“And they were commanded not, but that they should

worship Allah, and worship none but him Alone”

(Quran: 98-05)

The Real Islam

therealislam2005@yahoo.com
 P R E F A C E
“The Real Islam” started out as a short essay on the basic concepts of Islam and as an
overview of the concept of Aqeeda/Emaan. The idea was to let the reader judge himself or
herself and see if he or she qualified as a true follower of Islam or not. However, given our
recent eye-opening experiences about the prevalence of polytheistic practices primarily among
South Asian Muslims, we were motivated to write about Islam in more detail. “The Real Islam”
now has the trappings of a small book in which we have tried to cover the basic religious
issues in South Asia, and especially in Pakistan, in a comprehensive manner.

By revisiting the basics of Islam, or what some may call orthodox Islam, we have tried to
make the reader question his own belief system and analyze whether it is in conformance with
the teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah or not. After reading the entire “article”, the
reader should be able to view Emaan in gestalt, and to realize the ramifications of committing
Shirk (Polytheism) or endorsing Bidd’ah (innovations), which are so commonplace today in our
society.

All those ideas or influences that have corrupted South Asian Islam are analyzed in their
historical context, while the amalgamation of philosophies of different religions into Islam has
also been discussed at length. Why is it that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has been deified in
South Asian Islam? Why have the titles of Data, Dastageer and Ghaus-al-Azam been bestowed
on dead saints, when they belong exclusively to Allah (SWT)? Why do so many Pakistani and
Indian Muslims visit the graves of dead saints and address their supplications to them? Why
have Shiites and Sunnis been so busy slaughtering each other? Why do so many “Muslims”
repudiate many Quranic ayahs and still consider themselves as submitters to Allah’s Will? Why
have Bidd’ah- like Eid Milad-un-Nabi, Qul and Soyem, and wearing amulets- crept into the
daily lives of “Muslims”? Are different sects in Islam actually Islamic? And why is it of utmost
importance to practice and preach only Islam, and not other religions? Are the original Islamic
values, as taught by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), incompatible with the modern world? We
have tried our best to satisfactorily answer all these questions and to develop a true Islamic
“lens” through which we should view the world, and especially the Muslim Ummah of today.

It is truly horrifying to realize that Shirk and Heresies have permeated all strata of society.
Any one can see posters and banners advertising Mehfil-e-Na’at, Eid Milad gatherings, the Urs
of Ali Hajveri or Sultan Bahu, the institutionalized lamentations of Shiites on Muharram 10th
and many such events. It is shocking to discover how far away we all are from the true
Islamic Emaan and values, and how conveniently our clergy has pawned the teachings of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for worldly gain. By the time the reader finishes this book, he will
be better able to understand the reasons behind the current problems of the “Muslim” world,
and why Allah has stopped answering the collective Duas of this Ummah.

In the end, we would request our reader to read the text with an open mind, and be honest
with himself. We must all realize that the only true achievement in this world is to have
unshakable faith in Allah and Prophet Muhammad’s teachings and to leave this world with
Emaan in our hearts; because there is no other way of finding salvation on the Day of
Judgment. May Allah guide all of us on the right path. Ameen!

ii
 T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
SECTION I: Points of Agreement 2
a) Sources of Knowledge 3
i. The Quran 3
ii. Sahih Hadith 3
 Hadith is also Wahi (Revelation) 
iii. Consensus (Ijma) of Sahaba (RA) 5

b) Ijtihad (Inference) 6
c) Islam Has Been Perfected 6
d) The Teachings in the Quran Apply to All Humanity Till the Day of Judgment 6
e) Learning, Understanding and Applying Quran is Easy and Obligatory for All Humans 6
f) The Job of a True Muslim 7
g) Faith/Belief is Not a Personal Issue 8

SECTION II: The Definitions 10

a) Emaan 10

i. Belief of the Heart 10

ii. Confession by the Tongue 10
iii. Actions of the Body 11

b) Shirk 11

i. Shirk in Ruboobeeyah (Lordship) 12

ii. Shirk in Ibaadah (Worship) 12
iii. Shirk in Asmaa-was-Sifaat (Divine Names and Attributes) 13

c) Innovation (Bidd’ah/Heresies) 14

d) Taghoot 18

i. Rejection of Taghoot (The Difference Between Emaan and Kufr) 20

ii. Revered Muslims Scholars and Rejection of Taghoot 20

SECTION III: The Difference of Opinion Regarding Aqeeda (Belief System) 23

a) Dividing Islam into Sects 23
b) Was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Created with Noor? 25
c) The Concept of the Dead Being Alive in their Earthly Graves 30
d) Waseela (Intercession) 33
e) Charging Money for the Performance of Religious Duties 37

SECTION IV: The Difference of Opinion Regarding Deeds (A’maal) 42

a) The Uses of Quran 42
b) Recitation of the Quran (Esaal-o-Sawaab) for the Dead 42
c) Continuing Charity (Sadqa-e-Jaaria) 43
d) Dua or Namaz-e-Janaza for Mushrik or Munafiq 44
e) Amulets (Taweez) or Charms 46
f) Nazar or Niaz 47
g) Interest (Riba) based Income 49

SECTION V: Brief Overview 53

a) Sufism 53
b) Wahhabism 55

FINAL THOUGHT: Ittehad Bain-ul-Muslimeen 57

 In the name of Allah (SWT) , the most compassionate, the most merciful.

SECTION I: Points Of Agreement

The fact that most of us in Pakistan have been born into Muslim families has given us a head start in
our search for truth. However, this particular incidence of birth has lead many of us to believe that we
ARE true Muslims: a fact that we never question in our daily lives. Our belief systems (speaking purely
in the context of the Pakistani society) have developed through any or all of the following influences:

1. Our observation of our parents’ and grandparents’ religious practices. These early childhood
experiences lead us to blindly follow the practices of our forefathers, without questioning their
religious context and background.
2. Whatever we have learnt from our textbooks.
3. An increasingly significant influence is that of the media.
4. Our question and answer sessions with a local molvi or renowned scholar.
5. Our own efforts at consulting the Quran, Hadith and other sources of information about Islam.

Most Pakistanis read the Quran in Arabic, which is not their mother tongue. Therefore, a very small
number of Pakistani Muslims actually read the entire Quran in a language they can easily understand.
Secondly, our consultation of the Quran is generally limited to a particular issue troubling our minds.
We read the relevant verses regarding the issues of inheritance, for instance, and not the entire book.
Therefore, most of us are unable to build a complete picture of what Islam is all about.

Our knowledge of the actual belief system (Emaan) in Islam is at best limited, while our knowledge of
the do’s and don’ts as listed in the Quran is selective. What most of us do not question is the complete
definition of the Aqeeda/Emaan/Faith, as delineated in the Holy Quran and Sahih Hadith. So all our
lives, we stay in our comfort zones, believing ourselves to be true Muslims, when this might not be the
case. As a Muslim and as a human, it is every individual’s responsibility to seek the truth and spread
it. It is in the same vein that this essay has been written. We have tried to explain the Aqeeda of a
Muslim, the prerequisites of being able to call ourselves Muslims, the finer points regarding the
definition of Emaan, with special emphasis on the concept of Taghoot (which makes up the difference
between Emaan and Kufr).

At the on set, we would like to establish the framework within which this discussion will progress. This
framework comprises of all the concepts about Islam that we all agree upon. These basic points are
stated below, with detailed discussion on every topic:

1. All Muslims agree that Islam, the complete code of life, was perfected 1425 years ago. The
conceptual framework of Islam cannot be modified, added to or subtracted from. This is why
all innovations in the teachings of the Quran, or the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
are termed as Bidd’ah (innovation) and are punishable.

2. It also follows from the above fact that the teachings of the Quran, as well as the Sunnah of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), apply to all times and all humans who will walk this earth till
Qayamah.

3. There are three authentic sources of knowledge about Islam: The Holy Quran, Sahih Hadith
and the Consensus of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In this essay, all
references have been taken from the Quran and supported with Sahih Hadith so as to avoid
any disagreements about the authenticity or truthfulness of these references. We have not
quoted from the writings of any scholar or imam, as far as the basic injunctions of Islam are
concerned, as their writings do not enjoy universal credibility among all the different Muslim
sects. In addition, the commentaries of a scholar reflect personal opinion, which is not
necessarily the same as the Quranic message under discussion.

2
a) SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE
Let us now discuss these sources of knowledge in detail to make things crystal clear.

The authenticity of these sources has been derived from the fact that Allah himself has promised to
take the responsibility of everything He revealed through His messengers from time to time and then
perfected His message on His last messenger, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Who can forget the
sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) at the time of Hajja-tul-Wada’ (the last pilgrimage) when he said;

"I have left behind me two things, if you cling to them you will never go astray. They
are the Book of Allah and my Sunnah." [al-Haakim]

i. The Quran
The best of these revelations or scriptures is of course the Quran, a set of commandments sent by
Allah through His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The book is widely available in its original form. Allah
says in the Quran:

“And certainly We have made the Quran easy for remembrance, but is there anyone
who will mind?” [54:17-22-32-40]

“And We have explained to man, in this Quran, every kind of similitude: yet the
greater part of men refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude!” [17:89]

"And We have revealed to you a Book explaining everything" [16:89]

"We have neglected nothing in the Book" [06:38]

ii. Sahih Hadith

The second source is Sahih Hadith, which revolves around the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH),
each and every word that he said and each and every act he performed exemplifying the Islamic way
of living. That is why we all agree that the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the best example of
the teachings of the Quran. Although the treasure of Sahih Hadith has suffered a lot of alteration and
modification attempts during the past eras; It is because of the promise made by Allah that he has
graciously saved it in its original form: All Muslims agree that Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are the
two compilations which contain all authentic Ahadeeth. Both books are collectively called 'Saheheen'
and if a Hadith is found in both books, it is considered most authentic. These books are followed, in
authenticity, by “Sunnan Abu-Dawood”, “Sunnan Ibn-e-Maaja”, “Jamiya Tirmidhi” and “Sunnan
Nasai”. The latter four books have both authentic and weak Ahadeeth. It is Ilm-ul-Rijaal, (the science
of men) through which Muslims were able to come up with a system to keep the Hadith pure and to
differentiate the authentic ones from the weak ones. It should be mentioned here that a Sahih Hadith
could be “Muta’shabeh” or “Muhkim.” A Muta’shabeh Hadith uses metaphors or similes to bring the
point across, while a Muhkim one contains clear commandments. If ever a Muta’shabeh Hadith seems
to contradict a Muhkim one, then all Quranic ayahs and Ahadeeth on a particular subject have to be
reviewed together, and the Muta’shabeh Hadith is to be subordinated to the Muhkim Ahadeeth on the
subject, and interpreted in light of the Quranic ayahs and Muhkim Ahadeeth.

So Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fulfilled the trust placed upon him by Allah completely, explaining the
religion to the people in its inward and outward form, making clear the lawful from the prohibited, the
encouraged from the discouraged, even to the extent that he taught us the manners of going to the
toilet and correct clothing etc. That is why Allah says in the Quran:

"Indeed you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for the one who
hopes in Allah and looks to the Last Day." [33:21]

"So if you obey him (i.e. Muhammad), then you will be guided" [24:54]

“But no! By your Lord! They do not believe (in reality) until they make you (Muhammad)
a judge of that which has become a matter of disagreement among them, and then do
not find any straitness in their hearts as to what you have decided and submit with
entire submission.” [04:65]
3
 Hadith is also Wahi (Revelation)
“And We appointed the Qibla which ye formerly observed only that We might know
him who follows the messenger, from him who turns on his heels.” [02:143]

“Those who reject the Book and the (revelations) with which We sent our messengers:
but soon shall they know” [40:70]

Below are some of the examples from Islamic history about which we find hints and references in the
Quran but without details. For details, we have to refer to Sahih Hadith. Similarly, for details of many
other famous incidents such as Bait-e-Rizwan, Sulah Hudebiya, Fatah-e-Makkah and the battles of
Badr, Uhd, Khandaq, Khyber, Tabook, Hunain etc. we have to refer to Sahih Hadith as we get only
authentic hints in the Quran and not the details. Some examples are given below:

Islamic Obligations

“And be steadfast in Salat; practice regular Zakat; and bow down your heads with
those who bow down (in worship)”. [02:43]

 What is “Salat” and how do we remain steadfast in it?

 What is Zakat and how do we practice it?
 What is meant by “bow down your heads” and who are the ones who bow down?

“And complete the Hajj or 'Umra in the service of Allah.” [02:196]

 What is Hajj and Umra and how do we perform this service of Allah?
 What is the difference between both?

“For Hajj are the months well known.” [02:197]

 What are these well-known months?

“Celebrate the praises of Allah during the Appointed Days.” [02:203]

 What are these appointed days, and

 How to praise Allah in these days?

“For such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times.” [04:103]

 What are the stated times for prayers?

“The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year)- … of them four are
sacred: that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein…” [09:36]

 What are the names of these 12 months, and

 Which 4 months out of these 12 are the sacred ones?

“and celebrate the name of Allah, through the Days appointed, over the cattle which
He has provided for them (for sacrifice):” [22:28]

 What are the appointed days?

 What does “celebrating the name of Allah over cattle” mean?
 How do we do it and on what types of cattle?

4
 “O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of
Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business”
[62:09]

 How do we know which day is Friday, or after which day it comes?

 What is the time of this prayer on Friday?
 What is meant by “the call”?

Incidents during Islamic Era

In Surah Aal-e-Imran (03), Verses 121 to 128, Allah is referring to a battle between
Muslims and the Kuffaar:

 Where and when did this battle happen?

 What are the details?

In Surah Tauba (09), Verse 40, Allah refers to an incident in which Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) went into a cave along with another man:

 What is this incident?

 Who is this second person?
 Which cave was this? In what time/era did this incident occur?

In Surah Tauba (09), Verses 117 & 118, Allah refers to a hard time on Muslims and
also about 3 men who stayed behind and were punished:

 What was this tough time and when did it happen?

 Who were these 3 men?
 Why did they stay behind?
 How were they punished and then forgiven?

Surah Jumua (62), Verse 11 refers to an incident when some people left Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH):

 What is this incident?

iii. Consensus (Ijma) of Sahaba (RA)

Finally, we have the consensus of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or Ijma-e-Sahaba,
which is the third most authentic source of Islamic knowledge for a Muslim. The companions had the
privilege to see Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in person and heed direct knowledge from him, which
undoubtedly makes them the best followers of Quran and Sunnah. Some may say that there were
disagreements among the companions after the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), however, it is
important to note that all such disagreements were either related to the government or other minor
issues. Not a single difference of opinion was found when it came to the matter of Islamic belief (i.e.
Aqeeda), which is the point of discussion here. Therefore, it should be clear in the minds of our
readers that the series of battles among Aisha (RA), Ali (RA) and Muavia (RA) after the death of
Usman (RA) occurred due to a disagreement over a matter related to governmental matter and not
belief. This also shows that Muslims may have serious differences among them but their belief remains
the same. Sadly, today we have gross disagreements regarding the basic Islamic belief system, where
many sects that follow belief systems other than the one followed by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and
his companions (RA), also call themselves Muslims.

Apart from the above 3 authentic sources of knowledge, there are quite a few points, which are a
matter of disagreement among Muslims and it is necessary that we discuss and clarify the ambiguities
about them.

5
b) IJTIHAD (INFERENCE)
The particular topic of Ijtihad is the most controversial one in the present time where one person does
not agree with the Ijtihad done by another. We see individuals doing their own Ijtihads every day
and/or Ulema doing Ijtihads on behalf of their particular sect.

To avoid any controversy, we have confined our discussion within the framework of Quran and Sahih
Hadith and Consensus (Ijma) of Sahaba only. That is because this discussion revolves around Emaan
and there is absolutely no room for Ijtihad in the matters of belief or Emaan, as things have already
been made crystal clear. Ijtihad is to be done in Firohi (peripheral/minor) matters only and NOT in the
matters related to belief and Emaan, as we cannot harbor beliefs different from those of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) or any of his companions. There are very clear rulings about basic Islamic belief
and Emaan in the Quran and Sunnah. Can we then do Ijtihad based on the saying of a prominent
scholar of our times when the belief and deeds of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions are
apparent to us through Sahih Hadith?

People who scream “Ijtihad” should remember that Ijtihad, although allowed, but is valid only if it
conforms to the teachings of Quran and Sunnah and does not contradict them in any way1. For
instance, one cannot infer that the use of nail polish does not invalidate a woman’s prayers just
because the Prophet (PBUH) once did his ablution without removing his socks. As there is a clear
ruling that all parts of the body that are to be washed during an ablution must get wet for the ablution
to be regarded as complete, therefore, the above-mentioned inference is contradictory to Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH)’s Sunnah and cannot be adopted or justified. Hence, Ijtihad too, is always done in
light of the above 3 authentic sources of knowledge.

c) ISLAM HAS BEEN PERFECTED

…This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor unto you,
and have chosen for you as religion AL- ISLAM… [05:03]

d) THE TEACHINGS IN THE QURAN APPLY TO ALL HUMANITY TILL THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
Allah does not change his Sunnah or criteria of judgment over time. This particular tenet must be kept
in mind while interpreting the teachings of the Quran, as well as our Prophet (PBUH)’s Sunnah. Many
so-called Muslim sects differ on certain dictums of the Quran, stating that they are applicable to past
nations or societies and have lost their relevance in modern times. However, falsehood and dishonesty
were punishable offenses 2,000 years ago and they will always fall under the category of “sin”. Allah’s
judgment criteria do not alter in the least over time, as this is essential to maintaining the integrity of
Allah’s word. Also as Islam was perfected 1425 years ago, whatever falls under the category of sin or
good deeds shall maintain its classification till the Day of Judgment, when life as we know it shall
cease to exist altogether. A case in point is that Allah has forbidden monetary compensation2 in
exchange for performing Islamic duties, like leading a prayer, or teaching the Quran. Allah has
admonished the Children of Israel for selling His communications to other people, therefore it is a sin
to claim monetary reward for making any effort in spreading Allah’s word, and this concept will remain
unchanged till the Day of Judgment.

e) LEARNING, UNDERSTANDING AND APPLYING QURAN IS EASY AND OBLIGATORY FOR

ALL HUMANS
Learning and understanding Quran is every Muslim’s personal responsibility. Quran was NOT revealed
for a chosen lot. Islam, the religion of equality, thus identifies itself separate from Judaism and
Christianity as both these religions engender the belief among their followers (and especially their
clergy) that they are God’s chosen people. This is the reason why Islam, and particularly, the Quran
have been made easy to understand for all peoples. Many Pakistanis cite the “unfathomable”
philosophical depth of the Quran as an excuse to their inability (or lack of interest) to completely

1
Please refer to page 24 of this article for a discussion on the need for fiqah and Ijtihad.
2
Refer to detailed discussion on monetary compensation for religious duties on page 37 of this article.

6
understand the book. This kind of reasoning has not only absolved Muslims of the responsibility to
read and understand this book, it has also helped create and subsidize the profession of a
molvi/sheikh/scholar. The premise of the Holy Book being difficult to understand is present in every
Christian and Jew mind as well. Both the aforementioned religions then require a properly trained
(and paid) clergy to help ordinary people understand the labyrinthine philosophies of Christian and
Jewish theology. Islam stands unique and well above these religions not only because its teachings
(Quran and Sahih Hadith) still exist in their truest forms, but also because Allah has made it easy to
understand for all who seek the truth.

“And certainly We have made the Quran easy for remembrance, but is there anyone
who will mind?” [54: 17-22-32-40]

“And We have explained to man, in this Quran, every kind of similitude: yet the
greater part of men refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude!” [17:89]

f) THE JOB OF A TRUE MUSLIM

By Al-'Asr (the time). Verily! Man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous
good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to
perform all kinds of good deeds, which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds
of sins and evil deeds, which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to
patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah's
Cause during preaching His religion) [Quran 103]

Surah Al-Asr is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful surahs of the Quran. It is straightforward
and concise yet extremely comprehensive when it comes to differentiating Emaan with Kufr and
defining the correct path a person must take in his life.

By analyzing each ayah, we learn the following imperative lessons:

 Allah (SWT) starts off taking oath by the declining day and pronounces that the whole human
race is in the state of failure, then follows it up by the most phenomenal declaration, which
distinguishes those who submit themselves to His absolute authority and divine Will from
those who do not: Believing in Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) and purifying one’s belief in Allah
from Shirk (Polytheism) is the prerequisite for a person to enter Islam.
 The next important message to be learnt is that only the good deeds of those who meet the
prerequisite of purifying their beliefs, will be rewarded in the hereafter. Good deeds (including
Ibaadah) have no meaning or reward without firm belief in Allah (or Emaan).
 Once the Emaan is complete, it becomes obligatory for a Muslim to preach the clear, explicit
and perfect teachings of Allah to people around him.
 Then, while spreading the word of Allah, any hardships are to be endured with patience and
serenity.

Majority of us see Islam as a ritualistic religion where performance of religious duties like prayers,
fasting and Zakat are sufficient to earn us a place in heaven. However, in Islam, correct beliefs have
the utmost importance and are the essential prerequisite for admittance into heaven. Very famous
personalities like Mother Teresa or Oprah Winfrey who have made significant differences in the lives of
the underprivileged, will not be able to earn Allah’s pleasure on the Day of Judgment because of the
absence of Emaan in their hearts. Our good deeds surely are for our own benefit in the after life,
however, what we tend to forget is that, on the Day of Judgment, the deeds of only those people will
be accounted for who die having Emaan in their hearts. People who have performed outstanding good
deeds in their lives, yet have died as Musrhiks (polytheists), will not even be questioned by Allah on

7
the Day of Judgment. There is no doubt that Emaan has certain categories ranging from weak Emaan
to true Taqwa, however, Shirk in every form is unpardonable.

g) FAITH/BELIEF IS NOT A PERSONAL ISSUE

Another important duty of a Muslim, after he has corrected his own beliefs in accordance with the
Quran and Sunnah, is to preach the truth to his fellowmen, as outlined in the above Surah (Al-Asr).
This is an obligation of the entire Muslim community. These days one very popular belief is that
religion is a personal matter and no one has the right to question another human about his religious
beliefs. This particular reasoning is a consequence of secular thinking in which all religions are
considered equally correct. Our electronic and print media is wholly responsible for bringing this kind
of reasoning in our society from western civilizations. Secondly, the recent acceptability and popularity
of Sufism (“Islamic” mysticism)3 among our intellectuals has lead to an increased fan following of this
belief.

This secular way of reasoning is supported by our educated class (or by people who have rudimentary
knowledge of the Quran and Sahih Hadith) by quoting only the initial part of the famous Quranic
verse: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” [02:256]. Islam cannot be enforced upon a person
through forceful means because true submission to Allah’s Will comes naturally to only those who
willingly follow Allah’s teachings. However, we have to read the verse in full in order to understand its
complete message:

“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error.
Whoever rejects false worship (Taghoot) and believes in Allah has grasped the most
trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.”
[02:256]

This ayah does not mean that one can follow any religion, any cult or creed. This ayah is often quoted
by followers of Sufism, who believe in all religions being equally correct. However, Allah makes it clear
in the above verse that one must reject all false deities and influences (Taghoot) and believe in Allah
alone; in other words, Islam is the only correct religion and way of life. The word compulsion has been
mentioned in order to stress on willing submission to Allah’s Will and to endorse the spread of Islam
through inspirational behavior and patient preaching by Muslims.

Moreover, it has been mentioned in the Quran many times that the entire Muslim community MUST
spread the True word to all humankind. We, as Muslims, are encouraged to make people question
their erroneous beliefs. This was precisely what our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did 1400 years ago
and was ostracized by his own family. He had to live in Shaib-e-Abi-talib for three years and survive
on tree roots, yet he never considered going back on his word. A natural consequence of prodding the
human conscience, or making people question their beliefs, is that they strike back, trying to maintain
the status quo so that they can make peace with themselves and their religious duties. Surah Al-Asr
points out that whenever humans are shaken out of their comfort zones, there is natural retaliation
and as harbingers of the truth, Muslims must steel themselves to all hardships coming their way.
Another important thing to remember is that ignorance of Allah’s Word will not be taken as an excuse
on the Day of Reckoning. All humans are born Muslims as Islam is Deen-e-Fitrat. During their
lifetimes, Allah sends warnings and signs to everyone. Some try to seek the truth, but most ignore
Hidayat. Therefore, it becomes a natural responsibility for those who are already aware of the Truth to
spread it and fight against ignorance, so that more and more people around the world can have a
good chance of finding salvation in life after death.

Finally, the last verse of this Surah warns the tellers of the Truth that hardships will definitely come in
the life of anyone who struggles against ignorance and Shirk. Endurance against such hardships is
characteristic of our Prophet (PBUH) and his companions (RA). Who can forget the patience of Bilal
(RA) chanting, “Allah is One”, lying on the ground in intense desert heat with a heavy boulder put on
his chest. Who can forget the determination and patience of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when the
people of Taif were stoning him? Who can forget the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions tying stones

3
Is Sufism Islamic? For an overview of Sufism, please refer to page 53 of this article.

8
around their bellies to ward off hunger? As long as such tellers of Truth remain in a minority, such
hardships cannot be countered through military might and must be endured at a personal level by
each and every Muslim.

Now that we have established the framework within which this discussion will proceed, let us now look
into the critically important concepts of Emaan, Shirk and Taghoot and then judge our own selves
accordingly.

9
 SECTION II: The Definitions

a) EMAAN
Emaan is a combination of Belief and Actions. This particular statement could be broken down into
three essential parts required for the completion of the definition of Emaan.

i. Belief of the Heart4

ii. Confession by the Tongue, and
iii. Actions of the Body

i. Belief of the Heart

Belief of the heart is the root of Emaan. Deeds cannot be perfected if belief of the heart is not firm or
complete. The Prophet (PBUH) said:

[Sahih Muslim - Book 10, Hadith 3882]

…Beware, in the body there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound
and if it is corrupt the whole body is corrupt, and hearken, it is the heart.

For a Muslim, the best way to achieve firm belief of the heart is to submit himself to the divine will and
commands of Allah. The disbelievers of all times have avoided this submission mainly because they
lacked the love for truth. Allah says in Quran:

"…he brought them the Truth, but most of them are averse (unwilling, opposed) to the
Truth." [23:70]

"It is not you (O’ Muhammad) that they deny, but it is the signs of Allah that the
wrongdoers deny." [06:33]

In general, the truth of Allah's Oneness is clear to everyone, yet they do not accept and submit to His
commands, which Allah refers to as Truth in the above verses. This is one of the major aspects, which
evidently distinguishes a Momin (believer) from Mushrikeen (non-believers).

ii. Confession by the Tongue

The second important thing is verbal confession. One must remember that a simple pronouncement of
the words 'La ilaha il-Allah' or Shahadah is not enough. The hypocrites during the time of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) did pronounce Shahadah with their tongues and even said their Salat in public but
they were not true believers.

The verbal confession MUST accompany 1) Rejection of all types of Shirk (i.e. false gods or Taghoots)
and then 2) the true belief in lordship of Allah and its related aspects. If we divide the Shahadah into
two parts, we learn that:

(There is no god but Allah)

The Shahadah starts with the words “La Illaha” (there is no god) “il-Allah” (but Allah), so the rejection
of all false deities/gods/Taghoots/helpers other than Allah comes first.

“There is no god but Allah”. When we say these words, we announce that:

 Allah is the one who is unique in all respects.

 He is The Creator and The Master.
 He is The Knower of the visible and the invisible.
 All favors and hardships come from Him.

4
Most Pakistanis believe that simply uttering the first Kalima is enough to become a Muslim. However, this
definition of a Muslim is incorrect and incomplete, as the following discussion will clarify.

10
  He is the sole provider of aid and assistance so He (alone) is to be remembered and called on
at all times.
 He (alone) is to be feared (transcendently).
 All hopes and trust are to be reposed into Him and all prayer are to be directed towards Him
without any intermediary or intercessor whatsoever. In fact, belief in intercession in this world
amounts to Shirk5. (Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) shall be given the authority to intercede and
recommend Shifa’at for the believers, but only on the Day of Judgment).

The second part of the Shahadah is:

(Muhammad is the messenger of Allah)

It becomes evident from the second part of Shahadah that:

 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is but a human being, a slave of Allah and His last messenger.

“Before thee, also, the messengers We sent were but men, to whom We granted
inspiration: If ye realize this not, ask of those who possess the Message. Nor did We
give them bodies that ate no food, nor were they exempt from death.”
[21:7-8]

 Prophet (PBUH)’s tradition shall remain the last word in all respects of human life until the Last
Day. The words of any one else will not be acceptable if they are not in agreement with the
Prophet’s sayings and teachings. All kinds of innovations (Bidd’ah) in Islam should be rejected
outright.

 Only that interpretation of the Prophet (PBUH)’s tradition will be treated authentic which is
certified by the actions of the Prophet’s companions (RA).

Therefore, a person who utters the Kalima verbally, yet does not believe in it or acts against it, is a
Munafiq and is not a Muslim. In addition, anyone who believes in the Kalima in his heart but does not
verbally state his belief is also not considered a believer, neither in this life nor in the Hereafter. The
outward act of speaking the Kalima is also an essential aspect of Emaan6.

iii. Actions of the Body

Actions of the body are the third integral part of Emaan. True belief of the heart results in external
submission to the commands of Allah. It is not possible that one’s belief of the heart is very strong but
is not demonstrated by his deeds. Actions of the body in conformance with the teachings of Allah is
the final step towards the completion of Emaan.

b) SHIRK
Shirk literally means partnership, sharing or associating. In Islam, it refers to the act of assigning
partners to Allah in whatever form it may take.

“Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated with Him, and He
forgives what is besides this to whom He pleases; and whoever associates anything with
Allah, he indeed strays off into a remote error.” [04:116]

[Sahih Muslim – Book 35, Hadith 6499]

“And he who meets Me in the state that his sins fill the earth, but not associating
anything with Me, I would meet him with the same (vastness) of pardon (on My
behalf)."

5
Refer to page 33 for discussion on Waseela.
6
Refer to page 18 for further discussion on the meaning of Shahadah in the context of Taghoot.

11
There are 3 major forms/categories of Shirk.

i. Shirk in Ruboobeeyah (Lordship)

ii. Shirk in Ibaadah (Worship) and
iii. Shirk in Asmaa-was-Sifaat (Divine Names and Attributes)

i. Shirk in Ruboobeeyah (Lordship)

Subcategories: “Shirk of Association” and “Shirk of Negation”
This category of Shirk refers to either the belief that others share Allah's Lordship over creation as His
equal or near equal, or to the belief that there exists no Lord over creation at all. The former type of
shirk is common among Hindus, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians who practice “Shirk of Association”.
While atheists and Jains, who believe in the absence of any god, practice the “Shirk of Negation”.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution is also an attempt to explain the evolution of life and its different forms
from lifeless matter without the intervention of God. These are all man-made philosophies and
explanations of creation and therefore, have erroneous, strange and illogical beliefs.

What is disturbing, however, is that with time these man-made philosophies have crept among
Muslims as well and now a growing majority of so-called Muslims practice Shirk in Ruboobeeyah as
they believe that the souls of saints (Aulia/Sufis) and other pious humans can affect the affairs of this
world, even after their deaths. It is believed that these saints are alive in their respective graves and
have the power to fulfill one's needs, remove calamities, aid whoever calls on them, and intercede
with Allah on behalf of the supplicant. Therefore, grave-worshippers assign divine characteristics to
these “dead no more” saints, who can cause events to happen in this life, which in reality, only Allah
can cause. Similarly, common among many Sufis (Muslim mystics) is the belief in "Rijaal al-Ghayb", a
sheikh who occupies the station called "Qutub", from which the affairs of this world are governed.

Secondly, an example of Shirk of Negation among some Muslims is that of many Sufis like Ibn 'Arabi
who claim that Allah is the only existence and all else is an illusion: “All is Allah, and Allah is all”, (i.e.
Wahdat-ul-Wujood). They deny the separate existence of Allah (separate from other material objects
in this Universe) and thereby in fact deny His existence. The Dutch Jewish philosopher, Baruch
Spinoza, who claimed that God is the total of all parts of the universe including man, also expressed
this idea in the 17th century.

ii. Shirk in Ibaadah (Worship)

Subcategories: “Major Shirk” and “Minor Shirk”
In this category of Shirk, acts of worship are directed to deities other than Allah Almighty and the
reward for worship is sought from the created instead of the Creator.

Major Shirk represents the greatest act of rebellion against the Lord of the Universe, and is thus the
ultimate sin. Consequently, false religion is based primarily on this form of Shirk. It is evident that all
man-made philosophies in one way or the other invite their followers to worship the creation.
Christians are called upon to pray to a man, a Prophet of God named Jesus (AS), whom Christians
claim to have been God Incarnate. Catholics among Christians pray to Mary as the "Mother of God” as
well as to human saints, whether real or fictitious.

This particular form of shirk is very common among so-called Muslims today. It also falls in the
category of At-Taghoot (false deities or anything worshipped besides Allah), which is explained in
detail separately in this essay.

If a Muslim allows the love of anything or anyone to come between himself and Allah, then it means
that he has worshipped that thing, or that he is allowing it to dictate halal and haram for him (or
define good and evil). Today, a majority of Muslims have gone so far in their love for Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) in particular and other so-called saints in general, that they have crossed the
boundaries of affection set by Allah.

12
 They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah
son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One Allah. There is no Allah save
Him. Be He Glorified from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)! [09:31]

'Adi bin Hatim, who had been a Christian before accepting Islam, once came to the
Prophet (peace be on him). When he heard him reciting the above Ayah [9:31], he
said, "O Messenger of Allah, but they do not worship them." The Prophet (peace be on
him) replied, They certainly do. They prohibit to the people what is halal and
permit them what is haram, and the people obey them. This is indeed their
worship of them. [Reported and classified as hasan by al-Tirmidhi and others.]

Muslims whose acts of worship fall into this category of Shirk are those who pray to Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) or to mystics in the Sufi hierarchy of saints, believing that they can answer their
prayers, though Allah has clearly said in the Quran:

“And they serve beside Allah what can neither harm them nor profit them, and they
say: These are our intercessors with Allah. Say: Do you (presume to) inform Allah of
what He knows not in the heavens and the earth? Glory be to Him, and supremely
exalted is He above what they set up (with Him).” [10:18]

An example of Minor Shirk is “Ar-Riyaa”. Islam is against exhibitionism and the practice of any of the
various forms of worship done in order to be seen and praised by people is Shirk. This sin destroys all
the benefits that lie in righteous deeds and brings on the one who commits it a serious punishment. It
is particularly dangerous because vanity is the most common of human weaknesses and many
Muslims easily fall into the trap of Ar-Riyaa. It is natural for man to desire and enjoy the praise of his
fellow men. Doing religious acts to impress people or in order to be praised by them is, therefore, an
evil that deserves man's utmost caution. Ar-Riyaa is also called “the hidden Shirk”. Thus great care
has to be taken to ensure that one's intentions begin pure and remain pure in the way of Allah
whenever righteous deeds are being done.

iii. Shirk in Asmaa-was-Sifaat (Divine Names and Attributes)

Subcategories: “Shirk by Humanization” and “Shirk by Deification”
Shirk in this category includes both the common pagan practice of giving Allah the attributes of His
creation (Shirk by Humanization) as well as the act of giving created beings Allah's divine names and
attributes (Shirk by Deification). It relates to cases where created beings or things are given or claim
Allah's names or His attributes. For example, it was the practice of the pagan Arabs to worship idols
whose names were derived from the names of Allah. Their three main idols were:

 Laat: taken from Allah's name Al-Elaah,

 Uzza: taken from Al-'Azeez and
 Manaat: taken from Al-Mannan.

During the Prophet Muhammad's era there was also a false prophet in a region of Arabia called
Yamaamah, who took the name Al-Rehman, which belongs to Allah (alone).

Among the Shiite sects is the Nusayreeyah of Syria, who believe that the Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH)'s cousin and son-in-law, 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib (RA)’, was a manifestation of Allah (God Incarnate)7
and give him many of Allah’s qualities. Among them are the Ismai'ils, also known as Agha Khanis who
consider their leader, the Agha Khan, to be God Incarnate.

Claims of Sufis (Muslim mystics) like Mansoor al-Hallaaj that they have become one with God and as
such, exist as manifestations of the Creator within His creation may also be included in this aspect of
Shirk in al-Asmaa was-Sifaat.

On the whole, today, all sects, divisions and groups in the subcontinent believe that Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) is alive in his grave in Medina and listens to the calls and cries of the Ummah.
Some sects believe that this sort of life is possible only for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Others go one
step ahead and believe that all pious people including all messengers sent by Allah, the companions of

7
This is analogous to Christian belief about Jesus (AS). Can these Shiites be called Muslims?

13
Prophet (PBUH) and saints (Aulia Allah) are not dead and that they become alive in their respective
graves after burial. It is believed that these pious men with supernatural powers listen to the prayers,
duas, cries and Durood recited by Ummah, reply to the reciters and also plead to Allah on their behalf.
The truth is that this sort of belief is clearly the gravest form of Shirk in the divine names and
attributes of Allah such as “Al-Hayee (The Ever-living)” “Al-Qayyum (The Self Existing)”, “Al-Sami
(The Hearer of All)” and “Al-Aleem (The Knower of All)”. We all know that Allah is the only ever living
and no humans can exhibit immortality. Sadly, titles like “Daata”, “Mushkil Kusha”, “Ghous” and
“Dastageer” are given to dead humans when all these titles suit the stature of Allah Almighty alone.

What is important is that some attributes and names of Allah can be applied exclusively to Him; for
example “Allah” and “Al-Rehman”. While other words can also be applied to creatures. For example,
one of Allah's names is "Al-Raheem", meaning Merciful, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is described
as merciful using the same word (Raheem) in the Quran, [09:128]. However, it is essential to note
that although, in cases such as this, the same word may be used to describe both Creator and
creation, the meaning of the word is totally different when applied to Allah, the Flawless, the Exalted,
for He has told us quite clearly that "there is nothing like unto Him." [Quran, 42:11]. Human language
is incapable of grasping the ineffable reality called Allah. Allah’s qualities and attributes are absolute,
limitless and personal. Humans may possess some of those qualities, yet they are limited and are
conferred upon them by Allah Himself.

c) INNOVATION (BIDD’AH/HERESIES)
Innovation can easily be called the corruption of Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Introduction
of new ways of worship into the pure Deen of Allah, ways that He did not teach, ways which were not
practiced by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), blemishing Allah’s Deen with our whims and desires, or
blind following of our forefathers’ and religious scholars’ self-created practices, is something that Allah
Himself condemns;

"Or do they have partners that legislate some religion which Allah has not given
permission for?" [42:21]

“O you who believe! Do not forbid (yourselves) the good things which Allah has made
lawful for you and do not exceed the limits; surely Allah does not love those who
exceed the limits.” [05:87]

"Follow that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and do not follow as
Friends and Protectors other than Him" [07:03]

Innovations have become so widespread in the religion today that people have taken them to be a
part of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). We must not forget that all innovations are started
with the intention of Sawaab (reward by Allah). However, what is more important is to determine if
they were part of the Prophet’s Sunnah or not! When a Muslim believes that Islam was perfected for
him by Allah through Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) 1425 years ago, then the criterion of the legitimacy
of a particular religious act remains the same as it was 14 centuries ago!

[Sahih Bukhari – Volume 09, Book 92, Hadith 382]

Narrated By 'Abdullah: The best talk (speech) is Allah's Book (Quran), and the best
way is the way of Muhammad, and the worst matters are the heresies (those
new things which are introduced into the religion); and whatever you have been
promised will surely come to pass, and you cannot escape (it).

The second most important thing is that an extended form of innovation may fall into the category of
Shirk (Polytheism) or Taghoot, which will NEVER be forgiven by Allah. Evidently, there is a very fine
line between Bidd’ah and Shirk, although both are unpardonable forms of sin.

Unfortunately, Bidd’ah are very common in our society today where lack of Islamic knowledge, false
information and/or social pressure have invented ridiculous practices.

14
Some common Bidd’ahs are recitation of Kalima during a funeral procession (Janaza), recitation of
Quran for the Dead (Esaal-o-Sawaab), celebrating the birthday of the Prophet (PBUH) (Eid Milad un
Nabi), ghair Allah ki Nazar/Niaz, Khatam-ul-Quran before the start of project/business/marriage etc.
and taweez (amulets) etc.8

In this context, it is important to mention those Ahadeeth that religious scholars and molvis frequently
manipulate to justify different types of Bidd’ah. This is typically done through the misrepresentation of
a particular statement or act of a Sahabi (companion of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and a strict
follower of Quran and Sunnah; in other words, an ideal Muslim). A selective part of the following Sahih
Bukhari Hadith is often quoted out of context:

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 3, Book 32, Number 227]

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever prayed at night the whole month
of Ramadan out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his
previous sins will be forgiven." Ibn Shihab (a sub-narrator) said, "Allah's Apostle died
and the people continued observing that (i.e. Nawafil offered individually, not in
congregation), and it remained as it was during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and in the
early days of 'Umar's Caliphate." 'Abdur Rahman bin 'Abdul Qari said, "I went out in
the company of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab one night in Ramadan to the mosque and found
the people praying in different groups. A man praying alone or a man praying with a
little group behind him. So, 'Umar said, 'In my opinion I would better collect these
(people) under the leadership of one Qari (Reciter) (i.e. let them pray in
congregation!)'. So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind Ubai bin Ka'b.
Then on another night I went again in his company and the people were praying
behind their reciter. On that, 'Umar remarked, 'What an excellent Bid'ah this is’;
but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time is better than the one
they are offering.' He meant the prayer in the last part of the night. (In those days)
people used to pray in the early part of the night."

If we analyze the entire Hadith, as well as its background, we discover that taraweeh prayers in a
congregation were not something new as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself had led congregational
taraweeh prayers during Ramadan:

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 3, Book 32, Number 229]

Narrated 'Urwa: That he was informed by 'Aisha, "Allah's Apostle went out in the
middle of the night and prayed in the mosque and some men prayed behind him. In
the morning, the people spoke about it and then a large number of them gathered and
prayed behind him (on the second night). In the next morning the people again talked
about it and on the third night the mosque was full with a large number of people.
Allah's Apostle came out and the people prayed behind him. On the fourth night the
Mosque was overwhelmed with people and could not accommodate them, but the
Prophet came out (only) for the morning prayer. When the morning prayer was
finished he recited Tashah-hud and (addressing the people) said, "Amma ba'du, your
presence was not hidden from me but I was afraid lest the night prayer (Qiyam)
should be enjoined on you and you might not be able to carry it on." So, Allah's
Apostle died and the situation remained like that (i.e. people prayed individually). "

After reading the complete Ahadeeth and their context, we realize that Umar (RA) had not innovated
at all; rather he had actually copied Prophet Muhammad’s tareeqah. When he saw Muslims offering
taraweeh in small groups, he simply united them in a large congregation. Instead of quoting the entire
incident, the advocates of Bidd’ah just quote the final statement of Umar (RA) and justify their stance.

Another Hadith that is quoted out of context is from Sahih Muslim. The Bidd’atis (innovators) use this
Hadith to claim that new practices can be created in Islam:

8
A detailed discussion on these innovations is given on page 42 of this article.

15
 [Sahih Muslim – Book 34, Hadith 6466]
“Whosoever starts in Islam a good practice (Sunnah), he gets the reward of it, and the
reward of all those who act on it. And whosoever starts in Islam an evil practice
(Sunnah), he gets the evil of it and the evil of all those who act on it”

When the same Hadith is read in full and in proper context, it reads as follows:

[Sahih Muslim – Book 34, Hadith 6466]

Jareer ibn Abdullah (RA), he said: “Some people came to Prophet (PBUH) wearing
woolen garments. He saw they were in bad shape and in desperate need, so he
(PBUH) urged the people to give them charity. People were very slow to respond, and
it could be seen on his face (that he was upset). Then a man from the Ansar brought a
package of silver, then another came, then after him another and another, and his
face was filled with joy. He (PBUH) said: “Whoever starts a practice (Sunnah) in Islam,
and others do likewise after him, there will be written for him a reward like that of
those who followed him, without detracting it in the least from their reward. Whoever
starts a bad practice (Sunnah) in Islam, and others do likewise after him, there will be
written for him a burden of sin like that of those who followed him, without detracting
it in the least from their burden.”

Now if we analyze the above Hadith, we discover that the word Sunnah means “practice” and does not
mean “Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)”. This Hadith simply means that an Ansar took the
initiative and performed a good deed. His initiative inspired others to follow suit. Therefore, the Ansar
will be rewarded not only for his initiative but also for the good behavior he inspired in others.
Similarly, if a person took the lead in starting a bad practice and others followed suit, he will not only
be punished for his sin but also for instigating others to follow him. This does not mean that the
burden of the followers’ sins will be shifted onto the leader. The followers too will be answerable for
their sin and their blind following of a wrongdoer.

The reader will also notice that the Ansar charity-giver did not invent a new practice in Islam: charity
giving had been legislated in the early days of Islam and Allah has promised to bless the maal
(wealth) of the charity-giver with manifold increase, as has been clearly stated in many Makki Surahs.

Thirdly, the abovementioned Hadith used the adjectives “good” and “bad” for practices. It is important
to note that Islam has clearly defined good, bad, right, wrong, halaal and haraam. There is no room
for any modification in the definition of good and bad. We are again quoting the following ayah in this
regard:

“This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and
have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [05:04]

What then is the punishment of Bidd’ah and why is it said to be the worst of bad deeds? Consider the
following Hadith:

[Sahih Muslim – Book 04, Hadith 1885]

Jabir b. Abdullah said: When Allah's Messenger (may peace he upon him) delivered
the sermon, his eyes became red, his voice rose and his anger increased so that he
was like one giving a warning against the enemy and saying: "The enemy has made a
morning attack on you and in the evening too." He would also say: "The last Hour and
I have been sent like these two." and he would join his forefinger and middle finger;
and would further say: "The best of the speech is embodied in the Book of Allah,
and the best of the guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad. And the
most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is error." He
would further say: I am more dear to a Muslim even than his self; and he who left
behind property that is for his family and he who dies under debt or leaves children (in
helplessness), the responsibility (of paying his debt and bringing up his children) lies
on me."

The reason behind such strong denouncement of Bidd’ah is that Bidd’ah can turn into Taghoot and if a
person becomes a part of Taghoot, he actually gets expelled from the circle of Islam because his

16
Emaan becomes contaminated. For instance, recitation of the Quran for the Qul, Soyem or
Chaleeswan of a dead person constitutes a Bidd’ah, as we do not find any evidence from Sahih Hadith
that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or any of his companions ever recited the Quran for the deceased, or
organized his Qul or Soyem9. Many Pakistani Muslims believe that having food cooked for the
participants of the Qul or Soyem is un-Islamic; whereas, the entire event is an innovation in Allah’s
Deen. The problem with such innovation is that if a Muslim considers a Bidd’ah to be completely
Islamic, he transgresses the limits set by Allah by adding something new to Islam (transgression is
termed as Taghoot). In essence, such a person is following the religion of his forefathers or his peers
for fear of social pressure and is not following Allah’s Deen. One must always be cautious about
becoming a part of a Bidd’ah while considering it correct from an Islamic point of view. A Muslim
should always abstain from endorsing or participating in a Bidd’ah as he faces the risk of relinquishing
Allah’s Deen, and therefore, commits an unpardonable error. It is extremely important not only to stay
away from Bidd’ah, but also to educate other Muslims about what constitutes Bidd’ah, because on the
Day of Judgment, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) will not be allowed to do Shifa’at of a Bidd’atis, and a
barrier will appear between Hauz-e-Kauser (Tank of Kauthar) and the Bidd’atis, preventing Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) to request Allah for forgiveness of the innovator.

[Sahih Bukhari – Volume 09, Book 88, Hadith 173]

Narrated By 'Abdullah: The Prophet said, "I am your predecessor at the Lake-Fount
(Kauthar) and some men amongst you will be brought to me, and when I will try to
hand them some water, they will be pulled away from me by force whereupon I will
say, 'O Lord, my companions!' Then the Almighty will say, 'You do not know what they
did after you left, they introduced new things into the religion after you.'"

Another Bidd’ah that is not only considered Islamic but is celebrated with religious fervor by millions of
“Muslims” today is Eid Milad-un-Nabi. (This Eid is more of an identity-building measure adopted by
Sunnis as against the Shia practice of commemorating 10th Muharram as a day of mourning for
Hussain (RA), which represents the most significant event in the Shia calendar). The practice of
celebrating Milad has gained popularity over the last decade or so due to the endorsement of the
event at national level by the media. The companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who saw him,
interacted with him, learnt from him and tried to follow his Sunnah in the most perfect way possible,
enduring many hardships along the way, who felt pain and sadness on his death, never thought of
celebrating his birthday. Why do the molvis of today- who have indulged in every poetic exaggeration
possible about praising Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who proudly call themselves Aashiqaan-e-Rusool-
exhibit such zeal in celebrating his birthday? Perhaps because of the food distributed by “Muslims” in
the name of the Prophet (PBUH), a substantial portion of which goes to the mosques, or perhaps
because of the free Umra tickets drawn for the audience, or perhaps because of the wages the molvis
earn by reciting na’ats for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Recently, these Aashiqaan have started to
shower the na’at-reciting molvis with 5 and 10 rupee notes. The whole event smacks of another
money-earning gimmick of our greedy clergy. The food cooked for nabi kay sadaqay is haraam from
Islamic point of view and cannot be consumed by Muslims.10 The irony about these celebrations is that
they actually commemorate Prophet Muhammad’s death day, and not his birthday. Historians quote
9th or 11th Rabi-ul-Awwal as the date of birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), with majority opinion
leaning towards the 9th of Rabi-ul-Awwal; whereas their opinion is unanimous about 12th Rabi-ul-
Awwal being the date of death of Muhammad (PBUH).

Heresies and innovation in religion are so commonplace in “Muslim” societies today that those who
abstain from Bidd’ah are actually considered to be “bad” Muslims. The reader must realize that the
rejection of Bidd’ah (and Taghoot) is the first step towards “Emaan-e-Khalis”, which is a prerequisite
of salvation on the Day of Reckoning.

It is He Who has sent down to you (Muhammad) the Book (this Quran). In it are
Verses that are entirely clear; they are the foundations of the Book [and those are the
Verses of Al-Ahkâm (commandments, etc.), Al-Farâ'id (obligatory duties) and Al-
Hudud (legal laws for the punishment of thieves, adulterers, etc.)]; and others not
entirely clear. So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from the truth)

9
Also, Esaal-o-Sawaab (transfer of Sawaab of recitation of the Quran to the deceased) is not possible and is an
erroneous belief. For detailed discussion, refer to page 42 of this article.
10
Refer to the topic “Nazar or Niaz” on page 47 of this article.

17
 they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking Al-Fitnah (polytheism and
trials, etc.), and seeking for its hidden meanings, but none knows its hidden meanings
save Allâh. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in it;
the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord." And none receive
admonition except men of understanding. [03:07]

"Let those beware who oppose the command of the Prophet, lest they are afflicted
with fitnah (trial), or lest they are afflicted with a painful punishment." [24:63]

A detailed discussion about Taghoot follows next.

d) TAGHOOT
“Taghoot” or “Taghut” is derived from the verb “taghaa” (to transgress), and it means everything that
has crossed or transgressed its limit.

The first thing Allah has obligated on the Son of Adam is to reject the Taghoots and believe in Allah.
The proof for this is Allah’s saying: “And We have indeed sent to every nation a messenger (saying to
his people):

‘Worship Allah alone and avoid the Taghoots (false deities)” [16:36]

So the first step towards Emaan is rejecting and disbelieving in the Taghoots, which include all things
worshipped besides Allah, while being pleased with this worship. This means removing every (false)
god that is worshipped besides Allah, such as a tree, a stone, the sun, the moon, an angel, a human,
a book and so on and so forth. These things have no right to be worshipped besides Allah, because
they do not have any command over the affairs of the universe.

The next step after this rejection is the following of Islam sincerely for Allah alone, worshipping only
Him, and affirming His right to be worshipped apart from all others. This obligation – disbelieving in
the Taghoots and believing in Allah – is the reality of what is meant by Laa ilaaha il-Allah (There is no
deity that has the right to be worshipped except Allah), for indeed it is first a negation and then an
affirmation. It should be noted about the first Kalimah that the Arabic word “Laa” sets the tone in the
definition of faith. The Kalimah starts by emphatically stating: there is NO ilah other than Allah. A
Muslim must say NO to all other deities (ilah), whether human or otherwise, before worshipping Allah
alone.

They (Christians and Jews) have taken their rabbis and priests as lords besides Allah,
and the Messiah, son of Mary, although they were commanded to worship no one
except the One Allah. There is no Deity but He, glory be to Him above what they
associate with Him! [09:31]

'Adi bin Hatim, who had been a Christian before accepting Islam, once came to the
Prophet (peace be on him). When he heard him reciting the above Ayah [9:31], he
said, "O Messenger of Allah, but they do not worship them." The Prophet (peace be on
him) replied, They certainly do. They prohibit to the people what is halal and
permit them what is haram, and the people obey them. This is indeed their
worship of them. (Reported and classified as Hasan by al-Tirmidhi and others.)

So whenever a Muslim allows someone other than Allah to dictate halal, haraam, right or wrong for
him, he commits Shirk and cannot call himself a Muslim anymore. Similarly, anyone who consciously
repudiates any Quranic verse, or a commandment stated in the Sahih Hadith also transgresses the
limits set by Allah and is not a Muslim anymore (recall that a Muslim submits to Allah’s will). This can
be better explained through this example. Suppose a Muslim admits to the fact that praying five times
a day is a fard (obligation) and if he does not perform that duty, he commits a grave sin. On the other
hand, take the example of a Muslim who does not say his prayers but he either invents a new way of
praying (as against the tareeqah explained by Prophet Muhammad - PBUH), or he repudiates a
Quranic verse by stating that prayers are not compulsory. Such a person is not a Muslim anymore.

18
Taghoot is a single word but it includes all such influences that compel us to go against the word of
Allah. Taghoot includes the obvious pagan practices of worshipping fire or idols. But if we look deeper,
Taghoot also includes Bidd’ah of our forefathers, which we have adopted blindly. (For instance,
chanting verses on date pits at a funeral, or reciting the Quran and transferring the sawaab to the
deceased). Taghoot also includes the practice of giving Nazar/Niaz in the name of anyone other than
Allah, and considering it Islamic. It also includes the practice of celebrating Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH)’s birthday (a significant ritual in the Sub-continent). Taghoot, thus, is any pir, molvi, electronic
or print medium, practices borrowed from other cultures, Bidd’ah (innovation) of our forefathers that
we have adopted over time, yet they contradict the Quran and the Sahih Hadith. By repudiating the
word of Allah, can we then include ourselves in the Muslim Ummah?

Perhaps, the most understandable as well as obvious form of Taghoot is social pressure, the fear of
“what will people say?” if we dare to abandon popular social practices that are expected of a “good”
Pakistani Muslim. For instance, not observing the Chaleeswan (40th day after a person’s death) is
looked down upon by the entire community. Wedding traditions borrowed from Hindus, showing
reverence to so-called pirs and Sufis, praying to a grave, are all manifestations of the Taghoots that
have quiet deliberately created a new Islam for South Asia. The latest and most famous Taghoot on
the horizon is Pervez Musharraf’s form of “moderate or liberal” Islam that is eating up even the basic
tenets of Islam as revealed in the Quran.

The word Taghoot is mentioned in the Quran in quite a few verses. Some relevant verses are given
below:

Quranic Reference

[Al-Baqara, 02:256] There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has
become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghoot and believes in
Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And
Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

[Al-Baqara, 02:257] Allah is the Walî (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He
brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliyâ
(supporters and helpers) are Taghoot [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring
them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will
abide therein forever.

[Al-Nisa, 04:51] Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture
(book)? They believe in Jibt (superstition) and Taghoot and say to the disbelievers that
they are better guided as regards the way than the believers (Muslims).

[Al-Nisa, 04:60] Have you seen those (hyprocrites) who claim that they believe in that
which has been sent down to you, and that which was sent down before you, and they
wish to go for judgement (in their disputes) to the Taghoot (false judges, etc.) while
they have been ordered to reject them. But Satan wishes to lead them far astray.

[Al-Nisa, 04:76] Those who believe, fight in the cause of Allah, and those who
disbelieve, fight in the cause of Taghoot (Satan, etc.). So fight you against the friends
of Shaitân (Satan); Ever feeble indeed is the plot of Satan.

[Al-Nahl, 16:36] And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation)
a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from)
Taghoot (all false deities, etc. i.e. do not worship Taghoott besides Allah)." Then of
them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying
was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who
denied (the truth).

[Az-Zumar, 39:17] Those who avoid At-Taghoot (false deities) by not worshipping
them and turn to Allah in repentance, for them are glad tidings; so announce the good
news to My slaves

19
i. Rejection of Taghoot (The difference between Emaan and Kufr)
Why has Allah stressed the importance of rejecting Taghoot? The definition of Emaan or Aqeeda is
incomplete until a person worships Allah alone, and rejects all other influences that are his Ilah. We
are not overemphasizing this fact by stating repeatedly that we are NOT Muslims until and unless we
reject Taghoot in all its manifestations. One can aspire to the status of only a weak Muslim if he
recognizes Taghoot for what it is, does not become a part of it but at the same time lacks the courage
to openly fight against it.

By reading the definition and the above-mentioned references from Quran, it becomes evident that
the true Emaan for a Muslim is not complete without the rejection of all types and categories of
Taghoot. That is because only after the rejection and repudiation of Taghoot comes the acceptance of
the Oneness and sole authoritativeness of Allah. This is called true Emaan. The concept of Emaan can
be viewed as a spectrum, or a scale from one to ten, with a score of 1 assigned to a weak Muslim (but
a Muslim nonetheless), and 10 assigned to a very pious Muslim, or a Momin. Those Muslims, who
possess Emaan yet do not have the courage to fight against Taghoot either verbally or through
physical might, but consider evil to be evil in their hearts alone, lie somewhere near 1. Those Muslims
who fight against Taghoot and endure hardships along the way, can be rated somewhere near 10.
Shirk, on the other hand, does not have different shadings like the spectrum of white light. Neither
can Shirk be scored on a relative scale from 1 to 10. Shirk is “Zulm-e-Azeem”, whether partners are
associated in Allah’s being, His attributes or His right to be worshipped. One either commits Shirk, or
he doesn’t. There is no such thing as weak Shirk, or strong Shirk. In any form, Shirk is unpardonable.

Therefore, a Muslim must always be conscious (and cautious) of the oft-encountered trap of Shirk and
must abstain from associating partners with Allah in all circumstances. He must also be aware of
Taghoot and must dis-associate himself from any practice, Bidd’ah or ritual, which is part of
Taghoot. If Bidd’atis (innovators) chant the second Kalima during the funeral procession, then a
Muslim must not only abstain from the chanting but also advise other people to refrain from this
practice. This takes us back to the discussion of Taghoot and our emphasis on repudiating all false
deities. Rejection of Taghoot is thus the “necessary” condition of entering the realm of Islam. Taghoot
and Islam cannot co-exist, as being part of Taghoot takes us OUT of the realm of Islam, and once we
are outside the boundaries of Islam (that is, we have transgressed the limits set by Allah) we cannot
call ourselves Muslims anymore. A simple example can make the fine line between Emaan and Kufr
clear. If any Muslim woman does not observe Pardah, yet she knows in her heart and admits to the
fact that she is ignoring Allah’s commandment and is committing a sin by doing so, then she will be
punished for that sin. However, such a person will still be a Muslim, maybe a low scoring ‘1’ on our
Emaan scale. On the other hand, if a woman does not observe Pardah, but also calls it outdated, or
backward, or stresses that this particular Islamic injunction is not applicable to present times, then
she repudiates the verses of the Quran making Pardah a fard (obligation) on Muslim women. And by
negating the word of Allah, she automatically gets expelled from the religion of Islam and becomes
part of Taghoot. This particular belief of hers, and her consequent non-observance of Pardah, is not a
sin anymore. It is now Kufr (while she herself is not a Muslim anymore but a part of Taghoot). This is
precisely the reason why President Pervez Musharraf, who calls Pardah backward, and who has
invented a new “liberal Islam” in many other ways is Taghoot, and all his personal statements
pertaining to religion must be rejected.

ii. Revered Muslim Scholars and Rejection of Taghoot

There are many revered Muslim scholars all over the world who have excellent command over
religious jurisprudence and can give the recommended solution to the peripheral, or day-to-day issues
that we encounter frequently. For instance, we can easily find a scholar who can guide us correctly
regarding the finer points of divorce, child custody, inheritance and other issues. Yet the topics of
Emaan, Taghoot and Shirk, which collectively make up the foundation of Islam, are rarely touched
upon. That is so due to the following factors:

 All of us take it for granted that we understand the definition of a Muslim, and consider
ourselves Muslims. Therefore, we almost always busy ourselves with issues that become
relevant only after we come under the heading of “Muslim”.

 We do not have the courage to denounce those so-called Islamic sects (or schools of thought),
which are in obvious contradiction with the teachings of the Quran and Sahih Hadith.

20
  Many Muslim scholars do not have the courage to risk offending different sects and
consequently lose the respect, admiration and reverence of their fans.

One particular scholar, though he has authority over Tafseer of the Quran, gives a very ambiguous
and confusing definition of Shirk. The psychology term “id” refers to the natural instincts/urges in
humans, like thirst and hunger. Our id is inherently hedonistic in nature. When a person hesitates in
leaving his warm bed for morning prayers, his id “tempts” him to choose the warm bed over duty. The
human conscience (or super ego) prods him towards duty, and is responsible for the feelings of guilt if
that person chooses the pleasure of sleep over prayer. According to this scholar, obeying our Nafs (id)
is also Shirk, as we let our id have precedence over an order given by Allah. We disagree with this
interpretation of Shirk. Islam recognizes the duality in human nature. Our bodies, by default, are
hedonistic and fall for temptation. Our soul (or super ego/conscience) is inherently pure. This struggle
between the id and super ego itself is what Siraat-e-Mustaqeem is all about. When our conscience
wins, we obviously experience no feelings of guilt and obey Allah’s command. This duality is in all of
us, and by succumbing to our id, we do not commit Shirk. Rather, we exhibit what is called “human
weakness”.

The other problem with the philosophy of the Ulema of similar standing is their notion of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH)’s persona. According to many sects, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a human
and an embodiment of light at the same time. Some believe him to be the first creation11 of Allah and
that the entire Universe (even the tiniest pebble) was created with the “noor” (light) of the Prophet
(PBUH). Certain sub-sects of Sunnis, who are slightly more educated, are against the belief of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) being “noor”; yet they believe that after his death, his soul was reunited with his
body inside his grave in Medina, so that he could work as an “inter-mediator” (Waseela) for his
Ummah, interceding on its behalf with Allah. The most corrupted form of this belief has extended the
idea of the Prophet (PBUH) being alive in his grave to different aulia and Sufis, who are also thought
to be alive in their graves and can also act as intercessors. Whereas the influence of Hinduism in this
regard cannot be ignored, the famous Sufis of the Sub-continent are directly responsible for
engendering this belief. The human psyche craves an object of worship that is tangible and visible.
This particular craving has been satisfied by clinging to the belief that all Sufis and aulia, who are alive
in their graves just like the Prophet (PBUH), can intercede with Allah on behalf of their supplicants (or
grave worshippers who bring their prayers to the shrines of these people). The followers of this school
of thought have thus found a tangible object to worship, whether that is in the form of the grave of a
local wali, or the grave of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Medina.

The Quran makes use of the word “noor” metaphorically. “Noor” is seen as the “light“ of Truth
effectively diminishing the “darkness” of ignorance/kufr. Quran calls itself Noor because it brings
hidayat to its readers. However, our scholars today take the word “noor” literally, and thus fail to
categorically refute the idea that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a “noorani” being. Therefore, they
end up mollifying all the different beliefs held by all the sects in Pakistan and abroad. The telltale sign
of their popularity is, of course, the hoards of people who speak of their great command over religion.
Yet they too never elaborate on the concept of Taghoot, or that believing Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
to be made of light (God forbid) is a falsehood and negation of many verses of the Quran as well as
Sahih Hadith.

Another famous scholar, although a learned man, also does not denounce different sects and calls the
Shia-Sunni difference to be only a political one and not a religious one. Whereas we stress that the
Shia-Sunni issue is a matter of BELIEF/Aqeeda. Two entirely different beliefs about the same thing
cannot both be correct. In addition, this scholar too, has never issued a statement regarding Taghoot
and the fact that different sects cannot all be correct at the same time. He emphasizes on comparative
religion, rather than correcting the beliefs of the existing “Muslim” lot first. In the light of Surah Asr,
shouldn’t his first responsibility be to interpret the true Aqeeda for himself and then spread it to
different so-called Muslim sects? Therefore, his sermons also lack the force of rejection of Taghoot. In

11
Why have we used the word “creation” for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), instead of the word “human”?
Because when cornered, the proponents of this school of thought revert to the verses of the Quran mentioning the
creation of Adam (AS) as the first “human.” According to them, the “noor” of the last Prophet (PBUH) was thus the
first “creation” of Allah and each and every object in the universe inherently contains some of this “noor.” This
concept has been borrowed from the Christian doctrine of Trinity. Refer to detailed discussion on page 25 of this
article.

21
our opinion, almost all of today’s scholars lack the courage to preach the correct definition of Emaan,
Shirk and rejection of Taghoot, because they are certain of the fact that the day they denounce the
beliefs of these sects, they will certainly lose all their fan-following and will be ostracized by the entire
community.

22
SECTION III: The Difference of Opinion Regarding Aqeeda (Belief System)

After going through the above discussion, the readers will now be better able to judge the following
concepts held in common by all existent “Muslim” sects:

a) Majority of the sects/firqas in Pakistan believe either in Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be

made of Noor, an embodiment of light, or that he is alive in his grave in Medina.
b) That the spirits (Ruh) are ruturned to the bodies in their respective graves on this earth and
the dead can hear our supplications.
c) Waseela (intercession by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) only to Muslims). That believing in the
intercession by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in this world is an “Islamic” belief.
d) That the earnings of a professional molvi are perfectly legitimate as he gets a salary for the
“precious time” he devotes towards spreading Allah’s message.

The reason for including these issues under the heading of “Aqeeda” is that belief in any of the above-
mentioned concepts constitutes Shirk or Taghoot and is an unpardonable sin. It is of critical
importance to expel such beliefs from our thoughts and our actions; otherwise we will be committing
Shirk in Allah’s divine being, His right to be worshipped (alone) and His right to directly hear and
address our prayers.

a) DIVIDING ISLAM INTO SECTS

We have discussed the views and beliefs of different sects/maslaks/groups in this article. These sects
are supposed to represent different schools of thought or doctrines within Islam. The division of Islam
into different sects is the major reason behind the disagreements and sectarian conflict that have
plagued the Muslim Ummah for centuries. The tragedy is that all “Muslims” universally accept the
presence of all these sects. Moreover, “Muslims” proudly identify themselves with these different sects
in order to establish their identity. All this is taking place despite the fact that many ayahs of the
Quran denounce the division of Islam into different sects.

“As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, you have no part in
them in the least: Their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all
that they did.” [06:159]

“Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into disputations after
receiving Clear Signs: For them is a dreadful penalty“ [03:105]

And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not
divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye
were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became
brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus
doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.” [03:103]

[Tirmidhi - Kitabul Emaan – Abud Dawud, Volume 03, Hadith 4580]

Abdullah bin Amar (RA) relates that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “Surely things will
happen to my people as happened earlier to Israelites, they will resemble each other
like one shoe in a pair resembles the other to the extent that if anyone among the
Israelites has openly committed adultery to his mother there will be some who will do
this in my Ummah as well, verily the Israelites were divided into 72 sections but my
people will be divided into 73 sections, all of them will be in the fire except one." The
companions asked, 'Who are they O Messenger of Allah,' Holy Prophet (PBUH) said,
"They are those who will be like me and my companions."

Some people take the above Hadith as an excuse for making sects while it is meant as a warning. The
Prophet (PBUH) has clearly said that only those Muslims who will be like him and his companions (RA)
will enter paradise. Since the Prophet (PBUH) and all his companions (RA) did not follow any sect and
called themselves Muslims, therefore, the 73rd sect actually refers to the true Muslims who will always
follow the original teachings of Quran and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s Sunnah.

23
Fiqah
Fiqah is actually the personal opinion of one or more scholars or imams regarding the Quran and
Sunnah. Whatever those scholars understood through the Quran and Sahih Hadith about the matters
of Islamic Shari’at would be their personal view or Ijtihad. While this in itself is not a problem (unless
the Quranic ayahs and Ahadeeth are deliberately misinterpreted to justify a wrong stance), the
situation takes a turn for the worse if the writings of a scholar influence his readers so much that they
start to follow his school of thought without questioning or without consulting Quran and Sahih Hadith.

In this respect, we disagree with restricting ourselves to following only one particular fiqah or school
of thought. Imam Shafaee (RA), one of the most eminent scholars of Islam, has adivsed all Muslims to
follow only those rulings of a particular fiqah that conform to the Quran and Sahih Hadith and reject
any ruling if the reader finds it in contradiction with the Quran or Sahih Hadith.

“If I say something, then compare it to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His
messenger and if it agrees to them, then accept it and that which goes against them,
then reject it and throw my saying against the wall”12

Therefore, all Muslims should have indepth knowledge of the different fiqahs, and should only follow
those rulings from these fiqahs, which they find in harmony with the teachings of the Quran and Sahih
Hadith. For instance, declaring that only the fiqah of Imam Abu Hanifa is correct while all other fiqahs
are wrong is a flawed statement. It is possible that Imam Shafaee or Imam Malik may have brought a
better interpretation of a particular act of or saying of the Prophet (PBUH).

Why did the need for a fiqah arise and why does Islam allow Ijtihad? The reason lies in the fact that
human progress is a natural and continuing phenomenon. Due to the needs of changing time, the
applicability of certain religious rulings needs to be checked. For example, can a Muslim watch TV or
use the Internet or communicate through telephone? This is precisely the reason why a hundred years
after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s death, social changes and human progress necessitated the need
for a fiqah. What is important to note is that a Muslim should resort to the rulings of a scholar’s fiqah
only if thorough research of the Quran, then Sahih Hadith and then Consensus (Ijma) of Sahaba (RA)
does not yield a conclusive finding. Secondly, Islam is a religion that recognizes the dynamics of
human progress and social changes over time. The reason why Islam remains applicable till the day of
Qayamah is that it allows logical inference (Ijtihad) on issues about which the Quran and Sahih Hadith
are silent or have given only a few guidelines. However, it must be emphasized that Ijtihad can be
done only in peripheral or minor issues, as stated earlier in this article. Even then, only that Ijtihad is
valid, which is not contradictory to the Quran and Sahih Hadith.

The problem with the so-called Muslims of today is that they rigidly adhere to the fiqah of a particular
scholar and blindly follow his rulings without questioning their validity in accordance with the Quran
and Sahih Hadith. This is obviously more convenient than reading the Quran and Sahih Hadith on their
own. In addition, the fear of social pressure has lead people to adopt many practices just because
they are popular among the masses and are considered to be Islamic.

For instance, Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) never wrote his Fiqah; it was actually written down by two of his
students, Imam Abu Yousuf and Imam Muhammad, years after his death. His students had some
disagreements between themselves but those were about peripheral issues and not about matters
relating to Emaan. Quite recently, many scholars like Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi have attributed
falsehoods to the basic belief system of Islam and a sub-sect of Hanafis has followed him blindly.
What the reader must understand is that it is the Aqeeda of the Hanafis of today, which is incorrect
because they have chosen to leave the actual teachings of Imam Abu Hanifa (RA) and follow scholars
like Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi who taught the false belief of the Prophet (PBUH) being made of Noor,
life in graves and intermediation etc. This particular sect is called “Barelvi”, which is the sub-sect of
Ahl-e-Sunnah wal Jamaat, the largest sect present in the sub-continent today and they do not follow
the actual teaching and Aqeeda of Imam Abu Hanifa (RA).

Imam Shafaee (RA) and Imam Malik (RA) do not have significant following in Pakistan. However,
millions around the globe follow the teachings of the fourth Imam, Ahmed bin Humbal. Regrettably,

12
This is a saying of Imam Shafaee, taken from Al-Majmoo’ of an-Nawawee (1/63).

24
along with Sahih Ahadeeth, Ahmed bin Humbal has also brought many fake and fabricated Ahadeeth
in his book Masnad Ahmed. Many of these Ahadeeth are in stark contrast with either Quranic verses or
with other authentic Ahadeeth. These Ahadeeth have done the same damage to the beliefs of the
blind-followers of Humbali school of thought and have lead them to have faith in more or less the
same beliefs as of the Hanafis. Therefore, if a reader is quoted a Hadith by someone, he should first
verify whether the Hadith is authentic or not. All Sahih Bukhari Ahadeeth are considered authentic,
however, the book is silent on certain subjects. In that case, if another book is consulted, the reader
must verify the authenticity of the Hadith before choosing to believe in it.

Sadly, Imam Shafaee’s sound advice has been forgotten, and any scholar, who is an expert at
rhetoric, easily finds many followers of his own interpretations of the Quran and Hadith. With the
passage of time, Muslims have started to attach more importance to the sayings of their
elders/Ulema/scholars/forefathers etc. even in the matters of belief, without even bothering to confirm
their interpretations through Quran and Sahih Hadith. Now a days, it is of secondary importance for
Muslims to confirm if such beliefs were actually taught by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or followed by
his Sahaba (RA). At times, Quranic verses and Ahadeeth are deliberately misinterpreted to find
justification of erroneous or Shirk-based beliefs. A case in point is the notion of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) being Noor, which will presently be discussed in detail. In actuality, we must not harbor a
belief different from the one taught and practiced by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions
(RA) because confusions regarding matters of belief as well as correct Islamic behavior have been
settled centuries ago.

In this day and age, when Muslims are being continuously humiliated at the hands of more advanced
civilizations, our scholars are more concerned about peripheral issues and heresies, on which all sects
are in disagreement. These sects have not even been able to agree on one correct way of saying
Salat, let alone other issues. In many instances, “Muslims” prefer the interpretations of their scholars
to the Quranic rulings on a matter. In the same case of Salat, about which we find detailed Sahih
Hadith chapters, if a scholar gives a ruling, that ruling is adopted without confirming it from Hadith.

The ONLY solution to these problems lies in our firm belief in the fact that there is no room for sects in
Islam; that the fiqah of a scholar should be adopted only if the 3 sources of Islamic knowledge (that is
the Quran, Sahih Hadith and Ijma-e-Sahaba) are silent on a subject, on the condition that a fiqah
does not contradict the Quran and Sunnah; that the title of “Muslim” should be enough for us as this is
what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions used to call themselves. We will be individually
responsible to Allah for our own beliefs and deeds. It is a personal obligation on ALL of us to read,
understand and apply the teachings of the Quran and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in our lives. And
most importantly, ignorance will not be an excuse for forgiveness on the Day of Judgment and we will
not be allowed to shift the blame of our bad deeds or beliefs (if any) to the scholars of our time, as
Allah will also judge them for their own deeds and beliefs.

b) WAS PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) CREATED WITH NOOR?

“The Muslims had arrived in India as conquerors. They saw their religion as infinitely
superior to that of the idol-worshipping Hindus and Buddhists. The bulk of Indian
Muslims were nonetheless converts: some forced and others voluntary, seeking
escape, in Kashmir and Bengal especially, from the rigors of the caste system. Thus,
despite itself, Islam in India, as in coastal Africa, China and the Indonesian
archipelago, was affected by local religious practices. Muslim saints were
worshipped like Hindu gods. Holy men and ascetics were incorporated into
Indian Islam. Prophet Muhammad came to be regarded as a divinity……The
Koran expressly disavows necromancy, magic and omens, and yet these
superstitions remain a strong part of Sub-continental Islam. Many Muslim
political leaders still have favorite astrologers and soothsayers.”13

13
The Clash of Fundamentalisms by Tariq Ali, pp. 227.

25
 “One of the divine names of the Koran is an-Nur, the Light…An-Nur, the Light, is not
God himself, therefore, but refers to the enlightenment which he bestows on a
particular revelation which shines in the heart of an individual.”14

The above-mentioned view on the divinization of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is of a famous historian,
Tariq Ali, who is an atheist. While the concept of the holy Quran being Noor has been beautifully
elaborated by Karen Armstrong, an ex-nun. Why is it then that our holy men and ulema have failed to
see the obvious? Why is it that the Barelvis, and the Shiites desperately cling to the idea that Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) was Noor? (Shiites extend this further to Ali (RA), declaring him to be God
Incarnate). Where did this concept come from?

Though it is difficult to pinpoint the exact influence, and the exact timing of the emergence of this
concept, history does provide certain facts. The striking similarity between this perception of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) with the Christian perception of Jesus (AS) leads one to wonder if it was the
ingenuity of a mullah or a Sufi to deliberately use the Christian template and apply the same concept
of creation to Muhammad (PBUH). An explanation is necessary in this regard. If we look back at
Christian history and try to discover the origins of the doctrine of Trinity, which is central to
Christianity, we find out that a large gathering of bishops at Nicaea on 20 May 325 A.D. had taken
place in order to develop an official creed for Christians. The Christian clergy had for centuries been
plagued by the idea of correctly defining the person of Jesus (AS).

The official creed signed by the delegates at Nicaea, Italy is stated below:

We believe in one God,

The Father Almighty,
Maker of all things, visible and invisible,
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
The Son of God,
The only-begotten of the Father,
That is, of the substance of the Father,
God from God,
Light from light,
True God from true God,
Begotten not made,
Of one substance with the Father,
Through whom all things were made,
Those things that are in heaven and
Those things that are on earth,
Who for us men and our salvation,
Came down and was made man,
Suffered,
Rose again on the third day,
Ascended into the heavens
And will come
To judge the living and the dead.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit.

If the reader will notice the highlighted section of this creed, he will stumble upon the exact belief that
we hear today from “Muslims” who believe Muhammad (PBUH) or Ali (RA) to be Noor. The idea of God
being light is an ancient one and central to Christian belief. Many “Muslims” today are also in the habit
of imagining the persona of God as ineffable light. However, what is more striking is the concept that
“through him all things were made.” In other words, God’s light was somehow transferred to Jesus
(AS), and from the light of Jesus (AS), all creation (on heavens and earth) took place. This is exactly
the same concept held dear by the Barelvi (a sub-sect of Sunnis), Shia and Sufi sect today. They all
believe in a fake (mozoo) Hadith that states:

14
A History of God by Karen Armstrong, pp. 176.

26
 It is related that Jabir ibn Abdullah said to the Prophet: "O Messenger of Allah, may
my father and mother be sacrificed for you, tell me of the first thing Allah created
before all things." He said: "O Jabir, the first thing Allah created was the light
of your Prophet from His light, and that light remained (lit. "turned") in the
midst of His Power for as long as He wished and there was not, at that time, a
Tablet or a Pen or a Paradise or a Fire or an Angel or a Heaven or an Earth.
And when Allah wished to create creation, he divided that Light into four
parts and from the first made the Pen, from the second the Tablet, from the
third the Throne, [and from the fourth everything else]."

Scholars belonging to this school of thought regard Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be the absolutely
first creation into which God imparted His own Noor. From Prophet Muhammad’s Noor, then, all other
objects and beings in the heavens and the earth were created. All humans today, therefore, share
some part of this original Noor. Based on this premise, the Sufi school of thought considers it possible
to ascend the ladder back to Allah, and finally become one with the original Light of Allah. According
to Sufism, the reason why it is possible to do so is because all of us, in essence, are a part of the
Creator, and our souls have an inherent divine element15.

The concept of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) being Noor is thus self-serving for certain “Islamic” sects.
It helps in the deification of the Prophet (PBUH) so we could all consider him divine and worthy of
some sort of worship; thus, the slogan of “Ya Rasool Allah madad (Save us, O’ Prophet).” This concept
also makes it possible to imagine the Prophet (PBUH) as alive and attentive (in his grave), to the
Durood-o-Salaam offered to him. An important point is that the only proper and most recommended
Durood that was taught by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is “Durood-e-Ibrahimi” (also recited during
Salat). The Durood starts with the words: Allah-humma. That is, the Durood is addressed to Allah, and
the reciter requests Allah to bless Muhammad (PBUH) and his family, the way He blessed Ibrahim
(AS) and his family. Yet many sects (including Ahl-e-Hadith) believe that the Durood (if recited far
away from Medina) is taken by angels and offered directly to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his grave
in Medina. Prophet Muhammad’s spirit is returned to his body so that he can hear the Durood, and
reply to it himself, especially when the Durood is recited while standing next to his grave. First of all,
how can the Durood, which is addressed to Allah, be taken to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for a reply?
Secondly, why would Allah put his beloved Prophet’s soul to such discomfort, and repeatedly return it
to his body while a Durood is recited every passing second in some corner of the world?

In retrospect, it then becomes clear why many sects today believe Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be
alive in his grave in Medina (a la Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi) and why so many Muslims consider it an
obligation to visit the shrine of the Prophet (PBUH) and beg him to intercede with Allah on their behalf.
Believing Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be Noor makes him remote and aloof, and therefore, divine
and worthy of worship. The belief in Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) being alive today gives “Muslims” a
straw to cling to: that they will forever have Allah’s beloved Prophet as an intercessor on their behalf.
Yet again, this is a move towards convenient salvation. The danger in this philosophy has been
overlooked for centuries: such a concept is pure Shirk and is an unpardonable sin.

What does the Quran have to say on this topic? First of all, we must clarify that Allah is NOT Noor.
Rather, Noor is a creation of Allah. As the Quran states that Allah is an ineffable reality and human
language cannot produce an adequate parable, therefore, there is no mithaal (example) of what Allah
is like. Hence, the Creator (Allah) and the creation (light) cannot be one and the same. If Allah is not
Noor, what then is the guiding light that is frequently mentioned in the Quran? Surprisingly an ex-nun,
Karen Armstrong has already given the answer to this question. Let us now provide adequate proof
from the Quran itself:

Praise be Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, and made the darkness
and the light. Yet those who reject Faith hold (others) as equal, with their Guardian-
Lord. [06:01]

“Surely We revealed the Taurat in which was guidance and light” [05:44]

“and We gave him (Isa) the Injeel in which was guidance and light” [05:46]

15
Refer to the basic tenets of Sufism on page 53 of this article.

27
 Allah is the guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of the darkness
into the light; and (as to) those who disbelieve, their guardians are Taghoots
who take them out of the light into the darkness; they are the inmates of the
fire, in it they shall abide. [02:257]

"And thus did We reveal to you an inspired book (Quran) by Our command. You did
not know what the Book was, nor (what) the faith (was), but We made it a light,
guiding thereby whom We please of Our servants; and most surely you show the
way to the right path: [42:52]

Noor, therefore, is a word used by the Quran to either denote guidance, true knowledge or Emaan (as
an antonym to the darkness of Kufr). Noor has also been used as a “parable” to describe the
omnipresence of Allah and the fact that He is the source of all guidance (in Surah Noor, 24:35). The
blind followers of different sects, who instead of reading Quran and Hadith themselves, conveniently
rely on the sayings and interpretations of their leaders, have taken these ayahs literally, claiming that
Allah Himself or some of His creations among humans such as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and/or
other pious people are made of Noor.

The Shia contribution in this regard cannot be ignored. They extended the concept of Ali (RA) being
Noor to their Imams, who are supposed to be divine as well. In their enthusiasm for the person of Ali
(RA), they elevated him and his descendents to a position above that of Muhammad (PBUH). Shiites
gave Ali (RA) and their Imams a near-divine status. The origins of this concept lie in ancient Persian
paganism:

“The Shias, however, gradually evolved ideas that seemed even closer to Christian
incarnation16…(Regarding the divinity of Ali and the Imams) They (Shias) were
drawing on ancient Persian tradition of a chosen god-begotten family which
transmitted the divine glory from one generation to another.”17

Followers of different sects quote the following ayah to prove their claim that Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) was made of Noor:

"There has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah" [05:15]

While developing this interpretation, they are acquiescing to the same tendency that was exhibited by
the Mushrikeen of Mecca, who were only willing to accept a prophet who was a supernatural being,
perhaps an angel. They found it difficult to understand that a prophet could be of the same substance
of creation (clay) as are other human beings; that a prophet could eat, sleep, work and get tired.

And they say: "What sort of a messenger is this, who eats food, and walks through the
streets? Why has not an angel been sent down to him to give admonition with him?
[25:07]
Allah could easily have appointed an angel as a prophet, but human beings could have simply raised
one objection and refused to follow his sunnah: “how can we, mere mortal and flawed humans, follow
the perfect path of a supernatural prophet?” Since Allah wanted us to believe that we can all follow the
Sirat-e-Mustaqeem, He appointed a human being like us as prophet.
Say: Had there been in the earth angels walking about as settlers, We would certainly
have sent down to them from the heaven an angel as a messenger. [17:95]
Was the Prophet (PBUH) made of Noor then? This is what the Quran has to say on the subject:
Therefore believe in Allah AND His Messenger AND the Light, which We have
revealed; and Allah is Aware of what you do. [64:08]

From the above verse, we learn that it is the Quran that is addressed as noor/light/hidayat. Yet
another ayah of Quran makes it even more apparent:

16
Shias believe Ali (RA) to be God Incarnate, analogous to the Christian belief about Jesus.
17
A History of God by Karen Armstrong, pp.189.

28
 “Those who follow the Messenger-Prophet, the Ummi, whom they find written down
with them in the Taurat and the Injeel (who) enjoins them good and forbids them evil,
and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful to them impure things,
and removes from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them; so (as
for) those who believe in him and honor him and help him, and follow the light
which has been sent down with him, these it is that are the successful.” [07:157]

The light or Hidayat sent down with the Prophet was the Quran, the guiding book that can help us all
attain salvation. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and all other messengers of Allah, were human beings
like us, given to the same physical limitations that all human beings have:

“And We have not sent before you but men (as messengers) from (among) the people
of the towns, to whom We sent revelations. [12:109] & [16:43]

“Before thee, also, the messengers We sent were but men, to whom We granted
inspiration: If ye realize this not, ask of those who possess the Message. Nor did We
give them bodies that ate no food, nor were they exempt from death.” [21:7-8]

And We granted not to any human being immortality before you (O' Muhammad), then
if you die, would they live forever? [21:34]

Say (O' Muhammad): "I am only a man like yourselves; it is revealed to me that your
god is one Allah, therefore whoever hopes to meet his Lord, he should do good deeds,
and not join any one in the service of his Lord.” [18:110 and 41:06]

Say: I do not say to you, I have with me the treasures of Allah, nor do I know the
unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel; I do not follow aught save that which
is revealed to me. Say: Are the blind and the seeing one alike? Do you not then
reflect? [06:50]

Can we then consider Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a personification of Noor? Does Noor sweat, has
forefathers, parents, gets married and has children? Does Noor get tired and old? Does Noor feel
hungry, gets hurt and bleeds? Is Noor given a bath with water after death? Is Noor buried? The more
resourceful learned minds have come up with another solution if presented with strong arguments
against the case of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) being Noor. They stress that Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) was actually Noor but in the disguise of a human. They have coined the term libada-e-
bashariat. So at times he was bashar (human), given to human weaknesses, while at other times he
was Noor. While receiving divine revelation, he was in libada-e-nooraniat. Human innovation knows no
ends. No wonder the Quran states heresies as the worst of bad deeds. Legend has it that the more
famous of the pious Sufi saints could also exhibit a certain duality: at times they were purely human,
at times divine (when they were one with Allah). If the Prophet’s persona was dichotomous, then how
can we, purely human as we are, ever aspire to please Allah by following the Prophet’s Sunnah? How
can we, 14 centuries later, distinguish between the Prophet’s acts as Noor and his acts as a human?

And We have not sent you (O’ Muhammad) but as a giver of good news and as a
warner. [25:56]

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the best among the best of humans. His entire life had a purpose: we
are to learn from his teachings and his deeds and try to apply them in our daily lives. The teachings of
the Quran are simple and straightforward and have been adequately explained by Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) through his words and deeds. Therefore, instead of worrying about the physical make up of
our beloved Prophet (PBUH), we should be more concerned about applying his teachings to our day-
to-day affairs. Moreover, the Quran has laid to rest any debate about the person of Muhammad
(PBUH) by repeatedly stating the he was a human: a man and a messenger of Allah.

29
c) THE CONCEPT OF THE DEAD BEING ALIVE IN THEIR EARTHLY GRAVES

And they ask you (O’ Muhammad) concerning the Ruh (the Spirit); Say: "The Ruh: it
is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge,
you (mankind) have been given only a little." [17:85]

We are living in Aalam-e-Duniya. ALL humans (whether good or bad), after death, are sent to a place,
which is a barrier or partition called, “AALAM-e-BARZAKH” and they shall be raised only on the Day of
Resurrection18.

“and before them is a barrier (Barzakh) until the day they are raised.” [23:100]

It is evident that return of RUH (soul) in the dead-body (in the earthly grave) before the Day of
Resurrection is against the Quran. The souls of all humans will experience Barzakh. All good people,
including martyrs, messengers and prophets are blessed in Barzakh. Similarly, all bad people are
tormented in Barzakh as a forerunner to eternal punishment in hell. This torment is called Azaab-e-
Qabar or Azaab-e-Barzakh. Therefore, it should be understood that in this context, ‘grave’ does not
stand for the ‘ditch’ dug in this earth, in which we bury the dead. Rather, “grave” refers to the life
AFTER death and BEFORE the Judgment Day, namely Barzakh.

The life of Barzakh is neither identical to the life in this world, nor is it like life in the Hereafter. This
we cannot fully comprehend like most other matters regarding life after death and the Hereafter. We
only know through Sahih Hadith that the deceased experience a different kind of life and are rewarded
or punished by Allah in Barzakh. It must be understood that all Ahadeeth must be analyzed in the light
of Quran and should only be accepted if found in conformity with the Quranic information on the
subject.

The Holy Quran itself has made it clear that we do not and cannot comprehend this world of souls and
it has not provided extensive information on the subject. The Quran says:

And do not speak of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead; nay, (they are) alive
but you do not perceive [02:154]

The question is, CAN we PERCEIVE something about which Allah says “YOU DO NOT”?

There’s another ayah in Quran about martyrs which says:

"Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they are alive, finding
their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.." [03:169]

To understand this ayah we have to refer to Sahih Hadith given below:

[Sahih Muslim - Book 020, Hadith 4651]

It has been narrated on the authority of Masruq who said: We asked 'Abdullah about
the Quranic verse: "Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they
are alive, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord.." (3:169). He said:
We asked the meaning of the verse (from the Holy Prophet) who said: The souls, of
the martyrs live in the bodies of green birds who have their nests in chandeliers hung
from the throne of the Almighty. They eat the fruits of Paradise from wherever they
like and then nestle in these chandeliers. Once their Lord cast a glance at them and
said: Do ye want anything? They said: What more shall we desire? We eat the fruit of
Paradise from wherever we like. Their Lord asked them the same question thrice.
When they saw that they will continue to be asked and not left (without answering the
question). They said: O Lord, we wish that Thou mayest return our souls to our bodies
so that we may be slain in Thy way once again. When He (Allah) saw that they had no
need, they were left (to their joy in heaven).

18
Which means that the soul and the body will be re-united on the Day of Resurrection. Till then all souls will
experience either torment or bliss in Barzakh (also called Azaab-e-Qabar or Rahat-e-Qabar).

30
This hadith proves that martyrs are given new, Barzakhi bodies that can fly and they live happily in
Jannah (not graves on this earth!). Allah talks to them and keeps asking for anything they desire but
when the martyrs say that they wish to be returned back into their bodies so they can again die for
Him, He does not change His Will for them19 and leaves them to enjoy in Paradise.

Both the above-mentioned ayahs [02:154 and 03:169] are often quoted as proof of life in graves.
First of all, both these ayahs are about martyrs (shaheeds) and cannot be applied to all humans
and/or messengers of Allah, as many died natural deaths, including our beloved Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH).

As for martyrs, Bukhari also brought a hadith to prove that they are in Jannah:

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 4, Book 52, Hadith 64]

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The mother of Hartha bin Suraqa came to the Prophet and
said, "O Allah's Prophet! Will you tell me about Hartha?" Hartha has been killed
(martyred) on the day of Badr with an arrow thrown by an unidentified person. She
added, "If he is in Paradise, I will be patient; otherwise, I will weep bitterly for him."
He said, "O mother of Hartha! There are Gardens in Paradise and your son got the
Firdausal-ala (i.e. the best place in Paradise)."

Thus, both Quran and Sahih Hadith prove that martyrs are in Paradise and not in their earthly graves.
Apart from martyrs there is another Hadith concerning the son of the Prophet (PBUH), Ibrahim (R.A):

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 2, Book 23, Number 464]

Narrated Al-Bara': When Ibrahim (the son of Prophet) expired, Allah's Apostle said,
"There is a wet-nurse for him in Paradise."

Next come ALL the other dead humans, including all messengers of Allah. For this we have to refer to
another Sahih Hadith (copied on Page 34 of this article) brought by Bukhari (Sahih Bukhari – Volume
02, Book 23, No. 468). This Hadith tells us that all good or bad people, including Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) are alive in Barzakh and not in their graves. The Hadith also tells us that during his lifetime,
the Prophet (PBUH) was shown his place after death and now, after his death, he is alive in the
highest and most exalted house in Jannah (Maqam-e-Waseela) and NOT in his grave in Medina!

It is obvious from both the Quran and Sahih Hadith that the real “grave” for each and every human is
in Barzakh and not on this earth. We all know that humans experience different types of death. Some
are burnt alive, some are blown to pieces in bomb blasts, some die in plane crashes, car accidents or
other natural disasters and some are even eaten alive by animals. We also know that different
religions advocate different ways of disposing off dead bodies. For instance, Hindus burn their dead
and throw their ashes in the Ganges, while Parsees (Zoroastrians) believe that letting vultures and
other birds eat a dead body is a more respectable way of giving it back to nature. Logically speaking,
many humans never even get a grave for burial, then what does Allah mean when He says in the
Quran that every human that dies is given a “grave”:

Cursed be man! How ungrateful is he! Of what thing did He create him? Of a small
seed; He created him, then He made him according to a measure, Then (as for) the
way-- He has made it easy (for him) Then He causes him to die, then assigns to
him a grave, Then when He pleases, He will raise him to life again. [80: 17 to 22]

It is quite obvious that victims of all the abovementioned incidents, who do not find graves on earth,
are given graves in Barzakh, where they experience torment or bliss, depending on their Aqeeda, as
well as their deeds. Therefore, any one with a rational mind will find it difficult to believe in life in
earthly graves. Another proof of the concept that graves are assigned to all humans in Barzakh is
found in the incident of Pharaoh and his companions, as narrated by the Quran:

19
In other words, Allah never sends back the soul of a dead person, good or bad, back into the world of the living.

31
 “And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh with his hosts
pursued them in rebellion and transgression, till, when the (fate of) drowning overtook
him, he exclaimed: I believe that there is no Allah save Him in Whom the Children of
Israel believe, and I am of those who surrender (unto Him). What! now! and indeed
you disobeyed before and you were of the mischief-makers. But We will this day
deliver you with your body that you may be a sign to those after you, and most surely
the majority of the people are heedless to Our communications.” [10: 90 to 92]
“So Allah protected him from the evil (consequences) of what they planned, and the
most evil punishment overtook Pharaoh's people: The fire; they shall be brought
before it (every) morning and evening and on the day when the hour shall come to
pass: Make Pharaoh's people enter the severest chastisement.” [40: 45-46]

Allah says in the Quran that Pharaoh and his companions are being tormented day and night and this
torment will become more severe after Qayamah. So the question is, where are all these people being
tormented when we know that the bodies of Pharaoh and many of his companions have been
preserved in the form of mummies and are currently in Egypt, where every one can see them? They
are indeed being punished in Barzakh. Let us take a look at another Sahih Hadith on this subject:

[Sahih Muslim - Book 004, Number 2026]

Hisham b. 'Urwa narrated on the authority of his father that the saying of Ibn 'Umar,
viz." The dead would be punished because of the lamentation of his family over him"
was mentioned to 'A'isha. Upon this she said: May Allah have mercy upon Abu 'Abd al-
Rahman (the kunya of Ibn 'Umar) that he heard something but could not retain it
(well). (The fact is) that the bier of a Jew passed before the Messenger of Allah
(PBUH) and (the members of his family) were wailing over him. Upon this he said: You
are wailing and he is being punished.

Where was that Jew being tormented when he was not even buried at the time of this incident? It is,
then, of utmost importance for a Muslim to believe without any doubt that immediately after death,
the dead are assigned a grave in Barzakh, where two angels approach him for questioning about his
faith and his deeds; that the dead shall be raised only on the Day of Resurrection and therefore,
cannot possibly become alive in their earthly graves:

"After that, surely, you will die. Then (again), surely, you will be resurrected on the
Day of Resurrection". [23:15-16]

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 6, Book 60, Number 338]

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Between the two blowing of the trumpet
there will be forty." The people said, "O Abu Huraira! Forty days?" I refused to reply.
They said, "Forty years?" I refused to reply and added: Everything of the human body
will decay except the coccyx bone (bone of the tail) and from that bone Allah will
reconstruct the whole body.

The message is very clear that all human bodies will decay in the ditches dug on this earth. Then,
Allah will re-create humans from the tailbone on the Day of Resurrection, and not before that. This
worldly life, and then life on the Day of Resurrection are the only two lives proven through the Quran:

“How do you deny Allah and you were dead and He gave you life? Again He will
cause you to die and again bring you to life, and then you shall be brought back to
Him”. [02:28]

“They shall say: Our Lord! Twice didst Thou make us subject to death, and twice
hast Thou given us life, so we do confess our faults; is there then a way to get out?”
[40:11]

The beliefs of different sects vary on this issue. The official doctrine of almost all sects/sub-sects is
that the spirits of the dead are returned in their respective graves on this earth; which means in one
way or the other, these sects believe in life in earthly graves and thus deny the verses of the Quran
and/or Sahih Ahadeeth, thus becoming a part of Taghoot (false deities). The most absurd belief is
taught by the Ahl-e-Hadith (Traditionalists) sect, who say that some part of the spirit remains with the

32
dead or that the spirit is returned to the body in the earthly grave from time to time. When posed with
the question- “What about the people who are eaten alive by animals?”. They reply, “Their spirits are
returned in the bellies of those animals”. How outrageous can one get while defending one’s sect,
especially when the teachings of such sects are totally against the Quran?

(They are things) dead, lifeless: nor do they know when they will be raised up.
[16:21]

When a so-called Muslim believes the dead to be alive in their earthly graves, he repudiates many
verses of the Quran (which repeatedly state that the dead experience a different kind of life in
Barzakh). If a “Muslim” harbors such a belief, and negates the Quranic verses on the subject, he
becomes a part of Taghoot (as he follows the philosophies of different scholars rather than having firm
belief in the Quranic verses). As stated earlier, when a Muslim becomes a part of Taghoot, he gets
expelled from the circle of Islam. Therefore, it is important that all Muslims believe in life after death
(which is a basic tenet of the definition of Emaan), but they should build their concepts based on the
information provided in the Quran and Sahih Hadith.

The belief in pious people being alive in their graves has lead to outright Shirk as many so-called
Muslims worship the graves of dead saints. They regularly visit the shrines of these saints in order to
convey their wishes to them, so that these saints can in turn convey these directly to Allah. In this
context, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is thought to be an intercessor for the Ummah. This concept is
elaborated in detail in the following discussion on Waseela.

d) WASEELA (INTERCESSION)
Another corruption in the beliefs of so-called Muslims today is their faith in Waseela, or intercession in
this world. The idea that pious people and prophets are closer to God- and can intercede on behalf of
common men and that they can ask Allah to grant a particular wish for someone- is not new. The
ancient pagan traditions conferred these powers to their idols. The Mushrikeen of Mecca followed the
same philosophy. The Quran bears witness to this pagan belief:

“And they serve beside Allah what can neither harm them nor profit them, and they
say: These are our intercessors with Allah. Say: Do you (presume to) inform Allah of
what He knows not in the heavens and the earth? Glory be to Him, and supremely
exalted is He above what they set up (with Him).” [10:18]

“Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors
other than Allah (say): "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to
Allah." Truly Allah will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But Allah
guides not such as are false and ungrateful.” [39:03]

“And who is in greater error than he who calls besides Allah upon those that will not
answer him till the day of resurrection and they are heedless of their call? And when
men are gathered together they shall be their enemies, and shall be deniers of their
worshipping (them).” [46:5-6]

The “Muslims” of today call upon Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other pious saints (who are no
longer alive) to intercede with Allah on their behalf and to convey their messages to Allah. These pious
men are supposed to invoke the blessing of Allah and ask Allah to grant a particular wish through the
Waseela of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This particular pagan practice is now considered Islamic, and
invoking the “waseela” of Muhammad (PBUH) is justified through a few Sahih Ahadeeth that mention
the word “Waseela”. The problem actually lies in the lexical meaning of the word “Waseela” in Arabic
compared to the meaning of the same word in Urdu. The Arabic meaning of the word is Qurb
(closeness). If we look at Sahih Ahadeeth we discover that the Arabic word Waseela refers to an
exalted place in heaven, which is the eternal abode of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This maqam in
Jannah is closest to the divine throne of Allah Almighty and is, therefore, reserved for His beloved last
Prophet (PBUH).

In Urdu, the meaning of the word Waseela is entirely different: it means “zareea (intercession)”. The
scholars of many sects have adopted this Urdu lexical definition of the word, and while quoting the

33
following Sahih Muslim Hadith, they deliberately misinterpret the word Maqam-e-Waseela to mean
intercession. In this way, the concept of intercession by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in this world, on
behalf of his Ummah, is said to be in complete conformity with Islamic Aqeeda.

[Sahih Muslim, Book 04, Hadith 747]

'Abdullah b. Amr b. al-As reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying: When you
hear the Mu'adhdhin, repeat what he says, then invoke a blessing on me, for everyone
who invokes a blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah; then beg from
Allah al-Waseela for me, which is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of
Allah's servants, and I hope that I may be that one. If anyone who asks that I
be given the Waseela, he will be assured of my Intercession.

This Maqam-e-Waseela, mentioned in the above Hadith as well as in the Dua recited after Azaan, is
also called Maqam-e-Mehmood. What is obvious in the above Hadith is that Waseela (the exalted
place in Paradise) could only be attained after the death of the Prophet (PBUH). Moreover, the
intercession, which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) referred to, is Shifa’at that he would be allowed to do
only on the Day of Judgment. This has been made clear in the following two Ahadeeth of Sahih
Bukhari. The first one is about the last moments of the Prophet’s life and proves that like all prophets
before him, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had also been shown his place in Paradise. That is why Aisha
(RA) knew the exact moment Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) chose the life in Paradise over this worldly
life. The second Hadith describes life after death in Barzakh, as well as the concept of Waseela:

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 5, Book 59, Hadith 721]

Narrated Aisha: When Allah 's Apostle was in good health, he used to say, "Never does
a prophet die unless he is shown his place in Paradise (before his death), and then he
is made alive or given option." When the Prophet became ill and his last moments
came while his head was on my thigh, he became unconscious, and when he came to
his senses, he looked towards the roof of the house and then said, "O Allah! (Please
let me be) with the highest companion." Thereupon I said, "Hence he is not going to
stay with us? " Then I came to know that his state was the confirmation of the
narration he used to mention to us while he was in good health.

The above hadith evidently contradicts and proves wrong the belief of different sects who declare that
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) preferred the company of worldly companions (by choosing life in his
grave in Medina20) to the company of Allah, in order to listen to and reply to the Durood-o-Salaam
recited by “Ummah”, and to intercede with Allah on its behalf.

[Sahih Bukhari – Volume 2, Book 23, Hadith 468]

Narrated Samura bin Jundab: Whenever the Prophet finished the (morning) prayer, he
would face us and ask, "Who amongst you had a dream last night?" So if anyone had
seen a dream he would narrate it. The Prophet would say: "Ma sha'a-llah" (An Arabic
maxim meaning literally, 'What Allah wished,' and it indicates a good omen.) One day,
he asked us whether anyone of us had seen a dream. We replied in the negative. The
Prophet said, "But I had seen (a dream) last night that two men came to me, caught
hold of my hands, and took me to the Sacred Land (Jerusalem). There, I saw a person
sitting and another standing with an iron hook in his hand pushing it inside the mouth
of the former till it reached the jaw-bone, and then tore off one side of his cheek, and
then did the same with the other side; in the mean-time the first side of his cheek
became normal again and then he repeated the same operation again. I said, 'What is
this?' They told me to proceed on and we went on till we came to a man Lying flat on
his back, and another man standing at his head carrying a stone or a piece of rock,
and crushing the head of the Lying man, with that stone. Whenever he struck him, the
stone rolled away.

20
It is believed by these sects that the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a temporary state and he was
made alive again in his grave in Medina. This Aqeeda was written down by Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi, and is the
basic belief of the majority of Ahl-e-Sunnat wal Jama’at (Sunnis).

34
 The man went to pick it up and by the time he returned to him, the crushed head had
returned to its normal state and the man came back and struck him again (and so on).
I said, 'Who is this?' They told me to proceed on; so we proceeded on and passed by a
hole like an oven; with a narrow top and wide bottom, and the fire was kindling
underneath that hole. Whenever the fire-flame went up, the people were lifted up to
such an extent that they about to get out of it, and whenever the fire got quieter, the
people went down into it, and there were naked men and women in it. I said, 'Who is
this?' They told me to proceed on. So we proceeded on till we reached a river of blood
and a man was in it, and another man was standing at its bank with stones in front of
him, facing the man standing in the river. Whenever the man in the river wanted to
come out, the other one threw a stone in his mouth and caused him to retreat to his
original position; and so whenever he wanted to come out the other would throw a
stone in his mouth, and he would retreat to his original position. I asked, 'What is
this?' They told me to proceed on and we did so till we reached a well-flourished green
garden having a huge tree and near its root was sitting an old man with some
children. (I saw) Another man near the tree with fire in front of him and he was
kindling it up. Then they (i.e. my two companions) made me climb up the tree and
made me enter a house, better than which I have ever seen. In it were some old men
and young men, women and children.

Then they took me out of this house and made me climb up the tree and made me
enter another house that was better and superior (to the first) containing old and
young people. I said to them (i.e. my two companions), 'You have made me ramble all
the night. Tell me all about that I have seen.' They said, 'Yes. As for the one whose
cheek you saw being torn away, he was a liar and he used to tell lies, and the people
would report those lies on his authority till they spread all over the world. So, he will
be punished like that till the Day of Resurrection.

The one whose head you saw being crushed is the one whom Allah had given the
knowledge of Qur'an (i.e. knowing it by heart) but he used to sleep at night (i.e. he
did not recite it then) and did not use to act upon it (i.e. upon its orders etc.) by day;
and so this punishment will go on till the Day of Resurrection. And those you saw in
the hole (like oven) were adulterers (those men and women who commit illegal sexual
intercourse). And those you saw in the river of blood were those dealing in Riba
(usury). And the old man who was sitting at the base of the tree was Abraham and the
little children around him were the offspring of the people. And the one who was
kindling the fire was Malik, the gate-keeper of the Hell-fire. And the first house in
which you have gone was the house of the common believers, and the second house
was of the martyrs. I am Gabriel and this is Michael. Raise your head.' I raised my
head and saw a thing like a cloud over me. They said, 'That is your place.' I said, 'Let
me enter my place.' They said, 'You still have some life which you have not yet
completed, and when you complete (that remaining portion of your life) you will then
enter your place.'"

Knowing that a dream of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is also Wahi (Revelation), the above Hadith
proves the following:

 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was shown his place in heaven where he was to live his life-after-
death.
 The Prophet (PBUH) is not alive in his grave in Medina but is alive in the highest and most
exalted house in Jannah (Al-Waseela). This by no means is a worldly life, like the one he lived
when he was alive; instead it is a Barzakhi life.
 All spirits are given Barzakhi bodies, which experience torment or bliss.
 This Barzakhi body will remain in existence till the Day of Judgment (Qayamah).
 These Barzakhi bodies have the ability to regenerate repeatedly after experiencing torment.
 All adulterers (men and women) that have died in different parts of the world are all thrown
together in one pit of fire in Barzakh and will be tormented till the Day of Judgment.
 Pious men, women and children also get Bazakhi bodies. The martyrs are given bodies that
have wings and they are allowed to fly freely in Jannah.

35
Let us not forget the Ijma (Consensus) of Sahaba on this sensitive topic, who were all unanimous that
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had died and had no concern whatsoever with this world after his death.

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 5, Book 57. Hadith 019]

Narrated Ayesha (RA): Allah's Apostle died while Abu Bakr was at a place called As-
Sunah (Al-Aliya) 'Umar stood up and said, "By Allah! Allah's Apostle is not dead!"
'Umar (later on) said, "By Allah! Nothing occurred to my mind except that." He said,
"Verily! Allah will resurrect him and he will cut the hands and legs of some men." Then
Abu Bakr came and uncovered the face of Allah's Apostle, kissed him and said, "Let
my mother and father be sacrificed for you, (O Allah's Apostle), you are good in
life and in death. By Allah in Whose Hands my life is, Allah will never make
you taste death twice." Then he went out and said, "O oath-taker! Don't be hasty."
When Abu Bakr spoke, 'Umar sat down. Abu Bakr praised & glorified Allah and said, No
doubt! Whoever worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever
worshipped Allah, then Allah is Alive and shall never die." Then he recited [39:30] and
[03:144].

[Sahih Bukhari – Volume 09, Book 092, Hadith 374]

Narrated By Anas bin Malik that he heard 'Umar speaking while standing on the pulpit
of the Prophet in the morning (following the death of the Prophet), when the people
had sworn allegiance to Abu Bakr. He said the Tashah-hud before Abu Bakr, and
said, "Amma Ba'du (then after) Allah has chosen for his Apostle what is with
Him (Paradise) rather than what is with you (the world). This is that Book
(Qur'an) with which Allah guided your Apostle, so stick to it, for then you will be
guided on the right path as Allah guided His Apostle with it."

The notion of revival of Prophet Muhammad’s life in this world (propagated by different sects), is thus
categorically rejected. If it were not the case, Abu Bakr (RA) would have exhorted Umar (RA) to have
patience until the body of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was buried in the grave and he would come to
life again and listen to the cries of his Ummah! After the address of Abu Bakr (RA), all the Sahaba
(RA) got convinced. Thus, the first and the greatest consensus of SAHABA (RA) on the most delicate
issue of the Prophet’s death was held at a time when his dead body was yet to be buried.

Those who advocate intercession by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are coincidentally the same group
that believes the Prophet (PBUH) to be alive in his grave. However, any misconceptions about the
death of the Prophet (PBUH) have been laid to rest in the aforementioned Bukhari Hadith (Volume 5,
Book 59, Hadith 721) narrated by Aisha (RA). Can we then make a dead person to hear? The Quran
emphatically states that those who are alive cannot make the dead to hear in their graves. Therefore,
all the prophets, pious men as well as Sufi saints who are so often asked to intercede with Allah,
cannot even hear our supplications:

“Surely you do not make the dead to hear, and you do not make the deaf to hear the
call when they go back retreating.” [27:80]

“He causes the night to enter in upon the day, and He causes the day to enter in upon
the night, and He has made subservient (to you) the sun and the moon; each one
follows its course to an appointed time; this is Allah, your Lord, His is the kingdom; and
those whom you call upon besides Him do not control a straw. If you call on them they
shall not hear your call, and even if they could hear they shall not answer you; and on
the resurrection day they will deny your associating them (with Allah); and none can
inform you like the One Who is Aware.” [35:13-14]

“Neither are the living and the dead alike. Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear,
and you cannot make those hear who are in the graves.” [35:22]

“And who is in greater error than he who calls besides Allah upon those that will not
answer him till the day of resurrection and they are heedless of their call? And when
men are gathered together they shall be their enemies, and shall be deniers of their
worshipping (them).” [46:5-6]

36
Another misconception about the intercession issue is that of Shifa’at, which actually is intercession by
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for those who die as Muslims (in the state of Emaan). However, it is of
critical importance to recognize the fact that this intercession will be done on the Day of Judgment;
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has not been given the authority to intercede on anyone’s behalf until the
hour is established (Qayamah).

The final misconception is regarding Tawassul. A Muslim can request another alive and true Muslim to
make a request to Allah on his behalf through Dua. However, as mentioned earlier, invoking Allah
through the dead is not allowed. The following Sahih Hadith proves both these points by informing us
that the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) never requested the blessings of Allah with the tawassul of
the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) after his death, and instead requested other pious and elderly men to
say Dua on their behalf.

[Sahih Bukhari – Volume 02, Book 17, Hadith 123]

Narrated By Anas: Whenever drought threatened them, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, used to
ask Al-Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib to invoke Allah for rain. He used to say, "O Allah! We
used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and
now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allah! Bless us with rain." And so it
would rain.

e) CHARGING MONEY FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF RELIGIOUS DUTIES

This is THE touchiest topic today as people get indignant when they are told that there is no such
thing as a paid clergy in Islam. Followers of each and every sect/maslak/group/division existing in
today’s Muslim world are surprisingly united in favor of a paid clergy. Our molvis and scholars have
made us believe that they are in the service of Allah and His religion and that Allah allows taking
money/salary for this service. Nobody questions this because the whole system is designed in a way in
which an ordinary man is deliberately kept away from the truth. The common man, who finds it
difficult to open Allah’s book himself in order to understand what is written in it, thinks that the molvi
is there to help him in all types of religious problems and rituals and naturally he has to pay the molvi
for his time. The common man thinks that just like he has spent years understanding his subject of
expertise i.e. physics or medicine, the molvi too has spent years studying and understanding Quran
and Hadith and now he has the right to opt it as a profession and earn money for himself and his
family.

This attitude is quite similar to the one in religions such as Hinduism, Christianity and Judaism. In
these religions, the pundits, priests or rabbis devote their lives to religion and are bound to perform all
religious acts such as communion, baptism, listening to confessions, bar-mitzvah, funeral prayers,
marriages etc. on behalf of God Almighty; and in return they are paid by the state and/or by the
individuals they help. We have adopted and successfully implemented the same duties in our society
where the role of a pundit, pope or rabbi has been given to the molvi. Today, our molvis proudly sell
Namaz, they do not recite Azaan without taking money, they do not teach Quran for free, and they
have fixed fees for performing Nikah. They never forego the chance of taking money for rendering
small services such as reciting Azaan in the ears of a newborn. Even fatwas are issued by properly
salaried Ulema. Similarly, they have invented many rituals like “Barsi”, “Soyem”, “Esaal-o-Sawaab”,
“Bismillah”, “Eid Milad-un-Nabi” and “Alam-Nashrah” etc. in order to continue earning throughout the
year. So basically, these molvis have turned mosques into their shops where they enjoy easy money
and a variety of feasts on a variety of occasions. All in all, Islam has been turned into a profitable
industry, probably the only industry in Pakistan with never-ending profits.

One wonders- since they claim to be protecting and rendering services to Allah’s Deen by helping the
Ummah- whom do they sell their time to? To Allah Almighty? In reality, to protect or defend their own
sects, they have purposefully taken the masses away from real teachings of the Quran and Sunnah so
that their festivities would continue. But who is to blame? Naturally, WE are to blame, as we ourselves
have created this institution (paid clergy) in our society, which has no standing whatsoever in Islam!

The Quran says about such molvis and scholars:

37
 “And believe in what I have revealed, verifying that which is with you, and be not the
first to deny it, neither take a mean price in exchange for My communications (verses);
and Me, Me alone should you fear” [02:41]

“They have taken a small price for the communications of Allah, so they turn away
from His way; surely evil is it that they do” [09:09]

“Surely those who conceal any part of the Book that Allah has revealed and take for it
a small price, they eat nothing but fire into their bellies, and Allah will not speak to
them on the day of resurrection, nor will He purify them, and they shall have a painful
chastisement.” [02:174]

O’ you, who believe! Lo! Many of the rabbis and the monks devour the wealth of
mankind wantonly and debar (men) from the way of Allah. [09:34]

It is exactly the case today with Ummat-e-Muslima. When confronted with these ayahs, the molvis
conveniently say that they address Jews and Christians, not Muslims.

 Isn’t Allah addressing the believers (Muslims) in [09:34]?

 What does Allah mean when He warns us by telling stories of the deeds of previous nations:
that we are excused/exempted from punishment for these bad deeds?
 Isn’t this one of Allah’s warnings where He tells us that Jews and Christians used to commit a
crime by claiming monetary reward for Allah’s communications and that we should abstain
from such wrongdoing?
 Wasn’t Quran sent for humanity and is relevant till the end of time?!!

So how can we restrict [02:41] just to Jews? These are all lame excuses as the following Hadith
clarifies the matter for us:

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 9, Book 92, Hadith 421]

Narrated By Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "The Hour (Qayamah) will not be
established till my followers copy the deeds of the previous nations and follow them
very closely, span by span, and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch)." It was said, "O
Allah's Apostle! Do you mean by those (nations) the Persians and the Byzantines?"
The Prophet said, "Who can it be other than they?"

And what type of followers and believers is Allah addressing in the following ayah?

“And most surely of the followers of the Book there are those who believe in Allah and
(in) that which has been revealed to you and (in) that which has been revealed to
them, being lowly before Allah; they do not take a small price for the communications
of Allah; [03:199]

Let us now see the matter in the light of Sahih Hadith:

[Sunan Abu-Dawud - Book 23, Hadith 3409]

Narrated Ubaydah ibn as-Samit: I taught some persons of the people of Suffah writing
and the Quran. A man of them presented to me a bow. I said: It cannot be reckoned
property; may I shoot with it in Allah's path? I must come to the Apostle of Allah
(PBUH) and ask him (about it). So I came to him and said : Apostle of Allah (PBUH),
one of those whom I have been teaching writing and the Quran has presented me a
bow, and as it cannot be reckoned property, may I shoot with it in Allah's path? He
said: If you want to have a necklace of fire on you, accept it.

[Sunan Abu-Dawud - Book 2, Hadith 0531]

Narrated Usman ibn Abul'As: I requested Allah’s Apostle (PBUH) to appoint me the
leader of the tribe in prayer. He said: You are their leader, but you should follow on
who is the weakest of them: and appoint a Mu'azzin who does not charge for the
calling of Azaan.

38
 [Tirmizi Narrator:- Hazrat Imran Bin Hussain (RA)]
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: He who reads the Quran should ask a question
through the Quran from Allah. Soon such people will come who will read the Quran
and will ask the questions with it from other people.

[Sahih Muslim - Book 20, Hadith 4682]

It has been reported on the authority of Anas b. Malik that some people came to the
Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said to him: Send with us some men who may teach
us the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Accordingjy, he sent seventy men from the Ansar.
They were called the Reciters and among them was my maternal uncle. Haram. They
used to recite the Qur'an, discuss and ponder over its meaning at night. In the day
they brought water and poured it (in pitchers) in the mosque, collected wood and sold
it, and with the sale proceeds bought food for the people of the Suffa and the needy.

[Sunan Abu-Dawud - Book 25, Hadith 3656]

Narrated AbuHurayrah: The Prophet (PBUH) said: If anyone acquires knowledge of
things by which Allah's good pleasure is sought, but acquires it only to get some
worldly advantage, he will not experience the arf, i.e. the odour, of Paradise.

The abovementioned Ahadeeth make it clear that using the Quran as a source of income of any sort is
not allowed in Islam. We also learn that even taking things as gifts is not allowed. Moreover, we
cannot find even a single precedence in which any of the Sahaba ever claimed monetary reward for
religious duties, or teaching the Quran. All of them used to work as traders and some even did manual
labor in order to earn bread and butter for their families. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself claimed
to have worked as a shepherd and as a trader. He used to sell dates of the garden of Bani An-Nadir
during his early life:

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 03, Book 34, Hadith 285]

Narrated Aisha: The companions of Allah's Apostle used to practise manual labor, so
their sweat used to smell, and they were advised to take a bath.

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 07, Book 64, Hadith 270]

Narrated 'Umar: The Prophet used to sell the dates of the garden of Bani An-Nadir and
store for his family so much food as would cover their needs for a whole year.

We also get proof from the Quran that all messengers and prophets before Muhammad (PBUH) used
to work to earn their living. They never sold the message of Allah or never expected any worldly gain
for it.

“It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its
standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to
Allah's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the
protection of Allah's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men,
but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the
light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers.” [05:44]

“These are they whom Allah guided, therefore follow their guidance. Say: I do not ask
you for any reward for it; it is nothing but a reminder to the nations.” [06:90]

“And, O my people! I ask you not for wealth in return for it; my reward is only with
Allah and I am not going to drive away those who believe; surely they shall meet their
Lord, but I consider you a people who are ignorant: [11:29]

“O my people! I do not ask of you any reward for it (Quran); my reward is only with
Him Who created me; do you not then understand?” [11:51]

Say: "No reward do I ask of you for it but this: that each one who will may take a
(straight) Path to his Lord." [25:57]

39
 “Follow him who does not ask you for reward, and they are the followers of the right
course;” [36:21]

In order to justify their false claims, many molvis say that during his Caliphate, Umer Farooq (RA)
appointed salaries for Imams, Moazzins and Ulema through “National Treasury of Muslims” (Bait-ul-
Maal). All such claims are baseless, as they do not have even a single authentic proof. We all know
that the Islamic empire flourished tremendously during the era of Umer (RA) and he started many
governmental departments and naturally, people were hired to work in these departments. Their
salaries were paid through the Bait-ul-Maal. But how does this justify the professional role of an Imam
where the matters of a mosque are not related to daily functioning of the state? A Caliph too is a
government official as he is the head of a Muslim state. Does that justify the role of an Imam-e-Masjid
as a professional paying job? And what about the last days of the ruler of such a huge empire?

[Sahih Bukhari – Volume 05, Book 57, Hadith 50]

Narrated By 'Amr bin Maimun: 'Umar further said, "O 'Abdullah bin 'Umar! See how
much I am in debt to others." When the debt was checked, it amounted to
approximately Eighty-Six thousand. 'Umar said, "If the property of 'Umar's family
covers the debt, then pay the debt thereof; otherwise request it from Bani 'Adi bin
Ka'b, and if that too is not sufficient, ask for it from Quraish tribe, and do not ask for it
from any one else, and pay this debt on my behalf."

The knowledge of Quran and Hadith is something to be acquired and spread with the intention of
Sawaab in the Hereafter. How could someone request Allah’s blessings on the Day of Judgment when
he has already sacrificed his Aakhirat for the pleasures and mere gains of this world?

[Sunan Abu Dawud – Book 19, Hadith 3656]

Narrated By Abu Hurairah: The Prophet (pbuh) said: If anyone acquires knowledge of
things by which Allah's good pleasure is sought, but acquires it only to get some
worldly advantage, he will not experience the arf, i.e. the odour, of Paradise.

[Sahih Muslim - Book 20, Hadith 4688]

Then will be brought forward a man who acquired knowledge and imparted it (to
others) and recited the Qur'an. He will be brought And Allah will make him recount His
blessings and he will recount them (and admit having enjoyed them in his lifetime).
Then will Allah ask: What did you do (to requite these blessings)? He will say: I
acquired knowledge and disseminated it and recited the Qur'an seeking Thy pleasure.
Allah will say: You have told a lie. You acquired knowledge so that you might be
called" a scholar," and you recited the Qur'an so that it might be said:" He is a Qari"
and such has been said. Then orders will be passed against him and he shall be
dragged with his face downward and cast into the Fire.

Today people bring commentaries of eminent scholars in favor of their false beliefs but are we to
accept the Quran and Sahih Hadith or the so-called scholars of today? The biggest problem with the
Ummah today is that we accept and blindly follow the words and fatwaas of our scholars and
conveniently reject the words of Allah and his last Prophet (PBUH). We think that these so-called
scholars are the best interpreters of Quran and Hadith as they come from “pure-breed” family
backgrounds. What we forget is that Allah has made obligatory for each and every Muslim (pious or
not) to read, understand and apply Quran and Sunnah in his life. Did Bilal (RA) have a blue-blood
Muslim family background? Did he ever take wages for being a moa’zzin?

Our readers must have gleaned from this lengthy discussion that it is of utmost importance that we
understand the concept of Emaan, that Emaan qualifies us to be called Muslims and to be raised as
Muslims on the Day of Judgment. We must always keep ourselves away from Taghoot, and consider
evil (as defined by Allah) to be evil, even if that realization remains in our hearts alone and we lack
the courage to shout it out loud. We must spread the Truth to all around us, discuss different religious
beliefs and tell right from wrong, no matter what hardships we have to endure along the way. Islam
cannot be tailored to our convenience. It is a religion that was perfected centuries ago and has no
place for further modification or addition. We must all realize that negating Allah’s verses, and Sahih
Hadith takes us out of the religion of Islam, and no matter how many prayers we say during the day,
or how many months we fast, these duties become mere rituals that will not help us in any way on the

40
Day of Reckoning. We must at least have Emaan in our hearts; the religious duties of prayer, fasting,
zakat and hajj only then become incumbent on us. We will qualify for hisaab-kitaab only if we die as
Muslims. Those who commit Shirk, or endorse Taghoot, shall be thrown into the fires of Hell straight
away, as they will not even be considered worthy of hisaab-kitaab. That is the reality of Islam!

We all know that the strength of a tall building depends on the strength of the foundation. If the
foundation is laid weak, or incorrect, no matter how tall or beautiful the building, it is doomed to
collapse. Similarly, no matter how many good deeds people like Mother Teresa, or Oprah Winfrey or
Edhi perform, they are meaningless if the foundation of Emaan is lacking. Above all else, Allah
demands that we recognize Him the way He wants to be recognized, that we believe in His Absolute
authority and His complete power over our lives. If we cannot even believe in Allah correctly,
what is the point of prostrating before him five times a day?

41
 SECTION IV: The Difference Of Opinion Regarding Deeds (A’maal)

This section is actually an addition to the original article that we planned to write. The reason why we
have included it in the main body of the article on The Real Islam is that we wanted to clearly
delineate those commonly practiced traditions and rituals today that are actually Bidd’ah (innovation):
creations of the variant doctrines included in Islam. The purpose behind this discussion is to highlight
the importance of abstaining from these activities, even if a Muslim lacks the courage to denounce
them in public, because otherwise, one becomes a part of Taghoot (by following the ancestral
practices rather than the teachings of Islam). Some of these practices are peculiar to South Asian
countries, while others are prevalent in other Muslim nations as well. The reader will notice that most
of these practices were adopted by the newly arriving “Muslim” Sufis21 in the Sub-continent to
appease the local population and encourage conversion to Islam. The origins of these rituals or
traditions then lie in Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism and even ancient paganism. Let us now discuss
these practices in detail, revealing their true source as well as their standing from an Islamic point of
view.

a) THE USES OF QURAN

The Holy Quran is the most authentic source of true knowledge and as stated elsewhere in this article,
it is meant as a guiding beacon for all humanity to be able to define its purpose of existence as well as
to enable it to follow the path set out by Allah. However, in South Asia, the Holy Quran has
traditionally inhabited the topmost shelf of a common room closet. Its presence is thought to ward off
evil. The book is read or memorized by rote in most households, while the translation of the book is
never read in a language understood by the majority of the population (which does not know Arabic).

The relatives of a deceased person diligently recite the Holy Quran for about 40 days after his death as
a way of transferring the reward of the recitation to the soul of the deceased.

The Holy Quran is also held over the head of a newly wedded couple during Rukhsati. Moreover, one
of the most common uses of the Quran, which has been frequently exploited by conmen of all
descriptions, is as a Taweez (or an amulet) worn around the neck or tied around the upper arm.
Quran is also recited these days as part of a “khatam”, generally before wedding festivities, to ensure
success in business ventures, to bless the move to a new house and other such occasions. As has
been stressed earlier, Quran is meant for Hidayat of its readers and not as a way of blessing a venture
just through mere recitation. In addition, not a single tradition can be found in authentic Hadith that
refers to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or his companions organizing a “khatam-ul-Quran” before a
daughter’s wedding or before starting a new business. This particular act, therefore, also constitutes a
Bidd’ah and must be refuted.

Lets see if our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or any of his companions performed any of the above-
mentioned actions.

b) RECITATION OF THE QURAN (ESAAL-O-SAWAB) FOR THE DEAD

First, let’s see what the Quran states about transferring Sawaab (reward) to the dead against any
good deed done by the living:

“This is a people that have passed away; they shall have what they earned and you
shall have what you earn, and you shall not be called upon to answer for what they
did.” [02:134 & 141]

“Whoever does good, it is for his own soul, and whoever does evil, it is against it; and
your Lord is not in the least unjust to the servants.” [41:46]

21
Sufism is inherently tolerant of other religions and does not believe in strict following of the Quran and Sahih
Hadith; that is why it readily assimilates practices or rituals of other religions. For an understanding of the basic
philosophies of Sufism, please refer to page 53 of this article.

42
The Quran clearly states that each and every human being will be judged and compensated
(tormented or rewarded) for his own deeds performed during his life. So each and every human will
reap the harvest of what he had sown in this world. To judge if a particular action constitutes an
innovation in religion (or Bidd’ah) we must look towards authentic Hadith and find proof there. In this
regard, not a single Hadith can be found which mentions Quran-Khawani or Esaal-u-Sawaab. As a
Muslim, we must have belief in the fact that the Quran is nothing more than a guiding book. And only
those people who are alive can find guidance for themselves, and therefore, salvation in the life after
death. Recitation of the Quran for a dead person cannot make any difference in his balance sheet of
sins and good deeds.

This particular issue is directly related to basic Islamic beliefs, one of which is the absoluteness of the
death of a person and the fact that the soul cannot leave Barzakh22. As Islam was perfected 14
centuries ago, we cannot accommodate this practice as a part of true Islamic practices. The only
deeds that can benefit a person after his death are outlined in the following Sahih Ahadeeth:

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 8, Book 76. Hadith 521]

Narrated By Anas Bin Malik: Allah's Apostle said, "When carried to his grave, a dead
person is followed by three, two of which return (after his burial) and one remains with
him: his relative, his property, and his deeds follow him; relatives and his property go
back while his deeds remain with him."

[Sahih Muslim - Book 13, Hadith 4005]

Abu Huraira (RA) reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying: When a man dies, his
acts come to an end, but three, recurring charity, or knowledge (by which people)
benefit, or a pious son, who prays for him (for the deceased).

[Sahih Muslim - Book 34, Hadith 6470]

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH)) as saying: He who called (people) to
righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who
adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called
(people) to error, he shall have to carry (the burden) of its sin, like those who
committed it, without their sins being diminished in any respect.

It is obvious from the above-mentioned sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that a dead person can
only benefit from the following, provided he died as a Muslim:

1. His/her deeds that he/she performed during his/her lifetime

2. Sadqa-e-Jaaria (Continuing Charity)
3. If he disseminated the truth to people around him and therefore helped them to lead a better
life in this world and in the Hereafter.
4. If the deceased person’s pious son prays for forgiveness, provided he did not die on Shirk.

It is crystal clear that the best one can do is to pray for forgiveness of a parent, or to complete a
charitable project that the deceased had intended to do but had been unable to accomplish in his
lifetime. In this regard, the concept of Sadqa-e-Jaaria should be elaborated, since the explanations
given by our notorious mullahs are either inadequate or totally incorrect.

c) CONTINUING CHARITY (SADQA-E-JAARIA)

There are TWO types of Sadqa-e-Jaaria proven through Quran and Sahih Hadith:

1. Good deeds done by the deceased during his life that will continually benefit other people. For
instance, if he or she had built a mosque, planted a tree or dug a well.

2. Sawaab of Sadqa-e-Jaaria is also given to the dead against the intention of a good deed,
which he or she planned during his or her life but death took him and his children then
completed the project.

22
For discussion of Barzakh, please refer to page 30 of this article.

43
The concept of the second type of Sadqa-e-Jaaria cannot be extended to reciting Quran for the dead,
or saying Nawafil prayers for the deceased, or fasting with the intention of invoking Allah and
requesting Him to transfer the Sawaab to the dead. It is the sole prerogative of Allah to give reward or
to punish a person for his or her deeds and no one else, human or angel, has the authority to amend
the ledgers that contain the details of a person’s acts in this world (the Amaal-Nama). The only
exception in this case shall be granted to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on the Day of Judgment when
he will be able to request Allah (perform Shfa’at) for the salvation of Momineen.

What needs to be understood is that all the deeds mentioned in [Sahih Muslim – Book 13, Hadith
4005] are added to the book-of-deeds AFTER the death of a human and Esaal-o-Sawaab through
recitation of Quran is mentioned nowhere. Another important thing, which should be clear to the
readers is that children are not allowed to pray for the forgiveness of their parents if either of them
died on Shirk. This will be discussed next.

As for the advocates of Ijtihad, it must be mentioned that Ijtihad is necessary only in those matters
for which clear rulings cannot be obtained from the Quran and the life of the Prophet (PBUH) and his
compaions. Since that is not the case for the concept of Esaal-u-Sawaab or Quran-Khawani, one
cannot revert to Ijtihad.

The concept of Esaal-u-Sawaab is flaunted by the mullah, who gets paid for reciting the Quran, or for
arranging the services of different Madrasa children for this purpose. Another short cut adopted by
many so-called Muslims these days is to arrange for periodic monthly payments (called Wazeefah) to
a Madrasa. Any number of recitations of the Quran can be bought against this apparent act of charity.
Whether the Quran was actually recited that many times by the Madrasa students is a matter never
looked into. Another outcome of these Esaal-u-Sawaab recitations is the emergence of the “Bismillah”
Quran, in which the Bismillah is recited repeatedly. This is evidence of the inherent tendency of
Bidd’ah to proliferate and reach any extreme, all in the name of Sawaab (reward). Thus, Bidd’ah
metamorphoses into Taghoot fairly quickly.

d) DUA OR NAMAZ-E-JANAZA OF MUSHRIK OR MUNAFIQ

Another issue related with the above is the “Dua” for forgiveness of the dead. The Quran and Sahih
Hadith are emphatic in this regard: Muslims are not allowed to pray for forgiveness for Mushriks,
Munafiqs or anyone who died having a Belief/Aqeeda/Emaan, which was in any way against the true
teachings of Islam and this ruling applies even to blood relations that is why Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) was not allowed to request forgiveness for his uncle, Abu Talib, who died as a Mushrik. This
injunction includes the performance of Namaz-e-Janaza as that too is a Dua.

Shirk23 is Zulm-e-Azeem and is an unforgivable offense. A Mushrik, thus, cannot qualify for a prayer of
forgiveness (after his death) as he had the audacity to challenge the oneness of Allah.

“And never offer prayer for any one of them who dies and do not stand by his grave;
surely they disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger and they shall die in transgression.”
[09:84]

“It is not fitting, for the Prophet and those who believe, that they should pray for
forgiveness for Pagans/Polytheists, even though they be of kin, after it is clear to them
that they are companions of the Fire.” [09:113]

Even Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not allowed to say the Dua-e-Maghfirat or funeral prayer
(Namaz-e-Janaza) for people who died as Mushriks.

While trying to understand these ayahs, it is important to analyze the circumstances in which these
verses were revealed:

The first ayah [09:84] was revealed at the time of the death of Abdullah bin Ubai who died as a
Munafiq. The details of this particular incident are given in the following Sahih Hadith:

23
What constitutes Shirk? For a detailed definition, please refer to page 11 of this article.

44
 [Sahih Bukhari - Volume 2, Book 23, Hadith 447]
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: When 'Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul died, Allah's Apostle
(p.b.u.h) was called upon to offer his funeral prayer. When Allah's Apostle stood up to
offer the prayer, I got up quickly and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Are you going to pray for
Ibn Ubai and he said so and so on such and such occasions?" And started mentioning
all that he had said. Allah's Apostle smiled and said, "O 'Umar! Go away from me."
When I talked too much he said, "I have been given the choice and so I have chosen
(to offer the prayer). Had I known that he would be forgiven by asking for Allah's
forgiveness for more than seventy times, surely I would have done so." ('Umar added):
Allah's Apostle offered his funeral prayer and returned and after a short while the two
verses of Surah Bara were revealed: i.e. "And never (O Muhammad) pray for any of
them who dies . . . (to the end of the verse) rebellion [Quran 09:84]" -- ('Umar dded),
"Later I astonished at my daring before Allah's Apostle on that day. And Allah and His
Apostle know better."

Abdullah bin Ubai was a Munafiq and although Umer (RA) reminded Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) about
the deeds and beliefs of Ubai, the Prophet (PBUH) still lead his Namaz-e-Janaza since till that moment
it had not been forbidden by Allah. However, right after the Janaza prayer, Allah revealed [09:84] and
forbade the Prophet (PBUH) and all other Muslims from saying the Dua-e-Maghfirat or Janaza prayer
for a non-believer, a Mushrik or a Munafiq. It is, therefore, a commandment all Muslims must follow.

The second important Hadith on the topic is about Abu Talib, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s paternal
uncle. This particular Sahih Hadith gives detailed interpretation of verse [09:113]

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 2, Book 23, Hadith 442]

Narrated Said bin Al-Musaiyab from his father: When the time of the death of Abu Talib
approached, Allah's Apostle went to him and found Abu Jahl bin Hisham and 'Abdullah
bin Abi Umaiya bin Al-Mughira by his side. Allah's Apostle said to Abu Talib, "O uncle!
Say: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, a sentence with which I shall be a
witness (i.e. argue) for you before Allah. Abu Jahl and 'Abdullah bin Abi Umaiya said,
"O Abu Talib! Are you going to denounce the religion of Abdul Muttalib?" Allah's Apostle
kept on inviting Abu Talib to say it (i.e. 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah')
while they (Abu Jahl and Abdullah) kept on repeating their statement till Abu Talib said
as his last statement that he was on the religion of Abdul Muttalib and refused to say,
'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' (Then Allah's Apostle said, "I will keep
on asking Allah's forgiveness for you unless I am forbidden (by Allah) to do so." So
Allah revealed (the verse) concerning him (i.e. It is not fitting for the Prophet and those
who believe that they should invoke (Allah) for forgiveness for pagans even though
they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of the fire
[Quran 09:113]

This particular issue is highly controversial and almost all the sects present in the ”Muslim” world
today have been unable to implement this ruling. Probably the biggest hindrance is Social Pressure!
Since we have developed a habit of redefining Islam according to the demands of modernity, people
who do follow such rulings are labeled as orthodox, fundamentalist, Wahhabi24, or a Fitna (satanic).
Those who prefer to jump onto the bandwagon of Western modernity or easily succumb to social
pressure deny such clear rulings. One oft-repeated argument in this regard starts with the predictable
question-statement:

“How do we know if a person is a Muslim or not? And if a person calls himself a Muslim, verbally
confirms that through reciting the Shahadah and offers Salat 5 times a day, then who are we to label
him a munafiq or a mushrik?”

We hope we have already answered this question by discussing in detail the concepts of Emaan, Shirk
and Taghoot earlier in this article.

24
For the background and definition of Wahhabism, please refer to page 55 of this article.

45
e) AMULETS (TAWEEZ) OR CHARMS
Another common usage of the Quran in our society is as Taweez (amulets). Taweezat generally are
written on a small piece of paper in which different chapters or verses of the Quran are symbolized by
numerals. The Taweez is seen as a guard against illness, black magic and jealousy. Some Taweezat
are thought to improve the probability of success in business and marriage. Taweezat are written by
“holy” men, astrologists, pirs and mullahs.

Another common benefit of the Taweez is obtained by hanging it in different rooms of a house or
office in order to bless the dwelling. Taweezat are also used as instruments of black magic.

So, instead of reciting and understanding the verses of the Quran, “Muslims” get them photocopied
and proudly hang them around their necks, arms or ankles, hoping that they will save them from
adversity, illness or failure. A common misconception that has promoted the widespread use of
amulets is the incorrect interpretation of the following verse of the Quran:

“And We reveal of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and
it adds only to the perdition of the unjust”. [17:82]

This particular ayah is interpreted lexically, and “shifa” is translated as cure, healing, or remedy as
meant in medical science; whereas, this ayah refers to Quran being the cure for all problems of
mankind. In this regard, Quran should be perceived as a manual of instructions that will lead to true
success in this life and the Hereafter. Once again, wearing amulets is nothing more than a move
towards false convenience and protection that is easily bought.

We get no proof whatsoever from the lives of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions that they ever
wore amulets for safety or any other purposes. An evidence regarding the recitation of the Quran as a
remedy (during all kinds of illness and during the time when a Jew woman performed black magic on
Prophet Muhammad PBUH), is mentioned below:

[Sahih Bukhari - Volume 5, Book 59, Hadith 714]

Narrated 'Aisha (RA): “Whenever Allah's Apostle became ill, he used to recite Al-
Muawidhatan (i.e. the last two Surahs of the Qur'an) and then blow his breath and
passed his hand over himself. When he had his fatal illness, I started reciting Al-
Muawidhatan and blowing my breath over him as he used to do, and then I rubbed the
hand of the Prophet over his body.”

There are other “dum” proven through Sahih Hadith, including that of Surah-e-Fatiha. However, these
have not ever been worn as amulets by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself, or his Sahaba.

Moreover, have we ever considered why was it that the savior of the world, the “Khatim-un-
Nabi’yeen”, the “Rehmat-ul-lil-Aalameen” had been affected by black magic? Why did Allah allow non-
Muslims to harm His beloved Prophet? The intention was to clarify the issue of the use of the Quran as
a remedy. The reader must notice that the Prophet (PBUH) did not, at any occasion, wear the Al-
Muawidhatan or any other ayahs as an amulet, just like the companions of the Prophet (PBUH), who
lived their lives in total conformance with the Prophet (PBUH)’s Sunnah, never resorted to wearing
amulets of any type. In fact, the Sahih Hadith is quite clear on the topic of wearing amulets and taking
omens of any kind.

[Sunan Abu-Dawood, Book 28, Hadith 3860]

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As: “I heard the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) say: If I
drink an antidote, or tie an amulet, or compose poetry, I am the type who does not
care what he does”.

[Abu Dawood, Mishkat pg. 389; Tirmizi, Volume 2, pg. 28]

"Esa Bin Hamza (RA) says, I visited Abdullah Bin Akeem (RA) during his sickness; he
was suffering from a sickness called "Hamra". I asked him why he was not wearing the
taweez that was meant for the sickness specifically. He replied, "May Allah save me
from the taweez. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) has said, whoever hangs anything he will be
entrusted to that thing only.'

46
 [Sunan Abu-Dawud - Book 28, Hadith 3874]
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: Zaynab, the wife of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, told that
Abdullah said: I heard the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) saying: spells, amulet and love-
potions are polytheism.

[Sunan Abu-Dawud - Book 28, Hadith 3859]

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was asked
about a charm for one who is possessed (nashrah). He replied: It pertains to the work
of the devil.

It is important to recognize that wearing amulets or taking omens of any kind is Shirk. When a person
wears an amulet, he tends to view the amulet as capable of changing particular things in his life. In
this regard, an inanimate object (a piece of paper in a silver or gold casing) is thought to possess the
powers of bestowing success, enforcing a change in events and even creation of certain situations.
The power to change things and to affect the lives of human beings rests solely with Allah. An amulet,
thus, is nothing more than a piece of paper. Similarly, those who believe that planetary movements or
star formations affect their lives, or are harbingers of certain future events, also associate certain
powers with inanimate celestial bodies. Stars and planets are also creations of Allah and are under His
total control. Therefore, they cannot affect our lives in a positive or a negative way or have an
influence on business or marriage. Such beliefs were quite characteristic of ancient paganism which
had its own mythology. Ancient pagans thought the sun to be a god, and even the wind, the earth and
the water were supposed to be gods. This particular belief is clearly idolatrous and Muslims must
refrain from harboring such thoughts, because they constitute Shirk.

f) NAZAR OR NIAZ
One highly controversial issue today is that of Nazar and Niaz. We frequently receive food cooked on
specific occasions in order to commemorate a particular event or personality. For instance, the halwa-
puri cooked as part of “koonday ka khatam”, or the rice cooked on 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal as celebration
of Eid-Milad-un-Nabi, as well as haleem on 10th of Muharram, so on and so forth. What do the Quran
and Sahih Hadith say about this particular issue?

First of all, lets define these two terms. Nazar and Niaz are synonymous words. Nazar is an Arabic
word while Niaz is Persian. Both these words refer to an act or deed that a person makes obligatory
upon himself depending on the fulfillment of a wish or desire. If a wish or a prayer is addressed to
Allah, keeping in mind that the prayer or wish is for something halaal, and that the wish can be
granted only by Allah, then the intended Niaz becomes obligatory and must be discharged as a duty
only in the way of Allah. Any Nazar or Niaz directed towards anyone other than Allah actually leads to
punishment in the Hereafter. Thus, it is of utmost importance that Nazar or Niaz should only be
intended for Allah alone.

Given the above reasoning, what is the standing or significance of the food cooked and distributed for
“nabi kay sadqay” or for aulia-Allah? What about the food distributed on 10th of Muharram? Quran has
prohibited a believing Muslim from eating anything over which any name other than Allah’s has been
invoked. This ruling appears in the following verses:

“He has only forbidden you what dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that
over which any other (name) than (that of) Allah has been invoked; but
whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring, nor exceeding the limit, no sin shall be
upon him; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” [02:173]

“Forbidden to you is that which dies of itself, and blood, and flesh of swine, and that
on which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked, and the strangled
(animal) and that beaten to death, and that killed by a fall and that killed by being
smitten with the horn, and that which wild beasts have eaten, except what you
slaughter, and what is sacrificed on stones set up (for idols) and that you divide by the
arrows; that is a transgression. This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your
religion, so fear them not, and fear Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion

47
 and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion; but whoever is
compelled by hunger, not inclining willfully to sin, then surely Allah is Forgiving,
Merciful.” [05:03]

“Therefore eat of what Allah has given you, lawful and good (things), and give thanks
for Allah's favor if Him do you serve. He has only forbidden you what dies of itself and
blood and flesh of swine and that over which any other name than that of Allah
has been invoked, but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring nor exceeding the
limit, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” [16:114-115]

It should be noted that food cooked or given in the name of anyone other than Allah is as abominable
as the flesh of swine. Both these forbidden items are repeatedly mentioned together in the above
ayahs. Just as we would never eat chicken meat that was cooked in a Christian household, because of
our doubts about how the animal was slaughtered, or whether Allah’s name was invoked or not;
similarly, chicken meat cooked in a Muslim household that has any name other than Allah’s uttered on
it is forbidden for consumption.

Most Pakistani “Muslims” take the above-mentioned verses to be applicable only in the case of
slaughtering of animals where as the verses clearly mention that any food item over which any name
other than Allah’s has been taken is forbidden for consumption.

Given the above ayahs, many people declare that since Quranic verses are recited over the Eid Milad-
un-Nabi food, for instance, so Allah’s name has been taken over it and the food is therefore, halaal.
However, the intention is to transfer the Sawaab to Muhammad (PBUH) and other pious aulia-Allah.
Since esaal-u-sawaab is itself an innovation, this argument does not hold true. Secondly, since the
food has been cooked with the intention of giving it in the way of Muhammad (PBUH) and not in the
way of Allah, reciting Quranic verses over it will not purify it. Therefore, any Nazar or Niaz in the name
of anyone other than Allah is forbidden to all believers; whether Quranic verses have been recited
over such food or not is of no importance. The following occasions fall under this category:

 Food distributed on 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal (intention of transfer of Sawaab to Muhammad PBUH)

 Food distributed on 10th Muharram (intention of transfer of Sawaab to Ali, Hussain and
Hassan RA)
 Food distributed on 11th Rabi-us-Saani (intention of transfer of Sawaab to Abdul Qadir Jilani)
 Food distributed on 22nd Rajab, also called Koonday (intention of transfer of Sawaab to Imam
Jaffer Sadiq)
 Food distributed on 14th Sha’ban (intention of transfer of Sawaab to Owais Qarni)
 Water coolers and fountains erected in the name of martyrs of Karbala (so as to remind the
drinkers of the helplessness and intense thirst of those martyrs).

All these occasions quite clearly celebrate the piety of a famous religious personality and have nothing
to do with the intention of Sadqa in the way of Allah. The list will become quite long if we include the
charhawas (same as sacrifices to pagan gods in ancient times) offered on the graves of dead saints.
We must emphasize here that any food items distributed on any of the abovementioned occasions, as
well as on Urs of Sufi saints, are haraam and cannot be eaten. The origins of this particular tradition
lie in ancient paganism when idol worshippers used to apportion crops or cooked food in the name of
Allah as well as other gods like Lat, Manaat and Uzza, in order to gain their favor and to obtain their
blessings25. Such practices are clearly polytheistic in nature and must be eradicated from the “Muslim”
society of today.

25
These idols were considered as intercessors on behalf of the worshippers and could request Allah to bless the
charity-giver. The charity-givers and Niaz-distributors of today have replaced Lat, Manaat and Uzza with dead
saints, prophets and others known for their piety.

48
g) INTEREST (RIBA) BASED INCOME
While all “Muslims” are clear about the prohibition of Riba, most of them conveniently overlook the
exact definition of Riba and the implications of involvement in Riba-based transactions. The high level
of comfort that “Muslims” have achieved regarding Riba-based transactions is witnessed every day.
Almost on a daily basis, most of us transact business with financial institutions that are clearly
operating on the basis of Riba, the most ingenious creation of the clever Jewish minds that have
invested the sweat and blood of many generations in the establishment of this system. Riba or
interest is an accepted phenomenon now and our passivity in this regard is astonishing. One basic
reason behind this passivity is our ignorance of how strong the Quranic injunctions are about
forbidding Riba and that Riba cannot be justified under any circumstances. For instance, in Pakistan,
many widows and retired small savers, who do not have regular monthly incomes, invest in saving
certificates that pay monthly profits. This is easily justified by saying that an uneducated old woman,
for example, does not have any other means of earning her bread and butter and has no choice but to
resort to such saving schemes; or otherwise starve to death.

Do the Quranic injunctions exclude small savers and widows while forbidding Riba for others? Lets look
at the message of the Quran first and then define what Riba is and identify those financial dealings
that fall under the realm of Riba and gambling.

Riba had been explicitly prohibited in Surah Al-Room 5 years before Hijrah. The verse reads as
follows:

And the Riba-based investments on your part, in order to increase your wealth on the
basis of other people's (i.e., the borrowers') assets, do not increase from the point of
view of Allah. However, rest assured about the acceptance of what you give by way of
Zakat for the sake of Allah; those who give Zakat are the ones whose net worth
increases manifold with Allah. [30:39]

The most emphatic and strongly worded prohibition of Riba is found in Surah Al-Baqarah:

[Al- Baqarah, 02: 275 to 280]

Those who take usury shall rise up before Allah like men whom Satan has demented
by his touch; for they claim that usury is like trading. But Allah has permitted trading
and forbidden usury. He that receives an admonition from his Lord and mends his
ways may keep what he has already earned; his fate is in the hands of Allah. But he
that pays no heed shall be among the people of the fire and shall remain in it
forever.

Allah has laid his curse on usury and blessed alms-giving with increase. He bears no
love for the ungrateful sinner.

Those that have faith and do good works, attend to their prayers and pay the alms-
tax, will be rewarded by their Lord and will have nothing to fear or to regret.

O’ believers, have fear of Allah and waive what is still due to you from usury, if your
faith be true; or war shall be declared against you by Allah and His Apostle. If
you repent, you may retain your principal, wronging none (with an increase) without
being wronged (by suffering a loss).

If your debtor be in straits, grant his a delay until he can discharge his debt; but if you
waive the sum as alms, it will be better for you, if you but knew it.

* Riba has also been forbidden in [Al-Nisa 04:160] and [Aal-e-Imran 03:130].

Let us clarify at the onset that there is a consensus of Islamic scholars that bank interest, usury and
riba are one and the same. Usury specifically referred to the Riba-al-Jahiliyah (or pre-Islamic Riba),
which surfaced when the lender asked the borrower on the loan maturity day if the latter would settle
the debt or increase the same and settle later. This increase in the amount of the loan was achieved
by charging interest on the amount initially borrowed (the principal sum, Biyaaj). Such transactions

49
were identified typically with Jewish lenders of the time and were highly exploitative in nature (as all
Riba is).

In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah and His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) declare war against a person who
takes Riba. One common misconception is that only the beneficiary of Riba is condemned to this fate.
In actuality, if we look at authentic Hadith, we find that the following persons involved in a usurious
transaction are all guilty of the crime:

[Sahih Muslim, Book 10, Chapter 40, Hadith 3881]

Jabir said that Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) cursed the acceptor of interest and its payer,
and one who records it, and the two witnesses, and he said: They are all equal.

1. The person who lends on Riba

2. The person who pays Riba
3. The writer of the Riba-based contract
4. The witnesses to the Riba-based contract

After reading this Hadith, the reader will no doubt realize the seriousness of the crime as well as the
fact that any one even indirectly associated with a usurious transaction is liable for punishment. And
nowhere in the Quran or Sahih Hadith would one find any extenuating conditions from the prohibition
of Riba.

Some people are of the opinion that only compound interest (interest on interest) is forbidden, while
others try to advocate the permissibility of a small rate of interest just enough to compensate for
inflation. (Inflation causes erosion in the real value of money). It must be clarified that simple and
compound interest are just a matter of mathematical calculation. A simple interest rate of 10.50% per
annum, calculated on a principal of Rs. 100 for 2 years gives the same result as an interest rate of
10% compounded annually for 2 years; the end result is Rs. 121 in both cases. The difference is just
in calculation. Secondly, the presence of inflation is itself a result of the capitalistic economic system,
which operates on Riba. If the Islamic economic system were followed, there would be very little or no
inflation, and the absence of interest will actually get rid of inflationary pressures. Instead of going
into detailed discussion about the technicalities of Riba, it is more important to state in layman terms
that:

Any pre-determined rate of profit on any investment is Riba. Islam does not identify cash as
“capital” and it cannot therefore earn a rent or “interest.” In Islam, money is viewed as
potential capital and can only generate an income if it is converted into an asset. For
instance, cash cannot earn interest sitting in a savings account. However, if it is converted
into an asset like a house, it can then be rented out. Cash in itself is not an earning asset.
Therefore, there is no concept of debt financing in Islam, where a loan earns a
predetermined rate of interest. Profits are legitimate only on equity investments, only if
there is also a risk of loss and the profit amount is variable.

Secondly, Islamic financing does not guarantee safe-play. The principal amount invested
can increase or decrease depending on the performance of the business venture in which
the money has been invested. Thus, the investor always has the probability of loss present
in his mind.

Thirdly, Islam recognizes trading as a legitimate profit earning activity because trading or
any other business activity involves considerable time and effort, in addition to monetary
investment. Therefore, any amount of profit that a person earns without any investment of
time and effort (money growing on its own at a predetermined rate) is haraam.

The highlighted portion above gives the basic definition of Riba and how Islam views cash. One simply
cannot advance money as a loan and get a return on it. Secondly, if the debtor is in financial difficulty,
then a Muslim lender is to help his Muslim brother and waive off the debt. Thus, qard-e-hasana is the
ideal form of a loan. The relevant Ahadeeth in this regard are given below:

50
 [Sahih Bukhari, Volume. 3, Book 34, Hadith 379]
Narrated by Ibn ‘Umar: The Prophet said, “The selling of wheat for wheat is Riba (usury)
except it is handed from hand to hand and equal in amount. Similarly, the selling of
barley for barley is Riba, except if it is from hand to hand and equal in amount, and
dates for dates is usury except if it is from hand to hand and equal in amount.

[Sahih Muslim, Book 10, Hadith 3795]

Abdullah b. Abu Qatida reported that Abu Qatada (Allah be pleased with him) demanded
(the payment of his debt) from his debtor but he disappeared; later on he found him
and he said: I am hard up financially, where upon he said: (do you state it) by God? He
said: by God. Upon this he (Qatada) said: I heard Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) as saying:
he who loves that Allah saves him from the torments of the Day of Resurrection should
give respite to the insolvent or remit (his debt). This Hadith has been narrated on the
authority of Ayyub with the same chain of transmitters.

It is important to note that many banks in Pakistan, under pressure from the Supreme Court ruling,
have introduced Musharikah and Mudarabah based financial instruments that are currently Islamic
only in name, while the actual underlying transactions are Riba-based. We have included a short list of
the commonly available investment alternatives in Pakistan that are actually Riba-based:

 Saving deposits, fixed time deposits at commercial banks.

 National savings certificates
 Special savings certificates
 Regular income certificates
 Defense savings certificates
 Foreign exchange bearer certificates (government bonds)
 Federal investment bonds (government bonds)
 Term finance certificates (private corporate bonds)
 Government of Pakistan Treasury bills
 Provident funds. (These operate as sinking funds in which a portion of the monthly salary is
automatically transferred. The monthly payments into the fund grow at a certain interest rate
and are then paid as a lump sum amount on the retirement of the employee).
 PLS Accounts at banks. (These profit and loss sharing accounts are actually savings deposits
that pay a small amount of interest while the original principal amount remains intact).
 Home financing schemes (also called leasing arrangements) offered by House Building Finance
Corporation; the diminishing Musharikah home financing by Bank Alfalah and other banks.
 Car financing arrangements.
 Leasing as practiced in Pakistan and abroad. (Though Islam allows Ijara or leasing, it is
structured in an entirely different manner and has no resemblance with current leasing
arrangements on offer).
 Askari Leasing’s Anza Gold certificates.
 Army Welfare Trust’s Musharikah certificates (which actually pay a return known to the
investor, and it is implicitly guaranteed that the principal amount will remain intact over the
duration of the investment).
 The money changing business, in which the same currency has two different prices on the spot
(bid-and-offer price). Islam does not recognize two different prices of the same commodity at
the same time.
 Short selling in the stock exchange is considered gambling and is forbidden.
 Stock exchange trading through badla financing.
 Short-term speculative investment in the stock exchange (less than 14 days) is also gambling.
 International trade financing through Letters of Credit.
 Credit cards. (Debit cards are Shari’at-compliant because they do not represent a loan and are
simply a safer mode of payment for purchases. Similarly, ATM cards are also legitimate).
 All types of short term working capital financing like revolving credit and commercial paper
that have a stated rate of interest.

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The Quran emphatically states that Allah and His Prophet (PBUH) declare war against a person who
takes Riba. Would the five daily prayers, the fasts, the zakat and any charity given by a Riba-eater
then be admissible? How can Allah accept the salat of a person who is at war with Him and negates
His commands? If a person pays or takes Riba, all his Ibadah and prayers are wasted. If, however, a
“Muslim” justifies Riba and views it as halaal, he negates the Quranic injunction regarding the
prohibition of Riba under all circumstances. Then, he becomes a part of Taghoot and is expelled
from the circle of Islam: he cannot call himself a Muslim anymore.

52
 SECTION V: Brief Overviews

We have added this section in this article because we have alluded to the philosophies of Sufism and
Wahhabism quite often, and the reader should know the exact official doctrine of these sects.

a) SUFISM
Perhaps the most glamorous, modern and fashionable creed to follow these days is Sufism or
Tasawwuf: the only religion in the world which guarantees divinity for the believer, provided he has
the good fortune of finding the most accomplished Sheikh, who has not only claimed but proven his
own divinity to the masses. Sufism holds tremendous appeal for the youth, as well as for seasoned old
intellectuals. That is the reason why most famous writers, poets and journalists in Pakistan belong to
this religion. The key to Sufism’s appeal lies in its entrapment of human vanity, the Devil’s favorite
sin. Given the weaknesses and aspirations of the human psyche, who would not want deification for
himself? For in essence, that is what Sufism is all about.

The most admirable and splendid accomplishments of Sufism are:

 Its success in identifying itself with Islam: Sufism is globally defined as a doctrine within
Islam. It is called “Islamic mysticism.” In actuality, Sufism is a religion in itself and has
nothing in common with Islam. Islam is the religion of submission to Allah’s Will: it is deen-e-
bandagi. Sufism is the religion of becoming one with Allah Himself and sharing in His divinity:
it is deen-e-khudai. While Islam abhors Shirk and calls it Zulm-e-Azeem, Sufism glorifies Shirk
and calls it true accomplishment. While Islam denounces paganism, Sufism borrows from
ancient pagan philosophies and creates a new set of beliefs by mixing in some Islamic
elements.

 The other stroke of brilliance is the institutionalization of the “Wali-hood of a Sufi”: The son of
a wali is also a wali. Therefore, the state of being a Wali is a genetically transferable trait and
helps in the deification of the entire family lineage. That is why we find the family pedigrees
called Chishtia, Naqshbandia, Mujaddadia, Junaidia, Rizwia, Qadria, Ashrafia and Suharwardia
etc. with their respective Gaddi-nasheens, who will forever rule the hearts of the peasantry
and polity in Pakistan.

Lets look at the basic tenets of this religion of the much-revered mystics, ascetics and sheikhs.

“There is a linguistic connection between the three words ‘myth’, ‘mysticism’ and
‘mystery.’ All are derived from the Greek verb musteion: to close the eyes or the
mouth. All three words, therefore, are rooted in an experience of darkness and
silence.”26

It is important to note that Allah’s prophets had declared war on ancient pagan mythology. But when
monotheists turned to mysticism, mythology reasserted itself as the chief vehicle of religious
experience.27 The basic premise of Sufism (which is said to be Islamic mysticism) uses the same logic,
as did ancient pagans of Babylon. They believed that God was a divine primordial stuff from which
other gods emerged in pairs; and from them, other spirits emerged. The divine essence became more
and more contaminated till it reached humans. Yet all humans contain this divine essence and it is
possible to climb the ladder back to ever greater purity until we become one with the original, pure
divine raw material called God. In Sufism, God is envisaged as Light (Noor) and all of us, through
silent meditation and many other physical and mental disciplines can look inwards and find God within
us. Gautama Buddha, as well as the Hindu Brahmins, preached this philosophy more than 2,000 years
ago. The only difference is that Sufism preaches the same philosophies under the cloak of Islam, a
religion that is fundamentally against mythology.

26
John Macquarrie, Thinking About God (London, 1957), p. 34.
27
Karen Armstrong, A History of God, p. 244.

53
Since our aim is to provide only the basics of Sufism, we will not go into much detail. While Islam tells
a Muslim to use only the Quran, Sahih Hadith and Ijma-e-Sahaba as sources of knowledge, Sufism
believes in “Tareeqat”, which basically nullifies Shariat, the basics of Emaan and Aqeeda, and
emphasizes blind following of the commands of the Sheikh/mentor. It is important to mention the
“Trinity” of Sufism, which comprises the official doctrine of this religion:

i. Hulool
The concept of hulool says that if a person reaches the ultimate purity of Nafs (id) and Ruh (soul), he
elevates himself so much that Allah steps down from his divine throne and merges Himself with that
person. This belief is common among Hindus, who believe certain holy men to be avatars (different
manifestations) of God on this earth. Some of their idols also qualify as avatars. A Munafiq Jew,
Abdullah bin Sabah, during the caliphate of Usman (RA), spread this belief that Ali (RA) is God
Incarnate and made of Noor. Abdullah bin Sabah thus invented this philosophy of hulool. (That is, Ali
(RA) had reached divinity because of his piety, which prompted Allah to merge Himself with Ali (RA).
Allah forbid!). Although Ali (RA) had Abdullah bin Sabah killed by throwing him into fire, this belief
found popularity and kept spreading. One of the first to adopt this belief among Sufis was Mansoor Al-
Hallaj, who screamed "Ana-ul-Haq" (I'm the Truth!) and was executed for this blasphemy by the
caliph in Baghdad. However, the followers of Sufism glorify his impudence. For instance, Al-Ghazzali
stated that Al-Hallaj had not been blasphemous but only unwise in proclaiming an esoteric truth that
could be misleading to the uninitiated.

Since we are thankfully part of the uninitiated lot, we also consider Al-Hallaj to be too confident of his
own glory. His claim was an obvious manifestation of how dangerous this philosophy is in leading a
person towards outright Shirk.

ii. Wahdat-ul-Wujood
This is the second point in the trinity of Sufism. This theory borrows directly from Buddhism and
Hinduism and claims that all things in the universe are actually God: only God exists in reality, and all
objects in the universe, alive or inanimate, are manifestations of the Creator Himself.
What our senses perceive is actually an illusion created by the mind. The truth of existence is that
everything is an avatar of God and therefore, there is no difference between the Creator and Creation.
This theory actually denies the separate existence of God, which amounts to Shirk by Negation28. As
there is no difference between a bird and a stone, a kafir and a Muslim, the devil or the jinn, custard
pudding or excrement, so even the worship of an idol can lead a person to God; the idol itself contains
the essence of God, as everything is God. It is wahdat-ul-wajood then, that makes Sufism so tolerant
of other religions and advocates the philosophy of all religions being equally correct. It does not
matter whether a person is a practicing Jew or a Hindu, as long as he finds the right mentor (sheikh)
who will guide him to Allah. From the viewpoint of Sufism then, worship in a temple, in a church or in
a mosque holds the same value for God. The fact that the Quran stated 14 centuries ago that only
MUSLIMS would be admitted to heaven has no importance whatsoever. This particular theory was
invented and taught by famous Sufi, Ibn-e-Arabi, who is known as Sheikh-ul-Akbar.

iii. Wahdat-ul-Shuhood
This is the theory of “Fana-fe-Allah” (losing one’s self in God). Just like Hulool, in which Allah descends
from His divine throne and becomes one with a person of ultimate purity of Nafs and Soul, Wahdat-
ul-Shuhood means that the pious person rises up from his being and blends with Allah Almighty. This
theory was practiced and preached by revered “saints” such as Ali Hajveri, Abdul Qadir Jilani etc.

One can find hundreds of points of contention between Sufism and Islam. While Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) advocated in his Hajj-a-tul-Wida address that all humans are equal in the eyes of Allah and
that only God-consciousness (Taqwa) elevates a person above other humans, Sufism divides people
into categories:

28
Refer to the discussion on Shirk on page 11 of this article.

54
  Ordinary humans
 Aulia Allah (further sub-divided into 12 categories, with their numbers remaining constant
within each category. For instance, there are only 40 Abdaals in the world; 12 or 22 in Syria,
and 18 or 28 in Iraq)29.
 Nabi
 Rasool
 Sheikh
 Sheikh’s Protégé (Mureed)

Some Sufis have claimed that the status of a “wali” is lower than that of a “Rasool” and higher than
that of a “Nabi”. If a person were to study the “accomplishments” of different Aulia/Sufis/Saints, he
would discover an uncanny similarity regarding the miracles given to different prophets and the feats
performed by these saints. Despite the fact that Allah has informed us that prophethood (and
consquently, ability to perform miracles) came to an end with the death of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH), many saints have laid claim to continuity of miracles through the spirit/noor of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH). However, in order to deflect strong criticism, they have resorted to different
terminology: While a prophet performs a miracle by raising a dead person (a miracle given to Jesus
(AS)), a wali performs a karamat when he lays claim to the ability of raising people from the dead.
Where as a prophet receives a revelation from Allah, a wali experiences ilhaam, that is, an idea
implanted in his heart by Allah. Just as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) experienced temporary death, as
claimed by these people, and is now alive in his grave, these saints too are still alive and are involved
in conducting the affairs of this universe as well as interceding with Allah on behalf of their followers.
These dead saints are now considered “parda-posh”, that is, they are hidden from the eyes of ordinary
living humans.

According to the rules of Tareeqat, the Mureed cannot move an inch without the prior consent of the
Sheikh. He is also to discontinue his salat if the Sheikh calls for him, as this is considered better
(afzal) than completing the salat. To be a Mureed, it is important to follow the Sheikh without question
or doubt, even if the sheikh orders the Mureed to do something against Shariat.

Can Sufism then be considered a mere variant of Islam? Can variant doctrines mutually co-exist within
Islam? Can different or contradictory doctrines proliferate symbiotically within Islam? After going
through the discussion on Emaan and Taghoot, the reader will agree with us when we state that Islam
does NOT allow different schools of thought: its message has been perfected, and that is a basic tenet
of the Islamic philosophy.

b) WAHHABISM
Those Muslims (including us) who propagate the philosophy of following “orthodox” Islam, that is, the
three sources of knowledge discussed earlier, are labeled as Wahhabi. The term connotes rigidity,
fanaticism, orthodoxy, as well as a resistance to reformation in the teachings of Islam. An explanation,
then, is in order as to what Wahhabism actually is and what are the origins of this sect.

For Wahhabism is a sect; it is the official creed of Saudi Arabia as the ruling Al-Saud family is
Wahhabi. The inspirer of this sect was Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab (1703-1792), the son of a local
theologian in the land of Nejd, Saudi Arabia. Muhammad’s father advocated the ultra-orthodox
interpretation of Islam. His young son also started to preach the return to the roots of Islam and he
was particularly against the worship of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and the worship of dead saints at
holy shrines. He denounced all non-Sunni as well as some Sunni sects. In 1744, while preaching in
Deraiya, Nejd, a power hungry local emir, Ibn Saud, noticed his teachings30. Ibn Saud adopted the
doctrine of Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab to declare war against other sects, and initiated carnage.
Thus, Wahhabism acquired the fanatic connotation. Ibn Saud entered a formal contract with
Muhammad in which he made Muhammad swear spiritual allegiance only to Ibn Saud and not to any

29
For further study on this interesting topic, please refer to Maulana Shah Ashraf Ali Thanvi, Shariat-o-Tareeqat,
Chapter 9, pg. 337.
30
At that time, the Caliphate was established in Istanbul, but the caliph allowed local emirs to administer their
lands, as long as they swore allegiance to the Caliphate and paid the taxes.

55
other emir. He also had Muhammad agree that the preacher would never stop Ibn Saud from exacting
necessary tributes from the subjects.

Why did Muhammad mortgage his beliefs to a petty ameer’s power designs? And why did he seal the
contract by giving his daughter in marriage to Ibn Saud? By 1792, Ibn Saud had conquered the cities
of Riyadh, Kharj and Qasim. In 1801, Karbala fell and a Shia massacre ensued. In 1802, the people of
Taif were slaughtered. In 1803, Ibn Saud ordered the sharif of Mecca to destroy the domed tombs of
the Prophet (PBUH) and the caliphs. But that was not done. And here is the undoing of this sect and
its doctrine.

Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab belonged to the Humbali school of thought, which believes in Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) and other humans being alive in their respective graves. How could he give his
consent to destroy the tombs? The fact that the Humbali Aqeeda is itself a transgression (Taghoot)
explains why Wahhabis are not true Muslims. It also explains why Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab so
conveniently pawned his teachings to the selfish interests of Ibn Saud. However, the power hungry
ameer did succeed and Saudi Arabia is, till this day, ruled by the Saud clan, which is ostentatiously
supported by the United States. The Hanbali school of thought is the official doctrine of the country,
though that is not voiced openly.

Wahhabism, thus, is a separate “Muslim” sect and a misnomer for people like us who believe in
following the original and clear message of Islam and in peaceful preaching of the teachings of Islam.

56
 FINAL THOUGHT: Ittehad Bain-U l-Mus limeen

Perhaps the most oft-discussed issue today, one that has concerned many intellectuals over time, is
that of the unity of Muslims all over the world. We do not need to create a heart-rending picture of the
woes of the Muslim world. What is more important is to question the approach with which this problem
is being tackled and then to discuss the workable solution that will effectively end the misery of the
Muslim world.

The scholars that have jumped onto the bandwagon of ethnic and sectarian tolerance include many
eminent names. All these scholars advocate the philosophy of peaceful co-existence of all sects within
Islam: they say that Shiites and Sunnis share the same beliefs and since the differences between
them are political, they should stop slaughtering each other and make peace. Barelvis, Deobandis,
Wahhabis, Ahmadis and Ahl-e-Hadith should shake hands and stop bickering over peripheral religious
issues, since they are all Muslims and believe in one God. But then, so do Christians and Jews!

The question then is: “Is an ittehad possible through this approach of resignation, tolerance31 and
passivity especially when the difference between right and wrong has been laid down?” NO!!!

The reason why different Muslim sects are at one others’ throats is that the topics of debate are hardly
peripheral: they are related to basic beliefs. One sect deifies Ali (RA); another proclaims divinity of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), yet another declares Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be made of light, yet
another sees saints sharing in the powers of Allah that are actually the sole prerogative of Allah. What
Muslims have forgotten is the actual message and the belief system of Islam. They do not realize that
proclaiming divinity for Ali (RA) or Muhammad (PBUH) is Shirk. We have all forgotten the meaning of
Allah’s rope. Lets take another look at the following ayahs, which we have all read in our textbooks
during our school years:

O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the care which is due to Him,
and do not die unless you are Muslims. And hold fast, all together, by the rope which
Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember
with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in
love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of
Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye
may be guided.” [03:102-103]

And here we are today, proudly calling ourselves Sunni Hanafi, Shia, Barelvi, Deobandi, Ahmedi,
Ismaili, Ahl-e-Hadith, Wahhabi, Mutazili, Sufi and Salafi; we call ourselves everything but MUSLIM.
That is simply because we are NOT Muslims in the first place and the disguise of loud-mouthed piety is
convenient for hiding our sins. We commit Shirk, we eat forbidden food, we indulge in heresies
(Bidd’ah) of a wide variety, we follow the religions and traditions of our ancestors and forego the
teachings of the Quran and Muhammad (PBUH). Is ittehad then possible between such divergent belief
systems?

What were the origins of Christians and Jews? Jews were once Muslims, the followers of the
commandments of David (AS), Solomon (AS) and Moses (AS), the direct recipients of bounty sent
from heaven (Mun Salwa). The Christians were the followers of Jesus (AS) of Nazareth, a prophet of
Allah; they too were once Muslims. What is self-evident in the history of these two monotheistic
religions is that they are corrupted forms of Islam. They strayed from the true path. The “Muslim”
Ummah is simply repeating ancient history. There is no such thing as straying from Islam. If a person
strays from the message of Islam, if he lets go of Allah’s rope, he becomes a non-Muslim: a Jew, a
Christian, a Sufi, a Hindu, a Barelvi, an Ahl-e-Hadith, an Ismaili, a Shia, a Deobandi, a Hanbali, a
Hanafi, a Wahhabi, a Mutazili, or an Ahmedi. One thing he cannot lay claim to is being a Muslim.

Ittehad-e-bain-ul-muslimeen has eluded the greatest thinkers, the greatest scholars and the notorious
clergy for many centuries now. The key behind the possibility and the implementation of such an

31
Tolerance is the new buzzword and the latest media creed. Tolerant people (whose morals are pliant and
malleable and flexible to the demands of time) are IN. Orthodox and fundamentalist is OUT.

57
ittehad is to rediscover our true faith and follow it in letter and spirit as it was followed in the days of
the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This goal can only be achieved by saying NO to sectarianism, by
rejecting different “Muslim” sects, by jumping off the bandwagon of tolerance and by once again
preaching the true word of Allah as commanded in Surah Al-Asr.

The believers of the philosophy we have advocated in this article are labeled as orthodox, fanatics,
retrogressive, fundamentalist, Wahhabi and with many other such stereotypes. This is precisely why
Surah Al-Asr calls for patience and endurance. It is every Muslim’s duty to find the true message of
Islam, to apply it to his own life and to preach it to those around him. Any hardships along the way
must be born with fortitude. Fear of social pressure and ostracism must be put on the backburner as
Allah’s pleasure and blessing is of utmost importance. Bringing all Muslims together in one faith,
ISLAM, is the only way of achieving true unity and therefore, true strength and success in this world
and the Hereafter. In this context, the reader should analyze the following Hadith:

[Sahih Muslim – Book 20, Hadith 4553]

It has been narrated on the authority of Hudhaifa b. al-Yaman who said: People used
to ask the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) about the good times, but I used to ask him
about bad times fearing lest they overtake me. I said: Messenger of Allah, we were in
the midst of ignorance and evil, and then God brought us this good (time through
Islam). Is there any bad time after this good one? He said: Yes. I asked: Will there be
a good time again after that bad time? He said: Yes, but therein will be a hidden evil. I
asked: What will be the evil hidden therein? He said: (That time will witness the rise
of) the people who will adopt ways other than mine and seek guidance other than
mine. You will know good points as well as bad points. I asked: Will there be a bad
time after this good one? He said: Yes. (A time will come) when there will be people
standing and inviting at the gates of Hell. Whoso responds to their call they will throw
them into the fire. I said: Messenger of Allah, describe them for us. He said: All right.
They will be a people having the same complexion as ours and speaking our language.
I said: Messenger of Allah, what do you suggest if I happen to live in that time? He
said: You should stick to the main body of the Muslims and their leader. I said: If they
have no (such thing as the) main body and have no leader? He said: Separate yourself
from all these factions, though you may have to eat the roots of trees (in a jungle)
until death comes to you and you are in this state.

* Also quoted in [Sahih Bukhari – Volume 09, Book 88, Hadith 206]

The message given in this Hadith is soul shaking. The reader will undoubtedly be taken aback by the
discovery that nothing is more important than to be a true Muslim: Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
states, “until death comes to you and you are in this state.” This statement means that one must be in
the state of Emaan (true faith) at the moment of death. If there is no group of true Muslims in the
world, then one should separate himself from the sects that claim to be Islamic (but actually are not
Islamic) even if one has to survive on tree roots because the society does not accept his doctrine and
throws him in exile. Today, we see so-called Muslims inventing new religions, new traditions and new
ways of worship just to obtain social acceptance. They are doing exactly the opposite of what Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) advised in the above Hadith. Any person who is a true Muslim, who has the
unshakable strength of Emaan in his heart, will find true courage to live his life in a manner befitting
for a Muslim; he will not succumb to social pressure or blind following of a scholar because the
pleasure and blessing of Allah will be his only motivation. Islam expects its followers to be firm in their
belief in Allah, it wants them to reject all Taghoots, it wants them to be God-conscious in every living
and waking moment, and above all, it expects them to hold firm to Allah’s rope no matter how difficult
it becomes in these modern times. Islam is a religion of courage and of high morals. It is not a religion
that can be tailored to personal convenience. Living the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and
spreading the word of Allah is what our lives are all about. Do we have the courage to rise up to the
challenge offered by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the above Hadith? That is the question we must all
be asking ourselves.

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A Message of Hope
Is there no hope for the followers of different sects, the so-called Muslims of today? What makes our
older generations resistant to the message of Islam? The answer lies in the human fear of admitting
mistakes and seeing failures in retrospect. What about a 60 year old man who has spent his life saying
his prayers five times a day, never missing a fast and always paying the yearly zakat; who has
proudly called himself a Barelvi or a Deobandi, has followed ancestral practices and has kept all his
savings in a Riba-based bank account? Is there hope for him, if at the age of 60 he discovers the Real
Islam and changes his entire outlook? YES!!!

[Sahih Bukhari – Volume 04, Book 52, Hadith 063]

Narrated By Al-Bara: A man whose face was covered with an iron mask (i.e. clad in
armour) came to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall I fight or embrace
Islam first? "The Prophet said, "embrace Islam first and then fight." So he embraced
Islam, and was martyred. Allah's Apostle said, A Little work, but a great reward. "(He
did very little (after embracing Islam), but he will be rewarded in abundance)."

Did this man say any Salat? Did this man pay any Zakat? Did he Fast during Ramadan? He had never
performed any Islamic Ibadaah. All he had with him were his good deeds (if any), but above all, he
had Emaan in his heart when he died (was martyred). He gave up his life for Islam and he was
forgiven because he died as a Muslim.

As a Muslim, just as we believe in the Day of Judgment, just as we believe Allah to be a strict judge of
our deeds, we must also have unquestioning belief in the fact that Allah is the Most Compassionate,
the Most Merciful, the most capable of forgiveness. He has not set an age limit for acceptance of
Islam. In fact, He has encouraged all humans to search for the Truth and embrace it whenever they
discover it. He is the Most Exalted, the Most Generous and that is why He promises us that:

[Sahih Muslim - Book 035, Number 6499]

Abu Dharr reported Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying that Allah, the
Exalted and Glorious, stated: "He who comes with goodness, there are in store for him
ten like those and even more than those: 'And he who comes with vice, ' it is only for
that that he is called to account. I even forgive him (as I like) and he who draws close
to Me by the span of a palm I draw close to him by the cubit, and he who draws close
to Me by the cubit I draw close to him by the space (covered) by two hands, and he
who walks towards Me I rush towards him, and he who meets Me in the state that his
sins fill the earth, but not associating anything with Me, I would meet Him with the
same (vastness) of pardon (on My behalf)." This hadith has been transmitted on the
authority of Waki'.

[Hadith Qudsi No. 34]

On the authority of Anas, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) say: Allah, the Almighty, has said: O Son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me
and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O Son
of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask
forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O Son of Adam, were you to come to Me with
sins as great as the earth, and were you then to face Me ascribing no partners to Me, I
would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.

May Allah give us the courage to admit our past mistakes, to purify our Emaan, to follow the
True path, to guide others towards the Real Islam; and may Allah help us in enduring any
hardships we might face along the way. Ameen.

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