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:

Salaam ALaikum,

I had a question regarding some of your statements bout Bohras.  Why is Moula such a bad person, when he tells muslims to get out of interest, tells them to pray to Allah, tells them to fast, tells the men to keep a beard, and the women to cover themselves.  How are these things haraam?  Also Moula refers to himself as the representative of the Imam, but does not say that he is a deity.  If people worship him as deity, that's their problem, and they are the ones who suffer. Yet there are thousands of Bohras who don’t belive in him as deity, but as a man who is trying to keep his followers in Shariah. Also why did the Saudis (wahabis) also let Moula do ziyarat at Moulatana Fatema's grave?  And let Moula do sajdah on that grave, if it's such an haraam act?  THe wahabis didnt protest at all.

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Answer:

Why is Syedna such a bad person?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever 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.

Your Question: Why is Moula such a bad person, when he tells muslims to get out of interest, tells them to pray to Allah, tells them to fast, tells the men to keep a beard, and the women to cover themselves.  How are these things haraam?

Whoever does good himself, and propagates anything from the guidance of the Holy Quran, we must support such people. If some scholar in Islam commands the believers to stay away from interest, and tells them to pray to Allah, and tells them to fast, and advises the men to keep a beard, and orders the women to cover themselves; that is good. All these acts are from the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws), and these two sources are indeed the best guidance.

But if anyone propagates something which is against the guidance of the Holy Quran, we should not support him at all, but rather turn back to the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws). And especially if someone guides the people to commit the heinous crime of ‘shirk’ or associating others with Allah. This is an unforgivable sin in the sight of Allah, and anyone who fears Allah and the Last Day, must avoid this heinous sin at all times. Allah has declared that He has made Paradise ‘haraam’ on the people who commit shirk, and all their good deeds will be assigned no weight on the Day of Judgement.

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 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 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

Your Comment: Also Moula refers to himself as the representative of the Imam, but does not say that he is a deity. 

Indeed, the Moula does not say he is a deity, but his actions and deeds prove otherwise. His followers invoke his name, like they should invoke the name of Allah Alone; and he allows them! His followers believe he has the knowledge of the ‘unseen’, rather than believing that Allah Alone has the knowledge of the seen and the unseen; and he allows them! His followers kiss his feet in reverence, respect and submission; and he allows them! His followers even bow down to him in ‘sajdah’, which is the sole Right of Allah Subhanah Alone; and he allows them! His followers call themselves ‘abde-syedna’ (slaves of syedna), whereas we are all the created slaves of none but Allah Subhanah (Abd-Allah); and he allows them!

Yes, he does not claim that he is a deity; but his followers revere him, invoke him, bow down to him, and worship him just as they should revere, invoke, bow down, and worship none but Allah Alone; and he allows them!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Fusselat verse 37:Do not do ‘sajdah’ to the sun and the moon, but do ‘sajdah’ to that Allah, Who Created them, if you really are indeed His worshippers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 31:They have made their scholars and their monks as their Rabbs besides Allah!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verses 165-167:There are people who set up equals and rivals with Allah and adore them with the adoration due to Allah! Whereas the believers adore Allah most ardently. Would that these transgressors could realize now what they will realize, when they see the chastisement before them: that power and authority wholly belong to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment! When He will inflict punishment, those very leaders and guides whom they followed in the world will disown them. But punishment they shall get and all their bonds shall be cut off. Then those who followed them will say, “Would that we were given another chance to return to the world. Then we will disown them just as they have disowned us today!” Thus Allah will bring before them the deeds they did in the world in such a manner as to make them wring their hands in regret, but they shall be unable to come out of the Fire.

Your Ref: Moula refers to himself as the representative of the Imam.

True, he refers to himself as the representative of the Imam. But we must understand in light of the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws), that no man can come to people and claim that he is the appointed Imam or the appointed Dai from Allah! Only the Messengers of Allah have this right, that they come to mankind and declare that they have been appointed the Messengers of Allah. No imam, do dai, no shaikh, no bhai saheb, no aamil, no mullah, no peer, absolutely no one has the right to come to mankind and declare that he has been appointed by Allah!

And just to clarify the matter, the Moula claims that he has been appointed by a four-year old Imam who is in hiding, or his descendants, who correspond with him through a system of ‘ilhaam’ or dreams! I would have no problems believing in this fantastic story, if Allah mentioned anything about the imam in ‘ghaibat’ in His Book of guidance; the Al Quran!

Even if we were to believe in this fantastic story, that an imam is alive on this planet earth and corresponds with the Moula through ‘ilhaam’, a few logical explanations remain unanswered:

Where is the Imam today?

Is he alone living somewhere, or does he too have a following like the Syedna?

If he has a following in today’s world, we would definitely know it, as they would be similar in belief and actions to the Dawoodi Bohras. Wouldn’t they?

Why is he still in seclusion?

Why does he not come out and proclaim himself? There is no apparent threat to his life or belief today.

We are made to believe that the Imam and Syedna correspond to each other by ‘ilhaam’, whereby the Imam comes in the Syedna’s dreams. Has Allah indeed given any man the power to come in another’s dream at will and correspond with him? Allah did not even give this kind of powers to His appointed Messengers!!

Is it the same 4 year old Imam Tayyeb alive today after these hundreds of years, or is it his descendants?

Today we live in a secular and non-Godly world. There would absolutely be no harm to the Imam’s life or mission if he were to reveal himself to mankind today (if there is indeed one to be revealed!).

How come the leadership never mention anything about the Imam, except his name?

And the most important question of all…. If this concept of the appointment of the Imam is so important and pivotal to Islam and its survival, how come nothing (absolutely nothing) has been mentioned about it in the Holy Quran? How come the Messenger of Allah (saws) never mentioned anything about this Imam and his seclusion? Did Allah and His Messenger (saws) forget to tell us about this very important aspect of Islam and its survival?

Glory be to Allah! Allah and His Messenger (saws) did not forget anything that was needed for our guidance to Islam. If something is not from the Quran and Sunnah, then it does not form part of Islam… and there is absolutely nothing in either the Holy Quran or the Sunnah about the Imam, his seclusion, about the Dais, about their succession, about their superiority, about their correspondence through ‘ilham’, about …!!!! These are their wishful fantasies and their whims, which have absolutely no basis in the deen of Islam! Can you imagine the deen of Islam being based on these kind of stories….. My dear brothers and sisters, this Islam is the deen of Truth from Allah Subhanah and based on nothing but the Truth. …. Not some mythology story of a four year old boy hiding in seclusion for approximately 800 years and having the power to correspond with the Syedna by coming in his dreams at will!!! Nothing in Islam is illogical, and this fantastic story of the Imam and the Dai does not have an iota of logic around it!!!!

Your Comment: If people worship him as deity, that's their problem, and they are the ones who suffer.

If anyone takes any other deity than Allah, then he/she indeed is guilty of the heinous crime of ‘shirk’! This sin of ‘shirk’ is so severe, that Allah has forbidden Paradise for the people who die in the state of committing ‘shirk’! The sin is so severe, that Allah has declared that He will forgive any sin He Wills, except this sin of ‘shirk’, and all the good deeds done by the person who commits ‘shirk’ will be in vain.

Thus it is not enough to say that it is the problem of the ones who commit shirk! If the Moula allows the people to take him as a deity, and allows them to stand in front of him with folded hands, and allows them to bow down in ‘tasleem’, and allows them to kiss his feet, and allows them to bow down in ‘sajdah’; then he is an equal partner in propagating and allowing the heinous crime of shirk!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 66-68:On the Day their faces are rolled about on the Fire, they will say, “Would that we had obeyed Allah and His Messenger!” And they will say, “O our Lord, we obeyed our CHIEFS and our GREAT MEN, and they led us astray from the Right Path. O our Lord, give them a double chastisement and curse them severely”.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 66:Note it well that all the dwellers of the heavens and the earth belong to Allah. And those who invoke partners besides Allah, follow nothing but surmises and merely indulge in guess-works!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 40 Surah Mumin verse 47-48:Then imagine the time when these people will be disputing with one another in Hell. The weak ones will say to the haughty ones, “We were your followers! Now, can you save us from some part of our punishment in Hell?” The haughty ones will say, “We are all in the same state here, and Allah has already passed judgment between His servants.”

Your Comment: Yet there are thousands of Bohras who don’t belive in him as deity, but as a man who is trying to keep his followers in Shariah.
If one does not take him as a deity with Allah, then he/she has indeed avoided the heinous crime of ‘shirk’. May Allah help these brothers and sisters to understand and implement Shariah in their lives.

I have lived a major part of my life as a devout and practicing Bohra, and I know for a fact that almost all the Bohras revere and invoke the Moula as a deity, except those on whom Allah has had mercy. Whoever thinks that the Moula is a pious man who is only trying to keep his followers in Shariah, then they must turn to the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and understand the clear guidance given therein. The leadership propagates the invocation of man and graves, and this is against the very foundation of Shariah and ‘Tawheed’ (the invocation of the One Lord Alone)!

Your Question: Also why did the Saudis (wahabis) also let Moula do ziyarat at Moulatana Fatema's grave?  And let Moula do sajdah on that grave, if it's such an haraam act?  THe wahabis didnt protest at all.

The Saudis are not the criteria for being a true muslim! Allah will not accept this excuse on the Day of Judgement, that it is within Islamic Shariah to do sajdah on the grave of Moulatona Fatema ((r.a.) or anyone else for that matter) only because the Saudis allowed it! The questions that will be asked by Allah will be in accordance with the syllabus of the Holy Quran. Did we follow the guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws)? Did we do deeds in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Messenger (saws)? That is what should be our biggest concern, not what the Saudis do or allow!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:O Prophet, tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” And if, in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those, who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.

The ‘sajdah’ is an act of worship that is due to no one and nothing else, except Allah Alone! Never did the Messenger of Allah (saws), Hadrat Ali, Hadrat Fatema, Hadrat Hasan, Hadrat Hussain, or any of the other noble companions bow down to any one or anything else, except Allah Subhanah Alone!

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