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:

 Dear Brother Burhan

I have read all your comments on the Bohra faith. I was born and bought up as a Bohra and practised the faith till a few years back. I have now realized that the Bohra` faith is full of "shirk" and "bidaah" and have cut myslef from them.

My question to you is

a) Considering all the beliefs and practices of the Bohra`s, will it be correct to call them Muslims.

b) what about my prayers and other acts of worship done before I realized the truth

Regards 

(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:

Are Bohras Muslims

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 Statement: I have now realized that the Bohra` faith is full of "shirk" and "bidaah" and have cut myslef from them.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verses 125-127:

125    Those whom Allah Wills to guide, He openeth their breast to Islam; those whom He Wills to leave astray, He makes their breast close and constricted as if they had to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe.

126    This is the way of thy Lord leading straight: We have detailed the Signs for those who receive admonition.

127    For them will be a Home of Peace in the presence of their Lord: He will be their Friend because they practiced (righteousness).

Allah-o-Akbar!  Allah-o-Akbar!  Allah-o-Akbar!  All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone Who has bestowed His Mercy and guided the believers to the Truth of Tawheed (the Supreme Oneness of Allah Subhanah).  May Allah Subhanah bless and increase your faith and give you the wisdom, courage and steadfastness to stand firm on this His Straight Path.  Ameen.

Your Question: Considering all the beliefs and practices of the Bohra`s, will it be correct to call them Muslims.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2526  Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘Three things are the roots of faith:

1. to refrain from (killing) a person who utters, "There is no god but Allah",  and
2. not to declare him an unbeliever whatever sin he commits, and
3. not to excommunicate him from Islam for his any action.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.11 Narrated by Usama bin Zaid bin Haritha

Allah's Messenger (saws) sent us (to fight) against Al-Huraqa (one of the sub-tribes) of Juhaina.  We reached those people in the morning and defeated them. A man from the Ansar and I chased one of their men and when we attacked him, he said, "Laa ilaha illallah” (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah)."  The Ansari refrained from killing him but I stabbed him with my spear till I killed him. When we reached (Medina), this news reached the Prophet (saws).  He (saws) said to me, "O Usama! You killed him after he had said, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah?"  I said, "O Messenger of Allah (saws)! He said so in order to save himself." The Prophet (saws) said, "You killed him after he had said, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah!!' " The Prophet kept on repeating that statement till I wished I had not been a Muslim before that day!

There is a distinct difference between a ‘legal’ muslim and a ‘true’ muslim in Islam.  If one amongst mankind declares the ‘shahaadah’ or testimony of faith: ‘Laa ilaaha illallah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah’, he will be considered a ‘legal’ muslim in the sight of Shariah or Islamic Law.  Regardless of his acts or deeds, immediately upon the declaration of this testimony of faith, he will be treated as a believer and all the rights that are due to a believer will be accorded to him in full: he can marry amongst the believers, he can visit the Sacred Mosque in Makkah, the food he slaughters is halaal for the believers, he will inherit from his believing parents, his believing children will inherit from him, he will be given a muslim burial, etc. 

None has the power to determine with certainty what are the intentions and motives of another; this Power is vested in the Domain of the All-Knowing, All-Wise Lord Alone.  And He Alone will determine who is a ‘true’ muslim on the Day of Resurrection. 

Thus, regardless of what sins a person commits, if one declares his belief in Allah and His Last Messenger (saws), he will be treated as a ‘legal’ muslim in the sight of Shariah and the believers.  Unless and until the person himself declares his intention to leave the fold of Islam, no one has a right to excommunicate the person who has declared the testimony of faith.  It is only on the Day of Judgment when the All-Knowing, All-Wise will determine who indeed was a ‘true’ muslim.

There is one more major difference in the ‘shirk’ committed by the people who claim to be muslims and the ‘shirk’ committed by the idolators like the Hindus, etc.  If one confronts a ‘legal’ muslim one suspects of doing acts of shirk, he will immediately deny that the invoking of graves or prostrating of priests is an act ‘shirk’, for he is not conversant with the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah and commits these abominable acts of shirk in absolute ignorance!  If these our brethren only knew that their these acts are declared as acts of ‘shirk’ in the Glorious Quran by their Lord in whom they have professed belief, they would leave it immediately and seek repentance!  The idolators on the other hand confess that they believe there are many gods, each having absolute powers over a department of their life; and they invoke them whenever they seek help in that department. 

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.

Not that there would be any difference between the end result in the Supreme and Just Court of the Lord in the Hereafter of a muslim committing shirk or a hindu committing shirk; for ‘shirk’ is still ‘shirk’, and this abomination has been singled out as the most heinous and unforgivable of sins in Islam.  But because one has professed belief in Allah and His Last and Final Messenger (saws), they will be considered ‘legal’ muslims in the sight of the Shariah and the believers in the life of this world, and every single right which is due to a muslim will be accorded to them in full.  It is only on the Day of Judgment when Allah will hold them severely accountable for their abominations of ‘shirk’.

Your Question: what about my prayers and other acts of worship done before I realized the truth

Dear and Beloved Brother in Islam, when one repents and truly accepts Islam as one’s way of life, it is the solemn promise of our Lord Most Merciful that He will wipe out all the evil deeds one might have done in one’s past.  But whatever good one might have done in one’s days of ignorance will remain in one’s book of records.  Such is the Mercy and Grace of our Lord Most Gracious.

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

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan