[Aaron757]

In'shallah, the translation will be posted in parts. Very interesting book, and fun to read (only 15 pages)!

Here's the urdu
http://www.archive.org/download/Main...rOkarvir.a.pdf

How I became a Hanafi?
We praise Him and we send salutations on His noble Messenger…As for the rest:

We were living in the village when I was young. The question arose about where I should be sent to learn the Quran. There was one masjid in the village where almost every Friday, there was a fight. The Barelwis wanted their Imam to be appointed in the masjid, and the Ghair Muqallid wanted their Imam to be appointed. And there was only one family from the Deobandi maslak, which didn’t have any say in any matter. Whenever the fights would prolong, then there wouldn’t be any Imam in the masjid for upto six months, and sometimes, two congregations would take place for prayers. My father would always remain worried about this. Finally, he decided that Ghair Muqallid are better in Tawheed (monotheism) than the Ahle Bidat (innovators), so we will have our son study with them. So, I was sent to a ghair muqallid Hafiz Saheb for learning the Quran.

The method of Learning:
In school, I was studying in fifth grade, so I already knew the Arabic alphabet. So the first lesson with Hafiz Saheb was started from the first juz. Our teacher would make us repeat a few verses, and we would memorize them. After this, our teacher would tell us that I defeated so-and-so Hanafi Mufti, and I made so-and-so Hanafi scholar speechless. There is no Hanafi in the world, neither Deobandi nor Barelwi, who can compete with us. Then he would take an advertisement and tell us that, “Look! This advertisement is twenty years old. A challenge was published in it for all of the Hanafis of the world to show us only one Hadith in which the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said that today I have abrogated ‘Rafa Yadain’. Show us one hadith in which the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said that after a century, my deen will be abrogated and that Taqleed of Abu Hanifa will be made obligatory on my Ummat. This advertisement was sent to Deoband, but noone was able to show us any Hadith. We even offered rewards of thousands of rupees, but noone was able to answer us. Our teacher’s lies were enough to impress us simple students. But whenever he would also tell us that once on the way to Delhi, I stopped at Deoband and it was the time for prayers. All of the teachers and students were gathered in the masjid, so I stood up and showed them the advertisement telling them that this has been sent to your madrasa every year, so why don’t you send us the Hadith? Then our teacher would tell us that the teachers there, with great shame and embarrassment told me that we have never seen nor studied such a hadith. Why do you embarrass us by asking us for the hadith every time? After listening to our teacher’s claims, we would become completely hopeless, because we had heard from home that Deoband is a very big madrasa in the world. If our teacher has made even the teachers of Deoband speechless, then where will we get Ahadith from?

[Ambrakam]

I came across this book at home just the other day. I haven't read it yet.

Are you translating it here , sister ?

[Aaron757]

Yes, in'sha Allah, I'll be translating it in parts. It was an interesting read, so I thought I would share it with those who aren't familiar with Urdu

Here's the next part:
_________________

What is Ikhtilaf?
It’s obvious that we used to ask out teacher what the difference was between him and Ahlus Sunnah. So our teacher would say, “My son, we both believe in the Kalima of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam). Both groups agree on this. But we also say, to follow the one whose Kalima you recite. But, no! They say that we will recite the kalima of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) but we will follow Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullahi Alaih).” Then we would ask, “Ustadji, since Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullahi Alaih) was a Muslim scholar, then most definitely, he must have been helping other Muslims understand the sayings of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) because there’s no way that a scholar would oppose the sayings of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) on purpose.” So our teacher would reply, “Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullahi Alaih) was a very pious person however, during his time, all of the hadiths were not gathered. And that is why Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullahi Alaih) established many rulings using Qiyas (analogy), but he also emphasized others to leave any of his rulings which are against the hadith. But these Hanafis are very stubborn.” At this time, we did not have enough awareness to ask our teacher about what was the reason that the Ummah needed to collect Fiqh first, and collect Hadith later? The authors of Sahih Sitta definitely came after the four Imams, however none of them established any chapters in their books in refutation of Hanafi, nor Shafi Fiqh.

[ZIDouglas]

The next portion has been translated by Maulana Yasin of Muftisays.com.
Great work sister, may Allah reward you for your efforts.

InshaAllah, this should help speed up the much needed translation for the non Urdu reading Muslims.

http://www.muftisays.com/forums/the-...?p=33867#33867

Knowledge of Hadeeth:

The teacher then tells us that "the way fabrics are found at fabrics stores and the same way that sugar is found in shops that sell sugar, Hadeeth can only and only be found with the people of Hadeeth (Ahl-e-Hadeeth) and no Madrasah teaches Hadeeth.

If you leave from our Madrasah then you will drag your heels around all your life and die but your ears will thirst for each and every Hadeeth of Nabee (s.a.w).

The Ahadeeth of Nabi (s.a.w) are only and only taught with us and that's it."

At the time, we were naive and lacked the knowledge that there's also the brothers of these Ahl-e-Hadeeth called Ahl-e-Qur'aan and they also make the same type of claims. But, was this not a duty of our dear teacher that he told us accordingly, "Son, the Qur'aan should only be learnt from Ahl-e-Quraan because what connection do we have with the Qur'aan? "

In any case, we were convinced that only a handful of us were true believers in the Ahadeeth of Nabi (saw) and the rest were those that rejected it.

[Aaron757]

In'sha Allah, I'll try my best. May Allah accept this trivial effort.

Please note that any errors you find are due to my incompetence.

_____________________________________

The Rewards of 100 Martyrs
We remember very clearly that we were far from praying Nafl salat, rather we used to make fun of it. And Sunnahs were not that important either, because Hanafis used to place great importance on Sunnahs and Nafls. Yes! There was however great emphasis placed on reviving those Sunnahs which had died. For example, joining ankles with those who were on your sides during congregation prayers – this was a Sunnah which had died so there was reward of 100 martyrs in doing this. Similarly, saying “Ameen” loudly is a Sunnah. The Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) used to say that those people who are annoyed by “Ameen” will be the Jews of my Ummah; so say “Ameen” in such a loud voice, because the more Hanafis hear you, the more rewards of 100 martyrs you will receive, and you will receive separate reward for annoying these Jews.


The reality of Fiqh:
Along with this, our teacher also had books like Maulvi Muhammad Yusuf Jaipuri’s book Haqeeqatul Fiqh , and Maulvi Muhammad Rafiq Pasruri’s booklet Shamsher Muhammaddiya Bar Aqaid Hanafiya and Maulvi Muhammad Jonagrhi’s Shamae Muhammadi.

We would sit with our teacher and he would read to us some rulings, and then for five minutes the teacher and us students would grab our ears and do “Tauba, Tauba,” that "such dirty rulings are not even found in the books of Hindus and Sikhs. Oh Allah! If the Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians find out about these rulings, then they will think that Muslims are so degraded".

In summary, the thought was deeply instilled into our minds that in the entire world, the Hanafi Madhab (Nauzu Billah) is such a dirty madhab that even the Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Jews and all other disbelievers seek refuge from it.

[fiettariaps]

Thanks for sharing the urdu version, I read it completely. Good work for translating this into english.

[addisonnicogel]

Good Job
An english translation should be available online.

[Aaron757]

Methodology:
Now that our mindset had completely changed, our teacher would tell us to provoke one or two simple Hanafis to take us to their Maulvi Saheb, and that if he can show us the hadith, then we will become Hanafi. The simple ones would take us and we would ask the Maulana to show us the hadith where the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) told us to leave him and follow Imam Abu Hanifa (Rahmatullahi Alaih). After asking the question, we would never listen to the answer attentively. But, yes, after every two minutes we would make those Hanafis, who brought us there, our witnesses, and then say “See, Maulvi Saheb didn’t mention even one hadith.” Obviously, the Maulvi Saheb would then get angry so we would get up and leave. Our teacher would become very pleased with us and he would show us off in many villages and say “Look, this boy defeated so-and-so Hanafi Maulvi who couldn’t answer even one of his questions! He couldn’t present even one hadith.” And everyone would chant loudly:

جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed falsehood is ever bound to depart (v17:81)

[Aaron757]

6 Points:
Our teacher was an expert in this field. He would tell us that you don’t need Quran, Hadith, or Fiqh to defeat them. Any illiterate person can obtain the reward of 100 martyrs by annoying them.

1) Whenever you meet a Hanafi, then ask him right away that the wristwatch that you are wearing, where is the proof for it in the hadith? You don’t need any knowledge to ask these sorts of questions. You can send a six year old child to a pharmacy and he can place his hand on a medication and ask ‘where is the name of this medication in the hadith?’
After asking these questions, you must come to your masjid and announce that ‘I asked so-and-so Maulvi Saheb for a hadith and he wasn’t able to answer. So, it is the duty of every Ghair Muqallid, young and old, to spread the propaganda that so-and-so Maulvi sahib doesn’t know even one hadith.

2) The second point is that if you get stuck, and someone asks you that "The pen which is in your pocket, show me its name in the hadith?" Then, don’t panic, and right away say to them, ‘Which hadith has prohibited us from it?" And then make lots of noise saying "You couldn’t show a hadith prohibiting it, nor could you show hadith proving your points, nor could you show hadith prohibiting other points."
So now, all of the Ghair Muqallids will spread the propaganda that “Yes! Where will these poor fellows bring hadith from. They spent their entire life learning and teaching Fiqh!”

3) And if you get stuck and someone brings a Hadith book and says to you that “You are Ahlul Hadith! Look at all the hadiths that you don’t follow!” Then there’s no need to panic. Just laugh and say, “Oh great! Who knows what Hadith book you’ve brought. We only use Bukhari and Muslim, and if we’re really compelled, then we use the Sihah Sittah.”
Don’t just reject the other Hadith books, but also mock them, and ridicule it to such an extent that the one who presented it becomes so embarrassed that he hides it and you get off the hook.

4) And if someone shows you a hadith from these six books which is against you, then immediately put a condition for him that if he shows you this particular word, then you will give him 100,000 Rs in reward.
Just like the Mirzais demand a hadith with the exact words which say that Eesa (Alaihis Salam) was raised to the sky alive and in his physical body. And this hadith must be Saheeh, Sareeh, Marfu, Ghair Majruh; the ghair muqallids demand for a hadith with the word mansukh (abrogated) with the words rafa yadayn.
And make so much noise when demanding the word, that the opponent is automatically becomes completely silenced.

5) And if that specific word is found and your opponent tells you that “Look! The word that you wanted is right here!” then yell out loudly and say that “This hadith is weak, weak, weak” three times. Now, you won’t have to accept the hadith, and you’ll have the upper hand because you’ll show to others that this Maulvi Saheb doesn’t even know anything about this hadith. That illiterate will now know that this hadith is weak.

6) The sixth point that our teacher would emphasize to us was that if you see someone who doesn’t pray, then you won’t tell him to start praying. But yes, whoever does pray, you must tell them that your prayers are not valid.

These six points were our foundations.

My father was very devout on fasting and prayers, including Tahajjud. I would argue with him daily, that your prayers are not valid, your deen is not valid, your tahajjud is not accepted, and none of your worship is accepted. My father would say, “There’s no need to argue. Your prayers and our prayers, both of them are valid.”

So I would reply, “What a deception. Did One God send down two prayers to us – one in Madina and the other in Kufa? Our prayer is the prayer of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) which will take us to paradise."

My father would say, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
We used to consider this a great victory for us. And I also used to try to impress on him that I have great respect for you, otherwise, if I open the dirt of Fiqh, then your head would explode from its stink.

A few years passed in this manner.

[DextExexy]

my sister in Islam.

just for record, I am a learner here and want to ask some points of your post. Hope you won't mind.

6 Points:
Our teacher was an expert in this field. He would tell us that you don’t need Quran, Hadith, or Fiqh to defeat them. Any illiterate person can obtain the reward of 100 martyrs by annoying them.

1) Whenever you meet a Hanafi, then ask him right away that the wristwatch that you are wearing, where is the proof for it in the hadith? You don’t need any knowledge to ask these sorts of questions. You can send a six year old child to a pharmacy and he can place his hand on a medication and ask ‘where is the name of this medication in the hadith?’
After asking these questions, you must come to your masjid and announce that ‘I asked so-and-so Maulvi Saheb for a hadith and he wasn’t able to answer. So, it is the duty of every Ghair Muqallid, young and old, to spread the propaganda that so-and-so Maulvi sahib doesn’t know even one hadith.

are not they following Quran and sunnah? the two contents of Qalma? then why am seeing here brothers and sisters taking them in mockery? just because they don't adhere themselves to some Imam?

.....

3) And if you get stuck and someone brings a Hadith book and says to you that “You are Ahlul Hadith! Look at all the hadiths that you don’t follow!” Then there’s no need to panic. Just laugh and say, “Oh great! Who knows what Hadith book you’ve brought. We only use Bukhari and Muslim, and if we’re really compelled, then we use the Sihah Sittah.”
Don’t just reject the other Hadith books, but also mock them, and ridicule it to such an extent that the one who presented it becomes so embarrassed that he hides it and you get off the hook.

......

5) And if that specific word is found and your opponent tells you that “Look! The word that you wanted is right here!” then yell out loudly and say that “This hadith is weak, weak, weak” three times. Now, you won’t have to accept the hadith, and you’ll have the upper hand because you’ll show to others that this Maulvi Saheb doesn’t even know anything about this hadith. That illiterate will now know that this hadith is weak.

sister, Is this a serious note? I mean what is This????

...... Don’t just reject the other Hadith books, but also mock them, and ridicule it to such an extent that the one who presented it becomes so embarrassed that he hides it and you get off the hook. This is how a Muslim is suppose to be? The follower of Deeni Mohammad s.a.w - a humanist humanity has ever known, the humanity will ever know. and we will reject Hadith books and then mock at them? when we are CLEARLY OREDERED to speak good or be silent.

If we can't or don't want to, prove through Quran and Hadith, then better to keep silence and NOT to make fun of our Religion then we call it a religion of PEACE. How upsetting..

May Allah help us.amin.

[herawaq]

aoa,

this book is written incorrectly. for ahle hadith bashing it is good (but ahle hadith bashing isnt good), while if you really wish to make ghair muqallids see sense then it is not a good choice.
why?
because not all ahle hadith share the same beliefs as the writer's teacher.not all of them are takfiris. some genuinely feel they are misled by muqallid scholars and fear for their emaan, some confuse aqeedah with fiqh and dislike ghair muqallids for their responsibility in the bidats prevalent in society.

they are not all the same.i shd know. i was salafi inclined once.

however, some amazing points have been raised which should have been highlighted more rather than the dialogues between the writer and his teacher:

- why was fiqh collected before hadith was collected?
- if hadith was collected after fiqh and all the compilers of sahih sitta were muqallids why did they not include a part in their book dedicated to denouncement of their school of thought?
- one must not be arrogant in trusting their own intellect and strive to learn from scholars so that out understanding matches that of the salf-saliheen. this is unlike what qadiani did.
simply outstanding points.

however, the hanafi sheikh asks the author why no ahle hadith literature was published before 'angrez' came. this is a repetition of the age old theory of our enemies are agents of british.
ironically deoband also came into being after the british not before. no 'deoband' affiliated literature was published before british times.you point a finger at someone, three of your fingers point at you as well.

barelvis, deobandis, ahle hadith all came into being during british rule. i dont believe any of them to be agents of british. if anyone has verifiable proof please share it

[Caunnysup]

aoa,

this book is written incorrectly. for ahle hadith bashing it is good (but ahle hadith bashing isnt good), while if you really wish to make ghair muqallids see sense then it is not a good choice.
why?
because not all ahle hadith share the same beliefs as the writer's teacher.not all of them are takfiris. some genuinely feel they are misled by muqallid scholars and fear for their emaan, some confuse aqeedah with fiqh and dislike ghair muqallids for their responsibility in the bidats prevalent in society.

they are not all the same.i shd know. i was salafi inclined once.

however, some amazing points have been raised which should have been highlighted more rather than the dialogues between the writer and his teacher:

- why was fiqh collected before hadith was collected?
- if hadith was collected after fiqh and all the compilers of sahih sitta were muqallids why did they not include a part in their book dedicated to denouncement of their school of thought?
- one must not be arrogant in trusting their own intellect and strive to learn from scholars so that out understanding matches that of the salf-saliheen. this is unlike what qadiani did.
simply outstanding points.

however, the hanafi sheikh asks the author why no ahle hadith literature was published before 'angrez' came. this is a repetition of the age old theory of our enemies are agents of british.
ironically deoband also came into being after the british not before. no 'deoband' affiliated literature was published before british times.you point a finger at someone, three of your fingers point at you as well.

barelvis, deobandis, ahle hadith all came into being during british rule. i dont believe any of them to be agents of british. if anyone has verifiable proof please share it

The reason that the question is raised about the lack of scholarship from the Ahle Hadees before the British came is because even though Darululoom Deoband or the Barelvi maslak were not formally in existence, views similar to them were being espoused by the Hanafi ulama before the British came. On the other hand, you don't find any sort of literature that promotes the qualities that separates the Ahle Hadees of India/Pakistan from the rest of the Muslims of that region. That is to say, you'll find a lot of literature from the Hanafi and Shafi'i ulama within the Indian subcontinent before the British came, but you won't find any Ahle Hadees literature.

And you're completely correct that this isn't really applicable to all ghair muqallideen, especially those that do not come from India/Pakistan, but it is applicable to the ghair muqallideen who share abhorrent views such as Hanafis are mushrikeen or they attack Imam Abu Hanifa .

[Aaron757]

@sister Handhold
Dear Sister, walaikum assalam.
This is just the translation of book by a scholar Maulana Ameen Safdar Okarvi. He has written a short autobiography to narrate to us what he went through and the kind of people he met during his youth, that led to his misguidance and then guidance.

We must keep in mind that there are extreme people in all groups, not just Ahl Hadeeth. The author had a purpose for writing his short 15-page autobiography - and it was to raise awareness for the common folk who don't ponder too deeply into matters.
He is trying to highlight the points which led him to ponder more deeply about trying to look for the truth seriously. And Allah knows best.

When I read the book, I found it very beneficial, because it resonated with many things which I have witnessed within the community. So, I thought I would share the translation. This book is not meant to be a comprehensive categorization of Ahl Hadeeth, rather just a glimpse, so it should not be used to judge people.

[herawaq]

The reason that the question is raised about the lack of scholarship from the Ahle Hadees before the British came is because even though Darululoom Deoband or the Barelvi maslak were not formally in existence, views similar to them were being espoused by the Hanafi ulama before the British came. On the other hand, you don't find any sort of literature that promotes the qualities that separates the Ahle Hadees of India/Pakistan from the rest of the Muslims of that region. That is to say, you'll find a lot of literature from the Hanafi and Shafi'i ulama within the Indian subcontinent before the British came, but you won't find any Ahle Hadees literature.

And you're completely correct that this isn't really applicable to all ghair muqallideen, especially those that do not come from India/Pakistan, but it is applicable to the ghair muqallideen who share abhorrent views such as Hanafis are mushrikeen or they attack Imam Abu Hanifa .

ws,
maybe someone went to hijaz and read ibn taymiyyah and sh. ibn abdul wahhab during that era?

[Aaron757]

The move:
We moved from that place to a new location, where I didn’t have anyone instigating me or praising me. But, I did used to attend a madrasa in the city to study. My lessons were on Arabic Grammar, Bulugh ul Maram, and Nasai. The goal of studying was not to study the books completely – rather, it was only about reciting Fatiha behind the imam, Rafa yadayn, Ameen, placing the hands on the chest, widening the legs etc. If you knew these things, then it was absolutely certain that you would pass with the best marks. But things were not as fierce as it was in the village.

Tehreek Khatm Nubuwwat:
During this time, the movement of Khatm Nubuwwat took place. The Lakhvis (???) were against this movement because they used to consider the Qadiyanis as Muslims. Two elders Hadhrat Maulana Sayyid Muhammad Abdul Hanan and Hadhrat Maulana Abdul Qadeer were jailed in connection to this movement. They were both transferred to the Sahiwal prison. Hadhrat Maulana Diyauddin Seoharwi, a graduate from Deoband, was also present in this prison. The previous two elders were also graduates of Deoband and special students of the Great Imam Hadhrat Allama Sayyid Muhammad Anwar Shah Kashmiri (May Allah illuminate his resting place). Hadhrat Maulana Seoharwy convinced both of them to teach in Okara after their release from prison. And thus, both of these elders came to Okara. The Hanafis distributed many advertisements with titles like “Rainfall of knowledge and wisdom in Okara”; and they arranged a grand welcome for these elders.

[Aaron757]

ws,
maybe someone went to hijaz and read ibn taymiyyah and sh. ibn abdul wahhab during that era?

I had read a short article on history of Ahl Hadeeth or had listened to a lecture on, how it started, where it started etc. but it was a long time ago when I didn't know anything about them. I don't remember its name.
Usually when scholars say something, it isn't just a random thing. They have their reasons and daleel.

When Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani started his kufr, the ulama had told people that he was a british agent, but just like nowadays, the ulama were mocked for having conspiracy theories. But now everyone knows the truth.

Similarly, the case with Abdullah bin Saba, the father of Shiaism, when ulama called him Munafiq Jew, the people laughed and mocked the ulama about having conspiracy theories. But now everyone agrees.

And the list goes on...

So rather than just brushing aside the claim of the ulama, we should help them with their research to prove their points. There would be much reward for such people, who respect the ulama and help them.

[herawaq]

I had read a short article on history of Ahl Hadeeth or had listened to a lecture on, how it started, where it started etc. but it was a long time ago when I didn't know anything about them. I don't remember its name.
Usually when scholars say something, it isn't just a random thing. They have their reasons and daleel.

When Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani started his kufr, the ulama had told people that he was a british agent, but just like nowadays, the ulama were mocked for having conspiracy theories. But now everyone knows the truth.

Similarly, the case with Abdullah bin Saba, the father of Shiaism, when ulama called him Munafiq Jew, the people laughed and mocked the ulama about having conspiracy theories. But now everyone agrees.

And the list goes on...

So rather than just brushing aside the claim of the ulama, we should help them with their research to prove their points. There would be much reward for such people, who respect the ulama and help them.

aoa,
the deobandis and barelvis are termed agents of british too. do we not brush that aside without proof?
all i asked is that if there is verifiable proof then please bring it.
and ahle hadith dont comprise a sect. some dont follow scholars at all and do their own ijtihad. and the ghair muqallids of india and arabia are vastly different. we cant just group them together.
its like the scholars of hijaz once termed deobandis and barelvis to be the same. lack of knowledge and miscommunication. and they were ulema too

the snide hints about british agents may be one of the biggest obstacles an ahle hadith may face in becoming muqallid. its best we shed aside things w/o proof.

i dont disrespect ulema. but i dont believe them to be infallible and i dont really trust an alim unless he can show proof in his words and writings. many wrongs in islamic world are because of blind following.

and also it is wrong to compare ahle hadith with kuffar and munafiqeen.

[Caunnysup]

ws,
maybe someone went to hijaz and read ibn taymiyyah and sh. ibn abdul wahhab during that era?

But the difference is, the Salafi "Wahhabi" movement in the Arabian peninsula was not something that was staunchly anti-madhhab or anti-taqleed. That's why you still find a lot of Shafi'is and Hanbalis in Saudi Arabia. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a complete ghair muqallid in Saudi Arabia, especially amongst the laymen.

On the other hand, the Ahle Hadees movement is drastically different from the Saudi Salafis. The Salafi "Wahhabi" movement began in Arabia due to the prevalence of bid'ah. The Ahle Hadees movement began due to the prevalence of Hanafis. Obviously, the intentions of the Saudi "Wahhabis" were much nobler than the evil intentions behind the creation of the Ahle Hadees movement. What is the point of creating a movement based on attacking the muqallid?

No one would have had problems with the Ahle Hadees if they had not been so extremely obvious in creating discord in the Indian subcontinent by attacking Hanafis left and right. There is a reason why Deoband is a staunch proponent of taqleed.

The Shafi'is, as an example, are a lot more lax when it comes to taking dispensation from different madhahib on issues, yet the Indian/Pakistani Hanafis did not write or speak against this view.

[DextExexy]

@ sister bint_azam

Got you sister. May Allah show us That path which He wants us to walk on.ameen.

[ZIDouglas]

It is a strange thing, but when I read the book and heard his talks, I was able to relate so many incidents, (may be all of them) and relate them to Ahle Hadeeth, and Salafi here in the UK. At times it felt like my story was being foretold.

There are some very good Salafi Brothers, no doubt.

With regards to the Shafi', well I personally know some from India who are probably the most respected within their cult. They are staunch Barelwi. It's not just some Hanafi who are Barelwi. There are many Shafi who have this Aqeedah too. (The ones I personally know are from the Prophets family, not to say that they are correct)

With regards to the British Raaj, then from what I remember hearing in the lectures, it was the Barelwi who took sides with the British and it was the Deobandis who did Jihad with them, it was the Deobandis who fought the British. The Qadyanis are not worth wasting time on.