a): ,\
3. Qur'an LI 11 : 3-4.
164
l^j*5 (ioiliil tLfj \j4>jJ AJJl^^-i JJ* g-« ^^S^Jj

(M r- *;l-AJl. )
"Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have
found therein much discrepancy."4
One of the Bareilawis says:"The construction of domes
over the graves of the scholars, saints and the pious people
is lawful, rather it is a Sunna of the Companions of the
Prophet(peace be upon him), for it shows the greatness and
respect of the saints."5 Another person is reported to have
said:"The construction of domes over the graves of the
scholars, saints and the pious people is lawful, when the
intention thereby is their exaltation in public eyes, so that
the inmate ofthe grave may not be disgraced."6
But plastering the graves and building erection over the
tombs have been forbidden by the Prophet (peace be upon
him). A tradition from him says: "The Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) forbade the plastering of the
grave with gypsum, sitting on it, and building erection
overit."7
It has been narrated from Abu'l-Hayyaj al-Asadi
(Allah be pleased with him) that he said: " 'Ali (Allah be
pleased with him) said to me: Should I not send you on
the same mission as Allah's Messenger had sent me ? Do
4. Qur'an IV : 82.
5. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 282.
6. Ibid., p. 285. .
7. This tradition has been transmitted by Muslim, al-
Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, al-Nasai-,Ahmad in his Musnad
and al-Baihaqi in his Sunan.
165
not leave an image but obliterate it; and a high grave but
leave it."8 'Umar b. al-Harith narrated on the authority
of Thumama that he said: " We were with Fadala b. 'Ubaid
in the country of the Romans at a place (known as )Rudis,
a friend of ours died. Fadala b* 'Ubaid ordered to prepare:a
grave for him and then it was levelled, and he said: I heard
the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him)commanding (us)
to level the grave."9 if
It is incorrectly stated that.the Hanafi jurists have
also held the same view. Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-Shaibani
has .reported his teacher Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy on
them) as saying: "My teacher has narrated to me attributing
.it to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he forbade
constructing the graves.quadrangular and plastering them
with gypsum."10 Imam Muhammad b. al-Hasan, the disciple
of Abu Hanifa wasasked: "Do you disapprove.of theplaster-
ing of the graves with gypsum? He sajd: Yes".1} Al-Sarakhsi
said in his "al-Mabsut:" "the graves should not be plastered
with gypsum, as it has been narrated from, the Prophet
(peace be upon him) that he forbade the; plastering of the
graves with gypsum and constructing them quadrangular."12
An eminent Hanafi judge iHasan b. aI-Mansur; surnamed
Qadi Khan, said in his Fatawa: "The grave should not be
plastered with gypsum, nor should any erection be built
8. This tradition has been transmitted by Muslim, al-

Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i, Ahmad in,his Musnad, al-Hakim
in his Mustadrak and al-Baihaqi in hisSunan.
9. Muslim transmitted it
10. Muhammad b. al-Hasan> Kitab al-Athar.
11. Muhammad b. al-Hasan, Kitab al-AsI, Vol. !,'p. 422
12. Al-Sarakhri, al-Mabsut, Beirut, h.d. Vol. II, p. 622.
166
over it, as Abu Hanifa is reported to have said; The grave

should not be plastered with gypsum or with earth, and no
erection be constructed over it."13
Al-Kasani said: "The plastering of the grave with
gypsum or with earth is disapproved (makruh); Abu Hanifa
disapproved of making any erection over the grave and
putting any mark on it. Abu Yusuf disapproved of writing
on the grave. Al-Karkhi has mentioned it on the basis of
a tradition narrated by dabir b. 'Abdallah from the Prophet
(peace be upon him) that he said: Do not plaster the graves,
nor build any erection over them, nor sit, nor write on them!
Al-Kasani then continues: For this belongs to decoration,
and the dead does not need it. Further, it is a wastage of
property uselessly. Hence it is disapproved(makruh).More-
over, it is also disapproved that the earth taken out from the
grave be increased, for it is an excess to it like making an
erection. There is no harm in sprinkling water over the
grave, for this is meant for levelling it. Abu Yusuf is reported
to have disapproved of sprinkling the water over the grave,
for it is like plastering it."14
Similar statements are found in all the works of the
Hanafi Fiqh like al-Bahr Al-Ra'iq,15 Bada'i al-Sana'i16
Fath al-Oadir,17 Radd al-Mukhtar ala'l Durr al-
13. Fatawa Qadi Khan, Vol. I, p. 194, on the margin of

"al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya".
14. Al-Kasani, Bada'i al-Sana'i, Vol. I, p. 320.
15. Ibid., Vol. 11, p. 209. '
16. Ibid., Vol.1, p. 320.
17. Ibid., Vol.I, p. 472.
167
Mukhtar.18 al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya,19 al-Fatawa al-

-, Bazzaziya on the margin of al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya20
and Kanz al-Daqaiq.21 Some jurists have added that writing
on the graves: is also forbidden. Al-Qadi Ibrahim al-Hanafi
said: "The domes erected over the tombs must be demoli
shed, for they are founded on the disobdience and opposition
to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The demolition of all
the erections built on the foundations of disobedience and
opposition to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
is prior to the demolition^ of al-Masjid al-Dirar.22 And
similar views have been reported from the Shafi'. Hanbali
and Maliki jurists. Why should this be not prohibited as
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has
forbidden it ? 'A'ishah, (Allah be pleased with'her) reported
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as saying during
his illness from which he could not recover: May Allah
curse the Jews and Christians. They took the graves of their
prophets as mosques. She CA'ishah) reported: Had it hot
been so, his (Prophet's) grave would have been in an open
place, (but it could not be so), for he feared that it might
notbe taken as a mosque.23
This is what the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him)
has said, and what the mother of the believers *A'ishah( Allah
18. Ibid. Vol. I, p. 601.

19. Vol. I. p. 166.
20., Vol. IV, p. 81
21. . P- 50.
22. Ibrahim al-Qi (d. 1000 A.H.),, Majalis aNAbrar,
p. 129.
23. Al-Bukhari transmitted it.

168
be pleased with her) has said, and that is what the Hanafi
jurisits have said. Nevertheless, the Bareilawis insist on
constructing the domes oyer the tombs, as the Bareilawi
says: "These domes are built (over the tombs) so that the
tombs and graves of the saints and the pious men become
distinguished from the graves of the common men, and so
that the people may exalt and fear them, and may not put
themselves into perdition for want of good manners and for
carelessness."24
As regards placing the covers, turbans, and garments,
on the graves, and lighting the lamps and candles, and
offering oil and similar, otherthings to the tombs, it is lawful,
indeed obligatory; for it meets the expenses of these people.
All these things are purposely desired, as the Bareilawi
seeks to establish it on the basis of a report from one of the
scholars whom he follows: "The purpose thereby is the
exaltation of the saints in the eyes of the public, so that they
may not look down upon the inmate of the grave on which
the garments and turbans are placed, in order to attain
humility and good manners, and these are meant for the
unmindful visitors, whose hearts being diffident, at the
time of their visit, in showing reverence to the saints of
Allah, buried in those graves, as we have already stated that
their blessed spirituality pervades near their graves. Therefore,
it is lawful practice, and it should not be prohibited."25
He also writes: "It is lawful to light the candles if it is the
tomb of a saint or of a learned scholar in order to exalt
his spirit which illuminates the dust of the earth by the sun
to inform the people that he is a saint, so that they may get
24. Al-Bareilawi, Ahkam Shariat, Vol. I, p. 71.

25. Ibid., pp. 71-72.
169
blessing from him."26 Another says: " To light the lamps

and candles at the tombs of the saints, righteous people,
and the learned is to exalt the saints. The purpose lying
behind it is a good one. The offering of oil and candle to
the saints kindled at their tombs for their exaltation and
out of their love is lawful. It is not proper to prohibit them
from this practice."27 This is what the Bareilawi has said.
Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) reported a tradition
from the Holy Prophet(Allah be pleased with him): The
Messenger of AllaMpeace be upon him) cursed the women
who visited the shrines and tombs and men who took them as
mosques and provided lamps."28 Mulla 'Ali al-Qari al—
Hanafi commenting on it says:"Either the reason of prohibit
ing from lighting lamps (at the'tombs) is that it involves the
wastage of Woney, ?»rn'o one'benefits from the lamp there,
and because it is brie of the signs of hell-fire, or to prevent
the exaltation of the tombs, like prohibition of taking the
graves as mosques. *°
Ibrahim al—Qadi, while describing the account of |he
tomb-worshippers and of those who talk nonsense, like the
Bareilawis of his time, says: The matter with these people
who have gone astray and led others astray has reached the
point that they have begun to perform Hajj at the tombs and
formulated the rites of Hajj (pilgrimage), so much so that
some,extremists of them have composed a book on it called
26. Al-Bareilawi, Bariq al-Manar bi shumu' al-Mazar,

included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. IV, pp. 144-145
28. This tradition has been transmitted by Abu Dawud,
al-Tirmidhi, and al-Nasa'i.
29. Ali al-Qari, Mirqat, Vol. I, p. 470.
170
"Manasik Hajj al-Mashahid"(ritesof pilgrimage to the tombs),

making the tombs similar to the sacred House (the Ka'ba).
It is obviously against the religion of Islam.
One of the matters that are repugnant to the religion
is that when they intend to visit the tombs, they visit with a
great reverence, humility and softened heart. Another
practice is that they take the graves as mosques and light
lamps at them. The others are as follows: "Observing
i'tikaf (devotion to Allah in seclusion) near them,hanging
curtains on them, appointing custodian for them, going
round them, kissing and touching them, praying to their
inmates, asking them for help, sustenance, health, children
and other needs . . . .None of these acts is lawful by
unanimous agreement of the Muslim scholars30."
The Bareilawi himself quoted the following passage
from "al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya":"To bring the candles to the
graves is an innovation in religion; it is unfounded. A
similar statement goes in "al-Fatawa al-Bazzaziya" of the
Hanafia31."
Ibn 'Abidin has said: "If anyone makes a vow to light
a lamp at the grave of a saint, or on the minaret, as the
women do by making an offering of the oil to the grave
of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir and a lamp is lit on the minaret
towards the east, all this is void and absurd32."
The author of'al-Durral-MukhtaK'Muhammad 'Ala'
al-Din al-Haskafi, a Hanafi jurist, says: "You should know
that the offering made to the dead by the public, and
dirhams, candles, oil, and similar other things offered at the
30. Majalis al-Abrar, p. 118.

31. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 302.
32. Ibn 'Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Vol II, p. 139.
171
tombs of the saints seeking nearness to them are unanimously

void and unlawful."33 The following verdict reads in'al-
Fatawa al-Hindiyya": "Decoration with lights at the tombs
is a practice of the pagan days."34 Mahmud al-Alusi.
a Hanafi commentator of the Qur'an, says: "it is essential
to remove all candles and lamps place at the grave. It is not-
lawful to dedicate any Waqf and offering to it."35 Similarly,
it has been said about placing covers on the graves/'Covering
the graves with cloths is entirely repugnant to the Sharia"36
Another verdict says: "That is an absurd and void act It
is necessary to avoid it (referring to the covering of the
graves.)"37 It is an evil rather an unlawful act to light the
lamps and place the covers on the graves.38 The Hanafi
scholars have quoted a report from 'Ali that he passed a
grave of a man that covered this practice.39 There are many
other similar verdicts and statements of the jurists against
this innovation.
The fact is that the Islamic Sharia which is pure from
the dirt of polytheism, has not brought these things, nor do
these practices come down from the Prophet(peace be upon
him) or from any of his Companions. They are not reported
to have performed them, despite the fact that a large number
of the disciples and Companions of the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) had died during their generation. Allah
33. Al-Haskafi, al-Durr al-Mukhtar on the margin of

Radd al-Muhtar, Vol. II, .139,.
34. Al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya,Vol. I, p. 178.
35. ;Ruh al-Ma'ani, Vol. XV, p. 219.
36. ffatawa Matalib al-Mu'minin, and Nisab al-lhtisab.
37. AL-Fatawaal-Aziziyya, p. 9.
38. Fatawa al-Shah Rafi'al-Din. p. 14.
39. Matalib al-Muminin.
172
and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have not commanded

to do so. Had there been any religious or worldly benefit
from them, or a reward from Allah, or an advantage to the
deceased or his heirs, Allah would not have abandoned their
mention in the Qur'an, His Messenger performing them, and
his Companions practising them.
Above all, none is reported to have practised them
during thegenerations evidenced as best of all by the Prophet
(peace be upon him), even it was not done so with thegrave
of the Chief of the mankind and the last of the prophets.
On the contrary, he prohibited the people from all the
matters and acts which lead to polytheism. It is certainly
established that the Prophet (peace be upon him) strictly
prohibited the people from exalting the graves, journeying
to visit them, assembling around them, and getting blessing
from theou Instead, he directed them to worship Allah
alone and to keep away from the least connections of
polytheism, as he himself supplicated Allah, the Exalted.to
protect his grave from these evils and joining partners with
Allah, by his well-known supplication:
iSû Uiij \$j*3 J-*?*5* f^^'
"0 Allah, do not make my grave an idol after me.'
But what happened to these people that they do not have
even the least understanding ?
Then these people introduced other innovations
under the name of religion to quench their thrust, to fill
up their hungry bellys which are not satisfied before their
explosion.
From these innovations are the death anniversaries
held at the tombs of saints and righteous men known as
40. Mishkat al-Masabih, on the authority of Malik in

his Muwatta.
173
"There did Zakariyya pray to his Lord"41 (III: 38),

prayer is answered by Allah in the company of the saints. "
They also say: The death anniversaries at the tombs
are the cause of attendance of the people with the saints.
These are from the symbols of Allah. Allah has exhorted
the believers to exalt the symbols of religions. He said:
wj-LiJl tfjlZ &, LttJLi aJJI ^£I_r£ jJaJu j-»j
(rr - s-oi )
"Such (is his state): and whoever holds in honour the symbol
of Allah, (in the sacrifice of animals), such (honour) should
come truly from piety of heart "(XXII : 32). They have
countless benefits.43
A disciple of the Bareilawi says: "The celebration
of the death anniversary of the saints, recitation of the
Qur'an, al—Fatiha, preaching, and shifting the reward to
them are the cause of blessings, for the saints are <alive in
their graves/and the faculties of their knowledge.perception
41. See the weak interpretation of this Qur'anic verse,

interpolation of the Qur'an, and insolence for the
Prophet Zakariyya (peace be upon him), as he treated
prophethood inferior to the sainthood, following his
predecessor Ibn al-'Arabi, who said: The position of
prophethood (nubuwwa) in the purgatory (barzakh)
is a little above the apostleship (risala) besides the
saint (wali). He has thus degraded Zakariyya, the
Prophet of Allah as compared with Mary (we seak
refuge in Allah).
42. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 335.

43. Gujrati, Mawaiz Naimiyya, p. 224.
174
hearing, and seeing have increased."44 Another Bareilawi

said: 'The death anniversaries and festivals held at the tombs,
that is gathering of the people at the graves of the saints
on a certain fixed day, is the Sunna of the Chief of the
Prophets... Hence preparing the food, illumination of that
place, and spreading the carpets at the tombs are the cause
of blessings and reward. All these practices have been estab
lished by the Sharia. "45 "They are the Sunna of the
Messenger of Allah, and their opposition is the opposition
of the Messenger of Allah."'*6
Praying at the graves of the saints on the right or the
left in order to seek help from their spirits as getting a sign
of their devotions, is the cause of coming down of the
blessings and of their attainment.
As for the assertion of the Wahhabis that kissing the
graves is assigning partners to Allah is their exaggeration.4**
Making a vow in the name of a person besides Allah does not
fall within rituals Cibada); a man does not become a
polytheist until he worships besides Allah. Polytheism
(shirk) means to believe in a person other than Allah as a
deity. Anything besides that cannot be called polytheism,
and itsdoer or believer a polytheist49
44. Bahari Shariat, Vol. I. The Bareilawi himself verified
the authenticity of this book.
45. The Sharia of the Bareilawi is one of eating and
drinking, and not the Islamic Sharia. It is free from
such absurdities.
46. Nairn al-Din, al-Mujizat al-Uzma, included in: Fatawa
Sadr al-Afadil, p. 160.
47. Al-Bareilawi, Hajiz al-Bahrain, included in: al-Fatawa
al Bidwiyya.Vol.il, p. 333.
48. Al -tttawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. X, p. 66.
49. Ibid, p. 207.
175
These people believe that circumambulation of the

tombs is lawful and recommended. They have stated- There
^LZ. 'so for
the blessings,50 fTthe Clrcumamb"fctes the are
graves of the saints graveoneto ofattain
the
symbols of Allah whose exaltation has been commanded 51
Finally the celebration of the death anniversary of the
samts is called 'Urs, for on that day the saints pay avisit
to the bridegroom of the universe, that is, Muhammadfpeace
a^rhi^52 '" °" *" **°f ** **"* ^ ™* hi™
isic Vlawful
rf°?6 only
°\ th6lr SCh°larSperson
behind^ has lssued
who afatwa:
celebrates""The
the prayer
death
anniversaries and recites al-Fatiha. As regards those who are
opposed to these things, prayer behind them is not lawful "53
By Maulid they mean 'Id Milad al-Nabi (birthday
anniversary of the Prophet, peace be upon him). On thh
day they celebrate a festival, decorate the assemblies, and
believe that only those who celebrate this day will get
sanation, and those who deny it are Wahhabis and they
be., tie the Prophet(peace be upon him), despite their own
confession^that it was not in existence during the genera
tions which have been declared as the best by the Prophet
peace be upon him), as Didar 'Ali ibn Najaf 'Ali a
^thfh^HH the BareilaWiS' h8S rep°rted: ê celebrat'ion
êarly Muslims
Mr V,anniVerSarV h8S been rePorted
during the generations f™been
which have the
declared as the best. It was innovated later on."54
50. Amjad Ali, Bahari Shariat, Vol. iy, p. 133.

51. Ahmad Yar, 'I lm al-Qur'an. p. 36. '
52. Al-Barakati, Hikayat Ridwi'yya, p. 46
53. Al-Kazimi, Al-Haqq al-Mubin, p. 74
54. Rasul al-Kalam, p. 15.
176
Inspite of all that, they say: "To celebrate a festival

to hold assemblies, to make rejoicing and to distribute sweets
on the anniversary of the Prophet's birth-day are commend
able and the cause of the coming down of the blessings and
mercy of Allah.The Christians celebrate festival on Sunday,
the day when atable of food had come down to them from
the heaven. Why should we not festivate on the day which
is more excellent than it?"55 Moreover, the celebration of
the Prophet's birth-day anniversary is based on the^Qur'an
and the Sunna and on the opinions of the scholars, angels,,
and the prophets.56 It is one ofthe Sunnas(practices) of the
angels, and the devil gets angry and feels pain for it If
anyone is adevil, he feels pain, and one who belongs to the
angels is pleased and enjoys.
Didar 'Ali makes a similar statement and adds that the

people should stand when the event of his birth is mentioned.
Quoting one of his superiors whom he follows he says:
Whatever is done on the Prophet's birth-day (peace be upon
him) as giving alms, making rejoicing, and decoration, all
these things indicate the feeling of his love and exaltation
in the heart of a person who performs it Further, he says:
To celebrate the birth-day anniversary of the Prophet(peace
be upon him) and considering it good and commendable
are the facts established on the basis of the Qur'an and the
practice of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon
him)... rather it is a Sunna and obligatory(wajib), and the
cause of a great reward. °
55. Ja'al-Haqq, Vol. I. p. 231.

56. Ibid.
57. Ibid, p. 233.
58. Rasul al-Kalam, p. 58.
177
Standing at the time when the mention of the event

of the birth of the Prophet(peace be upon him) is made, has
been commanded in the Qur'an.59 This man himself said
previously that there is no basis of celebrating birth-day
ceremonies of the Prophet(peace be upon him) during the
generations declared as most excellent by the Prophet(peace
be upon him). We do not know whether he forgot or inten
tionally did so. Once he said in a couplet:
L_J_oL-J o-« * UJUJl cJU J__3
"The scholars have said about our standing: It is

fin
obligatory for his lovers. It cannot be denied."0"
The Bareilawi has said; 'The mention of sorrows and
the events of the martyrs in the assemblies of the birth-day
celebration of the Prophet(peace be upon him) is not lawful,
for they are the assemblies of rejoicing. They should not be
marred by the mention of disasters."61
The Bareilawis have said all this to earn food, drink,
and sustenance, neglecting the teachings of the Messenger
of Allah(peace be upon him) who said:
o !»•» H «i*Jl G-o j** »•* '*Ji •*-->!
"The upper hand is better than the lower hand. He
commanded to follow the Divine Scripture and his Sunna;
he was the advocate of pure monotheism, the rejector of the
practices and superstitions of the pagan days. He forbade
59. Ibid., p. 60.

60. Ibid., p. 71. .
61. Al-Bareillawi, Ahkam Shariat, p. 144.
178
Worshipping the tombs and their inmates,devouring unlaw

fully the earnings of the people, and heexhorted to do work
and to make an effort.
Aj-i Ij~ O^ JI'»•*"» J-oJ*- G-°J

(Ar-V. JI>J>Jl )
"Then shall anyone who has done anatom's,weight of
good, see it And anyone who has done an-atoms, weight
ofevil, shall see it"62
i \Sj**Jy A^»'" G'j o*" '-0 <" g*-"*-'^-'ctH G'j
oJjVt Mj>Jl «>>?<* f*5
'That man can have nothing but what he strives for; that the
fruit of his striving will soon come in sight, then will be
rewarded with areward complete."63
\**-ij fm-fJAa i".»l<i 11 Ij-Ucj t>iu>T g*^JI G1
^..«\ oL> cr* jLftJ>?l fJh£>" G-° iS>?»- f*--1-*-!—.
"Those who believe and work righteousness, their Lord will

guide them because of their Faith; beneath them will flow
rivers in garden of bless."64
The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught his community
what he said to his paternal aunt:
62. Qur'an XCIX : 7-8.

63. Qur'an Lll I : 39-41.
64. Qur'an X : 9.
179
"0 Safiyya, the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah

I can avail you nothing against Allah."65
He said to herdaughter Fatima:
jLiJi ^ cUjw u;«lJL>l « aÎ»l* u-
.«A~ *-Ui g* ^ î* , Ju ^^^^j.,

"0 Fatima, save yourself from the hell-fire. Another version
says: 0 Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, you may ask me
MufiBF*' 8S V°U Mke; ' °an avail VOU nothin9 a9ainst
But these people have made the religio ceremonies
superstitions, innovations and evils. They have confined
the salvation to the celebration of the death anniversaries
of the saints, birthday anniversary of the Prophet (peace
be upon him), recitation of Fatiha, offerings for persons
besides Allah, enjoying feasts by the heirs of the deceased
They have made this practice a means to salvation, and
admission to paradise, despite the saying of the Prophet
J-> .*-* A^-a~-l U 1.1* Liî ÂiS>| |>|

If anyone
lyone makes
makes an
an innovation in this
innovation in th matter of ours,
which is not part of it, that is rejected."67
65. Al-Bukhari and Muslim have transmitted it

66. Muslim transmitted it The other Version has been
transmitted by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
67. Al-Bukhari and Muslim have transmitted it
180
• 3n - Lai ; j»il—" 4-*JU jLflj

i aJUI vL-S C-J*Jl G-*1 G1-*
. jLiwI vri 2J3U JSj ^1-iJl J^*J *-W* «A- JSj

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: To proceed;
The best discourse is Allah's Book, the best conduct is that
of Muhammad, and the worst things are those which are
novelties. Every innovation is error. The version by al-Naa'i
has: Every error leads to hell fire."68
. jj-^l oLtoxoj fSt-l • <Ol—>l «ui* JLSj
4-JS* **J* JSj . A«J- Ai^wO JS G1-*
"The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Beware of novelties,
for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is
error."69
It has now been established that all these practices
are novelties. Neither the Prophet (peace be upon him)
himself acted upon it, nor did he command any of his
Companions (Allah be pleased with them), despite the exis
tence of their motives. A large number of eminentCompanions
and his relatives nearest to him died ddring his lifetime, as
the Chief of the martyrs Hamza, his daughters Ruqayya,
Umm Kulthum and Zainab. and his three or four sons (the
reports differ), his wife Khadija, the first of the female
belieers and mother of the believers, and the martyrs of
Badr and Uhud and of other Battles (Allah be pleased with
all of them).
68. Muslim and al-Nasa'i transmitted it.

69. Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.have
transmitted it
181
If all these things were the cause of any reward or

the coming down of blessings, the Prophet (peace be upon
him) would not abandon them, or would not give up his
command to his Companions for acting upon them.
Moreover, if these things were related to the religion
or the Shari'a, the rightly-guided Caliphs would not abandon
practising them during their lifetime and their caliphate,
especially with regard to the matters concerning their
prophet (peace be upon him), the Chief of mankind and
leader of the Prophets, for they were entitled to these things
more than others. The tomb of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) was not deserving and the first of the tombs where
the death anniversaries called 'Urs should have been celebra
ted. Similarly, they should have celebrated his birth-day
annually, for there is none among the people who loved
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) more than
them, or whom the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) loved more than he. The Prophet (peace be upon
him) said about them: Adhere to my Sunna, and the Sunna
of the rightly-guided Caliphs. Hold fast to it and strictly
follow it.70
Contrary to all this, he is reported to have'prohibited
it saying: ».•.-'
I•*-£** ev-J ij-J^*
"Do not make my grave a (place of) festival.'?71
Explaining this Hadith, Shah Wali Allah has said:
'This refers to blocking the gateway of inter/polation, as
the Jews and Christians had done with the graves of their
70. Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah have

transmitted it.
71. Al-Nasa'i transmitted it

182
•Prophets, and made them a place of festivals and a reasom of

gathering like Hajj."72
Describing the various forms of polytheism he reckons
performing Hajj for others besides Allah a form of it. It
means that a person intends to visit some blessed places
that are chosen for their partners, and he believes that
coming down to them brings him near to them. The Sharia
has forbidden it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has said:
Do not make a journey (to any mosque) except three
mosques.73 Shah Wali Allah further says: The greatest in
novation they have made is about the graves. They have made
them (places of) festivity.74
The well-known Hanafi commentator of the Quran
-Qadi Thana Allah of Indo-Pakistan sub-continent says:
"Whatever martyrs, like prostration, their circumambulation,
lighting lamps at them and treating them as mosques.and
holding assemblies annually at them like festivalsThey call it
Urs."75
As regards going round the graves, Ibn Nujaim al-
Hanafi has said about it: "It has been expressly mentioned
in "Mirajal-Diraya" that if anyone goes round a mosque
besides the Ka'ba.there is an apprehension of unbelief about
him."76
72. Shah Wali Allah, Hujjat Allah al-Baligha, Egyption

edition, Vol. II, p. 77.
73. Ibid., Vol. I, p. 63.
74. Tafhimat Ilahiyya, Vol. 11, p. 64.
75. Qadi Thana' Allah Pani Pati, Tafsir Mazhari, Vol.
II, p. 65.
76. Al-Bahr al-Ra'iq.
183
One should not circumambulate even the Chief of the

Messengers, as has been clearly mentioned by Ali al-Qari
al-Hanafi: "One should not go round that noble" part of
land, for circumambulation is peculiar to the Ka'ba. It is
therefore unlawful to go round the graves of the prophets
and the saints. The practice followed by the ignorant persons
should not be taken into consideration, even if they may
be in the form of saints and scholars."77
Qadi Thana Allah has pointed out the secret of prohi
bition of circumambulation besides Allah: "Circumamb
ulation is adevotional act, as the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) has made it prayer, and prayer is not lawful
towards any direction except the Ka'ba."78
As regards the celebration of the birthday of the
Prophet (peace be upon him), the scholars have clearly
stated that the person who first introduced this innovation
was Muzaffar al-Din Ibn Zain al-Din, the ruler of Irbil.
"He was a prodigal monarch. He commanded the scholars
of his time to follow the conduct based on their own deriva
tion and independent thinking (ijtihad), and that they
should not follow any school of law of any master except
their own. A group of scholars and a body of the savants
inclined towards him. He used to celebrate the birthday of
the first monareh to introduce this practice among the
Muslims."/y He used to spend one hundred thousand
(dirhams) on the celebration of the birthday of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) every year.80 His assistant and helper
77. Ali al-Qari, Shah Al-Manasik.

78. Qadi Thana Allah, Mala bud minhu, p. 100.
79. Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Misry, al-Qawl al-Mu'tamad
fi 'Amal al-Mawlid.
80. Al-Dhahabi, Duwal al-lslam. Vol. II, p. 102.
184
in this innovation was Abu'l-Khftteb Umar b. Dihya: "He

was employed in the Maghrib, then travelled to Syria, then
to Iraq, and then he went to Irbil in 604 A.H. and
found its monarch Muzaffar al-Din b. Zain al-Din who took
keen interest in celebrating the birthday of the Prophet
(peace be upon him). He composed a book for him al-Tahwir
fi Maulid al-Siraj al-Munir,"and recited it to him. He rewarded
him one thousand dinars."81
Ibn Kathir has reported on the authority of al-Sabt
about Ibn Dihya: "Ibn Unain used to defame the Muslims
and disparage them. He would make additions in his reports
and exaggerate. So the people gave up narrating traditions
from him and falsified him. Kamil was favouring him. When
his conduct was disclosed to him, he withdrew Dar-al-Hadith
.from him and disgraced him."82
We give below the resume of Ibn Hajaral-Asqalani's
comments on him: He was a liar, lied frequently, and a
fabricator. He often slandered the scholars and the jurists
.of the past, used evil tongue, self-concerted, lacked insight
in religious matters, and looked down upon religion. This
has been reported from al-Hafiz Diya He further says:
'Ali b. al-Husain Abu'l 'Ali al- Isbahani narrated to me—it
is enough to mention his name as an authority — When Ibn
Dihya came to us in Isbahan, he stayed with my father in
the hospice. He honoured and respected him very much.
One day he came to my father with a carpet. He kissed
it and placed it before him saying; I offered such and
such thousand rak'ahs of prayer on this carpet, and recit
ed the whole Qur'an in the Ka'ba. He said: My father took
81. Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa'l - Nihaya, Vol. XIII, pp.

144-145.
82. Al-Bidaya wal-Nihaya, Vol. XIII, p. 145.
185
it, kissed it, placed it on his head, and accepted it from him
with a great pleasure. At the end of the day an inhabitant
of Isbahan came and began to talk to us. During his con
versation he said by chance: The Faqih of Maghrib who is
staying with you has purchased a beautiful carpet today
for such and such price. Thereupon my father ordered to
bring the carpet. Seeing it the man said. Yes, by Allah, this
is the same. My father kept silence, and Ibn Dihya fell down
in his eyes.
This was that monarch, and this was his assistant in
introducing this evil innovaton. They innovated this practice
in imitation of the Christians in order that they might cele
brate the birthday of their Prophet as they celebrated the
birthday of Jesus Christ, (peace be upon them.).
These people are in the habit of standing up while
reciting the events of the birthday and life of the Prophet
and say: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is
present in the assembly of celebration of his birthday; so
we welcome him by standing up. Then they recite the well-
known Urdu couplet that we quote below in original:
"Invoke blessings upon him every moment.The Prophet is

present here." One of their scholars says: "It is incumbent
to stand up at the time of mentioning the events of the birth
of the Prophet(peace be upon him)."84 These people
perform this act in the name of the Prophet(peace be upon
him) who used to prohibit from standing up for him even
in his blessed life-time, saying: "If anyone is pleased that
the people should stand up for him, he should make.his
83. Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, Lisan al-Mizan, Vol. IV, p. 296.

84. 'Abd al-Sami'. Anwar al-Sati'a, p. 250.
186
abode in the hell-fire.."85 Anas b. Malik narrated from the

Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him):
"No one was dearer to them than the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him). When they saw him, they did not
stand up, for they knew that he had disapproved of it"86
They have introduced numerous innovations in
religion, and they believe that such practices are the greatest
of all forms of worship and manifestation of the symbols
of religion. One of them is the celebration of the birth-day
of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the month of Rabi
'al-Awwal. It consists of many innovations and unlawful
acts.87
Curiously enough, the Bareilawis celebrate the birth
day of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the 12th of
Rabi' al-Awwal. despite the fact that this is the day of the
death of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). As
regards his birthday, he was not born on the 12th of Rabi'
al-Awwal, as has been established by the sound calculation
of the date of his death and chronology. The correct date
of his birth is either the 7th or the 9th of Rabi' al-Awwal.
The latter, i.e. the 9th, is the most sound and most
established date of his birth. This means that these people
do not celebrate the birthday of the Prophet but his death
anniversary on this day.
More curious than this is the fact that ten years ago
these people in the Indo-Pakistan sub-continent used to
85. Al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud have transmitted it

86. Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying: This is a good
(hasan) tradition.
87. Ibn Amir al-Hajj, Madkhal, p. 58.
187
the third day after the death of a person, and also after a
week."88
Ibn Bazzaz, a Hanafi jurist, says: "It is disapproved
to hold a feast by the heir of the dead, and to eat food by
the relatives of the dead at his home during three days after
the death of a person. Feast has been allowed by the Shari'a
for occasions of rejoicing. The holding of feast and distribu
tion of food among the relatives on the 1st and the 3rd day
after the death of a person and also after a week are
prohibited. It is also disapproved to celebrate festivals and
death anniversaries, to take food to the grave on specified
days, to take wages for recitation of the Qur'an, to gather the.
righteous men, and the Qur'an readers for the recitation of
the whole Qur'an, or to recite Surat al-An'am or up to
Surat al-lkhlas. In short, recitation of the Qur'an for the
sake of eating is disapproved."89
This is the position of the Hanafis about these feasts
arranged after the death of a person, that have been devised
to fill the hell of the hungry bellys and to quench their
thirst.
These are the teachings of the tradesmen of religion
who have sold the hereafter for this world, and made the
eternal divine religion means of snatching the properties of
the orphans and widows, plundering the indigent, the grieved,
and the dejected —the teachings which go round eating,
drinking, earning and usurping. May Allah give us refuge
from them.
88. Mulla 'Ali al-Qari, Mirqat Sharh al-Mishkat, Vol. V,

p. 482.
89. Al-Fatawa al-Bazzaziya, Vol. IV, p. 81.
188
name this day Bara Wafat (the day of the Prophet's death,
or his death anniversary on the 12th). When the criticism
was made on them by the monotheists and the adherents
of the Qur'an and the Sunna, they changed this name, and
instead named it 'Id Milad at-Nabi (the festival of the
birthday of the Prophet). They have given the same name as
used by the Christians for their festival, namely 'Id Milad
al-Masih (the festival of the birth-day of Jesus). Thus they
fell out of the frying pan into the fire.
The market of these people is in full swing by the food
provided by the heirs of the deceased under the name of the
feast of the 3rd, the 7th and the 10th day, etc. and by the
earnings plundered by them. Despite the fact that these
practices were not established as lawful during the genera
tions which have been declared the best by the Prophet
(peace be upon him), nor from the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him), nor from his Companions and their
successors,, the jurists, traditionists and the lawyers, it has
-been even forbidden by the Hanafi jurists in their works
of Fiqh, about which these people claim that they are its
followers. All this proves that these peopleare excluded from
the Hanafi school of Fiqh. They are liars in their claim of
their attribution to the Hanafi Fiqh, since a conformist
(muqallid) does not oppose the opinion of his master, nor
does he go outside his school of Fiqh.
In the following paragraphs the statements of the
Hanafi Fuqaha', are quoted about these rites which have been
borrowed from the Magians, Christians and Hindus, and not
from Islam brought by Muhammad (peace be upon him);
he is free from it. Describing the Hanafi law about these
ceremonies Mulla 'Ali al-Qari, a Hanafi jurist, says: "The
jurists of our school have decisively settled the point that
it is disapproved (makruh) to hold feast on the first and
189
They have made obligatory on the orphans and the

heirs of the deceased to offer food to them x>n the 3rd,
the 4th, the 7th and the 10th day after the death of a person.
As for the 11th day of every month, it is essential for every
person, whether anyone died or not from his family, to
offer food, for this day has been specified for offering to
Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir Jilani. "Allah, the Exalted, has gifted
this day to His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
on account of the Shaikh Jilani we seek refuge in Allah
from such absurdities — then the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) gifted this day to his community. It
means that this day is one of the endowments and gifts
ofthe Messenger of Allah."95
"The offering of food on that day causes the coming
down of blessings from the heaven."96
There is also a prevalent custom among them to offer
food on the 12th, the 17th, then the 40th day after the
death of a person. It 4s hoped that if anyone spends a lot
during these days, he may not live for a long time; otherwise
any member of his family may depart, and thus it may
become the cause of descending of blessings and sustenance.
They were not content to these days, but added other
days too, so that their market may not become listless, and
stagnant and their shops closed. Hence they added Thursday
and Friday. It is not only up to the 40th day, but it
continues as long as their relatives are alive. They assert:
"The spirits of the believers come on every night of Friday,
and on every Friday. They stay in the courtyard of their
homes, and each one of them, calls in a sorrowful voice: O
my wife.my children, my relatives I Be kind to us by giving
95. Ja'al-Haqq, Vol. I, p. 270.

96. Hikayat Ridwiyya, p. 44: Ja'al-Haqq.
190
alms; remember us and do not forget us, and have mercy

upon us."97
In addition to this, they also increased more days by
their assertion: "When Thursday, Friday, the 10th of
Muharram CAshura), or the 15th night of Sha'ban comes,
the spirits of the dead visit their relatives, and stand at the
doors of their homes, and say: Is there anyone who shows
mercy to us ?; is there anyone who remembers our strange
ness?"98 Then they keep on waiting, watching all the time
whether they give alms, and offer food or not99
They introduced innovations in order to seek the
increase of sustenances and food, that are named "recita
tion of-al-Fatiha," and "presenting the gift of reward."
They gave the profligates and the recalcitrant's certificate
for admission to paradise, and disbursed among them the
documents of evelation by holding the assemblies of
presenting the gift or reward (to the dead), recitation of the
whole Qur'an, and recitation of al-Fatiha. The Bareilawi
has composed numerous treatises in justification of these
innovations. His followers and upholders of his views have
also written many books and mentioned therein the
commendation, obligation of recitation of al-Fatiha, reci
tation of the whole Qur'an over meals, fruits, sweets, edibles,
and drinks, and offer their reward to the dead on the
specified days.
The Bareilawi has produced a treatise on this subject
called "Hujjatal-Fa'iha li tatyib al-Ta'yyun wa'l-Fatiha"
In this tract he writes: "The recitation of al-Fatiha and
97. AlBareillawi, Ityan al-Arwah li ziyaratihim ba'da

al-Rawah, included in Majmu'ah. Rasa'il, Vol. IV,
pp. 195,197.
99. Ja'al-Haqq, Vol. I, p. 461.
191
offering its reward on the specified days and its recitation

upon cloths, food and sandals and on other things are lawful
inn
and carry reward."'w
How should al—Fatiha be recited ? One should recite
al-Fatiha, and Surat al—Ikhlas as is converient, seven times
or three times. Then he should say; "O Allah, give the reward
of what we have recited to so and so, or to them."101
He has argued on the basis of the following weak tradition:
"If anyone passes a graveyard and recites "Qui huw Allahu
Ahad" eleven times and offers its reward to all the dead of
that graveyard, he will be given the reward equal to the
number of the dead (buried therein)."
They recite the Qur'an and gather the huffaz (memo-
risers of the Qur'an) and Imams (prayer leaders) of the
mosques and give them wages fixed for this purpose, so that
they offer the reward of their recitation of the Qur'an to
whom the hirer intends to offer, although the Hanafi jurists
have expressly said: "There is no title of reward by giving
wages for recitation of the Qur'an, neither for the dead.nor
for the reciter."103 The Hanafi jurist al-'Aini says: "Both
the receiver and the giver of wages for recitation of the
Qur'an will be sinners. In short, the practice of recitation
of the parts of the Qur'an on wages prevalent in our times
is not lawful."104 Ibn 'Abidin has quoted al-Barkawi as
saying: "(Recitation of the Qur'an by receiving wages) is not
lawful in any school of Islamic law, nor in any divine religion,
nor does one receive any reward ab initio... There are a large
100. Hujjat al-Faiha, included in al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,

Vol. IV, p. 195,197.
101. Ibid., p. 406.
103. Mahmud b. Ahmad, Sharh al-Diraya, Vol. Ill, p. 355.
104. Binaya Sharh al-Hidaya, Vol. Ill, p. 655.
192
number of rational and traditional evidences in favour of

this viewpoint"105 Ibn 'Abidin al-Shami al-Hanafi has also
quoted Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taimiyya as saying: "It is not
lawful to hire people to recite the Qur'an and to offer its
reward to the deceased since none of the' lmams(mastersand
savants) in the past has been reported to have permitted it.
The scholars have said on this subject as follows: If a reciter
recites the Qur'an for the sake of earning, there is no reward
for him. Then what does he offer to the dead ? Only (the
reward of) a righteous act reaches the dead. Taking wages
for reading and recitation of the Qur'an has not been
reported from any of the Imams."1 ^
The scholars have justified its prohibition on the basis
of the following Qur'anic verse:
(CI - -LnMi ) a-JU* l*aS cPL-l- ij^^Vj
"Nor sell my signs for a small price."107
The commentators have explained this verse on the
authority of Abu'l - 'Aliya as follows: "Do not take wages
for it"108 Al-Jazari said: "The Hanafis justify the prohi
bition of taking wages for recitation of the Qur'an on the
basis of this verse."109 In the end, we quote what has been
said in "Sharh al-'Aqidatal-Tahawiya:" As regards hiring
the people who recite the Qur'an and offer its reward as a
gift to the dead, none from the past scholars has done it, nor
has any of the Imams of religion commanded or permitted
105. Ibn 'Abidin, Majmu'at Rasail, Vol. I, pp. 173,174.

106. Ibid., p. 175.
107. Qur'an II: 41.
108. See Tafsir al-Tabari, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, and Tafsir
al-Qurtubi.
109. Al-Tashil li 'Ulum al-Qur'an, Vol. I, p. 46.
193
it Hiring the people to recite the Qur'an is unlawful without

any disagreement. The disagreement is on the lawfulness
of employing people on wages for teaching and the like
which involves benefit for others. The reward is not trans
ferred to the dead except when the act is done for the sake
of Allah's pleasure. But this service is not performed sincerely
for Allah's sake. Hence, he does not get any reward for it
which he may present as a gift to the dead.Therefore, no
one has expressed the view that it is permissible to hire a
person who fasts and prays and transfers its reward as gift to
the dead. But if any person gives something to a man who
recites the Qur'an, teaches it and learns it as an aid to those
who render service to the Qur'an, this will be considered alms
from him, and hence it is lawful. A passage in"al-lkhtiyar"
goes: If anybody bequeaths something from his property to
be given to a person who recites the Qur'an at his grave as
his wages, the bequest is invalid, for it means wages (on
recitation of the Qur'an). Al-Zahidi has mentioned "al-
Ghunya:"lf a man dedicates (Waqf) something to a person
who recites the Qur'an at his grave, the determination of this
sort ofWaqf is invalid."110
From all this it is proved that this innovation has
occurred only for mean worldly ends and evil selfish objec
tives. It has no concern with Islam as Islam is free from all
such things.
One of the teachings of the Bareilawis is to visit the
relics and to exhort to it for getting blessing from them,
it is the same whether their ascription to the saints is correct
or not. for jt is also the cause of earning of the riches by
cheating, the Muslims. 'Abd al-Mustafa Ahmad Rida al-
110. Sharh al-'Aqidat al-Tahawiya, (Shaikh Abani, ed.)

p. 517.
194
Bareilawi has composed a monograph to substantiate it and

,to exhortto it, called Badr al-Anwar fil-Adab wa'l-Athar."
The writer of the prefaceof this monograph says: "The relics
of saints are divine symbols, and belong to those sings of
Allah which He has commanded to exalt and to get blessings
from them."111
The Bareilawi himself has written: "He who denies
the exaltation of relics of the Prophets and getting blessing
from them is the denier of the Qur'an and the Sunna, and
ignorant and loser, and straying from the right way and
profligate."112 One of his followers has been reported
to have said: "The exaltation and veneration of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) means to exalt all of his causes and to
venerate his relics and his spots at Mecca and Medina, and
his institutions, and anything he had touched or
recognised."113 "Alongside of exaltation the relics of the
Prophet (peace be upon him), the relics of the saints, right
eous men and scholars should also be exalted, and blessings
should be attained from them, for they inherited from their
blessings and benefits."114 "There is no need of asking for
any authority and proof for the genuineness of ascription
of these relics to their denizens. It is enough that their ascrip
tion to them is well-known among the people."1 '5
How should these relics be exalted and blessings be
acquired from them ? The Bareilawi has described in another
monograph. He says: "One should kiss these relics, for it is
the tradition of the lovers, and it is written in the speeches
of the masters and the learned, like the minarets and walls
111. Muqaddima Risalah Badr al-Anwar, p. 8.

112. Al-Bareillawi, Badr al-Anwar, p. 12.
113. Badr al-Anwar, p. 21.
114. Ibid., p. 23 (Chapter II).
115. Ibid., p. 43 (Chapter IV)
195
of Medina Although they did not exist during the life

time of the Messenger of AllaMpeace be upon him), and were
built after him, and they do not have the honour of being
touched and seen by him, they exist in his city." He then
argued on the basis of the speeches of his leaders, as he
himself clearly said. His first leader (Imam) was Majnun
bani 'Amir. How excellent he has said:
_JU» jjJual _,L_*oJl «-<•> Lej

1^1 „. \ Hg **- G-» T* iA^J
"When I pass by the relics of Salma, sometimes I kiss this
wall and sometimes that .
The love of these relics has not ingraned in my
heart, but the love of her who inhabited these relics.".
Again, he argued from the words of his another master
(Imam) who says: "It is proper that the courtyards of the
Madrasas, mosques, tombs and waqf properties which exist
on the soil of those places which contain the body of the
Chief of mankind should be exalted, their fragrance be smelt,
their quarters and walls be kissed.
>U>0> Ojl n G* <*** Ur^j
I *>'•„•.' o .•„•" Gl9**° Oj^*y

oLAa^jJlj J j j a". 11 *^£ G-°
"I make a covenent when my laps have been filled with those
walls and courtyard, that I shall rub with the dust of these
relics my white hair among them, by kissing and gulping
them frequently."
196
They kiss even the thresholds and doors of the tombs

of the saints, as the Bareilawi has clearly stated in this mono-
graph composed by him."'117
This is the cause of success and salvation, as indicated
in the following couplet:
"Make haste and kiss the relics with the intention of

getting success on the day of reckoning."
What did the polytheists of Mecca and the unbelievers
of the Arabian Peninsula do except this or more than that?
But these people have exceeded the limits and outstriped
them when they said: It is lawful to kiss not only the walls
of Medina and graves and relics of the Prophet, the right
eous and the scholars, but also it is lawful to kissthe pictures
and figures of these things, indeed it is obligatory. The
Bareilawi says: "It isthe loftiest, most elevated, and manifest
thing that the savants of the Shari'a and the trustworthy
leaders, from class to class, from both East and West, and
Arabs and non-Arabs, used to make figure of the sacred
sandals and the fragrant tomb of the chief of mankind
(i.e. the Prophet), and draw their representations in the
books, kiss them, place them on their eyes and heads.and
command it"119
They sought agency through them (i.e. figures and
pictures) in averting diseases and achieving the objects. They
obtain from them great blessings and benefits.120
117. Ibid., p. 159.

118. Ibid., p. 143.*
119. Abarral-MaqalfiQublatal-ljlal,p. 143.
120. Badr al-Anwar fi Adab al-Athar, p. 38.
197
The Bareilawi has mentioned the advantages acquired

from them as follows: "If the figure of the sandal of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) is found with a man, he will
remain immune from the oppression of the tyrants, mischief
of the devils, and envyof the envious ones. If awoman holds
it in her right hand while suffering from the throe of
child-birth, the delivery will become easy for her. If anyone
guards it, and always keeps it with him, he will be exalted in
the eyes of the people, and will be honoured with the visit
of the sacred tomb of the Messenger of Allah, or the visit
of the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself inthe dream. If
the armies guard it with them, they will not be defeated,
and the caravans will not be plundered (if they keep it with
them). If it is kept in the ships, they will not be drowned,
and if it is kept in the properties, they will not be stolen;
any need asked for through it is fulfilled, and with whatever
intention it is hanged, that will be fulfilled. If it is placed
on the aching and effected parts of the body, they will be
healed up. One is saved from the fatal calamities and dis
tresses."121
He has quoted his masters as saying about these
absurdities which are not less than the non-sense practices
of the pagan days: "Kiss the dust which is damped by the
effect of the noble sandal, if it is possible; otherwise kiss
its figure."122 "One of the advantages of the figures of the
tomb of the Prophet, is that if it is not possible to visit the
tomb of the Prophet, one should visit its figure and anxiouly
kiss it, for it represents the orginal. Similarly, the figure of
his sacred sandal represents the original one in respect of the
benefits and properties as evidenced by the correct ex-
121. Ibid., p! 40.

122. Abarr al-Maqal fi Qublat al-ljlal, p. 148.
198
perience: hence the scholars have paid the same honour

and veneration as they have paid to the original..."
He also said: "From among the benefits of represen
tations is that if anyone is unable to visit the tomb of the
Prophet, he should pay a visit to its figure and watch it
eagerly, and kiss it with increasing love and eagerness. The
scholars have substituted the figure of the sandal for the
original sandal and show the same respect and veneration
as they have done to the original, and they have mentioned
its properties and blessings.'"*^*
Thereafter he has written the formalities of paying
a visit to these figures and pictures after explaining the
reality of these things: "These are the exalted things of
religion: their exaltation and veneration according to the
rules of the Shari'aare the requirements of the faith"125
"It is imperative for a person who visits these relics or things
that indicate these relics that he should imagine the Messenger,
the bearer of light (peace be upon him) and he should pray
Allah to bless him abundantly . . . Similarly, if anyone
visits the figure of the blessed tomb of the Prophet ( peace
be upon him) he should exalt and venerate it, and invoke
peace and blessings on him abundantly, as he would do
when he might visit the original tomb."126
He then describes the merits of kissing these figures
and pictures, and quotes the following couplets:
4_J> Ji aj J££ i^—o JJ» G-»J
123. Ibid., p. 148.

124. Ibid., pp. 50-51.
125. Bedr al-Anwar, p. 53.
126. Ibid., p. 56.
199
'Urs, the assemblies held to celebrate the birth day of the

Prophet(peace be upon him), recitation of the Qur'an and
shifting its reward to the deceased (Fatiha), providing food
for the people on the 3rd, 7th, 11th, 17th, 21th, 27th and
40th day after the death of a person. A person having
knowledge realises very well in the first instance that the
purpose of these things is trade; though losing in this world
and in the hereafter, earning money, though it is unlawful,
and laughing at the simpletons and unmindful people who
presume that their dead relatives will be forgiven, even
though they are wrong doers and sinners. It matters little
whether they disobeyed Allah and His Messenger, performed
acts of disobedience, and committed grave sins, joining
partners with Allah, and abandoned His Book. They believe
that holding the death anniversaries at the shrines, attending
the assemblies of the birth-day of the Prophet(peace be
upon him) reciting Surat al-Fatiha, and providing food
to the saints and the imams of the mosques will save them
from the punishment of hell-fire, and bring them into the
gardens under which rivers flow.
They say: The saints of Allah are the gates of the
mercy of the Lord, and it is necessary to seek the mercy
from the gates. For this reason the tombs are visited so that
the mercy of Allah is obtained, as Zakariyya'(peace be
upon him supplicated to Allah with a female saint of
Allah, namely Mary, in order that Allah might grant him
a righteous child:
(TA — g'j-»* J^ ) *-(j ^y^j ^^ •'' " '**»

200
-L
L->JJ| «jJel JUL. L- dLUyt îj
ft" 10 0 ^ 6Jl> «|
jl<* G4
"For him who touches the figure of the sandal ofthe Prophet
named Taha, there will be abundant good and virtues on the
day of resurrection.
In this world he will live a good life, and will get
honourand comfort beyond doubt
0 sandal, the figure and representation of yours bears
the highest noble character. It has mysteries by which we
have witnessed wonders.
If the cheek of a man sinks by supplication, that
which is requisite is partially supplied for him."127
"Kissing the figure of the sandal is like the kissing of
the original respected sandal. One is healed up by kissing it,
and one seeks healing up from its name.
So Kiss it, and rub the face by placing it thereon,
with a sincere intention, you will get what you conceal in
your heart."128
These' people show disrespect to Allah, the Exalted,
by venerating the figure of the Prophet's sandal, and by
exalting the graves, and they say about writing the name of
Allah upon the figure of the Prophet's sandal: "It is lawful
to write the name of the Alimghty Allah on the figure of
the Prophet's sandal. Then he argues on thebasis of a report
127. Ibid., p. 144.

128. Ibid., p. 56.
201
that the jurists (a'imma) in the past used to write tthe name
of Allah) on the backs of the sandals."129
After mentioning all this, he states the purpose for
which all these things have been given currency, and com
manded to exalt and venerate them, and getting blessings
from them. The purpose is eating, drinking and earning,
He says: "It is commendable for thevisitor to offer oblations
to one whose relics he visits, to the Prophet (peace be upon
him), or to the esteemed saint. He who presents agift and he
who takes subscription for the help of the Muslims are
rewarded. One who isvisited helps the visitors who visit these
relics, and the visitors help the one who is visited by their
offerings to him, to which the saying of the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him), comes true: If any of you can
benefit his brother, he should benefit him." 130 ,
He said: 'The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
Allah helps His servant as long.as the servant continues
helping his brother. In particular when the inmates of these
relics are respectable and noble persons, for service to them
is the cause of attaining the reward and blessings."131
This is the cult of these people and these are their
teachings against the teachings ofthe Prophet (peace be upon
him) who prohibited his Companions and his community
from hyperbole even about his person. He said:
129. Ibid., pp 41-42.

130. See this weak reasoning for the justification of offer
ings. If such reasoning is valid, transgression and
lewdness for arguing in favour of benefit of both
sides woujd prevail. May Allah give the Muslims
refuge from it
131. Badr al-Anwar, pp. 50-51.
202
"Do not eulogise me as the Christians eulogised Jesus,

son of Mary. I am just His servant, so say: Allah's servant and
messenger"132 "Commenting on this tradition Mulla AH
Al-Qari says: He forced them to exercise this exaggeration
in their belief that he would wipe out their evil works, and
admit them to paradise, and the more they exaggerate, the
nearer to him they would be. In fact, they are the most
disobedient people, and most opposed to his Sunna. They
have an obvious resemblance to the Christians who extremely
exercised exaggeration about Jesus Christ, and vehemently
opposed his Shari'a and religion."133
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:"Do not raise
me alone my right, for Allah, the Exalted, has made me a
servant before he made me a messenger."134 The Prophet
(may peace be upon him) said: "Satan may not lead you to
evil passion: I am Muhammad ibn Abdallah and His Messen
ger. I do not like that you raise me above my rank which
Allah has made me hold."135
Will he be pleased and can conceive of his religion
which he brought from the Creator of the universe the Lord
of the heavens and the earth, that these pictures, represen
tations, figures and images be exalted, while the Shari'a has
come to annihilate them?
132. AL-Bukhari and Muslim-AI-Haithami, Majma' al-

Fawa'id.
133. Mulla 'AM al-Qari, Mawduat, pp. 119-20.
134. Al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak; al-Tabarani, al-Mu'jam al-
Kabir.
135. Ahmad, Musnad; Said b. Mansur, Sunan; al-Baihaqi,
Shu'abal-lman.
203
We seek refuge in Allah from such an occurrence.

These people do not pay attention to the teachings of the
Qur'an, and to him upon whom the Quran was sent down.
,y ^ UwLS L>j> UL* *j±o Jj«?w «J*- u1 j-« £r°J
(in - ,.(-^11 )
"Those whom He willeth to leave straying - He makes their
breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to
the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those
who refuseto believe."13"
Allah, the most great, has spoken the truth. They have
invented a strange rule and introduced an evil practice for
eating and drinking: If a man died and he did not pray and
fast during his life, it is possible to admit him to paradise
by offering food to the scholars and monks half asa' ofwheat
or a sa-of dates or barley for each fast, and similarly for each
prayer. If a man wants to carry out business, he will be grant
ed concession, as a special case. For this they have suggested
a legal device (hi-la). we give below their statements on this
subject from their own works, and they have forgotten what
Allah, the Exalted, has said in His Book:
[\. _/UJJl )
"Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans eat up

a fire into their own bodies: they will soon be enduring a
136. Qur'an VI : 126.

204
blazing fire."137 <^ u )i oîUo--J o«j

Allah has said: (£ ._n .^^Ji }^ ^^ ^ 0, j
"Those man can have nothing but what he strives for;'fat.
(the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight."138
Allah isthe most truthful of the speakers:
(10 — J-AIÎ ^ ) tf>| jjj Ijyj _,-;*,
.139 be3rer °f burdens can bear the burden of an
other." o^Ûj jo-T ^^J|j ^jj, a^JUi^
He said :
(<i - 3îUJi ) ojj*^* i-*j f&-JL.i VI
"Fain would they deceive Allah and .those who believe, but
they only deceive themselves and realize (it) not."140
But neglecting the true word of Allah and the teach
ings of the truthful and trustworthy Messenger (peace be
upon him) they say : "The heir of the deceased says on
behalf of the deceased who neither prayed nor fasted: Any
duty anong the duties to Allah, whether obligatory, im
perative, vows and others liable to be discharged by this
deceased, some of them have been discharged, and some
not discharged, by him; those discharged by him, may
Allah accept them by His grace, through the agency of the
Prophet and supplication of the present body of the Muslims;
those which have not been discharged by him and remained
due to him as his liability, some of them can be discharged
by payment of ransom and others cannot be discharged by
it. Those which cannot be discharged by payment of ransom,
137. Qur'an IV : 10.

138. Qur'an LI11 : 39-40.
139. Qur'an XVII : 15.
140. Qur'an II: 9.
205
may Allah forgive and remit them. Those which can be dis
charged by ransom and remained due to him as his liability,
tr-.'i copy of the Qur'an is given along with this money in
cash and commodity in kind as aransom."141
Or this copy of the Qur'an is donated along with
this money in cash and commodity in kind to exonerate
the deceased from prayers and fasts and other liabilities
due to him.142 If any man did not pray and fast during
his whole life, about him they say: 'The years of his age
should be counted after discounting twelve years in the
case of male and nine years in the case of female, for it is
the minimum period of her puberty, then it is necessary to
donate half a basket for each month by measuring with the
Mudd of Damuscus, and six baskets for each solar year."143
But by this reckoning the weight does not decrease,
and the number of sa's increases, then what is the legal
device (hila) ? They say: "He should take a limited quantity
(of some commodity) and give that quantity to a poor man.
Thus, the liability is dropped from the deceased commen
surate with this quantity. Then the poor man should give
this quantity to the heir of the dead. He should again give
this quantity to the poor man, and the liability is diminished
in proportion to the quantity. Again the poor man should
give this quantity to the heir of the dead, and he should take
possession of it. Again the heir should give it to the poor man
so that the remaining number of prayers and fasts due to
the deceased be dropped."! 44
141. Ghayat al-lhtiyat fi hilat al-lsqat, included in:Badhl

al-Jawaiz, (ed. Pakistan), p. 35.
142. Ibid., p. 26.
143. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 43.
144. Al-Qadiri, Ghayat al-lhtiyat, p. 41.
206
If the deceased does not leave property, the heir

should take, say half a sa (of wheat), on loan and give it to
a poor man, and then the poor man should give it to the heir,
and this should be repeated again and again, till it is com
pleted.145
They expressly call this cheating hila (legal device).
They say: 'The legal device (ihila) to exonerate the deceased
from all his liabilities is that the guardian should count his
prayers, fasts and other duties that were missed by him, and
estimate them in proportion to something, then he should
give it to some poor man, with the intention of exonerating
the deceased from his liabilities. After taking possession
of it the poor man should donate it to the guardian or to
some stranger, and he should take possession of it, and then
he should give it again voluntarily to the poor man to drop
the liabilities from the deceased.and then the poor man
should give it to the guardian."145
In this manner these people have sold their hereafter
for this world of theirs and exhorted the people to abandon
the doing of good works, prayer, fasting and those deeds
upon which the salvation depends according to the directions
of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). As these
people were indulged in the legal devices, they went to the
extreme and said: "The easiest method is that the legal
heir of the deceased should sell a correctly written copy of
the Qur'an worthy of being read to a poor man with a
criminal fraud, then the poor man should donate it to the
heir, and this should be repeated again and again till it is
completed, perchance Allah may accept it as a compensation
for prayer, zakat and vows."14'
145. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 387.
146. Al-Qadiri, Ghayat al-lhtiyat, p. 41.
147. Ibid.
207
We can say only that it is a legal device positively,

but it is your device to eat up the earnings of the people
unlawfully.
There are many other devices from which we seek
refuge in Allah and from their innovators.
One of the teachings of these people which they have
invented under the name of Sharia and gave it currency
among the Muslims under the name of Islam, and they
declared infidels and unbelievers those who opposed them, is
the kissing of thumbs of both hands when one hears the
name of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) during
adhan (call to prayer). The Bareilawi has produced a mono
graph exclusively devoted to this subject to substantiate
this viewpoint. It is included in his "Fatawa " and it is named
"Munir al-Ayn fi hukm taqbil al-lbhamayn". He says therein:
"It has been narrated from al-Khidr (peace be upon him)
that he said: If anyone hears the muaddhin (one who calls
to prayer) say: I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah's
Messenger, and in response to him he says: Welcome to my
friend and coolness of my eyes, Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah
. (peace be upon him) and he kisses both of his thumbs, and
puts them on his bothe eyes, he will never suffer from sore
of eyes."148
Another Bareilawi writes: "If anyone kisses his both
thumbs when he hears the name of the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) during adhan (call to prayer), and puts
them up on his eyes, he will achieve both religious and
worldly benefits and will be rewarded for it. The companions
and the Muslims in general have practised it The Prophet
(peace be upon him) is reported as saying: If anyone hears
my name during adhan and parts both of his thumbs upon him
148. Munir al-'Ayn, included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,

p. 383.
208
eyes, I shall seek him in the rows of the people on the day
of resurrection, and lead him to paradise."14**
Look at these people and their courage to forgery
and lying upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
who said: If anyone lies upon me intentionally, he should
makehisabode in hell-fire."150
They have reported the first version from "al-Maqasid
al-Hasana " by al-Sakhawi, and al-Sakhawi himself has
written about this tradition in his book before narrating
it: Similarly Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad b. Abi Bakr al-Raddad
al-Mutasawwif has quoted it in his work "Mujibat al-Rahma
wa 'Aza'im al-Maghfira."
With a chain of narrators which contain obscure
narrators and link connecting al-Khidr is missing.151
Even after all this criticism on this tradition it is
permissible, to argue on its basis and despite the existence of
the name of al-Khidr therein and what has been said about
him ?.The second version has no trace of it. I do not know
from where he has brought it They hold this view despite
the scholars' criticism of such traditions: "The traditions
narrated about the kissing of fingers and placing them on the
eyes after hearing his (the Prophet's) name from the
mu'adhdhini contained in the words I bear witness that
152
Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, are all spurious." .
Al-Sakhawi himself has said after stating permissibi
lity of acting upon the weak traditions about merits, ex-,
hortation and fightehing: "As regards a spurious traditon,
it is not permissible to act upon it in any circumstance."153
149. Ja'al-Haqq, p. 394.
150. Muslim transmitted it.
151. Al-Sakhawi, al-Maqasid al-Hasana.
152. Al-Suyuti, Taisir aKal-Maqal.
153. Al-Qawl al-Badi, p. 196.
209
Al-Sakhawi, al-Suyuti, Ali al-Qari, Muhammad Tahir

Patni, al-Shawkani, and others have stated that all such
traditions have not been established as genuine.154 Despite
all this, the Bareilawi says: "He who denies the kissing of
both thumbs rejects the consensus of the community, and
'follows the way other than that of the believers for which
Allah has given a sever warning: -
(Ho— * I•—'• )l ) Ij->*j> o» U. j fJJh> A\*J..j

"And land him in hell-what an evil refuge"155 (IV : 115)
Among the lies of these people and their unending
innovations-for their innovations are unfounded, and Allah
has not sent any authority in their support, and there is no
evidence from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
to justify them - is their statement: "The following suppli
cation should be written and be placed on the breast of the
deceased: t u ^^ 4ti>J uj\l\ aJiv
i Oaa-JI &Jj i'I Le.1l <J a_L)| VI «Jl V
«JJl U VI «>5V j Jîfj . aJUIVI aJIV
There is no god but Allah alone and there is no partner

with Him There is no god but Allah, the dominion and praise
be to Him. There is no god but Allah, and there is no power
and no might except for Allah, the most High, and the most
154. Patini, Tadhkirat al-Mawdu'at, p. 36; al-Qari, al

Mawdu'at, p. 75; al-Shawkani, al-Fawa'id al-Majmua,
pp. 19-20.
155. Munir al-'Ayn, included in al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
Vol. II, p. 488.
210
great. Or one should write: In the name of Allah, the com

passionate, the Merciful."156 He then says: "If anyone writes
this supplication and puts it in a piece of cloth between the
breast of the deceased and his shroud, he will not suffer from
the torment of the grave, and he will not see the two angels
in the grave, Munkar and Nakir."157
He also said: "If anyone writes"Ahd Nama"(a treatise
containing covenant and supplications) on the forehead or
turban or shroud of the dead, it is hoped that Allah will
forgive the dead. A man bequeathed that (In the name of
Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful) should bewritten on
his forehead and chest, and it was done so. Then he was
seen in the vision and on being asked about himself he said:
When I was placed in the grave, .the angels of punishment
came, and when they saw it written on my forehead, they
said: You have been saved from the punishment ofAllah."158
Another Bareilawi has written: "This "Ahd Nama"
should be written (on the forehead of the dead), so that the
dead may remember the answer to the question of IMunkar
ahd Nakir, for when they ask him, he will readthis document
and answer them."159
Their characteristic features which distinguish them
from others and even from the Hanafis, are that they adhere
to the innovations and insist on them, and abuse them who
abandon them and criticise them and nickname them as
theWahhabis.
There is no wonder that the adherents of the Qur'an;
and the Sunna are criticised and hated by the adherents of
157. Al-Bareillawi, al-Harf al-Hasan fil-Kitabat alal Kafan

included in:al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. IV, p. 127.
158. Ibid., p. 129.
159. Ja'al Haqq, p. 340.
211
the absurdities, people of innovations, followers of low

passions and desires and those who have strayed from the
straight path.
Among their distinctive features and teachings which
they have strictly imposed on their followers is the making
of supplication after funeral prayer, thus opposing the Qur'an
the Sunna, and the Hanafi Fiqh too. The Bareilawi says:
"He who prohibits from making supplication after funeral
prayer, he clearly opposes the Hanafi Fiqh, but the Najdis are
ignorant people."150
As regards prohibition after funeral prayer as occurs in
the Hanafi Fiqh, the Bareilawi says about it: What is meant
by it (prohibition) is perpetuity. He then argues on the basis
of a couplet for criticising the opponents. He says: By standing
for supplication is meant perpetuity, as we have already
mentioned in the first Fatawa (verdict). A poet says:
ji^ Ji o4* ,>iiaJfj
• ASjJlj 49OJI j^l £V4VI VI
If disgrace is intended for an ass, he does not remain standing
except the ass of Najd and Watad. Explaining this couplet
the Bareilawi says: It does not mean that when disgrace is
designed the donkey of Najd remains standing and never
sits, while the donkey of other places-sits. It means that the
donkey of Najd continuously remains standing and tolerates
disgrace and is pleased with it.151
They hold this view despite the fact that Shams al-
A'imma al-Halwani al-Hanafi and al-Qadi al-Saghadi a I-Hanafi
have clearly said: A man should not remain standing for
160. Badhl al-Jawa'iz 'ala'l-dua'i bada salat al-Jana'iz,

included in:al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. IV, pp. 25-26.
,161. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. IV, p. 26.
212
supplication after funeral prayer.2 Al-Tahir al-Bukhari

al-Hanafi says: "One should not stand for supplication while
reciting the Qur'an for the dead after funeral prayer as well
as before it."153 Ibn Nujaim, who is called the second Abu
Hanifa, says: "In funeral prayer one should not supplicate
after pronouncing salutation."154 Ali al-Qari al-Hanafi
says: "One should not supplicate for the dead after funeral
prayer, for it resembles something additional to the funeral
prayer."165 Muhammad Ibn Shihab al-Hanafi says: "One
should not stand for supplication after funeral prayer."166
This is what has been written in the Hanafi Fiqh. This
is what the Hanafi jurists have said, and that is what the
Bareilawis say who claim to be the Hanafis. The Hanafi
Fiqh disgraces and deserts them.
Lastly, we complete this chapter by making mention
of another evil which they have innovated and made it
essential of their cult They have written treatises and
monographs to justify it. This evil is to pronounce adhan
(call to prayer) at the grave not known to the companions
of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and to those who
followed them in all good deeds and adopted their way. The
Bareilawi says: 'The Muslims pronounce adhan at the grave
to repel the evil, to remove bewilderment, to attain satis
faction and for the descending of blessings.67 Another
Bareilawi says: "To pronounce adhan at the grave is commen
dable, for the deceased is benefitted by it"168
162. Qunya, Vol. I, p. 56.

163. Khulasat al-Fatawa. Vol. I, p. 225.
164. Al-Bahral-Ra'iq, Vol.ll, p. 183.
165. Mirqat, Vol. 11, p. 219.
166. Al-Fatawa al-Bazzaziya, Vol. I, p. 83.
167. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol.IV. p. 54.
168. Ja'al-Haqq, Vol, I. p. 315.
213
Butthe Hanafi jurists in general have expressly prohibi

ted it. Ibn al-Humam says: "The rites performed at the
grave not established by the Sunna are disapproved. The
practice that has come down from the Prophet (peace be
upon him) is to visit the grave and making supplication stand
ing near it as he used to do when he went out to Baqi, He-
would say: Peace be upon you, the abode of the believing
people."169
Al-Shami said: "To confine oneself to the practices
that have occurred in the Sunna of the Prophet refers to the
fact that it is no Sunna to call adhan at the time of placing
the dead in the grave, as it has become a usual practice in
these days. Ibn Hajr has expressly said in his Fatawa that it
is an innovation (bid-ah)170 In "Daur al-Bihar" are recorded
the innovations that have gained currency in India, and one
of ^niiS
dead. to ca" adhan
71 Mahmud * thesays;
al-Balakhi 9rave'To
aftercalltneadhan
burial of
at tne
the
grave is nothing."172
These are the teachings of the Bareilawis in clear con
travention of the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunna and
the teachings of the Hanafis, too. We have recorded them and
quoted them from the original works of these people them
selves alongwith the reference of volumes and pages.
We pray Allah that He may grant us adherence to His
Book and the Sunna of His Prophet (peace be upon him),
and help us in abstaining from the innovations, absurdities,
and non-sense practices and doctrines.
169. Fath al-Qadir, Vol. 11, p. 22.

170. Radd al-Muhtar, Vol. I, p. 659.
171. Quoted from Ja'al-Haqq, p. 318.
172. Ibid., p. 318.
215
CHAPTER-IV
Bareilawiyyat and the Excommunication of the Muslims

Declaring them unbelievers (Kafir).
We have made a covenant with ourselves that we shall

not be severe in our assertion and decision about this sect,
for we have written this book only to describe their doctrines
In their own tongue with an honesty of scholarship. It is
their beliefs that would make a decision for them and their
own statements would give evidence to their stand, viewpoint
and cult.
In this chapter, we shall endeavour, in particular,
that we may not be overpowered by our emotions and let
loose our pen to write freely as it pleases and reviles of these
people. They have not only called names, but also excom
municated the eminent Muslims, their leaders, doctors of
law and Hadlth, and leaders of reformation and revivers of
the call of the early Muslims to follow the straight path
according to the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunna.
Again, the reactions and emotions do not change the
course of history nor the events. Severity, declaring Muslims
profligate and infidel, and their disgrace and criticism are
futile. They cannot make right wrong and vice versa. A
believer is not indulged in cursing and abusing others. It is
admitted that reaction is a necessary connection of humane
ness. A man is injured and grieved by criticism and curse.
He rejoices by his praise and good"words. Despite all this,
we shall control our emotions, and honestly report the
216
beliefs of the Bareilawis and the Muslim community and

their leaders.
These people have confined Islam to the sect which
holds fast to their innovations in religion, and recognises
their leaders and eminent figures, and harbours belief in
Allah that He is suspended and retired, having no power
over anything. He has deligated all His powers to the men
in charge, people belonging to the sufi orders, and His ser
vants. They consider them the righteous people. They are
the men of absolute authority and divine powers. Allah, the
Exalted, Himself comes down from His Throne to pay visit
to them; the Ka'ba goes round them; the angels are their
gate-keepers, the heaven is folded in their right hand and
the earth is held in their left hand; the sky is clouded by
their commands, and the sustenances are disbursed by their
beckon. They are the masters of life and death, resurrection
and gathering, and they have the power to give life to the
dead, and to hear the speech of. the inmates of the graves,
to give aid to the suppressed,, to redress the grievances of the
sufferers, to help the seekers of help and aggrieved we
seek refuge in Allah from this nonsense and absurd beliefs,
as discussed before.
In their opinion, every Muslim is required to befool
his sound opinion, to petrify his reason, veil his heart, to
hold the same opinion, and to harbour the same belief,
otherwise he will come out of the fold of Islam, indeed from
the Bareilawi Islam in the correct sense of the term.
The Ahd al-Hadith (the adherentes of Hadith) are
unbelievers and impious, having departed from the religion
because of their belief in the adherence to the Qur'an which
Allah has sent down to the Chief of the mankind for their
guidance, and a mercy for the believers, and in the adherence
to the Sunna of the Messengerof Allah (peace be upon him),
whom Allah has sent to mankind with guidance and true
217
religion to make it dominant over all religions, even if the

polytheists dislike it. By their adherence to these two things
they went astray and led others astray, for they did not
include in them the obedience to Ahmad Rida al-Bareilawi,
his followers, and his agents, following the tradition of the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
' *-*$-• f"Sui.0s u IjJUw j^J (>->*! *£-*£ •*"•& i"
"I have left two things among you, and you never go astray
as long as you adhere to them: the Book of Allah, and the
Sunna of His Messenger."1
The Ahl al-Hadith have asserted that Allah has not
commanded in His Book to obey anyone except obedience
to Himself and obedience to His Messenger (peace be upon
him) in a large number of the verses. We quote here only
three: ^ .. * , . . ,
"And obey Allah and the Messenger, that ye may

obtain mercy."2
OJ**-^ f^\j a-leljJ^; Vj ^lJj-jj aJUijAJbi
"0 ye who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger,
and turn notaway from him when yehear (him speak)."3
J^-jfJ'^Ô «-Lh>«-i»i i>^T ^.ui La-i u
"O ye who believel Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger."4
1. Mishkat al-Masabih.
2. Qur'an III: 132.
3. Qur'an VIII: 20.
4. Qur'an IV : 59.
218
He mentioned in the Qur'an neither Ahmad Rida nor

any other person, nor did He make to have belief in him
(Ahmad Rida) obligatory upon the Muslims.
How should they not be communicated, for they
invite to the Book.of Allah, and the Sunna of the Messenger
of Allah? The Qur'an does not comprehend their beliefs
nor does the Sunna agree with them.
The followers of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab are
unbelievers and impious,, for they have rejected their inno
vations, heresies, and absurdities, and for their belief in the
divinity of the Lord of the great Throne and in the leader
ship of the Chief of the Messengers.
The Deobandis are apostates, departed from the
religion and excluded from the fold of Islam, for they did
not believe in the stories forged by them, fables got up by
them and the absurd practices which they have made their
religion and cult.
The Nadawis are defiled and polytheists, for they did
not swear allegiance to the Bareilawi, and did not believe in
his leadership. They did not talk of what they talked and got
up the cock and bull stories. Why do they not depart from
the religion, as they have made the Hanafi Fiqh the arbiter
between themselves and these people, despite their claim of
being the Hanafis, whereasthe Hanafi Fiqh opposes them?
The poets of reformation in the Indo-Pakistan sub
continent, its writers, men of letters and missionaries have
gone astray and have led others astray, because by their
call to Muslims to mend themselves they are moving them
away from'the ancient practices, old customs, the rites of
the ignorant days, and idolatrous thoughts of the Hindus,
like the worship of idols, graves, bowing before the thresholds
and gates of the shrines, and fear of the tree, stone, shade,
the male and the female cat, and other non-sense practices.
The leaders of education are profligates and heretics,
for they are removing the darkness of ignorance by their
219
education to the Islamic community- They are spreading

the light of knowledge among the people who inherited the
worship of the saints believing in their authority and nearness
to Allah through them and intercession for the creatures.
The politicians and the liberators of the Muslim
community from the shackles of Imperialism are unbelievers
and accursed for they intend to liberate not only the land
of the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent from the claws of the
tyrant British people, and to break the chains of the sub
jugated and the oppressed, but they intended also to liberate
them from the confinement of the exploiters, luxurious and
tyrants in the name of religion.
Those who raised the standard of Jihad in the way of
Allah are rebellious and revolters, worthy of being killed,
for they inspire the spirit of Jihad in the weak and the
poor. They take them out of their hospices, turn them away
from the smaller Jihad to greater one, and exhort them to
spend in the way of Allah to purchase weapons and steads
of war instead of spending riches on the birth-day anniver
saries, holding death anniversaries and religious fairs at
the shrines.
The invlters to the Islamic rule, the prophetic caliphate
and the emirate governed by the Sharla are heretics, for they
direct the people to the Islamic state other than the state
which they have established in their apartments, the caliphate
which they have divided among themselves in their monas
teries and the emirate which they have founded in their
hospices.
All these people are profligates, impious, unbelievers,
apostates, departed from the religion, and deviated from the
faith, for they reject the Bareilawi and his upholders, and
they do not have his beliefs and doctrines.
No person who performed these works or believed as
we stated earlier, whether he belonged to the sub-continenl
or outside it, and whether he was from the later or the earlia
220
generation of the Muslims, was saved from the Bareilawis. I

do not think that any sect or faction attributed to Islam
extended excommunication to such extremes asthe Bareilawis
have done. They declared unbeliever everyone who differed
with them in a minor or major point, in a belief or in an
opinion. They excommunicated even one who did not agree
with them on their excommunication of some particular
persons, though he did not differ with them in their doctrines,
for disagreement was not allowed in their methods, let alone
difference of opinion with them. It is well-known that
disagreement is much lighter than opposition and difference
of opinion. They excommunicated many people who agreed
with them on their common doctrines and specific beliefs,
but they did not put their signature on the documents
declaring therein their opponents, unbelievers and apostates.
They did not agree with them on their express excommuni
cation. To put it more correctly, they did not utter the same
words as they had said about those particular persons,
although they, agreed with them that these persons were
opposed to' their thoughts and doctrines. They said: He
who hesitated and passed in excommunicating one whom
we excommunicated or became doubtful about his blas
phemy, he became unbeliever. An eminent Hanafi scholar,
'Abd al-Bari of Lucknow, agreed with them on numerous
points and he was their supporter and advocate of their
dogmas: But the Bareilawi himself expressly excommuni
cated him, for the reason that he had hesitated in expressly
declaring unbeliever some Hanafi scholars who opposed
him and the Bareilawis in acertain opinion.7
The Bareilawi said : "His unbelief is express and
obvious." He then mentioned numerous other fatawa after
his fatwa (legal opinion) hovering around the excommuni-
Musahhih dimagh Majnun, Bareilly, p.14.

221
cation of Shaikh 'Abd al-Bari. His son has collected all his
fatawa in an independent book named "al-Tari al-Dari li
hafawat 'Abd al-Bari". He and his followers often state after
excommunication of a Muslim: He who is doubtful about
his unbelief and undoubtedly rejects faith, i.e. is unbeliever.
This has been witnessed by 'Abd al-Hayy Lucknawi,
father of Abu'l-Hasan Ali al-Nadawi, the illustrious author on
Islam. He says in his work while describing the account of
the life of Ahmad Rida al-Bareilawi: He was harsh in the legal
and theological questions, sweeping and hastening in excom
munication of Muslims. He raised the standard of excom
munication of Muslims and schism among them in India in
recent times. He played a prominent role and became the
leader of this sect who support him, ascribe themselves to
him and argue on the basis of his statements. He did not
allow any leniency and magnanimity in the interpretation of
the unbelief of one who did not agree with him on his
belief and findings, or of one whom he found deviating
from his way and the way of his forefathers. He was severe
in opposition, perpetually pursuing every reformation
movement.
A convention of Madrasa Faid 'Amm was held in 1311

A.H. in Kanpur, attended by most of the eminent scholars.
This was the convention in which the foundation of Nadwat
al-Ulama was laid. The great objects of this convention were
the unity of Muslims, reformation of dissension among the
scholars of various sects and reformation of the religious
education. Mufti Ahmad Rida, whose biography is under
discussion, also attended this convention. But he went out of
it and put up an opposition to fight this association. He
issued a leaflet called "al-Tuhfat al-Hanafiyya li muaradat
Nadwat al-Ulama".
8. A detailed discussion will follow.

222
He produced about a hundred treatises and books in

its refutation. He took the fatawa (legal verdicts) and sig
natures of the scholars of different places of India about the
excommunication of the scholars of Nadwa and recorded
them all in a book called "I Ijam al-Sina li ahI al-Fitna".
He got them verified by the scholars of Mecca and Medina,
and published them in a collection named "Fatawa al-
Hasanain bi rajf Nadwat al-Main" in 1317 A.H.
He then turned his attention to excommunicate the
Ulema of Deoband, like Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi,
Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, Ashraf
AM Thanawi, and those who supported them. He attributed
to them the beliefs of which they were innocent. He ex
pressly declared them unbelievers (Kafir) and got it attested
by the scholars of Mecca and Medina who were not aware of
the reality. He published them in a collection called, "Husam
al-Hasanain'ala manhar ahl al-Kufr wal-main". Therein, he
says : If anyone is doubtful about their blasphemy and
punishment, he is an unbeliever. He remained engagedin this
refutation, finding faults, fighting and opposition. He showed
no leniency and weakness in his stand so much so that
excommunication of the people became his business which
kept him engaged all the time. All this resulted in clashes,
litigations, commotions and disturbances.
He was not alone in the style adopted by him, but
everyone of his sect followed in his footsteps. They excom
municated the whole world and expelled the Muslims from
the fold of Islam, while setting crosslegs on their seats and
thrones of honour. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) and his followers admitted the unbelievers to Islam
suffered the miseries and pains, and removed the obstacles
that came in the way of his mission. But these people are
9. Nuzhat al-Khawatir, vol.VI II, p.39.

223
expelling the Muslim community from the fold of Islam.

They declared Ahl al-Hadith unbelievers without any unlaw
ful act or sin they have perpetrated, except that they have
taken a stand which they considered in conformity with the
Qur'an and the Sunna. They invited all the Muslims to
throw away the dissensions by reversion to the Book of
Allah and the Sunna of His Messenger (may peace be upon
him) according to the direction of Allah.
. r >VI f\fc*-Jlj «-UL- OJ^*^ f^5"^ O'

"If ye differ in anything among yourselves refer it to Allah
and His Apostle, if you believe in Allah and the last day."10
The Ahl al-Hadith said: Allah has not made obligatory
anything for the people of Muhammad (peace be upon him)
except His obedience and the obedience to His Prophet
(peace be upon him). As regards adherence to other things
besides them there is no clear precept either in the Qur'an
or in the Sunna, except things that are in conformity with
these bases. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has said
about
,. , I oft / a"nin a**> t>o I frJi<i"i ,jJ
"I have left two things among you: the Book of Allahand my
Sunna; You will not stray as long as you hold fast to
them."11
As regards the things that have come down to us from
the later scholars and saints, we should see if they have some
bases; otherwise they will be struck to the ground.
They have put up anoppositionto the innovations and
10. Qur'an IV: 59.

224
absurdities that have permeated the Muslims from the

idolators and Hindus in the name of Islam. They assert that
the religion of Islam has been completed during the lifetime
of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) according to
the witness of Allah:
{>*,„< lc i..,o,a ".I j ^S \,j f£J >•• LaSi fj-t-l\

• I—J^J jOLwVl aS I c«^gjj ^'">.o a:>
"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed

my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion."12
So anything innovated in Islam and is not supported
by any verse of the Qur'an or command of Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him), it is rejected. The Prophet said:
• Jj jtoj \±i> u.^.1 Urisi.a>l &>
If anyone introduces any novel thing in this religion of ours,

it is rejected.
He also said :
< aJUl ^Li£ i^jpJI &*>{ îj
' f-*~J **-** 4-Lll Cr-I* >**** {S<**> i5JAJl ^Sj
jl—Jl o-» SJA&'JSji eU^Lj **.i^ JSj

The best discourse is Allah's Book; the best conduct is the
conduct of Muhammad (peace be upon him); the worst of
the matters are novel things in religion, and every novelty is
an innovation, and every innovation is straying from the
straight path; and every straying leads to the hell-fire.13
12. Qur'an V: 3.
225
Had it been a partof religion or something commend

able, Allah would not have omitted its mention in the Qur'an
and His Messenger (peace be upon him) its explanation. Its
non-existence in the Qur'an and the Sunna indicates that it
has nothing to do with religion. Had it been a partof religion,
and their mention has not been made in both these sources,
the religion would not have been perfect.
These people have seen and felt that holding fairs
at the tombs, celebrating death anniversaries of the saints,
their sports and dance at the beatof drums, and their gather
ings for recitation of odes and songswith music and trumpet
which they have given a religious colour are gone. They also
believe that their shops which they have opened in the name
of hospices and providing aid to the oppressed and fate-
stricken healing the patients, granting children, distributing
the amulets have been suspended. They think that the ways
to earning have been closed and their position as sages and
saints has flagged, and the gifts received by them as sooth
sayers are gone. Hence, they whole-heartedly engaged in
their adversaries, the Ahl al-Hadith, who wish to liberate the
people form the iron collars they have put on them, and to
release them from their machinations and their networks
which they have spread for hunting them since generations.
Therefore, they excommunicated them, and declared their
personages, scholars, preachers, the inviters to the Qur'an
and the Sunna, and to the truth and guidance. At their head
was their leader and warrior, the champion and eminent
scholar and the martyr. Shah Ismail, the grandson of Shah
Wali Allah al-Dihlawi, who raised the standard of Jihad
against the British colonialism and the Sikhs who captured
the Muslim territory, spread unbelief in it and declared
lawful to shed the blood of the Muslims.
He raised the standard of Islam to establish the Islamic
state in a part of the Indian soil to implement the Islamic
Shari'a in toto. He was the renovator of the true Islamic
226
call and the reviver of the straight way followed by the early
generation of the Muslims. Its voice was suppressed since
centuries and was lost under the heaps of innovations and
myriads of absurdities and was totally changed by the later
evil ways. Consequently, the graves were worshipped,, and
people prostrated themselves towards them and on them,
and the mosques were ruined from the right guidance and the
guides, and vacated from the worshippers and the explorers.
The hospices were inhabited and flourished, while the people
abandoned worshipping Allah alone. The commandments
of Allah were suspended and the divine Shariawasthrown
back. The Sunna of the Messenger of Allah was dominated
by the sayings of the men of religion ahd acts of the ignorant
mystics. The people bought misguidance and straying for
guidance to the straight way, and adopted darkness instead
of light. Therefore) he stood up and battled with his pen,
tongue, hand and sword. He took out Allah's Book and began
to teach and explain it. He invited the people to guidance
and to adhere to its teachings after it had been hidden
in the silky covers and was designed for getting blessing,
kissing and taking oaths. He produced his famous book
'Taqwiyyat al-lman" in the light of the Qur'an. In this book
he has invited the people to worship Allah alone, and to the
pure divine unity, to abstain from polytheism and seeking
help from saints and the inmates of the graves, besides Allah.
He prohibited the people from calling upon others besides
Allah, and swearing by Him alone. He invited them to the
Book of Allah, to the one who explained this Book
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
and to throw away the conformity of the forefathers, and
religious stagnance. He also invited to the battlefield to lift
the word of Allah, to raise His standard, and to establish
the Islamic state governed by the Book of Allah and the
Sunna of Muhammad (pace be upon him). He and his dis
ciples and followers set out to the battlefield of Jihad. He
227
and his followers fought in the way of Allah exposing them

selves to the lances and swords during the day. Alongside of
it, they imparted religious education by teaching the divine
Book and the Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) during the night. When the night fell, they, were
engaged in prayer keeping away from their beds in the dead
of night When the dawn broke, they would fight in the way
of Allah, killing and being killed. "Riey remained standing
in prayer by night and fasting byday. The following Qur'anic
verse was applicable to them :
"Allah has purchased of the believers their persons and their
goods; for their (in return) is the garden (of paradise):
They fight in His cause, and slay and- are slain. A promise
binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and
the Qur'an: And who is more faithful to his covenant than
Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which yehave concluded:
That is the achievement supreme."15
Afterhim they excommunicatedShaikh Nadhir Husain
Dihlawi, an eminent scholar and the head of the victorious
group.. He came from the descendants of the Messenger of
Afiah and raised the standard of Sunna in the Indo-Pakistan
sub-continent. He removed the clouds ofignorance and stray
ing from the straight path and enlightened it with the light
of the Qur'an and the Sunna. But they created hurdles in
the way of his call and Jihad. He succeeded Shah Wali Allah
Dihlawi and purified and cultured his teachings. He renewed
the fondness of the Indian Muslims for the Qur'an and the
Sunna, after they had neglected them. He revived the ad
herence to Hadith after it had been abandoned since long.
His disciples struggled for spreading Hadith in the four
corners of this subcontinent. His fame spread widely. The
whole world smelt with the fragrance of the Sunna of the
15. Qur'an IX: III.

228
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Syed Rashid Rida,

an eminent scholar of Egypt, has said: "Had our brothers,
the scholars of India, not taken care of the learnings-of
Hadith in this age, it would have declined in the eastern
countries."16 He further says: 'The stagnant.conformists
do not see any use of these books except getting blessing
from them and invoking blessing on the Prophet (peace be'
upon him) when his name - as well as their names are
mentioned."17
The Bareilawi and his followers declared these two
eminent leaders Kafir (unbeliver). Their adherents excom
municated the Ahl al-Hadith, who followed the practice of
the early generation of the Muslims. They declared specially
the former of these two Imams, Ismail Shahid Dihlawi Kafir
(unbeliever). He abused and censured him as much as he
could do it. He produced a monograph exclusively devoted
to establish his unbelief according to his presumption. He
named it "al-Kaukabat al-Shihabiyya'ala Kufriyat Abil-
Wahhabiyya." He says in his broken Arabic: 0 rejected and
profligate hypocrites, your leader presumes that the praise
of the Messenger is like the praise of each other among
you, rather less than it in your conjecture. The hatred has
come out of your mouths; what your breasts conceal is far
greater. Allah will take out your malice. Satan has over
powered you and made you forget the remembrance of
Allah and the exaltation of the Messenger. The Qur'an has
- spoken of your retreat. The latter fa' of yours has increased
the dots of the word shaitan for him, and the latter qaf of
yours has increased the roundness of the circle of the letter
16. Miftah Kunuz al-Sunna, Introduction by Sayyid

Rashid Rida, p., Q.
17. Ibid.
229
nun of the word shaitan. He showed you the strength of faith

(name of Ismail Shahid's book),'Taqwiyyatal-lman,"in the
. loss of your faith.
j „•«„• {J^> <Lj 16 a2±\ U (^-Us ^tôjî\ ji-J dill £L£U
• #£±\îS j>e JiUL* dJJl Uj i <-*.,JaH ô rfi.j,,ixll

Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which ye
are now, until He separates what is evil from what is good.
(Ill : 179). Allah is not unmindful of your unbelief.18
Replying to a question of an inquirer, he says: The
Wahhabis do not follow any Imam. Their Imam is one who
has mentioned his sure unbelief in many ways. According to
the clear pronouncements of the Muslim jurists (Allah have
mercy upon them) the command of unbelief is applicable to
them. The credo of Islam neither benefits them nor removes
unbelief from them They and their Imam have
conferred their explicit unbelief in his work "Taqwiyyat
al-lman" which they consider like theQuran.19
He has quoted a passage from "Tanwir al-Ainain,"the
work of Ismail Shahid Dihlawi: "Would that I know how the
conformity to a definite person is lawful, when one is able to
refer to the traditions reported from the Prophet (peace be
upon him) which clearly indicate an injunction opposed to
the opinion of the Imam. If a person does not abandon the
opinion of his Imam, and his belief in the adherence to a
definite person whereby he holds fast to his opinion even if
the evidences from the Qur'an and the Sunna run counter to
it". He then says: This is one of his disbelief. That is why it
is disbelief.20
18. Ahmad Rida, al-Kawkabat al-Shihabiyya fi kufriyat

AbilAbil Wahhabiyya, Lahore, p. 78.
19. Ibid, p. 10
20. Ibid, p. 49.
230
He excommunicated Ismail Shahid Dihlawi, for he

thinks that conformity to an individual is not lawful when
one is able to refer to the traditions of the Prophet (peace be
upon him) which are opposed to the opinion of the Imam,
and that the abandonment of the Sunna is not lawful vis-a-vis
the opinion of a person. This is unbelief in the eyes of the
Bareilawi. If this is unbelief, then we do not know what
fejam. is.
Curiously enough, the call to the divine Book and the
Sunna of His Messenger is unbelief, while the call to things
besides.them is Islam.
. He who is going to weep should weep upon Islam..
' For these reasons that are seventy in number, the
Bareilawi has excommunicated Ismail Shahid, the Imam,
Mujahid, the Reviver of the Sunna, and the eliminatorof the
innovations.At the end of his treatise he say: According to
the Islamic law, it is essential to excommunicate him and
excommunicate his adherents, the Wahhabis, for they are
attributed to Muhammad b. al-Wahhab al-Najdi. He was their
first teacher and he first produced his book on Tawhid.
'Taqwiyyat al-lman" is nothing but its translation in Urdu.
Their Imam was the Shaikh of Najd. Ismail Dihlawi
embarrassed his cult and translated his work under the name
of 'Taqwiyyat al-lman". In reality it is the damage and loss
of faith. Considering their attribution to their first teacher,
they are Wahhabis, and considering their second teacher
they are Ismailis. It is proved that ail these Wahhabis and
Ismailis and their Imam are surely unbelievers for many
reasons; all of them are renegades, indeed unbelievers. 1
He further said: Ismail Dihlawi was apure unbeliever.22
Once he was asked: How should one have belief about
Ismail Dihlawi.? He replied: I believe that he was like Yazid.
21. Ibid., p. 60.

. 22. Daman Bagh, p. 134.
231
If anyone excommunicates him, he will not be prohibited

from excommunicating him.23 He has abused him as much as'
he could. In one of his works he says: The Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) had the knowledge of the past
and of the future. This is what the masters of our religion
believe. No one differs from it except that rebellious and
transgressor and the servant of accursed Devil, that is, Ismail
Dihlawi.
He said: He had the ideas of the Jews.25
As regards his work "Taqwiyyat al-lman", they said:
It is not the strength of faith, but the loss of faith.
"Taqwiyyat al-lman" is the false Qur'an for the religion of the
Wahhabis".26
He further says: "Muhammad (peace be upon him)
sent the new Qur'an of Dihlawi to the hell-fire".27
He says: The works of Ismail Dihlawi, like'Taqwiyyat
al-lman", 'Tanwir al-Ainain Idah al-Haqq," and "al-Sirat al-
Mustaqim" are ail blasphemous books. They are more impure
than urine. If anyone does not believe in that then what?
He is an heretic.28
He was not content to all that, and did not consider
sufficient according to his temperament So he said: "The
study of "Taqwiyyat al-lman" is more unlawful than adultery
and drinking".29
It is well-known that this fury and rage were on
account of the impact of 'Taqwiyyat al-lman" on the souls of
23. Malfuzat Ahmad Rida, vol. I, p.110.

24. Al-Amn wa'l-ula, p. 112.
25. Ibid.
26. Ibid., p. 72.
27. Ibid., p. 195.
28. Daman Bagh, p. 134.
29. Al-Ataya al-Nabawiyya fil-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol.
Vl.p. 183.
232
the people, and exhortation to the belief in the unity of

Allah, and unity of the Lordship, and prohibition from poly
theism, for polytheism is agreat wrong, and from receiving
blessing from the graves, and seeking the agency ofthe dead,
and asking those who had no power over benefit and harm,'
indeed no power over anything.
The Bareilawi knew more than his followers that if
any Muslim reads this small book, which is full of the
verses of the Qur'an and the traditions ofthe Prophet (peace
be upon him), he will be impressed necessarily, for the
believers are impressed by the Qur'an:
LiU-l fJmij <cu7 p*j \x .-„ I-.

"Believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a
tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehears
ed, find their faith strengthened".30
*Ai-*l iS>i Jj~J-H oJl J>iU IjJU- IJIj
0>l?-S- J*-^ CH l>^ U- f-ôJi ^yi^jc
"And when they listen to the revelation received by the

Apostle, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for
they recognise the truth: They prary: O our Lord I We
believe; write us down among the witnesses."31
They have no option after they find the command and
teachings of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for
the believers know them:
30.'•• Qur'an VIII: 2.

"31. Qur'an V: 36.
233
"It is not fitting for abeliever, men orwomen, when a matter

has been decided by Allah and His Apostle, to have any
option abouttheir decision."32
Also :
«J o*~ bi*.^ J>-jJi (jiu,, o-j
1.^-a* o* u,j , j,^. jj^ ^j^ u

"If anyone contends with the Apostle even after guidance
has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other
than that becoming to men of faith, we shall leave him in
the path he has chosen, and land him in hell, when an evil
refuge."33
They are fully aware that Allah has commanded them:
l^*iLJ Aie fSuc u, «jj*j Jj~jJi ûji u
"So take what the Apostle assigns to you, and deny your
selves that which he withholds from you."34
The reason is that Ismail Shahid Dihlawi collected in
his work 'Taqwiyyat al-lman" a selection from the Book of
Allah and from the traditions of the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him), and translated them in the language of
these people for their understanding easily. He thought
that if the people understood the Quran and the Sunna,
there would remain no business and trade — a profitable
trade without any capital. Therefore, it was inevitable for
him and for his followers to excommunicate that hero and
champion who designed to eliminate the darkness of poly
theism by the light of monotheism and the unseen things of
32. Qur'an XXXIII: 36.

33. Qur'an IV: 115.
34. Qur'an LIX: 7
234
ignorance by the radiance of the Sunna, and to revile his

work that was full of the word of Allah and the word of
His Messenger (peace be upon him). They considered its
study more unlawful than wine and fornication, for it closed
to them the doors of fresh earning without making any
effort. Hence, they excommunicated Ismail Shahid as well as
his successor the Shaikh of all, Sayyid Nadhir Husain
Muhaddith Dihlawi, for he filled Delhi and its suburbs
with the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him). The students started coming to him from all parts of
India. He became a centre of learning for the students of
Hadith. His fame spread far and wide, to the Arabs and
non-Arabs, and the people flew to him from every nook
and corner.
An eminent doctor of Hadith Shaikh Hasan b. Muslim
Ansari (may Allah have mercy upon him) said in a reply to
a question that was asked about him: To the best of my
knowledge, belief and finding Maulana Syed Nadhir Husain
Dihlawi, the doctor of Hadith, is a unique scholar of his
time, the centre of learning and the most eminent of all
the scholars of the age. There is no parallel to him in India in
respect of his knowledge, wisdom and piety. He is a guide
who directs the people to follow the Qur'an and the Sunna,
and teaches them. Most of the eminent scholars of India
are his disciples. His belief is in conformity with the belief of
the Muslims of the early centruies that conformed to the
Qur'an and the Sunna.
J—>j ij* i'l..i'>a^ U O..o£ l| "i-ijj iîj

The vision of the sun will make you free from seeing the
Saturn.
Therefore, leave alone the speech of the envious one
who blames you, and who is greedy and rejected. The con
sequence of his envy returns to him. Allah, the Exalted,
says: «_Ui &> aJJi ^^, u (jJU ûj, 0jjLy^ fl
235
Or do they envy mankind for Allah hath given them of His

bounty? (IV: 54). If anyone reviles this eminent Imam who
guided the people to the Sunna of the Prophet (peace be
upon him), he will bear the manifest loss. How beautifully
a poet has said:
I j—,u> o 1 o^S ch>-> J-«"
u,jVi oLI ,>o (jJ* tfj-A-l
A *» 1» o-» *-LM O^* oLwf
Bewarel', Say to him who envies me. Do you know whom

have you violated? You have violated Allah in His domain,
for you are not pleased with that He has gifed me.
O Allah, confer on this great Imam and Muhaddith
honour and greatness, and leave alone his reviler and adver
sary, and do not leave any of them surviving. This is what I
know and realise about Maulana Sayyid Nadhir Husain, may
Allah make him survive. Allah is the master of secrets.
We wish to record here that which Shaikh Abd al-Hayy
al-Hasani (may Allah have mercy upon him), the father of
Allama Sayyid Abu'I Hasan al-Hasani al-Nadawi, has
written in his book, although the discourse will be a little
lengthy: All scholars are agreed upon the greatness and
•eminence of the great Scholar, Shaikh, Imam and Muhaddith
Allama Nadhir Husain al-Husaini from Bihar and finally
from Delhi in knowledge and Hadith. The author adds: He
studied the textbooks of all sciencesespecially Fiqh and Usui
till 1270 A.H. He was much interested in the Hanafi Fiqh.
Later on he was overpowered by the love of the Qur'an
and Hadith. He then abandoned his devotion for all sciences
except the Qur'an, Sunna, and Fiqh.
I attended his lectures in the year 1312 A.H. I found
him expert in the Qur'an and Hadith. He had good belief,
constantly taught the students by day and night, devoted
236
most of his time to prayer, recitation of the Qur'an, humi

lity and weeping for fear of Allah. He had grudge against
his opponents. He had sense of humour and witticism.
He was submissive, tolerant, courageous and chivalrous.
He did not fear the blame of any blamer in the matters of
Allah (i.e. religion). Allah granted him long age, and bene
fitted from his learnings a large number of people from the
Arabs and non-Arabs. The expertise in Hadith ended on him
in India. He belonged to the group who were tortured for
Allah's sake many times. The people accused him of devia
tion from the way of Ahl al-Sunn wa'l-Jama'a, and for his
revolt against the rulers of lndia.So the British authorities
arrested him in 1880 or 1881 A.D. They exiled him to
Rawalpindi in the Punjab. He remained in the prison for
complete one year. Afterwards they set him free. He
returned to Dehli and was again engaged as usual in his
teaching and benefitting the people. He then journeyed
to Hijaz in 1300 A.H. The people blamed him to be a
Mu'tazili and for holding the view that the fat of swine
was lawful, and that the marriage with the paternal or
maternal aunt was also lawful and that Zakat was not to be
levied on commercial goods, and they blamed him of
holding similar other views. They related this story to the
governor of Mecca who arrested him, asked him to explain
his position and confined him for a day and night He then
set him free. When he returned to India, the people called
him a heretic and declared him to be unbeliever (Kafir),
as in the past they had declared the eminent scholars and
jurists unbelievers. Allah, the Glorified, take a revenge of
them for their accusations. The Shaikh was a manifest
sign and a clear boon from Allah in piety, honesty,
asceticism, knowledge, deed, contentment, chastity, trust,
self-sufficiency,truth, speaking exactly, fear of Allah, and
love for Him and for His Messenger (peace be upon him).
The people whom Allah has granted a position from know-
237
ledge of the Qur'an and Hadith are agreed to his supremacy

inthat field.35
He also said: Sayyid Nadhir Husain was not much
engaged in the writing of books. If he intended to do so,
he would occupy himself in Hadith, which was beyond
the capability of others. He produced a number of treatises.
The most famous of them are "Mi'yar al-Haqq," "Waq'at
al-Fatwa wa Dafi'at al-Balwa", 'Thubut al-Haqq al-Haqaiq,"-
"Risalat al-Wali bi ittiba al-Nabi", "Majmuat al-Fatawa'"in
Persian, and a treatise in refutation of the practice of
holding gatherings to recite the events of birth of the
Prophet(peace be upon him) in Arabic. The miscellaneous
fatawa which he issued throughout the country, are count
less. I think that if they are collected, they would constitute
great volumes.
His disciples fall into various classes. Some of
them are famous scholars and critics. Their number is about
one thousand. In some qualities the next class is near to
the first class. Some are near to the second class. The
members of these two classes are thousands. His famous
disciples in India are as follows: His son Sayyid Sharif
Husain, who died during his life-time, Shaikh Abdallah
Ghaznawi and his pious sons Muhammad Abd al-Jabbar,
Abd al-Wahid and Abdallah. Among them are Shaikh
Muhammad Bashir Umari Sihiswani, Sayyid Amir Hasan,
and his son Amir Ahmad Husaini Sihiswani, Shaikh and
Doctor of Hadith Abd al-Mannan Wazirabadi, Shaikh
Muhammad Husain Batalawi, the author of "Isha'atal-Sunna",
Allama • Abdallah b. Abd al-Rahim Ghazipuri, Sayyid
Mustafa b. Yusuf Sharif Hasani Tonki, Sayyid Amir Ali
b. Mu'azzam Ali Husaini Malihabadi, Qadi Mulia
Muhammad b. Qadi Muhammad Hasan Peshawari, Shaikh
35. Abd al-Hayy, Nuzhat al-Khawatir, vol. VIII, p. 498.

238
Ghulam Rasul Qal'awi, Shams al-Haqq b. Amir Ali

Ludhyanawi, the author of "Awan al-Mabud," Shaikh
Abdallah b. Idris HasaniSanusi Maghribi, Shaikh Muhammad
b. Nasir b. Mubarak Najdi, Shaikh b. Hamid b. Atiq Najdi,
and other numerous people.
The scholars praised him by writing beautiful eulo
gies. Shaikh Shams al-Haqq has written his comprehensive
biography in the introduction to "Ghayat al Maqsud."
Maulawi Fadl Husain Mahdanawi of Muzaffarpur devoted
.his whole book "al-Hayat bada'l-Mamaat" to his biography.
This is a comprehensive work on his life in Urdu.
I passed a few days in his company at Dehli. He
granted" me a general and perfect permission for inarrating
traditions from him. He wrote the permission with his own
hand in 1312 A.H.
He died on Monday on the 10th of Rajab 1320 A.H.
in Delhi. May Allah have mercy upon him and benefit us
from his blessings. Amen.36
The glory of the religious seminaries (madaris) of
Bukhara and Baghdad returned to his seminary(madrasa).
The adherence to Hadith in the conduct of the Muslims
became dear to the #pious souls in all the cities of
India qn account of the influence of that Shaikh and his
disciples. Hence,' the market of these people became
listless. It became therefore essential for them to rebuke
this Shaikh, for he corrupted polytheism, deviation from
the right path and straying, and annihilated the innova
tions, rites and absurdities in religion. So the Bareilawi fook
out a penetrating arrow from his quiver, and shot him with
it He said: He is the Imam of the heretics, the mujtahid
of the non-conformists, the creator of the innovations.
36* Ibid. vol. VIII, pp. 500-501.

239
and the innovator of the absurd practices.37 Can a man

like him be content to abuses like these? No, never. He
cannot be content till he exhausts them. He said in his
defective Arabic: Nadhiriyya is a sect which is ascribed to
Nadhir Husain Dehlawi. He is a demon who withdraws,
himself after whispering. The devil inspires to such people
what is deceptive.3**
He said: It is binding on you to believe that Nadhir
Husain Dehlawi is an unbeliever and renegade, belonging to
the class of those persons of whom we have stated that they
are unbelievers. It is also essential to believe that his work
"Mi'yar al-Haqq" is one of the works of explicit unbelief,
more impure than urine, indeed more vicious than it, and
worst of all along with other stated works of the
Wahhabis.39
The Dihlawis are unbelievers, it is implied that their
followers, the Salafis Ahl al-Hadith are also unbelievers.
He said: All the non-conformists are Sabis, pure devils, and
accursed in the true sense ofthe word.40 Taunting them he
reviled them in a couplet which he had composed himself.
How it is base and foolish I
J*.^ is* ftJl î f&j jsr

J-*U«! w?J£Ji ts-ivî a*
How can you turn to the right guidance, while your hearts
are imbuedwith the loveof Isma'il ?
37. Hajiz al-Bahrain, included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya

vol. ||, p. 210.
38. Husam al-Haramain ala manhar al-Kufr wa'l-main,p,19
39. Daman Bagh SubhaaSubbuh, p. 136.
40. Ibid., p. 134.
240
*
All the Ahl al-Hadith are unbelievers and apostates.41

•He said: The non-conformists (Ahl al-Hadith) themselves
have gone stray and lead others stray.and on the basisof the
opinion of the jurists are unbelievers and apostates.42
He said: The nonconformists (Ahl al-Hadith) are people
of innovation, evil desire, and companions of fire. He again
said: The Ahl al-Hadith are Sabi'is and heretics. Do not eat
and drink with them, and do not have marriage ties with
them. If anyone marries their women, his marriage is
invalid, and it is but pure fornication.43
This is the man who made lawful the eating of the
wages of the soothsayer, and the food of Magians offered
on New Year's day. He wrote it in reply to a question of
an inquirer who asked: Is it lawful to eat these foods and
sweets which the Hindus bring to those whom they worship
besides Allah, and present to them as offerings? He replied:
It is lawful to eat them, for there is nothing which forbids
them. He then argued on the basis of the opinion of a
Muslim jurist who argued that the Magians would offer
their foods on New Year's day, and it was lawful to eat
A A
them.44 Similarly, he made lawful to eat the oblations that
were offered to the persons or things besides Allah in
general.45 He was not content as usual to their excommuni
cation but reviled them with dirty names. He said: Nad
hiriyy a (the Nadhiris). may Allah curse them, are all
accursed and renegades for evur and for over. Thosu
41. Ibid. pp. 125-126.

42. Baligh al-Nur, included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
Vol.,p.33, v.
43. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,vol. V, p. 137.
44. Ibid., vol. X, p. 6.
45. lbid.,vol.X,p.219
46. Ibid., p. 59
241
abuses were not sufficient in his eyes. So he further said:

The non-conformists {Ahl al-Hadith) are the dogs of hell.
The statement of someone that the Rawafid are more
wicked than them (Ahl al-Hadith) is aworng tothe Rawafid,
and degrading the wickedness of Ahl al-Hadith.47 This was
not sufficient for him. He added: Moreover, the Magians
are more accursed than the Jews and the Christians; the
Hindus are more accursed than the Magians; the Wahhabis
•are more accursed than the Hindus.48 He then became
severe in his statement so much so that he said: If anyone
offers funeral prayer behind the Ahl al-Hadith, it is not
lawful to follow him, and his marriage is void.49 This is
not the only statement, but he also said: If anyone shakes
hand with them he commits a grave sin, and a forbidden
act If his body touches their body without intention, then
repeating the ablution is commendable.50 Then he and his
followers excommunicated all these respectable persons
saying: The Ahl al-Hadith are the followers of Nadhir
47. Ibid., vol. VI, p. 90

48. Ibid., p. 13
49. Ibid., p. 121..
50. Ibid., vol. I, p. 101.
242
Husain Dihlawi, Amir Ahmad Sihiswani,51 Amir Hasan

Sihiswani52, Bashir Hasan Qanuji53, Muhammad Bashir
51. Amir Ahmad Sihiswani was an eminent scholar of

Ahl al-Hadith. Sayyid Abd al-Hayy Hasani has written
about him: Amir Ahmad son of Amir Hasan Naqawi
of Sihiswan •was an eminent scholar. He was born in
1260 A.H. He received his education from his father,
and studied grammar, Arabic and Islamic law. He
learnt the rational sciences from Maulana Qalandar
Ali Panipati. He then proceeded to Dehli arid learnt
the science of Hadith from Nadhir Husain Dehlawi.
He was most intelligent, quick-witted and strong in
memory. He was well-versed in Arabic . lexicography,
etymology, disagreement of jurists, biographies of the
narrators of Hadith, and the rest of the learnings of
Hadith. He had an equal share in logic and philosophy.
He was self-conceited and self-indulgent. He did not
consider anyone parallel to him in all the Islamic
sciences, traditional or rational. He attended the
assemblies and had discussions and polemics with the
great scholars and silenced them with arguments. He
c-ipported the pure Sunna and followed the school
of Salafiyya. He had courage, chivalry, and long wind
which made him fall into difficulties.
52. His father was one of the learned scholars and from the
experts of Hadith of his time.
53. Shaikh Bashir Hasan was also a disciple of Nadhir
Husain Dehlawi. He was one of the eminent scholars
of Ahl al-Hadith in India.
243
Qanuji54, all are surely unbelievers on the basis of the

command of the Shari'a and the renegades. They are
entitled to the severe and eternal punishment and to the
54. He was an eminent scholar of Ahl al-Hadith in Indo-

Pakistan sub-continent. Abd al-Hayy Hasani has said
about him: Muhammad Bashir was a great scholar of
India. He learnt the science of Hadith from Shaikh
Nadhir Husain Dehlawi. He was an eminent scholar
and a righteous man. He was intelligent with a good
temperament. He was well-versed in Usuli al-Fiqh.
When he arrived at Bhopal, hestarted teaching Hadith,
then became the inspector of schools. Saddiq Hasan
Qannuji used to respect him very much. He received
education from our master Husain b. Muslim Ansari
of the Yemen. He then journeyed to Mecca and
performed the Hajj. At Mecca he learnt Hadith from
Shaikh Muhammad b. Abd al-Rahman Saharanpuri
and Shaikh Ahmad b. Isa Sharqi. He was the author
of numerous books:
(i) Siyasat al-lnsan in refutation .of Ahmad b. Zaid
Dahlan; (ii) al-Qawl al-Muhkam; (iii) al-Qawl al-
Mansur: (rv) al-Sa'y al-Mashkur. The third treatise
deals with the travelling to visit the grave of the
Prophet (peace be upon him), (v) al-Saif al-Maslul;
(vi) al-Burhan al-Ujab fi fardiyat umm al-Kitab,'
(vii) Risala fi tahqiq al-Riba, (viii) RisaIa fi'l Radd
'ala'al-Qadyani; (ix> Risala fi jthbat al-Bai'at al-
murawwaja; (x) Risala fi Jawaz al-udhiyya ila akhir
Dhi'l Hijja. Husain b. Muhsin also" produced a treatise
on this subject. But the Shaikh loved him and
recognised his excellence. He wrote it in one of his
epistles to Shams al-Haqq, the author of "Awn al-
fyla'bud" and I have seen it written in his own hand.
(To be Continued....)
244
EC
curse of the Lord; the one alone.00

At another place he says: The followers of Thana'
Allah Amritsari and others . . . . all are unbelievers and
apostates on the basis of the command of the Shari'a.
They have said about Thana'-Allah whom Rashid
Rida al-Misri calls a "divine of India".57 Thana'-Allah, the
leader of the non-conformists (Ahl al-Hadith) is an
apostate.58 It may be noted that Shaikh Thana'-Allah
silenced all the heretics and opponents of Islam, like Qadi-
yanis, Ariyas, Hindus, Magians, Christians, and other
unbelieving sects.
The Bareilawi himself said about Shaikh al-lslam.
Thana'-Allah Amritsari has disguised himself under the
name of Islam, but actually he is a servant of Hindus.59
When Isma'il Shahid Dehlawi is Unbeliever, and Shaikh
Nadhir Husain Dehlawi is unbeliever, and their disciples
and followers too are unbelievers, it is implied that their
early leaders must have been unbelievers. Those who invite
to the Qur'an and the Sunna are also unbelievers — we
seek refuge in Allah from such absurdities.
He. said: "May Allah have mercy on our brother

Allama Muhammad Bashir. He was a scholar, a
researcher and adherent to the Qur'an and the Sunna.
But he died. May Allah provide him with his dwelling
in the gardens under which the rivers flow." He died
in Jumada al-Akhira, 1323 A.H. in Delhi.
(Nuzhat al-Khawatir, vol. VIII, pp. 415-416).
55. Muhammad Tayyib al-Qadiri, Tajanub Ahl al-Sunna
an Ahl al-Fitna, Bareilly, 1361 A.H., p.219.
56. Tajanub Ahl al-Sunna, p. 248.
57. Al-Manar, vol. XXXIII, 1351 A.H., p. 639.
58. Tajanub, p. 247.
59. Al-Bareilawi, al-lstimdad. p. 147.
245
He actually excommunicated the early scholars, like

Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taimiyya (may Allah have mercy on
him), and Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi al-Zahiri and similar other
scholars who invited to the right and truth.
He said: The teacher of these people is the wricked
devil (may Allah curse him). He taught their leader Ibn
Hazm, the corrupt in determination, devoid ofabsoluteness,
literally following his school of thought, and debased in
viewpoint.60
He said: Ibn Hazm was a Sabian and wicked of
tongue.Dl
He said about Shaikh al-lslam Ibn Taimiyya, the Imam
.of Ahl al-Sunna, (may Allah show mercy to him): Ibn
Taimiyya talked irrationally on the basis of speculation.62
Na'im al-Din Muradabadi, one of the successors of the'
Bareilawi, says: IbnTaimiyya has corrupted the order of the
Shari'a. He then reported someone like him as saying:
Ibn Taimiyya was a servant(of Allah). My Allah desert him,
lead him astray, make him deaf and blind, and disgrace
him. He was an innovator, straying, made others astray,
ignorant and extremist.63 Another follower said: Ibn
Taimiyya went astray and led others astray.64 Ibn Taimiyya
was corrupt in his thoughts.65 Ibn Qayyim was also an
unbeliever. He said about him: One cannot rely on the
opinion of Ibn Qayyim, for he was an heretic.66
60. Subhan al-Subbuh, p. 37.

61. Ahmad Rida, Hajz al-Bahrain, vol. II, p. 237
(Pakistani ed.)
62. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol. Ill, p. 399.
63. Al-Bareilawi, Saif al-Mustafa, p. 92.
64. Fatawa Sadr al-Afadil, Muradabad, pp. 31-32.
65. Ahmad Rida, Ja'al-Haqq.
66. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol. IV,p. 199
246
When these people were Sabians and heretics, it is

imp,i!d that rmam Shawkani, the follower of their way
Z also corrupt. He said about him: Shawkani was feeble-
2l£ I*. th. "at- Wahhabis*> He further says:
Shawkani was corrupt in his thoughts.
S The renovator of the call to Sa.af (the early Mus m
scholars), the Imam of the unity of Allah, the revivor of the
Sunna and the annihilator of polytheism and theinnova-
?"on Shaikh al-lslam Muhammad ibn Abd a.-Wahhab and
hTsfoHowers were the greatest target of the Barei.aw, and
the Bareilawis, like their brothers, the innovators and the
tomb worshippers in the Arab countries. The reason ,s that
Shaikh Ibn Abd al-Wahhab thinks every innovator and tomb
worshipper the great obstacle in his way.
The Bareilawi and his henchmen apply all sorts of
abuses to this oppressed Imam. They left no fatwa which
they did notissue against him.
While writing a Hadith the Bareilawi said: Allah
tho Exalted, will say on the day of resurrection to those
bearing the names Ahmad and Muhammad: Enter paradise
for have made obligatory on me that Iwill not admit hose
who bar the names Ahmad and Muhammad to the hef«.
He then remembered that this tradition includes Shaikh
al-lslam Ibn Abd al-Wahhab whose name was Muhammad
Hence he said: This Hadith "If a child is born to some
person and he names him Muhammad, he as well as h.s
Swill enter paradise", and similar other Ahadith, .pp y
only to those Ahl al-Sunna, who have sound bel,eMthat
°s the Bareilawis alone), for those who are corrupt in he,
hnnahts are the dogs of hellfire. No good deed w.ll be
SElVlfh is killed unjust,y between the
67: Fatawa Ridwiyya, vol. II, P- 442.
68. Saif al-Mustafa, p. 95.
247
Black Stone of the Ka'ba and Maqam Ibrahim while he has

patience for his murder hoping for forgiveness and seeking
reward from Allah, the Exalted, will not look at him and
throw him in thehellfire. I have exposed this point in many
places in my fatwas. Therefore, these traditions do not
contain any good news for Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
Najdi and other straying people like him.69
He said: The most wicked of the apostates are the
Wahhabis.70 He further said: The Wahhabis are more
wicked, harmful, and impure than the Jews and the
Christians.7'
He says: It is necessary to excommunicate and declare
Kafir, according to the Islamic law, the Wahhabis who are
•ascribed to Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Najdi, who
wrote a book "Kitab al-Tawhid", violated the sanctity of
Mecca and Medina (may Allah •increase their honour),
invaded them, and occasional mischief, oppression and.
murder in them! All the adherents of Islam consider them
polytheists except his own wicked sect His group is one of
the branches of the Khawarij, who revolted against Ali
(may Allah honour his face). Such persons entered hellfire,
having been killed with the sword of the Lion of Allah who
fought the unbelievers about which the Prophet (peace be
upon him) has said in tradition: They will not come to an
end till the lastHour.till the last of them will come out with
the accursed Dajjal. According to this truthful promise
these people who invite the wrath of Allah upon them will
continue to provoke commotions (fitan) for ever. They
69. Al-Bareilawi, Ahkam aJ-Sharih, vol.1, p.80

70. Ibid., p. 123.
71. Ibid., p. 124.
248
came out from the territory of Najd in the 13th century and
were known as Najd is. Their leader was a Shaikh of Najd.
Then Allah broke their glory into pieces, destroyed their
cities and gave victory to the Muslim armies over them in
1233 A.H.72
He says in reply to a query whether the Wahhabi sect
was in existence in the time of the rightly-guided caliphs?
He said: Yes. They were those people who rebelled against
'Ali (Allah be pleased with him) . . . . In the current days
they have appeared in the name of the Wahhabis. Their
leader was Abd al-Wahhab Najdii. Their signs are contained
in the traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). All of
them dre found in them. They look down upon your prayer
while praying, your fasts, while fasting, and your deeds
while doing good deeds. They recite the Qur'an which does
not exceed their collarbones. They speak the words of the
best of the creatures (i.e. the Prophet), but they come out of the
religion as the arrow comes out from its shot Their forehead
is shaved, and they roll up their lion clothes. The Najdi Ibn
Abd al-Wahhab exaggerated in shaving the head. If a woman
enters his impure religion, he used to get her head shaved, for
it was the residence of the pagan days.73 There are a large
number of similar non-sense statements.
His father lived in the lifetime of the Prophet (peace
be upon him) and the Prophet had ordered Abu Bakr Siddiq
and 'Umar Faruq to kill him. Had he been killed, there would
have been no commotion today.74 One of his henchmen
has written that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
predicted about this trial (fitna) of Najdi by saying: There
72. Al-Kawkabal-Shihabiyya, pp. 58-59.

73. Muhammad Mustafa Rida Khan: Mulfuzat Mujaddid
mi'at al-hadira, Lahore, p. 66.
74. Ibid. pp. 67-68.
249
(in Najd)* the earthquakes, commotions will take place, and

the horn of Satan will rise there. All the Ahl al-Sunna and the
Hanafis are agreed unanimously that Muhammad b. Abd
al-Wahhab was a Khariji and rebel. He who believes in his
doctrines, is the enemy of the religion, going astray himself
and leading others astray.75 Likewise, Amjad Ali Ridwi has
made the same statement/"
Another Bareilawi has also said in the same manner,
yet he has surpassed his predecessors in lying against him:
The Wahhabis, who are Najdis, killed a large number of
people without any sin in the sacred territory of Mecca and
Medina. They committed adultery with, their women and
daughters, captivated them and made their women the slave-
girls. They killed mostly the noble men. Whatever Ibn Saud
has done in Mecca and Medina is obvious and evident to
every pilgrim77 and Imyself have witnessed this with my own
eyes there.7**
This is all, despite the prediction of the Bareilawi
that the Najdis will never occupy Mecca and Medina, the
inviolable and sacred territories, and that Allah will break
their glory into pieces and desert them.
Mazhar, the Bareilawi, has used all nonsense and
wicked words for them: The Najdis are heretics, atheists and
devils of Najd; they are unbelievers and apostates on account
75. Resume of the writings of Ahmad Sa'id Kazimi in his

work al-Haqq al-Mubin, Sahiwal, pp. 10-12.
76. Bahari Shariat, vol. I, pp. 46-47.
77. Yes. Whatever Ibn Sa'ud (Allah have mercy upon him)
had done is manifest from the habitation. Similarly,
whatever his descendants have done is also evident
to every visitor. The facts and truths belie the wicked
charges and the shameful lies.
250
of their surely wicked and accursed beliefs.79

He said about the Imam (the leader of prayer) of a.
great mosque of Bombay when he gave a reception to the
scions of the Saudi king in Bombay on the occasion of his
visit to India: Ahmad Yusuf, the rejected one, gave a recep
tion to the scions of Ibn Saud, praised the Najdi government,
Ibn Saud Najdi and his sons-the government which harbours
the impure and wicked beliefs of unbelief. He honoured the
unbelievers, the apostates, and gave a reception to them, and
exalted the wicked people of Najd. Hence, he became an
unbeliever (Kafir) and apostated. He became entitled to the
divine wrath and demolished Islam and the Sunna. He moved
the Divine Throne. If anyone doubts his unbelief, he too is
an unbeliver.
This treatment, and abusing and declaring Shaikh
al-lslam, his adherents, and Saudi Government, are all trifles
in the eyes of the Bareilawi and the Bareilawis.
We do not find that anyone infuriated these people
more than those who are monotheists, believers in the divine
scripture and adherents to the Sunna of the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him), for there remained no grevious
word and wicked abuse which they have not used against
them. Their seniors and juniors have written many books
against these people. In these books are rarely found themes
concerning the homilies, well-wishing of the Muslims, exhor
tation to the worship of Allah, giving the rights of people,
mutual good living, the public good, consideration of the
rights of others and similar other matters relating to the
Islamic education. Their works are free from refutation of
the sects that are outside the fold of religion and rebellious
against Islam, like the Qadiyanis, Hindus, Christians, Babis,
Baha'is, Batinis, Rafidhis and others.
79. Tajanub Ahl al-Sunna, pp. 267-68

80. Ibid., pp. 268-72
251
A researcher and a reader will notice a curious thing

when he investigates the literature of these people that their
books are full of slanderous and shameful remarks, and worst
of the abuses for the reformers and guides of the Muslim
community. He will not find even a single word against the
enemies of Islam and the Muslims.and against the enemies of
Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him).
This is the habit of these people, and this is their
behaviour with the Ahl al-Hadith and the followers of Shaikh
al-lslam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
As regards the Deobandis, their Hanafi brothers, the
followers of Imam Nu'man b. Thabit Abu Hanifa (Allah
have mercy on him), even they did not escape from their
hard-heartedness.acrimony of their tongue, and severity of
their fatwas about declaring them profligates and unbelievers,
and from their dirty abuses, and consecutive and abundant
curses. They became the greatest target of their wagging
tongue, sharp lances and shooting arrows. They did not
leave any of them, senior or junior, but declared him profli
gate and unbeliever, and issued fatwa for his heresy and
apostasy, and about the apostasy of a person who doubted
his apostasy, and about the unbelief of him who is reluctant
to accept him as unbeliever. So the Bareilawi began to
declare them to be unbelievers. The last of the Bareilawis
continued to declare them to be unbelievers, and to excom
municate them who keeps back from accepting them as
unbelievers.
The first person who was declared unbeliever (Kafir)
from the scholars of Deoband was the eminent Shaikh of
Deoband, who laid the foundation the greatest Hanafi
madrasa, Dar al-Ulum Deoband in India. About him Shaikh
Abd al-Hayy Hasani says: The Shaikh and Imam, the eminent
scholar Qasim Nanautawi, was one of the pious scholars.
He was most ascetic of the people, most worshipping, most
remembering Allah and most refraining from wearing the
252
turban and gown, the dress of the ulama and fuqaha. In those
days he did not issue fatawa, nor was he a famous person.
Instead, he remained engaged in the remembrance of Allah
and devotion to Him so much so that the doors of truths and
knowledge were opened to him. Shaikh Imdad Allah appoint
ed him his successor, and praised him saying that the parallel
of Qasim is found only in the past generations of Muslims.
Scenes of great significance were noticed in his debates with
the Christians and'Ariyas. He died in 1297 A.H.81
They excommunicated this Shaikh, the Imam of the
Hanafis of his time, the founder of the movement called
Deobandiya. The Bareilawi says about him in his defective
Arabic: The Qasimiyya is a sect, attributed to Qasim
Nanautawi, the author of the book'Tahdhir al-Nas."ln this
book he says: If it is supposed that in the time of the Prophet
(may peace be upon him) there was a prophet or after
him a new Prophet came, it will not damage the finality of
his prophethood. The public will continue to think that he
(the Prophet, peace beupon him) was the final Prophet, that,
the last of the Prophets. But there is no excellence in it in the
eyes of the intellectuals . . .. till the end of his non-sense
statement Nanautawi is a person whom Muhammad Ali
Kanpuri, the Director of Nadwa, calls the wiseman of the
Muslim community. Glory be to Allah, who upturns the
hearts and eyes. There is no might and no strength except
with Allah, the Dominant. These are the rejected people who
withdraw themselves from the scene.82 He said the Qasimi
sect is accursed, apostates for ever, may Allah curse them.83
One of his followers said: the work "Tahdhir al-Nas" of the
81. Nuzhat al-Khawatir, vol.VII, pp. 383-84

82. Al-Bareilawi. Husam al-Haramain, p. 19.
83. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. VI, p. 59
253
apostate Nanautawi, the founder of themadrasa of Deoband,

is unclean.84
He has also abused the great saint of Deoband Rashid
Ahmad Gangawhi. Abd al-Hayy Hasani writes about him:
Allama and Muhaddith Rashid Ahmad ibn Hidayat Ahmad
ibn Pir Bakhsh ibn Ghulam Hasan ibn Ghulam Ali ibn Ali
Akbar ibn Qadi Muhammad Aslam Ansari, Hanafi, belonging
to Rampur, then Gangawh, was an eminent research scholar
There was no person like hl.n in his time in truthfulness and
chastity, trust in Allah, understanding in religion, sagacity,
courage in the event of dangers, solidarity in religion and
severity in thought.85
The Bareilawi and the Bareiiawis have said about him:.
From among the unbelievers who have hidden themselves
by the name of Islam are the Wahhabis, the liars, the ad
herents of Rashid Ahmad Gangawhi. They have said many
things arrogantly about Allah, the Exalted, following the
leader of the group Ismail Shahid Dehlawi, whatever may be
upon him. I have refuted his delirium in a book exclusively
devoted to it, and I have named it "Subhan al-Subbuh an
aib Kidhh maqbuh." I sent it to him by registered post. It
is since eleven years that I have received its acknowledgement
receipt from him by the same mail. There is a rumour that
the reply is being written. Sometimes the reports say that the
reply has been written, or will be published, or sent for
publication. Allah will not guide the plan of the fraudulents
to operate. They could not make plans nor could be success
ful. Allah has made them blind whose insight has already
been taken away. So there is no hope for a reply. Can a dead
body dispute from beneath the dust? He went a long way
in oppression and straying, so much so that he has expressly

85. Nuzhat al-Khawatir, vol. VIII, p. 148
254
said in a fatwa which I have seen with my own eyes in his

own hand with his seal and which has been published many
times with its refutation in Bombay and other cities: He
who thinks that Allah, the Exalted, can tell a lie actually.
He explicitly says that Allah, the Exalted, has lied, and this
great error has issued forth from. They allege Do not impute
impiety to him, let alone straying from the straight path,
and let alone unbelief, for many scholars had held this
opinion. At most it can be said that he made a mistake in
his interpretation. There is no god but Allah. Look at the evil
conclusion of telling a lie actually by Him. This is the prac
tice and behaviour of Allah with those who passed before.
Allah has made them deaf and blind. There is no might and
no power but with Allah, the Sublime, the Great. Among
them are the Satanic Wahhabis, who are like the Satanic
sect of Rawafidh. They were the adherents of the Satan
alone. But they are the followers of the devil of the uni
verse, the accursed Iblis. They are also the henchmen of the
liar, the Gangawhi(Rashid Ahmad).00
He says: This (man) will be thrown into hellfire. The
fire will burn him, and it will be said to him: Taste, you
are the noblest and most guided.87
He siad: If anyone hesitates in declaring Rashid Ahmad
unbeliever, there is no doubt in his unbelief. A man from
his sect said: Rashid Ahmad is an apostate. He repeated
these words four times on a page.89 The Bareilawi said:
"Barahin Qati'a," the work of Gangawhi, is dirtier than urine,
and full of unbelief. If anyone does not believe it, he is
atheist90
86. Husam al-Haramain, p. 21

87. Al-Bareilawi, Khalis al-l'tiqad, p. 82
88. Al-Bareilawi, Fatawa Ifriqiyya, p. 124.
90. Subhan al-Subbuh, p. 134.
255
Similarly, he excommunicated the leader of the

Deobandi sect, Shaikh Ashraf Ali Thanawi.Abu'l-Hasan Ali
Nadawi says about him in the work of his father: He was
one of the eminent scholars who were devoted to Allah.
Allah, the Almighty, gave benefit to the people by his
preaching and works. The number of the assemblies of his
preaching collected in the treatises counts four hundred.
His works and the assemblies of his preaching proved most
useful for the mending of belief and deed. Thousands of
Muslims benefitted by them. A large number of people aban
doned the rites and customs of the pre-lslamic days and the
innovations which permeated the life of the Muslims and in
their homes, rejoicings and mournings on account of their
mixing with the unbelievers and heretics for a long time.
He had an excellence in making easy the mysticism and
introducing it to the people, and explaining the distinction
between the ends and the means, and separating pith from
husks and acretions.91
The Bareilawi said about a scholar like him: From
among the eminent personages of these Satanic Wahhabis is
another man belonging to the henchmen of the Gangawhi
(Rashid Ahmad), named Ashraf Ali Thanawi. He composed
a booklet containing four pages. In this tract he has clearly
said that the knowledge of the unseen things possessed by
the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) is like the
one possessed by every child, lunatic, animal and beast.
These are his accursed words. If his judgement about the'
knowledge of the unseen things possessed by the Holy
Prophet is correct, that is, it is like knowledge of Zaid
about the unseen things, then he should be asked: What
does he mean by this? A part of the unseen things or whole?
If he means a part, then what is the peculiarity of this kncw-
91. Nuzhat al-Khawatir, p. 58

256
ledge possessed by the Prophet? The knowledge like this is

already possessed by Zaid, Amr, and by every child and
lunatic, indeed by all animals and beasts. If he means the
whole, that even an individual thing is not excluded from it,
then this is absurd on the basis of reason and tradition. I
•say: Look at the signs of how Allah has sealed their hearts.
How does this man equate the Messenger of Allah with so
and so. How did he fail to understand that the knowledge
possessed by Zaid, Amr and the elders of this pseudo-saint
which he calls unseen cannot be considered even knowledge
if it is probable (Zanni)? The certain knowledge is possessed
by the Prophet of Allah, the Exalted. The others besides the
prophets cannot attain the certainty. They can attain cer
tainty through the information by the Prophet (peace be
upon him), and not any other agency. Have you not seen
your Lord how He says: Nor will He disclose to you the
secrets of the unseen, but He chooses His Apostics (for
the purpose) whom he pleases^lll: 179). Allah, the Exalted,
says: He alone knows the unseen, nor does Hemakeanyone
acquainted with His mysteries, except an apostle whom He
has chosen (LXXII: 26-27). See how has he left the Qur'an
He further said: Look at the transgressionl How a
part draws another part. We seek refuge with Allah, the Lord
of the worlds. In a word, all these sects are unbelievers,
apostates, and have come out form the fold of Islam by the
unanimous consensus of the Muslims. He who doubts his
unbelief and punishment is unbeliever. The author of "Shifa'
al-Sharif" says:We excommunicate him who does not excom
municate one who surrendered before the religion other
than Islam, orone who is reluctant or doubtful in declaring
him unbeliever.The author of "al-Bahr al-Raiq" and others
said: If anyone considers the speech of heretics good, or if
92. Husam al-Haramain, pp. 27-29

257
he says that it is meaningful, and says that their speech

carries the correct meaning, this isunbelief, and the person
who regards it as good is unbeliever. Imam Ibn Hajar said
in his work "al-l'lam fi fasl al-Kufr al-Muttafaq Elaihi baina
aimmatina'l-a'lam:" If anyone utters the words of unbelief,
he will be declared an unbeliever. Everyone who considers it
good or agrees with it will be declared an unbeliever. Bewarel
Beware! 0 water and clay (i.e. mankind). The religion is
most respectable of what is preferred. An unbeliever has no
respect. One should be most careful of going astray. Mis
chief draws mischief. The antichrist (Dajjal) is an evil long
awaited. His followers are multitudinous. His wonders are
most manifest and most great. And that Hour will be most
grievious and most bitter. So run towards Allah. The matter
has reached a climax. There is no might and no power except
with Allah. We have expatiated on this subject, for cautioning
was most important.93
He said: He who hesitates in declaring Ashraf Ali to
be an unbeliever is himself an unbeliever.94 He said: The
author of "Bahishti Zaiwar" (i.e. the work of Ashraf Ali
Thanawi) is unbeliever. It is forbidden for a Muslim to look
into it 5 He also said: His followers are apostates.96 Al-
Ridhwi also issued fatwa (verdict) declaring him an unbeliever.
For this refer to his work 'Tajanub Ahl al-Sunna,"97 and
other works.
Similarly, he declared Shaikh Khalil Ahmed, Shaikh
Mahmud Hasan, Shaikh Shabbjr Ahmad and other eminent
Deobandi scholars to be unbelievers. They issued fatwas
93. Ibid., p. 31
94. Al-Fatawa al-lfriqiyya, p. t24
95. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol. VI, p. 56
96. Ibid., p. 104
97. Ibid., p. 237.
258
(verdicts) about the unbelief of these people. There are a

few.people who escaped him (the Bareilawi) and them (his
followers). When they are unbelievers, it is implied that
their followers too are unbelievers and apostates. So he
issued fatwa about their manifest unbelief and patent apos
tasy. The Bareilawi said about the Deobandis in general:
He who doubts about the unbelief of the Deobandis is also
an unbeliever.99 Not only this, but more than it he said; If
anyone prays behind any of the Dobandis, he is also not a
Muslim.100 He further says: If anyone has the same beliefs
as the Deobandis have, he is also an unbeliever.101 His fury
was not cooled down by thisextent of abuses, he transgressed
all the limits and said: If anyone admires Dar-ul-Ulum
Deoband, or does not believe in thecorruption of Deobandis
and does not scorn them, then this is sufficient to make
ajudgement for him to be anon-Muslim.102 Then his fury
and wrath increased and he said: To behave the Deobandis
in the matters concerning their life and death like that of
the Muslims is forbidden, so much so that employing them
on wages, or serving them on wages is forbidden. It is obli
gatory to keep away from them.103 He further adds: It is
unlawful to give the meat of the sacrificial animals.
One of his followers siad: The Deobandis are heretics and
straying. They are the most wicked of ali the creatures of
98.» Al-Batawa al-Ridwiyya^Vol - VI p. 90

99. Ibid., p. 82 *
100. Ibid., p. 77
101. Baligh al-Nur included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
vol.VI,p.43
102. Al-Mubin fi Khatm al-Nabiyyin, included in: al-
Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol. Vl, p. 110.
103. Ibid., p. 95
'04. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol. VI, p. 167.
259
Allah.105 Another Bareilawi said: The Deobandis claim

for Islam; they are accursed unbelievers and apostates accord
ing to the command of sacred Sharia. He has exaggerated
in their excommunication in this book.
What is the proportion of their unbelief and apostasy?
The Bareilawi himself says that the Deobandis are more
extreme in heresy than the Hindus, Christians and Qadiyanis:
"If there is a gathering of the Hindus, Christians, Qadiyanis,
and Deobandis, the Deobandis alone should be rejected,
for they have come out of the fold of Islam and defected it.
Agreement with the unbeliever^ is far better than the agree
ment with theapostates".107
'The works of the Deobandis are more unclean than
the various works of the Hindus. The doubt about the heresy
of Ashraf Ali Deobandi and suspicion about his punishment
is also unbelief. To cleanse the impurity with the papers of
the works produced by the Deobandis is not lawful, not
because of the respect of their books, but because of the
reverence of the letters with which they have been
written."108
Another Bareilawi says: "It behaves to spit on the
books produced by the Deobandis; rather it is more fitting
that one should urinate on them. But these books make the
urine more defiled and unclean when it falls on them. O
Allah, give as refuge from 4blis (the Devil) and his descen
dants (i.e. Deobandis). Amen."109
105. Didar Ali, Tafsir Mizan al-Adyan, vol. 11 p. 270.

107. Ibnal-Bareilawi, Malfuzat Mujaddia al-Mi'at al-
Hadira, pp. 325-26
108. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Faisalabad: Maktaba
Ridwiyya, vol.'ll, p. 136
109. Annotations on the book "Subhan al-Subbuh". p. 75
260
This is what the Bareilawi and his followers, the

Bareilawis, have said about the Deobandis. We have given
quotations from their own works and writings.
As regards the Nadawis, namely the graduates of
Darul ul-Ulum Nadwat al-Ulama, its teachers, and persons
having some relation with it and those who are in charge of
it, they* are not more fortunate than others in this respect.
The Bareilawis have excommunicated them too, and declared
them to be apostates. Al-Barakati and his supporter Hashmat
Ali, the successor of the Bareilawi, says: The Nadwis are
atheists, apostates and henchmen of the leader of tine
atheists.110 The Bareilawi himself said: Al-Nadwa is a
fatal organisation of partnership. All of them are advancing
towards the hellfire.11
He issued a fatwa about the unbelief of the scholars
of Nadwat al-Ulama and took the signatures of the elders of
his sect He issued it by the name "lljam al-Sunna li Ahl al-
Fitna". He again published it in "Majmuah Fatawa al-Harmain
bi rajf Nadwat aUMain" as mention of it has been made
before on the authority of Sayyid al-Hasani in this chapter.
Hence the author of "Tajanub" has mentioned it inthe collec
tion of the fatwas of those who declared the people of
Nadwat al-Ulama to be unbelievers and apostates.112
He then clubbed them together, viz. the Nadawis, the
Deobandis, the adherents of Shaikh al-lslam Muhammad b.
Abd al-Wahhab and the Ahl al-Hadith under the title Wahha-
biyyat and the Wahhabis, assuming that all of them got
inspiration and direction from Shaikh al-lslam Muhammad b.
Abd al-Wahhab in their beliefs against polytheism, heresies
and other absurdities. Primarily the Bareilawi and the Barei-
110. Tajanub.Ahl al-Sunna, p. 90

111. Al-Bareilawi, Malfuzat, p. 201
112. Tajanub Ahl al-Sunha, p..90
261
aw,s addressed them only with this title. When he uses

this title absolutely, he means these four groups. Later on
hey started calling them with certain wicked titles. They
evened false charges against them, caused the people to hate
hem, defamed them by inputing, unpleasant qualities to
them and lies aga.nst them. They stated the laws for them
and the rulers of behaving with them. They said,be ng the
Bare aw, at their head: The Wahhabis and their leaded
are unbelievers for many reasons. Their utterance of
tHeeard0-w°fT,!,am d°eS n0t
He aUo said: The disbelief ne9ative
of this sect hastheir
been""belief.113
establ shed
by thousands of methods and reasons.114 They are Un
be -evers by the consensus of the jurists (i.e. the"uZs of'
*. community of the Barei.awis,.115 He further Taid
The Wahhabis are apostates and hypocrites, for they show
off Islam by uttering the credo".11* Some more J£™
ofthe Bareilawi are enumerated below: cements
'The Wahhabis are more contemptuous than Iblis
SaJn
Satan do?"
does not^T'^ 3ndtheym°retell*"A
tell alie, but «™ he,; te
alie"117
"Allah's curse be on the Wahhabis. may He disgrace
them and make the hellfire their abode."1 *8
"Allah's curse be on the Wahhabis: how they are
deluded away from thetruth".119
'The Wahhabis will be in the lowest of the low".120
"xZZ2JS£i£Z~*alShihabiyya fi Kufri*«
114. Ibid., p. 59
115. Ibid., p..60
116. Al-Bareilawi, Ahkam Shari'at p 112.
117. Ibid., p. 117.
118. Fatawa lfriqiyya> p 125
119. Ibid., p. 172
120. Khalisal-I'tiqad, p. 54
262
"Allah has decreed unbelief for them".121

Since these people are unbelievers and apostates, the
Muslims should not pray behind them nor over them (when
die). The Bareilawi and his sect issued afatwa to this effect.
A person questioned the Bareilawi about saying prayer
behind the Wahhabis. He replied: Their prayer is not
(actually) a prayer, and their congregational prayer is also
not (actually) a congregational prayer.122 Onece he was
asked about the mosque built by the Wahhabis. He replied:
'They are disbelievers, and the law about the mosque ofthe
disbelievers is that it will be treated like an ordinary
house."123 He was asked about responding to tUa words
of adhan pronounced by aWahhabi mu'adhdhin. He replied,
"No, for their prayer is not reckoned a prayer nor their
adhan (call to prayer) a adhan123*a (in the real sense)"
The Wahhabis are not permitted to enter the mosques of
the Muslims, as expressly said by Muradabadi, one of the
successor and contemporary of the Bareilawi. He said:
'The Wahhabis and the non-conformists (ghair muqallidin)
have no right to the mosques of the Muslims and are not
allowed to enter them on account of their mischief. If they
do not resist themselves from entering them, they should be
stopped by the order"124 ofthe government.
They have composed a book exclusively devoted to
the exposition of the reasons for expelling the Wahhabis
from the mosque as an obligation. They have named it
"Ikhraj al-Wahhabiyyin an al-Masajid'They have gone to the
121. Al-Mubin fi Khatm al-Nabiyyin included in: al-Fatawa

al-Ridwiyya, vol. VI, p. 198
122. Malfuzat,p. 105
123. Ibid.
123a. Ibid.
124. Fatawa Nairn al-Din Muradabadi, p. 64
263
extreme in this matter so much so that they have written on

door plates of the mosques: 'The Wahhabis are not allowed
to offer prayer in it". During this age of science and light,
some mosques have survived on the faces of which the
following words are written: "0 Shaikh Abd al-Qadir Jilani,
.(give me) something for Allah's sake." Under these words
the following words are written: "The Wahhabis are prohibit
ed to enter (the mosque)." I have seen with my own eyes
two mosques in Lahore on which the words mentioned
above are written.
The Bareilawi said; The prayer behind the Wahhabis
is entirely invalid.125 A similar statement has been made
by Ahmad Yar Khan Gujrati,.the Mufti of the Bareilawis in
his Fatawa.126 The Bareilawi himself said: If a Wahhabi
offers funeral prayer over the dead body of a Muslim, the
prayer is not valid. If he is worried, as if he is worried with
out funeral prayer.127
He was questioned about the funeral prayer over a
Wahhabi: If a person offers funeral prayer over a Wahhabi,
what is the rule of law about him? He replied: The Wahhabis
are unbelievers and apostates. If anyone offers funeral prayer
over him, he becomes unbeliever. 8 Again he said: It is
not permissible to make supplication for them, for Allah
has said about them: 'Then they do not return".129 Not
only this, .but also he said: "If anyone believes that the
Wahhabis are Muslims, he becomes unbeliever. It is not lawful
125. Baligh al-Nur included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,

vol.VI, p.43; Bariq al-Manar, included in: al-Fatawa
Al-Ridwiyya, vol. IV, p. 218
126. Fatawa Naimiyya, vol. I. p. 104.
127. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol. IV, p. 12
128. Malfuzat.p. 76.
129. Ibid., p. 286.
264
to pray behind him", as the Bareilawi has expressly said in

his book.130
Another Bareilawi said: If anyone argues about the
Bareilawi, the prayer is not valid behind him.131 The other
matters relating to the Wahhabis are also unlawful. He said:
Paying a visit to the Wahhabis and sittingtogether with them
are forbidden. If they fall sick, then paying a visit to those
who are sick is also forbidden. If they die, washing them is
forbidden, and lifting their bier is unlawful.132
Muradabadi said: The Wahhabis have gone astray and
led others astray; They are heretics. The prayer is not valid
behind them. Mixing with them is also not permissible.133
He also said: Enjoyment of their speech is unlawful, and
sitting in their assemblies and addresses is forbidden.
He further added: Shaking hands with them and greeting
them are forbidden and entail sin and disobedience.
He said: It is not lawful for the Hanafis to drink water from
the well of the Wahhabis.136 The response of salutation to
them is unlawful. 137 Not only this, but also "If anyone
conducts transaction with them and sits with them, his
marriage will be unlawful".138
He added: If a Wahhabi recites the address of marriage
130. Al-Mubin, included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol.VI,

pp. 80-81
131. Fatawa Nairn al-Din Muradabadi, p. 64
132. Fatawa Nuriyya, vol.l, p. 213
133. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol.VI, p. 90
134. Fatawa Nairn al-Din. p. 112.
135. Bariq al-Manar, included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
. vol. IV, p. 218
136. Ja'al-Haqq, vol. II, p.222.
137. Fatawa Ifriqiyya, p. 170
138. Mahi al-Dalala, included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
vol.V,p.72
265
and solemnises the contract of marriage, the marriage will

be null and void, It is necessary, to renew the contract of
marriage and Islam as well. The evidence of a Wahhabi to
the contract of marriage is also unlawful.140
One of his disciples and successors said: The marriage
with a Wahhabi is forbidden, for he is not equal to a
141
Muslim. ' But his disciple cannot reach the degree of
severity and callousness like the Bareilawi. So he himself
said: A Wahhabi, being an apostate, should not marry: either
with an animal or a human being. If he marries, it will be
considered pure adultery. I wish to ask the Bareilawis
for the first time: Do they give in marriage and themselves
marry an animal? He again said: Seeking fatwa from the
Wahhabis is unlawful, saying three times for emphasis. If any
one has a doubt about his unbelief and punishment, he
becomes an unbeliever.143
Amjad Ali said: If anyone gives zakat to any of the
Wthhabis, that will not be valid. In reply to an enquirer
he said: The education of the children with the Wahhabis is
unlawful, saying three times. If anyone does so, he is enemy
of his children and is clearly indulged in sins. Allah, the
Exalted, said:
• IjL-i (aS-jJLftlj f*%. aJ. 11 jjj
139. Ibid., pp. 50, 89.

141. Amjad AM, Bahari Shariat, vol. VI I, p. 32
142. Izalat al-'Ar, vol. V, p. 194; Baligh al-Nur, vol. VI,
p. 55(both are included: in al-Fatawa al-Bidwiyya).
143. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, vol. IV, p. 106
144. Ahkam Shariat, vol. I, p. 122.
266
"0 ye who believedSave yourselves and your families from a

fire."(LXVI:6).
As regards the eating of the flesh of animals slaughter
ed by the .Wahhabis, he said: The eating of the flesh of ani
mals slaughtered by a Jew is lawful, and similarly the meat
of an animal slaughtered by a Christian. As for the animals
slaughtered by the Wahhabis, if they recite the name of Allah
one thousand times and they are righteous, the eating of this
meat is forbidden, for it is the slaughtering of an apostate.146
He also said: The eating of the flesh of an animal slaughtered
by the fornicators, whose crime of fornication is proved,is
lawful.147 Why is this all? He said: The reason is that the
most severe of the people in disbelief are the Magians; their
disbelief is more severe than that of theJews and Christians;
the disbelief of the Hindus is more severe than that of the
Magians; the disbelief of the Wahhabis is more severe than
that of the Hindus.148 He said: The Wahhabis are more
wicked and harmful than the real'unbelievers, viz. the Jews,
the idolaters and others.149 He said: The Wahhabis are more
contemptible and unclean than the dogs, for there is no
punishment for the dogs, but these people are liable to the
grevious punishment.150
This is the Bareilawi and his followers.
But these righteous people did not declare them
145. Bahari Shariat, vol. V, p. 46

147. Ahkam Shariat, p. 237
148. Baligh af-Nur, included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
vol. VI, p. 13
.149. AhkarrfShariat, p. 124.
150..lzalat al-'Ar, included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
vol.V, p. 138
267
unbelievers, for they did not believe in the non-sense talks

and absurdities brought about by the Bareilawis and con
trived by the non-sense people. They did not forsake the
word of Allah, and the word of the Apostle of Allah (peace
be upon him) vis-a-vis these fabricators who bring lies against
Allah and false accusations against the Messenger of Allah
olj)a... II dLU aJ i5^J| ,\ -ajJl j^jâJI

»î JJS t^l« aJUljyij^lj
"And they ill-treated them for no other reason than they

believed in Allah, Exalted in power, worthy of all praises;
Him to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth. And Allah is witness to all things." 51
Before we shift to another discourse, we wish to men
tion that the Bareilawis and the Bareilawiyyat became very
harsh towards those who read the works of the Wahhabis,
and they strictly prevented the Bareilawis from reading the
works of others.
The Bareilawi said: The study of the works of the
Wahhabis is forbidden.152 Another said: It is not permissible
for a person other than a scholar (alim) the books of the
Wahhabis.153 The Bareilawi has also said: It is not permis-
151. Quran LXXXV: 8-9

152. Al-Mubin included in: al-Fatawa al-Ridiwiyya, vol.VL
p.p.
153. Bahari Shariat, vol. V, p. 11
268
sible even for a perfect scholar to read the books154 of the
154. We do not know how the Bareilawis, who make such

statement and establish it in their books, argue against
others, and make a hue and cry against a ban on
reading their books? The elders of this sect have re
cently made a great clamour in India and Pakistan
against some Islamic governments who proscribed
the Urdu translation of the Qur'an by the Bareilawi.
He has done this translation according to his doctrines
and desires. They themselves have introduced this
practice and strictly prevented their followers from
reading the books of their opponents. If they have
the rights, the others too have the right alike.
Is it justice that the standards of measurement
and weight for selling and buying should be different
from each other, like the people of Madyan, the people
of Shu'arib upon whom Allah sent down the severe
penalty for this deed of theirs? Allah, the Exalted,
has said about them:
f*jJl£ |j|j . u^>i-»-o-«-^1 O-l* IjJUSSl IJI

uA**^ f£C| cUJjl ^tfl. CUjm** fAj^jJ JI
"Those who, when they have to receive by measure

from men exact full measure, but when they have to '
give by measure or weight to me, give less than due.
Do they not think that will be called to account on
a mighty day, a day when (all) mankind will stand-
beforethe Lord of the world". (LXXXIII: 26)
" Continued....
269
Wahhabis.155
The Bareilawi has said about a particular book of a
scholar of the Wahhabis: It is forbidden for the Muslims to
read this, book..156 Muradabadi has reported one of his
masters as saying: Beware of lending ear to the works of
Ibn Taimiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziya and others. They
have made their deity their desire and Allah has led them
astray despiteitheir knowledge, sealed up their hearing and
;heart, and covered their eyes with aveil. Who will guide them
after Allah. How did these heretics transgressed the limits,
exceeded-the marks, and broke the hedge of the Sharia and
Do the Bareilawis think that they may do what

ever they please to do? Do the others have no right to'
do whatever they desire. They have the right to
prevent the Muslims to eoter their mosques.
They have the right to prohibit them from sitting and
conversing with others. They have the right to forbid
their followers to read the books of their opponents.
But the others (i.e. the opponents) have no right to
proscribe their books, and to prevent them from their
entry in their country and their homes.
** .'.,'1" * '*! I**'fr iSj'^'i k£*^>£ o'
If you do not know, that is a great clarhity: And if

you know, that is an adversity far greaterl
"Behold, such would be indeed a division most unfair".

(Llll: 22)
156. Baligh al-Nur, included in: "Fatawa al-Ridwiyya",
Vol. Vol, P. 54.
270
the truth. They thought that they were thereby on guidance

from their Lord, but that is not so. Indeed, they are most
.wickedly straying, and bear the worst qualities and extreme
falsehood and fabrication. May Allah forsake their associa-
tion and purify the earth from the people like them. 0/
THE FATAWA (VERDICTS) OF THE BAREILAWIS FOR
POSTPONEMENT OF HAJJ ON ACCOUNT OF THIS
GOVERNMENT OF THE WAHHABIS IN HIJAZ.
The fatawa (verdicts) of the Bareilawis for postpone
ment of Hajj on account of this government of the Wahhabis
in Hijaz.
The hatred of the Bareilawis to the adherents of the
early righteous.Muslims who strictly followed the Qur'an and
the Sunna appears from the fact that they issued a
fatwa to drop the obligatory duty of Hajj. They published a
pamphlet exclusively devoted to this subject by the name
"Tanwir al-Hajjah. li man yujawwizu iltiwa al-Hijjah". This
booklet was written by the son of the Bareilawi and Mufti
of the Bareilawis Mustafa Rida. More than fifty eminent
:scholars of this sect from all over the sub-continent rectified,
and signed this fatwa. Among them were Mazhar Bareilawi
'who calls himself Ubaid al-Rida Hash mat Ali, Hamid Rida,
jthe second son of the Bareilawi, Nairn al-Din Muradabadi,
Didar Ali, arid other important and responsible persons of
this sect He began this booklet with the introductory addres-
O Allah, forgive us, show mercy to us, you are our
master, help us over the unbelievers, in particular the Najdis,
the mischivious people, those who have gone out from the.
fold of religion as the arrow goes out from the fling, those
who have been thrown away from the religion as the hair
is thrown away from the dough. He then showered all sorts
of abuses upon the blissful Saudi Government. He invented
lies as many as he"could against the late King Abd al Aziz;
157. "Fatawa Nairn al-Din Muradabadi'', pp. 33-34.

271
Al Saud may Allah have mercy upon him and forgive him.
He made' use of all possible fabrication and falsehood and
uttered them with full courage and valour without any fear
of Allah and modesty.
In the end, he issued a fatwa for the abolition of the
obligaiton of Hajj during their time and rule. One of the sig
natories on this fatwa commented: By this fatwa the sacred
territory of Mecca and Medina have been purified from the
^^ThSt'the true picture of the Bareilawi and this
is their hatred towards the monotheists and the Book of
Allah and the Sunna of His Messenger (peace be upon him).
If this fatwa indicates anything, it indicates the callousness
of their hearts, fossilisation of their reasons, sharpness of
their tongue, sporting with the religion, and making the*
Shari'a the goal of their mean ends, so much so that thaw
abolished an obligatory., duty imposed by Allah on th.
Muslims without any reason except to express their malm,
strangulation and grudge against the people whom Allah
has crowned with honour and granted them government
and rulership. .
We have never seen any faction from the factions ot
the world who are ascribed to Islam most callous and
invokers of curses like this faction besides the Shi'a. We do
not know which of them is more severe and frequent
(in cursing). ' •.. .
We have expatiated on the description of the reality,
doctrines and tenets of these people against their
opponents.
Now we may give a brief account of these groups,
parties, and scholars whom these people have declared
impious, unbeliever, heretic and apostate. We mention a
few names referring to the books in which the declara
tion about their heresy has occurred to those who have
issued fatwa abou t them.
272
The Bareilawi and the Bareilawis have declared

unbelievers those poets, writers, men of letters and missio-
ICQ
nariesof reformation, like Nadhir Husain Khan Dehlawi, lo°

Shibli Nu'mani,159 Altaf Husain Hali,160 Shams al-Ulama
158. He was a famous author and man of letters. He pro

duced useful works about which Abu I-Hasan Nadawi
has said: They combine knowledge, literature, educa
tion of religion, and ethics. They were received widely
by the people. (Nuzhat al-Khawatir, Vol. VIII, p.495).
He translated the Qur'an into Urdu. He was a
brilliant orator, gifted with wjtticism and an arbitrator
in temperament. He firmly supported the movement
for reformation in education launched by Syed Ahmad
Khan by his lectures and speeches (Nuzhat al-Khawatir,
Vol. VIII.p. 494). He died in 1333 A.H.
159. He was an eminent Hanafi Scholar. He had
full command over the Arabic and Persian sciences,
history, biography of the Prophet, literature, poetry,
and rhetoric. He served as a teacher for some time in
the University of Aligarh. Then he moved to Nadwat
al-Ulama and served as its director for eight years.
Abd al-Hayy Hasani writes about him: He was rigid
in his adherence to the Hanafi school of law. He spent
some time in polemics with Ahl al-Hadith.. (Ibid.,
Vol. VIM, p. 174). He produced many works in all
sciences.
160. He was an eminent poet rarely found in the sub
continent His poetry deeply impressed the Muslims
of India. He wrote many books. The most famous of
them is "Madd wa Jzar Islam", known as "Musaddas
Hali." There is a poem unparalled in the past and
present in the Urdu poetry. Abu'l Hasan Nadawi
writes about it: It gained a wide currency in the
country and the people passionately loved it It was
Continued ...'
273
Zakaullah,161 Nawwab Mahdi Ali Khan,162 and Nawwab

Mushtaq Husain.163
published several times. It is an Islamic epia It gives

an account of the advent of Islam and its blessings to
the mankind. It furnishes in a wonderful style a
description of the prophetic mission of Muhammad
(peace be upon him) and his person. It mentions the
companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and the Arabes and indicates their excellence and
contribution to the revival of the blessings and civilisa
tion. It depicts the achievements of the pious ancestors
of the Muslims. He died in 1333 A.H. (Nuzhat al-
Khawatir, Vol. VIII, p. 66).
161. He belonged to the eminent scholars and illustrious
writers. It is said that he produced 160 works on
mathematics, arts, history, and biography. He died
in1328A.H.
162. He was an eminent writer, and one of the advocates
of the movement for education launched by Sayyid
Ahmad Khan. He was born and nourished in Shia
family, but afte/wards by his knowledge and under
standing he preferred the beliefs held by the Ahl
al-Sunna and followed them. He produced a book in
the refutation of the.Shiabt the name"AyatBayyinat".
This book is unparalleled on the subject. He died in
1325 A.H.
163. He was an eminent Hanafi scholar. He was also a

supporter of the movement launched by Sayyid
Ahmad Khan for reformation of education. He was
an adversary of the British rule in India, and played
a significant role in opposing them.
274
According to the Bareilawis, all these scholars are

the ministers of the atheists, advisers of heresy, and
missionaries of atheism.164
Abul Kalam Muhi al-Din Ahmad was an eminent
scholar of India. He was given the title of Imam al-Hind.
He introduced Shaikh al-lslam Ibn Taimiyya in the Indo-
Pakistan sub-continent He ordered to translate his books
into Urdu. But the Bareilawi violently reviled him calling
him a liar and profligate, and naming him an obstinate
calumniator.165 His successor expressly declared him
apostate, saying: Abu'l Kalam Azad is apostate , and he
calls his Tafsir an "unclean book".166
As to the poet of message of the Prophet Muhammad •
(peace be upon him), the poet of the Muslims in the Indo-
Pakistan sub-continent, who inculcated the spirit of Jihad
among the Muslims, exhorted them to throw away the
unislamic rites and practices, the customs of the unbelievers,
and to abandon the monasteries and hospices, and warned
them against the stagnant attitude towards the legal schools
and allegiance to the individual masters of various schools
of thought, Dr.Muhammad Iqbal, they said about him:
. "'Iblis (the devil) speaks through the tongue of the
heretic pTtifosopher.-Dr.Muhammad Iqbal.167 They further
added: The religion followed by Iqbal has no relation with
the genuine Islamic religion .8 A successor of the
Bareilawi said: It is not lawful for the Muslims to sit with
Iqbal and to talk to him; otherwise they will be sinners
164. Tajanub Ahl al-Sunna, pp. 86-87.

165; Dwam al-Aish, p. 99. f.
167. Ibid., p. 340._
168. Ibid., p. 341.'
275
committing agrave sin.169

They also excommunicated the poet of Islam, of
monotheism and of the people of monotheism Zafar Ali
Khan, well-known with the title Zafar al-Millat wa'l-Din.
He created an urge for Jihad in the minds of the Muslims,
and kindled the fire in their hearts against the British
colonialism, their Qadiyani agents and other false sections,
they declared him an unbeliever, and produced a booklet
exclusively devoted to it, which goes by the title"*l-Qaswara
ala adwar al-humur al-Kafara al-mulaqqab Ali Zafar rumatu
man Kafar." It has been signed by many elders of the
Bareilawis. Mustafa Rida Khan, the son of the Bareilawi,
has written it.
The poets, men of lotters,and writers who roused an
urge for Jihad among the weak Indians, and to throw
away the customs and rites of the pre-lslamic days, and the
old idolatrous practices, and who exhorted them to adhere
to the Qur'an and the Sunna by their poems, and writings-
all are unbelievers and profligates. Similarly/the leaders
of education, those who founded the institutions for the
education of modern sciences, like physics, chemistry,
technology, medicine, and law so that the Indian Muslims
could be equipped with these learnings, and face the
modern currents, not to beoverpowered by the Hindus and
the British imperialists-all are unbelievers and apostates,
for they have resolved 'to emancipate the people from
ignorance and from various kinds of bondages, and among
them is the slavery ofthese tomb-worshippers.They are also
unbelievers. At the head of these reformers is Sayyid
Ahmad Khan, the founder of the Muslim University of
Aligarh in India. A man asked the Bareilawi: Some persons
169. Quoted from "Dhikr Iqbal", p. 129.

and "Sarguzasht Iqbal", p. 191.
276
say that Aligarh is arespectable place (sharif), being attribu

ted to the descendants of the Messenger of Allah? He
replied: He (Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was a wicked apostate.
A hadith170 of the Prophet(peace be upon him) says:
Do not call a hypocrite sayyid, for if he is your sayyid
(chief), you will incur thewrath of your Lord.
The author ol'Tajanub"has also declared him to be
apostate and heretic. He says: If anyone becomes aware
of even case of heresy from among many sure cases of his
heresy, then he is reluctant or hesitates in his unbelief, he
is also an unbeliever and apostate, and he will dwell in hell
179
forever."*
Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who liberated
Pakistan from the double chains of the Hindus and the
British imperialists, and who founded the Islamic state in
the world is also an unbeliever. His political party, the
Muslim League, and its members are also unbelievers. T.he
author of'Tajanub Ahl al-Sunna"says: "Muhammad Air
Jinnah is an unbeliever and apostate. He has blasphemous
beliefs. Therefore, according to the Shari'a, he is certainly
an apostate and excluded from the fold of Islam. If anyone
is doubtful about hisunbelief, or hesitates in declaring him
to be an unbeliever he is also an unbeliever.173 He further
add:: The Muslim League is not league of Muslims, but a
league ofthe dark people.174
Another said: A heretic is the meanest of all in the
world. He is meaner than the animals. The heretics are the
dogs of the people of hellfire. Is it possible for a real
believer and Muslim to make the dog and the dog of the
170. We do not know who has transmitted this tradition.

17V Malfuzat, Vol. Ill, p. 319.
173. Ibid., pp. 119-122.
174. Ibid., p.112.
277
people of hellfire his great leader (Quaid-i-Azam).No, never,

God forbid! that it may be so.175
Another Bareilawi says: 'The manifesto and constitu
tion of the Muslim League consist of the heresies and
straying things".176
They have further said about Quaid-i-Azam: If anyone
believes in the Islam of Muhammad Ali and admires him
he becomes an apostate. His wife is divorced, and it is
essential for all Muslims to boycott him till he repents.177
Such statements can be quoted endlessly'
Sayyid Ata Allah Shah Bukhari was a'great scholar
and orator of the sub-continent. It is said about him that
the last centuries have not witnessed an orator like him
Theydeclared him and his followers unbelievers, for they
demanded the Islamic caliphate and wished to establish
Th*316 lheridivine Shari'a ca" be implemented in toto.
Inde;:wrty °f Bukhari is *»**» of unbelievers
PresidJn'
President;eIfapS0,deClarcd Muham™d
of Pak.stan. Sawar Khan, the2ia<" Hag. the present
ex-Governor of the
Punjab and the Ministers of the Government of Pakistan
to be unbelievers. The reason is that they had offered
prayer behind the Imam of Masjid Nabawi and the Imam
of Masjid Haram of Mecca when they visited Pakistan.This
fatwa was issued in reply to aquery of aperson who asked:
What ,s the fatwa(verdict) about those persons who prayed
beh.nd the Imams of Haramain (the two sacred territories)?
175. Awlad Rasul al-Qadiri," Muslim League ki Zarrin

Bakhya dari, p. 14.
176. Tajanub. Ahl al-Sunna, p. 118.
177. Abu'l Barakat, al-Jawabat al-Saniyya ala zuha' al-
suwalatal-Likiyya,p.3.
178. Tajanub Ahl al-Sunna, pp. 90,160.
278
They said: The learned Bareilawi scholar Nurani has

pronounced the fatwa: Whoever believes that the Wahhabis
of Naid are Muslims, or prays behind them, is an unbeliever
179
and apostate."0
This can be quoted endlessly.
When these people did not find any person whom
they could declare an unbeliever, and there remained
no one from their opponents about whom the fatwa of
excommunication was not issued, they started to declare
unbeliever anyone who moves on the earth. They said:
If anyone burns the Turkish cap, he goes out from the
fold of Islam.180
The Bareilawi himself said: "If anyone puts on the
English cap (i.e. hat), he is unbeliever. There is no doubt
about his unbelief."181 He further says: "If anyone calls
a Sayyid Alawi 'Ulaiwi (a small or lowly 'Alawi), he is
an unbeliever".182
Some of the fatwas of the Bateilawi are as follows:
If anyone argues aboutythe 'ulema, he is a hypocrite
and unbeliever. %°*
If anyone insults the 'ulerria and despises them, he
184
is an unbeliever.,on
If anyone says that the Qiyas of Abu Hanifah is not
true, he is an inbeliever. lo°
All these fatawa were issued alongside of the fatwa
179. Fatwa Sayyid Shuja'at Ali al-Qadiri.

180. Baligh al-Nur, included in: Fatawa al-Ridwiyya,
Vol.VI,p.11.
181. Ibid., p. 30.
182. Ibid., p. 23.
183.. Ibid., p. 26.
184. Ibid., p. 24.
185. Ibid., p. 34.
279
that if anyone allows prostration before a person besides

Allah, he will not bedeclared an unbeliever.186
If anyone says: Our God (deity) is Muhammad, he
will not be declared an unbeliever.1"7
If anyone says: Glory be to me, what a great position
I have (words used for the praise of Allah), he is not an
unbeliever.188
There art* many similar cases where he has not dec
lared a person an unbeliever, although he issued such a
fatwa in trifle matters.
If anyone calls an 'alim uwailim (a small scholar),
he is an unbeliever.189
This fatwa was given by him despite his statement
that precaution is essential in declaring a person an un
believer. For this he gives the reason that if there are ninety-
nine probabilities for unbelief and one probability for
Islam, then.it is necessary that the wordings should be
construed as Islam.190 He also said: If anyone declares
a Muslim to be an unbeliever, he brings back his unbelief
to himself, as it has been said in a tradition of the Prophet
(peace be upon him): "He brings back one of them."191
Finally, the Bareilawi was careful in declaring a
Muslim to be an unbeliever. He did not make haste in this
matter.192 Another has said: He was very cautious in
excommunicating a Muslim. The Bareilawi himself has
186. Al-Mubin, included in: Fatawa al-Ridwiyya",

p.70.
187. Ibid., p. 114.
188. Ibid., p. 147.
189. Ibid., p. 119.
190. Al-Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. VI, p. 114.
191. Baligh al-Nur included in: Fatawa al-Ridwiyya",
p.11.
280
written about, himself: We observe much care about declar

ing a Muslim to be unbeliever, and endeavour not to declare
a person who utters la ilaha ilia Allah (there is no god but
Allah) to be an unbeliever as far as possible.194
If this is the position of the Bareilawi and his sect,
despite all the alleged precautions and carefulness that they
have already excommunicated the whole world,we are not
aware what would they do, if they were precautious?
We wind up the discussion on the subject in this
chapter with the revelation of: curious things. The scholars
of India and Pakistan have discovered from his works that in
his severe fury and anger he declared himself an unbeliever
many times. After issuing a fatwa about excommunication
of some persons, he said: If anyone is doubtful about their
unbelief and punishment, he is an unbeliever. He then
forgot, and named them Muslims.
Viewed from another standpoint we tell them that
the Bareilawi has written in many places: If anyone despises
a sayyid, that is, a person belonging to the descendants
of the Messenger of Allah(peace be upon him), or scorns
upon him, he becomes an unbeliever.195 Not only did he
himself scorn the honoured and high-born personages, but
he also declared most of them unbelievers, like the
Muhaddith Dehlawi Sayyid Nadhir Husain and other
scholars of great repute who belonged to the progeny of
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Earlier we have
made a mention of them. We are at a loss to know what he '
(the Bareilawi) deserves for all that?
May Allah save us from the mischiefs of our souls,
the evils of our deeds and the crops of our tongues. Amen.
193. Masud Ahmad, Fadil Bareilawi Ulamai Hijaz ki nazar

main. p. 44.
194. Fatawa al-Ridwiyya, Vol. VI, p: 251.
195. Baligh al-Nur, p. 23.
281
CHAPTER-V
Bareilawiyyat and its non-sense Talk.
Every heretic people has some legends, fables, non-sense

talk and humbugs to strengthen their lies so that they may
not remain unsupported by an authority, and lest they
should be criticised for want of an evidence. When they do
not find any authority in the Qur'an and the Sunna, the two
original sources of the Islamic Shari'a, they have resort to
imaginary anecdotes and fictions. They present them as
sure evidences and demonstrative proofs, in order to seek a
support from them. But how is that possible for them?
Falsehood cannot reinforce falsehood and the forsaker
cannot help the forsaker and the lie is topped by the depths
of darkness, one above another. The ignorance spins out
only spider's web, and the flimsiest of houses is the spider's
house, if they but knew. It is they about whom Allah, the
Exalted, has said:
"Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while

they thought that they were acquiring good by their
works."1
They lose the religion for their turning away from the
truth and for their unmindfulness of the Qur'an and the
Sunna, and lose the worldliness for their deviation from the
proven truths and the incidents that have already occurred.
And that is a manifest loss. But if anyone refrains from the
heresies and novel practices, and keeps away from the low
desires and whims, he holds fast the guidance and follows
1) Qur'an XVIII: 104

282
the light which Allah has sent down to scatter the depths
of darkness and to dispense the ignorance. Are the depths
of darkness and light are equal? Allah, the Almighty, has said:
"For any to whom Allah giveth not light, there is no

light"2
Many heretic factions who are attributed to Islam have
deserted the Qur'an, and made adherence to the rumours
obligatory on them, and many people have deserted the
Sunna of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)
and adhered to the invocations of the impostors.
Following the practice of those people the Bareilawis
embraced all sorts of lies and held fast the objects of ridi
cule in order to establish what is false and to falsify what
is true. But they deceive only themselves and realise it not.
How abundant and long are their objects of ridicule and
simultaneously their objects that cause to weep. We,
therefore, confine ourselves to describe only those fables
which have been related by Ahmad Rida al—Bareilawi
himself. We seldom mention the stories narrated by his'
eminent helpers, followers and by persons trusted by these
people. While trying to prove his weak beliefs, repugnant to
the Qu'ran and the Sunna, the Bareilawi narrates the stories
of the power and authority of the saints to provide relief
to the persons who ask for aid, their response to the call of
the victims of coercion, elimination of the adversaries of
the sufferers, possessing the knowledge of the unseen by
them, and their presence at every time and place. Before
making a mention of a saint he says about him: "When
2) Qur'an XXIV: 40
283
his novice called him, he answered him from the distance of

a year's journey or more."3
He reports a saint as saying: I have an access to their
graves and power of disposition. If anyone has a need, he
should come to me just in front of my face and mention it,
I shall meet it. He then argues on the basis of fictions to
confirm these false statements and to reinforce falsehood
by falsehood. He, therefore, narrates a legend: "My chief
Madyan b. Ahmad al-Ashbus (Allah be pleased with him)
was once performing ablution. He took off his shoe and
threw it towards the countries lying in the east. After
complete one year a man came to him with that shoe. He
said: My spiritual guide, my daughter was in the wood.
An evilb man caused harm to her. My daughter did not know
the name of my spiritual guide. She then called: 0 spiritual
guide of my father! Take care of me. As soon as she spoke
this name and asked him for relief, this shoe appeared all of
a sudden, struck the head of that man, and thus my daughter
was saved".6
He has narrated a similar legend about Ibn Muhammad
al—Hanafi: "One of his novices was on a journey. Some
thieves slaughtered him. So he called on: 0 my Chief,
Muhammad Hanafi. Take care of me. No sooner he called
him by his name than the shoe came flying and struck the
chest of the thief and he became unconscious. Thus the novice
3 ) Al-Bareilawi, "Anwar al-lntibal fi hall nida ya Rasul

Allah?included in the collection of the treatises of the
Bareilawi, Majmuat Rasail, Vol. I, p. 182
4) Ibid.
5) It means that there would be no harm if the man were
not evil.
6) Anwar al-lntibah. Vol. I, p. 182
284
of Sayyid al-Hanafi was saved."7

He concocted another fiction. "A beggar was begging.
Once he stopped at the gate of a shop of a person, and asked
him to give him a rupee. The shepherd refrained from giving
him the rupee. Thereupon, the beggar said to him: Give me,
otherwise I shall turn this shop over you. The people
gathered around him and were crowded. A man with the
inner light of heart passed by them and said to the shepherd:
Give him a rupee, otherwise he will turn this shop over you.
The people said to him: 0 saint, he is an lynorant man acting
against the Sharia. How can he do it? The saint replied: I
observed his heart and found it vacant. Then I looked at the
inner self of the saint, and also found it vacant. But I reflec
ted and observed the spiritual guide of the saint. I found him
a great sage with the power of disposition. I saw him standing
there so that if this bcwiar spoke aything he would imple
ment what he spoke and turn the shope ol the shepherd
over him."8
These are the clear, certain and cogent arguments in
support of the power of the saints and their capability for
providing relief to the seekers of help, helping the sufferers,
and redressing the calamity of the afflicted.
There is another marvellous fiction which they have
invented to describe the strength and power of the saints.
"A man visited Bayazid al—Bistami (Allah be pleased with
him) and found him looking at the heaven. His eyes were
overflowed with blood. He said to him: O my Chief, what is
this? He replied: I went to the Throne, and covered the
whole earth by one pace. Suddenly, I saw the Throne open-
7) Ibid., p. 181.
8) Mustafa Rida (ed.), Malfuzat li mujaddid al-Mi'at
al Hadira, p. 189.
285
ing its mouth in search of the Lord, like a hungry wolf. I

was astonished and shrieked: This is a strange thing. Al—
Rahman (the Merciful) is informing us that He is seated on
the Throne with full power and authority. I have come to
you in search of it and found you in this condition. The
Throne replied; What Allah, the Almighty, has told me is:
0 Throne, if you desire to find me, ask for me in the heart
of Bayazid".9
One of their powers is that the beasts of prey fear
them and obey them. They possess the knowledge of the
seen, being acquainted with whatever occurs to the minds of.
the poeple.
The Bareilawi narrates this fiction: Two scholars
visited a saint of Allah and prayed behind him. He recited
the Qur'an during the prayer, but did not recite it in a
measured tone (tartil). He did not pronounce the letters
according to their proper vocal sounds, as established in the
science of the methods of reciting the Qur'an. It occurred
to their minds what type of this saint was that he did not
know the methods of reciting the Qur'an. The saint knew
whatever occurred to their minds, but he kept silence. These
scholars then went to the river for taking a bath. They took
off their clothes and placed them at the bank of the river.
A lion came, gathered the garments and sat on them. They
waited for its departure so that they could come out. But
it did not depart. The saint received the information and
hastened to the lion. He caught it by the ear and gave a
slap on its right cheek. It turned away its face. Again he
gave a slap on its left side. It then set aside towards the left
He said: Do you venture to harm our guests? Run away.
It then turned its back and ran away. He said to them:
9) Muhammad Khalil <ed.),MHikayat RidwiyyaV

286
You straightened your tongue (referring to their knowledge

of the art of reciting the Qur'an) and we have straightened
our hearts. This was a refutation of that which occurred to
their minds."10
The literature of these people is replete with such
non-sense talk and lengthy stories.
The rediculous and deplorable anecdotes are also
numerous. The Bareilawi has related one of.them. It goes:
"My spiritual guide Ahmad had two wives. He was one of
the novices of Abd al—Aziz al—Dabbagh (Allah be pleased
with him). Once he said to him, "Sajalmasi, what is the
matter with you that you had sexual intercourse with your
wife when your other wife was awake?" He replied: "My
Chief, she was not awake, but was asleep." He said, "No,
she pretended to be asleep, but actually she was not
sleeping." He asked, ,"How did you know that, my Chief?"
His spiritual guide said to him, "Was there another third
bed?" He said, "Yes, that was there". He said," I was on that
bed".11
I beg pardon of Allah from such non-sense talks. Is
there any non-sense talk greater and impurer than this?
The spiritual guide sleeps between his novice and his
wives in the same room? Moreover, he keeps watch over
their movements and even his sexual intercourse with his
wife and keeps watch over his other wife, thus looking at
both of them:
Is this religion and is this Shari'a?
If this is the religion, we do not know what the heresy,
atheism, debauchery and profligacy are? We are at a loss to
understand what the modesty is, and what the morals are:
10) Ibid., quoted from al-Malfuzat, p. 110.

11) Ibid., quoted from Ibid., p. 55
287
the morals that teach the young generation to lower their

eyes and turning away from nonsense. According to the
presumption of these people, the divine saints have been
doing these deeds and performing these shameless actions.
They looked at the things forbidden by the Shari'a, slept
among the strange women, and kept watch over the carnal
actions, and then they informed of whatever they had seen
and observed in the privacy with impudence and shame-
fulness. If this is the sainthood, and these are the miracles,
then it is all over such miracles and sainthoods.
He then comments on this anecdote which he invented
for seeking pleasure with passionate desire and for the
mention of lewdness. The learned commentator says: "From
this incident it is inferred that the spiritual guide does not
forsake his novice at any moment, as al-Sha'rani has said
in "al-Mizan" : The master-jurists and the sufis intercede
their followers; and they keep watch over them at the time of
their expiration, and at the moment of questioning by
Munkar and Nakir in the grave, and at the time of raising
from the graves, and assembling on the day of resurrection,
and at reckoning balance, and bridge. They are not unmind
ful of them at any place."12
The Bareilawi narrates another anecdote in xrvs
"Malfuzat". By this he intends to describe the merits ard
advantages of holding religious fairs and celebrations at the
tombs, and draws the attention of the rifraffs to them.
The story goes: 'The religious fairs and ', JeVfations
were held at the tomb of Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi al-
Kabir (Allah be pleased with him) for three davs. on his
12) Hikayat Ridwiyya',' annotations by Muhammad Khalik

al-Barakati, p. 55; Annotations on *al- Istimdad" by
Mustafa Rida, p. 35.
288
birthday. The people used to assemble annually at his tomb.

Among those who attended these ceremonies requlariy was
Abd al-Wahhab al—Sha'rani. Once he visited his tomb on
his birthday when the people assembled there in large
number. All of a sudden he saw a slave-girl of a merchant.
He fell in love with her and was captivated by her. He went
to the grave and Sayyid al-Badawi called him: Abd al—
Wahhab, did you like that slave-girl? He replied, Yes. It
behoves a novice not to cenceal his secret from his spiritual
guide. He said, you have done well, and I have donated this
slave-girl to you. Al—Sha'rani was astonished how his Shaikh
donated him the slave-girl who belonged to such and such
a merchant. After a short while the merchant came and
offered the slave-girl to the holy tomb as an oblation.13
He then inspired the attendant of the tomb to present
this slave-girl as a gift to Abd al—Wahhab. Al—Shar'ani
wondered and delayed until Sayyid al—Badawi called him
saying: Why this delay now, Abd al—Wahhab? Take her
to such and such apartment14
13) Do these vows, offerings and presenting the slave-girls

to the tombs as a gift differ from those of the pagan
days. The divine Shari'a was sent down to obliterate
them. Is there the least difference between these offer
ings and those presented by the Hindus and the Magians
to their deities and idols. In that event there is a lesson
for those who fear Allah.
14) Are the apartments constructed near the tombs for this
purpose — to fulfil the passionate desires and bestial
lewdness? Are the fairs and celebrations held at the
graves for this purpose? Are the men and women
exhorted to visit them for this end?
289
and fulfil your need."15

By narrating these anecdotes the Bareilawi intends
to establish the possession of knowledge of the unseen by
the saints and their power of disposition and power over all
matters, even after death. But he did not find any authority
for it except these false stories, concepts and lewd anecdotes.
These are the claims and these are the proofs.
What is more astonishing is that not only the Shaikh
(spiritual guide) alone possesses the knowledge of the
unseen, and is aware of what occurs to the minds of the
people in general, and to the breasts of his novices in parti
cular, but also the npvices of the Shaikh are aware of it by
virtue of kissing the feet ofthe saints and the ground touched
by their feet. The evidence in support of all this is also.an
anecdote narrated by the Bareilawi himself: "My Chief
Sayyid Muhammad was an eminent scholar and a great
personage. Once he was walking along the way. He suddenft
saw Nasir al-Din Mahmud Chiragh Dehlawi on his ride
He hastened to him and kissed his knee. His spiritual guide
said to him: Go lower than it, Sharif. Sayyid Muhammad
then kissed his foot. Again his Shaikh said to him: Go even
lower than it. So he kissed the hoofs of the horse. Then'
the Shaikh said to him: Even lower than it. Sayyid'
Muhammad then stepped backward and kissed the ground
touqhed by the hoofs of his Shaikh. The people were
surprised and said: A great Chief like Sharif Muhammad
kissed the knee of his Shaikh, but he was not pleased. Then
he kissed his foot, but still he.was not satisfied. Again he
kissed the hoofs of his horse, yet he was not pleased. At
15) Malfuzat al-BareilawCpp. 275-76.

The Bareilawi is trbnsidered the renovator of the present
century by this seet
290
last he kissed the ground in front of him. Thereupon,Sayyid

Muhammad said: The people do not know what my Shaikh
has conferred on me by these kisses. When I kissed his knee,
the human nature (na-sut: material world) "was disclosed to
.was unfolded to me. When I kissed the hdofs of his horse,
the sphere of the omnipotence of Allah (Jabarut) was
illuminated to me. And when I kissed the ground, the divine
sphere (lahut> appeared to me."16
It is these people about whom Allah,.the Exalted*
has said:
cjujUitfJoJ^ sjaaJi \jjzz\ o^1 «*Mji •
'These are they who have bartered.guidance for error: but

their traffic is profitless, and they have lost true
direction."17
" They hold that the saints are alive as the prophets are
' alive in ther graves. The death does not occur to them except
for a few moments like a twinkling of an eye. Then their
souls are returned to them and they live this worldly life
with their bodies. They hear, respond, stand, sit, sleep
and wake. '
If these people are asked: Bring your proof, if you
are true, They say: Shaikh Ahmad b. al-Rifa'i used to
convey annually his greetings to the Prophet (peace be upon
him) through the pilgrims. When he himseltyisited his grave,'
he stood in front of it and recited the following verses:
^^ i> S3. r^« W* ***J
16) "Hikayat Rjdwiyya" quoted from Malfuzat al-Bareilawi.

pp. 63-64.
17) Qur'an II: 16
291
<j-ai t^t^jii jtig".
"I used to send my soul when Iwas far away from you. That
kissed the ground on my behalf. It was my representative.
Now I have personally come to you. Extend your hand so
that my lips have a pleasure by kissing them."
It is said that the hand of the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him) came out and he kissed it.18
The same happens with the saints. The proof of that
is as follows: Abd al-Wahhab al-Shar*ani regularly attended
the death anniversary of my Chief Ahmad al-Badawi al-
Kabir (Allah be pleased with him). Once he was delayed by
two days in attending the anniversary. The attendants of the
grave saw that Sayyid al-Badawi removed the screen repea
tedly and asked whether.his novice had come ornotbythat
time. When hecomes, the attendants of his grave informed
him about removing the curtain and questioning about his
attendance. Abd al-Wahhab said: Is my Chief aware of my
visit to his grave? They replied: Howl It is he who has said:
Whoever intends to pay a visit to my grave while he is at his
home, how so farther his home is, I know his intention, and
I accompany him till he reaches my grave. As soon as he
18) Al-Bareilawi, \barr al-Maqal" included im'Majmuat

al-Rasail, p. 173.
19) An old jjipverb goes: A liar has no memory. This anec
dote is the best proof of it, as it implies contradiction.
They hold that the saints possess the knowledge of the
unseen. Why did he. not know his attendance and
travelling to him? Why was he impelled to ask the
attendants of his grave about his visit? The last part of
To be Continued.....
292
puts his baggages, Ibecome responsible for him."20

Some more anecdotes: "Two real brothers were killed
in the way of Allah. They had also e third brother. When the
day of his wedding ceremony came, they attended the cele
brations. The third brother was surprised at their visit. They
said: We have been particularly sent to participate in these
celebrations. Then they became the guardian in marriage
and then they returned to their place."'
He narrates another anecdote: "Our Chief Abu Said
al-Khazzaz narrates: I was in Makka al-Mukarrama. I saw
. a dead young man at the gate of Banu Shaiba. He turned to
me smiling and said: Abu Said, do you not know that the
friends of Allah remain alive, even though they die. They
shift from one territory to another."22
this anecdote contradicts its earlier part

J* v>o_. fJu>l jto <iLjj £l fJLaJl £4 f»ft« L..o dLJj
That is as far as knowledge would reach them. Verily,

the Lord knoweth best those who stray from His path,
and He knoweth best those who receive guidance
(Lll:38)
Q\j {JaJ\f\ i^fuZ-i ,jl jk_U ô A_i fJbJLo .j
. IJl*£ £>J\ ^ ^ ^ y i .
But they have no knowledge therein. They follow no
thing but conjecture; and conjectureâvails nothing;
against truthjLIII : 28).
20) AI-Bareilawi,MMalfuzat?p. 275.
21) Al-Bareilawi, "Hikayat Ridwtyya? quoted from Anwar
al-lntibah'/p. 116.
22) "Akham qubur al-Muminin" included in Majmuat al-
Rasail" Vol. 11, p. 243;under the heading: The prophets.
To be Continued....
293
Again, he says: "My Chief Abu Said (may Allah sanctify

his secret) says: A poor man died. Iwent down in his grave,
opened his shroud and placed his head on the earth so that
Allah might show mercy to him for his poverty. The poor
man opened his eyes and said: Abu Ali, you disgrace me
before the one who pampers me? I was astonished and
said: My Chief, are you alive after death? He said: Iam alive
and everyone who loves Allah is alive. I will help you to
morrow, by my honour."23
There are more such stories. One of them goes: "A
woman died, and was shrouded and buried. She met her son
in his dream and said: My shroud has become old, and I
am ashamed of visiting my friends in it On the third day
since today, so and so wilt come to us. When he is shrouded
put a new and good shroud for me.24 When the morning'
came, her son investigated about that man and found thatf
martyrs, and saints are alive with their bodies along

with their shrouds.
23) Ibid, pp. 243-244
24) Allah says: 'J '
<*J*fJ »S~*Jl J>~j i*UJ| pJLe «j^ <lU, 0,
Verily, the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone).

It is He who sends down rain, and He who knows what
is in the worrlbs, nor does anyone know what it is that
he will earn on the morrow: nor does anyone know in
what land he is to die. Verily, with Allah is full know
ledge and He is acquainted (with all things). (XXXI: 34)
But these people believe in the reverse of it
According to them even the dead have knowledge of
these things. •*
294
he had no disease. He enjoyed sound health. But on the

third day he was informed that he had died. Her son hurried
and brought a new and Costly shroud, and put it in the
shrouds of the man saying: Give this to my mother. When
he slept at night, his mother visited his dream and said;
May Allah bless you for it. You have sent me a new
shroud."25
There is no harm if we relate you another anecdote
which indicates the shifting of the dead from one place to
another himself, as narrated by one of the Bareilawis: A
righteous woman died in Jaunpur (a city in India), and an
impious man died in Madinah al-Munawwarah and was buried
in al-Baqi. The righteous woman shifted from Jaunpur to
al-Baqi and the body of that man was shifted from his grave
to the grave of thatwoman at Jaunpur. The people witnessed
this incident with their own eyes!26
The fables of their ancestors contain events concerning
thejr power revival of the dead. They found their fore-,
fathers having this belief. The anecdote runs: "Once my
Chief Ahmad Jan (Allah be pleased with him) was passing
along the road. He saw a dead elephant lying there, and the
people gathered around it He went to him and said: Its
trunk and eyes are sound. Its hands (fore legs) and hinder
legs are also in sound condition. How did it die? As soon as
he spoke these words, the elephant began to move and
stood up alive."27
Once Shaikh Abd al-Qadir Jilani looked angrily at a
kite. It fell down dead. He then touched it, and it flew
25) AI-BareilawirMalfuzat,'p. 95.

26) Ahmad Yar Khan,°Mawaiz Naimiyya'.'p. 26.
27)WHikayat Ridwiyya" quoted fronTMalfuzat al-Bareilawi,"
p. 53.
295
alive.28
These are the wonders of these people that they narrate
the fables that are rejected by reason and disdained by
human thought. A story goes: Two persons who were saints
lived at both the banks of a river. Once, one of them pre
pared pudding and wished to send it to the other saint at
the other bank of the river. He said to his servant, "Take
it to that friend of ours". He said, "How can I cross the river;
I have no boat or anything else for crossing it." H"e said, "Go
to the river and say to it: I have come from a person who
never had intercourse with his wife", The servant was
astonished, for the saint had children. He complied his order
and went to the river. He said whatthe saint had said to him.
The river was split up and he passed through it safe and
sound. He presented the pudding to the saint who lived at
the other bank and he ate it and blessed him. He said,
"Convey my greetings to your master". The servant said",
I shall convey your greetings to him when I reach there.
How can I reach him, for a river lies between him and me".
He said, "Go to the river and say to it: I have come from a
person who did not take meals for thirty years". The servant
was surprised, for he saw him eating the pudding which he
had brought to him. But as soon as he conveyed his message
to the river, it was split up and gave him the way for going
home.29
They have narrated another wonderful story: A man
from the novices of Yahya al-Muneyri fell into the sea.
He was about to sink when al-Khidr (peace be upon him)
appeared to him and said: Bring your hand in my hand, I
28) Ibid., p. 71; al-Ridwi, "Baghi Firdaus," p. 27.

29) "ai-Hikayat al-Ridwiyya" quoted from" Malfuzat al-
Bareilawi," p. 53.
296
shall save you from drowning. The novice took notice of it

and said: No, my Chief, my hand is in the hand of al-Muneyri.
I will not leave it, nor will I go to another person besides him.
So al-Khidr (peace be upon him) disappeared and al-Muneyri
came, took him by the hand and rescued him from
drowning.30'
Another anecdote goes: Bishr al-Hafi did not wear
sandals. Hence, he was called al-Hafi (barefooted). The
animals did not urinate on the roads along which al-Hafi
used to pass out of respect to him. They did not cause dropp
ings so that his feet might not be polluted. One day when a
man saw dung and urine on the road along which al-Hafi
used to pass, he said: We belong to Allah, and to Him we
shall return. He was asked for uttering these words. He
said, "This indicates that al-Hafi has died. Then an enquiry
was made, and it was proved that what he had said was true.
Allah be pleased with him/'31
The saints had power to save the people of hell from
hellfire and to deliver the people being punished from punish
ment. The proof of this is the following story: "Sayyid
Ismail al-Hadrami passed by a grave. He was accompanied
by Imam Muhi al-Din al-Tabari. He said to him, "Do you be
lieve that the dead talk to the living beings?" He said, "Yes, I
believe in that". Then he said to him, 'The inmate of this
grave said to me, "I belong to the companions bf paradise".
He then stood at about more than graves and kept on weep
ing till the sun rose and it became fairly daylight. He then
laughed and said, "You belong to them". He was asked
what it was and what had happened. He said, 'The inmates
of these graves were being tortured. So I began to weep and
30) "Maltuzat al-Bareilawi,"Vol. II, p. 164.

31) "Hikayat Ridwiyya^p. 172.
297
intercede for them till my intercession was accepted, and the

torture was removed from them. In a corner there was a
grave to which I did not pay heed. I heard awoman saying:
Why have you deprived me of your intercession and I am
among them? (that is, I was being tortured with them,
and my grave was between their graves). I was a singing
girl called so and so. You interceded for them, but why did
not intercede for me? I laughed at her speech and said,
you • also belong to them. The punishment was removed
from her".'"
The Bareilawi has written another story: A young
man was sitting in the assembly of Ibn Arabi. He began to
weep. Ibn Arabi said to him, "What has caused you to
weep?" He replied, "It has been illuminated to me that my
mother is being punished and the angles of punishment are
carrying her to hell". Ibn Arabi said, "The reward of some
superaragatory worships was in stock with me. I said in my
heart (i.e. I thought) that Ihad donated that reward to her".
Then the young man began to laugh. He was asked, "What
happened that you have stopped weeping and began to
laugh?" He replied. "I saw that the angels of punishment
had left my mother and the angels of mercv had taken her.
They carried her to paradise instead of hell/'33
After that, is there need of any proof: after these
inH^T;? "h'Ch are>eertain
indication? If anyone in theiranestablishment
asks or demands evidence, he and
is a
Wahhabi, an unbeliever. We seek refuge in Allah from these
weak intellects and sick hearts that have been overpowered
by the devil, and led them astray from the straight path.
The most marvellous of the stories are those which keep
32) Ibid., quoted from "Malfuzat al-Bareilawi," pp. 57-58

33) Ibid., p. 48
298
the people away from Allah, and lead them to other besides
Allah. They indicate that there remained no power and
authority for Allah, and He has no power of enforcement
and execution. But all these things have been transferred to
the saints and the righteous men. The best example to this
effect is the story related by the Bareilawi himself: My
Chief, Bayazid al-Bistami, stood at the bank of the Tigris
river. He went down in it and began to walk on its water as
he did on the earth. A man saw him and he wanted to cross
it. He also went down in it and walked behind him, and
mentioned his name. When he reached near him, he found
that he was remembering Allah. He imitated him, and
mentioned his name. When he reached near him, he found
that he was remembering Allah. He imitated him, and
mentioned Allah's name. But suddenly he began to sink in
the river. So B'ayazid turned to him and said, "My name,
my name, and not the name, and abandon my name?" The
drowining man siad, "I saw that you were mentioning Allah's
name. So I also mentioned His name". He said, "Have you
not reached me till you reach Him?" So he called out by
the name of Bayazid, and was saved from being drowned.
He began to walk on the water as he was walking on the
paved road. 4
We close this chapter with another marvellous anecdote
out of hundreds and thousands upon which these people
have founded their religion, built their Sharia, and made their
authority in both religion and -worldly affairs. How much
loss they are suffering! and how cheap they are!.
The Bareilawi himself has related the following story : A
gnostic was searching for a perfect spiritual guide. But he
could not reach him. One nighthe said to Allah, the Exalted,
"By Thy honour, and by Thy grandeur, I shall swear an
34)" Ibid., pp. 52-53.

299
allegiance to the first person I meet after the break ofdawn

next morning. When the morning came, he came out of his
house and stood along the road, waiting for the person
coming first. A thief carrying the stolen goods came. He
hastened to him and took him by the hand. He said to him,
"Extend your hand; Ishall swear allegiance to you. The thief
was surprised and intended to run away. But he did not
leave him, and he was impelled to disclose the reality. He
said to him, "0 Shaikh, what do you want for me.? I am a
notorious thief and plunderer. These are the stolen goods on
my shoulder." The gnostic said to him, "Whatever the matter
may be, I have sworn by Allah that Ishall swear allegiance to
a person whom I shall meet first in the morning. You are
the first man whom I have met. I shall not leave you unless
you accept the oath of allegiance from me." When al-Khidr
(peace be upon him) saw this incident and found him sincere
in his search for a spiritual guide, he stepped forward and
conferred on the thief all the ranks and degreesof sainthood
and gnosticism, and he caused him to pass through all the
stations, and made him enter the body of the perfect men,
while he was standing at his place. He then ordered him to
35
swear allegiance to that gnostic.
This is the true picture of these people, and these are
their arguments to prove the questions of the Shari'a and
the religious beliefs.
. <sx^>\ c>*-t c^*' •>*•* "'••'"" °*

"That is as far as their knowledge will reach them. Verily
The Lord knowest best those who stray from3gis Path'
and He knoweth best those who receive guidance."
35) Ibid. pp. 71-72.

36) Quran LIII: 30.
300
Allah, the Edalted. said:
«-J* jj&z c*jlji ai^ 4^1 .iici ^cu-lî

tO-^^jl Oj**-* f**^^! o< <-~oC f> • 3L>Sj
. 3L*—. J#1 jsa J_. f UL.VLS VI f* O1
'Seest thou such a one as taketh for his god his own
passion (or impulse)? Couldest thou be a disposer of affairs
for him? or thinkest thou that most of them listen or under
stand? They are only like cattle nay they ar.e worse
astray in path."37
37| Quran XXV: 43-44.

301
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68. Nur Allah al-Qadiri/'al-Fatawa al-Nuriyya)'
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69. Ahmad Yar al-Naimi, "al-Fatawa al-Naimiyya (Pakistani
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70. Sadr al-Afadil Naim al-Din Muradabadi, Fatawa
71. Al-Bareilawi, **Fatawa Ifriqiyya" (Pakistani edition)
72. "Bahari Shari'at'f Lahore)
73. AI-Bareilawi,"Nafy al-Fai an man anara binurihi
kulla Shai (Pakistani edition)
74. Ahmad Said Kazimi "Hayat al-Nafi (Pakistani edition)
75. Al-Bareilawi/Ahkam Qubur Muminin'(Pakistani edition)
76. Abd al-Qadir,<rlzalat al-Dalala"( Indian edition)
77. Ahmad Yar^lm al-Quran" Lahore, n.d.
78. Al-Bareilawi, "Barakat al-lstimdad,(Pakistani edition)
79. AI-Bareilawi/'Salat al-Safa fi Nur al-Mustafa"
(Pakistani edition)
80. Al-Bareilawi "Risala Baligh al-Nur"(Indian edition)
81. Al-Bareilawi, Risala Mahi ai-Dalala" (Pakistani edition)
82. Naim al-Din,"al-Kalimat al-ulya li I'lam 'llm al-Mustafa"
(Pakistani edition)
83. Al-Bareilawi, "al-Hujjat al-Mu'tamana"(Indian edition)
84. Khalil al-BarakatirHikaya't Ridwiyya'(Pakistani edition)
85. AI-Bareilawi.^Sharh al-Huquq"(Pakistan edition)
86. Al-Bareilawi Hajiz al-Bahrain (Pakistani edition)
87. Ahmad Said,"al-Haqq al-Mubin'(Pakistani edition)
88. Abd al-Sami/Anwar Sati'a"(Indian edition)
89. Al-Bareilawi, "Risala Abarr al-miqal fi qublat al-iklal,"
(Pakistani edition)
90. Al-Qadiri, "Risala Ghayat al-lhtiyat" *
Lahore.
91. AI-Bareilawi,ctBadhl al-Jawaiz fil-duai wa'l-qiyam ba'd
al-Janaiz" (Lahore)
304
92. AI-Bareilawi^Munir al-Ayn fi hukmi taqbil al-lbhamain"

(Pakistani edition)
93. Al-Bareilawi,"al-Harf al-Hasan fit Kitab al a'l Kafan,'
(Pakistani edition)
94. Ahmad Sa'id al-Kazimi, Maqalat al-Kazimi(Pakistani
edition)
95. Naim al-Din,*Atyab al-Bayan fi raddTaqwiyyatal-lman."
96. Ayyub RidwirBaghi FirdausVtBareilly, India)
97. AI-Bareilawi,"Adhkar Habib Rida (Majmu'ah Maqalat)**
Lahore.
98. AI-Bareilawi,"Maqalat Rida (Majmuah Maqalat)'Lahore
99. Sharaf al-QadirirYadiA'laHadrat"Lahore, n.d.
100. Shaja'at Ali QadirirMan huwa Ahmad Rida?Lahore,rt:d.
101. Nasim al-Bastawi*A'la Hadrat Bareilawi"Lahore.
102. Zafar al-Din Bihari,"Hayat A'la Hadrat," Karachi, n.d.
103. Al-Bareilawi, "Anwar Rida (Majmuah Maqalat al-,.
Bareiliwiyya)" Lahore
104. Al-Bareilawi, "Hadaiq Bakhshish,"(collection of poems-
of the Bareilawi)
105. Ahmad Yar!*Saltanat Mustafa'tPakistani edition)
106. Al-Bareilawi,"Risala Hayat al-Mamat "Pakistan edition,'
n.d
107. AIBareilawi,"Khalis al-1 'tiqad? Lahore n.d.
108. Al-Bareilawi, "Badr al-Anwar fil-taburruk wa'l-adab
li'l-Athar'.'tPakistani edition)
109. Badr al-Din, vSawanih a'la Hadrat*'(Pakistani edition)
110. Siddiq Bareilawi.Tadhkira Ulama Ahl-i Sunnat"
(Pakistani edition)
111. Didar AM, "Hidayat al-Tariq fi Bayan al-Tahqiq"
Lahore, n.d.
112. Ahmad Said,"Taskin al-Khawatir fi mas'alat al-Hadir
wal-Nazir"(Pakistani edition)
113. AI-Bareilawi,"Bariq al-Manar li shumu al-Mazar,"
(Pakistani edition)
305
114. Said Ahmad al-Kazimi, "Hayat al-Nabi," (Multan,

Pakistan, n.d.)
115. AI-Bareilawi,"Ahkam Shariat"(Pakistani edition)
116. Idhan al-Ajr fi Adhan al-Qabr,(Pakistani edition)
117. Al-Bareilawi, "Risalat al-Hujjat al-Fa'iha fi Tatyib
al-ta'yyum wa'l Fatiha'* (Pakistani edition)
118. Al-Bareilawi, "Al-Dawlat al-Makkiyya bil-Maddat al-
Ghaibiyya",Pakistani edition)
119. Hasnain Rida (ed.),nMalfuzat al-Bareilawi"
(Pakistani edition)
120. Al-Bareilawi,t "Risalat al-Qiyam" (Pakistani edition)
121. AI-Bareilawi,"Risala Khatm al- Mibuwyva"
(Pakistani edition)
122.AI-BareilawirRisala Tamhid al-lman(Pakistani edition)
123. Al-Bareilawi,"Husain al-Haramain ala manhar al-Kufr
wa'l-main'/dndian edition)
124. AI-Bareilawi/'Risala Tajalli al-Yaqin'(Pakistani edition)
125. AI-Bareilawi,ttRisala Ruhaun ki DunyatPakistani edition)
126. Al-Bareilawftisala Subhanal-Subbuh?(Pakistani edition )
127. Ahmad Yar,"Ja'a I-Haqq,"(Lahore, Pakistan)
128.AI-Bareilawi,"Risala al-lntibah fi hall Nida' Ya Rasul
Allah,"(Karachi, Pakistan)
129. Muhammad Uthmanal-Bareilawi.'Kashf Fuyud"
(Pakistani edition)
130. Al-Bareilawi. "Baraka't al-lstimdad"(Pakistani edition)
131. AI-Bareilawi.Vlstimdad ala Ajyal al-lrtidad.*'
(Pakistani edition)
132. Al-Bareilawi, "al-Zamzamat al-Qamriyya fi'l-dhabb an
al-Khamriyya." (Pakistani edition)
133. Didar Ali,~Rasul al-Kalam fi'l-maulid wa'l-qiyam''
(Lahore, n.d.)
lit' A1âl"Sattar^Na9hf"atal-Ruh,(Bareilly, India)
135.A|.BareilaWi. I'lam al-a'lam b. anna Hindustan Dar
aNslam' (Indian edition)
306
136. AI-BareHawi,"Dawam al-Aish fi anna al-a'immata min

Quraish"(Lahore, Pakistan)
137. Said al-Bareijcwi,"Risala Surur al-Ain"(Pakistani edition)
138. AI-Bareilawi,"Saif al-Mustafa aia adyan al-lftira"(lndian
edition)
139.AI-Bareilawi/*Risala Kafl al-Faqih al-FahinftPakistani
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140. Al-Bareilawi, "Ahsan al-Wi'a li adab al-du'a"(Pakistani
edition)
141. Al-Bareilawi, "Hakk al-Aib fi hurmati taswid al-shaib*,'
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142. Al-Bareilawi, "al-Nahy al-Hajiz an takrai salatil-jana'iz"
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143. Al-Bareilawi,** Risala al-Mubin fi Khatm al-Nabiyin,"
(Indian edition)
144. Didar Ali.'Tafsir Mizan al-Adyan'(Lahore, n.d.)
145. Ibid., 'Tariq Khatm wa Isal Thawab," (Lahore, n.d.)
146. Al-Bareilawi, "Risala al-Kaukabiyyat al-Shihabiyya fi
Kufriyat Abil-Wahhabiyya'(Pakistani edition)
147. Al-Bareilawi,"Risala Ajla al-l'lam,"(Pakistani edition)
148. Muhammad' Tayyib Qadiri.'Tajanub Ahl al-Sunnah an
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149. Shumul al-lslam li Aba al-Nabi al-Kiram.(Pakistani
edition)
150. Al-Bareilawi, "Risala Huqqat al-Marjan fi hukm al-
Dukhan)'(Pakistani edition)
151. Al-Bareilawi, Risala Mazq talbis bar idda'a taqdis,
(Pakistani edition)
152. AI-BareilawirDemani Bagh,"(Pakistani edition)
153. AI-Bareilawi,cal-Qam'al-Mubin"(Pakistani edition)
154. "Al-Haibat al-Jabbariyya" (Pakistani edition)
155. AI-Bareilawi,"Anfas al-Fikar fi Qurban al-Baqar'/Pakistani
edition)
156. Didar Ali'Madad Ghaffart Lahore, n.d.)
307
157. Al-Bareilawi, 'Risala Qamar al-Tamam fi nafy al-Zil"

(Pakistani edition)
158. AI-Bareilawii'Risala al Munnat al-Mumtaza"
(Pakistani edition)
159. Al Bareilawi/al-Wifaq al-Mubin>akistani edition)
160. AI-Bareilawi,KDawahim Fatwa*'(Lahore)
161. Al-Bareilawi. "Risala al-Nur wa'l-Nawraq>akistani
edition)
162. Al-Bareilawi, "Husn alTa*ummum>akistani edition)
163.AI-Bareilawi."Risala Rahb al-Sa'ah,"(Pakistani edition)
164.AI-Bareilawi,Risala al-Tarsal-MuaddatfPakistani edition)
165. Al-Bareilawi. ~Lam' al-Ahkam.'fPakistani edition)
166. Al-Bareilawi, Al-Madam al-Taraz," (Pakistan: edition)
167. Al-Bareilawi. Risala a'-Ahkam wa'l-'llatfPakistani
edition)
168. Al-Kazimi. "Miraj al-Nabi," (Pakistani edition)
169. AI-Bareilawi;Malak Asmani,"(Pakistani edition)
170.Ajmal Shah,"Radd Shihab Thaqib bar Wahabi Khaib,"
Karachi
171. Didar Ali,"Suluk Qaderiyya^Lahore, n.d.
172. Al-Bareilawi, "Risala Nuûl Ayat' Furqan bi Sukun
Zamm wa Asman." (Indian and Pakistani editions)
73.Ayyub Ridwi, Mada'ih A'la Hadrat,"( Indian edition).
174. Masud Ahmad. Fadil Bareilawi aur Tark Mawalat."
(Pakistani edition)
175. Hayat Sadr al-Afadil, (Pakistani edition)
176. Mahmud al-Qadirit/Tadhkira 'Ulama Ahli Sunnat"
(Indian edition)
177. Sharaf al QadiaTadhkira Akabir Ahli Sunnat,"
(Pakistani edition)
178. Abd al-NabC'Sirat Salik,"(Pakistani edition)
179. Al-Yawaqit al-Mahriyya. (Pakistani edition)
180. Golarwi,"MahiMunir:*(Pakistani edition)
181.Hasnain Rida (ed.), "Wasaya al-Bareilawi," (Bareilly
India)
..j
308
182. Al-Bihari.'al-Mujmal al-Muaddid bi Tahfat al-Mujaddid,"

(Indian edition) l}
183. Al-Bareilawi, Risala Arkh wilad al-Habib wa'l-Wisal
184. Al-Bareilawi.'al-Hidayat al-Mubarak fi Falaq al-Malaika."
185. Masud Ahmad,"Fadil Bareilawi fi Nazar ulama al-Hijaz,"
(Pakistani edition)
186. Al-Bareilawi, "Risala lljam al-Sunna li Ahl al-Fitna,
(Indian edition)
187. AI-Bareilawi,**Fatawa al-Haramain bar rajf Nadwat al-
Main''(Indian edition)
188. Al Bareilawi, "al-Hazar wa'l-lbaha," (Indian edition)
189. Mustafa Rida'*al Qaswara ala adwar al-humar al-Kafaraf
(Indian edition)
190. Al-Bareilawi, "Risala Izalat al-'Ar'^Pakistani edition)
191. Awlad al-Rasul "Risala Muslim League ki Zarrin bakhya
dari,"(Indian edition)
192. abu'l-Barakat)cal-Jawabat al-Saniyya ala zuha al-Sawalat
al-Leaguiyya',' Lahore, n.d.
193. Mustafa Rida, Tanwir al-Hujja liman yujawwizu iltiwa
»al-Hajj, (Indian edition)
IDARA T ARJUMAN AL-SUNNAH
Shadm C n1 Lor. (, Jtan)
Ph.... No' 41 1 0 411131 '
, _ '.... , . I"
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ii~t .

EHSAN ELAHI ZAHEER

IDARA T ARJUMAN AL-SUNNAH

EHSAN ELAHI ZAHEER

Translated by Dr. Abdullah

IDARA TARJUMAN AL-SUNNAH

Printed by Rasheed Ahmad Chaudhry

Bareilawis: Their History and Founder 33

Bareilawiyyat and its Doctrines 83

The Bareilawis and their Teachings '°1

The Bareilawis and Excommunication of the

One who offers funeral prayer over a Wahhabi 243

The animal slaughtered by the Jews,

Bareilawiyyat and non-sense talk 281

^ They know everything and dispose 291

In the nameof Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Praise be to Allah and peace be upon the Chief of the

truth which they concealed in their hearts to every body

to the reader a few words and their clearly defined stand

seems no reason to discredit any source which' he chooses

Thirdly, they have excommunicated all Muslims

tbn Taimiyya (may Allah have mercy on him) whose

judgment. Allah is the guide to the straight path.

A Itiya Muhammad Salim, Judge, Court of Law,

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the

Praise be to Allah, than whom there is no god but He

This sect is now among the sects of the subcontinent in

ignorant saints and sufi divines, they take it as performing

in faith in foreign countries in order to spread their false

1. They held a conference on a large scale in England

scholars of this community who had the honour of spreading

rumours by them, are all conclusive proofs of their fabrica

with false beliefs of the followers of evil passions and

Therefore, it is essential that we should unite ourselves,

Every one of them endeavoured to provide to me

EHSAN ELAHI ZAHEER

THEIR HISTORY AND THEIR EPONYM

The Bareilawis belong to a sect which is among the

1. Da'irat al-Ma'arif al-lslamiyya (Urdu), Lahore:

Miyanand his grandfather Ahmad Rida.6 But he liked none

6. Al-Bastawi: Al-Bareilawi, p.25.

the bread," although it was placed before him with the

15. Anwar Rida, p.360.

For this reason people hated him and separated from

21. Hayat A'la Hadrat, p.211.

teacher instructed him again. He said: lam alif: la. The

23. Al-Bastawi, al-Bareilawi, pp.26-27; Anwar Rida, p.35.

allege, has been reported about any of the prophets through

24. Ibid., p.26.

"For such He has wirtten Faith in their hearts and

27. Ibid., p.22.

of al-Ghawth al-A'zam (Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani) like a

32. Anwar Rida, p.270.

It is worthy of note that the teacher who used to

38. Al-Bastawi: al-Bareilawi, p.36; A'la Hadrat, p. 32.

It is obvious that there is a long period of twenty-four years

Not much is known about the family in which the

them among the Sunnis, as a tradition runs: " Ali is a

"Call 'Ali for help who is the manifestation of

What is the meaning of the phrase: * l-..". •-' fJ^* •>**-*