Salafi Tussle

By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam 07 February 2023 Over time what has changed: Mullahs or Islam? Main Points · A new recording between some students of Bashir Ahmad Salafi and Rouf Madkhali is doing rounds over social media. · Mullahs were responsible for Islam being tagged as anti-progress and responsible for arresting the growth of humanity. · Rouf says it is the Ulama, who are the real custodians and rightful interpreters of Islam. · But the caller points out that there are two types of Ulama, the righteous and charlatan, Ulama e Haqq and Ulama e Suu. · The caller justifies the Takfeer and calls it an important pillar of Islam. Rouf disagrees with it. · Madrasas are not able to produce critical thinkers and leaders but sectarian leaders, who destroy everything in their rage and spit venom on every occasion. ... A new recording between some students of Bashir Ahmad Salafi and Rouf Madkhali is doing rounds over social media. These mullahs earlier opposed every new invention, thus retrograding the Muslims to the abysmal darkness. Be it the opposition to the printing press, photography, English education, or communication system, they opposed it with certain exceptions. It was normal to oppose it in an individual capacity but they exploited Islam to justify their claims. So this stance of mullahs was responsible for Islam being tagged as anti-progress and responsible for arresting the growth of humanity. It was not Islam that was anti-progress but that was how these mullahs presented it before people. But now when technology has overwhelmed humanity, these mullahs are at the forefront of accepting it with all its flaws. So over time what has changed? Mullahs or Islam? One can very well judge it. To add insult to injury these ‘custodians of Islam’ and self-styled representatives have never acknowledged their blunders and hold themselves responsible for the current dismal position of Muslims. Expecting an apology from this self-righteous bunch is out of the question. They still are running away from the real blame as only those people who accept their mistakes that are courageous and want to rectify the wrongs. They have elevated their stature to that of Prophets, so thinking that they can make mistakes is itself considered blasphemous. Till mullahs continue to lead Muslim societies, they are doomed. So in this viral clip, the so-called students are demanding answers about holding reverence towards Maulana Abul Ala Mawdudi, who is considered an apostate because he is gustaakh e Sahaba (one who criticizes the companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)/first generation of Muslims). Apparently, the reason for it is his finest work Khilafat wa Malukiyat (Caliphate or Monarchy). What renders Mawdudi apostate in the eyes of these Salafis is the fact that he exposed the inner bickering, conspiracies, and political travesty that happened in the first generation of Muslims. This work of Mawdudi blasts off the myth that Salafis bestow on all Sahabas without understanding that there is a hierarchy among them, which needs to be respected. Bestowing blanket status of sanctity on all Sahabas hurts the real image of Islam. Many of the Sahabas did deviate from the straight path as they were humans too. The presence of hypocrites among Sahabas is an evident fact as deliberated by the Quran. Although Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not name and shame the hypocrites openly, they were a part of the new Muslim community. Prophet (pbuh) would have ordered their killing but out of pragmatic reasons he did not. The Muslim community was a new one and as is known from a narration the Prophet did not want to be known as someone who murdered his own companions. So he let them remain part of the Muslim community. Also, anyone who is legally a Muslim cannot be killed. Hypocrisy is the disease of heart and intentions so no one even the Prophet did not enjoy the right of judging people. It is a prerogative of God only. But he and Quran did articulate a few qualities of hypocrites, so from that, we can judge but not call anyone a hypocrite. The politics in Islam carried on bereft of Islamic values. It is what Mawdudi brought to the fore that renders him apostate and gustaakh in the eyes of some Salafis. Later the caller informs Rouf about his authority in Islam. He then questions him about his teacher Maulana Bashir Salafi, whom Rouf calls Bashir Chopan, in order to denigrate him. Chopan is a caste of lumberjacks and Kashmir being a caste-ridden society, name calling by caste is to make the students understand that their teacher belongs to a low caste, so he should have followed his ancestral profession as a woodcutter, instead of indulging in religious discourses. Then the crisis for authority starts. Who speaks for Islam? Rouf says it is the Ulama, who are the real custodians and rightful interpreters of Islam. But the caller points out that there are two types of Ulama, the righteous and charlatan, Ulama e Haqq and Ulama e Suu. So Rouf, counters him about the yardstick about deciding who are the real and charlatan ones? So he names some Salafis of his group and calls them charlatans, and Rouf gets angry and both sides exchange invectives, and the call ends in rage. The caller justifies the Takfeer and calls it an important pillar of Islam. Rouf disagrees with it. But it is now that the chickens have come home to roost. It was the Salafis who started the Takfeer, called other sects deviated and Mushriks, but now a few quislings have sprouted among them and they are doing their takfeer and calling the very Salafis as Ulama e Suu. The real question is that except for the Islamic State that had the authority to make a policy as state one even if it was unIslamic, now the authority has been democratized and any scholar or mullah of any sect can declare the other one as deviated, mushrik and gustaakh even apostate. Further, the Ulama have been granted so much authority by their sects and blind followers that they do not allow the right to dissent to the common people. They say that students can have doubts but not right to different or alternative viewpoints, thus killing any critical thinking at its onset. It is because of this mindset that madrasas are not able to produce critical thinkers and leaders, but only obedient followers and rageful, venomous sectarian leaders, who destroy everything in their rage and spit venom on every occasion. The crisis of authority among the Ulama will continue and can never be resolved, but the democratic, tolerant, and plural environment can offer the Ulama an opportunity for intrafaith dialogue, that seems alien to them because anger and intolerance provide a suitable environment for them to thrive with impunity. ... Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir, and can be reached at sikandarmushtaq@gmail.com --------- URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-sectarianism/salafi-tussle-mullahs-islam/d/129048 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism