Fazail-e-Aamal

Following article is dedicated to all the seekers of truth. It is written especially for the benefit of those Muslim brothers and sisters who can understand Urdu language but cannot read or write it. However, for those who can read Urdu, its my sincere appeal to them to get hold of a copy of Fazail-e-Aamal (FA), published by Farid Book Depot (pvt) Ltd; Darya Ganj, N Delhi. All passages of FA are taken from the said publication.

Brief Introduction
Authored by Maulana Muhammad Zakaria Kandhalwi, the book Fazail-e- Aamaal (FA) is read and followed by a vast number of Muslims for guidance in sub-continent and a few other parts of the world. It consists of two volumes. Says Maulana Zakaria Kandhalvi in the preface of his book: Ke Safar 1357H mein ek marz ki wajah se chand roz ke liye dimaghi kaam* se rok diya gaya. To mujhe khayal hua ke in khali ayyam ko is ba barkat mashgale mein guzaar doon ke agar yeh auraq pasand khatir na hue tab bhi mere yeh khali auqat to behtareen aur ba barkat mashgale mein guzar hi jaaenge. (FA, vol. 1 page no. 17) *Emphasis added. It is evident from the passage quoted above that the book, which is believed by its adherents to lead human beings to Jannah was written by Maulana in days when he was prevented to do dimaghi kaam. Strangely he didnt consider the fact that writing a book, which is supposed to contain guidance for the Ummah should be written with sound mind. Or did he think writing such a book is not a dimaghi kaam? No wonder, the book besides containing some authentic information, also contains a number of weak, concocted, interpolated as well as fabricated ahadith ascribed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The companions of the prophet (pbuh), in spite of being so close to him, having seen and heard him so closely, were afraid to narrate ahadith from him lest they might end up making mistakes in quoting his ahadith. Consider the following narrations from Al-Bukhari: 1) Narrated Abdullah bin Az Zubair (RA): I said to my father, "I do not hear from you any narration (Hadith) of Allahs messenger as I hear (his narration) from so and so?" Az-Zubair replied: "I was always with him (the Prophet) and I heard him saying 'Whoever tells a lie against me (intentionally) then (surely) let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire.' (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith # 107) 2) Narrated Anas (RA): The fact which stops me from narrating a great number of Hadiths to you is that the Prophet said: "Whoever tells a lie against me intentionally, then (surely) let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire." (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith # 108) Besides containing concocted and fabricated ahadith, FA also contains baseless and absurd stories of imaginary people, presented in such a way as though they really existed. Quite a few of these stories lead to Shirk, the most heinous sin. The discrepancies present in the book are too many to be discussed in an article. We shall, therefore discuss just a few of them in the light of the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

Why Is this Article Needed?

Somebody might argue saying there are so many books which are not in conciliation with the Qur'an and the authentic ahadith, why then only this book is taken into consideration for such an article? The reason is, there may be many books which are not authentic Islamic books, but these books are not followed by common people as much as FA is followed. It is also believed that if a person reads FA, then he is not required to read any other book for guidance, not even the Qur'an since FA contains complete guidance sufficient enough to guide people to Jannah. Moreover, if the errors of other unauthentic books are shown to people, the people responsible for revising and reprinting the book pay sincere attention towards them and they make sure those errors do not exist in the forthcoming editions of the book. But in case of FA, no matter how many times these errors are highlighted by great scholars of Islam, it appears that the people responsible for reprinting the book do not consider them to be errors even if they are seriously in conflict with the authentic sources of Islam, so serious so that they lead to Shirk, the greatest sin.

Arguments given by the adherents of the book

When the adherents of the book are asked why do you believe in such a book despite the flaws present in it? They put forth following arguments: 1) 2) Agar kisi bistar mein sirf char khatmal hain to kya aap us pe soenge nahi? Agar chawal thoda kachha rah jaae to kya aap use khaenge nahi?

Lets deal with these arguments one by one. 1) Surely a person will sleep on a bed having bed bugs if he doesnt have any other alternative. Would a person sleep on the bed with four bed bugs after knowing that he has better bed options available? Would he sleep on such a bed if he realizes that he has beds with no bed bugs at all? Moreover, if a person discovers that his bed has bugs in it, wouldnt he make some arrangements to get rid of them? But here it seems people love to sleep with bed bugs! Instead of getting rid of bugs they seem to be demanding beds with bugs. 2) Similarly, a person will eat half cooked rice if he is left without better options. Would a person prefer eating half cooked rice if he has options of eating well cooked Biryani or Pulao? Moreover, a person will ensure the rice doesnt remain half cooked when he cooks it in future so that he doesnt put his stomach in trouble. But here too it seems people are demanding half cooked rice instead. However, in case of FA, its not the matter of our sleep or stomach but its the matter of our aakhirah. We have authentic books such as the glorious Qur'an with its various authentic Tafaseer, the books of ahadith of the Prophet (pbuh) such as Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Riyadhu-saliheen (collection of Quranic verses and authentic ahadith by Imam An-Nawani in two volumes) and Bulughul Maram etc. Why then should we follow FA? Moreover despite presence of a number of books written on FA to highlight the flaws in FA, the people responsible for reproducing and republishing it do not really want to get rid of these mistakes.

Allah alone is the Knower of the unseen (Aalimul Ghaib)

Allah says in the glorious Qur'an: Say (O Prophet): None in the heavens or on earth except Allah knows what is hidden (ghaib): nor can they perceive when they shall be raised up (for Judgment). (Al-Qur'an 27:65) From the verse of the Qur'an quoted above it is clear beyond any doubt that no one except Allah knows the unseen (ghaib). Moreover even the prophet (pbuh) was made to say that he did not have the knowledge of the unseen (ghaib). Say (O Prophet): "I tell you not that with me are the treasures of Allah nor do I know what is hidden (ghaib) nor do I tell you I am an angel. I but follow what is revealed to me. (Al-Qur'an 6:50) Also see Al-Qur'an 11:31 and 7:188. The following narration from Sahih Bukhari makes it further clear that the prophet (pbuh) did not have ilm-e-ghaib. Narrated Masruq (RA): 'Aisha said, "If anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen his Lord, he is a liar, for Allah says: 'No vision can grasp Him.' (6.103) And if anyone tells you that Muhammad (pbuh) has seen the Unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: "None has the knowledge of the Unseen (ghaib) but Allah." (Sahih Bukhari vol. 9, Hadith # 477) Although Allah makes it so very clear in His book, the Qur'an, that He alone knows ghaib, the common people are kept away from reading the Qur'an with understanding by their so called Bade (seniors) saying the Quran is meant to be understood only by ulema and common people cannot understand it.

Nobody knows the place of ones death except Allah

Allah says in the glorious Qur'an: Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things). (Al-Qur'an 31:34) Also consider the following authentic narration: Narrated Ibn Umar (RA): The Prophet (pbuh) said, "The keys of the unseen are five and none knows them but Allah: (1) None knows what is in the womb, but Allah: (2) None knows what will happen tomorrow, but Allah; (3) None knows when it will rain, but Allah; (4) None knows where he will die, but Allah (knows that); (5) and none knows when the Hour will be established, but Allah." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 9, Hadith # 476)

From the ayah and the hadith quoted above, it is clear that the knowledge of five things mentioned above, including the land on which a person would die, is with Allah alone. The moment someone says that so and so person knew where to die, he commits Shirk bis-Sifaat.

A Fakir knew the time and place of his death

Ek shakhs (?)* kahte hain ke main Mumshad Denoori ke pas baitha tha ek faqir aaya aur kahne laga yahaan koi pak saaf jagah aisi hai jahaan koi mar jaae. Unhone ek jagah ishara kiya jahaan pani ka chashma bhi tha woh uske qareeb gaya wudhu kiya aur namaz padhi uske baad pao phailakar let gaya aur mar gaya. (Fazaile Sadaqat, duwwam, pg no. 206) * Ek shakhs kahte hain..., Ek Buzurg kahte hain such phrases are found consistently in Fazail-e-Aamal (FA). Who were these ashkhaas and who were these buzurg? Nobody knows for sure. Nobody knows their geographical location or their biographical description or even their brief introduction. Nor anyone is even concerned to know whether the stories furnished by these ashkhaas and buzurg are in conciliation with the authentic sources of Islam, i.e. the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Allah says: O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful (Al-Qur'an 49:6) In the passage of FA quoted above, the fakir knew when he would die. He also knew where to lie down and die. In short, the fakir knew the place of his death. Isnt this conflicting with the Quranic ayah and the hadith quoted above? If the attributes (sifaat) of Allah are given to any human being, it leads to shirk bis-sifaat. Nevertheless, the attribute of only Allah being the knower of unseen (Aalimul Ghaib) is given to a human being.

A Mureed too knew the time and place of his death

Shaikh Abu Yaqub Sanosi kehte hain ke mere paas ek mureed aaya aur kehne laga ke main kal ko zuhr ke waqt mar jaaunga chunancha dusre din zuhr ke waqt Masjide-Haraam mein aaya tawaaf kiya aur thodi door jaakar mar gaya main ne us ko ghusl diya aur dafan kiya. Jab main ne usko qabar mein rakha to us ne aankhein khol di maine kahaa marne ke baad bhi zindagi hai kahne laga main zinda hoon aur Allah ka har Aashiq zinda hi rahta hai. (Fazaail-e-Sadaqaat duwwam, pg 209) What will happen if a person who has been declared dead suddenly opens his eyes and says he is alive? Wouldnt his wife be overjoyed to know her husband hasnt died? Wouldnt his children be happy to know their father is alive? Will people with sane mind put such a person in grave and bury him? On the contrary we find in the stories of FA that in spite of noticing signs of life in the deceased, people continue to carry on their final rituals. Let Allah Almighty decide whether they are dead or alive: Every soul shall have a taste of death (Al-Qur'an 3:185)

Allah also says: They are, (in fact), dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected (Al-Qur'an 16:21) Now, do we believe in what Allah says in the Qur'an or do we believe in what these unknown "Ashkhas" and "Buzurg" say in FA? Another point to be noted here is the selection of words; the Mureed is believed to have said Allah ka har Aashiq zinda rahta hai. Is Aashiq an appropriate word to express love for Allah or His Messenger (pbuh)? We find in FA, words such as Aashiq and Ishq repeatedly being used for Allah and his messenger (pbuh). The word Muhabbat, derived from the root word Hub is much more pure, uncontaminated, decent and respectable as compared to the word Ishq. The word hub with its derivatives is used by Allah and his messenger (pbuh) in the authentic sources of Islam. Words such as Ishq and aashiqui are used more often by poets in romantic Urdu poetry. Will anyone say to his mother main aapka aashiq hoon or to his sister mujhe tum se ishq hai? The answer is No. Why then, when it comes to Allah and his messenger (pbuh) carelessness is shown in selection of words?

Angel being commanded by a human

Hazrat Khair Noor Baaf too predicted the exact time of his death and burial one week in advance. He also took some grace time by preventing the angel from taking his soul so that he could perform his final ablution and prayer. He said ..thodi der thahar jao tumhe bi ek kaam ka hukum hai aur mujhe bhi ek kaam ka hukum hai.. After finishing his prayer Ankhein band karke pao pasar kar let gaye aur chal diye. Kisi ne un ko khwab mein dekha poochha kya haal hai kahne lage bas yeh na pooch tumhari sadi hui boodaar duniya se khalasi mil gayi (Fazail-eSadaqat. Duwwam pg 216) Allah says: And for all people a term has been set: and when (the end of) their term approaches, they can neither delay it by a single moment nor can they hasten it. (Al-Qur'an 7:34)

Some More Examples of Ilm-e-ghaib

Imam Abu Hanifa RaziAllahu anhu could see the sins of People being washed away: Hazrat Imam-e-Aazam RaziAllahu Anhu jab kisi shakhs ko wudhu karte hue dekhte to us paani me jo gunaah dhulta hua nazar aata usko maaloom kar lete. Yeh bhi maalum ho jata ke kabira gunaah hai ya sagira, makrooh fael hai ya khilaf-e-oula (Fazail-e-Zikr Pg 453)

Skill of Abdul Aziz Dabbag

Shaikh Abdul Aziz Dabbag abhi qareeb hi zamane mein ek buzurg guzre hain jo bilkul ummee the magar Qur'an shareef ki ayat hadith-e-qudsi hadith-e-nabawi aur Maudoo* hadith ko alahida alahida bata dete the aur kahte the ke mutakllim ki zaban se jab lafz nikalte hain to un alfaz ke noor se maloom ho jata hai ke kis ka kalaam hai ke Allah paak ke kalam ka noor alahida hai aur huzoor Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam ke kalam ka noor dusra hai aur dusre kalamo me dono noor nahi hote. (Fazail-e- Zikr Pg 335) * Maudoo - Fabricated. Unfortunately Abdul Aziz Dabbag is not present to check the Fazail-e-Amaal. Had somebody read to him the book FA, we could get an error free Fazail-e-Amaal!

Tricks of the Dead

Ek buzurg (?) kahte hain ke main ne ek mureed ko ghusl diya us ne mera angootha pakad liya main ne kaha ke mera angootha chhod de mujhe maloom hai ke tu mara nahi hai. Ye ek makaan se dusre makan me inteqal hai us ne mera angootha chhod diya. Shaikh Ibnul Jalaa mash-hoor(?) buzurg hain woh farmate hain ke jab mere walid ka inteqal hua aur un ko nahlane ke liye takhte par rakha to woh hasne lage nahlane wale chhod kar chal diye kisi ki himmat un ko nahlane ki na padti thi. Ek aur buzurg un ke rafiq aae unhone ghusl diya. (Fazaail-eSadaqaat, duwwam, pg 209) In the passage of FA quoted above we are told by Ek Buzurg that the supposedly dead mureed held thumb of the buzurg while he was giving him ghusl. The buzurg didnt find it abnormal nor was he afraid. In fact he informed the mureed that he was aware that he hasnt died, thus by saying so, he got his thumb released. Another story says; the dead father of Ibnul Jalaa started laughing while he was being given ghusl which caused people to depart, yet a buzurg who happened to be friend of the deceased resumed the ghusl instead of declaring him ALIVE!

Dead Man Slaughters a Camel

Arab ki ek jamat ek mashhoor sakhi kareem ki qabr ki ziyarat ko gayi. Door ka safar tha raat ko wahaan thahre un me se ek shakhs ne us qabr wale ko khwab me dekha ke woh us se kah raha hai ke tu apne oont ko mere bakhti oont ke badle farokht karta hai (bakhti oont aala qism ke oonto me shumar hota hai jo is mayyat ne tarke me chhoda tha) khwab dekhne wale ne khwab hi me maamla kar liya. Woh sahib-e-qabr utha aur uske oont ko zabah kar diya... (Fazail-e-Sadaqat, pg 245) Later on the camel meat was distributed, cooked and eaten by all the people in the jamat. The dead man also appeared in his sons dream to command his son to deliver his bakhti oont to the person he had the deal with. Maulana Zakaria says: Yeh sakhawat ki hadd hai ke marne ke baad bhi apni qabr par aane walo ki mahmani ki apne aseel oont ko farokht karke aane walo ki mahmani ki Is this how people should be encouraged to perform the acts of charity? To encourage people to give charity to the poor and the needy, instead of quoting such an absurd story, the Qur'anic verses and ahadith of the prophet (pbuh) could have sufficed.

The meaning of Wasilah

Allah says in the glorious Qur'an: O you who believe! Do your duty to Allah seek the means of approach (Wasilah) unto Him and strive with might and main in His cause: that you may prosper. (AlQur'an 5:35) Ibn `Abbas (RA) said that Wasilah means `the means of approach'. Qatadah said that the Ayah means, "Seek the means of approach to Him (Allah) by obeying Him and performing the acts that please Him.'' (Tafsir Ibne Kathir) Different means of Wasilah are: 1. Seeking to approach Allah through His Names and Attributes. [As found in various supplications taught to us by Allah and his Messenger (pbuh)]. 2. By doing acts of obedience and worship by which, one seeks to approach Allah. (As was done by the companions of the cave). 3. By asking His Messenger (pbuh) to make dua for one during his lifetime, and the believers asking one another to make duaa for one another. As there is no dispute amongst the Muslims in understanding the meaning of the first two means of Wasilah, let us understand the third mean of wasilah with the help of following authentic narration from Al-Bukhari. Narrated Anas (RA): Whenever there was drought, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab used to ask Allah for rain through Al 'Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib, saying, "O Allah! We used to request our Prophet to ask You for rain, and You would give us. Now we request the uncle of our Prophet to ask You for rain, so give us rain." And they would be given rain." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 5, Hadith # 59) From the narration given above, it is clear that the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) used to request the Prophet to make dua for them ONLY when he was living and they stopped this practice after his death. Had they understood the Ayah of the Wasilah quoted above to mean it is permissible to seek the Wasilah of the Prophet (pbuh) even after his death, they would have surely visited the grave of the Prophet since the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) was much closer to them as compared to the many who visited the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) to seek his Wasilah in Fazaail-eAamal (FA). Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid says: Seeking to approach Allaah by virtue of the status and virtues of some created being, such as saying, O Allaah, I ask You by virtue of Your Prophet and so on. This is allowed by some of the ulama, but this opinion is daeef (weak). The correct view is that it is definitely haraam, because there can be no tawassul in duaa except by virtue of the Names and Attributes of Allaah.

Tawassul as it is understood by many of the Muslims of later times, which is calling on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and seeking his help (or seeking the help of the dead and so-called awliya). This is a form of major shirk, because calling on or seeking help from anyone other than Allaah with regard to something that only Allaah is able to do is a kind of worship, and directing worship to anyone or anything other than Allaah is major shirk. And Allaah knows best. http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/979

A Fabricated Hadith to support Tawassul

Maulana Zakaria presents following fabricated hadith in FA. Huzoor aqdas (SAW) ka irshaad hai ke hazrat Adam (AS) se jab who gunah sadir ho gaya (jis ki wajah se Jannat se duniya mein bhej diye gaye to har waqt rote rahte the aur dua wa istaghfar karte rahte the ek martaba) aasmaan ki taraf Muh kiya aur arz kiya Ya Allah Muhammad (SAW) ke wasilah se tujh se maghfirat chahta hoon. Wahi naazil hui ke Muhammad kaun hain (jin ke waaste se tum ne isteghfaar ki) arz kiya ke jab aap ne mujhe paida kiya tha to maine Arsh par likha hua dekha tha La Ilaha Illahhahu Muhammadur Rasoolullah to main samajh gaya tha ke Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) se oonchi hasti koi nahi hai jin ka naam tum ne apne naam ke saath rakha wahi naazil hui ke woh khatamun Nabieen hain tumhari aulad mein se hain lekin woh na hote to tum bhi paida na kiye jaate. (Fazaail-e-Zikr, pg. 398-399). [Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah ruled this hadith as fabricated, Majmoo Fataawa Ibn Baaz (26/327), Al-Albaani ruled that it is fabricated in al-Silsilah al-Daeefah. See http://islamqa.com/en/ref/128173] Maulana Zakaria too admits that the Hadith is considered as fabricated but he says so only in Arabic portion of the page. He did not translate this portion into Urdu for our Urdu readers to know the authenticity of the hadith. Thus our Urdu readers thinking it to be an authentic saying of our beloved Prophet (pbuh), consider making dua by seeking tawassul of the Prophet (pbuh) not only to be permissible but also an encouraged act since Adam (AS) too was forgiven in the same manner. The Dua of Adam and Hawa is mentioned by Allah in the Qur'an. They said: "our Lord! we have wronged our own souls: if You forgive us not and bestow not upon us Your mercy we shall certainly be lost." (Al-Qur'an 7:23) There are many stories of people in FA, who are not just seeking Prophets Wasilah at his grave but also directly invoking him for help and making dua to him, which is in conflict with the correct Islamic Creed, leading to Shirk. We shall just discuss a few out of the many available.

Supplicating for money at the Prophets (pbuh) grave

Muhammad Bin Munkadir says that a man left 80 gold coins with his father as Amanah and went for Jihaad. He did grant him permission to use the coins in case needed and asked him to return them when he returns. So, his father utilized the money because Madina had experienced great need.

..Jab woh sahib wapas aaye to unho ne apni raqam talab ki, walid sahib ne kal ka wada kar liya aur raat ko Qabr-e-ather par hazir hokar aajizi ki. Kabhi qabr sharif ke kareeb dua karte kabhi minbar shareef ke muttasil His need was granted the next morning. (Fazaail-e-Hajj, pg. 169)

Saying Ya Rasoolullah Bhook at the Prophets grave

Abu Bakr Bin Al-Muqri narrates that he along with Imam Tabrani and Abul Shaikh were in Madina. They had nothing to eat. roza par roza rakha. Jab raat hui ishaa ke kareeb main Qabr-e-Ather par hazir hua aur arz kiya Ya Rasoolullah Bhook. yeh arz karke main laut aaya. Mujh se Abul Qasim (Tabrani) kahne lage ke baith jao ya to kuchh khane ko aaye ga ya maut aayegi Thus a person from Alwi family appeared with food. He said tum ne huzur se shikayat ki. Maine huzur aqdas (SAW) ki khwab me ziyarat ki, huzur (SAW) ne hukum farmaya ke main tumhare paas kuchh pohchaoon. (Fazail-e-Hajj, pg. 170)

Prophet (pbuh) gave Roti

Ibne Jila kahte hain ke main Madina tayyiba hazir hua mujh par faaqa tha. Main qabr shareef ke kareeb hazir hua aur arz kiya huzur main aap ka mehmaan hoon. Mujhe kuchh gunoodgi si aa gayi to maine huzur (SAW) ki ziyarat ki. Huzur Aqdas (SAW) ne mujhe ek roti marhamat farmaai, maine aadhi khaai aur jab main jaaga to aadhi mere haath me thi. (Fazaail-e-Hajj, pg 170)

Prophet (pbuh) gave Dirhams

Similar story is narrated by Sufi Abu Abdullah Muhammad Bin Abi Zaraa. He says Mere walid uth kar qabr shareef ke kareeb hazir hue aur arz kiya ya Rasoolullah main aaj aapka mehmaan hoon, yeh arz karke wahi muraqbe main baith gaye. Thodi der baad muraqbe se sar uthaya aur sar uthane ke baad kabhi rone lagte kabhi hasne lagte. Kisi ne is ka sabab poochha to kahne lage ke maine huzur aqdas (SAW) ki ziyarat ki, Aap (SAW) ne mere hath me chand dirham rakh diye. Hath khola to is me dirham rakhe hue the (Fazaail-e-Hajj, pg. 170)

Analysis in the light of Qur'an and Sunnah

Allah (SWT) says in the Qur'an: When my servants ask you (O Prophet) concerning Me I am indeed close (to them); I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls Me. (Al-Qur'an 2:186) And your Lord says: "Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer, duaa). (Al-Qur'an 40:60) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is reported to have said: Verily Duaa (supplication) is worship. (Riyaadus-Saliheen, Hadith # 1465. Transmitted by Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi, Imaam Tirmidhi called it hasan.).

Therefore it should be noted that making duaa to anyone other than Allah is Shirk. It is also authentically reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: Let one of you ask his Lord for what he needs, even asking Him for the lace of his shoe if it breaks. (Collected by Tirmidhi, Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh.) http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/84978/shoe%20lace Narrated Urwa 'Aisha said, "The Prophet in his fatal illness said, 'Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians because they took the graves of their Prophets as places for praying.'" 'Aisha added, "Had it not been for that, the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) would have been made prominent but I am afraid it might be taken (as a) place for praying." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2, Hadith # 414)

Making Duaa to the Prophet (pbuh), one more example

Shaikh Abdus Salam bin Abil Qasim Saqli kahte hain ke mujh se ek shakhs* ne bayan kiya ke main Madina Tayyiba mein Hazir tha. Mere paas koi cheez nahi thi jis se main zaeef ho gaya. Main hujra-e-Sharifa par hazir hua aur hazir hokar maine arz kiya Ae awwaleen wa aakhareen ke sardar, main misr ka rahne wala hoon. Main 5 mahine se khidmat-e-aqdas mein hazir hoon. ALLAH JALLA SHANAHU SE AUR AAP SE SAWAL KARTA HOON ke Kisi aise shakhs KO mutayin farma dijiye Jo mere khane ki khabar liya kare ya mere Jane ka intezam karee. PHIR MAINE AUR DUAAE MANGI aur minbar sharif ke paas jakar baith gaya

*Ek Shakhs: The great scholars of Islam, of past and of present have challenged
the Ahadith which were wrongly attributed to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). After great deal of research, they arrived to conclusions whether particular hadith is Sahih or not. Moreover, even the Aqwal and afaal attributed to the companions of the Prophet, the salaf and the khalaf, are checked for their authenticity. On the other hand, despite a number of stories of FA being based on transmissions through these unknown ashkhaas and buzurgs, which are seriously in conflict with the authentic sources of Islam, the adherents of the book are so ardently trying to support them, no matter if they overrule the authentic teachings of Allah and his messenger, willingly or unwillingly, in doing so. In the story quoted above, we are told that ek shakhs said ALLAH JALLA SHANAHU SE AUR AAP SE SAWAL KARTA HOON.. It further says PHIR MAINE AUR DUAAE MANGI.. We have already discussed the hadith which explains that duaa is a form of Idaadah (worship); therefore it should be directed to Allah ALONE. Worshipping anyone other than Allah or worshipping anyone along with Allah, is SHIRK. It is also narrated authentically that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) even rebuked the man who said to him As Allah and you wish. The Prophet (pbuh) said: Have you

made me and Allah equal? Instead (you should say) as Allah alone wishes. (alMusnad, vol. 2, no. 253.)

An Allegation upon the Prophet (pbuh)

Maulana Zakaria narrates a story of two brothers. When their businessman father died and his wealth was equally distributed between them, there were three strands hair of the prophet (pbuh) to be equally distributed too. The elder brother suggested breaking the third strand of hair into two pieces for distribution, the younger brother did not agree. The elder brother asked him if he agrees to take all the three strands of hair and give away his share of inheritance to him. The younger brother happily agreed. When the younger brother died to salaha mein se baaz(?) ne huzur aqdas (SAW) ki khwab me ziyarat ki. Huzur (SAW) ne irshaad farmaya ke jis kisi ko koi zaroorat ho IS KI QABR KE PAAS BAITH KAR ALLAH TAALA SHANAHU SE DUA KIYA KARE. (Fazaail-e-Darood, pg. 756) Imagine! the prophet (pbuh) is believed to have said such a thing. Can we ascribe such a statement to the person who has said: ..Beware that those before you took the graves of their Prophets as places of worship. Do not take graves as places of worship, for verily I forbid you to do so. (Saheeh Muslim, Hadith # 1083) Can we attribute such a statement to the person who has said: Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians because they took the graves of their Prophets as places for praying.' Aisha added, "Had it not been for that, the grave of the Prophet (pbuh) would have been made prominent but I am afraid it might be taken (as a) place for praying." (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2, hadith # 414) Do the readers still have a doubt that the prophet (pbuh) could have said such a thing? The companions of the prophet (pbuh), in spite of being so close to him, having seen and heard him so closely, were afraid to narrate ahadith from him lest they might end up making mistakes in quoting his ahadith. Consider the following authentic narration. Narrated Abdullah bin Az Zubair (RA) I said to my father, "I do not hear from you any narration (Hadith) of Allahs messenger as I hear (his narration) from so and so?" Az-Zubair replied: "I was always with him (the Prophet) and I heard him saying 'Whoever tells a lie against me (intentionally) then (surely) let him occupy his seat in Hell-fire.' (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith # 107) Its my sincere appeal to all those who have taken up the task of correcting the aqaaid of those who seek waseelah of saints and awliya, to take heed that similar aqaaid are also promoted through the book Fazaail-e-Aamal. While it does appear that the adherents of the book are concerned about those who are involved in grave worship, I wonder how many of them are aware that such things are also present in the very book they try to live by!

Excesses in Religion
Human beings have a tendency of overdoing things. Some people in past have gone to the extreme of rejecting the Prophets while others went to the extreme of elevating them to the level of God. Jews said we are happy with Moses (pbuh) so we dont need Jesus (pbuh) and Christians said we are happy with Jesus (pbuh) so we dont need Muhammad (pbuh). While the Jews rejected the Christ as a messenger, the Christians attributed divinity to him and elevated him to the level of almighty God. Allah says in the glorious Qur'an: O people of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion. (Al-Qur'an 4:171) Consider the following hadith in which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is reported to have said: You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a lizard, you would follow them." We said, "O Allah's Messenger! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else?" (Sahih Bukhari vol. 9, Hadith # 422) The adherents of the book FA may wonder why I am quoting the above-mentioned ayah and hadith. Arent they the ones who are striving so hard to bring the grave worshippers on Sirat-e-Mustaqeem?

Exaggeration in Praising the Prophet (pbuh)

No doubt we love and respect our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). We believe that he was the Afzalul Bashar, he had the best of character, he was sent as a mercy for the worlds. But when it comes to expressing our love for the Prophet (pbuh), we express it through sending blessings (Darood) on him and by following his teachings, not by glorifying him with exaggerated praises beyond the limits set by Allah and his messenger (pbuh). Narrated Umar (RA): I heard the Prophet saying, "Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Messenger." (Sahih Bukhari Vol. 4, Hadith # 654)

Wasnt the Prophet (pbuh) a Bashar (man)?

Although we consider our beloved Prophet Muhammad as Afzalul Bashar, we surely do not say that he was not a bashar (man) or he was something more than a bashar. Allah says in the glorious Qur'an: Say: "I am but a man (bashar) like yourselves (but) the inspiration has come to me that your Allah is one Allah. (Al-Qur'an 18:110) Same message is also given in Al-Qur'an 41:6. Now, lets analyse the following couplet from a qaseedah in FA:

Raha Jamal pe tere Hijaab-e-Bashariat Na jana kaun hain kuchh bhi kisi ne Juz Sattar

(Fazaail-e-Darood, Pg. 780)

It is believed that his elegance, his beauty was covered with a mere hijaab of Bashariat whereas nobody knew who he actually was except Sattar (Allah). In other words, he is not considered to be a man but something more than that which nobody knows except Allah. Today, many amongst the adherents of the book object to referring to the Prophet (pbuh) as man despite explicit and clear-cut explanation given by Allah in the Qur'an.

Prophets Grave is better than the Arsh of Allah

Qabr Shareef ki jagah saari jagho se afzal hai, jo hissa huzoor (SAW) ke badan-emubarak se mila hua hai woh kaba se afzal hai arsh se afzal hai, kursi se afzal hai hatta ke aasman wa zameen ki har jagah se afzal hai. (Fazail-e-Hajj, Pg 138)

The Excreta and Urine of the Prophet is Paak

"Huzoor ke fuzlaat pakhana peshab wagaira sab paak hai" (Hikaayaat-e-Sahaba, pg. 170) Wasn't the Prophet (pbuh) aware of this? If he was, then why would he perform ablution every time after answering the call of nature?

Making Duaa to the Prophet (pbuh)

We have seen our brothers who live by the book FA to be very much concerned about the Barelvis, about those who go to dargahs and make duaa to the saints. We also find them concerned when voices such as Ya Rasoolullah karam farmaiye Allah ke Waste are raised from Masjids belonging to the Barelvis. How much more appropriate it would be if they become equally concerned to know that similar things are also mentioned in their very own book Fazail-e-Aamal. See how duaa is made to the Prophet (pbuh) in the following Qaseeda. Hamare gamnaak raat ko din bana dijiye aur apne Jamaal jahaan aara se hamare din ko ferozmandi wa kamiyaabi ata kar dijiye ..Aur khwaab-e-nargis se bedaar hokar hum mohtajaan-e-hidayat ke quloob ko munawwar farmaiye Aajizo ki dastgeeri be kaso ki madad farmaaiye aur mukhlis ashaaq ki diljui wa dildaari kijiye (Fazail-e-Darood pg. 776 & 777) The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is reported to have said: Verily Dua (supplication) is worship. (See Riyaadus-Saliheen, Hadith # 1465. Transmitted by Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi, Imaam Tirmidhi called it hasan.). And do remember, worshipping anyone other than Allah almighty is Shirk!

Its my humble request to all those who try to justify the presence of these things in Fazail-e-Aamal to look for a better book for taaleem lest we may fall in the category of those who would imitate the Jews and the Christians inch by inch.

Extremism in Worship
Allah says: Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you. (Al Qur'an 2:185) The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Ruined are those who insist on hardship in matters of the Faith.'' He repeated this three times. (Riyaadus Saliheen, Chapter 14, hadith # 144) This Hadith shows disgust against exercises which many Sufis have introduced in religion which deviate from the conduct of the Prophet (PBUH) and encourage selfviolence (Commentary given in Riyaadus Saliheen)

Is it Permissible to surpass the prophet (pbuh) in Worship?

All Muslims throughout the world agree that there cant be any Muslim on the face of the earth who can have more Taqwa than the prophet (pbuh); how can then someone try to surpass the messenger in the acts of worship or exceed the limits set by him? Most Muslims are aware of a very famous saying of the prophet (pbub) faman raghiba an sunnati falaisa minni because this saying of the prophet is quoted by Qazi during nikaah ceremony An Nikahu min sunnati wa qaal faman raghiba an sunnati falaisa minni. However, not all those who hear this saying also know where it has been taken from. Anas (RA) reported: Three men came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) to inquire about the worship of the Prophet (pbuh). When they were informed, they considered their worship insignificant and said: "Where are we in comparison with the Prophet (pbuh) while Allah has forgiven his past sins and future sins". One of them said: "As for me, I shall offer Salat all night long.'' Another said: "I shall observe Saum (fasting) continuously and shall not break it ". Another said: "I shall abstain from women and shall never marry". The Prophet (PBUH) came to them and said, "Are you the people who said such and such things? By Allah, I fear Allah more than you do, and I am most obedient and dutiful among you to Him, but still I observe fast and break it; perform Salat and sleep at night and take wives. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah does not belong to me" (faman raghiba an sunnati falaisa minni). (Sahih Bukhari, vol. 7, hadith # 1) This hadith deals with moderation in worship, obligation to marry. Inducement for following in the Prophet's footsteps, prohibition from observing Saum (fasts) all the time, Prohibition of keeping awake all the night for Nawafil prayers. There is neither virtue nor reward for making innovations (bidah) in religion. All the blessings and rewards lie only in the obedience and following the conduct of the Prophet (pbuh). (Commentary given in Riyadus-Saliheen, Chapter 14)

Voluntary Prayers (Nawafil) not to be continued after getting tired

The Prophet (PBUH) came into the mosque and noticed a rope stretched between two poles. He enquired, "What is this rope for?'' He was told: "This is Zainab's rope. When during her voluntary prayer, she begins to feel tired, she grasps it for support". The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Untie it. You should perform prayers so long as you feel active. When you feel tired, you should go to sleep ". (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Riyadus Saliheen # 146) This hadith deals with following three points according to commentary given in Riyadus Saliheen: 1. It forbids undue strictness and taking support of anything in the course of Salat. 2. If wrong can be corrected by hand, it must be stopped immediately. 3. One should be moderate in `Ibadah and select such times for optional and voluntary prayers when one feels real pleasure in them. End quote. It is sad that despite such strong evidence from the authentic sources of Islam prohibiting extremism in matters of worship, the adherents of the book FA support many weak/concocted/fabricated narrations transmitted through unknown ashkhas and buzurg rendered by Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Zakaria Kandhalvi considering it absolutely permissible to use such narrations to promote virtues (fazaail) even if they are strongly in conflict with the teachings of Allah and his messenger (pbuh).

Soofi Buzurg swears never to sleep at night

Shaikh Abdul Wahid (RH) mahshoor soofia main hain. Farmate hain ke ek roz neend ka itna ghalba hua ke raat ko auraad wa wazaaif bhi chhoot gaye, khwab mein dekha ke ek haseen khoobsoorat ladki sabz reshmi libaas pahne hue hai Jis ke paaon ki jootiyaan tak tasbeeh mein mashghool hain, Kahti hai ke meri talab mein koshish kar, main teri talab mein hoon, is ke baad us ne chand shauqiya sher padhe, yeh khwab se uthe aur KASAM KHALI KE RAAT KO NAHI SOUNGA, Kahte hain ke 40 baras tak subah ki namaz isha ki wudhu se padhi. (Fazaail-e-Namaz pg. 242) Allah says in the glorious Qur'an: See they not that We have made the night for them to rest therein, and the day sight-giving! (Al Qur'an 27:86) Allah also says: And We have made your sleep as a thing for rest. And We have made the night as a covering, And We have made the day for livelihood. (Al Qur'an 78:9-11) Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "When one of you feels drowsy during prayer, let him lie down till drowsiness goes away from him, because when one of you performs prayers while feeling sleepy, he does not know whether he seeks forgiveness or abuses himself". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Riyadus Saliheen # 147].

Meet some more Buzurg

Abdullah bin Dawood (RH) kahte hain ke yeh (Buzurg Hazraat)* jab koi un mein

40 saal ki umr ko pahunch jaata to woh bister uthakar lapet deta hai yani phir sone ka number khatm ho jata hai. ( Fazaail-e-Sadaqat duwwam pg 162) *The words within the brackets are not mine. This is how it is written in FA.

Ek Shakhs says that this buzurg did not sleep for 4 months
Ek shaks (?) kahte hain ke main Aamir bin Abdul Qais (RH) ke saath 4 mahine raha. Maine un ko din mein ya raat mein sote nahi dekha (Fazaaile-e-Sadaqaat, duwwam, pg. 163) Again we come across a story narrated by ek shakhs, an unknown person as counter evidence to promote virtues against the authentic teachings of the prophet (pbuh).

Aetakaaf for one year without Sleeping/talking/taking any support!!

Hazrat Abu Muhammad Jurairi (RA) ne Makkah mukarrma mein ek saal ka aetakaaf kiya jis mein na to bilkul soye na baat ki, na kisi lakdi ya deewar par sahara liya ya tek lagai. (Fazaail-e-Sadaqat, duwwam, Pg. 160-161) This story tells us that Abu Muhammad Jurairi (RA) remained in aetakaaf not just WITHOUT SLEEPING FOR ONE YEAR but he didnt even take any SUPPORT nor did he speak to anybody for ONE FULL YEAR!!

Hazrat Sari Saqti (RH) didnt lie down for 98 years!

Hazrat Junaid Baghdadi (RH) farmate hain ke maine hazrat Sari Saqti (RH) se zyada ibaadat karne wala kisi ko nahi dekha. 98 baras tak kisi ne un ko marazulmaut ke alawa lete hue nahi dekha (Fazaail-e-Sadaqat, duwwam, pg. 160) Now apart from discussing the possibility of whether a person can survive without sleeping for 4 months/one year/98 years, the most important question to ask here is IS IT PERMISSIBLE TO PERFORM WORSHIP IN SUCH A FASHION? And if its not, then what is the point in promoting such stories for the sake of virtues (Fazaail)? Ibn `Abbas (RA) reported: While the Prophet (PBUH) was delivering a sermon, he noticed a man standing, so he asked about him and was told that he was Abu Israel who had taken a vow to remain standing and not sit, or go into the shade, or speak while observing fasting. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Tell him to speak, to go into the shade, to sit and to complete his fast''. (Sahih Bukhari vol. 8, hadith # 695, recorded by An Nawawi in Riyadus Saliheen # 152) The prophet (pbuh) also said, "When one of you feels drowsy during prayer, let him lie down till drowsiness goes away from him, because when one of you performs prayers while feeling sleepy, he does not know whether he seeks forgiveness or abuses himself". [Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Riyadus Saliheen #

147]. Could the prophet (pbuh) be more explicit than this? Cant we see that these authentic narrations and many given in previous pages strongly oppose the idea of self torture in matters of worship? How can then we still turn a blind eye to what we read from the prophet (pbuh) and prefer to accept the stories of FA which encourage us to perform ibaadah in the fashion forbidden by the prophet (pbuh)?

Look at these gymnastics: Salah standing on one foot

Muhammad Ishaaq (RH) kahte hain ke Abdur Rahman Bin Al Aswad (RH) Hajj ke liye jab aaye to un ke ek paaon mein takleef thi. Woh Isha ke baad sirf ek paao ke sahare khade hue aur subah tak ek hi paao par khade nafil padhte rahe. Hatta ke isi wudhu se subah ki namaz padh li. (Fazaaile-e-Sadaqaat, duwwam, pg. 164) Now, who taught these gymnastics and what is the source of these teachings? Did the prophet say that one should pray standing on one foot if he cant stand on both his feet due to some problem or sickness? Imraan ibn Husayn (RA) said: I had haemorrhoids (piles), and I asked the Prophet (pbuh) about praying. He said: Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot, then lying on your side. (Sahih Bukhari vol. 2, Hadith 218) The scholars unanimously agree that if a person cannot pray standing then he is allowed to pray sitting and so on. Yet the virtues of voluntary prayers are explained through these gymnastics to encourage people to perform salah.

Sayyed Sahab prayed for 12 days in ONE wudhu!!

Ek Sayyad Sahab (?) ka kissa likha hai ke 12 din tak ek hi wudhu se saari namazein padhi aur 15 baras musalsal letne ki naubat nahi aayi. Kai kai din aise guzar jaate ke koi cheez chakhne ki naubat nahi aati (Fazaail-e-Namaz Pg. 245) Now, who was this Sayyad Sahab who could carry on without lying down for 15 years? And how could he remain in the same wudhu for 12 days? Didnt he drink any water too? There is a simple rule of nature that if you drink and eat you also pass urine and excrete. Here, if we give benefit of doubt to the Sayed Sahab that he did not relieve himself in any way for 12 days which could break his wudhu, the question to be asked is, is this kind of self-torturing-worship prescribed in Shariah?

Did Allah grant special permission to this lady?

Abu Aamir (RH) says that he bought a slave girl who was being sold jo bahut dubli patli thi, us ka pet kamar se lag raha tha. Baal bikhre hue the. Maine us pe raham khakar us ko khareed liya us se kaha ke hamare saath bazaar chal.

Ramadan-ul-Mubarak ke waaste kuchh zaroori saman kharid lein, Kahne lagi Allah ka shukr hai jis ne mere waaste saare mahine yaksaan kar diye. Woh HAMESHA din ko roza rakhti. Raat bhar namaz padhti.. (Fazaail-e-Namaz, Pg. 244) The author of the book did not mention how this lady got the special permission from Allah who made saare mahine yaksaan for her to fast. The messenger of Allah (pbuh) has said: By Allah, I fear Allah more than you do, and I am most obedient and dutiful among you to Him, but still I observe fast and break it; perform Salat and sleep at night and take wives. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah does not belong to me" (Sahih Bukhari, vol. 7, hadith # 1) Should we adhere to a book that promotes stories rendered by unknown Soofia ashkaas who make Halaal things replaced by things which are forbidden justifying these promotions for the sake of virtues? Even if someone argues saying these are not unknown soofia, then too books with such stories should not be promoted as these stories oppose the Sunnah of our beloved prophet (pbuh). Though the adherents of the book make big claims that they are the ones who follow the Sunnah of the prophet (pbuh) in all walks of life, yet they support these tales and many tales discussed in previous pages which not only lead to Biddah but also lead to Shirk. Just by beautifying a car outwardly by painting it nicely will not cause it to run on streets if its engine is not taken care of.
Na Jaa zaahir parasti par agar kuchh aql wa daanish hai Chamakta jo nazar aata hai, sab sona nahi hota

By: Suhail Bagdadi email: suhailbagdadi@gmail.com