Bismillah hir rahmaan nirraheem,
Bahishti Zewar is one of the famous books of deobandis written on the issues of Women. The author of this book is Molana Ashraf Ali thanwi sahab and he was one of the pioneers of deoband. Deobandis recommend this book to probably every daughter, mother or sister that exist amongst deobandis. They highly praise this book and they regard it as one of the top and reliable book on hanafi fiqh. There is good in this book without a doubt. For example Ashraf Ali thanwi sahab writes about the importance of following Quran and Sunnah:
Translation: “To Act upon the Hukm of Quran and Hadeeth: The Prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam said: “Whoever adheres to my sunnah when my ummah is corrupt, (he) will have the reward of a 100 martyrs”. and the prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam said: I am leaving behind two things among you – You will never go astray if you hold fast to them: One is the book of Allaah which means Quran, the second is the prophet’s (s.a.w) sunnah which means hadeeth.”Bahishti Zewar Part 7 Quran o Hadees ke Hukm per Chalna
This reference proves 2 things
A) If we abide by the Quran and sunnah, we will never go astray and Alhamdulillah this dawah of calling people to Qruan and Sunnah is only given and done by Ahlul hadeeth but unfortunately alot of deobandi brother object to this dawah for useless reasons.
B) Sunnah means Hadeeth. Some deobandi brothers object that Ahlul hadeeth does not mean Ahlu Sunnah because hadeeth does not mean Sunnah. This reference is enough for deobandi brothers as a response to their objection.
In Another place Ashraf Ali Thanwi sahb writes:
Translation: “Allah and his Rasool sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam have shown all the matters pertaining to deen in the Quran and Hadith. To bring some new thing into the deen is not permitted. Such new things are known as bid’aat (innovations). An innovation is a Major sin.” Bahishti Zewar Part 1, Aqeedo ka Bayaan Masla 22
This is exactly the dawah, aqeedah and manhaj of te Ahlul hadeeth but alot of our deobandi brothers of today do not adhere to this at all and oppose us for the exact same message as mentioned by Ashraf Ali thanwi sahb. They are by far from this belief which is very very dangerous, Allaah knows best but i have seen people thanking Imam Abu Hanifa rahimahullah for giving them the COMPLETE SALAH because they believe that the salah wasnt complete at the time of the prophet s.a.w. Coming back the point, We believe that the matters of deen are complete in Quran and Hadeeth and it is nice to see the truth being told to the awaam but truth of the matter is that even this book it self i.e Bahishti zewar has so many things that are not from Quran and hadeeth.
Bahishti Zewar contains issues that are outright Blaspheme, issues that contradict the Sunnah, issues that are no where found any where in the Quran and Sunnah yet they have been made a part of deen, this book contains innovations, X rated stuff and many more. It has innovations and every innovation is misguidance and misguidance leads to hell fire. Alot of our deobandi brothers dont have this aqeedah and hence they indulge in various innovations which you can see in the other references that i have provided. Molana Ashraf Ali thanvi himself says its a major sin and yet the book has so many innovations in it that have nothing to do with Quran or hadeeth.
I decided to do this article only to allow the public to open their eyes and see the reality of this book.
Let me make it clear that my intention is not to hurt any one in sha Allah and you are free to let me know my mistakes. I know that majority of the layman amongst deobandis wont like this article only due to their love for Bahishti Zewar and Ashraf Ali Thanwi, but I tell you in sha Allah that by the end of this article you will have some thing to think. One must not forget that our priority is to follow prophet Muhammad sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam and Allaah has guaranteed Jannah to us by following Allah himself and the Prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam. Ashraf Ali thanwi sahb will not be benefit you on the day of judgement nor can he do you any good in your grave. My duty is to only let you know the truth of this book so you can get rid of this disturbing book and give your selves an opportunity to study the pure books based on Quran and Sahi Hadeeth. May Allaah help us, guide us and open our hearts to accept the truth from Quran and Sunnah and act upon it, Ameen.
If I say anything correct in this article, then it is from Allaah (subhanahu wa taa’ala), and if I erred, then that is from me and shaytan.
Note: Page numbers may vary from publisher to publisher so i will in sha Allah only mention the part, heading and masla numbers. The english translation of this book is tremendously forged to hide the reality. They havent translated a good part of the book and on many ocassions they have twisted the traslation So i will not relying completely on the translation. Any one can cross check the Urdu reference provided and check back the english translation to know the forgeries done over there.
Article Contents
1) Severe Insult to the Quran of Allaah
2) How to Enlarge Private Parts – Recipe from Bahishti Zewar of Ashraf Ali thanwi
3) Step by Step guide to leave salaah
4) Recipe for Zina
5) Innovations in Wudhoo -A
6) Innovations in Wudhoo – B
7) Four rakaat sunnat before the Fard of Isha: Absolutely proofless and baseless
8) Women Should pray Naked
9) Innovations in Funeral Prayer – Janazah
10) Reverse Wudhoo
11) Amazing Major sins
12) Confusion on Uttering intentions
13) Writing Dua on Kafan with fingers on the chest & forehead
1) Severe Insult to the Quran of Allaah
Translation: Labour Pain: Write this aayah on a piece of paper, wrap it in a clean cloth and tie it on the left thigh of the woman or Read it on a sweet and allow her to eat it. In sha Allah the child will be delivered easily. The Aayah is:
اذا السماء انشقت واذنت لربها وحقت واذا الارض مدت والقت مافيها وتخلت واذنت لربها وحقت
Bahishti Zewar Part 9, Jhaarr Phoonk Ka Bayaan
I tried alot to find the translation of this part from the english translation of Bahishti Zewar but i failed and couldnt find it any where. Deobandis have not translated this part and Allah knows best. I am speechless about the taweez being written on the left thigh of a woman and the reader is wise enough to reject this ridiculous act but I ask my brothers and sisters that adhere to this book to please help me increase my knowledge for the sake of Allaah and tell me if its alright to tie quranic aayah on thighs of women.
This blasphemous taweez has nothing to do with Quran, sunnah or Imam Abu Hanifa (rahimahullah). Yet this book is regarded as one of the best books on hanafi fiqh and this book says all matters pertaining to deen are mentioned in Quran and hadeeth so if this is deen then it must be somewhere in Quran and hadeeth but it isnt.
2) How to Enlarge Private Parts – Recipe from Bahishti Zewar of Ashraf Ali thanwi
Translation: “Go to graveyard and bring back 7 big ants, kill them one by one and put them in Jasmine oil in a bottle then bury that bottle in goat’s dropping for day and night. Next day take it out and mix these ants properly in the oil. Rub your private part with thick cloth until it is reddish then massage this oil on it and leave it for 20 mins.” Bahishti Zewar Part 11, Chand Mutafarrik Nuskhay
Now can any deobandi on earth tell me if he can show this to his mother, daughter or sister? Leave aside them, we cant even show it to men either. Such shamelessness wallahi and all this is done in the name of “FIQH” and “Masaail of women”. Is this Quran, Sunnah or Imam Abu hanifa’s fiqh?
There are other nonsense like this in Bahishti Zewar but this one is enough.
This was never supposed to be deen.. How have these people made a mockery of what was supposed to be a revelation from Allaah. We as muslims argue with Christians and show them the X rated stories in the bible but what about this?
3) Step by Step guide to leave salaah
Translation:
“Masla 9) After standing up from ruku, a person did not recite: “Sami Allahu liman Hamida Rabbana Lakal Hamd” OR in ruku he did not recite: “Subhaana Rabbi Al Adheem” OR in sajdah he did not recite: “Subhaana Rabbi Al A’laa” OR in the last sitting position he did not recite durood after at-tahiyyaat. Then in all the above cases his salaat will be valid, but it will be contrary to the Sunnah. Similarly, if after the durood, he did not read any dua, but made salaam immediately after reciting durood, then too his salaat will be valid but contrary to the Sunnah.
Masla 10) It is Sunnah to raise the hands at the time of making intention. If one does not raise his hands, it will still be proper but contrary to the Sunnah.
Masla 17) If a person does not read Surah Faatihah in the latter two rakaats but merely reads SubhaanAllah three times, even then his salaat will be proper. However, it is preferable to recite Surah Faatihah. And if he reads nothing at all and merely remains silent, even then there is no harm and the salaat will be proper.” Bahishti Zewar Part 2, Namaaz Parrhnay ka Tareeqa (Method of performing salaah).
SubhanAllah, this is their method of performing fard salaah and they debate us on Rafa yadain, saying ameen loudly and reciting surah al faatiha behind the imam.
Step by Step Guide on how to leave namaaz:
a) First leave Sami Allaahu Liman Hamida
b) Then leave Subhaana Rabbi Al Adheem
c) Then leave Subhaana Rabbi Al A’laa
d) Then leave out durood shareef
e) Then leave the dua after durood shareef
f) And then finally leave surah faateha as well.
The bottom line, if you dont read anything in your salaah, still it will be proper and correct. SubhanAllaah, this is fard salaah and i wonder whats left behind to recite in Salaah??
He even says that this is “contrary to the sunnah” but he forgot the basic usool that Allaah does not accept a form of worship if its not in accordance to Quran and Sunnah. They debate us on Rafa yadain, ameen bil jahr, reciting surah al fateha behind the imaam… Whats the use of all these debates when such recipes are given to make a mockery of the worship of Allaah?
Some deobandis say this is about a person that is new to Islam or doesnt know the duas. That is not the case here at all and nor is it mentioned. The issue is about reciting and NOT reciting, Reading and NOT Reading. It isnt about some one Unable to recite OR Cannot recite. If some one is new to Islam and if he is unable to recite anything then Allaah will inshaAllah accept his salaah even if he doesnt know anything and stands for prayer.
Further, the reference states that the prophet s.a.w raised his hands while making intentions. This is a buhtaan on Rasool Allah sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam because the prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam did not raise his hands at the time of making the intention for salaah as stated. The English translation of Bahishti Zewar has mistranslated this part as:
“It is Sunnah to raise the hands AT THE TIME OF COMMENCING SALAAT”
This is a failed attempt to hide the truth which deobandis always do to the ones that Cannot understand or read urdu. They have forged translations of their own on occasions to hide the truth from the English speaking public.
I ask my deobandi brothers again.. which quranic aayah or hadeeth or saying of imam abu hanifa mentions all this?
4) Recipe for Zina
Translation: “A person had sexual intercourse with a woman after mistaking her for his wife. He will have to give her mahrul mithl as well, and this intercourse with her will not be regarded as adultery (zind) nor will there be any sin. Infact, if the woman falls pregnant, the lineage of the child will be in order. It will not be tainted and it is not permissible to label the child as being a bastard. The moment the man realizes that this is not his wife, he should immediately separate himself from her and it will not be permissible for him to continue with the intercourse. It is also wdjib on this woman to observe the iddah. It is not permissible for her to stay with her husband or to engage in sexual intercourse with him.” Bahishti Zewar Part 4, Mahr ka bayaan masla 16
My deobandi brothers and sisters, i ask you for the sake of Allaah to use some basic common sense on this reference. We take the following teachings from this ruling of Ashraf ali thanwi in bahishti zewar:
a) A person is mistaken and has sex with some one else’s wife. This is called Zina in any language but this book ‘Bahishti Zewar’ says it should not be called Zina.
b) He will have to give her Mahr ul mithl as well which is a part of Nikaah.
c) The child that is born with this zina shall not be called Haraami (Bastard).
d) Then when the man realises that she isnt my wife, then he should stop having sex with her and leave her.
e) The woman however must now observe Iddah and she cannot go back to her husband without the Iddah after having done zina.
How on earth can some one having intercourse with some one’s wife not be termed as Zina? How on earth is Mahrul Mithl applicable and given to the one that you had zina with? And how on earth is that child born not illegitimate? What shall i call this….? I cant help but call this a recipe for Zina. What was the woman doing all this time? Was she mistaken as well?
One brother, may Allaah guide him, he told me “YOU DIDNT PRESENT ANYTHING FROM QURAN AND SUNNAH AGAINST THIS. THERE IS WISDOM BEHIND THIS FIQH!! WHAT IF THIS TAKES PLACE IN AN AREA WHERE THERE 2 COUPLES LIVING?!!” etc etc
I was wondering the following harsh response but i didnt give it to him back then but now im forced to share it coz there might be people like him reading this right now. So some one want to justify this act of Zina then just put me in the place of that “mistaken person” and put your mother in place of that woman. Or just suppose that the mistaken person is your very own brother and the woman is ur wife or mother. Will you then go around justifying this…?
Im very sorry im harsh but emotions cant be controlled when these things are being attributed to Islam when as they have nothing to do with Islam. This book Bahishti zewar is being distributed in our women by the people that have never bothered reading it them selves. They’ve just heard a certain sectarian mullah praising the book because his elder wrote it. And hence we being the blind followers that we are, we just take the book and say ‘WOW WHAT A BOOK’ where as it has absolutely no reference from where its taking these fatwas and masaail. All this is done in the name of “Hanafi fiqh”. This dirt has nothing to do with Islam or imam abu hanifa (rah) and we reject this fabricated dirt.
My brothers and sisters this is not from any Quranic aayat or any hadeeth in the treasures of ahadeeth to do this practice and im sure inshaAllah that this isnt even mentioned by Imam Abu Hanif (rah).
5) Innovations in Wudhoo – A
Translation: “…While making wudu, wordly talk should be avoided. Instead, Bismillah and the Kalima should be read on washing each and every part…”
“After having performed the wudu, Surah al-qadr should be recited….” [Bahishti Zewar, Wuzoo ka Bayaan, Masla no.9 and masla no.13]
Brothers and sisters, the prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam never taught his Ummah anything to be recited during Wudhoo nor did he taught us to recite Surah Al Qadr after wudhoo.
The Prophet s.a.w taught us to say “Bismillah” before Wudhoo, there is no Dua during the Wudhoo, thereafter one has completed doing Wudhoo he must say:
أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لا شَريـكَ لَـهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمّـداً عَبْـدُهُ وَرَسـولُـه
OR
سُبْحـانَكَ اللّهُـمَّ وَبِحَمدِك أَشْهَـدُ أَنْ لا إِلهَ إِلاّ أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتوبُ إِلَـيْك
OR
اللّهُـمَّ اجْعَلنـي مِنَ التَّـوّابينَ وَاجْعَـلْني مِنَ المتَطَهّـرين
There is no such thing as Reciting Surah Al Qadr or reciting bismillah and Kalima upon washing each and every part during wudhoo. Its not in the Quran, sunnah or any where by Imam abu hanifa rahimahullah.
May Allah guide us all and may Allah protect us from every kinds of innovations (Bidat) in Islam. Ameen.
The Prophet s.a.w said: “…every innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire.” Sunan an-Nasaa’ee (1/224)
6) Innovations in Wudhoo – B
Translation: “After having made Wudhoo if one has a doubt that a part has not been washed but he does not know exactly which part it was. In order to get rid of this doubt, he should wash his left foot.” Bahishti Zewar Part 11, Hadas e Asghar Yaani Bay Wuzoo Honay ki Haalat ke Ahkaam, Masla no.6
My brothers and sisters, this is not from any Quranic aayah or any hadeeth in the treasures of ahadeeth and im sure in sha Allah that this isnt even mentioned by Imam Abu Hanifa (rahimahullah). From where is thanwi sahb getting these things?
7) Four rakaat sunnat before the Fard of Isha: Absolutely proofless and baseless
Translation: “At esha time, it is better and mustahab to first offer four rakaats of Sunnah, then the four rakaats of fard…”[Bahishti Zewar, Part 2, Sunnat aur Nafal Namazo ka bayaan Masla no.5]
Alot of our beloved brothers and dear sisters have made 4 rakaat sunnah before Isha as a part of Deen and they call it Sunnah or rather Sunnat Ghair Muwakkada. We know that Sunnat Ghair muwakkada is the sunnah which the prophet s.a.w didnt do regularly. That means if these 4 rakaat are Sunnat Ghair Muwakkada then Surely there should be just one proof atleast to show that the prophet sal Allahu alyhi wasallam prayed these 4 rakaat but wallahi there is not a single hadeeth with Sahi or Hasan chain which even indicates that the prophet sal Allahu alyhi wasallam offered 4 rakaat sunnah before Isha fard.
Molana Yusuf Binori writes in Ma’arif us Sunan Sharh Jaami’ Tirmidhi, Page number 115 that:
لم أجد في الأربع قبل العشا حديثا في كتب الحديث مع فحص البالغ
Rough translation: “After alot of hard work, I could not find any hadeeth in the hadeeth books which mentions 4 rakaah before Isha”
Then on Page 116 he has written that:
و متون الحنفية متطابقة على ذكر ندب الأربع قبل العشا فربما يكون له حجة في كتب أئمتنا المخطوطة أو الضائع
Rough translation: “The hanafi books are filled with the mention of 4 rakaat before Isha so May be there is proof for it in the books that are “Aimatnal Makhtoota” or the books that have been wasted.”
Im unable to translate Aimatnal makhtoota for now so please pardon me.
Mufti taqi usmani tried to justify these 4 rakaat with a proof of his but Alhamdulillah at the end he make it clear that the prophet s.a.w didnt determine these rakaat and thats my whole point. He says at the end of his fatwa that:
“However, it should be borne in mind that these 4 rak’ats should not be taken as determined by Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), nor as a specific Sunnah.”
http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/15881
With this statement he has basically dismissed the position of nearly all of the hanafi fiqh which holds the view that the prophet s.a.w prayed 4 rakaat sunnah ghair muwakkada.
However, I do have doubts over his attempt to justify this 4 rakaat with the hadeeth of Sahi Al Bukhari. The link provided says:
“On the basis of this Hadith, Muslim Jurists have inferred that it is mustahab (desirable) to perform some prayer, nafl or sunnah, before every obligatory prayer, except before Maghrib, according to the Hanafi Mazhab.”
You can see how he added the exception before maghrib. The hadeeth of Sahi Al Bukhari which mufti Taqi Usmani used is narrated by Abdullah bin Mughaffal Al-Muzani. Now the same Sahabi narrates another similar hadeeth which is mentioned in Sahi Al Bukhari.
Chapter: The (optional) Salat (prayer) before the (compulsory) Maghrib prayers, Hadeeth# 1183
Narrated ‘Abdullãh Al-Muzani:
The Prophet , said, “Perform (an optional) Salat (prayer) before the (compulsory) Maghrib prayers.” He (repeated it thrice) and the third time, he said, “Whoever wants to offer it, can do so,” lest the people should take it as a Sunnah.
The exact same sahabi makes it clear that there is a nafal prayer before maghrib salah and he did not give any exception to maghrib Salaah but mufti taqi usmani used a hadeeth narrated by the exact same sahabi and gives an exception to the maghrib salaah. Its like Justifying something that has no proof any where and leaving out something that has proof from the same proof that one has presented. The nafal before maghrib salaah has its daleel and the 4 rakaat Sunnat ghair muwakkada has no daleel. There is no exception for maghrib salaah in this hadeeth at all and the daleel provided by him applies to the nafal before maghrib salaah as well. It does not have any exception for maghrib salaah either which negates the majority of the position of hanafi fiqh. Allaah knows best.
8) Women Should pray Naked
Translation: “If the entire clothing is impure, or most of it is impure, i.e less than a quarter of it is pure and the balance of it is impure, then in such a case one could either offer the salah while wearing those impure clothes or REMOVE THE CLOTHES AND OFFER THE SALAH WHILE NAKED. However, it is preferable to offer the Salah with the impure clothes. Bahishti Zewar Part 2, Namaz ki Sharo ka Bayaan, Masla no.6
The brothers that adhere to this book, they say their Imam in Peripherals (Furoo’ Masaail) is Imam Abu Hanifa, they say the proof of a (deobandi) muqallid is only the saying of his Imam (Abu Hanifa) and that Bahishti Zevar is One of the best books on Hanafi fiqh. However the above reference of women praying salaah while naked is not mentioned any where by Imam Abu Hanifa (rahimahullah). This is not hanafi fiqh, this is not what Imam Abu Haneefa ever said or ever wrote. This issue is also not mentioned any where in the Quran and Sunnah.
It should be noted however that Imam shaf’ee has mentioned a similar fatwa in His Kitaab ul Umm but it is not endorsed and the majority of the Ulama do not adhere to that fatwa of Imam Shaf’ee.
Shaykh Al Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah says:
“What if a person cannot find anything but an impure garment? It was said he should pray naked, or he should pray wearing it and repeat the prayer, or he should pray in it and not repeat the prayer, and this is the most correct of the scholarly views..” Ibn Taymiyyah [Majmoo’ Al fataawa 22/34, 35]
Deobandi ulama do not consider Imam Shaf’ee as proof nor do they give an iota of importance to him. If they had given some importance to Imam Shaf’ee, Imam Maalik or Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal rahimahullah then surely they would never have objected to their Aqeedah of Tawheed or views such as Rafa Yadain (Raising of the hands) before Rukoo’ and after Rukoo’ or saying Aameen loudly or praying Surah Al Fateha behind the Imam. All of these 3 imams did rafa yadain before rukoo’ and after rukoo’ as they regarded it as the Sunnah of the prophe t sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam but deobandis in return attack the ones that do rafa yadain, they ridicule them, mock them, make fun of them and they try to refute them in vain as well.
So the most correct view is that One should pray in it and not repeat the prayer. Allaah knows best. Offering salaat naked is not from hanafi fiqh or Imam Abu Hanifa neither is it any where mentioned in Quran and Sunnah.
9) Innovations in Funeral Prayer – Janazah
Translation: “The Sunnah and Mustahab Method of Janazah salaat is as follows: The deceased should be placed in the front and the Imam should stand in line with his chest. Everyone should make the following intention:
نويت أن أصلي صلاة الجنازة لله تعالى و دعا للميت
“I intend offering the Janaazah salaat for the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala and as a dua for the deceased.” Bahishti Zewar Part 11, Janaazay ki Namaz ke Masaail, Masla no.13
Ashraf Ali Thanwi sahb mentions the “SUNNAH AND MUSTAHAB METHOD” of Salat ul Janaazah but then he starts off with an intention that is no where mentioned in Any Sunnah. There are no words of intention for salaatul janaazah or any form of salaah any where in the Quran or hadeeth. Ashraf Ali thanwi included this as the sunnah where as it is not the sunnah by any means what so ever.
10) Reverse Wudhoo
Translation: “Sunnah is to make wudu exactly as has been mentioned above. but if any one alters or reverses the procedure of wudhu, eg. by washing the feet first, then making masah, and then washing the hands, and thereafter washing the face, or alters the procedure in any other way – Then wudu will still be regarded as complete. However, it will not be considered to be in accordance with the sunnah, and there is always the fear of having sinned. Similarly, If the left hand or the left foot is washed first, wudu will be completed, but it will be contrary to being mustahab.” Bahishti Zewar Part 1, Wuzoo ka Bayaaan, Masla no.4
Once there was one of our brothers who just asked a deobandi brother how it is to perform Wudu the other way around? (as mentioned in Bahishti Zewar). The Deobandi brother gave an emotional answer that “This is the Wudhoo of Shias”. The Deobandi brother didnt knew that Ashraf Ali Thanwi had the same reverse procedure of Wudoo in his book. Khair, Allaah completed His Deen 1400 years back and One of The Crucial Criterias of Allaah accepting our A’maal is that it has to be accordance to the Sunnah. If its not in accordance to the Sunnah then no matter how sugar coated the act looks like, Allaah does not accept it. This reverse method is no where in the deen of Allaah and this is an innovation in the deen of Allaah. The Prophet s.a.w said:
“…every innovation is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire.” Sunan an-Nasaa’ee (1/224)
Some deobandis justify this by referring to the variant of method of wudhoo which the prophet s.a.w did on occasions. They also quote some ulama saying that the sequence of Wudhoo isn’t necessary.
We tell them that these methods of the prophet s.a.w have nothing to do with the forged “Reverse Wudoo”. Rather they are the Various methods of doing wudoo from the prophet s.a.w. Alhamdulillah our madhab as Ahlul hadeeth is not to hold onto One method from the Prophet s.a.w and dismiss others by labelling it with a sect. We accept every Sunnah that is proven from the prophet s.a.w. We accept the variant methods but we don’t fabricate a method of our own rather we stick to the variant methods which the prophet s.a.w did to show us that the sequence isn’t necessary.
11) Amazing Major sins
Bahishti Zewar Part 1, Baaz Barray barray Gunaah jinke karne waalay per boht sakhti aayi hai.
The title of this section translated into english means “Some Major Sins regarding which severe warnings have been mentioned”. In this section Ashraf Ali thanwi sahb made a listed such major sins and in this list he included:
a) To Complain or listen to complain.
b) To be joyful upon rise of prices of good.
c) Some women play and girls play “Bud bud ke guttay” or any other game. This is also Gambling.
My brothers and sisters these 3 acts are included in Bahishti Zevar’s list of Major Sins. Bahishti Zevar is supposed to be a book of Hanafi fiqh. I fail to realise as to how are these things even listen to be sins and i would love to know any Quranic Aayah or any authentic hadeeth or any authentic reference to Imam Abu Hanifa about these 3 things to be Major sins. Atleast inshaAllah we can have clue that Complaining or listening to a Complain, expressing joy on the increase of price of goods or girls playing are Major sins. InshaAllah i will appreciate your time and effort to help me understand but for now i dont think these things are any where near to be called a sin anywhere in Quran, Sunnah or Any Saying of Imam Abu Hanifa rahimahullah.
Is it a sin to complain and to listen to it?
Check this link inshaAllah to have an idea of how much the sahaba complained and how much the prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam heard their complains on various issues: www.sunnah.com/search/complain
Is it a sin if the market value of my goods are increased and i express joy over it so i can earn a few more rupees? I still remember that my dear friend was working in a utility store and he would be happy the day the prices got increased barely 5 rupees or more on a certain Running product. It would help him earn more and pay off his rents easily. So basically the poor guy was committing a major sin?
If some girls play “bud bud ke guttay” or any other game, is that gambling?
I honestly cannot translate bud bud ke guttay so please pardon me for my short comings but if girls play any game… is that gambling?
Note: The english translation of Bahishti Zewar has forged the translation of these words and they have translated it as follows:
To complain against someone, or to hear such a complaint.
To express joy on the rise and inflation of the value of commodities or goods.
To gamble. Some women and girls play certain games with stakes on them. This is also a kind of gambling.
This is an absolutely false translation and any one that can understand and read urdu, he can see it for it self.
12) Confusion on Uttering intentions
Translation: “It is not necessary to make a verbal intention. If a person thinks in his heart that I am reading the fard of Zuhr for today, or if it is a Sunnah, then I am reading the Sunnah of zuhr; then this will be sufficient. All those lengthy intentions which are popular among the people are not necessary at all.”
“If salaat of several days has been missed then one should also specify the day and date when making the intention..”
“If he is making qada for several months or years, he should also specify the month and year and say: I am offering the qada of fajr salaat of a particular day in a particular month and in a particular year…” Bahishti Zewar Part 2, Niyyat karne ka bayaan.
Scholars have agreed that intention is essential condition for any worshipping act to be accepted. Rasool Allah sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam said: “Deeds depend upon intentions, and every person gets but what he has intended…” [Sahi Bukhari, Sahi Muslim]. I have collected basically 2 points from the section of “Niyyat ka bayaan” from Bahishti Zevar. The question here is not about the intention but it is about “UTTERING” the intention verbally like “Niyyat karta hoon 4 rakaat farz moo mera kaaba ki taraf etc etc”.
The Masla no.1 as stated by Molana thanvi is very right without a doubt. The place of intention is the heart, not the tongue. There is no need for the verbal intention to be made for salaah. The prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam didnt teach this to us nor was it done by the sahaba. Nothing is proven about this famous verbal intention from Quran and Sunnah at all.
But then almost all of the remaining section of “Niyyat ka bayaan” from Bahishti Zevar is full of intentions, what to say or how to utter etc etc. I just shared one reference i.e Masla no.6 to give an example. All these words for intentions and examples have nothing to do with Quran and Sunnah. They arent taught to us in the Quran, nor are they any where present in the sacred Sahi Ahadeeth of Rasool Allah sal Allahu alyhi wasallam.
Shaikh ul Islam ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah throws light on this issue of verbal intention: http://www.islamqa.com/en/ref/13337
Also some references from the hanafi, shafi, hanbali and maaliki school of thoughts: http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vbe/showthread.php?t=133
Allama Ibn Hammaam, Allama Ibn Al Qayyim and Allama Ibn baaz have also agreed and declared the verbal intention to be an innovation.
Uttering the intention verbally is definetely not from the Sunnah and it ought to be avoided. It should be done in the heart as stated by the over whelming majority of the Ulama.
13) Writing Dua on Kafan with fingers on the chest & forehead:
Translation: “It is permissible to write a dua like Ehad Naama on the kafan of the mayyat just by moving the fingers without using a pen OR bismillahirrahmaanirraheem on his chest or the Kalma “La ilaaha ilAllah Muhammadur Rasoolullah” on his forehead (by moving the fingers), however, this practice has no proof from any sahih hadith. Therefore, this practice should not be regarded as sunnah or mustahab”.Bahishti Zewar Part 9, Janaazay ke Mutafarrik Masaail no.13
Thanwi sahb himself says that this method of writing kalma or bismillah is not in any sahih hadeeth nor is it mustahab yet he says it is permissible. Thanwi sahb previously said that all matters pertaining to deen are mentioned in Quran and Hadeeth. So if this is a part of deen then which Quranic aayah or hadeeth is used to justify this??
None.
There are many many other references but i will end my article over here. I ask the readers to please think over the points i have mentioned. My intention is in sha Allah to call you to Quran and Sunnah, i dont intend to hurt you but exposing the truth is my duty. If i have erred then you have the right to correct me but if i am right then it is Obligatory upon you to correct your self according to Quran and Sunnah. By Allah we ask you to correct your affairs according to Quran and Sunnah, if your sect or thanwi sahb is more dear to you then nothing will have an effect on you. but if Allaah or his prophet sal Allahu aleyhi wasallam or the deen of Allah are more important then you will definetely think of coming to the right path of Quran and Sunnah which is nothing but the path of Ahlul hadeeth. In the end i ask Allah to forgive my short comings. I ask Allah to accept these efforts, Ameen.
Bahishti Zewar by Ashraf Ali Thanwi is not a book for any man or woman. Allah knows best.