The official Deobandi Aqida Book, al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad [The Sword on the Disapproved] (1323 A.H./1905 C.E.), was written by Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (d.1927) in order to vindicate the Deobandis from the charge of unbelief [kufr] levied against them by 33 top-ranking scholars from the Meccan and Medinan sanctuaries. The verdicts, testimonials, and comments of these venerable scholars and muftis were compiled into one famous book, Husam al-Haramayn [The Sword of the Two Sanctuaries]. The fatwa of kufr, Al-Mo’tamad Al-Mustanad [The Reliable Proofs], is also part of this compilation.
Al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad was written after Rashid Ahmad Gangohi’s death in 1905, and allegedly expresses the beliefs of the Deobandi school. This book readily overturned many of the legal responses given by the late founder of Darul Uloom Deoband. For instance, Gangohi and Khalil Ahmad in al-Barahin al-qati‘a [The incontestable proofs] affirmed that it is possible for Allah to lie, and denied the Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, knowledge of the unseen [‘ilm al-ghayb]. They went so far as to declare this belief polytheism [shirk]. The latter maliciously insulted the Best of Mankind, may blessings and peace be upon him, by saying his knowledge was inferior to Satan (the worst of creation) and the Angel of Death. Yet in al-Muhannad ala al-Mufannad, this same man reversed their stance on Allah Most High lying and knowledge of the unseen.
Top ranking Ahle Sunnat scholars from Arab lands endorsed the Deobandi Aqida Book because it affirms the beliefs of the Saved Group. Khalil Ahmad did notattempt to rationalize their heterodox opinions because four of the said Arab scholars from Mecca and Medina declared those statements to be unbelief. For example, Shaykh as-Sayyid Ahmad al-Barzanji (Mufti of the Shafiis in Medina), may Allah have mercy on him, wrote in his eulogy of Husam al-Haramayn that the statement in al-Barahin al-qati‘a is blasphemy for two reasons:
“The first reason is that Devil has more extensive knowledge than the Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, and it is a clear belittlement of the Holy Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him. The second reason is that he has termed the extensiveness of the knowledge of the Holy Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, as polytheism. All the leaders of four schools of thought have made clarifications that whosoever belittles the Glory of the Holy Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, is a disbeliever and whoever declares anything belonging to Faith as polytheism and unbelief is unbeliever also.”
According to the venerable Shafii Shaykh, the Deobandis used a false precedent (khalf al-wa’id) to establish “the proposition of the possibility of falsehood or lie” for Allah Most High! This is why Khalil Ahmad presented a fatwa that contradicted their unofficial belief. Khalil Ahmad affirmed their “Sunni-ness” by formally recanting their statements of disbelief. Thus, one will not find him justifying their kufr in al-Muhannad ‘ala al-mufannad. In point of fact, he said:
“It is our belief that whosoever says that so and so is more knowing than the Holy Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, is a polytheist, and our elders have pronounced fatawa of polytheism against a person who says that Shaitaan, the accursed, is more knowing than the Holy Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him” (al-Muhannad ‘ala al-mufannad).
And,
“He who deems or declares the knowledge of the Holy Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him, to be equal to the knowledge of Zaid and Bakr (i.e. any man) or animals or madmen is a through polytheist” (al-Muhannad ‘ala al-mufannad).
However in 2007, Nuh Keller with the help of Hamza Karamali personally verified that the Deobandi Shaykhs did, in fact, utter such “repugnant and unacceptable” words. Words that were unprecedented in the history of Islam, even to make a point. This information has reached us through a continuous mass testimony of Muslims so that is it impossible for them to agree upon error or to simultaneously lie. Of course, some Deobandis will blatantly deny this well-established fact and try to conceal the kufr of their elders, especially when confronted with a person who has not read their infamous books or is unaware of the facts. Apologists use a more sophisticated approach, and mislead the Sunni masses by denying the meaning of their explicit insults.
To summarize, the Deobandis had to publicly withdraw and repudiate their own statements of disbelief in al-Muhannad ‘ala al-mufannad. The Haramayn Ulama did not alter their opinion about the nature of such ugly words. Khalil Ahmad and Thanwi had to concur with Imam Ahmed Raza, may Allah have mercy on him, in order to get their school reinstated. Husam al-Haramayn is an authentic book written by a truthful and conscientious scholar. These Wahhabi doctrines are unbelief, and lead to the Fire of Hell. Beware of them and the groups enamored with them.
Unfortunately for the umma in our day, the statements of disbelief penned by the scholars of Deoband are still being promulgated on the World Wide Web, which means Deobandi authorities did not renounce their unbelief. They have also failed to condemn (as is wajib for them), and actually still keep on their syllabus and disseminate in all languages the works of Ismail Dihlawi (d. 1931), the originator of most if not all of these heretical errors.
The way forward is to leave these insulting words and aberrant beliefs behind us by affirming the true creed of the Ahle Sunnat wal Jama’at. Real Deobandis and their apologists are worthy of disassociation.
