Allah speaks about His Friends in the Holy Qur’aan, in the 10th Sura, Yunus: Verse 62 to 64

 When we ponder on these verses then we realise that in the first verse Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) describes the status of His friends and in the second He narrates their recognition whilst in the third He narrates their destiny (anjaam). They have the highest status of being befriended by Allah. How great is this status! He further tells us that He has freed them of fear and grief in both the worlds. In the second verse Allah gives us their recognising features that they are mumin or ‘ones with true faith’ and they practise restraint. Iman refers to having the proper belief or aqidah: Taqwa is having sound character (aqhlaq) and performing virtuous deeds (amaal). Therefore Allah’s Friends are those that have proper belief or aqidah, sound character (aqhlaq) and perform virtuous deeds (amaal). He whose belief or aqidah is not sound, whose character (aqhlaq) is unpleasant and lacks in performance of virtuous deeds (amaal) cannot be the ‘Friend of Allah’. Allah’s Friends externally (zaahir) mirrors Shariah[1] and internally (baatin) reflects Tariqah[2]. His lips must utter the teachings of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) (farmane Rasul) and his heart must be a vessel overflowing with Divine Effusion (Faizane Rasul)[3].

Regarding their resultant destiny (anjaam) Allah says,

There has been much confusion regarding Allah’s Friends (Aulia Allah) and (mindunillah) or idols. Idolatry was widespread in Arabia at the advent of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Allah therefore sent revelation regarding these (mindunillah) or idols. The verses which instructs man not to ask for help or benefit from idols has been used out of context by the Wahabbi / Deobandi Ulema to be referring to Aulia Allah. On the basis of these verses, quoted out of context, they try to justify their claim that Aulia cannot benefit or harm us, so we should ask directly from Allah without intermediation. Is the use of verses revealed regarding (mindunillah) or idols, against Allah’s Friends (Aulia Allah) being just or unjust to the Muslim faith or aqidah? Is this not casting doubt on an important avenue of Divine help? Allah, in his divine wisdom knew that this will happen, therefore He says in the Holy Qur’aan, in Sura al-Isra 17: Verse 82.

We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur’aan that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe: to the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss.

Allah said ‘zalimeen’,[Zulm: Wrongdoing. The ones not capable of receiving internal enlightenment are not only wrongdoers, but also display ignorance (jahl), spiritual immaturity and even arrogance and pride (takabbur)]. referring to those who read the Qur’aan but twist it’s meaning. Everywhere the word (mindunillah) meaning idols is used, they translate it as ‘other than Allah”. E.g.: Sura an-Nahl 16: Verse 20

Those whom they invoke besides Allah create nothing and are themselves created

They show these ayah to the common man and tell him that asking the Aulia is invoking ‘other than Allah’ and hence saying Ya Rasulullah, Ya Ghous and Ya Khwaja are acts of shirk. Those that are fooled by them their aqidah is destroyed. Most definitely Prophets and Aulia are not Allah but they are not included in (mindunillah) or idols. What is our proof of this? Let us read the Qur’aan. Sura al-Ambiya 21: Verse 98 says:

Verily ye, (Unbelievers), and the (false) gods that ye worship besides Allah, are (but) fuel for Hell! To it will ye (surely) come!

Here Allah says (mindunillah) or idols will be put into hellfire.  If Prophets and Aulia are included in (mindunillah) or idols then according to the interpretation of the Wahabbi / Deobandi Ulema, astagfirullah, Prophets and Aulia will be in hellfire. Sura al-Ambiya 21: Verse 98 is our proof that Prophets and Aulia are not included in (mindunillah) or idols, since they can never be cast into hell. Can there be contradiction in Qur’aan? Never! Allah says in Sura al-Nisaa 4: Verse 82:

Do they not consider the Qur’aan (with care)? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.

So there can be no contradiction in the Qur’aan, since it is from Allah.

Let me present two verses from the Holy Qur’aan, which if looked at externally seem to contradict each other, how contradiction sets in and what is the remedy for it. Allah says in Sura at-Tauba 9: Verse 116

The Wahabbi / Deobandi Ulema wrongly translate this verse as meaning.

In Sura al-Maida 5: Verse 55 Allah says:

Your (real) friends and protectors are (no less than) Allah, His Messenger, and the (Fellowship of) Believers, those who establish regular prayers and regular charity, and they bow down humbly (in worship).

Ponder on these two verses, in the first in states that none can protect and help you except Allah, whilst the second says that your helper and friend is Allah, His Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the group of believers possessing perfect iman. There is no contradiction if the verses are translated properly. In the first verse there is stated wa ma lakum mindunillah. I have already stated that mindunillah refers to idols and wrongly translated as ‘other than Allah’ in certain sectors.  If mindunillah is translated, as it should be, referring to idols then there is no contradiction between the two verses.

Sura at-Tauba 9: Verse 116

should be translated as:

O! Allah if we have no helper and protector from these idols, then do we have any that can protect and help us? Allah replies with Sura al-Maida 5: Verse 55

So there is no contradiction if the verses are translated properly. So these Wahabbi / Deobandi Ulema and their propagation body, the Tabligh Jamaat apply verses referring to idols as being in reference to Prophets and Saints. They also make reference to path of a verse and quote it out of context. E.g. A man refused to perform salaah saying the Qur’aan says, ‘we should not approach prayer in Sura an-Nisaa 4: verse 43

O ye who believe! Do not pray

When he was told to read further he said, “I am trying to act upon a little, it is difficult to put the whole Qur’aan into practice.”

This is the condition of those fiercely defending the conception of Tauhid exported worldwide by the Saudi-Wahabbi regime. They read part of a verse, that suits their ideology, and leave out, conveniently, the rest of the verse or chapter that puts it into context. E.g. they read this verse to mislead people: Sura al-A’raf 7: Verse 194,

Verily those whom ye call upon besides Allah are servants like you

On the basis of this verse they say we proclaim ‘Ya! Rasulullah, Ya Ghous and Ya Khwaja”, and since they are servants of Allah being created being like us we are committing an act of ‘assigning partners to Allah or shirk. In this verse also ibaadun amsaalukum refers to idols. The proof being that Allah says in the next verse:

The feet you make for these idols can they walk with? Or hands can they hold with? Or eyes can they see with? Or ears can they hear with?

So these verses refer to idols. Remember if you see the word mindunillah ensure it is translated as idols and not wrongly translated as ‘other than Allah’ to confuse you. So those who commit this injustice, the Qur’aan make it clear in Sura al-Isra 17: Verse 82.

May Allah save our children from these erroneous beliefs

Transalated and extracted by Irshad Soofi from a lecture delivered by Maulana Muhammad Shafi Okarvi (may Allah be well pleased with him) in South Africa in the 1970's.

2 Rajab 1424/ 30 August 2003

Ur’s of Hazrath Soofie Saheb (Rahmatullahi alaihi)