Answers to Questions by “IbnNoor”

An individual has asked on twitter:

can you please provide some quick short answers held by the Ulama of Deoband to the following stances: – Mawlid – Tawassul – Istighatha – Tasarruf of the Prophet ﷺ – Tabarruk – The belief that Allah can lie – Finality of Prophethood

The following offers some “quick short answers” to his questions:

Mawlid: It is permissible and rewarding to hold gatherings of praise for the Prophet ﷺ provided it does not entail anything impermissible (like the intermingling of sexes, narrating fabricated hadiths). Singling out the “birthday” of the Prophet ﷺ in Rabi‘ al-Awwal for celebration, believing it to hold extra virtue, is a baseless innovation (bid‘ah).

Tawassul: It is permissible to take a prophet or saint as an intermediary in du‘a’ and say: “I ask you Oh Allah through the intermediary of so-and-so to fulfil this need of mine.” The intermediary is mentioned as a source of blessing and a means to draw Allah’s favour. If, however, wrong beliefs are associated with tawassul, the ‘ulama’ can advise the laity to refrain from it.

Istighathah: To call out a dead saint at the time of hardship or distress, saying: “Oh so-and-so, grant me relief, come to my aid” etc., with the belief that the saint hears and can offer direct assistance, is a sinful and evil practice. It may even amount to shirk, depending on the person’s belief.

Tasarruf of the Prophet ﷺ : The Prophet ﷺ hears the visitor to his grave and responds to his salam. Deeds of his followers are presented to the Prophet ﷺ while he is in his grave and he praises Allah for the good and asks forgiveness for the evil. The belief that the Prophet ﷺ is omnipotent, omniscient, all-hearing and all-seeing are baseless and grave innovations.

Tabarruk: Deriving blessings from things that belonged to or are associated with prophets and saints is permissible. If, however, wrong beliefs are associated with some forms of tabarruk, the ‘ulama’ can advise the laity to refrain from them.

The belief that Allah can lie: To believe that Allah “can” lie, in that it can and may occur from Him, is blasphemy and renders a person a disbeliever. To believe that Allah has power to convey something untruthful to one of His creatures, while affirming that its occurrence is an impossibility, is a correct and valid belief.

Finality of Prophethood: The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the last and final prophet of Allah. No new prophet can emerge after him. Those who affirm a new prophet after the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, like the Qadiyanis, are disbelievers.

For more detail, follow the above links and review the relevant posts on this website.

Allāh’s “Omnipresence”: Is the Statement “Allāh is Everywhere” Valid?

Some online Barelwīs are taking jabs at certain scholars of Deoband for affirming that “Allāh is everywhere”.

Whether it is correct to say: “Allāh is everywhere” (Allāh bi kulli makān) or “no place is devoid of Allāh” (lā yakhlū minhu makān) is a matter of dispute amongst the Ahl al-Sunnah wa ‘l-Jamā‘ah. Some of the Ahl al-Sunnah say this is not permissible as it suggests belief in ḥulūl (Allāh’s indwelling within creation) and ittiḥād (Allāh joining with creation) – which are no doubt heretical beliefs. Others of the Ahl al-Sunnah say: ḥulūl and ittiḥād are qualities of physical things. If physicality, corporeality and kayfiyyah (modality) are negated, then it is permissible to affirm “Allāh is everywhere” based on the outward (ẓāhir) of certain texts of Qur’ān and Sunnah which affirm Allāh’s ma‘iyyah (togetherness), qurb (nearness) and iḥāṭah (encompassment) with His creation.