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For many years now, news reports documenting the terrors of extreme, militant Islam have been a mainstay of Western media. This has focused attention on
'renewal movements', a subgroup of the true faithful, often to the neglect of the thousands of peace-loving, tolerant Muslims who abide by the true teachings of their faith. Islam is misunderstood and its true form and practices misinterpreted, and it is the fault of Muslims. Enlightened educated experts however, said that most of the precepts espoused by
'radical' Islam conflict with that faith's true teachings.
The Great Revivalist of the 14th Century, the Neglected Genius of the East, Imam Ahmad Raza Khan
(may Allah be pleased with him) had insight into the many Islamic cults taking place on the Indo-Pak region of the world. So called renewal movements like the
Deobandi,
Wahhabis and Ahmadiyya have now spread their tentacles to all parts of the world. He said that refutation of the
'Wahabis' and giving legal opinion are such two intricate skills, which like medical science, cannot be obtained through mere reading. These, too require in depth use of the dispensary of a specialist physician. He too sat down in the dispensary of a
'specialist physician' for 7 years.
As a matter of fact, after September 11, allot of research has
been done on militant Islam and fundamentalist groups, and
through the grace of the great Sufi Saints of Islam,
American researchers have now uncovered and written allot
about the Wahhabis, Salafis and Deobandis (Tabligh Jamaat).
Any sincere seeker can do a search on Google and will find
many articles. Before 9/11, many Muslims were ignorant and
thought harsh about what Imam Ahmed Raza Khan al-Qadiri (may
Allah sanctify his soul) has said about these sects/cults in
Islam.
Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that these
'Wahabis' existed and went all the way back to Prophet (Allah bless him and give
him peace) and Hazrat Imam Ali (may Allah ennoble his face) time. When asked whether Wahabis existed during the golden age of the first four Caliphs, he responded in an affirmative, relating to a number of Hadiths, in support of his view. The Kharijis who had seceded from Hazrat
Imam Ali's (may Allah ennoble his face) army after he agreed to submit his battle against
Mu'awiya to arbitration had been among the first. Thereafter one group followed another, generation after generation, assuming new shape and new name in each stage. These
'movements' cause fitna, tumult, moral and social chaos. They evoke trouble amongst the believers.
Imam Ahmad Riza (may Allah be pleased with him) related a story about the
'father of the Wahabis', illustrating at the same time the beloved Prophet Mohammad Mustafa
(May Allah bless him and give him peace) knowledge of the future events:
One day (some) Companions entered the Holy Prophet (May Allah
bless him and give him peace) presence. A man came and, after standing at the outer edge of the group, went into the Mosque. The Prophet
(May Allah bless him and give him peace) asked: "Which of you will slay that man?"
Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and advanced towards the man. He noticed though that the man was making salaat with great humility. Abu Bakr
(may Allah be pleased with him) did not rise, for to slay such a worshipper in the very act of praying seemed wrong. He returned and related what had happened. The beloved Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) asked again "Who is there that will slay him".
Hazrat Imam Ali (may Allah ennoble his face) rose and said, "O beloved Prophet of Allah, I shall". The beloved Prophet said,
"Yes, but if you can find him, but you will not be able to find him". So it happened, by the time
Hazrat Imam Ali (may Allah ennoble his face) had reached the Mosque, the man had completed his prayers and left. The beloved Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) said, "If you had slain him, a great calamity (fitna) would have been lifted from the community". This was the father of the Wahabis, whose external and intrinsic
(ma'anawi) heirs are making the world dirty today.
Despite his humble demeanor, Imam Ahmad Raza (may Allah be
pleased with him) stated that in truth he was arrogant. While standing at the edge of the crowd of the beloved Companions
(may Allah be pleased with them) surrounding the great Prophet
(May Allah bless him and give him peace), he said to himself that none among them was as good as he. This egotistical pride nullified all his pious deeds. Without respect
(ta'zim) for the beloved Prophet
(May Allah bless him and give him peace) there could be no faith (iman), and without faith prayer has no effectiveness. The true servant of Almighty Allah is he who is the servant of the beloved Prophet
(May Allah bless him and give him peace), if not he will be a servant of Satan.
He mentioned that the hierarchy of Saints, the appearance of a mujaddid (revivalist) once every hundred years, and the presence of the
'ulemas' who keep the Prophets Sunna alive-all these are further links to hold onto the
'rope of God'. Imam Ahmed Raza (may Allah be pleased with him) condemned these other ‘movements’ with whose views he disagreed by writing about it.
He confined this message to the world of the Mosque, the Shrine, Schools, and home (domestic and private realm) refusing to involve himself in a court or marketplace (the public sphere of colonialism). He never allowed his disagreements to become political, and never subdued to the commercial press of the early twentieth-century.
He once said that he was happy that people attacked his writings as frequently as they did because in the process they forgot to denigrate Almighty Allah, The beloved Prophet
(May Allah bless him and give him peace) and His Companions
(may Allah be pleased with them).