From the Layman’s Desk:15.
PART 2: TRYING TIMES FOR SUNNI MUSLIMS AND SUFIS.
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, MOST BENEFICIENT, MOST MERCIFUL.
We shall now examine only a few aspects of the Wahhabi creed, and assess whether they fulfill even the fundamental conditions of Islam!
THE WAHHABI TRINITY:
Strangely, the Bible does not contain the word “Trinity”. Most of the Christian denominations profess the trinity doctrine, yet when asked to explain it, many in the churches cannot explain it. This is because 3=1 or 1=3 defies logic and mathematical law. It was the year 381 of Christian era that the concept of Trinity was interpolated. In other words, it took three hundred and eighty-one years for the Christians to come up with the concept of Trinity. Jesus never spoke about it. About 244 years later, the Holy Qur’an which is the last of the Revealed Book of Allah, categorically says: “... So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! (it is) better for you!” [Pickthall, Surah Nisa 4:171]. About 650 years after the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) assumed the veil of departure (632 c.e.), Ibn Taimiyya (1263-1302 c.e.)divided the Tawhid into three parts: (1) Oneness of Godhead (Tawhid al-uloohiyya) and (2) Oneness of Lordship (Tawhid al-ruboobiyya), and the Tawhid al-Asma wa Sifat (Names and Attributes). At the outset it must be stated that the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) never taught us three Tawhids, and there was no such Tawhid during the period of Salaf as-Saaliheen and thereafter till the advent of Ibn Taimiyya who claimed that all Muslims among the (Ash`ari) theologians (al-mutakallimeen) worshipped other than Allah due to their ignorance of 'Tawhid al-uloohiyya,' and he claimed that they only knew of Tawhid, the 'Tawhid al-ruboobiyya' which consists in affirming that Allah is the Creator of all things, and he claims that the polytheists (al-mushrikoon) admitted it also. He therefore declared all Muslims to be unbelievers (kaafir). This theory which had been buried along with him down the centuries, was resuscitated by the Najdi Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab in the eighteenth century of the Christian era and others imitated Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab in it. A sampling of explanation of this theory can be gathered from Dr.Muhsin Khan’s explanation in his faulty English Translation of the Hadiths in Bukhari. Note what the Wahhabi Dr. Muhsin Khan writes about Tawhid for the gullible American converts to Wahhabism: In his preface to Volume 1 of the translation of Bukhari he mentions: “Tawhid is not one; namely, to say and believe the shahada of Islam with complete conviction—as it was from the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) until the advent of Ibn Taymiya seven centuries later—as new converts might imagine, but must now be three in order to be one, and cannot be one without being three.”
So what have we here? Wahhabi Trinity? Doesn’t it sound like 3=1 and 1=3? Without going into the details, suffice it to repeat here that the aforesaid Tawhid al-Rububuyya, Tawhid al-Uluhiyya, and Tawhid al-Asma wa al-Sifat— i.e. the (1) Tawhid of Lordship, (2) Tawhid of Godhood, and (3) Tawhid of Names and Attributes, were not taught by the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam), the Sahaabah, nor the Tabi’een and not by the Taba-Tabi’een. Imam Bukhari (d.256/870) never knew anything about the three Tawhids! The traditional Aqida is to testify that "THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH; MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH.” (Sahih Muslim, 1.37: 8).
It is worth quoting an Islamic Scholar who gives reasons as to why he is not a Wahhabi:
“After a deep study of their definition of three Tawhids, you will no doubt conclude that their creed teaches that the mushrikeen are upon Tawhid, and it is o.k to believe in the existence of other gods just as long as you single out Allah in worship, and furthermore, you are required to believe He has a physical location, body and limbs. This is the very first reason why I am not a Wahhabi. The call to Tawhid was clear and has never required such an explanation. Allah perfected and completed this Deen with the very teachings of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wasallam.”
As we are aware, the Wahhabi scholars have worked overtime to justify these three Tawhids by quoting various verses from the Holy Qur’an – which was never done by the Salaf as-Saaliheen. That reminds me of an English saying: Even the Devil can cite the Scriptures! Refuting the three Tawhids, our said Islamic scholar states further: “One can quote the Qur’an and Sunnah until in great abundance, but if one cannot prove his creed to be directly from the understanding of the first three generations, then his understanding of the Qur’an and the Sunnah is flawed, and such a person ultimately stands with the false cults that have tried before by proof-texting the Qur’an and Sunnah in a futile attempt to demonstrate “the validity” of their false belief. Any new teaching is indeed an innovation, and innovations as such are in hell. We look at the evidences upon how they are understood by the first three generations, and we should strictly adhere to the understanding of the first three generations as their understanding is the rightly guided.”
So there you are! The very basic foundational belief of the Wahhabis is not only a shaky ground but it is absolutely false! So would you like to follow the Tawhid as taught by the Beloved Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) to his Ummah, or follow of the Tawhids of Ibn Taimiyya and ibn Abdul Wahhab? Remember: No where it is stated that following the three Tawhids will take you to Paradise. On the other hand, note these couple from among the many ahadith:
The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Whoever witnesses that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, Allah forbids the Fire from touching him." [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim from `Ubada ibn al-Samit.] Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, book of riqaq ch. 14 (1989 ed. 11:324) says that the hadiths of "Allah forbids the Fire from touching him" are even more explicit than those of "Allah will enter him into Paradise" in establishing that the one who declares Allah's oneness is saved even if he does not heed the orders and the prohibitions.
And another: The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Whoever says there is no god but Allah enters Paradise even if he commits adultery and even if he steals (i.e. even if he commits great sins)." (Nasa'i, Tabarani and others from Abu al-Darda' - sahih)
In fact, in his Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine Shaykh Hisham Kabbani has compiled 40 Hadiths on the merits of saying LA ILAHA ILL-ALLA. Therefore, it cannot be gainsaid that Salvation lies in following sincerely whatever word the Holy Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wasallam) has brought to us – and not in the innovation of the three Tawhids!
IT IS MISLEADING TO CALL IBN WAHHAB NAJDI AS A REVIVER:
”Mujaddid is an intellectually eminent and distinct personality or a group that the Ummah is blessed with who decontaminates and renews the Deen. He/they present the Deen in a pure, pristine and original form by removing all the evil, corruption and wrongdoings that exist in his/their time. Through his/their intellect and understanding he/they tear apart the veils of innovation and customary practices that envelope the reality of Deen. (Mazaahir-e-Haqq (commentary of Mishkaat), Vol. 1, Page 258). Some commentators of this Hadith mention that a Mujaddid is specified on a conjectural basis by the pious and God-fearing people of that era through the concatenation (conditions that lead to something) of his circumstances. It therefore means that a Mujaddid does not claim or specify himself as a Mujaddid. (Ta’leequs Sabeeh, Sharah Mishkaat, Vol. 1, Page 160, Iedhaahul Mishkaat, Sharah Mishkaat, Page 266).”
Then again, the same Islamic scholar tackles the claim that Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab was a reviver of the Deen (Religion of Islam) and cites several hadiths. One of those hadiths is the following famous hadith: The Holy Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wasallam said “At the head of every one hundred years, Allah will send to this nation one who will be a Reviver for it its Religion. ” [Sunan Abu Dawuud, Kitaab ul-Malaaham, hadeeth no. 4291 and even the Wahhabi scholar Albaani has classified this hadeeth as Saheeh in his Silsilah as-Saheehah 2/148, hadeeth no. 599]
It is significant that despite this hadith, ibn Abdul Wahhab Najdi cannot be attributed the title of a Reviver of Religion. The reasons are not far to seek because the holy Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wasallam said “This knowledge will be carried by the trustworthy ones of every generation – they will expel from it the alterations made by those going beyond bounds, the false claims of the liars, and the false interpretations of the ignorant” [Mishkaat ul-Masaabeeh, hadeeth no. 248 and classified as authentic]. This scholar (May Allah bless him) then sums up as below:
“This has to mean that any reviver that comes must affirm the message of the revivers that have gone before. This means that they would have enjoined the Sunnah and refuted the innovations of each age. Here lay the challenge to the very claim of Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdul Wahhab being a reviver, because for him to be a reviver, the Wahabis have to present a reviver from each century that came with the very same message as Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab, and what was the message of Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab?
1. He claimed that the Mushrikeen of Makkah were upon Tawhid ur-Rabubiyyah and that their Tawhid would have been perfect had they of not called upon others besides Allah.2. He also taught that the Muslims have declined from the 4th century onwards and fell into idolatry and that idolatry was rampant in Makkah and Madinah.
3. He also taught that the Muslims of his age were in the depth of kufr and shirk even more than that of the Musrikeen of Makkah.
4. He taught that it is permissable to spill their blood and loot their property and that their testimony of faith [recitation of the kalimah] was invalid.
5. He taught that the four madh-habs were shirk as the Muslims were worshipping the Imaams as the Jews and the Christians worshipped their priests and Rabbis.
6. He taught that the annual celebration of Milaad un-Nabi was shirk because the people who do so were raising the Prophet to the level of god-hood as the Christians did with Jesus.
The problems that the Wahhabiyyah have, is producing such revivers of each century who came foward and preached the same message of Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab. Wahhabis cannot ever produce any revivers of each century who said the same things as Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab and ultimately their claim of Islamic purity falls to the ground.”
Yes Sir! We see the second reason too why you are not a Wahhabi and pray that Allah protect us from this Wahhabiyya Fitna! Ameen!
(Please also see this Blog for more on this subject: http://tinyurl.com/7jgo5ot )
Of course, there’s lot more: The anthropomorphism of the Wahhabis in giving body, direction and creaturely movements to Allah (Nauzobillah!) as taught by Ibn Taimiyya and his followers. Indeed it sounds so strange that something of this kind should be sought to be interpolated in Islam by a person who was criticized by the Sunni Ulema as the person “whose knowledge far exceeded his intelligence!” But this is not subject to explore here.
It is interesting to note that al-Dhahabi, who is listed by the "Salafis" alongside Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim has himself condemned Ibn Taymiyya as a "deviated innovator". Al-Dhahabi writes - "He (Ibn Taymiyya) was a virtuous and outstanding scholar, very accurate and meticulous in his intellectual examinations, but guilty of introducing innovations in the Religion (mubtadi‘)".Dhahabi's own disclaimer of the errors of Ibn Taymiyya is stated explicitly in his stern al-Nasiha al-dhahabiyya, which was published in Damascus in 1347 (1929) together with his Bayan zaghal al-`ilm. Ibn Hajar mentioned Dhahabi's Nasiha in al-Durar al-kamina (1:166), and so did al-Sakhawi in al-I`lan wa al-tawbikh (p. 504). Two extant manuscripts of the Nasiha are kept, one in Cairo at the Dar al-kutub al-misriyya (#B18823) and one in Damascus at the Zahiriyya library (#1347); Dhahabi, Bayan zaghal al-`ilm wa al-talab. Wayalihi al-Nasiha al-Dhahabiyya li Ibn Taymiyya Damascus: Qudsi, 1347 (1928 or 1929).
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord and Cherisher of the Universe. May His peace and blessings be upon the Beloved Prophet, (Salla Allahu alayhi wa Sallam), His blessed Household, His noble Companions and all followers of the right guidance till the Day of Judgement
TO CONTINUE, INSHA ALLAH…NASIR.
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