SHAYKH FAKHRUDDIN OWAISI PRAYS FOR MERCY UPON AL-BANI & REFERS TO SALAFIS (Followers of al-Bani) AS “OUR BROTHERS”

[02 Nov. 2013]

SAYING ‘RAHIMAHULLAH’ FOR AL-BANI & HANAFIS PRAYING ASAR IN THE SHAFI’I TIME

QUESTION:

Dear respected Mufti Saheb!

All Praise due to Allah Almighty and peace and benedictions upon His Noble Messenger and our Prophet Muhammadﷺ.

What do the true scholars or Ulama-e-Haq say about the following personality who claims to be the leader of the Muslim mass, especially after uttering the following words?  What does the pure Shariah state in this concern?  Kindly provide us with a comprehensive and authentic reply and also include the relevant citation of Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma and Qiyaas-al-A’immah Al-Arba’ah, and of Usooliyyeen as well.

Bakr said the following:

“43:45:  There was a scholar, his name is Sheikh Albani Rahimahullah, may Allah have mercy upon him. He, sheikh Albani came with the opinion that it is Haram for the women to use golden jewelry.

44:07:    His followers are our Salafi brothers.

46:00:    What’s the time of performing ‘Asr Salah? Shafe’i says that you must make ‘Asr immediately, at the earliest time and the Hanafi says, “delay”. None of them are wrong because the Nabi SallAllahu alaihi Wa Sallam performed Salah at both times. If Hanafi stays in a Shafe’is’ town and it’s the time of ‘Asr Salah and he asks that it’s ‘Asr time for our Shafe’i brothers and I am Hanafi, so can I pray behind our Shafe’i brothers or not? Any opinion (most probably, referring to Imam Azam’s opinion) that can take you away from making the Salah in Jama’ah can never be a correct opinion. Imam Abu Hanifah may not have had the attitude that you have………You don’t have to be fanatic about it.”

Bakr wrote on Jun 29, 2013:

“Thoughts from Makkah: So I am in Makkah. I see around me millions of Muslims; Sunnis and Shias, Sufis and Salafis, Hanafis and Shafiis, Barelwis and Deobandis, Jafaris and Zaydis, Ismailiis and Ibadis. I can recognize all of them distinctly. I see them all (yes all of them) praying together in One Saff, to One Lord, facing One Kabah, making One Ruku and One Sujud.

Everyone is mixed up in the saffs here in the Haram. All their women are covered Islamically. Everyone is lifting their hands towards the Holy House and crying in their Supplications. All of them are sitting here and reciting the SAME Quran (yes all these groups I mentioned). I hear them all reciting loudly: ‘Labbayk ALLAHUMMA Labbayk! LA SHARIKA Laka Labbayk’. All proclaiming the Oneness of Allah and praying how the Prophet (SAW) had prayed 1400 years ago. I see all this with my eyes here…YET, when I return home, I am supposed to call most of these people KAFIRS destined to Hell. I am required to slander, abuse and hate all of them. I am required to deal with them worse than I would with Abu-Jahl. Apparently, that’s how I prove my loyalty to the “group” I come from. Makkah is about Tafkir (pondering). Back home is about Takfir (slandering). I look at all these people around me in this Holy Haram, praying and worshipping Allah frantically and sincerely. Salafis from Saudi, Sufis from Turkey, Shias from Iran, Zaydis from Yemen, Ibaadis from from Oman, Barelwis from Pakistan, Deobandis from India…etc. As I watch all this sitting in the Haram of Allah, I say to myself: Yes, I disagree with many of these groups on many serious issues and will continue to do so. But, I fear the Lord of the Kabah too much to call any of them Kafir and “destined for Hell”. I leave those decisions to the Lord of the Kabah. I only see Muslims here in the Haram of Makkah. I pray this lesson of the Ka’bah remains with me after I leave also. Ameen.”

1. Is it permissible to say Rahimahullah after mentioning the name of a deviant person Albani?
2. What is the ruling about a person who regards Salafis (i.e. Wahabis) as their brothers, and whether he is a fasiq (transgressor) or Gumrah (deviant)?
3. Is the Asr Salah of a Hanafi valid in Shafe’is’ Asr time which is still regarded as Zuhr time in Hanafi Mazhab?
4. What does Shariah say about the statement, “Any opinion (most probably, referring to Imam Azam’s opinion) that can take you away from making the Salah in Jama’ah can never be a correct opinion.” in the passage above.
5. What is the Shariah viewpoint about the manipulating article “Thoughts from Makkah” above?
6. Is Bakr worthy of becoming the leader of the believers?
7. Does he still remain a Muqallid?

Please shed some light on these issues, for the Ummah of Rasoolullah ﷺ is being misled by these so-called scholars and Imams.

JazakAllahu Ahsan!

ANSWER:

a) The ‘Ulama have unanimously declared  Albani as a deviant and out of
the fold of  Ahl us-Sunnah. ‘Ulama from across the world have refuted
Albani’s research and his views in their books.
i)  al-Muzhik ul-Mabki min fatawa al-baniby Shaykh  Adil Kazim  Abdullah
ii)  al-Bisharatu wal it-T ahaafby Shaykh Hasan bin  Ali Saqaf
iii)  wusul ut-T ahaniby Shaykh Mehboob Saeed Mamdooh
iv)  Bayanu Auham  ul-baniby Shaykh  As’ad Saalam  T ayyam etc.
If the person, after knowing the deviation of  Albani from the  Ahl usSunnah, adds “rahimahullah” to him then he is Gumrah (misguided) and a Fasiq (open-sinner) as he is openly praising a Bid’ati (innovator).
The Prophet Muhammad  said whomsoever praises a Fasiq he angers Allah  and because of this praise the Arsh shivers. [Sho’ab ul-Iman, 4/230]
b) Salafis are nothing but the la-Mazhabi who reject the  Taqleed of the four established Imams and deem the acts ofthe  Ahlus-Sunnah as innovations and polytheism.  The ‘Ulama have written numerous books on the refutation of their beliefs and creed.
Even after knowing the truth about Salafis, if a person still considers them to be their brothers, he is surely Gumrah and a Fasiq.
c)  The  Asr Salaah of a Hanafi is valid in the Shafi’i  Asr time.
There are two opinions on the start of  Asr time.
According to Imam-e-A ’zam  Abu Hanifa  , the time of  Asr begins when the length of the shadow of an object is twice its length. This is the most authentic and correct view as written in top Hanafi books like  Fath ulQadeer,  Bahr ur-Raiqand  Fatawa Shaami,etc.
The other opinion of the Sahibayn (two most learned students of Imam-eA ’zam  , Imam Muhammed  and Imam  Abu  Y usuf  ) is that the time of Asr Salaah starts when the length of the shadow of an object is equal to its
length (Just like the Shaf’i, Maliki and Hambali Madhabs).
As the Fatwa has been given on both the opinions, if a Hanafi prays Asr Salaah in the Shaf’i time, it will be valid and it is not required to be repeated.
Imam Ahmad Rida  was asked a similar question that if Asr Salaah is prayed before the mislain, whether it will be valid?  The great Imam replied, “Yes Salaah will be valid as per the Sahibayn (if prayed before the length of the object’s shadow).”
The Imam  further on says, “As ‘Ulama have gone towards both the opinions (of Imam-e-A ’zam  and the Sahibayn  ) and the Fatwa has been given on both the opinions, so acting on any of the opinion will be valid.”  [al-Malfuzat, pg. 83-84]
d)  This is a personal opinion without any reference, the speaker should produce the proof for this, else this will be regarded as a false accusation on Imam-e-A ’zam.

e) The passage is purely erroneous and leads to blasphemy .  According to the author he deems all the deviants like Shia’s, Zaidi’s, Jafari’s, Ibaadi’s etc. Muslim even though the ‘Ulama of Islam have declared them out of fold of Islam due to their blasphemous beliefs.
The ‘Ulama have written many volumes of books refuting the beliefs of deviants sects of Islam, of those who have deviated from the  Ahl usSunnah.

f) Bakr is not worthy of being the leader of the Muslims as he doesn’t have the basic knowledge about the correctIslamic creed and beliefs. He is naware of the pre-requisites of becoming and staying a Muslim, nor does he know what takes a person out of the fold of Islam and the  Ahl us-Sunnah.
If Bakr considers all the deviants to be Muslim even after knowing their blasphemous beliefs he is also one of them.
The ‘Ulama have clearly stated, Whosoever doubts in their Kufr and  Azaab (punishment), has indeed committed Kufr .  [Ash-Shifa, pg. 134]
g) Bakr should worry about being a Muslim first rather than being a Muqallid.
However, the difference on the Asr Salaah time will not make a person nonHanafi.
And  Allah  and His Rasool  know best.

Servant of Ulema
Faqeer Qadiri Muhammed Kashif ul-Ansari al-Ridawi
Dar ul-Ifta Ihya  Academy | Jamiah Hasnain
Bangalore.