The Prophet ﷺ as “Witness” – Response to Shahid Ali Barelwī

Shahid Ali Barelwī has, in a recent talk, advanced the typical Barelwī argument that the description of the Prophet ﷺ as a “witness” (shāhid/shahīd) in the Qur’ān is proof that the Prophet ﷺ witnesses all humanity and their actions, at all times, and knows the details of their inner and outer states. He further uses the ḥadīth of “presentation of deeds” to support this. He couples these two textual evidences with statements from Ibn al-Ḥājj/al-Qasṭāllānī and Shāh ‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Dehlawī. We will thus look at these four pieces of evidence in turn:

1. The meaning of the word “shāhid”/“shahīd” when used for the Prophet ﷺ
2. The meaning of the presentation of deeds
3. The statement of Ibn al-Ḥājj/al-Qasṭallānī
4. The statement of Shāh ‘Abd al-‘Azīz al-Dehlawī

Shāhid

Shāhid means a “witness”. The Prophet ﷺ has been described as a witness (over his Ummah) in Sūrahs Muzzammil, Baqarah, Nisā’, Aḥzāb & Ḥajj.

This witnessing does not refer to an extra-ordinary level of witnessing of the whole of humanity, for all time. It refers to the ordinary witnessing carried out by the Prophet ﷺ during his lifetime of individuals within his Ummah (i.e. their public deeds). This was said explicitly by the Prophet ﷺ himself, while explaining one of the verses that describe him as a witness (4:41):

Shahid Ali & Imkān al-Kidhb

We have encountered Shahid Ali, a typical braindead rabid Barelwī, before. See here and here. He is of the same ilk as other Barelwī liars, like Abu Hasan, Aqdas Barelwī, Monawwar Ateeq and Asrar Rashid.

Recently, he released a talk, describing Deobandī belief on Allāh having the power to issue a statement contrary to reality (but it being impossible to occur) as “Kufr”.

He claimed: “None of the Sunni scholars have ever mentioned this to be the case, that lying is possible for Allāh Most High.” This is a categorical lie, and Shahid Ali knows it. We will address a few of his points below.

Affirming Allāh’s Omnipotence, Not Allowing Deficiencies for Allāh

The Deobandī (Sunnī) position is to affirm Allāh’s omnipotence and the completeness/vastness of Allāh’s power. Barelwīs like to colour it as affirming deficiences for Allāh. But this is merely a scare tactic to bully people into accepting their view. The reality is that Deobandīs are arguing against deficiencies for Allāh – against those who say His power is deficient and does not include the ability to issue a statement that is not true.

Do Deobandīs Allow Impossibilities for Allāh?

Deobandīs follow basic Sunnī ‘aqīdah: Allāh’s qudrah (power) relates to possibilities (mumkināt), not to impossibilities (mustaḥilāt) or necessities (wājibāt). Shahid Ali repeats this basic Sunnī position, over and over, as though it refutes the Deobandī stance. But this is not the area of dispute. The dispute is over whether kidhb (a false statement) in kalām lafẓī (uttered speech) falls under things that are intrinsically impossible for Allāh (hence precluded from His power), or things that are in and of themselves possible but extrinsically impossible (based on Allāh’s wisdom and choice). Deobandīs adopt the latter view, while Barelwīs take the former stance.

Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī and Barelwī Beliefs

Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (d. 974 H) was a prominent Shāfi‘ī jurist. Barelwīs have been latching onto some of his statements in order to try and support their deviant beliefs.

Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī & the Belief in the Prophet ﷺ Hearing From Afar

Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī explicitly rejects Barelwī belief that the Prophet ﷺ can hear from afar.

He writes in al-Jawhar al-Munaẓẓam (p41):

“From the greatest of benefits of Ziyārah is that his ﷺ visitor, when sending ṣalāt and salām on him near his grave, he hears it literally and replies to him without an intermediary. This is sufficient for you. This is different from someone that sends ṣalāt and salām on him from afar, because that does not reach him, nor does he hear it, except via an intermediary. The evidence for this is many ḥadīths that I cited in my aforementioned book.”

He says further in the same work (p45):

Mullā ‘Alī al-Qārī: The Prophet ﷺ Does Not Hear Ṣalāt and Salām From Afar

Mullā ‘Alī al-Qārī states in al-Durrah al-Muḍiyyah fi l-Ziyārah al-Raḍiyyah:

One of the greatest benefits of ziyārah (visiting the grave of the Prophet ﷺ) is that the visitor, when he sends blessing or peace next to his grave, he hears it literally, and responds to him without an intermediary. That is sufficient for you. This is different to someone who sends blessing and peace on him from afar, because that does not reach him except with an intermediary, based on what is reported from him ﷺ with a good chain: “Whoever sends blessing on me next to my grave I hear it and whoever sends blessing on me from afar I am informed of it.” (Majmū‘ Rasā’il al-‘Allāmah al-Mullā ‘Alī al-Qārī, 2:205-6)

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This categorically goes against Barelwī reading of another statement of Mullā ‘Alī al-Qārī from his Sharḥ al-Shifā’:

لأن روحه عليه السلام حاضر في بيوت أهل الإسلام

“Because his soul is present in the houses of the adherents of Islām.” (Sharḥ al-Shifā’, 2:118)

There has been some discussion on whether this statement is a distortion or not (by ‘Allāmah Muḥammad Yaḥyā al-Kāndhlewī and ‘Allāmah Sarfrāz Khān Ṣafdar). But even if not a distortion, the simple meaning of it will be that the message and guidance of Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ, which can metaphorically be referred to as his “soul” or “spirit”, is in the homes of Muslims. Hence, this is mentioned in the context of saying: “السلام على النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته” (peace, Allāh’s mercy and blessings be upon the Prophet) when entering a Muslim home in which no one is present. It doesn’t literally mean the Prophet’s ﷺ soul is present in Muslim homes, or he is present and watching within them.

See also: Imām al-Sakhāwī Refutes Those Who Say the Prophet ﷺ Hears from a Distance

Salek bin Siddina & Deviant Barelwī Beliefs: Explaining Some Lines of Burdah

Recently, Salek bin Siddina, a US-based Mauritanian scholar, has been espousing some of the same deviant Barelwī views that have been refuted on this website, namely:

1. The Prophet ﷺ is all-powerful – he has been granted complete control of all things in Allāh’s kingdom to do as and what he pleases. This is an innovated and misguided view, blurring the lines (at least for common people) between Creator and created, and a belief that originally came from the Shī‘ah. For a refutation, see here.
2. The Prophet ﷺ is all-knowing* – that is, he was given knowledge of literally every single detail of created things from the beginning of creation, right the way until the final hour and beyond. For a refutation of this view (which also finds its origins in the Shī‘ah), see here and here.

For relevant Arabic articles, see here and here.

The fact that a late scholar, in the worst of times, namely, Salek bin Siddina, espouses such deviant views, is no vindication at all for Barelwī deviance. Such beliefs find no support from any authoritative scholars of ‘aqīdah belonging to the ‘aqīdah schools of the Ahl al-Sunnah (Ash‘arīs/Māturīdīs).

One of the primary evidences Salek bin Siddina uses is two lines of poetry from the famous Burdah. This is the level to which “scholarship” has been reduced: that an ‘aqīdah point has to be argued from poetry. The reality is, of course, such beliefs are not supported by genuine scholarship. It is in fact ignorance (jahl) clothed in the garb of scholarship.

The lines of poetry in question read as follows:

فإن من جودك الدنيا وضرتها

 ومن علومك علم اللوح والقلم

“Indeed from your (Oh Prophet ﷺ) generosity is the world and its counterpart (i.e. the afterlife).

From your knowledges is the knowledge of the Tablet and Pen.”

These are ambiguous lines of poetry.

On the first line, Mullā ‘Alī al-Qārī says in his commentary:

والمعنى لن يضيق جاهك بجودك بواحد من أمتك لأن من جملة جودك وإحسانك إلى الخلق جميعا خير الدنيا بالهداية وخير العقبى بالشفاعة

“The meaning is that your honour will not fall short of your generosity with any one individual of your Ummah because from the totality of your generosity and favour to all creation is: the best of this world by (calling to) guidance, and the best of the next world by interceding.” (manuscript, p75)**

In other words, the line simply means that part of the Prophet’s ﷺ mercy is being a vehicle for the good of this world and the next – the former by bringing guidance to us and the latter by acting as intercessor. There is of course no problem with understanding the line of poetry in this way. And the rule is:

إذا جاء الإحتمال بطل الإستدلال

“When varying possibilities exist (for interpretation), then seeking to make a specific argument therefrom becomes absurd.”

As for the second line, there is nothing in the line to suggest the totality of what is found in the Tablet and Pen was taught or shown to the Prophet ﷺ. The Qur’ān itself is from the Tablet as confirmed in the Qur’ān (85:22). Hence, some of the knowledge of the Prophet ﷺ is derived from the Tablet and Pen. That’s all this line means. There is nothing problematic in understanding the line in this way.

Note: Barelwīs like to quote some Ṣūfīs and late scholars to support their errant views. These mistakes of some Ṣūfīs and late scholars are not proof in Sharī‘ah. Nor do they make these mistaken beliefs any less grave or any less heinous. Some Ṣūfīs and late scholars also held other egregious beliefs like musical instruments being ḥalāl, Fir‘awn being a believer deserving Jannah and disbelievers in Hell not suffering eternal torment but eventually being given comfort therein! Just as these beliefs are not valid, despite the fact they were proposed by some Ṣūfīs, the very same applies to other deviant Barelwī beliefs which they try to support by quoting some Ṣūfīs and late scholars.