 | |
| Editor | Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari |
|---|---|
| Author | Khalil Ahmad al-Saharanpuri |
| Original title | المهند على المفند |
| Working title | مباحث في عقائد أهل السنة |
| Translator | Translated intoPersian by 'Abd al-Rahman Sarbazi |
| Language | Arabic,Urdu,Pashto, andPersian |
| Publisher | Dar al-Fath,Jordan (Revised Arabic edition), Library ofDarul Uloom Karachi |
| Publication place |  India |
| Pages | 150 |
| ISBN | 9789957234409 |
| The book answers the 26 most common questions people have about'aqidah ofSunnis, according toDeobandis. | |
Al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad (Arabic:المهند على المفند,lit. 'The Sword on the Disproved'), also known asal-Tasdiqat li-Daf' al-Talbisat (Arabic:التصديقات لدفع التلبيسات,lit. 'Endorsements Repelling Deceits'), was subsequently published inUrdu as 'Aqa'id 'Ulama' Ahl al-Sunna Deoband (The Beliefs of the Sunni Scholars of Deoband) is a book that expresses some of the beliefs held by the Sunni HanafiDeobandis. It was authored by the IndianHanafi-Maturidi hadith scholar andSufi masterKhalil Ahmad al-Saharanpuri in 1907, who wrote a commentary onSunan Abi Dawud, entitledBadhl al-Majhud.[1][2][3][4]
The book is not an independent book on creed, but rather a compilation of questions and answers which were asked by the Arab scholars at that time. These questions were sent to the Deobandi scholars byHusain Ahmad al-Madani, who was living inMedina, so Saharanpuri responded and answered them, and then these questions and answers were compiled into a book and were printed under the name ofal-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad.[5] Since most of these questions were related to beliefs, and in the correct jargon, were related to the branches which pertain to beliefs and the science ofKalam, it became published under the title ofMabahith fi 'Aqa'id Ahl al-Sunna (Arabic:مباحث في عقائد أهل السنة,lit. 'Discussions in the Beliefs of the People of Sunna').[6][7]
The text succinctly summarizes Deobandi perspectives on a range of controversial issues, such as: the ruling onWahhabis, the ruling on celebratingProphet Muhammad's birth (al-Mawlid al-Nabawi), whether the Deobandis believe it commendable tovisit the Prophet Muhammad's grave (they do, according to Saharanpuri), whetherintercession through the Prophet orsaints is permissible (it is, so long as one understands the power to intercede comes from God), whether the Prophet is living in his grave (he is), whether it is permissible to send salutations to the Prophet (it is), whether any part of creation is better than the Prophet (it is not), whether the Prophet is theSeal of the Prophets (he is), and the possibility of the occurrence of lying or reneging on a promise, among other topics and issues that were raised by various sects of Islam towards Deobandi scholars.[8]
According toMuhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari, the book first appeared in the 1325Hijri year.[3]
The edited version ofal-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad byMuhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari, entitledMabahith fi Aqa’id Ahl al-Sunna al-Musamma al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad was first published inArabic in 2004 inAmman (Jordon) by Dar al-Fath for Research and Publishing and copies of it are available in bookshops in many Arab counties such asSyria,Jordon,UAE,Yemen andEgypt.[3]
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The book was translated intoPashto by Habib al-Rahman Habibi.[5]
The book was translated intoPersian by Abd al-Rahman Sarbazi, an IranianSunniHanafi scholar, and published in 2015 inMashhad.[9][10][11][12][13]
Here are some quotations from the book:
It should be known firstly, before we begin to answer, that we and our mashayikh (plural ofshaykh, meaning 'religious scholars') – Allah's pleasure be on them all – and our entire group and congregation are, by Allah's praise: Imitators of the guide of creation, the pinnacle of Islam, the valiant Imam, the greatest Imam,Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man – Allah Exalted is He be pleased with him – in the peripherals; and followers of the noble ImamAbu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari and the noble ImamAbu Mansur al-Maturidi (Allah be pleased with them) in creed and the fundamentals; and that we are adherents to the followingSufi ways: the most distinguished way of theNaqshbandi masters, the most pure way of theChishti masters, the most glorious way of theQadiri masters, and the most radiant way of theSuhrawardi masters (Allah be pleased with them all).
— Al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad (Questions One and Two)
Their ruling according to us is what the author ofal-Durr al-Mukhtar said: "TheKhawarij are a violent group that rebelled against 'Ali due to an interpretation by which they believed that he was on falsehood and disbelief or disobedience making fighting him obligatory according to their interpretation. They legitimise our bloods and our properties and they insult our women," until he said: "Their ruling is the ruling of rebels," and then he said, "We do not anathematise them only due to it being from interpretation although false." Al-Shami said in his marginalia: "As has occurred in our time in the followers of'Abd al-Wahhab who came out fromNajd and dominated the two Harams and would claim to belong to themadhhab of theHanbalis but they believed that they are the Muslims and those who disagreed with their belief are polytheists, and due to this they legitimised the slaughter of theAhl al-Sunnah and the slaughter of their 'ulama untilAllah broke their supremacy."
— Al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad (Question Twelve)
That which they attributed to the eminent and incomparable shaykh, the scholar of his time, the peerless of his age, MawlanaRashid Ahmad Gangohi, that he said that the Creator (Exalted is His Eminence) actually lied and that the one who says this has not erred, it is a fabrication about him (Allah Most High have mercy on him) and is from the lies concocted by the deceptive and lying devils (Allah confound them! How they are perverted!). His respected person is innocent of such heresy and disbelief. Thefatwa of the shaykh that was printed and published in volume one of hisFatawa Rashidiyyah (p. 119) falsifies their [claim].[14]
— Al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad (Question Twenty Three)
The book has been described byMuhammad Ali Jalandhari (1895–1971) as “the ‘official spokesperson’ (sarkari tarjuman) for the maslak (track) of Deoband, to accept which is to be Deobandi, and to deviate from which is to depart from the maslak of Deoband.”[15]
Qadi Mazhar Husayn (1914–2004) said: “Al-Muhannad is, as it were, aunanimous historical document of the senior scholars (akabir) of Deoband that has preserved the maslak of Deoband in terms of its principles.”[15]
Muhammad Yusuf Ludhianvi (1932–2000) said, as mentioned inFatawa Bayyinat (Urdu:فتاوى بينات):[16]
There were several phases of the Akābir of Deoband.The first phase is that of HadratNanautawi, HadratGangohi, Hadrat MawlanaMuhammad Ya'qub Nanautawi (Allah have mercy on them) and their contemporaries.
The second phase is that of the students of these Akābir, amongst whom Shaykh al-Hind (theShaykh of India), Hadrat MawlanaKhalil Ahmad Saharanpuri, HadratHakim al-Ummat Tahanwi (Allah have mercy on them) and other Akābir are included.
The third phase is that of their students, amongst whom Hadrat MawlanaAnwar Shah Kashmiri, Mawlana SayyidHussain Ahmad Madani, Hadrat MawlanaShabbir Ahmad 'Usmani (Allah have mercy on them) and others are included.
The fourth phase is that of their students amongst whom MawlanaMuhammad Yusuf Banuri, Hadrat MawlanaMuhammad Shafi' Sahib (Allah have mercy on them) and their contemporary Akābir are included.
Now, the fifth phase, that of their students, is proceeding. All Akābir from the second phase signed al-Muhannad 'ala al-Mufannad. These were the beliefs of the Akābir from the first phase, and the Akābir of the third and fourth phases have continued to be in agreement with them. Thus, there isconsensus of all the Akābir of Deoband on the beliefs incorporated in al-Muhannad. There is no scope for a Deobandi to deviate from them. Whoever deviates from them is not deserving of being called a “Deobandi”.
Several prominent scholars praised the book, includingMahmud Hasan Deobandi,Ashraf Ali Thanwi,Muhammad Shafi,Muhammad Yousuf Banuri,Muhammad Tayyib Qasmi,Zafar Ahmad Usmani, Mahmud Ashraf 'Usmani, andSelim al-Bishri [ar] (chiefMaliki mufti andGrand Imam of Al-Azhar), and others.[5]
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