Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi (rahimahullah) mentioned:
I was once called to deliver a talk to the women at a certain place. The man at whose home the program was to be held said to me, “My wife wishes to pose certain questions to you, but she does not want me to be present when she poses these questions. Therefore, I will go away, after which she will ask you her questions. On hearing her questions, you may then give her the answers.”
I replied, “It is your choice regarding whether you wish to stay or leave. However, there must be some other men here with me.” The man responded, “I will leave.” I then sat with four or five men with me, while the man’s wife was behind the purdah curtain.
First, she commenced by saying, “I posed this question before so-and-so Aalim, and so-and-so Aalim, but no one was able to give me a satisfactory answer.” After saying this, she posed her question to me.
She said, “Regarding the Qur’aan Majeed, I think that all the teachings contained in the Qur’aan Majeed are correct. However, I think that the Qur’aan Majeed did not come down from the heavens, and Allah Ta‘ala did not reveal it. Rather, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) compiled it from his own side and included in it all the teachings that he found to be beneficial for humanity. Nevertheless, in order to appease the people, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) told them that this book was revealed by Allah Ta‘ala from the heavens. Besides this one belief that I have regarding the Qur’aan Majeed, I feel that everything else contained in the Qur’aan Majeed is correct.”
Regarding the question the lady posed, Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) later mentioned:
“What is the reason for this woman’s beliefs becoming so corrupt? This corruption in the beliefs is caused through studying secular English education in schools (and universities). Whatever is part of the course and syllabus, the students are made to learn that. The teachers in the secular schools are devoid of any deeni understanding, and the outcome of this is that the Muslim students are wrongly influenced and then they begin to believe that the Qur’aan is not the divine word of Allah Ta‘ala etc.
“When a Muslim student is in such an environment, then how can his imaan remain safe? For a person to have imaan, it is necessary for him to believe and accept that the Qur’aan Majeed is the book of Allah Ta‘ala divinely revealed for the guidance of mankind.”
After hearing this woman, Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) responded to her saying, “Very well, tell me one thing – have you studied the seerah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)?” She replied, “Yes, I have studied it, in both the Urdu language as well as in the English language.”
I then said to her, “In the entire seerah, you will find that two distinct qualities stand out in the life of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) to the highest degree. One quality is that he possessed the highest level of honesty and trustworthiness, and the second quality is that he possessed an extremely high level of intelligence and understanding.”
I then asked her, “In your study of the seerah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), did you come across these two qualities?” She replied, “Yes, I found these two qualities in the life of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). These two qualities are glaringly evident in the seerah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).”
I said to her, “Then your question has been answered.” The woman replied, “I have not understood how this is the answer to my question. Please elaborate further and give me a satisfactory answer!”
I then explained to her, “If something was not revealed by Allah Ta‘ala, then for one to tell people that it was revealed by Allah Ta‘ala is against honesty. An honest and trustworthy person will never attribute something to Allah Ta‘ala unless it really came from Allah Ta‘ala – even if what he is attributing is something that is correct and good. If Allah Ta‘ala did not say something, than for one to tell people, ‘Allah Ta‘ala said this, and He revealed this book,’ is against honesty. When a child quotes his father, then if he is an honest child, he will quote his father correctly and truthfully, and he will not say something from his own side and attribute it to his father. He will not say something from his own side and then say, ‘My father said this,’ no matter how correct and good the thing he is saying may be.
“Furthermore, to falsely tell the people that the Qur’aan Majeed was revealed from the heavens merely to appease the people is wrong and a lie. You think – a lie cannot remain concealed for one’s entire life. Rather, at some point, the lie will be exposed and the truth will come to light, after which the people’s trust will be lost in the person and they will no longer have a good opinion of him.
“For Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) to lie to the people (Allah Ta‘ala forbid!) and tell them that the Qur’aan Majeed was revealed by Allah Ta‘ala, merely to appease them, then to think like this about Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is totally incorrect. The reason is that if Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was a person of great intelligence and honesty (as you have seen in the seerah), then wouldn’t he have thought of this fact that if he lies, then surely the day will come when the lie will be exposed and people will come to know that the Qur’aan was not revealed from the heavens, but rather he concocted it from his own side? Surely he would have thought of this that the years of effort he made on the people to guide them will all go to waste through his deceit and lies becoming exposed, and after realizing, people will say that he has deceived us for twenty-three years, telling us that the Qur’aan was revealed from the heavens, whereas he concocted it. Imagine, at that time, what the outcome would be! All the effort he made on the people would be lost, and all the efforts he made to reform the people would go to waste.
“You think to yourself – being a man of honesty and great intelligence, couldn’t he have considered and thought of this disgraceful and embarrassing outcome beforehand? To say that he spoke this lie, yet did not consider the outcome beforehand, opposes intelligence, as an intelligent person always considers the outcome and consequences before saying or doing anything.”
After hearing this explanation, the woman was satisfied and said, “Now I have understood.”
After mentioning this incident, Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Saheb (rahimahullah) remarked:
“The reality of the matter is that when the child is not in a good environment (i.e. by him being present in these schools and universities), and the parents of the child do not pay attention towards giving the child an Islamic upbringing (by instilling Islamic values in him), then the outcome of the child acquiring worldly education in these schools and universities is that the child will be indoctrinated with such ideas and ideologies that are against Islam.
“There are many girls who after studying in these schools and universities no longer believe that the Qur’aan Majeed is revealed from Allah Ta’ala and was sent down via the heavens. They begin to claim that there is no such thing as a Rasul (messenger sent to mankind), and there is no such thing as angels. They think that performing salaah, bowing in rukoo and prostrating in sajdah –these are all futile and useless actions.
“Girls who study in these schools and universities, their lives are affected by the environment to such an extent that they do not observe purdah with strange men, nor do they dress Islamically, rather the clothing they wear is such that half or even more than half of their bodies are exposed. If they are going to continue like this, then what will the outcome be? – obviously, the outcome will be most disastrous and ruinous to their deen…”
(Mawaa’iz Faqeehul Ummah 4/60-62)
