Salaams to my brother Ali!Your comments are reassuring and endearing! BUT we must act upon what we say, otherwise it is a futile act of VANITY!! Tazkiyyah is the only way forward, always has been and always will be! If we can train our NAFS's to become the beacons of Islaam, then undoubtedly, as History has proved time and time again, we will prevail over all Kuffaar, let the alone ''The Others''. Look at how the Sahaaba, Tabi-een and Taba-Tabi-een (May Allah SWT be pleased with them all) propagated, by being true ambassadors of the Deen of Islaam, as a result of which people converted/reverted to Islaam in droves--the Glorious Qur'aan is testament to this tradition and the magnificence of the Sahaaba RA. Yes, they were harsh with the enemies, both hidden and open, but never did they become intolerant of each other. Rather, they respected each other's opinions, views, verdicts, fatwas and ijtehaad. We need to go back and retrace our roots to those Aashiqs, instead of insisting that one group holds a monopoly over Sunnism.I will again say, please be mindful of what you say about other Sunni Ulema!! If you do not agree with them, then fine, don't agree, this is your prerogative, but let us please not hurl vile abuse at other Sunni Ulema across the world!!Brothers and sisters, pray that Allah SWT accept our sincere Dua's and make us live upto what we say!!Ameen!!
Asalaam alaikum,I just wanted to post this Q/A from www.sunnipath.com answered by none other than Sheikh Gibril Haddadd. I understand from the previous post thath this is a scholar that alot of you really respect:"...GF Haddad has some brill articles on their and some regarding Ala Hazrat RA...""...except for Shaykh GF Haddad's replies as he is a hardcore Sunni!...""...I mean we all know Sheikh Gibril Fouad Haddad is hard core sunni (barelwi)..."No Difference between Barelwis and Deobandis Answered by Shaykh Gibril Haddad
QUESTION: What exactly is the difference between the school of thought that follows Ala Hadrath Ahmed Rida Khan RA and those that follow the school of thought of Rashid Ahmed Gangohi against whom i understand Ala Hadrath had said that there is inherent kufr in the nature of thought expressed but did not issue a fatwa of Kufr, as Maulana Rashid Gangohi had passed on. (may Allah Ta'laa forgive me if i have made a mistake ) there is a lot of ikhtiflaaf in the Indian subcontinent on this issue and i do understand that it is extremely volatile - but, i would request you to kindly spare sometime and answer me
[Faraz Rabbani notes: I agree wholeheartedly with the content of Shaykh Gibril’s comments.]
ANSWER:Wa `alaykum as-Salam:Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim:There is no difference in the generalities of `Aqida and Fiqh between Barelwis and Deobandis. They are both Sunni Hanafis, Sufis, Ash`aris or Maturidis. One stands in need of the best each school has to offer, as indeed hold many of the living prestigious teachers known to both sides.
Among the best commentaries on Sahih Muslim and the Sunan of al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud are works by the Deobandis. The Lives of the Sahaba by al-Kandihlawi is a masterpiece. I`la'al-Sunan and Aathaar al-Sunan are very valuable. As for Imam Ahmad Rida Khan and his works, whoever does not recognize their worth as one of the treasures of this Umma is a blasted nincompoop who should wear a dunce cap until he learns.Both sides are strict Hanafis and mainstream Sufis. We do not endorse the mistakes that anyone might have made, such as uttering words rightly perceived to lack adab in matters of `Aqida or contesting the legality of celebrating Mawlid.Nor do we endorse Takfir. Demonization of the other, saying they are munafiq is unacceptable. We leave extremism to Najd and its minions. Come together. Sayyid Muhammad `Alawi al-Maliki advised you to do so, Sayyid Yusuf al-Rifa`i advised you, Shaykh `Abd al-Hadi Kharsa advised you, Sayyid Ya`qubi, Dr. al-Nass, others... Do you think you stand for the honor of Allah and His Prophet more than such as these? Think again.When the situation is such that there is mutual avoidance at mosques, gatherings, etc. then it becomes wajib for every true and sincere Deobandi should seek out his counterparts among Barelwis and for every true and sincere Barelwi to seek out his counterparts among Deobandis, pray together, learn from one another, give salam, and increase love. Disunity is sin. Or are you afraid you will lose reputation or funding? Shame.Here is the resting-place of Shaykh `Abd al-Qadir Gilani and Imam Abu Hanifa bracing for another Mongoloid onslaught. Will you Sunnis still be debating and anathematizing one another because of who said what as the Hour rises? Stressing ikhtilaf and schism is from Shaytan. If this is what the general public chooses to follow, it is their loss even as they shout ALLAHU AKBAR and YA RASULALLAH from God's dawn to the wee hours. Salam.Hajj GibrilShawwal 1423/December 2002--GF HaddadNow where we go from here is up to you. You can either:1) Misinterpret what Gibril Haddad says and say that he either doesn't know about deobandis or he is talking about a different group of deobands2) Disown him and consider him as going 'outside of the fold'3) Or you can do what he says; UNIFYI really pray to allah(swt) that these 2 groups can come together instead of going against each other. Let sunnipath.com be an example to us all.Wassalaam
