Markazi Maktaba Islami Publishers
New Delhi - 110025
Human Welfare Trust Publication No.817
(c) Human Welfare Trust (Regd.) New Delhi
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Name of the Book
A Short History of the Revivalist Movement in Islam
Pages: 124
Author
Maulana Sayyid Abul A 'Ia Maududi
Translated by
AI-Ash'ari
Edition January 2009 500
Price: Rs. 55.00
Published by
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Printed at Asi'a Offset Priters. New Delhi·2
Contents
Translator's Note - 4
Glossary - 5
Preface to the First (Urdu) Edition - 7
Preface to the Fifth (Urdu) Edition - 9
Chapter I. Conflict between Islam and Un-Islam - 9
Atheism
Polytheism
Asceticism
Islam
Mission of the Prophets
Nature of the Prophets' Mission
The Rightly-Guided Caliphate
Onslaught of 'Ignorance'
Need for Mujaddids
A Tradition and its Explanation
Chapter 2. The Nature ofIslamlc Revival (Tajdid) - 25
Innovation and Revival
Who is a Mujaddid?
Aspects of Islamic Revival
The Ideal Mujaddid
Al-Imam-ul-Mehdi
Chapter 3. Some Great Mujaddids of Islam and their Achievements - 30
Umar bin 'Abdul 'Aziz
The Four Imams
Imam Ghazali
Imam Ibn-i-Taimiyyah
Shaikh Ahmad of Sirhindi
Chapter 4. The Achievements of Shah Waliullah of Delhi - 49
Work of Criticism
Work of Reconstruction the Results
Sayyid Ahmad Brelavi and Shah Isma'il Shahid
Causes of Failure
The First Cause
The Second Cause
The Third Cause
The End
Appendices - 70
I. Nature of Tajdid and Imam Mehdi
III. Tasawwuf and the Image of Shaikh
IV. An Allegation Refuted
V. Al-Mehdi and His Place in Islam
The English Edition of Tajdid-o-Ihya-i-Din, a greatwork by Maulana Abul A'la Maududi, is before the reader. This wonderful book was originally published as far back as 1940 and has since run throug seven editions. It aims at reviving a new feeling among the Muslims of the Indo-Pak subcontinent for religious reawakening and reconstruction.
It begins with a comparative study of the various philosophies and doctrines of life prevalent in the world from the earliest times and shows that Islam is tile only Way of Life suited to human nature. Then there is an enlightening discussion of the revivalist work in Islam, which outlines and explains, among other things, the salient aspects of the programme that has to be undertaken by a Mujaddid for the revival and establishment of Islam in its original pure form on the earth. This is indeed a marvellous chapter and perhaps the very heart of the book. The discussion about Al-Imam-ul-Mehdi, the Ideal Mujaddid, scientifically proves that Islam is eventually to emerge as the World-Religion to cure Man of all his maladies, physical and spiritual, and to deliver him from the agonies of want and fear.
Then the author presents in a brief but telling way the history of the Revivaijst Movement in Islam from 8 critical angle. He rightly attacks Hero-worship that has become a religion both in the East and the West and is the virtual cause of many of the human ills. Though the Maulana expected that this would provoke Sufistic opposition he presented the hard facts of history with a view to learning lessons for future guidance. Likewise, he stated boldly the causes of failure of the great Islamic Movement, led by so revered men as Sayyid Ahmed Shahid and Shah Isma'il Shahid, to attain its real objective, so that these may help us shape our future destinies for the glory of Islam.
Naturally, this frank appraisal brought in its wake a storm of scathing criticism. Those people: who were hit· for their
With these remarks I present this book to the English reader. As for its language it cannot be expected to match with the unique style of the Maulana, who is undoubtedly the greatest prose-writer of modern Urdu.
The reader will do well to first go through the Glossary of the Islamic terms that have been used in this book. I am grateful to the Maulana himself who personally took interest in the preparation of this glossary. Besides, I would be failing in my duty ifI did not acknowledge the help given by Ch. Muhammad Akbar and Malik Ghulam Ali during my work of translation.
Lahore February, 1963
AI-Ash'ari
Akhbar-i-Ashaad are the Ahadith (pI. of Hadith) reported by a few reporters only as against the mashhoor (well-known among the scholars of Hadith) and mutawatir (commonly reported by reporters at every stage) Ahadith. Bai'at was originally the oath of allegiance taken by Muslims at the hand of a Caliph who was the religious as well as the political head of Islamic State, but in modern usage it implies the oath taken by the people at the hand of a spiritual-guide only.
Faqeeh is one well-versed in Islamic Jurisprudence (Fiqh).
Fiqh is Islamic Jurisprudence deducted and worked out by the various schools of Thought from the Quran and the Sun nah.
Hadith is a Saying, Action, or Affairs of the Holy Prophet as reported by reporters.
Hajj is the annual prescribed pilgrimage to the Ka 'abah in the prescribed days of Zil-Hajj.
Ilham and Ilqa (lexically, divine instruction received by anybody including Prophets) is; according to Muslim terminology, a kind of 'divine inspiration' received by a non-Prophet in the shape of more or less vague hints.
Imam (literally, leader) was originally used for a Caliph only, but is a title-that may be used for an authority or expert in any science or art. The Shi-ite conception is different.
Jihad implies all possible effort (including fighting) put in with a view to promoting the case of Islam.
Jizya is the levy imposed by an Islamic State on its nonMuslim citizen for providing security of life and property and in
lieu of exemption from military duty.
Ka 'abah is the room built by Prophet Ibrahim in Makka. It was the first centre of God-worship in the world in known history.
Kalimah is the basic article of Islamic faith: "There is none worthy of worship but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
Kashf (literally, revelation) is revealing or making known something to somebody. Revelation is a misnomer for Wahi. (see Wahi).
Ma 'arifah is the comprehension and consciousness of Allah and His Attributes.
Mujaddid is one who undertakes and carries out Tajdid. Mujahid (pI. mujahidin) is one who undertakes Jihad. Mujtahid is one who undertakes and carries out ljtihad.
Qiblah is the direction towards which the Muslims turn their face while offering prayers.
Salah is the prescribed Islamic prayers offered at prescribed times.
Shaikh is a title given to a religious and spiritual guide.
Shariah is the detailed Law prescribed by Islam.
Sunnah is the Pattern of Life set by the Holy Prophet.
Tafsir is a commentary on the Holy Quran.
Tajdid is striving with a view to bringing about the Revival of Islam in all its various aspects and in its true form and spirit as against modernisation and innovation.
Taqlid is rigid conformity to already worked out laws by the early Imams and denotes the absence of Ijtihad.
Tariqah (tices and customs set and followed by Sufis).
Tasawwuf (Muslim term for mysticism) implies the various practices, customs and exercises based on a particular philosophy of life adopted with a view to purifying the soul and attaining nearness to Allah.
Tawaf is circumambulating of the Ka 'abah.
Ummah (in the context of this book) is the community of the Muslims.
Wahi (literally, secret instruction) is Divine Revelation received by the Prophets in full consciousness and without ambiguity as to its being from Allah and its meaning and implication.
Zakat is the obligatory due paid by a Muslim to a deserving fellow-being at a fixed rate on his annual savings, land produce, trade capital, cattle, wealth, etc.
In the name ofAllah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Mujaddid is one of the commonly used words of the Islamic
terminology. Its general meanings are well-known: a mujaddid is one who
revives and restores Islam. But as regards its technical meaning, most
people do not fully appreciate it. Few people, for instance, understand
fully what Tajdid really is, what kind of work it implies, what are its
scope and sphere, and what is total and what is partial Tajdid. Mainly
due to this ignorance people do not fully comprehend the nature of
achievements of the great men of Islamic History who have been
recognised as mujaddids. They only seem to know this
We shall have to understand fully the process of Tajdid, and looking back upon our History determine to what extent and in what ways have the different leaders accomplished this work during the last centuries, how far we can benefit from their achievements, and how we can make up for any possible failings in their work.
This subject demands a whole book for its proper treatment. That is, however, not possible at present. Luckily the suggestion to write on Shah Waliullah furnished me with the opportunity for dealing briefly with this subject. It is hoped that this brief discussion may provide someone with the necessary incentive to compile a comprehensive History of the Revivalist Movement in Islam.
This essay which is being issued in the book form now was originally written for the Shah Waliullah number of the AIFurqan, Bareilly. Naturally the revivalist work of Shah Waliullah has received comparatively greater attention in it than the works of the other mujaddids which have just been touched upon to serve as necessary background. The reader while going through the following pages should bear in mind that this book is not intended to encompass the works of all the mujaddids, but it treats of the more important mujaddids only who have left a lasting imprint on the History of Islam. It should be remembered that Tajdid has been undertaken by many people in the past in every age, but a few among them have really deserved the title of mujaddid.
February, 1940
This book has been made the target of reproach by mis chief-mongers. I have, therefore, revised and made clear all those statements which were purposely being misconstrued, and given references to all those quotations which were being ascribed to my authorship and thus brought under scathing criticism. Moreover, I have appended at the end all those statements which were issued and published from time to time by me in the Tarjuman-ul-Quran in response to objectors. Though even after this tongues will not stop their propaganda, it is hoped that discerning ears will to a large extent be protected against deceit, and falsehood. I can do no more than what Allah helps me to do.
October, 1960 Abul A'ala Maududi
WHATEVER system of life will be planned for man in this world, it must originate from certain metaphysical or theological concepts. No scheme of life is possible without a clear conception of man and the world in which he lives. The question, how should man behave or how should he act in this world, is closely related to the question: What is man? What is his position in this world? And what kind of system is this universe with which he should try to bring the way of his life in full conformity! Each different answer to this question, will give rise to a different ethical system which, in turn, will determine the structure of the various aspects of human life. Then within the framework of that structure, individual character and detailed rules and regulations for social relations will be evolved to finally give shape to a particular culture.
All the existing and the past systems of life have had to adopt some
basic metaphysical philosophy and some basic moral theory. It is these
basic concepts which distinguish one system of life from the other, not
only in major principles but also in the minutest details. As a matter
of fact, this metaphysical basis and this moral theory determine the
nature of every system of life, for they are like the soul to the body.
Apart from minor details, as a general principle, only our metaphysical
ooctrines are possible and all the
ATHEISM
According to this doctrine which is based on sheer 'Ignorance' the whole universe has come into being by mere accident and there is no wisdom, no purpose, no object behind its creation. It is working arbitrarily and it will suddenly come to an end without leaving any trace behind it. It has no master, and if there is any, his existence or non-existence does not make any difference to human life. Man is an animal who, like other things, came into being by some accident. We need not bother ourselves about the question: Who created him? Or why was he created? He simply happens to be here on the earth with some inherent desires which crave for their fulfilment. He possesses certain faculties and tools which help him satisfy these desires. Different sorts of material lying about him on the earth is exploited by him to achieve the same end. It appears that he has no aim in life except the satisfaction of the demands of his animal nature and his human skills and abilities are intended only to enable him to meet these demands in a more and more satisfying manner.
There is no supernatural source of knowledge and guidance wherefrom he could receive a doctrine of life. He should, therefore, draw a code of life from the' results of his interaction with the environments and the history of his accumulating experience.
Then, there appears to be no ruling authority to which man might be held answerable, and for that reason he is answerahle to nobody. At the most his own conscience may reproach him or he may be called to account by a power risen from among men to govern them.
Whatever the results of our actions, they are confined to our worldly lives. There is no Hereafter. The judgement on whether something is good or bad, right or wrong, worth having or discarding, will be pronounced by the results of human experience in this world.
Man, in this state of sheer 'Ignorance', that is, when he cannot feel
anything beyond his immediate perceptions or is too selfish to do so,
becomes a mental slave of atheism. World-worshippers in all ages have
always held the same point of view. With a few exceptions, almost all
kings and their courtiers, all ruling chiefs and prosperous people and
all those who would die for riches, have, in general, preferred this
conception of life.
Similar was the condition of the former cmmunities who had forgotten God. Though the epicureans of Baghdad, Damascus, Delhi and Granada, being Muslims, professed to believe in God and in the Hereafter, their general behaviour in worlaly life betrayed their indifference to the existence of God and the reality of the Hereafter. They behaved as if they were not answerable to anybody, nor did they stand in need of getting guidance from anywhere. Their only concern was to find means, lawful or unlawful, to gratify their passions and they were, in every way, free to do this. And the term of life placed at their disposal was to be spent in the acquisition and enjoyment of worldly luxuries.
As has been pointed out above, theory of life, by its very nature, gives rise to a purely materialistic system of morality, whether it is propounded and laid down in books or remains confined to human minds. Trouble arises when people with such mental attitude begin to develop arts and sciences on the one hand and evolve general trends of thought on the other. Their evil influence, gradually finds its way into the educational sys tems and infuses them with the materialistic and atheistic spirit. Consequently, individual character, relations between men, and social laws develop in complete harmony with this concept of life, ultimately flowering in society which can only boast of clever, dishonest, untruthful, cruel and wicked people as its best men. Such are the people who then assume leadership of the society and are able to seize power, thus bringing in an unbridled rule without any fear of being called to account. They base all their policies on the Machiavellian principles of politics. For them might is right. Nothing can stop them from oppression and tyranny except an external material hindrance. Inside the state this general state of oppression encourages the stronger to suppress the weaker, while externally it favours the rise of nationalism, imperialism, colonial opportunism and the greed to grab the weaker nations.
The second metaphysical doctrine is based on polytheism. According to it the system of the universe is neither accidental nor Godless, but has many masters and not one. This view does not have the support of any scientific proof, but is simply the creation of man's own imagination. That is why the polytheists of all ages have neither agreed nor will ever agree in assigning Godhead to the same imaginary or perceived objects. They grope in darkness and make a deity of whatever falls in their hands; and thus, the total numberof such duties have always been falling or rising in different ages. Angels, ghosts, 'spirits, stars, living or dead men, trees, mountains, animals, rivers, earth, fire, etc., have all been made gods at one time or the other. Even abstract ideas like love, beauty, lust, procreative power, disease, war, wealth, peace, etc. were believed to be gods. Not only that: certain imaginary combinations such as nymphs, lionman, bird man, a four-headed-man, a thousand-handed-man, trunk nosed-man, etc., were also worshipped by the idolaters.
This mythology, then, gathered around it many whims and superstitions as each polytheistic community added stupen dously to the stock according to the extent of its imagination. Communities holding the conception of a Supreme God or Allah conceive Him to be King, and the lesser gods and goddesses as His ministers, courtiers, companions, agents and officials. They believe that man connot have access to the King, as all His affairs are wholly in the hands of lesser gods. Other communities which do not have any, or have only a vague idea of a Supreme Deity, take the various lesser deities to have divided the Godly powers wholly among themselves.
Next to atheism, 'Ignorance' based on polytheism has been dominating
man's mind from the earliest times. A study of history shows that man
succumbed to such ideas only when he was mentally low and degraded.
Under tHe good intluence of I the Prophets people turned to believe in
the One Almighty and discarded the hosts of other gods. But this state
did not persist for long as they soon took Prophets themselves and the
saints, martyrs, different categories of pious men and women, scholars
and spiritual leaders, etc., and many a "reflection of God on the earth"
as agents of Godhead in one form or the other. These foolish people
rejected the gods of the idolaters only to replace them with the pious
devotees of God who had spent their lives in establishing the Godhead of
Allah against the self-assumed godhead of men. Now on the one hand, was
invented a new code of alms for the dead, visiting graves, offering
sacrilices and celebrating
It will be seen that such ideas are practically identical with those held by the idolaters who thought that the true Master of the universe was far beyond the reach of man and all the affairs of human life were directly in the hands of the lower officials. The difference, if any, was only this that the idolaters openly called these officials as deities, gods, or sons of God; whereas the so-called followers of the Prophets concealed their idolatry by giving them titles like hermits, saints, friends of Allah etc.
Throughout the ages, polytheism has been reinforcing atheism. The ancient civilizations of Babylon, Egypt, India, Iran, Greece and Rome had combined the two. In our age, the Japanese civilization presents a similar case. There are several reasons for this agreement and I shall point out some of these.
First, polytheism does not give man any feeling of real relationship with his gods except that he imagines them to be all controlling agencies, having the power to bestow happiness or inflict pain. With this mental background he tries to invoke their favour and help in attaining his worldly aims and objects by various acts of worship. As to the possibility of receiving any
moral guidance or a way of life from them, the polytheist is least bothered because there is none to reveal these. Therefore, the idolaters themselves invent a code of morality and plan a way of life on its basis and thus, becomes operative simple and pure atheism! It is obvious that the only dim rence between the two social systems is that the one has temples, worshippers and series of rituals; whereas the other has no such formality. But as regards moral behaviour the two are almost identical. That is why one is not surprised to find a striking resemblance between the moral temperament of ancient Greece and idolatrous Rome and that of modern Europe.
Second, polytheism cannot give an independent and lasting basis for
arts and sciences, philosophy and literature, politics and economics,
etc. Here again, the idolater has to go
Third, the idolatrous society shows great keenness to accept and follow all the ways of life adopted by the atheists, though at root the basis and structure of the two-societies are somewhat different. Kings are made gods by the idolaters and spiritual leaders and religious officials become a distinguished class by themselves. Then, kings and religious leaders join hands to make a supreme class. And thus gradually, the idea of superiority of one family over the other and of one class over the other becomes established, paving way for a reign of suppression over the ignorant masses by means of religious taboo. On the contrary, such defects enter an atheistic society in the guise of race-worship, nationalism, imperialism, dictatorship, capitalism and class-struggle. But in spirit, the two ideologies are akin, as both favour the mastery of one man over other men, and divide man from man making the individuals of the same race blood-thirsty enemies.
ASCETICISM
According to the metaphysical theory based on asceticism this world and the human body are the means of torture for man. The human soul is imprisoned in this elemental cage. Pleasures and desires and other bodily needs of man are actually the shackles and fetters of prison-house. The more a man is involved in their gratification, the more he will become polluted and deserve to be tortured. The only way to salvation from this prison-house is to denounce this world, curb desires, suppress pleasures, and refuse to fulfil the demands of the body. All relations of love with the worldly objects and with the kith and kin have to be uprooted from the heart with a view to torturing the body, our eternal enemy, with such extreme measures as may render it too weak to dominate the soul. This practice, it is believed, lightens the soul's burden and makes it pure, thus enabling it to soar high enough to attain salvation.
Though this theory is anti-social, it has influenced social life in different ways. It has
This form of 'Ignorance' joins hands with the first two in three different ways:
(1) It severs the good and pious people from their worldly activities and drives them into retirement, clearing ground for the devils incarnate. These wicked people, then, become guardians of God's earth to freely disrupt peace, while the good people rest content with their endeavours to achieve salvation.
(2) When the monastic influence reaches the common people it develops in them a wrong conception of trust in God and a pessimistic outlook on life. This renders them an easy prey to the oppressors. It is mainly for this reason that kings, ruling chiefs, and the so-called religious leaders have been, throughout ages, favouring and taking keen interest in the spread of monastic ideology. The whole volumes of history fail to present even a single instance of any conflict of Imperialism, Capitalism and Papacy against the monastic view of life and morality.
(3) When this monastic philosophy of life and morality is defeated by human nature; a need is felt to compile a book of apologies. The theory of atonement is invented to enable the people to commit sins to their hearts' content without any fear of losing paradise. Immoral physical love is alloY'ed for gratifying desires as a neces sary step to love of God so that those committing it may still have their halo of holiness intact. Kings and ruling chiefs are conspired with and a snare of spiritual ascen dency is set, the worst examples of which have heen presented by the Roman Papacy in the West and the latter-day representatives of Sufism in the East.
This is what asceticism does to its sister forms of ignorance but
when it penetrates into the communities of the Prophets of God it makes
the matters worse. There, it presents the world before man as a
torture-house and a maze of maya so as to counteract the Divine
conception of its being a place of action, a place of test and a
sowing-field for the Hereafter. This basic difference between the two
viewpoints makes a difference of worlds. Man forgets that he has been
appointed God's Vicegerent on the earth. He thinks that he has not been
sent here to actively administer the affairs of the world but
This mentality caused a section of the Prophets, communities to give themselves away to acute spiritual observances and lose themselves in practices of obstinence and austerity, such as counting prayers, performing so called pious acts, vision of spiritual phenomena, and the far-fetched philosophic interpretations of reality.1 Consequently, their absorption in the performance of their self-imposed duties obscured them
vision of their primary duty of establishing God's rule on the earth which, in fact, had been the mission of all the Prophets.
Another section of the people was driven into a different direction. Their minds were diseased with the tendency to probe deep into things unnecessarily, exaggerate, and show undue, concern for details. God's Religion became a tender affair in their hands which was liable to be upset with any triviality. These so called protectors of religion became increasingly cautious to see that this fragile glass vessel was handled gently and kept immune from all possible dangers of breakage. When such niceties enter religion they inevitably cause its followers to become more and more rigid in their views, narrow-minded and devoid of high ideals. How can such decrepit people be expected to view major problems of human life with a freshness of ap proach and breadth of vision? How can they ever grasp the universal principles of Religion and become intellectually and otherwise fit to lead the world through all turns of the changing times?
ISLAM
The fourth metaphysical doctrine is the one presented by the Prophets
of God (peace be upon them all). According to it this world which
surrounds us and includes us is the Kingdom of a Divine Being. He
created it and He alone is its real Master and sole Ruler.
Man in this'Kingdom is, by birth, a subject. That is, it has not been given to him to choose to be or not to be a subject. Being a born subject, therefore, he cannot possibly assume a position other than that of a subject.
The system of this government is such that it does not leave any room for man to exercise his own freewill nor is it possihle for him, being a born subject and a natural part of This Kingdom. to swerve from the path of obedience followed by the other creations. Similarly, he does not have the right to choose a way of life for himself or assume whatever duties he likes. The only alternative left to him is to follow the Guidance received from the Supreme Ruler. This Guidance is revealed to the pious men called Prophets.
The Master, however, has adopted a subtle way of testing man. He has
hidden Himself from his eyes as well as the whole internal machinery
with which He rules His Kingdom. It appears as if this great system is
working without a master, nor does one find any officials working in it.
Man witnesses a huge factory, working day and night, and finds himself
placed in it. He never feels that his position here is that of a subject
and be is answerable to a Supreme Authority. Neither do the external
phenomena suggest, even vaguely, that he is a mere subject and there is a
Supreme Ruler of the world to Whom he is answerable for all his
activities here. Prophets come but no body can see with the eyes how
Revelations descend upon them; nor are they accompanied by any clear
signs that may establish their Prophethood beyond any doubt. Then up to a
certain extent, man feels himself to be completely free. If he feels
like refusing to obey, he is given freedom, and is provided with all
possible means to do so. He is completely left to himself, so much so,
that he reaches unchecked the last limits of depravity and sin. Even if
he chooses to worship others besides God he is not deterred but is
allowed freedom to obey and worship whomsoever he pleases. In all cases
he gets his quota of provisions regularly and is subsisted with all the
materials of life, means of prosperity and comfort according to his
status in life. All these facilities con tinue to be afforded to him
till his death. It never happens that a rebel is refused the necessities
of life simply to punish him for his sins. Man has been endowed with
powers of reasoning and discrimination; he can exercise freewill and
choose between things; and he has been made master over the rest of
creation. It is simply on account of these endowments that the above
procedure has been adopted to test him. To implement this scheme,
Reality has been
As this worldly life is a period of test, there is neither any question of accountability here, nor of rewards and 'nor of punishments. Therefore, whatever is given here is not the reward of a good act, but the material of test; and whatever handicaps, hardships and misfortunes are encountered they are not the punishment for a bad act but the necessary consequences of acts2 in accordance with the natural laws governing the universe. The real assessment of and judgement on our actions will be conducted after the period of test is over, i.e., in the Hereafter. Hence, the results of our actions in this world do not, in any way, determine the rightness or wrongness of an action or la way of life and cannot, therefore, become that criterion of our acceptance-or rejection of it. The real criterion is the judgement of the Hereafter. To know what kind of fruit an action or a way of life will bear is possible only through the Guidance revealed by God to his Prophets. Apart from details, the decisive factor upon which depends the success or failure in the Hereafter is first, whether or not man, by the right use of his faculty of reasoning and intuition, recognizes God as the true Sovereign and His Guidance revealed through the Prophets as carrying the whole Truth; and second, whether or not after ascertaining this Truth, he brings himself round to bow before the Sovereignty of God and obeys willingly all the commands given by Him.
This is the doctrine of Islam which has been presented time and again by the Prophets from the earliest times. It explains all events and manifestations fully well. It gives a satisfactory interpretation
of all the worldly phenomena. No observation or experiment has seen
it break down. It propounds its own special system of philosophy which
is basically different from the un Godly systems. It orders and
organises the whole available information about the universe and
especially man in a way totally opposed to that of un-Godly sciences. It
carves out a new way of development for arts and literature, almost
wholly dif ferent in character from all the various ways trodden by un
Godly arts and literature. It gives a new outlook to and creates new
ideals for social affairs of life, absolutely unknown to un. Godly
communities. It provides a new basis for morality having no shade of
Then the detalied structure of social life which ensues from the above doctrine is inherently opposed to all others existing in the world. Matters pertaining to cleanliness. food and clothes, etiquette a.nd personal character, earning of livelihood and expending wealth, married life and family affairs, social customs and collective behaviour, various aspect of man's relation with man, business transactions, distrihution of wealth, administra tion of the country, structure of government, position of the head of state, working of the parliament, organization of civil services, principles of law-making and deduction of by-laws, judiciary, police, audit services, revenues, finance, public works, industry and commerce, communications, education, organiza tion and training ofdefence forces, peace and war, international affairs and foreign policy-in short, all problems of human life, whether big or small, are viewed and treated by Islam in its own special way. Thus the Islamic way of looking at things is unique in almost all detaits and is sharply demarcated from all other ways.lt is characterised by a special viewpoint, a specific ideal and an invigorating ethical theory which link up its whole ideology directly with Allah's absolute Sovereignty, man's position as a subject and his accountability, and with the reality of the Hereafter as against the transitoriness of this world.
MISSION OF THE PROPHETS
The Prophets were sent, one after the other, to estahlish such a
social system in the world. With the exception of the monastic
civ-ilization, no other civilization, whether Islamic or un-Islamic,
that views life from a universal standpoint and possesses a
comprehensive system of administering the worldly affairs, can resist
the urge for power in order that it may change the social life of its
subjects after its own pattern. Without
To view it as practicable is to betray one's bankruptcy of reason, and to show willingness for its acceptance is to retlect a serious lack of one's courage of conviction.
The ultimate aim of all the Prophets' missions in the world has been
to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth and to enforce the'system
of life received from Him.3 The Prophets, one and all, could very well
concede the polytheists' demand of sticking to their old beliefs and
practices, in so far as their activities and intluence were restricted
to their own communal sphere, but they could never agree, and rightly
so, to their remaining in authority and yielding power for their own
ends. With this object before them all the Prophets did endeavour to
bring about political revolutions in their respective ages. Some of them
were only able to prepare ground, as Prophet Abraham; others succeeded
in practicaliy starting the revolutionary move ment but their mission
was terminated before they could estab lish the rule of God, as Prophet
Jesus. But there were others who led their movement to its natural
goal, culminating in the establishment ofthe Kingdom of God on the
earth. In (his latter category is included
NATURE OF THE PROPHETS' MISSION
Viewed on the whole, the nature of the mission undertaken by the various Prophets is seen to be as follows:
1. To revolutionise the intellectual and mental outlook of humanity and to instil the Islamic attitude towards life and morality to such an extent that their very way of thinking, ideal in life, and stand3rds of values and he haviour become Islamic.
2. To regiment all such people who have accepted Islamic ideals and moulded their lives after Islamic pattern with a view to struggling for power and seizing it hy the use of 'all available means and equipment.
3. To establish Islamic rule and organise the various aspects of social life, on Islamic hases, to adopt such means as will widen the sphere of Islamic influence in tlfe world, and to arrange for the moral and intellectual training, by contact and example, of all those people who enter the fold. of Islam from time to time.
THE RIGHTLY-GUIDED CALIPHATE
Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the last of the Prophets, completed this whole task in twenty-three years. After him, his mission was carried on successfully hy the two great leaders of Islam, viz. Abu Bakr Siddiq and Umar Faruq (may God be pleased with them) in all its various aspects. Then the leadership was transferred to Hazrat Usman and during the first few years of his Caliphate the same order, as was established by the Holy Prophet, remained in force.
ONSLAUGHT OF 'IGNORANCE'
But soon two important factors weakened the Caliphate. First, the
fast expanding Islamic state brought in new problems every day thus
adding to the pressure of work and responsibilities of the Caliph; and
second, Hazrat Uthman, who had been elected to shoulder the heavy burden
of Caliphate, did not possess the qualities of leadership to the extent
his great forerunners had been endowed with.4 Consequently, 'Ignorance'
found its way into the Islamic social system during his Caliphate. The
Caliph laid down his very life to arrest the onslaught of the evil
forces but it was not checkced. After him
After seizing power, 'Ignorance' began eating into the community life like cancer. Only Islam could check such an evil influence but it had already been thrown out of power. The matters were not simple as the worst had befallen. 'Ignorance' was working its influence in the guise of Islam. If the atheists, idolaters and disbelievers had come forward in their real shape, there was every chance of their being over-thrown. But here the situation was quite different. 'Ignorance' professed belief in the Unity of God and Prophethood, performed pious acts of fasting and praying and feigned eagerness to refer disputes to the Quran and Sunnah. Getting together of Islam and un-Islam in the same body-politic gives rise to great complications. It is far easier to tackle the forces of naked evil. If you come out to fight it, th'ousands and lakhs of sincere and right-thinking people will join and support you whole-heartedly in this noble cause, and no Muslim will dare oppose you openly. But iF you come out to fight a combination of good ann- evil, not only the hypocrites but a great many good Muslims also will gird up their loins to oppose you tooth and nail and even go to the extent of proving you to be in the wrong. Appearance of a 'Muslim' on the platform or in the chair of un-Islamic politics, his becoming a teacher in an un-Islamic institution, and his occupying theseat of an un-Islamic spiritual leadership, are grave pitfalls which only a few are able to avoid.
The most hideous aspect of this counter-revolution was the emergence of all the three above mentioned types of 'Ignorance' under the guise of Islam and their fast spreading influence in the Islamic community.
Atheism grabbed power and authority in the name of Caliphate but, in
reality, it was monarchy which was the very antithesis of Islam. Now, a
great temptation was felt to adore and worship kings but nobody could
dare do it. Therefore, the title of "God's reflection on the earth”5 was
invented for the kings, and they, under the cover of this title,
assumed the position of absolute authority with all its implications.
This change worked a tremendously far-reaching negative influence on the
lives and mental attitudes of the chiefs, government officials and
representatives, soldiers and the ease-loving peopie in general, to the
extent their very view of morality and social lifewas altogether
perverted. Then, naturally, an urgewas felt to re-organise un-Godly arts
and literature,
Polytheism made incursions on the common man's mind and diverted him from the path of worshipping one God and led him into the blind alleys of ignorance and sin. Short of oren idol worship, there was left no form of polytheism which was not practised by the "Muslims". People of the un-Godly communities, who embraced Islam, brought with them many polytheistic beliefs and ideas. While professing Islam, therefore, they had only to look for some heroes of Islam and the graves of saints to replace their idols and modify iheir rituals accordingly. In this task, unfortunately, the world-seeking Ulerna also joined hands with them and tried to clear their way of all possible hindrances which could be encountered while transplanting idolatry in Islam. They worked hard to distort the meanings of the verses of the Quran and misconstrue the Traditions with a view to making room for grave-and-saint-worship in the system of Islam. They imbued the Islamic terminology with new meanings in order to provide cover for polytheistic customs, and they gave such a clever twist to the ways of the new creed that it could not be easily branded with idolatry. But for this technical help, it was well nigh impossible for this ugly creed to have crept into the Islamic system.
Monasticism attacked the religious scholars and guides, righteous and good-natured people and infused into them all the above mentioned evils. Under the influence of this antiso cial creed, the Muslim society became impregnated with Greek philosophy, monastic morality and a general pessimistic at titude towards life. Thus, on the one hand, it perverted Islamic literature and sciences, and incapacitated the thinking element of the society, as if by an injection of morphia; and on the other, itreinforced monarchy, retarded the progress of Islamic arts and sciences by narrowing down outlook, and restricted the whole religious life around a few special rituals and ceremonies only.
NEED FOR MUJADDIDS
A TRADITION AND ITS EXPLANATION
This is what has been referred to by the Most Truthful (peace be upon him) in a Saying related by Hazrat Abu Huraira in Abu Daud. "Allah will raise, at the head of each century, such people for this Ummah as will revive its Religion for it."
There may arise a number of persons in a number of countries contemporaneously and undertake the work of Islamic Revival. Moreover, it is not essential that every such person may deserve the title of mujaddid, for this grand title, to be sure, is reserved for those people only who accomplish a work of extraordinary value and distinction in the way of rejuvenating Islam, the Religion of Allah.
Before we proceed to examine the achievements of the mujaddids of Islam, let us first clearly understand what Islamic Revival (Tajdid) really means.
INNOVATION AND REVIVAL
WHO IS A MUJADDID?
Though a mujaddid is not a Prophet, yet in spirit he comes very close to prophethood. He is characterized by a clear mind, penetrating vision, unbiased straight thinking, special ability to see the Right Path clear of all extremes and keep balance, power to think independently of the contemporary and centuries--old social and other prejudices, courage to fight against the evils of the time, inherent ability to lead and guide, and an un-usual competency to undertake Ijtihad and the work of reconstruction. Besides these great qualities, he must have acquired a thorough and comprehen sive grasp of Islam, must be a perfect Muslim in thought and attitude, must have the acumen to distinguish Islam from un-Islam in the finest details, and must possess the ability to extract the truth from the welter of long-established falsehood Without these extraordinary qualities nobody can expect to be a mujaddid; and these are the very qualities that characterize a Prophet only on a far higher scale.
A MUJADDID AND A PROPHET
But the basic fact that distinguishes a mujaddid from a Prophet is
that a Prophet is appointed to his mission by Allah; he is fully aware
of his appointment as such; and he receives revelation. He starts the
work of his mission with a claim to Prophethood; he has to invite people
to himself; and the acceptance or rejection of his invitation by the
people determines their being believers or un-believers. On the
contrary, a mujaddid
ASPECTS OF ISLAMIC REVIVAL (TAJDID)
Following are the various aspects of the programme of Islamic Revival (Tajdid): -
1. Diagnosis of the current ailments: to examine thoroughly the circumstances and conditions of the time and ascertain exactly where, how and to what extent 'Ignorance' has crept in, what and where are its roots and what position Islam occupies at the time.
2. Scheme for reformation: to determine exactly where to strike the blow so as to break the power of un-Islam and enable Islam to take hold of life as a whole.
3. Estimation of one's limitations and resources: to weigh and estimate power at one's disposal and determine the line of action for bringing about reforms.
4: Intellectual revolution: to share the ideas, beliefs and moral viewpoints of the people into the Islamic mould, reform the system of education and revive the Islamic science and attitudes in general.
5. Practical reforms: to eradicate evil customs, cleanse morals, regenerite the spirit of practising the Shariah, and prepare men capable for Islamic leadership.
6. ljtihad: to comprehend the fundamental principles of Religion, judge contemporary culture and its trends from the Islamic viewpoint, and determine the changes to be effected in the existing patterns of social life under the Shariah with a view to attaining its ends and enabling Islam to assume world-leadership in the reformed social set-up.
7. Defence of Islam: to encounter political forces seeking to suppress and finish Islam and break their power in order to make Islam a living force.
9. Universal Revolution: not to rest content with establishing Islamic system in one or more countries already inhabited by the Muslims, but to initiate such a strong universal movement as may spread the reformative and revolutionary message of Islam among mankind at large, and enable Islam to become a predominant cultural force in the world and capture the moral. intellectual and political leadership of mankind.
A study of these aspects will show that the first three items of the programme are such as must necessarily be carried out by any person who intends to work for the Revival of Islam. A, regards the other six items their satisfactory accomplishment by one and the same person is not a necessary condition for him to become a mujaddid. Even if a person is able to perform a work of distinction in one or a couple of these aspects he may be regarded as a mujaddid. But such a mujaddid will only be a • partial mujaddid and not an Ideal one. For an Ideal Mujaddid can be only such a person as achieves all the objectives detailed above so as to prove himself a true successor to the heritage of prophethood.
THE IDEAL MUJADDID
History reveals that the Ideal Mujnddid is yet to be born. Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz might have attained this position but he did not get a chance to achieve it. All the mujaddids who appeared after him accomplished work in one particular or the other aspect only but none achieved the distinction of bccoming the Ideal Mujaddid. But reason and nature demand and the trends of the world require that such a "Leader" must be born.
Whether he is born in this age or after thousands of decades he will be AI-Imam-ul-Mehdi whose coming has been clearly foretold by the Holy Prophet in his Traditions.
Some people did not find this name palatable these days. They
complain that the state of waiting for a Leader to be born in the future
has sapped the ignorant Muslims of their life-energies. Therefore, a
fact, they seem to argue, whose wrong interpretation tends to make
ignorant people lethargic should not be a fact at all. Moreover, they
say, the belief in the coming of "a man from the Unseen" in the future
is found among all the religious-
AL--lMAM-UL--MEHDI
Those Muslims who believe in the coming of Al-Imam-ul Mehdi are not very different in their misconceptions from the 'innovators' who do not believe in such an event at all. They seem to think that the Mehdi will be an old-fashioned man with the out-dated mystic appearance who will suddenly emerge, one day, rosary in hand, from some madrasah or monastery and will forthwith proclaim himself to be the Mehdi. At this the religious leaders and scholars will come out with their books and start checking and comparing his bodily features against the indications given therein, and will finally recognize him. Then bai'at will be performed and lehad declared. All the ascetics gone into seclusion and all the living orthodox people of {he old type will gather round him under his banner. Sword will be used merely as a token, for the battle will be fought and fields won by spiritual powers and by the use of charms and sacred words. His mere glance will be enough to undo infidels and mere curses sufficient to demolish tanks and aeroplanes.
Such are the ideas of the common man about his belief in the coming
of the Mehdi. But as far as I have studied this subject I have found the
matter to be just the reverse. In my opinion the coming one will be a
most modem Leader of his age possessing an unusually deep insight in all
the current branches of knowledge and all the major problems of life.
As regards statesmanship, political sagacity and strategic skill in war
he will take the whole world by surprise and prove himself to be the
most modern of the moderns. But I am afraid that the people who will be
the first so called to raise hue and cry against his "innovations" will
be the Ulema and the Sufis. I also do not expect that his bodily
features will be any different from the common man so as to render him
·easily
"Caliphateafter the pattern of Prophethood" as mentioned in the prophecies. As I have indicated above, none but a Prophet has any right to start his work with a claim, nor does anybody except a Prophet know with certainty the nature of his mission. 'Mehdi ism' is not something to be claimed, it is rather something to be achieved. People who put forward such claims and those who readily accept them, in fact, betray a serious lack of knowledge and a degiaded mentality.
Moreover, my view of the nature of the Mehdi's mission is also different from the views cherished by these people. I do not find any room in his work for supernatural acts, divine inspirations and ascetic and spiritual exercises. I believe that the Mehdi, like any other revolutionary leader, will have to strug gle hard aod encounter all the obstacles common in this way. He will create a new School of Thought on the basis of pure Islam, change mental attitudes of the people, and initiate a strong movement whicb will at once be cultural and political. 'Ignorance' will muster all its forces and strength and come out to crush him, but he will eventually put it to rout and establish a powerful Islamic State. On the one hand. it will engender and enforce the real Islamic spirit in all its affairs, and on the other, it will provide an extrordinary impetus to scientiric development and progress. As has been indicated in the Tradi tion, "it will please those who belong to the heavens and also those who belong to the earth. The heavens will generously shower their blessings and the earth will pour out all its treasures. "
If the expectation that Islam eventually will dominate the world of thought, culture and politics is genuine, the coming of a Great Leader under whose comprehensive and forceful leader ship such Revolution is to come ahout is also certain. People who look askance at the idea of the coming ofsuch a Leader, theirlack of common serise surprises me. When the leaders of iniquity like Lenin and Hitler can appear on thestageofthisworld, whyshould the appearence of a Leader of Goodness only be regarded as remote and uncertain?
Contrary to chronological order, I have already written about the Ideal Mujaddid of the
UMAR BIN ABDUL AZIZ
The first mujaddid of Islam was Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Born of a royal family, he grew up to find his father governor of the important province of Egypt. When he came of age he himself was appointed governor under the Umayyads. Moreover, he and his family owned the lion's share of the estates bestowed on the royal household by the ruling dynasty. So much so that according to one estimate the annual income of his personal estate alone amounted to fifty thousandAshrafis. Quite naturally, therfore, he lived like a grandee. His food and clothes, conveyance and habits, were like a prince's in a monarchy. Conditions such as these do not in fact bear even the remotest hint of the kind of tasks he was to undertake during his later years. But his mother was the grand-daughter of Hazrat Umar (may God be pleased with him) and he was born hardly fifty years after the death of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). This was the time when a large number of the Holy Prophet's Companions and the followers of the Companions were still living. His education started with a training in Hadilh and Fiqh and he soon came to be recognised as a first-rate Mujaddid and an authority of Fiqh. Intellectually, therefore, it was simple for him to know and comprehend the bases of the community life prevalent in the days of the Holy Prophet and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and appreciate the nature of the change that had set in at the replacement of Caliphate by monarchy. But on the practical side he found himself confronted with obstacles, as this un-Islamic change had been brought in by his own immediate ancestors. This had resulted in a great many ad vantages and benefits not only for his kith and kin but also for himself and his children. In such circumstances, the natural demand of his family pride, personal interests and the future well-being of his off spring was that he should rule like a Pharaoh, sacrifice his conscience and knowledge at the altar of material gains, and concern himself less with truth, justice and morality. But when he became 37, the throne fell to his lot by a mere accident, and suddenly he came to realise the great burden of responsibility that had fallen on his shoulders. This accident changed him outright, and he chose Islam against the path of 'Ignorance' so easily and naturally that it seemed as if he had long meditated over it and planned everything.
Though he succeeded to the throne by inheritance, before enlisting the allegiance of the
Then he turned his attention to the distinctions and privileges that were being enjoyed by the royal household and levelled them down to the status of the common Muslims. All the estates in the possession of the royal family, including his own were returned to the public treasury. All properties, movable and immovable, that had been unlawfully seized were restored to their rightful owners. As a result, his personal exchequer suffered a heavy loss. The annual income of 50,000 Ashrafis was reduced to 200. Besides, he regarded it as unlawful to expend even a penny on himself or his family from the public treasury. Nor was he inclined to accept any emoluments for his services as Caliph. In short, his was now, a totally changed life: Before assuming Caliphate he enjoyed life like a royal prince. Now he was a completely transformed man.
After setting in order the family and household affairs he turned to reform the system of government. He removed the unjust Governors from office and launched a search for righteous men to replace them. He admonished the government officials who had come to wield unlimited powers over the people's lives, properties and honour and made them adhere to fairplay and justice, ensuring thus the rule of law. He changed the whole policy pertaining to taxation and abolished all the unlawful taxes, including the duty levied on distilleries that had been imposed by the Umayyads. He re-organised and reformed the system of collecting Zakat and set open the State exchequer for general public works. He compensated and remedied all the injustices which had been administered to the non-Muslims: restored their unlawfully seized worship-houses, released their lands, and granted them their rights and privileges under the Shariah. He made the judiciary independent of the executive, removed all the shadows of royal influence which generally cast a slur on the administration of justice, and enforced instead of Islamic principles of equity and fairplay. This is how the Islamic system of Government was revived at the hands of Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz.
Then, by virtue of his political authority, he set about purging the
intellectual, moral and social life of the people of all those evil
influences which had spread during the
So within a short space of time good effects of the revolution in the system of government began to be felt in the life of the common people within the country as well as on the international level. It is related that during the reign of Waleed, people would meet and talk about buildings and gardens; under Suleman bin Abdul Malik their main interest was sex; but when Umar bin Abdul Aziz became Caliph. conditions quickly changed and Salat, fasting and the Quran became, the popular subjects for conversation. The non-Muslim population was so much impressed by his rule that they embraced Islam in their thousands thus reducing the income from Jizya to an extent that the state finances began to be affected. Then the Caliph turned his attention to the neighbouring non-Muslim states and exhorted them to accept Islam which a number of them did.
The chief non-Muslim rival state in those days was the Roman Empire against which Islam had been at arms for a century or so, and this political strife was not yet over. But even Rome was impressed by the high morality displayed by Umar bin Abdul Aziz. When Caliph died, the Roman Emperor is reported to have said:
"I should not be the least surprised if a monk renounces the world and busies himslef in worship behind closed doors. But I am simply amazed at this man who had a vast empire at his feet. hut he rejected it and lived the life of a Faqir."
This first mujaddid of Islam worked hard for two and a half years and
during this brief period he was able to revolutionise life in all its
various aspects. But soon the Umayyads turned against this pious man.
They saw their death in the life of Islam and therefore could not
possibly tolerate the work of its Revival. They conspired against him
and poisoned him at the young age of 39. Thework of Revival initiated by
him remained
THE FOUR IMAMS
Though after the death of Umar the Second the reins of government again passed into the impious hands and, on the political side, all the good work done by him was flung to the winds, nothing could prevent the Islamic reawakening and the intellectual movement stimulated by him from bearing fruit. Both the whip and the wealth of the Umayyads and of the Abbasides came in the way of this movement; both failed to check its progress. Under its influence good deal of valuable work was done in the sciences of the Quran and Hadith, Ijtihad and works of compilation were undertaken; details of Islamic law were deduced from the fundamentals of Religion; and almost all the rules and regulations which are needed to organise a vast social system was fully worked out on the Islamic pattern. This work started in the beginning of the second century AH. and continued vigorously until the fourth century.
The mujaddids of this period were the four celebrated Imams9 to whom are ascribed the four famous Schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh). Though there lived a large number of other mujtahids besides them, certain specific reasons place them above these mujtahids and entitle them to be called the mujaddids of Islam.
First, these Imams by virtue of their deep insight and extraordinary intellectual powers founded such powerful schools of religious thought that their strong stimulation continued producing mujtahids even till the eight century AH. They also evolved profound principles of universal application for working out details from the fundamentals of Islam for applying the rules of the Shariah to the practical problems of life. It can be safely asserted that all the later works in the way of Ijtihad were conducted in the light of these principles and that no mujtahid of the future will ever care to lose sight and proceed independently of the guidance afforded by these principles.
Second, they did all this independently and without any sort of help
from the government. On occasions they had even to ward off official
interference in order to pursue their work peacefully. In this
connection they had to undergo unimaginable
Despite all these hardships, these revered men did not allow the royal influence to impede or affect their work of compilation and research in the Islamic sciences. Thus they were able to set such a pattern by their personal example that even after their death the work of Ijtihad and compilation remained immune from court interference for quite some time. It is indeed the result of their labour and perseverence that all the authoritative works on the Quran and Islamic law and all the authentic collections of Hadith that have reached us, have remained wonderfully pure and untained throughout centuries. These works have been trasmitted from generation to generation but during the transit have neither been affected by the selfish motives of the self-seeking kings and chiefs nor by the moral, intellectual and social degeneration of the Muslim peoples.
IMAM GHAZALI
After the death of Umar bin Abdul Aziz, the reins of government
passed into the hands of 'Ignorance' permanently and the political
authority was at last transfeFed to the Turkish Kings through the
Umayyads and the Abbasides. The service rendered by these successive
governments was briefly this: on the one hand, they completely accepted
the un-Godly philosophic systems of Greece, Rome and other non-Muslim
nations without question and spread them unaltered among the Muslims;
and on the other, they propagated all sorts of evils found in the
un-Godly societies and their arts and sciences by virtue of their
authority and wealth. Then the decadence of the Abbaside rule engendered
one more weakness. As time passed, the rulers succeeding the early
Abbaside Caliphs came to be more and more unaware of the Islamic arts
and sciences. So much so that they could not even select and appoint
capable persons to legal and judicial posts. Owing to their ignorance
and an inherent love of ease they wanted to enforce the injunctions of
the Shariah mechanically without realising the needs of an evolving and
growing society. For this purpose, the way or-rigid conformity suited
them
With the passage of time, this tendency, owing to the impulse it received from the royal patronage, became so widespread that it produced quite a few of new sects in the Muslim countries, give rise to acute difference of opinion, and led the common Muslims to many a serious quarrel and mishap. As a matter offact, these so-called religious discussions were nothing more than means of entertainment for the chiefs and courtiers in the nature of cock-fighting and partridge-fighting, but for the' Muslim people they proved to be scissors which cut into pieces their religious unity. General conditions prevailing in the fifth century may be summed up as follows:
1. Propagation of Greek philosophy had upset the very foundation of the religious beliefs of the people. The scholars of Hadith and the jurists, being unfamiliar with the rationalistic sciences, were at a loss to explain and interpret the Isalmic system in terms of the contemporary trends of thought, and could do nothing except resort to suppression of the evils by curses and censure. On the contrary, the people who were renowned in the rationalistic sciences, not only possessed no insight in the religious branches of knowledge, but also had acquired no creative mastery of the imported thought. They were merely the camp-followers of the Greek philosophers. Not even a single person among them had the ability to study and examine critically the imported Greek ideas and philosophy. Therefore, they took the Greek revelation for granted and instead, began distorting the Divine Revelation with a view to moulding it according to the dictates of the former. These circumstances not only caused the common people to view Islam as something irrational but also gave them the impression that its whole system was too tender to encounter and stand the test of reason. Imam Abul Hasan Ash'ari and his followers strove hard to check this growing trend but they could not meet with success. For though they commanded the necessary scholastic skill, they were not fully aware of and trained in the rational sciences. In their enthusiasm, therefore, to oppose the Mutazalites they went rather too far and took it upon themselves to prove and establish certain things which in fact did not belong to true Faith.
2. Owing to the influence exercised by the 'ignorant' rulers and the lack of facilities for the dissemination of the religious sciences, the fountain-heads of Ijtihad dried up giving way to rigid conformity. Religious differences became so widespread and acute that new sects were formed on minor differecne of opinion and the mutual quarrels of these sects led the Muslims to a state which has been described in the Holy Quran thus: "You were on the very brink of an abyss of fire."
4. The lives of luxury led by the ruling few and the wars waged by them for wealth and greed had caused a grave economic set-back to the masses, and the levying of undue taxes had made their lives all the more miserable. The sciences and crafts that really help and strengthen a civilization were on the decline; whereas only those arts were being cultivated and developed which, though immoral and anti-social, received encouragement from the royal courts. In short; the general trends of the times were symptomatic of a catastrophe towards which the Muslim people were heading rapidly.
Such were the conditions when in the middle of the fifth century
(AH.) Imam Ghazali10 was born. In his early days he received some sort
of education as was considered useful and beneficial from the worldly
point of view and attained petfection in the branches of knowledge which
stood in great demand. Then -he took himself to the market and rose to
the highest position imaginable by a scholar in those days. He was
appointed rector of the greatest university of the time-the 'Nizamiah'
of Baghdad, and was soon able to acquire great influence and trust in
the courts of Nizam-ul-Muik Tusi, Malik Shah Saljuki and the "Caliph" of
Baghdad. He was held in such high esteem in political circles that his
services were generally obtained to settle disputes arising between the
Saljuk Ruler and the Abbaside Caliph. He had attained such heights when
suddenly his life took a new turn. The impression of this change in the
mind deepened as he viewed the intellectual, moral, religious, political
and cultural life of his age, and the impulse of the revolt began
over-powering him with increasing intensity everyday. His conscience
became more and more explicit in its assertion that he was not born to
receive and rest content with worldly applause and honour only, but had
different duty to perform. At last, he recnounced the honour, material
gains and the worldly activities and left the world to travel and
meditate like a hermit in cells and forlorn places. He visited the
Muslim masses and studied their life and circumstances at first hand,
and spent long periods in exerting himselt and worshipping with a view
to purifying his soul. The activities engaged him for ten long years and
when he returned home at the age of 48, he
Here is a brief account of the work of Revival carried out by Imam Ghazali:
First, he studied Greek thought with great intellectual acumen and subjected it to such a searching criticism that its grip on the Muslim mind was considerably loosened. Those who had taken Greek speculations to be based on reality and were endeavouring to defend Revelation against their onslought by showing that the two were identical, were helped to understand the Truth in the correct perspective. The impact of. this criticism was too strong to remain confilled to the Muslims territory only, but soon crossed over into Europe and did much in that Continent to blot out the deep-rooted impression of Greek thought and helped open the door to the age of modern research and enlightenment.
Second, he corrected the mistakes of those people who in their enthusiasm to defend Islam were fighting the philosophers and the scholastics without necessary weapons of rationalism. These people were in fact committing the same kind of absur dities as were committed by the priest-folk of Europe later on viz., to start with the hypothesis that rational proofs ofreligious beliefs depend on some clearly irrational bases, then to regard such hypotheses as part of the creed and declare a person an un-believer if he does not believe in them, and to consider every argument, experiment or observation as dangerous to religion if by its application these unreal hypotheses seem to be refuted. This very thing had eventually pushed the whole of Europe into the lap of atheism and the same disease was now eating into the vitals of the Muslim community and causing it to become sceptical of religious beliefs. Imam Ghazali checked this trend in time and impressed upon the Muslims that the affirmation of their religious beliefs was in no way dependent on the necessity of those irrational hypotheses but had their own sound logical grounds.
Third, he presented such a rational interpretation of the fundamental
beliefs of Islam that their validity could not be questioned on
rationalistic grounds for centuries
Fourth, he examined all the religious sects of his time and their differences and carefully marked the boundaries between Islam and un-Islam, set bounds within which freedom of interpretation was allowed, and indicated limits transgression of which meant heresy. He also pointed out the real Islamic beliefs distinguishing them from the false ones. These efforts went a long way indeed in quietening the fronts between the warring sects as well as in broadening the outlook of the common people.
Fifth, he revived the understanding of Islam, deplored blind faith, opposed rigid conformity, and drew the peoples' attention towards the real sources of guidance, viz., the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet. He re-vitalised the spirit of Ijtihad, and criticised all the sects for their weaknesses and un-Islamic leanings and urged them towards reform.
Sixth, he criticised the decaying system of education and proposed a new system to replace it. The prevalent system had developed two major defects: (a) it segregated the sciences of the world from the sciences of Islam which inevitably resulted in the segregation of mundane from religious affairs a trend unwholesome from the Islamic viewpoint, (b) certain things which had no place in the Shariah were included in the curriculum as if they were a part of the Shariah.Thus the educational institutions were infusing wrong notions into the peoples' minds about Islam and were indirectly helping in the creation of new sects. Imam Ghazali exposed these defects and prepared an integrated system which, though fiercely opposed by his contemporaries, was eventually accepted in all the Muslim countries. All the systems of education which were later conceived in various countries were in fact worked out on the lines indicated by the Imam. So much so that the curricula of studies prevalent in the present day Arabic institutions owe their inception to Imam Ghazali.
Seventh, he subjected the general moral condition of the people to a
thorough examination. In his early days, he had fully availed himself of
the opportunities for studying the lives of the religious scholars and
leaders, ruling chiefs, kings and the masses, and 'had travelled far and
wide and seen for himself the conditions prevailing in most of the
Eastern countries, His magnum opus Ihya-ul-Uloom-ud-Din (Revivilication
of the Sciences of Islam) was the outcome of these experiences and
observations. In this
Eighth, he freely criticised the prevalent system of government, urged officials by direct contact towards reform and infused the masses with a will not to be cowed down by coercion but have courage to resist and criticise oppression. In Ihya-ul Uloom he clearly says : "In our days most of the estates of kings have been unlawfully acquired."
At another place he writes, "No one should show one's face to these 'sultans', nor should one see their face. One should hate them for their oppression, deplore their existence, refrain from praising them, have nothing to do with them and also keep away from those who have an access to them." At yet another place he criticises fiercely the servile attitude and humiliating customs current in the royal courts and exposes the ways of life adopted by kings and their courtiers. In this regard he even goes to the extent of declaring their palaces, their robes, their decorations, etc, to be fiIthy and impious. Not only that: he has urged a ruler of his time in a letter to establish the Islamic system of government, has explained to him the responsibilities of a ruler ' and warned him that he would be held accountable for all the cruelties and acts of oppression being perpetrated in his kingdom either by himself or by his officials.
Once he was obliged to visit a royal court against his wish. In the course of conversation, he told the king in his very face: "Your extravagant tastes might not have lessened your grandeur but their unbearable burden has most surely broken the backs of the common people."
In his later days he wrote letters to almost all the ministers appointed from time to time warning them about the miserable condition of the people. To one of them he wrote: "Oppression and tyranny have crossed all limits. Since I had to see all this with my own eyes I left Tus about a year ago, so that I might be relieved of the pain inflicted by the merciless and shameless acts committed by the tyrants."
According to Ibn-i-Khaldun, the Imam was very keen to see a
government working on Islamic principles anywhere in the world. It is
said that the government of the "Muwahids " in the Far West (Africa) was
established by one of his pupils under his guidance. But this political
aspect of the life activity of the Imam has only a secondary
importance. As a matter of fact, he did not initiate any movement with a
view to bringing about a political revolution, nor could he bring even
the barest influence to
Judged from the intellectual viewpoint, the work of Revival carried out by Imam Ghazali suffered in general from three main defects which may be ascribed to:
(a) his weakness in the science of Hadith11
(b) the predominant influence of the rationalist sciences on his mind, and
(c) his undue inclination towards tasawwuf
The man who, avoiding all these pitfalls, carried forward the real work of Imam Ghazali. viz., reviving the moral and intellectual spirit of Islam and purging its system of all innovations and impurities, was Imam Ibn-i- Taimiyyah.
IMAM IBN-I-TAIMIYYAH
Imam Ibn-i-Taimiyyah was born in the second half of the seventh
century AH.12 after about 150 years of the death of Imam Ghazali. It was
the time when the Tartar hordes had trampled under feet and routed all
the Muslim nations living from the banks of the Indus to the plains of
the Euphrates and were then advancing towards Syria. Continued defeats
and humiliation suffered for fifty long years, a prolonged state of fear
and anarchy and the destruction of their centres of learning and
culture had all combined to bring about a degeneration among the Muslim
people quite unknown in the time of Ghazali.Though the Tartar invaders
were gradualy embracing Islam, they were even worse than their
predecessor Turkish kings in un-Islamic ways and customs. Under their
evil influence, therefore, themoralcondition of all classes of the
society, even of the reli ious leaders, j urists and judges, began to be
adversely affected.13 Rigid conformity (Taqlid) became the order of the
day; so much so that it helped turn thejuristicandscholasticschools
ofthought into independent and mutually exclusive sects.14 Ijtihad was
regarded as sinful. and non-sensical innovations were willingly accepted
as part of the Shariah. No body could dare invite the peoples'
attention towards the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His prophet for
fear of calumny. The ignorant and perverted masses, world-worshipping
and narrow-minded 'Ulema and the cruel and barbarous rulers had all
joined hands to form a wicked trio against which it was no easy
The work of Revival accomplished by Imam Ibn-iTaimiyyah may be summed up as follows: -
1. He subjected Greek logic and philosophy to a more searching and severer criticism than had been done by Imam Ghazali, and exposed its fallacies and weaknesses so clearly that it lost most of its importance in the rationalistic field almost permanently. The impact of this criticism was so strong that it soon made itself felt even in the West. But the Aristotelian logic and the Hellenic system of philosophy followed and cherished by the Christian scholastics held such a sway in Europe that the Imam's criticism took about 250 years to bear fruit in the form of the first intellectual revolt against Greek thought on the Continent.
2. He provided such strong arguments in support of the Islamic
beliefs and injunctions as were more rational and in greater conformity
with the spirit of Islam than those supplied by Imam Ghazali. The
reasoning of Imam Ghazali suffered from an unusually strong
rationalistic bias ; whereas Ibn-i- Taimiyyah chose the common sense way
of interpreting and explaining the secrets of Islam which was clearly
more natural, more effective and more akin to the spirit of the Quran
and Sunnah. His was, therefore, a
3. He not only raised a strong voice against rigid conform ity (Taq/id ) but successfully undertook Ijtihad also in the manner of the early religious doctors. He drew inspiration direct from the Book and the Sunnah, and the lives of the Companions, studied the various schools of juristic thought with a critical eye and deduced and established great many injunctions. Thus he was able to set open the gate of Ijtihad and demonstrated precisely how to use and exploit fully one's abilities in that field. Besides him, his great pupil Hafiz Ibn-i-Qayyam concentrated his energies on un ravelling the wisdom behind Islamic legislation and produced unparallelled work on the Legislator's way and technique of law-making in Islam. This unique work has been serving as a beacon light for those who undertook Ijtihad in the past and will continue serv ing this great purpose in the future also.
4. He put a tough fight against innovations in Religion, polytheistic customs, moral and social abuses of his day and had to undergo persecutions in this connection. He cleansed Islam of all impurities, purged its system of all shades of- evil and presented it afresh before the world in its original pure form. He did not spare any person, however big and respectable in his criticism. Even those people who enjoyed unqualified veneration and respect with the masses of the people could not remain immune from his critical attacks. Wrong customs and practices which had been accepted as part of Islam for centuries, for which religious sanction had heen obtained and to which even the Ulema had closed their eyes were ruthlessly attacked by Ibn-i-Taimtyyah. This straight and independent thinking and sharp out spokenness of his turned a whole world against him. So much so that even at present Ibn-i-Taimiyyah is remembered in a manner not very kind and pleasant. Most of his contemporaries who felt offended by him got him tried and sent to jail several times. Those who came after him slandered and
Besides this work of Revival, he took up the sword also against the vandalism and barbarity of the Tartars. He strongly appealed to the human sentiments of the common and leading Muslims of Egypt and Syria which were yet safe from the impending disaster and aroused their sense of honour and self-respect to face it with courage and valour. It is related that the common people were so unnerved that they would shudder at the mere mention of the Tartars and trembled to face them "as if they were being driven to death." But Ibn-i-Taimiyyah infused into them the spirit of Jihad and stirred up their valour and confidence. The fact, however, is that he could not initiate a political movement which could revolutionise the prevalent system ofgovernment and result in the transfer of power from barbarism to Islam.
SHEIKH AHMAD OF SIRHIND
The Tartar deluge ravaged and laid waste the entire Muslim World in the seventh century AH. except the Indo-Pak sub-con tinent. The epicureans of these countries, like all other epicureans, did not heed this warning at all and persisted in their evil ways. All the weaknesses and signs of depravity prevalent in Khurasan and Iraq could also be found here: assumption of the sovereign and absolute rights by Kings, ease-loving and indulgent lives led by the courtiers, hoarding of wealth by unlawful means and expending it in unjustifiable ways, the rule of tyranny and coercion, forgetfulness of God and desertion of the Right Path, so on and so forth. This lawlessness from the religious view point eventually reached its climax during the reigrl'ofAkbar when degeneration touched its last limits.
The common feeling in the court of Akbar about Islam was that its
culture was born among the ignorant nomads of Arabia, and there forerit
did not suit the requirements of a civilised and refined society.
Prophethood, Revelation, Resurrection, Hell, and Heaven all were
slighted and assailed. The Quran's being the Word of God and the
possibility of Revelation was doubted: punishment or reward after death
was held uncertain; ascension of the Holy Prophet was openly regarded as
improbable; and the person of the Holy Prophet was freely made the
object of criticism, especially for his polygamy and the holy wars he
waged. So much so that the words Ahmed and Muhammad were resented
The Bahai theory was first of all propounded during the time of
Akbar. According to this theory the time-limit of a thousand years
allowed' to Islam had elapsed since the mission of the Prophet, and
therefore, this Religion automatically stood redundant, and needed to be
replace" by a fresh creed. This idea was circulated and diffused on a
large scale by coins which were the most powerful means of propagation
in those days. Then eventually a new religion with a new "Shariah" was
initiated with the sole purpose of producing an amalgam of Hindu and
Muslim ideologies in order to strengthen and consolidate the Mughal
Empire. The flattering Hindu courtiers, in order to please the Emperer,
began citing prophecies made by their saints, saying that a King with a
great soul would be born who would protect the cow. The Muslim scholars
tried to prove that Akbar was the promised Mehdi, the 'temporal
Sovereign' and above all an Imam-i-Mujtahid. One renowned "mystic" from
among the courtiers came out to proclaim Akbar as the 'Perfect Man', the
'Caliph of the Times' and the 'Reflection of God' on the earth. The
common people were made to believe that justice and truth are universal
values common to all religions, and therefore, no one religion could lay
a sole claim to these values. Hence, it was thought expedient to
initiate a comprehensive creed containing all the merits and good points
of the various religions, so that people of all shades of opinion and
faith might willingly embrace it and forget their sectarian and communal
differences. This unifying faith was christened Deen-i-Ilahi, and its
fundamental article was proposed to be La-Ilah Illallah, Akbar
Khalifa-tu-Allah (there is none worthy ofworship except Allah Akbar is
the vicegerent of Allah). People who embraced this new faith had to
openly for sake the "traditional and hypothetical Islam heard and seen
from the ancestors" and solemnly enter Emperor Akbar's Deen-i-Ilahi. The
converts were known as Chelas. The way of greeting was also changed.
The one greeting would say Allah o-Akbar and the reply would be Jalla
Jalal-o-Hu. These words, it may be recalled, were derived from the
Emperor's name, Jalal-ud-Din-Akbar. The
This new religion was founded with the claim that it would embody all
the merits of all the religions without prejudice. But in reality, it
was intended to favour all religions to the complete exclusion of Islam
add to repudiate its injunctions and principles with all sorts of curses
and hatred. Fireworship was borrowed from the Zoroastrians and
arrangements were made to keep fire always burning in the royal palace.
The court would rise up to observe the rites ordained for the evening
hour when the lamps and candles were lit. "Ringing of bells", "worship
of the images of Trinity" and certain other rites were adopted from the
Christians. The most favoured creed, however, was Hinduism, because it
was the religion of the majority of the country's population, which had
to be consoled and won over for the purpose of consolidating the Empire.
Cow-slaughter was prohibited. The Hindu festivals of Divali, Dussehra,
Rakhi Poonam, Shivratri, etc., were celebrated with full enthusiasm; and
'hawan' was regularly performed in the palace. The sun was worshipped
four times a day and its one thousand names were repeated with full
religious devotion, when somebody uttered a name of the sun, others
would say "Be it glorified." The forehead was adorned with 'qashqa ',
sacred thread was worn round the shoulder; and cow was held in high
esteem. The theory of the transmigration of souls was fully accepted and
many other beliefs were incorporated from the Brahmins. This is how the
other relgions were favoured, but as regards Islam it was treatd with
scorn and derision by the Emperor and his courtiers. Anything derogatory
to Islam that was presented in a philosophic or mystic way in keeping
with the court's atmosphere was accepted as a revelation from Heaven and
the real teachings of Islam were scoffed at and rejected. If the Ulema
represented true Islam or disapproved of some evil trend, they were
branded Faqeeh which in the court terminology was a synonym for 'a
stupid person worthy of little notice.' A board of forty
The condition of the masses was even worse. Immigrants from Iran and Khurasan had brought with them all their moral and social abuses, and those who had entered the fold of Islam within India had not been well looked after and trained to imbibe the real spirit and culture of Islam. Their practical life, therefore, was still un-IslamIc in almost all detail. The social life of these two categories of the Muslims produced a strange admixture of incoherent cultures which they labelled "Islamic culture". It embodied ' idolatry, racial and class distinctions, whims and superstitions, and above all a code of newly invented rituals and custmos. The worldseeking Ulema and the religious guides not only put up with this "ism" but readily became its adherents and priests. People would bring their offerings before them and they in return would inspire and bless them with acute sectarian differences.
Such were the conditions when Hazrat Shaikh Ahmad16 was born in Sirhind in the early days of Akbar's era. He was bred and brought up among the most pious people of his age who, though unable to counteract the evil trends thriving around them, were steadfast in faith and sincere in action, and as far as possible were urging others also to adhere to the Right Path. Shaikh Ahmad drew his most inspiration and benefit from Hazrat Baqi Billah who was spiritually the most highly developed man of his time. But Shaikh Ahmad himself was a man of no mean capabilities. When he first came into contact with Hazrat Baqi BUlah, the latter was so much impressed by him that he wrote to one of his friends:
"A young man named Shaikh Ahmad has recently arrived from Sirhind. He is knowledgeable and posses’ great practical powers. He has moved with me for a few days and on the basis of my observations of him during this period I do expect that in the days to come he will serve as a beacon to the people and illumine the whole world."
This prophecy wholly came true. Though at that time there were living
quite a few of truth-loving Ulema and true sufis in different parts of
India, the one man who came forward with a will to eradicate and put a
stop to the abuses of the time and uphold the Shariah was Shaikh Ahmad.
It was he who put up a strong resistance against the government policies
and strove to revive the true faith. He openly repudiated all the evil
trends of the day which had the support of the government and forcefully
presented the Shariah values which were held in disfavour by the
rulers. The government tried to
Shaikh Ahmad not only prevented the Muslim government in India from drifting entirely into the hands of 'Ignorance' and put an end to the movement which might well have wholly undone Islam in this sub-continent as early as the seventh century, but two other achievements of distinction also stand to his credit. First, he cleansed the prevalent Tasawwuf of all the impurities of philosophic thought and monastic practices and presented the real and pure Tasawwuf of Islam. Second, he ruthlessly attacked all the un-Godly customs and practices current among the common people, and initiated a strong movement of practising the Shariah under a spiritual guide. This movement was powerful enough to produce thousands of well trained workers who not only did useful work in different parts of India but reached as far as Central Asia also to reform the morals and beliefs of the people. It is on account of these stupendous achievements that Hazrat Shaikh Ahmad of Sirhind has been acknowledged as a Mujaddid of Islam.
Shah Waliullah was born after the death of Mujaddid Alf-i-Thani
(Hazrat Shaikh Ahmad) and four years before the death of Emperor
Aurangzeb Alamgir, in the suburbs of Delhi. One is simply amazed when
one views, the accomplishments of the Shah Sahib against the dark
background of his time and wonders how the birth of a man of such
Shah Waliullah indeed ranks among the great leaders of human history who by dint of their intellectual powers carve out a clear and straight highway of knowledge and action out of the jungle of confused ideas and thoughts. Thereby, on the one hand, they create a restlessness in the world of mind against the prevalent ideas and customs, and, on the other, they present such a scheme for reconstruction that the resurgence of a movement to eradicate evil and enjoin good and justice becomes inevitable. Seldom have such leaders initiated a movement themselves on the basis of their ideas, and, shattering the ailing world, built a new one on its debris. History does not present more than a few instances of this. The main task before such leaders seems to have been this that by means of their critical faculty and analytical powers they cleanse the Truth of centuries old misgivings, illumine minds with a new light, smash the wrong but firmly established patterns of life, and present before the world the real and everlasting human values. This task in itself is so vast and onerous that one engaged in it finds little time to come out and undertake practically the work of reconstruction. Shah Waliullah has, nevertheless, pointed out in his Tafheemat-i-Ilahiya that if the circumstances demanded he would have taken up arms and practically endeavoured to reform the conditions.18 But the fact of the matter is that he did not undertake practically any such work of reforms. All his capabilities seem to have been directed towards and absorbed by his heavy undertaking of criticism and reconstruction of religious thought in Islam. This did not spare him time enough to attend to the ailments of his most immediate surroundings. As will be pointed out later, the ground prepared by him needed men capable for practical struggle. And such men did come forth from within his own circle of education and training within half a century.
The reformist work of the Shah Sahib may be divided under two main heads: first, criticism and research; second, reconstruction. I shall deal with these heads separately.
WORK OF CIRITICISM
(a) the transfer of political power from Caliphate to kingship,
(b) the dying away of the spirit of Ijtihad and consequent domination of rigid conformity (Taqlid) on the minds.
The first source has beenfully analysed and discussed by him in the pages of Izalah. The difference between the doctrine and concepts of Caliphate and monarchy has been explained by him and illustrated from the Traditions in a manner quite unknown in the early literature of Islam. Similarly, his elucidation of the results of this revolution in concept is unique and un-paralelled. At one place he writes:
"The observance of the injunctions of Islam has been disrupted.... No ruler after Hazrat Usman has established Haj personally but has always deputed others for its performance; whereas the establishment of Hajj is one of the essential duties of Caliphate. Just as sitting on the throne, wearing a crown, and occupying the seat of the early monarchs are the emblems of kingship, similarly establishing Hajj under one's personal leaderhip is an emblem of Caliphate."
Then he says: "The Government of these people is just like the Government of the Majusis with the one difference that these people offer prayers and recite the Kalimah. We have been born under the shadow of this change; God knows what is more in store for us."
As regards the second source of evils, Shah Waliullah has bewailed it in his Izalah, Hujjah, Badoor-i-Bazighah, Tafheemat-i-Ilahiya, Musawwa, and Musaffa and in almost all his works.
In Izalah he writes: "Until the end of the kingdom of Syria (Umayyid rule) none called himself a Hanafite or a Shafi-ite, but all deduce the Shariah injunctions after the method and manner of their respective teachers and leaders. During the kingdom of Iraq (Abassid rule) everyone was known by a special name, and unless they found a strong evidence from the heads of their Schools of Thought, they would not decide a matter on the authority of the Book and Sunnah. Thus, the differences that inevitably arise on account of the different interpretations of the Book and the Sunnah became firmly established. After the kingdom of Arabia came to end, and the political authority was transferred to the Turkish kings, people who were dispersed in different territories took with them whatever they knew from their juristic schools and made it the basis of their faith. What was before a deduced code of life now came to be regarded as a rigid creep and dogma. All their intellectual efforts were now concentrated on making deductions from deductions and piling up details upon details.
In Musaffa he writes: "The simpletons of our age have given up Ijtihad. Camel-like they have a string in their nose and they do not know whither they are going. They have an altogether different engagement. Wretched as they are, they do not have the common sense to understand and appreciate the higher matters of life."
In Chapter VII of Hujjah, the Shah Sahib has fully dealt with the history and background of this disease, and has pointed out all those abuses which have sprung out from it.
(1) Sophistry: this is due to the diffusion of the Greek sciences. People have taken to scholastic disputes to an extent that no talk about religious beliefs remains free from wrangles.
(2) Worship of Intuition: this is due to an undue popularity of the Sufis who have enslaved people from the East to the West; so much so that their sayings and acts wield more authority over the people than the Book and the Sunnah. Their mystic allusions and metaphoric references have become so widespread and popular that if a person denies the truth of these or happens to be devoid of these, he cannot gain favour with the people and is not counted among the righteous. No sermon from the religious platforms is free from the Sufistic allusions and no scholar from the educational halls can help expressing his deep faith in the sublimity of these sermons, unless, of course, he is prepared to be counted among donkeys. There is no function patronised or presided over by the ruling chiefs where the verses and maxims of the Sufis are not a plaything for the sake of recreation, warmth and pleasure.
(3) Obedience (to Allah): this is due to the fact that people are within the fold of Islam.
Another disease of this age is that everyone follows his own whims, and goes on following them without restraint. Neither does he stop at the figurative verses, nor checks himself from meddling with matters beyond his ken. Everyone is propounding his own interpretations of the secrets and meanings of the injunctions and wrangling with others in favour of his personal viewpoint. Then on account of the difference of opinion that naturally exists between the Hanbalite and the Shafi-ite Schools of juristic thought, each one has become unduly critical of and prejudiced against the other School in favour of one's own. Each sect is over-flowing with details and the Truth has lost itself in the plurality of interpretations."
At another place in the same book he writes: "I ask the descendants
of the spiritual guides who have occupied their seats without deserving
them: why have you turned Religion into a plaything of your prejudices
and whims? And why have you all abandoned that way of life which was
ordained and taught by Allah through His Apostle Muhammad (may Allah's
peace be upon him)? Each one of you has become a self
"I say to these seekers after knowledge who are pleased to be called the Ulema: you have got yourselves entangled in the so-called Greek sciences and grammar and scholasticism, and thought it was true knowledge. The true knowledge, as you must know, are the clear and precise verses of the Book of Allah, or the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet you have become unduly absorbed in the legal preferences and details worked out by the early jurists. But is it not a fact that only that command has a legal sanction which has been ordained by Allah and His Apostle? Most of you are such that if a Tradition from the Holy Prophet reaches one of you, he does not act on it, but says that he follows such and such Imam, and not the Traditions. Then he justifies his stand, saying: "The appreciation of the Traditions and taking decisions in accordance with them were reserved for the great scholars of Hadith. It is improbable that the Tradition is question escaped their notice, but they must have rejected it for sound reasons." Be aware that this is not the way of true Faith. If you sincerely believe in your Prophet, you must obey him also whether it goes in favour of your School of thought or against it.
"I say to these mystic preachers, worshippers and dwellers of monasteries: O you who lay a claim to piety, you went astray into all the valleys and believed in all the admixtures of Truth and falsehood. You called the people to fabrications and false idols and narrowed down the sphere of life on them. You, in fact, had been appointed to facilitate life for them and not to restrict it. You depend on the stories current about the self-absorbed lovers for guidance and instruction; whereas these things are not fit to be circulated, they should rather be buried deep and disposed of for ever.
"I ask the rulers: Don't you have any fear of God? You are absorbed
in pursuit of transient pleasures and have completely forgotten your
subjects to that they eat up each other. Drinking has become a common
thing but you do not stop it; adultery and gambling are rampant but you
do not eradicate them. No punishment according to the Shariah has been
awarded and executed since long in this vast Empire. You eat up the
"I say to the fighting personnel: Allah made you soldiers so that you might fight in His way, propagate His Kalimah and break down the power of idolatry and idolaters. You abandoned your real object and took to horse-riding and armour equipment. Now your hearts are devoid of any keenness for Jihad for you are soldiers of fortune. You indulge in wine and other kinds of intoxications; you shave beards and grow moustaches; you oppress the innocent people and never care whether you earn your living by fair means or foul ones. By God, you have to leave this world one day; then Allah will tell you what you had been doing.
"I say to these artisans and common people: You have abandoned the sense of honest work, and given up the worship of your Lord. You are mixing up other gods with Him, offering sacrifices for others than Allah and go for pilgrimage to the graves of your chiefs and saints. That is the worst you could do. If one of you beomes prosperous he begins living beyond his means, thus depriving his near and dear ones: or he wastes his worldly means and ruins his Hereafter in drinking and debauchery.
"Then I address all classes of the Muslims: O children of Adam, you have wrecked your morals, made your living miserable and drifted into the care of Satan. Women have dominated over men, and men have made the lives of women wretched. You take pleasure in unlawful things and lawful things have become distasteful to you.
"O children of Adam: You have adopted such vicious customs and have
corrupted true Faith. For instance, you gather together on the tenth of
Muharram (the day of martyrdom of Imam Husain) and behave in an
unbecoming way. One sect has made it the day of mourning. Don't you know
that all days belong to Allah and all events take place according to
His will? If Hazrat Husain (may God be pleased with him) was martyred on
this day, what day is there on which some beloved servant of God may
not have tasted death? Some others have made it the day of rejoicing and
recreation. Then on Shab-i-Barat you behave and indulge in frivolous
acts like the ignorant communities. A section of the people among you
thinks that on this day plenty of food should be sent to the dead. Do
you have any authority for such ideas and acts? Then you have adopted
such customs as have made your lives difficult for you, for instance,
expending beyond means on marriage ceremonies, holding ceremonies,
holding divorce as prohibited,
At another place in Tafheemat he writes: "Those people who visit Ajmer or the grave of Salar Mass-ud for the purpose of praying for the fulfilment of their desires commit a sin more heinous in nature than murder and adultery. What difference, one may ask, does remain between such an act and worshipping self-made idols? The people who prayed before AI-Lat and AI-Uzza19 did nothing different from these people. We, however take care not to pronounce these people infidels because we do not possess any authority from the Legislator to do so in a case such as theirs. But as a matter of principle, any person who prays a dead one for the fulfilment of his desries, thinking that he is alive, corrupts his heart with sin."
These extracts have become unduly lengthy, but a few more sentences of Tafheemat Vol. II demand that they should also be conveyed to the readers. The Shah Sahib writes: A Tradition of the Holy Prophet says, "you also will adopt the ways of the former communities and will exactly follow them in their footsteps. If they went into the whole of a desert lizard, you will try to follow them there also." The Companions asked whether by 'the former communities' he meant the Jews and the Christian, on which the Prophet replied, 'Who else?' This Tradition' has been related by Imam Bukhari and Muslim.
"The Apostle of Allah (may Allah's peace be upon him) has very
rightly said these words. We have seen such infirm Muslims who have
taken their righteous people for gods other
These excerpts can help one form a general view of how thoroughly Shah Waliullah has examined the past and the present of the Muslims and how searchingly he has criticised their notions and institutions.
The inevitable repercussion of such criticism has always been that the pious and the pure elements of the society who cherish true faith and can distinguish between good and evil are greatly upset and aroused by the feeling of adverse and unwholesome conditions prevailing around them. Thus, their Is lamic sense becomes so sharpened that they begin feeling the tinge of each barbaric evil in their society; their power of discrimination becomes so developed that they begin analysing each admixture of Islam and un-Islam; and their faith is so much reinforced and strengthened that they become restive for reforms. The Mujaddid at this juncture comes to their aid and lays down before them the whole scheme for reconstruction, so that they may direct their effort and struggle with a view to achieving the desired ends speedily. This work of reconstruction also was equally well planned and accomplished by Shah Waliullah as he did the work of criticism and research.
WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION
The first important piece of work accomplished by Shah Waliullah in
this connection is that he has presented a balanced and moderate view of
Fiqh clear of all extremes and without showing inclination towards or
disfavour for any School. He has studied the principles and methods of
deducing inferences worked out and adopted by each juristic School of
thought and formed an independent view of their value and usefulness. If
he
"I have been inspired with the conviction that the Schools founded by Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Shafi-ee are 'the most well-known among the Ummah and most people are the followers of these two. They claim most of the works also that have been compiled from time to time. Most jurists, scholars of Hadith, commentators, scholastics and Sufis have been the followers of Imam Shafi-ee: whereas governments and the masses of the people have been the adherents of Imam Abu Hanifah. At this time. the truth which seems to conform to the spirit of the heavenly Knowledge is that both these should be combined into one School. For this purpose, their interpretations should be reviewed and sifted against the Traditions of the Holy Prophet, and, whatever be found in complete conformity with them should be retained and whatever appears to be without a basis or authority should be discarded. Then whatever remains intact after review and criticism and is common to both the Schools should be held with the teeth. If, however, Certain interpretations differ between the two, both the views should be held admissible for action. This difference of interpretation may be likened to the difference in the Quranic readings, or to the difference between concession (rukhsat) and steadfastness (azeemat) in pursuing a path of action. Or the two views may be regarded as the alternate ways out of a difficulty in the nature of alternate atonements22 or as the adoption of one out of two equally permissible courses. God willing, no case will be found outside these four possibilities".
He has expounded this viewpoint with greater detail in Insaf; especially Chapter II of this book deserves a careful study both by the Ahl-i-Hadith (adherents of Hadith) and the Ahl-i-Takhrij (followers of the Schools). The approach preferred and commended by the Shah Sahib after an enlightening discussion of the subject is that the methods of both the groups should be combined to produce healthy and har monious results. Similarly, the discussion in Chapter VII of Hujjah also deserves a careful study.
"Ijtihad in every age is obligatory (on the Muslim scholars) and by Ijtihad I mean the full understanding of the Shariah values (Ahkam) based on the fundamentals of Islam, the elucidation of their details and the compilation and codification of new laws, although it may be in coformity with the approach adopted by the founder of a particular School. The reason why I have spoken of Ijtihad as obligatory is that every age has its own countless peculiar problems, and cognizance of the Divine injuction with reagrd to them is essential. The material which has already been written and compiled, is nofonly insufficient but also embodies many differences of opinion. These differences cannot be resolved without resort to the fundamentals of the Shariah, as aslo because the chain of authenticity leading back to the mujtahids is probably disrupted. "Therefore the only way open is to review and reassess these differences against the principles of IJtihad".
Shah Waliullah has not merely stressed the importance of Ijtihad but has also laid down its bases and principles and the conditions necessary for undertaking it. In Izalah, Hujjah, Aqd-ul-Jid, Insaf, Badoor-i- Bazighah, Musaffa, etc., ther are allusions to as well as lengthy discourses on this subject. Whatever he has discussed anywhere in his writings has been discussed in the manner of a true, erudite scholar and Mujtahid. Therefore, the study and perusal of his books not only acquaints one with the principles of Ijtihad but also equips one with the necessary education of those principles.
These two aspects of the work are such as had been accomplished
before the Shah Sahib also. But the aspect in which he has a claim to
originality is that he has tried to present in a codified form the
complete intellectual, moral, religious and cultural system of Islam.
This achievement alone places him above all his predecessors. Though the
work of great many religious doctors who were born during the first
three or four centuries of the advent of Islam clearly shows that they
possessed a comprehensive view of the complete system of Islam, and the
works of the later scholars are in no way devoid of this impression, the
comprehensive and logical approach made by Shah Waliullah in presenting
Islam as a great system of life is unique and unparallelled in the
whole
In these books he starts with metaphysical problem, and we meet the first scholar in our history laying down the foundations of the philosophy of Islam. Before him all that had been written in the name of philosophy by the Muslims has been wrongly and ignorantly called "the philosophy of Islam." It was, in fact, the philosophy of the Muslims which had been derived and imported from Greece and Rome, Iran and India. The real Islamic philosophy was actually started and propounded by this great Shaikh of Delhi, though he wrote it in the language and terminology of the same classical philosophy, scholasticism and philosophic mysticism, and has unconsciously incorporated many of their ideas also, as is natural for any who breaks new ground. But in spite of that it cannot be gainsaid that his has been a major effort to open new vistas of research, especially in an age of decline and disintegration of the worst type. The birth of a man with such intellectual and rational powers in such an age is all the more amazing.
The cardinal point of the Shah Sahib's philosophy is that he has tried to present such a picture of the universe and of man in it that it fully conforms to and accords with the genius of the Islamic system of morality and culture. In other words, the Shah Sahib's system may be likened to the root of a 'genealogical' tree of Islam whose stem and branches are, as it were, in complete logical harmony with it and in natural relation to each other.23 I am simply bewildered when I hear some people saying that "Shah Waliullah tried to provide a philosophic basis for the emergence of a new Indian nationalism by conjoining Vedantaism with Islamic thought." I have, however, been at a loss to find any trace of such an attempt in his books. Had I found any such trace I would, by God, have dethroned the Shah Sahib from the ranks of the Mujaddids of Islam and placed him among the innovators.
The Shah Sahib has raised the structure of a Social Philosopy on the bases of a moral system under the heading of Irtafaqat.24 In this connection he has fully discussed subjects like the organization of family life, social etiquette, politics, judiciary, taxation, civil administration and military organization etc., and has also spotlighted those causes which help in the disintegration of a civilization.
Then he presents the system of the Shariah including the various kinds of worship, injunctions and regulations and outlines the wisdom behind each. This kind of work had been accomplished by Imam Ghazali also but Shah Waliullah has clearly far surpassed him.
THE RESULTS
When such a rational and logically worked out plan of the Islamic system was presented it was quite inevitable that all the right-thinking and good-natured elements of the society made it their ideal of life, and those among them who possessed greater practical powers pledged their lives to attain it. Whether the person propounding such an ideal practically endeavours to lead such a movement or not, the impetus that provided real force to the movement was the clear-cut distinction which the Shah Sahib had drawn between the Islamic and the un-Islamic rule. He had not only explained and recounted the characteristics of the Islamic rule but had recounted them repeatedly in so diverse ways that the faithful and true Muslims became restive and could not help struggling with a view to replacing the un-Islamic rule by the Islamic one. This subject has been fully discussed in Hujjah but lzalah has been almost wholly devoted to it. In this book the author has illustrated from the Traditions that Islamic Caliphate and kingship are inherently different things. Then, on the one hand, he has described kingship with all the iniquities brought in and caused by it in the social life of the Muslims throughout history; and, on the other, has elucidated the merits and conditions of Islamic Caliphate and detailed the blessings which it bestowed on the Ummah. After such an exposilon of Islam how could people possibly rest content with the abuses and evil trends of the time?
SAYYID AHMAD BRELAVI AND SHAH ISMAIL SHAHID
Hardly half a century had passed after the death of Shah Waliullah
when a movement emerged on the scene of Indo-Pak subcontinent whith the
same ideals and objectives as had been cherished and set forth by him.
Whether one views the Maktubat (epistles) and Mulfuzat (sayings) of
Sayyid Ahmad or goes through Mansab-i-Imamat, Abadat, Taqwiyyat-ul-Iman
and other writings of Shah Ismail Shahid, one finds the same spirit and
style of Shah Waliullah running through every page. The practical side
of Shah Sahib's work was that by disseminating the knowledge of the
Quran and Hadith and by force of his highly effective personality, he
produced a large number of rightthinking,
Sayyid Ahmad and Shah Ismail may be considered as one and the same in spirit and action. I, however, do not regard their combined body as an independent Mujaddid by itself; I hold it complementary to the revivalist work of Shah Waliullah. The achievements of these two revered men may be summed up as follows:
1. They raised a strong movement for the reformation of the religious, moral and social affairs of the common people. Wherever their good influence reached, lives were so completely revolutionised that they reminded once again of the lives of the Holy Prophet's Companions.
2. They made large-scale preparations for Jihad at a difficult time
(beginning of the 19th century) when India was fast heading towards
total collapse and disintegration; and they displayed marvellous
organizational skill and ability in this work. That they selected the
north-western India (now Pakistan) for the launching of their campaign
clearly shows their knowledge of war strategy in those days. Politically
as well as geographically there could be no better starting point.
Then, they tried to observe throughout Jihad all the moral principles
and war tactics which are the hallmark of a Mujahid and distinguish him
from a world-seeking fighter. Thus they demonstrated once again the real
Islamic spirit before the world. They did not fight for the sake of
wealth or territory, national pride or any other worldly greed; they
fought in the Way of Allah. The only objective before them was to
deliver the masses of the people from the yoke of un-Godly rule, and
establish that system of government which accords with the will of the
Creator and real Sovereign. With this object in view they first invited
the people, according to rule, to accept Islam or to pay Jizyah, and
then took up arms as a last resort. And when they took up arms they
scrupulously observed the civilized law of war taught by Islam; they did
not commit any wild or savage act; and they did not enter a township to
destroy and shed' blood but to reform and make peace. Their army was
neither accompanied by barrels of wine, nor attended by musical band and
prostitutes
3. When theygot a chance to establish their ride in a limited territory they established it on the basis of "Caliphate after the pattern of Prophethood." It was characteristic of the same pious and God-fearing control, the same kind of equality and advisory body, and the same execution of justice and enforcement of Shariah punishments. Property was lawfully seized and justly disposed of, the oppressed were protected though they be weak, and the oppressors were crushed though they be strong. The rulers feared God and executed the Governmental business with perfect morality. Thus they demonstrated and revived once again the type of rule established and guided by Abu Bakr Siddiq and Umar Faruq (may Allah be pleased with them).
These pious people, however, failed to attain their larger objective26 on account of some inherent causes which will be mentioned later. But the movement of ideas initiated by them can still be seen at work in the Indo-Pak subcontinent even after a hundred years or so of the failure of their mission.
CAUSES OF FAILURE
Any discussion of the causes of failure of this last revivalist
movement is generally not received well by those people who are want to
talk about their heroes with deep reverence and respect. I am,
therefore, afraid that what I am going to say under the present heading
may hurt the feelings of some or my brethren. If the object of all our
talk and discussion about our great heroes is not merely to sing their
praises, but we are keen to learn lessons from their triumphs and
failures for future guidance, then we cannot help casting a critical eye
on their work with a view to un-veiling their achievements and
spotlighting the causes responsible for their failure. The great circle
of the righteous and truth-loving Ulema trained and producted by Shah
Waliullah and his some and the enormous army of pious and God-fearing
soldiers raised by Sayyid Ahmad
THE FIRST CAUSE
The one weakness which in my opinion has always attended the work of
our reformers ever since the time of Mujaddid Alf-i-Thani till Shah
Waliullah and his successors may be ascribed to their failure to form a
correct view of the Muslim peoples' morbid attachment for Tasawwuf. This
was a malady which might well have been cured by taking necessary
precautions. But not only were the precautions not taken, the disease
was aggravated by giving an overdose of the undesirable diet. True to
God, I bear no personal grudge against the Tasawwuf presented by these
reformers; in spirit it was indeed the real Tasawwuf of Islam, nothing
different from Ihsan. But what I think should be carefully eschewed are
the mystic allusions and metaphoric references, the mystic language, and
the continuance of a peculiar mystic lore, customs and traditions.
Obviously, the real Islamic Tasawwuf does not stand in need of this
particular mould. Some other form and some other language may be adopted
for its expression, mystic allusions and references may be avoided, and
the saint-disciple traditional relationship
Just as a pure and lawful thing like water is prohibited when it is deemed to be harmful to a patient, similarly the cult of Tasawwuf, though allowable, needs, to be eschewed and laid aside. For, through it the Muslims have become addicted to a kind of intoxication which has lulled them to sleep and sapped them of life and reality for centuries. As soon as bai'at is performed, the disciples start developing a servile mentality which has become intimately associated with the system of disciple-ship:
"Colour the prayer-carpet with wine if so orders you the spiritual guide." Obviously, such a mentality does not leave any difference between the spiritual guide and the gods other than Allah. It results in the incapacity of all mental powers of discrimination and criticism, of thinking and reasoning, and the disciple is completely obsessed with the guide's personality and authority as if he were his Lord. Then the reference to 'divine inspirations' further strengthens the shackles of mental servility and the mention of mystic allusions and metaphoric references so deepens. and enhances the imaginative and superstitious faculty of the ignorant followers that, being detached from the world of reality, they become wholly absorbed in the world of wonders and mystery.
Both the Mujaddid Sahib and Shah Waliullah were fully aware of this chronic ailment of the Muslims and both have taken due notice of its abuses in their writings. But most probabIy they could not diagnose correctly the extent and intensity of this disease, and therefore, unwittingly prescribed the same harmful diet for the patients as had proved fatal before. Consequently, the disease spread freely and affected adversely the very vitals of their followers.27
Though Maulana Ismail Shahid fully estimated the extent of the abuse
and followed strictly the same practical approach as had been adopted by
Imam Ibn-i-Taimiyyah, the writings of Shah Waliullah, nevertheless,
contained reference to his mystic experiences and this affected his own
writings as well. Then, on the practical side, the tradition of saint
disciple relationship had been associated with the movement of Sayyid
Ahmad from the very beginning. Therefore, this movement also could not
remain immune from
THE SECOND CAUSE
The second weakness which one discovers after a critical study of the movement is the fact that Sayyid Ahmad and Shah Shahid did not make suitable effort to prepare ground in the area where they undertook Jihad for the establishment of the revolutionary Islamic rule. Their army, no doubt, consisted of morally and spiritually well-trained personnel, but these people had been mustered from all the four corners of India, and their position in the north-western part was of immigrants. Thenecessary prerequisite for bringing about a political revolution in the area was to work for the moral and spiritual uplift of the common populace of the area itself. This would have enabled the local people to understand and appreciate the Islamic system of Government and become its helpers. Both the leaders probably harboured the misunderstanding that since the people of the Frontier region were Muslims and had been fed up with the non-Muslim domination they would eagerly welcome the Islamic rule. Therefore, as soon as they entered the area, they started Jihad, and immediately proclaimed the Islamic Caliphate in the small territory they captured. But eventually it was revealed by experience that regarding the so-called Muslims to be the true Muslims and expecting from them things which can only be expected from the true Muslims was a blunder. Those people in fact were not capable of sustaining Caliphate. Therefore, when it was established they sank under its weight and with them crumbled the whole pious edifice.
This is another lesson of history which must be kept foremost in mind for the success of any future effort at Revival. It must be borne in mind that unless a political revolution gains root in the social, moral and cultural life of a people it can never meet with success. Even if it succeeds it cannot stay for long and when it collapses it does not leave even a trace behind it.28
THE THIRD CAUSE
The age in which Shah Waliullah, Shah Abdul Aziz and Shah Ismail Shahid were born in India was the time when Europe was rising with a new vigour from the stupor of the Middle Ages. Countless of her scientists, discoverers and inventors were working hard to create a new world in place of the old. This was the age which produced philosophers of the calibre of Hume, Kant, Nitsche, Hegle, Comte, Schlier Macher and Mill who revolutionised logic and metaphysics, ethics and psychology and all other rational sciences. Again this was the age which produced geniuses like Galvani and Volta in Physics, La Voisier, Priestley, Davy and Berzilius in Chemistry, and Linne, Haller Bichat and Wolff in Biology. The researches of these scientists not only greatly enriched the physical sciences, 'but they also gave rise to a new theory about the Universe and man. Then the deep Studies carried out by Quisney, Turgot, Adam Smith and Malthus in the same age gave birth to the new science of Economics. The birth of Rousseau, Voltaire, Montaigne, Denis Diderot, La Maurie, Cabanis, Buffon, Robinet in France; Thomas Paine, William Godwin, David Hartley, Joseph Priestley, Erasmus, Darwin in England; and of Goethe, Herder, Schiller, Winekelmann, Lassing, Holbach in Germany had far-reaching effects on moral philosophy, literature, law, religion, politics and the other social sciences. They fearlessly assailed and criticised the classical world and its conventions and built entirely a new world of fresh ideas and thoughts.
Then the use of press and printing process, new styles of expression
and preference for simple language to the verbose technical style of the
ancients greatly helped in the spread and circulation of the ideas and
theories of these people. Their influence was not limited to particular
individuals, it spread to whole nations and communities. Thus they
revolutionised the whole intellectual world: they changed the peoples'
moral view point,
The French Revolution brought in its wake a new civilization, and the invention of machine and the consequent Industrial Revolution gave birth to a new vigorous culture with new problems of life. Engineering got an extraordinary impetus and enabled Europe to capture and conquer forces un-known to the world before. A new art of warfare was developed, replacing the old, with new weapons and new strategic skills. Armies were organised and trained by regular drill with the result that they moved like machines in the battlefield and encountering them became difficult for the old-fashioned 'lashkars'. The development and division of forces and the strategic skills and devices were continuously improved with every new experience in the battle field. New weapons of war including the rifle, light and fast-moving cannons and heavy machinery for selling forts with far greater effect were invented, and the invention of cartridge rendered the old-fashioned powder-guns utterly useless. It was mainly due to this advance ment that the Turks in Europe and the native States of India had to suffer continued defeats at the hands of modern armies, and Napoleon took Egypt with a handful of troops after attacking the very heart of the world of Islam.
A cursory glance over the events of contemporary history reveals that whereas in the subcontinent, a few individuals only had cast off slumber entire nations had risen in the West; and whereas a little work was done only in one direction here, a thousand times greater progress was made there in almost all directions. No aspect of life remained in which quick headway was not made. Here, only Shah Waliullah and his sons wrote a few books on certain subjects which could only reach and influence a very limited circle; in the West whole libraries were produced on almost all arts and sciences which dominated and possessed the whole intellectual world in no time. Here, the study of philosophy, ethics, sociology, politics and economics in the modern way remained in the elementary stage without further progress; in the West entire systems of thought in these subjects were propounded which had lasting impact on all ways and aspects of life. Here the knowledge of physical sciences and material forces had remained static for five hundred years or so; in the West these branches of knowledge made tremendous progress and gave such powers in the hands of the people that encountering them with the out-moded weapons and devices became well nigh impossible.
The more surprising fact is that the English had seized Bengal in the
time of Shah Waliullah and their influence had reached as far as
Allahabad, but he did not seem to
THE END
The first lesson that we learn from the failure of this Islamic movement in its conflict with the Western Godlessness is that though the revival of religious sciences and the practice of the Shariah in its true spirit are essential for the renaissance of Islam, yet something more is required. It, indeed, demands the full support and backing of a comprehensive universal ideological movement which may bring a strong influence to bear upon all sciences and trends of thought, all arts and practical skills, in short, all walks and spheres of life, and muster all possible strength and means to the, service of Islam.
Second, the work of Revival and reconstruction in the modem times
demands a new power for Ijtihad. The insight and power of interpretation
displayed by Shah Waliullah and the earlier mujtahids and mujaddids
cannot cope with the present day situations. The new age accompanied by
new means and powers has brought with it new evils and produced
countless new problems of life, which could not even have crossed the
mind of
These appendices are meant to provide the reader with appropriate replies to the various objection and misgivings that have been raised or created from time to time by people with regard to my views expressed in this bok. Here are the questions which have been sent to me by different people at dif ferent times, along with their replies. It is hoped that these will satisfy other people also who might have some such objections or misgivings in their minds.
I. THE NATURE OF TAJDlD AND IMAM MEHDI
Question:
That the "Revivalist Movement in Islam" is a great work indeed can best be judged and seen by a keen reader after going through the Chapter on the "Nature of Islamic Revival" and the account of the achievements of the great mujaddids of Islam. Some points, however, need further explanation and they are as follows:
(a) The three weak points that you have mentioned at the end of the section on Imam Ghazali are:
(i) His weakness in the science of Hadith,
(ii) the predominance of the rationalist science on his mind, and
(iii) his undue inclination towards tasawwuf.
Can these things be proved from the famous-book of the Imam like lhya-ul-Uloom and Keemiya-i-Saadat? And is not the tasawwuf which he has elaborated and commended in these books praise-worthy? Then is not a mujaddid given more of real knowledge as against his contemporaries? If it is not so, how can he claim and enjoy special distinction in the world around him?
It is well known that these revered people had not only mastered worldly sciences but had acquired keen insight into spiritual sciences as well by way of 'Divine Inspiration: Then they have laid claim to their being mujaddids also and this fact has been duly mentioned by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in his Tazkirah. The Mujaddid himself has written in his epistles that the mujaddid who has appeared after a thousand years of the Holy Prophet's mission is he. In view of these facts, the following questions naturally arise in one's mind :
(i) Was not the claim put forth by these two revered men of being mujaddids according to the Divine Will? What is the reality of the 'Divine inspirations' so often mentioned by them in their books? Did they become mujaddids by appointment or just by the way?
(ii) Is this common belief correct that a mujaddid is necessarily the most learned man of his age as far the sciences of the Shariah and the secrets of Religion are concerned and that he is the nearest to Allah? If it is not so, why is he preferred to others in his appointment to this important position?
(iii) What is the secret and reality of mubasharat (glad tidings)?
(iv) Is not the Tradition that at the head of each century will appear a mujaddid, an authentic one? And should not stich a mujaddid be aware of his appointment as such?
(c) Your view about Al-Imam-ul-Mehdi is that he will be quite
different from the description of him given by the common Ulema On the
contrary, the Ulema assert that even the name and the lineage of the
Imam along with other indications have been mentioned in the Traditions.
He will appear in certain known environment with specific
'Mehdiism' is not something to be claimed, it is rather something to be achieved. People who put forward such claims and those who readily accept them infact betray a serious lack of knowledge and a depraved mentality."
My question is: Are not the assertions and claims related by so many of our learned Ulema (for instance, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi in his Bahishti Zevar) based on authentic Traditions? If they are, how can you support your line of argument?
Reply:
Instead of writing a direct reply to your question I would like to explain further some points which if properly understood will dispel most of your misgivings.
First, we do not possess any means by which we could say with certainty that a particular person was a mujaddid and another was not. This has always been done by people during the life--time or after the passing away of a person on the basis of the quality of work performed by him. It has most often given rise to difference of opinion also. Quite a few of our learned Ulema, for instance, believe that certain people of the past were mujaddids, whereas others do not regard them worthy of that title. As a matter of fact, there is no special sign attached to a person which may determine exactly his status or position for us.
Second, Tajdid is not a religious office to which a person may be
appointed by Allah - according to His will, and believing or
disbelieving in him as such may affect one's religious belief favourably
or adversely. It is merely a title which is given to a person on the
basis of his achievements. If a person has rendered some services in the
way of revitalising Islam, he may be called a mujaddid. If according to
others his achievements are not good enough to earn him this title he
may not be held entitled to it by them. Ignorant people have made this
matter look unduly important. The Holy Prophet merely asserted that
Allah will not let this Religion wholly die out but will raise at the
head of each century a person or persons who will revive it and bring it
back to its original pure form. The Arabic word mun in the Tradition
does not necessarily imply only one person;
Third, a person's being a 'mujaddid does not mean that he is a perfect man and that his work is faultless. In order to declare someone a mujaddid it is enough to see that his life activity on the whole bears testimony to his service for the Revival of Islam. But it would be a grave mistake if after acknowledging a person as mujaddid we regard him as infallible also, and believe in whatever he says without question. For a mujaddid is not innocent and if infallible like a Prophet.
Fourth, my cirticism of the work of the mujaddids of the Umma is after all, based on my personal judgement and opinion. Every person, therefore, is free to differ from any of my opinions. If the arguments on which I have based my opinions satisfy one, well and good; if they do not, one may reject them. What I want is that an opinion be accepted or rejected by argument and reason and not under the fit of heroworship.
Fifth, some revered men of the past have no doubt claimed that as inspired by Allah they were the mujaddids of their ages, but they never demanded that the Muslims must accept and acknowledge them as such, and one who did not do so was a heretic. Making claims inviting people to accept them and demanding of them to do so is none of the functions of a mujaddid. One who behaves like that actually proves that he is not a mujaddid at all.
Sixth, 'Divine Inspiration' does not always yield real and definite knowledge as Revelation does. Its nature is such that one who is absorbed in it does not know with certainty whether his 'inspiration' is from Allah or not. It is liable to be misinterpreted and misunderstood. The Ulema, therefore, are agreed that no Shariah injunction is proved and established by Kashf or divine inspiration. Nothing that is derived through it has religious sanction, nor is it lawful for its recipient to follow it without questioning and judging its validity against the Book of Allah and Sunnah of His Prophet.
Seventh, whatever I have written about Imam Mehdi has been further explained on pages 118 to 124 of this book. You may kindly go through all these explanations which will acquaint you with my research on the Traditions on the basis of which the Ulema have compiled all their details. I have a high regard for all these Ulema but I have never been used to accept anything from anybody without question.
(Tarjuman-ul-Quran, January February 1951).
Question:
While answering a question in the Tarjuman-ul-Quran for January-February, 1951, you have written : "Some revered men of the past have no doubt claimed that as inspired by Allah they were the ' mujaddids of their ages, but they never demanded that the Muslims must accept and acknowledge them as such, and one who did not do so was a heretic."
This view of yours does not seem to be well founded. Shah Waliullah of Delhi, for instance, has claimed with great confidence that as inspired by Allah he was the Imam of his age and that people should follow him to attain salvation (see Tafheemat-i-Iiahiyah, Vol. II, P. 125). Don't you think that this claim of the Shah Sahib was valid? If it was, then your following statement is automatically proved wrong:
"Making claims, inviting people to accept them and demanding of them to do so is none of the functions of a mujaddid."
Your next statement is: "One who behaves like that actually proves that he is not a mujaddid at all. "
I want to know whether these statements of yours are based on the Quran or the Traditions of the Prophet, or whether they are the result of your personal Ijtihad.
Under Para VI of your reply you have written:
"Divine inspiration does not yield real definite knowledge as Revelation does. Its nature is such that the subject does not know with certainty whether his 'inspiration' is from Allah or not."
Again: Is this statement based on your personal experience or Ijtihad, or has been derived from the Quran and the Traditions?
One wonders that if the reality of the 'Divine Inspirations' of the
'perfect men' of the Holy Prophet's Ummah was just that, how could one
believe them to be the best among the Ummah? On the contrary, even women
in the former communities are known to have been blessed with definite
Wahi"{revelation). Besides, there have been men of God whose
high-natured 'inspirations' even put a great Prophet to shame when he
why did it become necessary for Allah to bless them with such 'inspiration' if it was not meant to yield any religious knowledge or benefit its recipient spiritually, but on the contrary was to become a source of confusion because of its uncertainty?
Reply:
Your first error is that you have mixed up the various aspects of the meaning of Wahi and Ilham (inspiration). One kind of Wahi may be called instinctive inspiration by which Allah teaches His creatures the functions of their being. This kind of Wahi comes down more often on animals than on human beings,
and perhaps most often on plant life and solid matter. The second kind may be called 'the partial Wahi' by which Allah gives one of his creatures some knowledge or guidance or suggests him an idea pertaining to every day affair. This kind of Wahi comes down almost daily on common human beings. All the great inventions in the world and all the great scientific discoveries have been brought about by it; and the same can be seen behind all the important historical events. It has so often happened that an idea entered a person's mind suddenly without serious thought and changed the course of history, in a decisive manner. Such a Wahi, for instance, was sent down on the mother of Prophet Moses.
Quite differentfrom these two kinds are the Wahi by which Allah informs one of His Servants about the 'Unseen' facts and blesses him with Guidance for a system of life, so that he conveys this Knowledge and Guidance to mankind at large in order to bring them out of darkness into light. This kind of Wahi is sent down only to the Prophets. The Quran clearly says that this kind of Knowledge call it IIqa, Kashf or IIham or term it Wahi is given to none but the Prophets and Messengers of Allah. Then this knowledge is so conveyed to the Prophets that they perfectly believe it to be from Allah, absolutely free from Satanic interference and untainted by their personal ideas, concepts and whims. This is the Knowledge that wields religious Authority, and is meant to be binding on all human beings. Prophets were appointed solely for the purpose of propagating this Knowledge among the people at large and inviting them to accept it for their guidance.
Without having recourse to this Light if a person regards his 'inspiration' as an independent source of guidance acts on it without determining its validity and invites other people to accept and follow it he is like a forger who tries to establish an independent mint parallel to the official one. Such an act of his suffices to prove that he is not inspired by Allah at all.
Whatever I have written above has been clearly stated and borne out by the Quran at various places. Especially, the last verse of the Surah Jinn is very explicit on this point:
"(He is) the Knower of the Unseen and He reveals unto none His secret, save unto every messenger whom He has chosen, and then He makes a guard to go before him and a guard behind him that He may know that they have indeed conveyed the messages of their Lord. He surrounds all their doings, and He keeps count of all things." (72: 26)
If you consider this point a little more carefully, you will yourself understand the Divine widsom of importing only a secondary kind of Wahi to the righteous people of the Ummah, unlike the Prophets. The reason why they do not receive full-fledged Revelation like a Prophet is that receipt of revelation is the only distinctive feature between a Prophet and his followers and this distinction cannot be done away with. The reason why they need only a secondary kind of Wahi is that in order to make an effort to continue the mission of a Prophet after him they naturally stand in need of deep insight in the secrets of Religion and right guidance from Allah in order to establish Islam in its entirety. Almost every sincere and right-thinking preacher of Islam is endowed with these qualities unconsciously, but if some one happens to receive them in full consciousness, it should be looked upon as a special favour from Allah.
Your second basic error is that you have failed to appreciate the
fundamental difference between the positions of a Prophet and a
non-Prophet. According to the Quran only a Prophet is appointed Allah's
Messenger directly, and is authorised hy Him to invite mankind to
believe and follow him. A person who does not believe in him is declared
unbeliever though he may be having faith in God. This high status in
enjoyed by none but a Prophet in the system of Religion. If someone else
lays a claim to this position it lies on him to bring a proof for his
claim. He should let us know where in the Quran and
In response to this if someone refers to the Tradition (Main Yujaddidu Laha Deenaha) or quotes the Traditions about the coming of the Mehdi, I would say that none of these Traditions refers to the position of a mujaddid or the Mehdi entitling him to such a claim. Indeed, it has nowhere been indicated that these people will lay claims to their being mujaddids and the Mehdi, and only such people will remain Muslim as will accept their claims; all others will become un-believers.
In this connection, it is beside the point to bring in the discussion that if one opposes or withholds support from a mujaddid who is working for the Revival and Establishment of Islam one will not attain salvation in the Hereafter. There is no doubt that whenever such a task is undertaken it sets bounds between the Truth and falsehood, and every truth-loving person naturally likes to put his weight on the side of the Truth. But this tendency to support the Truth actually springs from a Muslim's sense of obligation to exert for the Revival and Establishment of Islam and not because it is demanded by his faith to accept the claims of the claimants. Therefore, it would be absurd to think that one is deprived of salvation simply because one did not accept a person's claim of being a mujaddid or the Mehdi.
Now let us consider the claims put forth by Shah Waliullah and the
Mujaddid of Sirhind. I am too well known for my conviction that I do not
regard our great men of the past as innocent and infallible. While I
give them full credit for their good work, I do not spare them for their
failings. I am therefore afraid that if I say things frankly in the
present case I shall be charged with another offence. But one should
have more fear of Allah at heart than the fear of the world. Therefore,
let people say what they like but I cannot help saying that asserting
themselves to be the mujaddids and referring time and again to their
'Divine inspirations' was one of the few mistakes committed by these
great men. Indeed, it was such mistakes of theirs that encouraged and
prompted so many lesser men after them to put forward tall claims and
create new schisms in the Ummah. If a person finds himself fit and
capable to work for the Revival of Islam, he should whole-heartedly work
for it and leave it to God to judge and determine his position. For the
real position of a person is that which Allah will grant him through
His grace in the hereafter on the basis of his intentions and deeds, and
not that which he claims or which people give him here. I do not think
it is in any way praise-worthy to propose title for
Question:
I have studied your literature sincerely and honestly and in spite of being a follower of the Ahl-i-Hadith School regard myself an ordinary and humble worker of your Islamic Movement. I am also trying my best to make it popular among the people. Recently, however, I happend to read a few things regarding Tasawwuf and the practice of cherishing the image of Shaikh which have caused certain doubts to arise in my mind. You regard the non-Arab innovations in Religion as allowable, whereas the whole literature produced so far has been a strong protest against them. It will be agreed that the main objective of our Movement is to perform the duty of establishing true Religion. God forbid, if we tolerataed one innovation that will be tantamount to opening the flood-gate for all sorts of innovations into the Movement. Kindly consider my doubts and explain your viewpoint with regard to the reality of Tasaw- wuf and the practice of cherishing the image of Shaikh in the light of the Quran and the Sunnah. I hope that necessary explanations will be published in the pages of the Tarjuman-ul-Quran.
Reply:
The misgivings caused by some one sentence of mine would not have arisen in your mind had you kept my other clearer statement on the subject in view. However, I shall now deal with your objections briefly and give a reply in as clear terms as possible.
1. Tasawwuf is not one particular defined thing, but many different things have come to be known by this name. there is a Tasawwuf that we confirm and support; there is a Tasawwuf that we reject and condemn; and there is a Tasawwufthat we want to reform and purify.
The other Tasawwuf is that in which Greek and Stoic, Zoroastrian and Vedantic philosophies have got mixed up, which has incorporated monastic and yogic practices and customs and polytheistic ideas, which recognises the Shariah, Tariqah, and M'arifah as independent and more often contradictory aspects of life, and which aims at training man for quite different purposes than training him for 'his duties as Allah's vicegerent on the earth, This is the Tasawwuf we reject and condemn, It is essential to eradicate it as the other evils or the present day for the establishment of Allah's Religion, .
Besides these, there is another Tasawwuf which has conjoined in it traits and features of both the first two kinds. The practices and ways of this Tasawwuf were initiated and propounded by some very righteous and pious men who were scholarly and noble minded but not altogether immune from the evil effects of the past and contemporary trends. They tried their best to understand the real Tasawwuf of Islam and cleanse it of the un-Islamic elements. But in spite of that their theories and concepts, their practices and customs could not remain wholly free from alien influence and the effects of un-Islamic mysticism. They thought that these were not repugnant to the teachings of the Ouran and the Sunnah, or could be proved to be in conformity with them by interpretation.
Moreover, the aims and ends of this Tasawwufare more or less different from those desired and cherished by Islam. Neither does it aim at preparing man for his duties of Allah's vicegerency and making him a "witness unto mankind" in the words of the Ouran, nor can it produce such men as may have a comprehensive view of Religion, and may also be qualified to establish it. We do not wholly approve of this Tasawwuf, nor wholly reject it. Our only request is that its followers and supporters should kindly make a critical appraisal of it, leaving aside their love and veneration for their spiritual heroes, in the light of the Ouran and the' Sunnah, and try to reform it.
2. As regards the propriety of cherishing the image of Shaikh it can be dealt with from two points of view: first, of the act by itself; second, of considering it as a means of attaining nearness to Allah. In the first case the question is whether it is a lawful or an unlawful act, and this depends on the intention of the one who practises It. One intention is such29 that the act cannot but be declared as prohibited; according to another no jurist can pronounce it as unlawful. It may be likened to the case of a person whom I find enjoying the beauty of some unfamiliar lady and on asking him he tells me that he is trying to satisfy his aesthetic taste. Obviously I would say that he is doing something unlawful. I find another person sirnilarly engaged who tells me that he intends to marry the lady. In this case I shall have to pronounce that his act is not unlawful. For the reason that he gives for his act is justifiable from the Shariah point of view.
As to the other viewpoint, I have never been in doubt that the practice of cherishing the image of Shaikh is absolutely unlawful, no matter how high and revered are the names with whom it is associated. I say that Allah and His Prophet did not show any slackness in teaching us the ways and means of estab lishing relationship with Him. Then why should we not rest content with those ways and means and instead begin inventing new ones which may not only be doubtful in themselves but liable to lead easily into grave pitfalls?
It is misleading to raise here the question, why should permissible
means be discarded in the matter of attaining nearness to Allah and
purifying the soul when the adoption of such means has been allowed to
achieve the ends of the Shariah in other matters? This argument is
basically wrong, for the two aspects of Religion-One of man's
relationship with Allah, and the other of his relationship with other
people and the world are different in nature. As regards the first
aspect we should depend only on those means and ways of worship as have
been taught by Allah and His Prophet. We are not allowed to curtail them
nor can we make additions on to them. For we do not possess any means
of attaining Allah's M'arifah and of establishing relationship with Him
except through the teachings of His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet.
Whatever change will be
We should obey what has been ordained, refrain from what has been prohibited and use analogy in cases where nothing has been clearly ordained. Or if analogy is not possible, we should adopt and follow anything or any way that we find in accord with the spirit of the Islamic system. The reason why this freedom of action has been allowed in this sphere is that we possess rational and intellectual means of determining the wisdom or otherwise of our relations with other people to an extent that we can distinguish the Right from the wrong and the Good from the evil in the light of the guidance afforded by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet. This freedom of action, therefore, should be limited to this sphere only. It should not be extended to cover the affairs of the other sphere. For it is basically wrong to take anything not prohibited as allowable and invent or adopt from others new ways of establishing relationship with Allah. On this very account the Christians had invented monasticism which has been condemned in the Holy Quran.
(Tarjuman-ul-Quran, February, 1 952)
IV. AN ALLEGATION REFUTED
Question:
It is being alleged that you claim yourself to be a mujnddid or the Mehdi, or are secretly trying to make the people believe you as such. What have you to say about this allegation!
Reply:
This allegation has been refuted more than once in the pages of the Tarjuman-ul-Quran. Therefore, instead of giving a fresh reply I would like to reproduce the replies already given.
"My bold statements might have given you the impression that I regard myself a 'big thing' and expect to attain some high position. The fact, however, is that my humble efforts in this regard are only meant to compensate for my sins. I am fully aware of my limitations. Therefore, not to speak of aspiring to any high position, if only I am spared of punishment in the Hereafter it will be quite beyond my expectations.
(Tarjuman-ul-Quran, September, Oelober and November, 1941).
About the same time, Maulana Syed Suleman Nadavi, distorting one of my statements, gave it the meaning that I claimed to be a Mujaddid. I had, in fact, stated that my humble efforts were only an attempt to revive Religion. I wrote in response to this bare charge: "Calling any attempt an attempt at Tajdid does not imply that one who makes that attempt should be called a Mujaddid also, and not an ordinary one but the Mujaddid of his century. Laying a few bricks together to make a wall is no doubt a constructional activity, buf does it imply that every bricklayer should be called an engineer, the engineer of the century. Likewise, if someone calls his work an attempt or effort at Tajdid when he is really working for that cause it will only be a statement of fact. It should not be construed to mean that he is making a claim to being a mujllddid and wishing to be recognised as the mujaddid of the century.
People devoid of high ideals no doubt begin making high claims after
carrying out a work of little or no consequence, or rather start work
with'Claims, but it does not behoove a sensible person to engage himself
in making claims instead of working earnestly for a cause. Many people
in the Indo-Pak subcontinent and in the other parts of the world are
busy working for the Revival of Islam and we regard the Maulana himself
(the respectable objector) also as one of them. I have also' tried in my
humble way to work for the same Cause, and now our religious
organisation wants to serve it collectively. But indeed the real
mujaddid will be he whose work and effort is blessed by Allah and who is
actually able to achieve the high ideal of the Islamic Revival. For the
real thing is neither a man's avowed claims nor his being called a
mujaddid by the world, but his passing away into the presence of his
Master with such service to his credit as may earn him the title of
mujaddid there. I pray that Allah may bless the Maulana with such a
favour, and one would like the Maulana also to pray for others that
Allah may grant them strength and ability to serve His Religion in that
manner. I am
Even after these elucidations our religious scholars did not stop their propaganda. For among other weapons to arouse the people against me one necessary weapon was that I should be labelled with the charge of making a claim. Therefore, during 1945 and 1946 it was repeatedly alleged that I was out to lay a claim to 'Mehdi-ism', ..on this I wrote in the June 1946 issue of the Tarjuman-ul-Quran :
"Those who are expressing such misgivings with a view to preventing people from listening to the call to the Truth raised by the Jamaat-i-lslami are rendering themselves exposed to a grievous punishment which I have decided to inflict on them and which they will never be able to avoid. The punishment is that, God willing, I will pass away into the presence of my Allah without making any claim, and there I shall see what plea these people put in before Him for creating these misgivings and thus preventing people from the Truth."
If the people had any fear of God or any belief in the Hereafter, they would not possibly have repeated the same charge after such a warning from me as the one reproduced above. But you can see how boldly they are spreading and circulating it over again. After reading what I had written in this connection in the recent issues of the Tarjuman-ul-Quran, these people did not even so much as hesitate while uttering these charges. Verdict of the Hereafter is with Allah, but I wonder whether it is possible that our Ulema will ever win the honour and applause of this world by such activities as these. It will be of interest to note that my book the "Revivalist
Movement in Islam" some of whose sentences are being mis-construed with a view to misleading people, clearly contains my following words:
People who are mis-representing excerpts from this book may be asked whether they have overlooked these words or are purposely trying to conceal them.
(Tarjuman-ul-Quran, September, 1951)
V. AL-MEHDI AND HIS PLACE IN ISLAM
Question 1:
Your views about the coming of Al-Mehdi as contained in your "Revivalist Movement in Islam" are not wholly satisfactory. One may differ with you in so far as you do not believe in any special and distinctive signs for the recognition of the promised Mehdi, while a clear mention of these has been made in the Traditions. One wonders how you can overlook these Traditions.
Reply:
The Traditions with regard to the coming of the Mehdi have been subjected to so searching a criticism by the critics of Hadith that one group of scholars no longer believes in the coming of the Mehdi at all. A close scrutiny of the reporters of such Traditions has shown that most of them were the Shiites. Moreover, history reveals that these Traditions have been exploited by various sects for their religious and political purposes and used by them in favour of one or the other of their particular condidate. In view of these facts I have come to the conclusion that as far as the prophecy about the coming of the Mehdi itself is concerned these Traditions are authentic, but in so far as they contain the details about specific signs and features they are invented, and the additions have most probably been made to them later by the interested parties. The literature produced by the people who falsely claimed to be the promised Mehdi at different times clearly shows that these very Traditions have provided material for their wicked designs and falsehoods.
As far as I have studied the prophecies made by the Holy Prophet,
their manner and approach is never such that they would describe the
details and specific signs of a coming event in the way these have been
described in the Traditions concerning the
Question 2:
That the coming of the Mehdi is certain has been conceded in your "Revivalist Movement in Islam" but as regards his functions and duties these have been described in your own words without support from the authentic sources. These may kindly be described now in the light of Traditions. Moreover, nothing has been said about the position and special distinctions of the promised Mehdi as also about the obligation to obey and follow him, but he has been simply regarded as one among the common mujaddids. A mujaddid cannot be infallible, but the promised Mehdi according to common belief has to be innocent and infallible. In the presence of such a clear ground for distinction how can you place the Mehdi in the list of mujaddids?
Reply:
The word mehdi as occurring in the Traditions means "the one rightly guided." Therefore, it may apply to any leader who is on the Right Path. AI-Mehdi has been used for a special person who according to the Traditions will establish "Caliphate after the pattern of Prophethood" and will fill the earth with justice after these had been dislodged and disrupted. Al has been prefixed to Mehdi in order to distinguish him from others. But it is wrong to think that a special office has been created in Religion after the name of Mehdi believing in whom and recognising whom may be as obligatory as believing in the Prophets and obeying and following whom as bindings as that of the Prophets for one's salvation and faith. Moreover, there is no ground in the Traditions for the idea that the Mehdi will be an innocent and infallible Imam. The conception of infallibility for people other than the Prophet is a purely Shi-ite conception which has ahsolutely no basis in the Quran and the Sunnah.
It should be once for all understood that the elucidation of the
grounds on which depend one's belief and unbelief and one's salvation in
the Hereafter is the responsibility of Allah and He has laid down all
these in the Quran, not figuratively but with all possible clarity and
precision. Allah Himselfsays: "As regards guidance, the responsibility
is Ours." Therefore, any matter having such an importance in Religion
must have its basis and proof in the Quran. This matter cannot be
decided only by the Traditions which have reached men through other men.
These can at the most afford probable truth, but not the authentic
knowledge. Obviously, Allah would not have liked to put man to test
Now as regards the Mehdi, his position in Islam does not seem to be such as to be essential for determining one's being Muslim and attaining salvation. Had he this position it would have been pointed out and elucidated with sufficient emphasis and clarity in the Quran. And the Holy Prophet would not have rested content with imparting it to a few of his Companions only, but would have dont; his best to convey this to the whole Ummah. He would have rather shown the same earnestness of purpose in preaching it as he did while preaching the Oneness of Allah and the reality of the Day of Judgement. As a matter of fact, a person who possesses some insight in the religious sciences cannot for a moment believe that a matter of such paramount importance in Religion might have been left to be determined by Akhbar-i-Aahaad, and these of such authenticity as scholars of Hadith of the status of Imam Malik, Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim did not like to include in their Collections. (Tarjuman-ul-Quran, March, June 1945).
Question 3:
Some very pious and sincere persons have objected to your views about Imam Mehdi as found in your "Revivalist Movement in Islam" in the light of Traditions. I am sending these objections to you with the feeling that the Shariah values must be observed faithfully by those who undertake the task of establishing Islam. Therefore, it is essential that whatever you write must be in complete conformity with the Shariah. And if you happen to express a wrong opinion, you should not hesitate to recede from it.
Your views about Imam Mehdi as referred to above are in our opinion contrary to the Traditions. I have studied all the Traditions in this connection as contained in the Collections of Hadith by Tirmizi and Abu Daud and found that the reporters of some Traditions are really the Shi-ites or the Kharij-ites, but there are other Traditions also in the same books "hose reporters are authentic. Such are the Traditions which go against your views. For instance, here is a Tradition of Abu Daud:
All the reporters of this Tradition are known to be authen· tic. Besides, there is another Tradition reported by Baihaqi and found in Kila b-ul-Filn of Mishkal.
"Thauban reported that the Holy Prophet said: 'When you see blackflags approaching from the side of Khurasan, receive them for among them will be Al-Mehdi, the vicegerent of Allah'.
These Tradition refute your view that Al-Mehdi will be unaware of his appointment as such. Especially the words:
"It is obligatory for every Muslim to help him or (said the Prophet) to respond to his call."
And the following words from a Tradition ofTirmizi are very explicit on the point:
"The Holy Prophet said that a man would come to him and say, O Mehdi, give me, give me.' Then further said, 'The Mehdi will give him handful so, as to fill his cloth with as much as he will be able to carry'."
2. You have written that the promised Mehdi will be a most modern Ieader. These words of yours are not supported by any Tradition. If they are, the authority may kindly be quoted. Those who possess views different from you have factual argument in their favour. They say that the mujaddids born so far in the Ummah have been from among the Sufis.
3. Your view that the Mehdi will be most modern leader is creating the impression that you yourself will claim to be the Mehdi.
4. Alamat-i-Qiyamat (by Shah Rafi-uddin, translated by Maulvi Noor Muhammad) contains some Traditions about Imam Mehdi with reference to Muslim and Bukhari's Collections. Another Tradition in the same book says that while bai'at to the Medhi will be performed, a voice will be heard from the Heavens calling :
"This is Al-Mehdi, Allah's vicegerent. Listen to him and obey."
Reply:
1. I have-already given the conclusions of my research about Imam Mehdi as mentioned in the Traditions contained, in various Collections. People who put their belief in Tradition simply because it occurs in a Collection of Hadilh, or can go only so far on the path of research as to ascertain about the reporters whether they were authentic or not, may stick to their belief based on these Traditions. But the people who collect all such Traditions together, compare them and find contradictions in their contents, who are fully conversant with the whole history of conflict between the Ummayyids, the Abbasids and the Fatimids and who clearly see, that there are several Traditions in favour of each party in the conflict and that most of the reporters were also openly connected with one or the other party, find it really difficult to accept as authentic all the details contained in these Traditions. The Traditions quoted by you, for instance, contain a reference to black flags, and according to history black flag was an emblem of the Abbasids. History also reveals that such Traditions were often quoted to establish Mehdi, the Abbasid, as the promised Mehdi. Now if some one' insists on believing these things he may do so and may reject my views as expressed in the 'Revivalist Movement in Islam." It is not necesary that whatever view I express on any historical, religious and juristic subject should be equally acceptable to all people. Morever, it is wrong to think that if a person does not like my research on these subjects he should withdraw his co-operation from me in the task of establishing Islam. After ali, scholars have been differing before also in their views with regard to questions of Hadith, Tafsir, Fiqh etc.
2. My view that the Mehdi will be a most modern leader does not imply that he wil shave his beard, dress up in Eurppean clothes and live in an up-to-date fashion. I only mean to suggest that he will be fully conversant with the arts and sciences of his age, with its conditions and requirements, and will use all scientific means and devices invented by it to the best advantage. This is all common sense and does not stand in need of confirmation by any authority. When the Holy Prophet himself made use of the devices of his age like trenches, battering-ram (dabbabah), mongonel (manjaniq) etc., how can one who will rise to do full justice to the performance of his mission remain unconcerned with tanks, aeroplanes and the other scientific means and necessities of his age? And this is natural. For unless a party captures all the available means of power and makes use of all the existing arts and sciences, devices and techniques to propagate its influence, it cannot attain its objectives and dominance in general.
4. As to the Tradition related in llamat-i-Qiyamat I cannot say anything in favour of or aginst it. If the Holy Prophet has really said that at time of bai'at to the Mehdi a voice will be heard from the Heavens saying:
"This is Al-Mehdi, vicegerent of Allah, listen to him and obey," then my view as expressed in the "Revivalist Movement in Islam" is not correct. But I do not expect that the Holy Prophet would have said such a thing. A study of the Quran shows that such call from the Heavens was never heard on the advent of any Prophet. Even on the occasion of the coming of our Holy Prophet who was to be the last of the Prophets and after whom mankind was not to get any more oppurtunity for determining the validity of belief or otherwise for it, such a call was not heard from the Heavnes. The polytheists of Makkah went on pressing their demand that the Prophet should be accompanied by an angel who should declare him to be Allah's Prophet, or he should have some other clear sign with him by which people might unmistakably know that he had really been sent by Allah as Prophet. But Allah rejected all these demantls and explained in the Quran that laying reality bare as to leave no scope for the test of reason and judgement was against the Devine Wisdom. Now how can one believe that AllIIn will change His Sunnah in the case of Imam Mehdi only and at the time of his bai'at will get it announced from the Heavens:
" This is Al-Mehdi, Our vicegerent. Listem to him and obey." Tarjuman-ul-Ouran, June, 1 946)
1. For instance, Pantheism.
3. Some righteous people of our time have generally been heard saying: "Government is not the object, it is promised."They seem government as a blessing and reward (rom Allah and not as something demanding service and responsibility. They perhaps forget that the government needed to practically enforce Islam is the very object of Allah's and establishing it even by Jihad obligatory on every Muslim.
4. Some of our 'jurists' have remarked that this sentence is derogatory to Hazra! Uthman. In fact, what I mean suggest is that Hazro! Uthman did not possess the qualities of leadership to the extent these were possessed by Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq and Hazrat Umar Faruq. This is a question of history about which history may express different views; it is not a juristic or scholastic point that it maybe subjected to legal verdicts by 'jurists'.
5. No doubt, these 'Words occur in the Traditions but their meaning has not beer. correctly understood. "Sultan" in Arabic means 'authority and power'. The Holy Prophet has used this word in its literal meaning; and not in the metaphoricsense implying one who holds authority and power. The Holy Prophet has aserted that the worldly government and authority is in fact a reflection ofAllah's Sovereignty. One who will use this authority. which is indeed Allah's gift, justly and for the sake of Allah will be blessed with more favours by Allah. On the contrary, one who will abuse it for selfISh ends will incur Allah's wrath and His displeasure. People misconstrued this wise Saying and taking kings to be the 'Reflection of God' made it the religious basis for king-worship against the very intention of the Holy Prophet.
6. Scholars like Maulana Shibli and Justice Amir Ali have counted such achievements of these kings among their services to the cause of Islamic culture and civilisation.
7. Some people raise here the objection that the mujaddids like
Hazrat Shaikh Ahmad of Sirhind and Shah Waliullah of Delhi have actually
laid claims to their being mujaddids. The objectors forget that these
revered men only gave expression to the fact of them be mujaddids, but
they never demanded to be acknowledged as such. They in fact never
8. Though such prophecies are contained in the collections of Hadith by Muslim. Tirmizi, Ibn-i-Majah and in Mustadrak, etc., it will be of intrest to reproduce here the Tradition given by Shatibi in Muwafiqat and Maulana lsmail Shahid Mansab-i-Imamat. "Your Religion originates from prophethood and Allah's mercy and this will remain among you as long as Allah wills. Then Allah will recall it and replace it by "Caliphate after Ihe pattern of prophethood". Then Allah will bring this to an end. Then it will be succeeded by tyrant kingship which will continue as long as Allah wills. Then Allah will bring it also to an end. Then there will be the reign of terror which will remain as long s Allah Then Allah will bring it also to an end. Then will return the same " Caliphate after the pattern of Prophethood" which will administer the affairs of people according to the Sunnah of the Prophet, and Islam will take root in the earth. This rule will plealse those who belong to the heavens and also those who belong to the earth. When it comes the heavens will generously shower their blessings and the earth will pour out all its treasures." I cannot say what degree of authenticity may be attached to this Tradition, but as regards spirit it conforms to all other with a similar content. It refers to the five siages of history three of which have already passed and the fourth one is passing at present. As to the fifth stage mentioned in the prophecy there are dear signs to Show that the human history is fast heading towards it. All the man-made "isms" have been tried out and seem to collapse. Now man in his utter disappointment has heen left with no other choice than to turn to Islam.
9. Imam Abu Hanifa: 80 AH. to 150 A.H. (699 A.D. to 767 A.d.); Imam Malik: 95 AH. to 179 A.H. (714 A.D. to 798 A.D.); Imam Shafiee: 150 AH. to 240 A.H. (767 AD. 10 854 AD.); Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal: 164 AH. 10241 AH. (780 A.D. 10 855 A.D.)
10. Born in 450 AH. (1058 AD.) and died in 505 AH. (1111 AD.).
11. Taj-ud-Din Subki has collected all such traditions in his Tabaqat-U-Shafiyah that have been cited by the Imam in his Ihya -ul- Uloom but which cannot be traced to any source. (See Tabaqat, Vol. IV, Pp. 145-182).
12. (Born in 661 AH. (1262 AD.) and died in 728 AH. (1327 AD.)
13. The moral condition of the religious leaders of those days can be gauged from the
14. One instance would be enough to show this. The founder of the Madrasah=i--Rawahiya at Damascus had willed that the Jews, Chrisfians and Hanbalites could not be admitted 10 his Madrasah. This shows that minds had become so perverted by the juristic and scholastic disputes in matter.; ofdctail that an Asharite and a follower of Imam Shafi'ee could freely brad:et the followers of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal with the Jews and Christians.
15. That is, Anti-Christ according to Christian belief. - Tr.
16. Born in 957A, H. (1563 A.D,) and died in 1034 AH, (1624 A.D,)
17. Born in 1114 AH. (1703 AD.) and died in i176 AH. (1763 AD)
19. AI-Lat and AI-Vzza were the pre-Islamic pagan idols or Arabia. -Tr.
20. That is, a tank cannot have pure water unless it measures 10' x 10'.
21. That is, how many bucketfuls of water should be drawn from a well in order 10 purify its water after different categories of animals have rallen into it.
22. For instance, if somebody breaks his fast wilfully he may atone for it by observing 60 fasts, or by feeding 60 needy ones. Both the ways are equally permissible.
23. The philosophy current among the Muslims had no relation to the Islamic beliefs, practices"and morality. Therefore, as it spread it went on disrupting the practical life of the people: it spoiled their beliefs, ruined their morals and benumbed their energies for action. This was the natural consequence of conflicting ideas. The same condition is now emerging on account of the diffusion of the modem Western Philosophy, which cannot become the basis of the Islamic System.
24. That is, daily affairs of the people. -Tr.
25. Sayyid Ahmad was born in 1201 AH. (1786 AD.) and martyred in 1246 A.H. (1831 A.D.). The idea to start a revolutionary movement seized Sayyid Ahmad's mind probably in or about 1810 A.D.
26. Their failure is apparent, not real. The real success for a Muslim is that he works for the establishment of Islam in order to win the favour of Allah, and works as he rightly should Judged by this criterion, the Mujahidin succeeded in their mission. But from the worldly point of view they failed because they could not put an end to the un-Godly rule and practically establish the political supremacy of Islam. We shall try to examine the causes of their failure here so that these maybe taken noticeof and avoided in any future attempt to establish an Islamic State.
28. For the same reason, no trace of the two martyrs or of their work is to be found today in the Frontier region. Even their names have been forgotten which people are now coming to know from Urdu books.
29. For instance, of holding the Shaikh as worthy of worship. - Tr.
30. AI-Rukn is that corner of the Ka'abah where the 'Black Stone' is fixed, and AI-Muqam means the 'place of Abraham' where prayer is offered after completing tawaf of the Ka'abah. -Tr.