THE EMERGENCE OF A MODERNIST THINKERS AND IGNORANT SCHOLARS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY CONTINUE TO THREATEN THE VERY BASIS AND FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY. THESE MISLED INDIVIDUALS ARE INTERPRETING THE BOOK OF ALLAH AND HADITH SHAREEF THROUGH THEIR DEFECTIVE AND INVERTED UNDERSTANDING. MUSLIMS MUST SEEK GUIDANCE FROM THE LEARNED SCHOLARS IN THE COMMUNITY AND STEER CLEAR SUCH MODERNISTS AND MATERIALISTIC ATHEISTS.

Hujjatul Islam, Allama Shah Haamid Raza Khan (radi Allahu anhu), the eldest son of A'la Hadrat Imam Ahmed Raza (radi Allahu anhu), has provided the Muslim community with a simple way of identifying falsehood and dealing with it. In one of his works/speeches, this great Scholar said: The Quran not only says that the people of knowledge have the ability and capacity to understand the Quran by themselves (S29. V43), but that they should also turn to the Beloved Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) for the explanation (S16. V44). Thus, if the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) had not through his codified law explained in detail the concise meaning of the Holy Quran, it would have remained abstract. Similarly, if the learned Imaams had not elucidated and expounded the Ahadith they too would have remained abstract to us and the Ulama after them would have found it beyond their ability to make this meaningful to us. Thus, their link of guidance has been established by Allah Almighty. Whoever tries to break this link is certainly not in the path of guidance. In fact, such a person has clearly gone astray.

It is for this reason that Sayidduna Umar ibn Khattab (radi Allahu anhu) said: "Soon there will come a time when you will be confronted by people who will entangle in controversies with the ambiguous verses of the Holy Quran. Overpower them through Hadith, because those who possess the knowledge of Hadith will be in the position to understand the Quran." (Darimi, Darqutni)

Sayidduna Imam Sufyaan bin Ainiyyah (alaihir rahmah) said: "Hadith can lead anyone astray except those who are Jurists. The reason being that the Quran is abstract which has become clear and meaningful through the Hadith, while the abstractness of the Hadith is expounded by the Four Juristic Imaams. Thus, if anyone now attempts to extract meanings of the Quran and Hadith without the four Imaams, he will go astray, and he who tries to understand the Quran without Hadith will grope the abyss of ignorance."

Hujjatul Islam further said that there are materialistic atheists who are sowing mischief by refuting Hadith altogether and just verbally making the Holy Quran as the only decision-making authority. In reality, these people are the enemies of Quran and Quran is their enemy. He also identified another group called the Ahle Quran or the people of the Quran who seek all proofs from the Quran alone for their problems, as no narration to them is like the Quran. Both these groups know well that they have no significance in the court of the Holy Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).

O Muslims! Pay no heed to these misguided people. Whenever they try to cast doubt in you through the Quran, dispel your doubts through the Hadith. If they try to undermine your faith in this, seek solutions on the matter provided by the juristic Imaams. The solutions provided by the Imaams will most certainly establish the distinction between truth and falsehood. This will help settle the dust of uncertainty and misguidance through these torrents of Truth. If they try to argue over Hadith, the crystal clear meanings of the Ahadith provided by the Imaams will silence them to such an extent that they either say that they do not know the Hadith or that they do not believe in the Imaams. At this juncture you will know that their Imaam is none other than Iblees, the Cursed, who is leading them astray and preventing them from accepting the Hadith and the decisions of the Imaams. Do keep this in mind at all times because, through the will of Allah, it will protect you at all times from these faithless, misguided sects. (Courtesy: Sunni Razvi Society Int., March '95)