- The Sufi Ahmad Sarhandi Mujaddid Alif Thani on celebrations of Mawlid.
He was asked that some people (a person Meer Muhammad Aziz) saw Prophet peace be upon him in dream and He peace be upon him was very happy due to their celebrations and Sama in Mawlid un Nabi.
Ahmad Sarhandi rejected those dreams and said Satan is worst of the enemy, so these dreams should be rejected, which are not saved from the mixing of satan.
Then he was asked about the hadith
““One who sees me in a dream, it is as if he has truly seen me, for Satan cannot impersonate me. ”
That when those people saw Prophet peace be upon him, that means the dreams are saved from the mixing of satan.
He replied:
“That the Author of Futuhaat Makkiyah (Ibn Arabi) wrote that satan can not come on the specific soorah of Prophet peace be upon him which is buried in Madeenah al Munawwarah, he can take any other soorah apart from this specific soorah…”
Then he did Istedlaal from a weak narration which states Satan put the words in the mouth of Prophet peace be upon him and said:
“when in the life of Prophet peace be upon him, in the state of wakefulness, in the majlis of sahaba, Satan the cursed mixed his words with the words of Prophet peace be upon him and no one could differentiate, than what would be the case of these dreams after the death of Prophet peace be upon him, they are worthless dreams…
I (Ahmad Sarhandi) say: it was fixed in the minds of those who recite and listen the poetry in praise of Prophet peace be upon him (Na`at) that Prophet peace be upon him is happy with this act (thats why they saw this dream)..”
Then he said Khawaja Naqshband Qudus surrah would not celebrate (the mawlid) and he did not stop others as well.
Then Shaykh Sarhandi said:
“If for the sake of argument Hadrat qudus surrah was alive in this world, do you think he would like these Majalis and gatherings or no? Faqeer (Mujaddid Alif Thani) have a firm belief that He would never like these gatherings, rather he would reject these gatherings. I just wanted to inform you, whether you agree or no its your choice, neither there is choice of fight with you. If those friends still follow this fabrication and do not change their state, then we have no other choice other than disappointment..”
[Maktubaat Mujaddid Alif Thani fifth part pages 729-734, Maktub no. 273]
2. The argument of good Innovations is responded by Mujaddid Alif Thani.
He said:
“When every new thing in deen is an innovation and the Innovation is deviation and misguidance, SO WHAT IS THE MEANING OF GOODNESS IN INNOVATION? And what is understood from the ahadith is that, Bidah lifts up the sunnah then there is no need of saying some innovations are good, so every innovation is misguidance…
and Know that some innovations which are described as good innovations by Scholars and Mashaykh, they actually lifts up the sunnah when we study them deeply….
And some scholars who say regarding neyah of salaah that: along with the intention in heart it is good to say intention with tongue. Even though saying neyah with the tongue is not proven from Prophet peace be upon him with authentic or (even) from weak narrations, neither it is proven from Sahaba and Tabiyeen that they did neyah with the tongue, Rather the norm was that whenever the Iqamah was said: they would say the opening Takbeer, So saying the neyah with the tongue is also an innovation, the scholars said this is a good innovation. But the faqeer (Ahmad Sarhandi) know that this innovation lifts up the obligatory acts leave a side sunnah because people will start relying only on the neyah with the tongue and they will not pay attention to the negligence of the heart, so they leave the neyah of the heart which is among the obligations of Salah which invalidates the salah. Same is the case with other newly invented things and innovations….
[Maktoobat Mujaddid Alif Thani, Maktoob no. 186, pages 424-425]
3. A False information about Shaykh’s position.
http://maktabah.org/blog/?p=3279 a sufi blog/website claims that Shaykh used to celebrate mawlid and reject false things in mawlid and thats what they quote.
He addressed to Khwāja Husām ad-Dīn Ahmad
Furthermore, Your wrote about Mawlid khawani that, what is the problem in reciting the Noble Qurʼān with beautiful voice and (reciting) Naat and Manqabat? What is forbidden is the distortion in the letters of the Qurʼān, and their alteration and variation (from the correct pronunciation), and observing the forms of melody, and considering tune to be necessary (in reciting the Qurʼān), and changing the voice on such patterns, and clapping hands which is unjustifiable even in (singing) poetry, and such. But if there is no alternation in the (correct recitation of) Quranic words, and if the Qasīda recitations also do not observe the above-mentioned prohibitions, and it is prescribed with the right intent, then what is the hindrance? (end quote from the website)
But they didn’t translate the passage where Shaykh Responded Khawaja Husam ad-Din Ahmad.
(Shaykh Ahmad Sarhandi answered Khawaja) My Makhdum: It has come to my heart that UNTIL WE do not FULLY CLOSE THIS DOOR THEY WILL NOT leave this practice. (Maktoobat Mujaddid Alif Thani letter 72 of third vol. Page 195)
Actually Shaykh Sarhandi was saying this thing should be stopped fully otherwise they will misuse this thing (which he already considered an innovation in his previous maktoobat mentioned above.)