Hifzur Rahman Qasmi
Introduction:
Success
and progress of any community, as a matter of fact, lies in the mutual unity
and harmony between its members. A strongly united community becomes an
unbeatable force and overcomes every hindrance which comes in their way. No one
dares to confront such a tide and strong nation.
The
Holy Qur’ān has, therefore, taught us this secret at numerous places. At one
place, it says: "And keep hold on to the rope of Allāh altogether and do
not be divided into sects."[i] In
this verse the whole UMMAH is addressed instead of an individual and of
course it is the responsibility of every Muslim to make efforts to bring about
unity among the Ummah. The Holy Qur’ān emphasizes on the harmony and unanimity
by using the word "JAMĪ'Ā" (altogether)" as well. This verse definitely
advises holding fast the "Ḥabl Allāh" (rope of Allāh) which provides
basis for the unity and prevents partition among Muslims.
"Ḥabl
Allāh" or the rope of Allāh, according to the exegesis scholars, refers to
the Qur’ān and Sunnah of the Prophet (saws). No doubt this is the basis for the
unity and harmony of the Muslims; as the Holy Prophet (saws) said: "I have
left two matters with you. As long as you hold to them, you will not go the
wrong way. They are the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah of His Prophet."[ii] Teachings of Allāh Almighty are present in the form of the Qur’ān
and the practical exercises of these teachings can be seen in the life of the
Prophet (saws). So these are the two exclusive bases for Muslims to be united
upon them.
However,
the ‘unity’ does not mean that one should surrender his/her personal and
substantial right of expression and will, but it means to have respect and
honor for others’ thoughts…It meant to show broadmindedness, respect, and to
avoid every sort of bigotry. We should follow the blessed Companions of the
Prophet (saws) who in spite of having so many academic differences among them
remained friendly and respected each other.
The
current situation of the Muslim community:
Muslims,
no doubt, constitute one of the largest groups of the world population today;
in sharp contrast to the period when they existed only in an insignificant
number. This was the early age of Islam and Muslims could be counted on fingers
of one hand. They, however, continued to grow in number with the expansion of
Islam around the world. But to one’s great surprise, they, in spite of being in
multitude, have no power and strength today. One important reason for this,
apart from many others for sure, is that the mutual unity and togetherness which
Islam has made compulsory for them is unfortunately fading away. They have been
divided into various groups and sects; each of them nurturing nasty feelings of
envy, grudge, hostility and enmity towards others. Things have worsened as much
as a Muslim is now judged by another Muslim only on the basis of his sectarian
ideology, irrespective of his personal height in terms of scholarship, moral
conduct and piety. The situation can be compared with the hostility and enmity
the followers of one religion show towards the adherents of other religions.
While the fact is that Islam does not allow its followers to have such inhuman
feelings even for the people adhering to other religions, let alone permitting
them to show hostility and grudge to other fellow Muslims belonging to other
sects or groups. In short, the absence of unity and mutual harmony and
existence of discord and conflict among Muslims together have left them weak
and powerless, in spite of their great number throughout the world.
The
paper in hand is, therefore, intended to discuss the take of Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim
Qāsmī, the great grandson of Al-Imām Muḥammad Qāsim Al-Nānawtvī on mutual unity
and sectarian discords within the Muslim community. Apart from being a towering
figure with great scholarly height, Maulānā Qāsmī is known for his serious
mindedness and moderate approach towards the Islamic creed and practices. Solid
knowledge, far sightedness, broad heartedness and deep insight are the things
that make him appear like a bright star among his peers. It is, therefore,
expected that his views on ‘sectarianism’ may help curbing the sectarian hatred
and bringing about mutual harmony among the Muslims.
Ideological
discords among the Muslim sects and the view of Maulānā Qāsmī:
The
Muslim community is undoubtedly divided in numerous sects and schools of
thought. Many people with deep sympathy and concern for the Muslims as a
community consider this division as the primary cause for the misery and
backwardness of the Muslims. But when we study the view of Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim
Qāsmī, we conclude that this idea is partly true. Maulānā thinks that
ideological discord and difference of opinion is not a problem for Muslims;
instead it is a sign of life and solid erudition for them. Based on the ḥadīth[iii]
that “the disagreement of my Ummah is a mercy”, Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī
says:
You need not
worry of the schools of thought. The schools of thought emerge at the place
where there is substantial knowledge. You may study the three thousand year
long history of the Jews. They do not have any school of thought, whereas the
Christians have only two schools of thought, Catholics and Protestants. There
is no third school of thought among them. It is only Islam that has the great
and rich book of Allah. It has the sacred biography of the Prophet (saws).
Thus, the schools of thought can emerge only in Islam due to the substantial
knowledge available in it. The schools of thought, therefore, began to emerge
right in the life of the Prophet (saws), and will continue to emerge in future
too.[iv]
However,
Maulānā Qāsmī also believes that when a person insists on the accuracy of his
opinion or does not tolerate the views of others, this disagreement no longer
remains a mercy for the Muslim Ummah. Instead it creates mutual disharmony and
sectarian hatred. As the result, the man goes to the extent of interpreting the
texts of the Qur’ān and ḥadīth out of context and the Muslims as a community
have to suffer dire consequences. To quote the actual text of Maulānā Qāsmī:
‘Umar (ra), the
then Caliph of the Muslims once put the wise question to ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās
(ra) as to how this Ummah could have discords while their Allāh is one, Prophet
is one, Qiblah is one, and the Book is one. In reply to this question, Ibn ‘Abbās
(ra) said: ‘O Emir of the believers! The Qur’ān was revealed in front of us. We
are well aware of the causes for and situations in which it (certain verse) was
revealed. Therefore, we are free from discords. Contrary to that, the people to
come after us will of course recite the Qur’ān and believe in its divine
origin, but they will not be aware of the particular causes and situations in
which it was revealed. Every group having different opinions in this regard
will insist on the accuracy of their view, which will cause great conflict
among them.’ In the beginning, ‘Umar (ra) did not agree with the view of Ibn ‘Abbās
(ra). But later on, it became clearer to him when he especially pondered over
it and he had to agreed to it. Now the truth of the view of Ibn ‘Abbās (ra) has
become crystal clear. The ignorance based sectarianism appeared among Muslims
in later ages and a group considered its wrong ideology as right. They applied
the verses of the Qur’ān speaking about the disbelievers to the Muslims and
declared them as disbelievers. This group is known as Khārjīs. Based on their
silly ideology, they even got ready to fight against the believers.[v]
When
we ponder over this view of Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī, we come to the
conclusion that the scholarly discord of the Muslims is not a problem for them.
It is in fact the sectarian hatred caused by insistence on wrong belief is the
primary source of Muslims’ miserable condition. It is, therefore, need of the
hour to uproot this problem and create tolerance, mutual affection and bond
among them. Below are some points drawn from the life and words of Maulānā Muḥammad
Sālim Qāsmī that may help in this regard:
The
Blessed Companions are the criterion to judge the right from the wrong:
Most
of the time discords appear due to misunderstanding the texts of the Holy Qur’ān
and ḥadīth. This discord takes deeper root when one insists on the accuracy of
his understanding. Given to this, we need to put our thoughts to the criterion
of the acts and the words of the blessed Companions of the Prophet (saw) before
making certain opinion out of them. If they pass this test, it is well and
fine; otherwise, it must be brushed aside, because the life Companions has been
declared as the criterion to judge the right from the wrong by the Prophet
(saws) himself in the following hadith. He said: “Verily, the Jews split into
seventy-one sects, and the Christians split into seventy-two sects, and this
nation (of Muslims) will split into seventy-three sects. All of them will be in
the Fire except one sect.” They (the Companions) said, "Who are they (the
Saved Sect) O Messenger of Allāh!'' He said, “The sect that is upon what my
Companions and I are upon.”[vi]
Based on this ḥadīth, Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī suggests:
The Companions
are the primary source in regards with the knowledge of Dīn. Therefore, the
opinion of any person opposite to theirs will not be entertained. They are the
ones who have observed (situations of) the revelation. So, it is not possible
to acquire the correct knowledge from anyone other than them. Contrary to that,
the opinions of the Companions are void of every sort of doubts, as they are
truly the observers of the revelation. Thus, brushing their opinions aside will
surely lead to discords.”[vii]
Dīn
alone deserves to be preached:
One
of the major problems of the present society is that people make some opinion
in any matter and want to impose it on others by hook or by crook. It becomes
even worse when it comes to religion, as it leads to formation of religious
groups and sects. Therefore, Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī has differentiated
between the Dīn, the Madh’hab (juristic school of thought) and Maslak
(ideological sect). According to the view of Maulānā Qāsmī, Dīn is something directly
revealed from Allāh. The human intellect does not have any scope in it. Thus,
the Dīn is definite, firm and inflexible. There is no room of lapse in it.
Contrary to that, Madh’hab or Maslak is something inferred by the scholars from
the religious sources; and therefore, the human intellect also has scope in it.
Thus, it has possibility of errors. Given to this case, the Madh’hab or Maslak
can only be preferred based on the strength of the arguments. It cannot be
preached, whereas the Dīn is unchangeable and free from error. Therefore, it
deserves to be preached. Maulānā Qāsmī says in this regard:
In short, the
juristic view of the Fuqahā is not able to be preached. It can only be
preferred. In case of need, you can prefer any view based on strength of the
arguments. But you do not have the right to preach that view. The only thing
that needs to be preached is the Dīn… When the juristic schools of thought were
compiled in the Abbasside period, people adopted the Ḥanafī, Mālkī, Shāfe’ī and
Ḥanbalī schools. But another thing that appeared together with it as the result
of decline in knowledge was that people gave the position of Dīn to their particular
schools of thought to establish their superiority and began to preach them.
Consequently, the difference of being preachable and preferable between the Dīn
and the Madh’hab disappeared. The fact is that the juristic schools of thought
are inferior to the Dīn in position, as they have scope for the human
intellect. It is therefore, compulsory to maintain this difference. .. It is
only the Dīn that ensures salvation and (therefore) deserves to be preached.
The juristic school of thought or the preferred ideological sect neither
ensures deliverance, nor does it deserve to be preached. Therefore, I will not
be wrong, if I say that the decline of knowledge resulted in development of the
mentality due to which the people came down from the Dīn to the Madh’hab, from the
Madh’hab to the Maslak, and more unfortunately from the Maslak to the Mashrab
(mental inclination). Now they preach only their mental inclinations to the
world in the name of Dīn. Therefore, it is responsibility of the ‘Ulamā with
sound ideology to strongly abhor such groups.”[viii]
Maulānā
Qāsmī has really pointed out to the base of all problems. People have certainly
given the status of Dīn to their respective juristic schools of thought,
ideological sects and even to their mental inclinations, which causes conflict
and discords among the Muslim community. The Ummah can surely be united if only
we maintain the difference among these things.
Pursuing
the possibilities of unity:
Human
being has different thought, mindset and inclination. Also, he does not remain
in the same mental position every time. Therefore, it is possible that he
sometimes gets indulged in some activities that lead to mutual discords. But
the people possessing the elements of piety, fear of Allāh, love for human
being and deep sympathy for the Muslim community always look for the chances to
fill the gap and obliterate the disharmony. It can be proudly said that the ‘Ulamā
of Deoband school have always shown this attitude. There of course have occurred
discords. But they have always shown enough broad heartedness to obliterate it.
The sound minded Deobandi ‘Ulamā have whole heartedly admitted even the
scholarly merits of those who declared them as disbelievers and apostates.
Maintaining this noble legacy, Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī has also been brave
enough to practically do away with the sectarian hatred and mutual discords. I
would like to present only two examples from the life of Maulānā Qāsmī.
A)
When
Maulānā Tauqīr Raḍā Khān, a noted Barelvī cleric and great grandson of Maulānā
Aḥmad Raḍā Khān visited Deoband in May, 2016, he was given warm welcome by Maulānā
Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī and his family members.[ix]
It was really a day of great privilege and pleasure for entire Muslim community
of the sub-continent to see the members of the two noted Muslim families of
India together. It was of course a brave and appreciable initiative by Maulānā
Tauqīr Raḍā Khān to visited the Deoband town and especially Dārul ‘Ulūm and the
house of Maulānā Qāsmī on one hand; on the other hand, it also reflected the
broad heartedness of the Deoandī ‘Ulamā, authorities of Dārul ‘Ūlūm, and especially
Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī when he reciprocated the visit with the same
warmth and affection.
B)
The
most unfortunate incident in the history of Dārul ‘Ulūm and the Deoband School
was the famous discord among the elders. This incident surely affected the
entire Deobandī community throughout the world. The entire community yearned
for reconciliation between the pious elders. But it proved equally pleasing and
blissful for the entire Muslim community of the sub-continent that our elders
obliterated all the discords from among themselves and embraced each other with
great love and affection. Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī forgot every past
incident and took the initiative and was responded with equal warmth to leave
the legacy of love and message of unity for the next generation[x].
Conclusion:
In
short, a study of Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī’s life and thoughts leads to the
following conclusions in regards with bringing about unity among Muslims:
a. One should maintain I’tidāl or moderation in every situation, especially
in social and religious issues.
b. The differences of opinions based on solid arguments and scholarship
are not problems; rather they are our strength as long as they are exercised
with moderation.
c. Personal views which have the possibility of error must not be
insisted or enforced on others.
d. In case of conflict or discord, one must refer to the acts and words
of the blessed Companions (ra) who are the true criteria to judge the right
from the wrong.
e. We must place things in their correct position and maintain the
difference between Dīn, Madh’hab, Maslak and Mashrab. Nothing except the Dīn
deserves to be preached. Every other thing can only be preferred. It is only Dīn
that ensures deliverance, and nothing else.
f. If there occurs any conflict or discord, we must always look for the
chance and possibility to obliterate it. There must not come anything in the
way or bridging the gap from the Muslim community.
[i]
Al-Qur’ān,
Sūrah Āl ‘Imrān: v. 103
[ii] Imām Mālik,
Muwaṭṭā, Kitāb al-Qadr, The Book of Decree, Book #44, hadith: #1628, www.sunnah.com
[iii]
Classified by the critics as fabricated, see: Mullā ‘Alī al-Qārī, Nūruddīn Abūl Ḥasan ‘Alī ibn Sulṭān Muḥammad
al-Hirawī al-Qārī, Al-Asrār al-Marfū'ah fī al-Akhbār al-Mawdū'ah, p. 506, Albānī, al-Silsilah al-Da’īfah, 11
[iv] Maulānā
Muḥammad Sālim Qāsmī, Dīn aur Fiqhīi Madhāhib wa Masālik, opening speech
delivered in the seventeenth international seminar of the Islamic Fiqh Academy
on 5-7 April, 2008
[v] Ibid
[vi] Mustadrak
Ḥākim
[vii] Dīn
aur Fiqhīi Madhāhib wa Masālik
[viii] ibid
[ix]
Indian Express, web edition, May 10, 2016
[x]
Maulānā Nadīm al-Wājdī, Dil Āwez Shakhsiyat ke Kuch Achhūte Pahlū, an
article written on the demise of Maulānā Muḥammad Sālim Qasmi
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