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:

who exactly are you?

what is your qualification to answer questions related to Islam or the particular nterpretation of Islam as practiced by the Bohris? I also have a theological question Also, how do you resolve this contradiction between mainstream Islam belief and the Bohri interpretation: according to mainstream Islam, there are no agents of God. However, during the 'misak', Bohris are supposed to pledge allegiance to the Syedna, and that if the Bohri then breaks his pledge, according to the scriptof the oath, he or she will not be forgiven even by God. How can a mortal decide who God will and will not forgive?

(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:

Bohra misak oaths

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.

We are no more than humble slaves of Allah Subhanah. Most of the brothers who volunteer their time and efforts on this forum were born into Bohra families. At various times in their lives, Allah guided them to read and understand the Holy Quran. Now we have left the following of any particular sect, and submitted our will to the Will of our Merciful Lord and Creator, and we feel honored and blessed to be recognized by the name Allah has chosen for the believers; that is, ‘muslims’.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 77-78:O you who have believed, do ‘rukooh’ (bow down) and do ‘sajdah’ (prostration), and worship your Lord Allah Alone, and do righteous deeds: it may be that you attain true success! Exert your utmost for the cause of Allah, as one should. He has chosen you for His service, and has not laid on you any hardship in your religion. Therefore, be steadfast in the religion of your father Abraham. Allah had named you ‘muslims’ before this, and has named you (muslims) in this Quran also, so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you, and you may be witnesses in regard to the rest of mankind.

We do not follow nor answer any of the questions on the forum according to the falsehood taught and practiced by the Bohra deen. We answer all our questions only from the guidance and teachings of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Your Questions: The issues of Misak, and how can a mortal decide who God will and will not forgive?

The real and only ‘meethak’ or covenant a believer makes and takes preference over all the other covenants, is when he declares the testification or ‘kalima’ : That there is no god worthy of worship except Allah Alone, and that Mohamed (saws) is the Slave and Messenger of Allah.

Thus if some people take any other meethak with anybody, which is against the covenant that one makes to Allah, that covenant is ‘baatil’ or falsehood! The people or sect-leaders who take this ‘meethak’ have absolutely no authority from Allah Subhanah to do so. The ‘meethak’ that a Bohra takes with the Syedna, whereby he pledges to unconditionally obey and follow the sect-leader, is against the principles of Islam. The believers are commanded to follow only Allah and His Messenger (saws) unconditionally, and no one else!

If the sect-leaders claim that Allah will not forgive anyone who breaks the Bohra pledge, that is their whim and conjecture. They make this and many such claims, without any authority from the Holy Quran or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws). It is something that they have invented themselves, and have absolutely no basis or authority from Allah and His Messenger (saws).

Allah refutes such claims in the Glorious Quran and says in Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verses 79-80:No man, to whom Allah gives the Book and sound Judgement and Prophethood, would say thereafter to the people, “Be worshippers of me instead of Allah.” He will surely say, “Be true worshippers of Allah in accordance with the teachings of the Book you read and teach.” He will never enjoin you to make the angels or the Prophets your ‘rabbs’! Is it conceivable that a Prophet should enjoin you to adopt disbelief, after you have surrendered to Allah?

Thus, no one is allowed to call the people to their worship. All good believers and true scholars will always tell the people to invoke and worship Allah Subhanah Alone, and obey and follow the commands of Allah and His Last Messenger (saws).

The Syedna is obviously more interested in getting his followers to invoke and worship him and his ancestors, rather than call them to invoke and worship Allah Alone! He is more interested in getting his followers to obey him and his self-made rules, rather than follow the guidance and teachings of Allah and His Messenger (saws)!

He has thus moved the people away from the True and Straight Path of Islam, and commanded his followers to invoke and worship him and his ancestors in their graves; thus committing and propagating the heinous and unforgivable sin of ‘shirk’ (associating other beings with Allah Subhanah!).

Allah and His Messenger (saws) guide mankind towards the Truth; and anyone who guides people to anything else other than the teachings and guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws), is guiding the people to nothing but falsehood.

May Allah guide them to the Truth and bring them to the Siraat al Mustaqeem.

You are absolutely right when you say that a mortal has no right to declare who Allah will forgive, and who He will not forgive. Allah Subhanah Alone is the Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists, and it is His Right Alone that He decides who deserves His Mercy and Forgiveness, and who deserve His Wrath and Anger. No one has the right or power to change or influence His Decision.

And, in His Sublime and Infinite Mercy, Allah has revealed unto mankind a Book which gives the Criterion by which He will Judge on the Day of Judgement.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verses 53-54:

(O Prophet) say: “O My servants who have wronged their own souls….Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy! Surely, Allah forgives all sins. He indeed is the All Forgiving, All Merciful. Return to your Lord and submit to Him before the scourge overtakes you; for then you may get no help from anywhere.”

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.

‘Shirk’ is the only sin that Allah Subhanah has promised He will never forgive, and that is the precise sin the Syedna is teaching and propagating to his followers!

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 in Islam,

Burhan