O
TAUHEED OR SHIRK?
by
HADRAT
ALLAMA SYED AHMED SA'EED KAAZMI t
PUBLISHED BY
IMAM AHMED RAZA ACADEMY
DURBAN SOUTH AFRICA
A BARAKAATUR RAZA PUBLICATION
COPYRIGHT RESERVED
Date of Publication:
Rajab 1422 A.H. (October 2001)
Number of copies:
1 000 (1st Edition)
Number of copies:
1 500 (2nd Edition)
Publishers:
Imam Ahmed Raza Academy
Ahmed Raza Building
3rd Floor, 20-22 Lorne
Street
Durban. 4001
South Africa
Postal Address:
P.O. Box 5325
Durban. 4000
South Africa
Phone: (031) 309-3642
Fax: (031) 309-3707
Int. Code: (27) (31) + Number
Web Site: www.raza.co.za
e-mail: raza786@mweb.co.za
ISBN: 0-9584436-5-3
This book is intended to protect Muslims from all misconceptions and
misunderstandings prevalent in the Muslim community, in so far as the belief in
seeking assistance from great Prophets and Saints is concerned.
Allama Syed Ahmed Sa'eed Kaazmi Shah Saheb t was a great Aalim, Scholar and a
specialist in the Field of Hadith and Tafseer, to which he made a voluminous
contribution. He earned the title of "Ghazzali-e-Zamaan"
or "The Ghazzali of the Age".
In this treatise, he clearly distinguishes between "Shirk" and
"Tauheed". He does so in an extremely simple manner, so that all
Muslims are able to understand. This policy of his is based on the principle of
education and the acquisition of knowledge, which is compulsory in the life of
all Muslims, man or woman.
The aim of the writer is not one of trivial argument and discussion based
on heresay, rather, it is to make the public aware and to educate them on
practises followed by the first generation of Muslims, yet these practises are
mocked by a few "enlightened Modern-day" Muslims.
May Allah Y
assist and guide those Muslims
who are instrumental in producing this book and all those involved in the
protection of the pristine faith of Islam.
Aameen.
Moulana
Abdul Hadi Al-Qaderi Barakaati
President
Imam
Ahmad Raza Academy
Durban,
South Africa
11 Rajab 1422
29 September 2001
O
The Being of the Almighty Allah Y
is
indeed One. It is only those who are ignorant and persist in being ignorant need
an explanation on how Almighty Allah Y
is
One and is actually Present. Those who are Allah-conscious do not desire an
explanation on this subject of Tauheed and Shirk. They in fact accept without
questioning. There is a famous proverb in the Arabic language, which is as
follows:
"Objects
are indeed understood by its opposites."
For example, peace can only be understood and appreciated by that person
who has felt and experienced anxiety. That person though who has not felt
anxiety, cannot appreciate peace. In the same manner, Day cannot be understood
if a person has not experienced the Night. Likewise, if a person has not
comprehended misguidance how is it possible for him to understand guidance?
Using this very principle, we may ask, if a person has not understood
"Shirk" or Polytheism, how is it possible for him to appreciate or
comprehend "Tauheed" or Monotheism? It is, therefore, only logical
that after we have understood Shirk can we then understand Tauheed.
The Almighty Allah Y
has in fact very clearly
explained the action Shirk and Tauheed, thereby completely eradicating the
concept of non-religion. It is very surprising that after explaining the
differences in the concept of Tauheed and Shirk so clearly, there are still
doubts in the minds of those whose sole duty it is to destroy the concept or
fundamentals of unity found in Islam.
The meaning of "Tauheed" is to believe that there is no Partner
to Allah Y
in His Being and in His
Attributes. In other words, how Almighty Allah Y
is,
we do not believe that there is another being like Him Y. If any person believes on the
contrary, then his belief would constitute Shirk. We should remember that the
attributes of Allah Y, among others, include the act
of Listening, Seeing and Possessing Knowledge. If any individual believes that
another possesses these Attributes, he will be guilty of Shirk.
After we have understood the meaning of Tauheed, the natural question
that arises is, if knowledge, which is one of the Attributes of Allah Y, is ascribed for another
individual, will this really mean that we are guilty of Shirk? We know that
Listening and Seeing are also among the Attributes of Allah Y. If we prove these very
attributes for another individual, will we be guilty of Shirk? In the very same
manner, the Attributes of Living is also among the Attributes of Allah Y. If we ascribe this attribute
for another individual will we again be guilty of Shirk?
No! Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters, do not be deceived by those who
hope to mislead you. You should remember that indeed Almighty Allah Y possesses the Attribute of "Living", yet He Y has, also through His Mercy, bestowed upon His creation
this very quality. The attribute of living though, which we relate to ourselves,
is not the same Attribute of Living as we relate to Allah Y. The difference is that His
Attribute of Living is non-bestowed, while the attribute of living which we
posses is one which we have been bestowed with by Allah Y. The attribute of living which
He has bestowed upon us is temporary and non-eternal, while His Y Attribute of Living is Eternal and non-bestowed.
If this principle and law is applied to all qualities and attributes,
then the question of Shirk will never arise. It is simple, yet, as we have
mentioned earlier, those Muslims whose sole aim is to deprive Islam of its
unity, peace and harmony, intentionally make it difficult so that the
simple-minded Muslims become confused and misguided.
The answer to this is quite simple. If man has not been given power and
authority, then what indeed is the difference between him and stone? We know
that the Almighty Allah Y
possesses Power and Authority. We
also know that He Y
has created these attributes
within man. You may well ask, if both possess power and authority, then what is
the difference? The answer to this is quite simple. If one applies the above law
and principle, there is no doubt that the Almighty Allah Y possesses Power and Authority,
yet, although possessing these Attributes, He Y is not subservient to anyone, neither have these
Attributes been given to Him Y
by anyone. His Y slave, man, on the other hand, possesses these
attributes of power and authority, yet, he is still subservient to the Almighty
Allah Y, and these attributes are not
his, rather they have been bestowed upon him by the Almighty Allah Y.
This very same principle as explained above, can be applicable to the question of Knowledge, Seeing, Listening, and other Attributes. The Almighty Allah Y possesses these Attributes and so does the slave. No one has given these Qualities to Allah Y, whilst the slave, on the other hand, has been accorded these attributes by Almighty Allah Y. This is, in fact, one of the clear differences between the Almighty Allah Y and His slave.
We understand that if the Almighty AllahY has bestowed an attribute, which is conferred to any
slave, upon the slave, then this belief cannot be labelled as Shirk. For
example, if we relate the quality of "hearing" to a slave, we must
therefore believe that the Grace of Allah Y
has
bestowed this attribute of “hearing” upon the slave, then this belief cannot
be termed Shirk.
At this point an important question arises. Applying the above principle,
we ask, why is it that we condemn the Idol worshippers who also believe that
their Idols have been given these amazing powers by Allah Y. Are they not using the very
same principle, which we are applying?
The answer to this question is quite clear and simple. When the Idol
worshipper believed that their Idols were a creation of Allah Y, they also should have believed
that the slave is indebtedly in bondage to the Creator Y. Without the Creator Y, the creation cannot come into
being. They also should have believed and accepted that, as in life or in death,
the slave is in need of the Creator Y. But, they refused to believe and accept this principle, that is,
Allah's Y
Authority.
They began to believe that although their Idols were a creation, Almighty
Allah Y
had given the Idols Divinity and
total "God-head". They believed that after creating their Idols, there
was now no need for submission towards Almighty Allah Y to complete (Allah forbid!) because their Idols could
do whatever it wished, even if Almighty Allah Y
had
not commanded it to do a certain thing. The Idol worshippers could not
understand this very simple principle, that is, that the creation can never to
totally independent of Almighty Allah Y.
Indeed, Almighty Allah Y, through His Mercy, may bestow
upon His slave whatever powers He wishes, yet He Y
would
not bestow Divinity, which is Permanent and Independent, the attributes given to
His slave are not permanent or even independent. The Idol worshippers believed
that because of the tremendous worship performed by the Idols, "Laat"
and "Manaat", Almighty Allah Y set them free to do as they pleased. Based on this
belief, the Idol worshippers believed that their Idols have been given Divinity
and God-head. Any person who believes that Almighty Allah Y has given His certain slave God-head and Divinity has
committed Shirk. There is no doubt in this. This is another difference between
the Muslim and the Idol worshipper. The Muslim believes that the servant of
Allah Y
will always remain a servant and
can never become one possessing God-head and Divinity.
DEEDS
PERFORMED BY THE SLAVE THROUGH
THE
PERMISSION OF ALLAH Y CAN
NEVER
BE
TERMED SHIRK
The Almighty Allah Y
states in the Holy Quran:
permission." (Sura Baqara:
255)
From this Quranic injunction, an important fact is becoming apparent to
us. Almighty Allah Y
is quite clearly stating to us
that not everyone will be given permission to intercede except those to whom He Y
has
given permission. It is also a warning to the Idol worshippers, in that they
should not believe and hold high esteem of their Idols considering that their
Idols have never been given permission to intercede for their worshippers. This
clearly proves that their Idols are totally useless.
The beloved slaves of Allah Y, on the other hand, have been given permission to intercede. The first
to intercede will be the Prophet Muhammad r as proven by many authentic
sources. Thereafter, the other Prophets u, the Martyrs (Shuhada t), the Saints t, etc. Another important fact we
must always bear in mind is that if an individual performs a duty without the
Permission of Allah Y, then this would be considered
Shirk, whereas if a duty has been allocated, as will be discussed shortly, then
this cannot be considered Shirk.
The Holy Quran is evidence of Hazrat 'Isa u explaining to his nation some of his amazing miracles. This serves as a
reminder to all, of the power and authority bestowed by Allah Y upon His beloved servants. He states:
"I heal those who are born blind and the leper and
I raise
the
dead by Allah's permission."
(Sura Ale Imraan: 49)
We know that to perform amazing duties as explained by Hazrat 'Isa u is indeed the Grace of the
Almighty Allah, yet this great Prophet u is actually stating that he can
perform them. Is he guilty (Allah forbid!) of committing Shirk? No, for he has
clearly proven by one verse the difference between Shirk and Tauheed.
When he has said, "these
duties are performed through the permission of Allah", immediately, the
question of Shirk is dismissed and the entire concept becomes one of Tauheed.
Keeping this in mind, when Muslims state that great Prophets u and Saints t can perform miracles and do so
with the Permission of Allah Y, how can any sensible person
call this action as being Shirk. This belief is purely Tauheed.
If one questions this and states that a Muslim cannot perform these
amazing duties (of miracles and interceding) then he is contradicting numerous
Quranic verses and Ahadith wherein amazing qualities and attributes of the
special servants of Allah Y
are explained.
Every creation of the Almighty Allah Y
has
been created for some specific reason and purpose, namely, the sun, the trees,
water, the wind. Explaining the purpose for the creation of Man, the Almighty
Allah Y
states:
worship
Me." (Ad Dhaariyat: 56)
Worship can only be performed if there is recognition. In other words,
mankind and Jinn have been created to recognize the Almighty Allah Y. The question that arises is,
what is the outcome of this recognition? It means that the more we recognize
Allah Y, the more we worship Him Y.
From the above discussion we come to realize that mankind has been
created to recognize Allah Y, and by doing so we become
closer. In other words, closeness to Allah Y
is
the pinnacle of glory in the life of mankind.
By understanding this, we must examine it's connotation, it's results and
it's meaning in the light of Islamic Law.
There is a Hadith-e-Qudsi found in the Sahih Bukhari explaining this: The
Prophet r has explained that the Almighty Allah Y
has
stated: "He who has caused enmity
with My Wali (Friend), I give him declaration of war. Among those acts through
which My slave achieves My closeness, the most beloved are the Fardh
(Compulsory) acts. My slave also achieves My closeness through the Nafil
(Optional) deeds, till I make him into My beloved. When he becomes My beloved, I
become his ears through which he listens, his eyes through which he sees, his
hands by which he holds, his feet by which he walks. When he pleads to Me for
anything I definitely bestow it on him. When he seeks refuge in Me from any bad
deed, then I definitely save him from it."
Some individuals state that only after achieving this status does the
slave refrain from all bad deeds. This thought is a flagrant misinterpretation
of the Tradition, for any person possessing a little common sense will tell you
that after refraining from all bad deeds, does the slave achieve this status. In
other words, after he has adopted piety and abstinence, does he stand any chance
of becoming the beloved.
In the following verse, Almighty Allah Y is explaining how we can achieve His Y closeness. He states:
"Say
(O Muhammad to them), if you love Allah follow me,
Allah will love you." (Sura Ale Imraan: 31)
In other words, after we have adopted piety and abstinence in following
the Holy Prophet r, will we have any chance of
becoming a beloved? The slave first refrains from bad deeds and actions. He then
performs the Fardh and Nafil acts continuously. Then only does he become the
beloved. It is not possible for him to continue performing evil deeds and still
feels he can become the beloved servant of Allah Y.
Imam Fakhrudeen Raazi t in his "Tafseer
Kabeer", explains the above Hadith: "In the same manner, if the slave continuously adopts good deeds,
then he indeed reaches that stage of which the Almighty Allah Y states that He becomes the slaves
eye and ear. When the Magnificent Noor (Light) of AllahY becomes the eye of the slave,
then the slave perceives things near and distant. When this Light becomes the
hand of the slave, then he, the slave, is then able to dispense with things easy
and difficult, near and far."
We also come to realize from this explanation that the beloved slaves of
Allah Y have been given the power to
help and assist. Once we have proved this, how can we call it Shirk if we
implore them for assistance? It can never be Shirk, for although the slave and
the Creator Y
can help and assist, remember
that the Creator Y
possesses this Attribute without
it being given to Him by anyone. The slave, on the other hand, possesses these
attributes after Almighty Allah Y
has
given it to him, and we still believe that the slave is the servant of Allah Y and is still subservient to Him Y. This is the belief of all
Muslims.
When we have understood and accepted this, the difference between Tauheed
and Shirk becomes quite clear, yet, unfortunately, there are certain individuals
who state that they believe in Allah Y, yet consider asking His beloved slaves for assistance as Shirk. If this
indeed be their faith, then what, we ask of you, is Kufr?
It also seems to be the habit of these "believers" to relate
verses meant for the Kufaar towards Muslims, perhaps they are merely following
the habit of their forefathers. It is recorded in the Sahih Bukhari, that Hazrat
Abdullah Ibn Omar t used to despise the Khaariji sect the most. Why? Let
us see. He considered them the worst of creation. He use to say that "these
people have made it a practice of theirs, that whatever verse has been revealed
against the idol worshippers, they relate these verses towards the
Muslims."
Some individual has asked this question, and we feel that it should be
answered. The question is this: we accept that the beloved slave of Allah Y possesses all these magnificent attributes. We accept
that he can assist and help. Yet, are not all these attributes only prevalent in
him when he is in this world, for when he dies, will not his body become a heap
of sand and rubble? When it does become a heap of sand, will not all the
attributes found in him be immediately nullified?
This doubt, in fact, has only been created, for we have merely considered
Man to be a combination of flesh and bones. This manner of thinking is indeed
incorrect for the essence of man is not flesh and bones, rather it is the soul.
The soul, unlike the flesh and bones, never dies. If we accept that his soul
will die, then how will he experience the punishment and reward within the
grave? Describing the condition within the grave, the Prophet r has stated that the grave is
sometimes a Garden of Paradise and sometimes a Pit of Hell.
We, therefore, logically ask: for who is this grave sometimes a Pit of
Hell or sometimes a Garden of Paradise? It is, without doubt, for the soul,
which is still alive. The soul always has a connection with the body even if the
body, described as the rays of the sun, even though it may manifest itself on a
heap of sand, on a tree or on the roof of a house, it still has a relationship
with the sun.
So we judge from this that the essence of man is the soul, it is this
which enables him to assist us in times of need and anxiety.
Another query that seems to confuse people is: how is it that we cannot
see the punishment or reward experienced by the body or the soul? The answer to
this is simple. The happenings of the grave are being experienced within the
Aalam-e-Barzakh, a world in itself which means, "The Screened World."
A logical explanation of this would be that if a person complains about a
headache and although the pain he is experiencing is an absolute reality, we
cannot perceive it or even comprehend it simply because the pain is screened
from our eyes. Similarly, punishment and reward is experienced within the grave.
Another example would be of a person dreaming. Although he is seeing
himself burning, we cannot see him burning or receiving a gift, for the simple
reason is that his life in that context is screened from our eyes.
It is reported in the Ahaadith that when the person is placed within the
grave, the grave squeezes him, be he Muslim or non-Muslim. The earth could be
described as "the mother", for man has been created from sand.
Therefore, it stands to reason that all will return to her. Some of her children
who have adopted piety and abstinence, they she will be welcomed and agreeably
received. Those, on the other hand, who have adopted disgraceful behaviour and
dishonour, she will receive them, not welcome them, but rather to punish them.
This example clearly describes how a Muslim and non-Muslim will be treated in
the grave. It will welcome the Muslim as a mother caressing her child, while she
will squeeze the disbeliever till his ribs appear on opposite sides. This
illustrates that the soul never dies and that the reward or punishment within
the grave is a reality.
Let us return to the discussion describing the magnificent attributes
possessed by the beloved slaves of Allah Y. Having proven that his soul and body still possesses these attributes,
it means that he can still assist us, traverse miles on end, listen and see
things far and near. When he can still do these things with the Permission of
Allah Y, then how can any sane person
term it as being as Shirk if we ask them to assist us?
In the Tirmidhi Shareef, Hadrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas t narrates that a Sahaba t once pitched his tent on a plot
of ground without realizing that he was doing so over a grave. After a while, he
realized that his tent was over a grave for he could hear the recital of the
Sura Mulk. He related the entire episode to the Prophet r, who replied that the recital of
Sura Mulk indeed assists the person within the grave and protects him from pain
and punishment.
From this episode, we see that the beloved servants of Allah Y are still alive within their graves, or else the
Prophet r would have merely disregarded the entire incident. But he did not do so.
Rather, he commented on the excellences of the Sura Mulk, which means that he
also accepted that the beloved servants of Allah Y are still alive within their graves.
Let us relate another incident from the period of the companions. It is
recorded that in the period of Hadrat Mu'awwiya t a canal was dug between Mecca
and Medina. Co-incidentally, the canal passed through that plot of land where
the Shuhada t (Martyrs) of Uhud lay buried. A person while digging accidentally cut
the foot of a Shaheed t with a spade. As a result of this, blood began to flow
from the blessed foot. We learn from this incident that aside from their souls,
even the bodies of these great and beloved servants of Allah Y are alive. This incident is narrated in "Jazbul
Quloob" by Sheikh Muhaddith Delwi t and "Sharahus Sudur"
by Imam Jallaludeen Suyutwi t.
Let us now quote another example from the period of the Taabe'ins. Imam
Abu Na'eem t in his book, "Hilyatul
Awliya", narrates from Hadrat Sa'eed t. The great Saint states, "By
Allah, Hameed Taweel t and myself were burying Hadrat Thaabit Nibhaani t. As we were setting the final rocks, one rock
accidentally fell into the grave. As I peeped into the grave, I saw that Hadrat
Thaabit Nibhaanit was about to perform the Salaah
and he was imploring Allah Y
in
the following manner, 'O Allah, You have given certain of Your creation the
Permission to perform their Salaah within the grave, give me also the same
permission'. It was indeed beyond the Mercy of Allah Y to refuse him."
N.B.: Hadrat Thaabit bin Aslam
Nibhaani Basri t was a Taabi'in. He has narrated Ahaadith from Hadrat Anas t and various other Companions.
Shuba t
states that he used to complete
the recitation of the Holy Quran in one day and night. He also used to fast
during the day. Abu Bakr Al Muzni t states that he had not seen a more pious person
than Thaabit bin Aslam t. ("Kashfun
Noor", Imam Abdul Gani Naablisi t, pg. 9)
Imam Baihaqi t narrates from Qazi Nishapuri Ebrahim t who states that, "A
pious woman passed away. Among those that were present for her Janaaza was a
coffin thief, who attended only with the intention of noticing where she was
being buried. As darkness set in, he dug the grave and was about to steal the
coffin when the pious lady exclaimed, 'By Allah, how strange that a dweller of
Paradise is stealing the coffin of another dweller of Paradise'. She explained
that whosoever took part in her Janaaza, Allah would forgive them, and that the
coffin thief took part in the Janaaza. The thief immediately covered the grave
and repented with a true heart.” Indeed this is the greatness of the
beloved servants of Allah, that one goes to them as a thief and returns as a
Saint himself.
It is reported in the Hadith-e-Qudsi that the Almighty Allah Y has stated:
"When My slave, becomes My beloved, then his words and attributes become
the mirror of My Words and Attributes. Whatever he pleads for, I bestow it upon
him. If he seeks refuge in Me, I protect him."
As we have seen, all these gifts are still found in the beloved servants
of Allah Y
even after they have departed
from this world. It is due solely to this that the believing Muslims visit the
graves of the Saints t for they are indeed people who have been promised the
Mercy and Assistance of Allah Y. We derive from these proofs,
that if an individual goes to the Mazaar of a great Saint t and implores to him in this
manner, "O beloved servant of Allah Y,
you are indeed the beloved slave of Allah. Please ask the Almighty on my
behalf," how, we ask of you, can this be termed Shirk, when the Almighty Allah Y Himself has promised them all these gifts?
After considering these facts, if any person feels that he cannot achieve
any help and assistance by visiting a Mazaar of a great Saint, then he has not
in any way insulted the Saint, rather he has doubted the promise of Allah Y
whereas Allah Y has promised his slaves His assistance.
Till now, we have proved that help and assistance that can be rendered by
the beloved slaves of Allah Y
in this world and in the
Aalam-e-Barzakh, the question is: will they be able to assist us in the
Hereafter?
This answer has already been given by the Holy Prophet r. He has stated: "The
Ulama, the Hufaaz, and the Shohadah of my followers will indeed intercede on the
Day of Judgement. Even the infant whose parents are Muslims will
intercede." If, as some misled individuals say, that it is Shirk to ask
the creation for assistance, then how will these above mentioned beloved slaves
help us on the Day of Judgment. This again is proof that it is not Shirk to ask
them in this world either!
The events that will take place on the Day of Judgment are clear to all.
We know that mankind will go to each Prophet u seeking assistance, when finally
they reach the Holy Prophet r, he will say, "I
am for it (that is, I am that person who will intercede for you)."
He will then go into prostration and Praise the Almighty Allah Y, after which the Almighty Allah Y
will say, "O Muhammad r! Raise your head. Speak you shall be listened to. Ask,
it shall be given to you. Intercede, your intercession will be accepted."
The Prophet r will then intercede. After him, the great Prophets u and Saints t. If it is Shirk to ask the
beloved servants of Allah Y
for assistance, how will it be
permissible on the Day of Judgment? We suggest to those who consider this action
as Shirk to voice their opinion on the Day of Judgment, perhaps they will be
amply "rewarded" for their folly.
May the Almighty Allah Y
bestow upon people the Imaan to
differentiate correctly between Shirk and Tauheed. Aameen!
The Imam Ahmed Raza Academy is an organisation
that was established on the 5th of July 1986 (1406 A.H.) in South Africa with
the sole purpose of serving the Muslim community and to provide some form of academic and spiritual direction to the
Muslims.
The organisation has been named after the great Muslim scholar and
Saint, Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Bareilvi
t,who lived in India between 1856
and 1921, and was popularly known as
"Ala’ Hadrat" in the Islamic world. Ala’ Hadrat Imam Ahmed
Raza Al-Qaadiri t
achieved
the status of a versatile scholar and obtained a high distinction in over 50
branches of learning. On his visit to Makkatul Mukarramah and Madinatul
Munawwarah, Imam Ahmed Raza Al-Qaadiri t
was
treated with great dignity and was conferred the title of "Imam-e-Ahle-Sunnat" by eminent Ulema. He was also
hailed as the Mujaddid or Revivalist
of the Century. He acted as a shield against those who wanted to assault the
principles of the Ahle Sunnah Wa Jamaah.
As a devout Sufi, Ala’ Hadrat Imam Ahmed Raza t was awarded the Ijaazah
and Khilafat (Certificate of Spiritual Successorship) in the Qaaderiya
Silsila (Order), as well as in 13 other branches of Sufism. As an
author, Imam Ahmed Raza Khan Al-Qaadiri
t has left to his credit more than a 1 000 books on 50
different subjects ranging from Tafseer, Logic, Grammar, Literature,
Islamic Jurisprudence, Education, Sociology, Astronomy, Mathematics, Physics,
History, Science of History, Engineering, Biographies, Philosophy, Mysticism to
Persian, Arabic, Urdu and Hindi Literature.
The key aim of the Imam Ahmed Raza Academy is to promote and
propagate the teachings of the Ahle Sunnah Wa Jamaah.
In order to achieve this key objective we have dedicated ourselves to
translate, compile, publish and distribute useful Islamic literature, books,
magazines, brochures, periodicals, newsletters, pamphlets, etc. with special
reference to the teachings of Ala’ Hadrat Imam Ahmed Raza Al-Qaadiri t and his Successors t In this age of immorality and
emergence of corrupted Sects claiming to be the beacons of salvation, it is our
responsibility to save our society from such wickedness and adopt the correct
perspective of Islam based on the teachings of the Ahle Sunnah. A vital
ingredient in this work is the publication of Sunni literature in English
– to which we have committed ourselves.
We
are presently offering a variety of services to the community on a daily basis,
from being a centre for imparting Islamic education for our children - to
issuing Fatawa (Legal Islamic Decrees). At the same time, in the last few
years, we have also developed as an organisation laying emphasis on the
publication of Sunni literature for the community and have thus far to
our credit a regular newsletter – “Raza” and numerous titles of
authentic Sunni books, and we will,
Insha-Allah, be adding more titles each year. We have already
designed a set of madressa textbooks that are being implemented locally
and, we are proud to add that these textbooks have gained international repute.
We have also developed a web site (www.raza.co.za)
which is highly information based and is continually being updated.
We need your help not only to retain but promote our Ahle Sunnah Aqaa’id
at a time when we are surrounded and bombarded by non-Sunni publications,
which have corrupted our Aqeeda and have made deep inroads in the minds
of the youth. All such activities in Islam that helps in promoting Islam
constitute an act of Jihad for which there will be an enormous reward. The celebrated Saint, Hadrat
Sheikh Sirri Saqti t said, “That person can never become perfect until he does not give
preference to Deen over his personal desires.”
The Imam Ahmed Raza Academy is an organisation that relies solely
on the assistance and Wasila of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah r
and the Fuyooz and Barakaat
of the Awliya Allah, and
the support of our well-wishers. Our vision for the future and our dedication to
the mission of Al’a Hadrat Imam Ahmed Raza Al-Qaadiri t
has
a significant contribution to be made locally and in the world - a world in
which, we pray, that Sunni Islam dominates. Insha-Allah!