Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

I have the emails sent by person from you "helpline". I would question the qualifications of this individual (individuals). The information is based on hearsay and have very little backing with understanding of the Qur'an nor hadiths of our Prophets or Imams. For example, I was a very common statement of the companions of the Prophet and Imams to say "may my life and my family's lives be ransoms for you". This is the attitude of a martyr and was strongly encouraged by the Prophet and Imams.  Sadjah in salat and as worship is very different from the bowing and salams said at graves of our awliya. It only shows your ignorance of the intent (niyyat) when you compare the two. The salat is batil (invalid) if your niyyat is incorrect (this includes the sadjahs performed). If you niyyat is to worship those at that grave your niyyat is batil. And I have never seen or personally been forced ever to do sadjah to any Dai, amil, etc. Remember the Prophet said that Jannat  is at the feet of your parents. This a metaphorical hadith that says that the mumin should be in constant reverence to those Allah tells us to respect.The author of the emails sounds more inline to the thinking of the Wahabis. Twisting and turning the words of the Qur'an to fit your objective without knowledge of their proper meanings (both zahir and batin) is a sin leading to kufr. This is why a majority of the muminin are encouraged to read the arabic Qur'an and minimize reading of the translations; most are not trained in ilm of Islam enough to fully and completely understand the Qur'an. The translations are the interpretations of the one translating and may (and it is usually the case) incorrect in their interpretations of verse. The main translations out  have this statements in the preface of each one copy. Was salamu alaykum

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

The Holy Quran should be read in Arabic only.

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and who-ever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Jazak Allah Kheir for your comments on our emails. From your comments, it seems that you are one who possesses intelligence and do the acts that you do with honesty and sincerity. You have been extremely honest in admitting that you have been told to recite the Quran in Arabic only, and minimize reading the translation, so that you cannot understand the message of the Lord of the Worlds. But Brother, I would like to just present a few facts so that you can ponder and think deeply about these issues.

1. You have been told to recite the Quran in Arabic and minimize the understanding. By whom? By some Man!!! Allah never mentions anything of this sort in the Holy Quran. On the contrary, Allah Himself says to read and understand the Quran in at least 30-40 aayahs. The choice is yours: take Allah’s word, or believe the word of man.

2. The people who tell you not to understand the Holy Quran, are themselves teaching you nothing from the Quran! All they emphasize in their ‘waaz’ and ‘majaalis’ is the history of Islam and what atrocities were committed on Ali, Fatema, Hussain, Karbala, etc. This is purely the history of Islam, and nothing to do with guidance of the Holy Quran. When is the last time you heard them give evidence for anything they say from the Holy Quran.

3. The people who tell you to recite the Quran in Arabic only, and not to read its translations, themselves teach you in a language you understand. Do they teach you in Arabic? NO!! They don’t because you do not understand Arabic. Thus that means that they also translate the Quran, whenever they want to say something from the Quran, if at all.

4. Allah is undoubtedly the All Knowing. He knew and knows that Arabic is, and will never be, the only language on this planet earth. But even after knowing this, The All Wise, All Knowing revealed the Holy Quran in Arabic! He did not reveal the translations in all 100s of the known languages of the time. Does that mean that the Holy Quran was a guidance to only the people who understood Arabic? But Allah says in the Holy Quran Himself, that this Quran is a guidance for the whole of mankind!. What are we going to say to Allah when we ultimately meet Him on the Day of Judgement? “O Allah, I did receive your Message, but unfortunately, I could not understand Arabic, so I just read it over and over again every day of my life, and here I am. Yes, translations of your Message were available, but I thought You would be more pleased with me if I read it only in the language you sent it, without understanding a word of it! I assumed You would consider it a huge sin if I were to ever read the translation of Your Message, so I avoided it at all times. I believed what the hierarchy told me: that reading the translations would mis-guide me, so I refused to take any guidance from the translations of the Quran which were available to me.” What do you think Allah is going to say? If you are willing to stand in the court of Allah and argue your case as above, good luck to you!!! Allah exhorts us again and again in the Holy Quran to use our common sense. Maybe its time we used some!!!

5. The hierarchy tells you not to understand the Holy Quran from any of its translations, because each and every one of them are biased opinions of the translator. Why don’t they give us a translation of their understanding of the Quran? They don’t have one, they wont make one, they wont endorse an existing one, and they wont let you read one! Why? I’ll tell you why! The Holy Quran is uniform in its context and its guidance. We all believe that the Holy Quran are the very words of Allah Himself. If we understand what our Creator is commanding us to do, we will leave the practices of invoking them and bowing in submission to them immediately. If we understand the central concept of the Holy Quran, “Laa ilaha Illal laah” (There is no god, except Allah Alone), we will leave all the 1000s of sajdahs to the 1000s of graves, and come to the one ‘sajdah’ of the Rabb-ul-Aalemeen, which the Quran is constantly commanding us to do! So it is in the best interest of the hierarchy, that you do not understand what Allah has sent down in the Quran, or else, all the shops they have opened in the name of Allah, will close down!

6. The hierarchy are nothing but liars! If they were telling you the truth, they would never stop you from understanding the Holy Quran. If what they practice in the name of Islam was true, then they would have nothing to fear from the truth in the verses of the Quran! If what they preach in the name of Islam was true, they would tell you to read any translation, because what they preach would match the truth of the Holy Quran! Can you imagine their unreasonable demand: You cannot read any translation of the hundreds of translations available in the 100s of languages, as all of them are biased. Only the one, the hierarchy preaches verbally (not written!), is the truth!! No wonder then, that there are no converts to the Bohra sect of Islam. When is the last time someone converted to Bohraism? How can one? They don’t have the truth, so they do not (rather cannot) propagate the truth of Islam to mankind!

Dear Brother, our emails are based on nothing but the truth of the Holy Quran, and the authentic traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws). Brother, we swear by Allah, we have tried to write our answers only from the guidance received from the Holy Quran and the traditions of our beloved Prophet (saws), and nothing else.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Bani Israel (or Isra) verse 41: We have admonished the people in different ways in this Quran so that they may take warning, yet they are running further and further away from the Truth!

Our mission is based on Quranic principles and guidance, and nothing else. The Holy Quran was sent as a mercy by the All Merciful, as a book of guidance for mankind and to those that fear Allah in the unseen. The Holy Quran is nothing but the truth from the All Merciful, and is available for whoever wants to understand good caution, and stay away from the worshipping and invoking of personalities in the name of Islam.

We have given ample proofs for every answer, giving direct evidence as the aayahs of the Holy Quran, including the ones where the act of ‘sajdah’ are due only to Allah. In Islam, if anyone does this act of ‘sajdah’ to any idol, any grave, any human being, or anything else for that matter, other than Allah, it has been termed ‘shirk’ in the Holy Quran.

People normally think that the ‘mushriks’(polytheists) of Makkah, at the time of the Prophet (saws), did not believe in Allah. That is absolutely not true!!! They worshipped at the ‘Kaabah’, but they had put in the House of Allah, a collection of 360+ idols. They believed Allah was their Creator and Sustainer, but thought that these idols had some sway with Allah. They believed Allah controlled everything, but these idols were only a means to get closer to Allah. And please remember that most of these idols, were no more than the figures and statues of some of the pious people who lived before them. (We make graves and they made idols!!). These polytheists used to perform ‘tawaaf’ around the Kaabah. They used to perform the pilgrimage of Hajj and Umrah. They used to claim that they were following the ‘millah’ or way of their fathers and forefathers, of Prophet Abraham, Ismael, and Ishaq! They thought they were doing the right acts of worship to please Allah, and Mohamed (saws) had brought a new deen with this concept of invoking and worshipping only the One-God!!!

So, where is the difference today, when people think they worship Allah, but have made numerous pious people (or their graves) their gods with Allah. Where is the difference today, when they invoke Allah, but also invoke human beings (dead and/or alive) to get closer to Allah. Where is the difference today when they do tawaaf to the Kaabah, and then also do tawaaf at the graves of their pious people. Where is the difference today, when they bow down in ‘sajdah’ to Allah, but also bow down to human beings and the graves of their pious people!! What is the difference between the people who do this today and the people who bowed down to the idols? Allah says in the Holy Quran that having worshipped Allah along with somebody else, is not having worshipped Him at all!

Muslims have stopped making statues and idols of bricks and stones, but rather go to graves made of bricks and stones! They have stopped talking to idols, but rather they now talk to photos and graves of their pious people! They have stopped thinking that invoking the stone statues and idols can bring them any good or harm, but have rather started invoking human beings (dead and/or alive) instead, and think these pious people who died hundreds of years ago can deliver their ‘duas’ and prayers. They have stopped hoping that these stone statues and idols would intercede for them on the Day of Judgment, but have started invoking the dead people at their graves to intercede for them in front of Allah!!

There is absolutely no difference in the actions of the ‘mushrekeen’ (polytheists) of Makkah then, and the actions of the muslims who invoke people at the graves of their pious ancestors now! They claim to follow Islam, but are involved in the same ‘shirk’ as the polytheists of Makkah! And this sin of ‘shirk’ is so heinous in the sight of Allah, that Allah has promised the doers of ‘shirk’ the eternal punishment of Hell Fire!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72: Whoever commits ‘shirk’ (invoking anything with Allah), Allah shall forbid for him Paradise, and Hell shall be his abode. And for such wrong doers there will be no one to help.

Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48: Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this, for whosoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 65-66: If you commit ‘shirk’ all your works will be rendered vain and you will be among the losers. Therefore, you should worship Allah Alone, and be among His grateful servants.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 46 Surah Ahqaf verses 4-6: Prophet, say to them, "Have you ever seen them with open eyes those whom you invoke instead of Allah? Show me what they have created in the earth? Or have they any share in the creation and control of the heavens? Bring me a Book revealed before this, or produce some remnant of knowledge in support of your beliefs if you are truthful." And who could be further astray than the one who invokes, instead of Allah, those who cannot answer him till the Day of Resurrection. Nay, they are even UNAWARE THAT THEY ARE BEING INVOKED. And when all mankind shall be gathered together (on the Day of Qiyamah), they (the so called leaders and intercessors) will become enemies of those who invoked them, and they will DISOWN THEIR WORSHIP!!!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 67: These people (who commit shirk) have not recognized the true worth of Allah, as His worth should truly be recognized. (As for His Omnipotence) the entire earth on the Day of Resurrection shall be in His grasp and the heavens shall be rolled up in His Right Hand. Glorified is He and Exalted above the ‘shirk’ that these people commit.

Listen to what Allah has to say about people who invoke personalities for whom Allah has sent no authority in the Holy Quran, and how they react when someone tries to call them to understand the guidance of the Quran.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Al-Hajj verses 71-72: They worship besides Allah, those, for whom Allah has send down no authority, nor do they themselves have any knowledge about them. Such transgressors have no helper. And when our clear Revelations (Holy Quran) are recited to them, you will perceive signs of disdain in the faces of the disbelivers, as though they were going to assault those who recite our Revelations to them. Say to them, “May I inform you of a thing worse than this? Is is the Fire which Allah has promised for those who reject the Truth; and that is an evil abode.”

Please, brother, give very good thought to these words of Allah Subhanah. There are at least 30-40 aayahs in the Quran where Allah is exhorting the believers to read and understand the Glorious Quran:

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 44 Surah Dukhan verse 58: We have made this Book easy in your own tongue so that they may ponder and take good counsel.

And see what Allah has to say about people like the hierarchy, who try to conceal the understanding of the Holy Quran from the believers:

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Al-Baqarah verse 174: Indeed those, who conceal the commands that Allah has sent down in His Book and barter them away for paltry worldly gains, fill their bellies with fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He regard them as pure and there is a painful torment for them!

The Holy Quran is a guidance for all mankind! Whether we believe it or not, this fact cannot be changed. Anybody who tries to conceal the guidance from mankind, will be severely accountable for his deeds in the court of Allah. Anybody who follows these people who conceal the commandments and guidance of the Holy Quran, will have nobody to blame except themselves! Its about time you asked the hierarchy to give you evidence from the Holy Quran, that the Quran is not to be understood by fools like us! Its about time you asked the hierarchy to give you evidence from the Quran, that it is ‘wajib’ on you to do ‘sajdah’ to them! Its about time you asked the hierarchy to give you evidence from the Quran, that you are allowed to invoke dead people in their graves! Its about time you asked the hierarchy to give you evidence from the Quran, that Allah sent down the Quran so that only ‘they’ could understand it! Its about time you asked the hierarchy to give you evidence from the Quran, that they are indeed the ‘chosen’ people whom Allah has to honor on the Day of Judgment! Its about time you asked the hierarchy to give you evidence from the Quran, that ‘they’ are the people we have to follow to reach Paradise!

Brother, I challenge you to ask any member of the hierarchy to answer any of my questions listed above, and give evidence from the Holy Quran for their answers like we do. Just see what answers you get, if any at all! Then you can decide if what Allah says in the Holy Quran is the truth, or what these people preach in the name of Islam is true. Then you can decide who is biased in their translations, and who is trying to spread the true deen of Islam.

Then you can decide whether you want to follow: the commandments as revealed by Allah Himself in the Holy Quran, or you want to follow the personalities who have been self-created! Then you can decide if you want to take the Siraat ul Mustaqeem (Straight Path) of Allah, or take any other path, of any other name, of any other form, of any other sect, of any other personality, which leads directly to the fire of Hell!!!

May Allah guide you and us all to the Straight Path of Islam. May Allah guide you and us all to read and understand the Message of our Creator. May Allah guide you and us all to be the slaves of Allah (Abd-Allah), rather than succumb to ‘their’ false promises, and become slaves of man (Abd-Syedna, etc.).

May Allah guide you and us all to the Siraat al-Mustaqeem

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan