Imam Ahmad Rida Khan’s remarks about Sayyida Aisha (RA)

The author of the blog “barelwism” has written a blog post (https://barelwism.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/ahmad-rida-khans-insulting-remarks-about-sayyida-aisha/) making manifest slander and lies again Imam Ahmed Raza / Rida Khan. This shows that the barelwism blog and its author cannot be trusted, and that they are blinded by hatred, fanaticism, sectarianism and extremism. The deobandi author of the “barelwism” blog seems to not even researched the Barelwi response on this issue because if he had, he would know how big a lie this is. I will adopt the classic Islamic adab of husn adh-dhann (having a good opinion of others), hence will assume that the author of the blog “barelwism” is ignorant about this topic and blindly followed another Deobandi scholar.

The truth is that Imam Ahmed Raza (rh) died in 1921 CE ( 1340 AH). Whilst he was alive, he published his poetry work called Hadaiq-e-Bakhsish Vol 1 and Vol 2 . Two years after his death, Allama Mehboob Ali Khan (rh) collected the unpublished poetry work of Imam Ahmed Raza (rh) and ordered its publication. Mawlana Mehboob Ali Khan (rh) himself was a great poet and his poetry work was also being published from the same printing press. (Mawlana Mehboob Ali Kahn is the brother of  Mufti Hashmat Ali Khan( rh)).

The poetry works of Mawlana Mehboob Ali and Imam Ahmed Raza (rh) got intermixed and 1 page from the work of Mawlana Mehboob ali was published under the work of Imam Ahmed Raza (rh) in Hadaiq-e-Bakhsish Vol 3.

And who pointed out this “problem” first? It was none other than Allama Mushtaq Ahmed Nizami (rh). The problematic couplet mentioned in the “barelwism” blog was from Allama Mehboon Ali Khan. This problematic couplet is translated as:

“Her tight fitting clothes revealeth the Robust and Youthful contours of her body, with it’s protruding breasts and jutting bust, and these were searing my thoughts and tearing away at my heart”

On 9th Dhul Qa’dah , 1348 AH , Mawlana Mehboob Ali khan did tawbah for his usage of those words. The tawba ( repentence ) was made publicly and was published in the Urdu Magzine “Tarjuman e ahle sunat ‘ published from Bommbay. One hundred and nineteen ( 119) scholars were witness to this Tawba.

He recited Shahada again and did tajdeed e nikah.

The incidence is also mentioned as a fatwa in “Majmua fatwa Mazhariya”  by Mufti Mazharullah (rh) , who was the Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid.

This was first pointed in 1955 and the Barelwis had pointed out this mistake and Allama Mehboon Ali Khan took back his words , did public tawaba and that couplet was never printed again.

If only they can see the first edition of these work. Hadaike Bakhsish Vol 1 and Vol2 , has the name Ahmed Raza Khan and vol 3 which was published after his death has the name Imam Ahmed Raza Khan RAHAMATULLAH.

The incidence is not too old . All this happened in 1955 CE and many people are still alive who were witness to the whole episode. The scans of the various testimonies, including of Allama Mehboon Ali Khan himself etc are found here:

https://islamtreasure.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/ala-hazrat-ahmed-raza-khan-r-a-never-insulted-ayesha-radhi-allah-tala-anhu/

I thank the following site for much of the information: www.falaah.co.uk/refutation/wahabi/89-refuting-false-allegation

I would advise the author of the “barelwism” blog to learn about husn adh-dhann because he has attacked the Awliya, and such attacks by him could have been avoided if he had basic husn adh-dhann.

Some scholars who supported the Mawlid

The author the “barelwism” blog (in https://barelwism.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/names-of-scholars-who-were-against-mawlid/) produced a list of scholars who he claims opposed the Mawlid. Although many of the scholars in the list are deobandis from recent history, some other scholars he mentioned in the list actually supported the Mawlid.

Here is a list of scholars who supported the Mawlid (unlike the author of the “barelwism” log, I won’t post the positions of any Deobandi or Berelvi scholars). Where I have not provided references below, this is because the references can be found in the Arab Muhaddith Shaykh GF Haddad’s article http://www.livingislam.org/n/mwld_e.html

1) Imam Abu Shama (one of the teachers of Imam Nawawi)

2) Imam Sakhawi

3) Shaykh Ibn Hajar al-Haytami

4) Imam Ibn al-Jawzi

5) Shaykh Ibn Kathir (he praised the leader for being charitable on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal and called the Mawlid “noble” in his Bidaya wa Nihaya. If the leader was doing a bad bid’a, Ibn Kathir would not have praised him), also he praised the Mawlid in his “dhikr mawlid Rasulullah”

6) Shaykh Yusuf Qaradawi

7) Imam Subki

8) Imam Shawkani

9) Mullah Ali Qari

10) Mufti of Mecca, Ahmad ibn Zayni Dahlan

11) Imam Suyuti

12) Imam Wajihu Din Shaybani al Zubaidi

13) Imam al Shihab al Qastalani

14) Imam Shamsu Din bin Nasir al Dimashqi

15) Shaykh Ramadan al Bouti

16) Imam Ibn Dahiya

17) Imam al Iraqi

18) Imam Mohammed bin Abu Bakr Abdullah al Qaisi al Dimashqi

19) Ameer al Mumineen in Hadith, Ibn Hajar al Asqalani (exact fatwa quoted by Imam Suyuti)

20) Mufti of the Shafi’s in Medina, Sayyid Ja’far al-Barzanji (in his Mawlid)

21) Shaykh al Maliki al Hasani in Baqa Atira

22) Habib Umar (his Mawlid text is famous, as well as the videos of his mawlids online)

23) Shaykh of the Malikis of Mecca and Medina, Muhammed ibn Alawi al Maliki (you can see his talks on the mawlid on youtube)

24) Shaykh Saleh al Ja’fari (his qasidas on the Mawlid are famous in Egypt)

25) al Qadi ‘Iyad ibn Musa al Yahsubl in Risala bad! ‘aft bayan mawlid al-nabi

26) Imam Ahmad Dardir, one of the major Maliki scholars of all times. He wrote a book which is now called “Mawlid of Dardir”

27) Shaykh Muhammad ‘Ulaysh in al Kawkab al anwar ‘ala ‘iqd al jawhar

28) The Maliki Mufti of Medina, Husayn ibn Ibrahim ibn Husayn ibn ‘Amir in Nuzhat al-fikr flma mada min al-hawadith wa’l-‘ibar

29) The Syrian and Hanafi Mufti Ibn Abidin in his Sharh Mawlid Ibn Hajar

30) The rector of Azhar, Imam Ibrahim al Bajuri

31) The distinguished Maliki scholar Ibrahim Riyahi  who text  “Mawlid of Ibrahim Riyadhi” was the official Mawlid text in the early 20th century in Tunisia

32) The Muhaddith of Hind from whom both the Deobandis and Berelvis claim to inherit, Shaykh Shah WaliUllah Dihlawi who positively affirmed the Mawlid in Fuyud al-Haramain’ (p.80,81) and claimed to see Noor descend in Masjid al Haram in Makkah when the Mawlid was being celebrated.

33) The Syrian faqih al Hasan ibn Habib in “Mawlid al Nabi”

I can make this list longer Alhamdulillah, but it is sufficient to show that the majority of scholars of the past supported the Mawlid (apart from Deobandis and Barelwis). Only a bigoted, partisan and blinkered fanatic will deny such a thing.

I will not go through all the scholars that the author of the “barelwism” blog put but I’ll suffice to mention two that he mentioned:

1) Ibn Taymiyya had two opposing positions on the Mawlid, one which is pro, and another which is apparently anti. The presence of contradictory positions by Ibn Taymiyya, even in the same book, is common amongst Ibn Taymiyya (see also his position on whether Khidr is alive or not).

2) Mujaddid Alf-i-Sani Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi- his position has been misinterpreted by the Deobandis. He wasn’t against the Mawlid and said that essentially if the haram isn’t done, then it is fine. See his Maktubat’ Daftar Sawm, letter: 72 Hissah Hashtam, Urdu, volume 3, letter 72, where he said “…. If Mawlid is done in this manner that no mistake in Qur’an recitation, no mistake…. in reciting qasidas, then what is the harm in it?…”

Prophet before Wahi

Imam Aḥmad narrated from the way of Budail, from Abdullah b. Shaqīq, from Maysarat Al-Fajr that he said: “I said: O Prophet of Allah, when did you become a Prophet? He said: While Adam was still in a midway phase between spirit and body”. That is how Al-Baghawi and Ibn Al-Sakan narrated it in ‘Al-Ṣaḥabah’. Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Hajar al Asqalani said in al Isaba: “and that is a strong chain”. There are many other similar authentic hadiths.

Thus as shown by the many authentic hadiths mentioned by shaykh Ghumari about the Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu alaihi wa sllam) being a Prophet since the time of the Prophet Adam (AS), the claim of the author of the “barelwism” blog  is based on fanaticism and ignorance of basic hadiths. Shaykh Ghumari is a massive muhaddith who memorised over 100,000 hadiths and is Moroccan, not Barelvi.

In fact one of the elders of Deoband, shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanwi / Thanvi (whom every Deobandi claims to follow) accepted the Prophet being a Prophet since the time of Prophet Adam (AS)

“Your light, which was present even before the realm of the spirits, can also be called “life” and it relates to the saying, ‘I was a prophet when Adam was between the spirit and body.’”  This is quoted in a Deobandi’s blog: https://alchishti.wordpress.com/2006/08/22/the-prophet-is-the-first-creation-the-root-of-all-blessings-maulana-ashraf-ali-thanawi/

Just because the author of the “barelwism” blog is ignorant of such matters, doesn’t mean they are untrue or the belief of Barelwis is wrong on it.

A message to the author of that blog:

“Does the author of the “barelwism” blog call the Prophet a jabarite? Does he reject the sahih hadiths about the Prophet being a Prophet at the time of Adam? See the discussion of the authenticity of such a hadith from page 4 onwards http://marifah.net/articles/HadithofJabir-AbdullahGhumari.pdf

The “barelwism” blog author should pursue knowledge without the fanaticism that he has for the deoband school and which has stopped him from accepting the truth.”

The blog I referred to with the absurd claim is at:

https://barelwism.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/prophets-before-wahi/