Aqeedah of Deoband - Clarifications Please :)

[godilali]

Probably the leading authority in the Barelwi school is their Grand Mufti of India, Mufti Akhtar Rida Khan al-Barelwi al-Azhari. He is very learned (al-Azhar educated) and pious, however, he still engages in the same anti-Deobandi rhetoric that unfortunatlely has gone on too long. In Pakistan, Maulana Turab ul-Haq Qadiri is pretty famous amongst the Barelwis. They have actually spoken out against Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri.

Note: A beautiful testiment to Sayyid Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki's objectivity and fairness is that he had cordial relations with these scholars (Mufti Akhtar Rida Khan, Maulana Turab ul-Haq, and Dr. Tahir) in addition to the Deobandi Ulama. Since both groups seem to respect him, perhaps they can follow his example.

[Sunni_Student786]

Probably the leading authority in the Barelwi school is their Grand Mufti of India, Mufti Akhtar Rida Khan al-Barelwi al-Azhari...

So is he THE Grand Mufti of India, or the one whom the Barelwis consider to be the Grand Mufti?

Furthermore, What did the Mufti study at Al Azhar and around what time period? This is the first of the major Indo-Pak scholars that I have heard of that went to Al Azhar for any significant period of time.

[muslim786]

So is he THE Grand Mufti of India, or the one whom the Barelwis consider to be the Grand Mufti?

Furthermore, What did the Mufti study at Al Azhar and around what time period? This is the first of the major Indo-Pak scholars that I have heard of that went to Al Azhar for any significant period of time.

Many indo pak scholars went to al azhar to study. Another good example is Pir Karam Shah Al Azhari.

[godilali]

Obviously, other groups would not consider him to be the Grand Mufti, and I'm uncertain as to whether that is in an official title in India, but he is regarded by the Barelwis as so, and designated as the successor of Mufti Mustafa Rida Khan.

As for the question about what he studied at Al-Azhar, I will post something I found on a website:
"Under the tutorship of renowned Ulama, he attained the degree of Fazile Deeniyat (Graduation in Islamic Theology) from Darul Uloom Manzare Islam, Bareilly. After spending three years (1963 - 1966) at the Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, his Eminence post-graduated in Arabic Literature and Deeniyat with specialization in Ahadith (Prophetic Tradition) and Tafseer (Quranic Exegesis) with high distinctions."

[Usman]

Mufti Taqi Usmani sahib is not the highest figure of deobandis today. He apparently is much known in the west, and the modern world. However, there are various much much much way more knowledgeable and muttaqi people today , like a) Sheikhul Hadees Saleemullah Khan sahib (damat Barakatuhum) b) Abu Zahid Sheikh Sarfaraz Khan Safdar (damat baraatuhum), and many more. The ulama of deoband have always been a group, rather than one particular person.

As for Dr. Tahirul Qadiri ,Some scholars (barelvi) in Pakistan have given a fatwa of Kufr upon Dr. Tahirul Qadiri . Also, Tahirul Qadiri is known to hate the title "Maulana" or "Molvi" for him, probably that's where the "modernist" thing came out.

For the barelvi scholars, I remember Pir Karam Shah Azhar sahib was a very high-knowledge figure, not sure about today. Shah Turabul Haq Qadiri is just a khateeb, he's not the top figure btw.

[Muawiyah]

Mufti Muneeb ur Rahman is probably one of the senior berailvi scholars of pakistan.

[a_r]

hopefully nobody bites my head off for this........

i haven't seen any posts or threads on the following so i thought i would throw it in:

GF Haddad's book review of the english version of Taqwiyatul Iman
http://mac.abc.se/home/onesr/d/tqi_e.pdf

Deoband to Barelvi Video- I haven't seen this video myself (since it wont work on my computer) but I hear Moulana Kokab Noorani Okarvi shows the original books of the deobandies in this video
http://www.***********/mediadb/index...&ShowMaxRecs=8

[godilali]

a_r, why bring up this subject again? Regardless of what is in the video, the statements in the books were misinterpreted, and the Deobandi ulema have clarified their positions specifically regarding these charges. Therefore, you should give them the benefit of the doubt since they contributed much to the Ummah, and you do not know what is in their hearts. Furthermore, Taqwiyatul Iman does not necessarily represent their views in general, from what I known.

At the same time, you should still regard Allaamah Ahmad Rida Khan with respect, considering he was clearly a genius and a master in every field of Islamic knowledge, particularly fiqh, hadith, and aqidah, and studied under great scholars such as Shaykh Ahmad Zayni Dahlan, etc. It is inappropriate, as I've seen some people on this and other forums do, to call him a slanderer or liar. However, he was revered by the vast majority of the Ulama of the Haramayn, Egypt, Sham, and India, so he is in no need of the praise of his detractors. It is apparent from his works that he honestly thought that the four ulema in question (Maulana Thanwi, Mawlana Gangohi, Maulana Nanotwi, Maulana Ambetwi) had disrespect for the Prophet saw and believed that Allah could lie (which he viewed as a defect), so it was necessary for him to issue a fatwa against people who he believed disrespected Rasullullah and Allah (na'udhubillah).

Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi: "I have great respect in my heart for Ahmad Raza Khan. He calls us Kaafirs, but he says this only on the basis for his love for the Prophet (Salla Allaahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and not out of any other reason."

Shaykh al Hadith Maulana Muhammad Idris Kandahlawi "Maulana Ahmad Rida Khan will get deliverance due to these Fatawa’. Allah, the Almighty will say, "You, Ahmad Rida Khan, You loved our Prophet, (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam), so much that you did not forgive even such great scholars. You considered that they had committed contempt of the Prophet, (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam), so you issued the Fatawa’ of infidelity against them.Lo! We grant you deliverance only due to this one deed."

Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi Deobandi said:

"When Maulana Ahmad Rida Khan passed away, somebody came to Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi, and informed him. Involuntarily Maulana Thanwi raised his hands in prayer. When the prayer was over, someone from the audience asked; "He had been calling you a Kafir throughout his lifetime and you have prayed for his deliverance." He (Maulana Thanwi) replied: "Maulana Ahmad Rida Khan indicted the Fatawa’s of Kufr
against me because he believed that I was guilty of contempt in the Honour of the Prophet, (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam). After having this belief and surety,if he had not passed any Fatwa of Kufr, he would have himself become a Kafir."

Once again, even though he was forced to issue this fatwa according to his ijtihad, this fatwa is not valid since the Deobandi ulama clarified their statements and are clearly from the Ahlus Sunnah and not Wahhabis, let alone Kafirs, so the Barelwi's of today who are too stubborn to even sit down and listen to the Deobandi's are committing an injustice. Just go to their sites and you can see their ignorance; even when the "opposition" clarifies their positions to them, they are labled as Munafiqeen who are hiding their true aqidah.

So what I would advise you, is to distance yourself from the second site that you mentioned (and like-minded people). And if people label you as a kafir for not believing Deobandi's are apostates, just say "la ilaha illallah" and you will have made them into liars.

[Abu Yaseen]

Salaam

Jazak'Allah for that godiali, nice post.

wassalaam

[Abu Suliman]

hopefully nobody bites my head off for this........

i haven't seen any posts or threads on the following so i thought i would throw it in:

GF Haddad's book review of the english version of Taqwiyatul Iman
http://mac.abc.se/home/onesr/d/tqi_e.pdf

Deoband to Barelvi Video- I haven't seen this video myself (since it wont work on my computer) but I hear Moulana Kokab Noorani Okarvi shows the original books of the deobandies in this video
http://www.***********/mediadb/index...&ShowMaxRecs=8

Please somebody already has iam geting sick of this brelvi mission to call ulema deoband kafirs please worry about yourself are you a true muslim or not? We know shaykh Gf Haddad(rah) loved and respected Ulema of Deoband and regards them from Ahle Sunnah why dont you believe those works of his on that subject?