Acceptance, Rejection & Imitation

The tremendous status of Allah's Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was shown right at the beginning because it is a basic principle that the more important the messenger, the more willing people are to accept his message. We know how the people of that time responded to the message, but now the Qur'an asks us whether we have accepted it. If we are asked whether we accept the greatness of our Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the Miraaj, we reply in the affirmative. We accept that no other Nabi or Rasool could be granted such a Miraaj, be granted the same intimacy and proximity and receive such a rank. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is the greatest person. The people of his time knew all these things, but they refused our Master's sallallahu alayhi wa sallam message. In the same way, we know as well, and we too refuse to obey.

Allah says in Qur'an, "Obey Allah and obey His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam." Allah is telling us that He gave His Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam such an incredibly exalted rank that there is nothing in creation to compare with him. He sent this person as an example to us, so that those who recite the kalimah, and thus accept him, will be good enough to obey him. Allah only accepts our faith in His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when we follow him.

Of course, at the time of the Miraaj there were only two groups of people, those who accepted it and those who rejected, and each was amazed by the other. Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddique radhyallahu anhu was amazed that people could hear of this event and yet reject it. At the same time, Abu Jahl was amazed that people could accept this event at all. Today we find a similar situation. We have the Shariah, the Sunnah and the blessed way of life of this very exalted person. We have his dress, his appearance and his manners. Some people today are amazed that others can accept and practise all this - they are from Abu Jahl's group. Conversely, there are those with Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddique radhyallahu anhu, who do follow our Master sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and are amazed to see people calling themselves Muslims, reciting the Qur'an, swearing by our Master sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, going on marches and demonstrations, celebrating his birthday, reciting poems about him - but not obeying him! This is the Miraaj - it separates people into two groups. Hadhrat Abu Bakr As-Siddique radhyallahu anhu accepted the Miraaj, and in his group is everyone who accepts that Allah is One and without partner and who obeys our Master sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And those who do not do so are in Abu Jahl's group.

The Qur'an makes clear that this affair will not come to an end, that the time will come when people will have no sense in their hearts for the greatness of Allah's Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. People will copy whoever they feel is great. For example, the reason we cut our beards or wear the clothes of the kuffaar is because the people we admire do the same. This is our nature. When I go to buy a shirt, I'll buy the one that I like - I will inevitably copy that person who is my idol or copy the culture that I have made my ideal. Allah says to us that everything we do and our entire culture matches those whom He dislikes. He has also told us, "Man tashabbah biqawmin fahuwa minhum" - 'Whoever imitates a people is one of them'. And there is no doubt that when anyone likes someone, or loves them, they will copy them. Were anyone to ask me why I wear white clothes or why I wear a turban, I would tell them that it is because I like to. Similarly, if I were to ask you why you trim your beard, or wear jeans, the answer would be because you like to. For both groups, Allah made His Habeeb sallallahu alayhi wa sallam pronounce, "Whoever likes any people will also be gathered on the Day of Qiyaamah with them."

So what is the Miraaj about? Is it just a story? The reason for events like this is to make clear to us that, though our true state is concealed now, it will be made clear in the grave. Neither our prayers, nor our fasting, nor our pilgrimage will be of any use to us, because people with be gathered on the Day of Qiyaamah with whomever they imitated.

We should beware, for it is no small thing to imitate people who eat pork and do not even know how to urinate properly. It is no small matter to be imitating them instead of the great person sallallahu alayhi wa sallam who we have been given as an example and guide to follow. These people have become dear to us; they are the apple of our eyes. We call ourselves Muslims and yet we want to make our children like them. The Qur'an tells us that we lie and that tomorrow the grave will tell us what we really are. Do we - may Allah protect us - think we can fool Allah with our prayers? Do we - may Allah protect us - think we can deceive Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam by going on a few marches? If we get a few poem reciters together, and then go on a march, does that make us true lovers of Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam? In reality, there is no such thing as groups like Deobandi, Brelewi or Ahl-e-Hadith. The true group comprises those who truly love Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The true lovers of Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam are not members of these groups, for their followers, if they are as I have described, are hypocrites - and that is a fatwa.

Whoever disobeys Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will go to Hell, irrespective of the group he belongs to, because when someone imitates such people they will go with them to the lowest part of Hell, along with Pharoah and Haamaan. It makes no difference whether they have done Hajj a thousand times. Their prayers and their charity are all of no account. This is the unchangeable verdict of the Qur'an and Ahadeeth. Do you think that by praying a few times, you can make judgments about Allah's law? You should realise that the Lord who took His Beloved up to Himself, and stopped day and night and all of creation, has no law constraining Him. His law doesn't say that those who pray or give sadaqah and so on will be forgiven. It says that whoever obeys His Habeeb sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will certainly be forgiven.

I am telling you all to keep your beards because in this beardless state your end will be very bad. The old amongst us should take special note. It is one thing for a young person to shave, but if you have white hair, have a bent back and are so close to your grave, then what state will you be in tomorrow if you shave and imitate the kuffaar? How can you be stooped in evil? Aren't you ashamed? Is this how you wish to stand before Allah? You have experienced everything, so now at least you should repent. What example, event or revelation will get through to you and make you change? If you do not, you may take the name of Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, but you will go to the lowest region in Hell.

As for those people who encourage you by saying, "It's all right, you are true lovers of Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam", I swear by Allah that they are complete hypocrites. Our Master sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was shown the state of such hypocrites on the Miraaj. Hadhrat Jibraeel alayhi salaam told him that these were the pirs and preachers of his Ummah, the Deobandis, Barelewis and the Ahl-e-Hadith who would talk about their various groups, but not about Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. They would talk about Hazir-Nazir but not about the Sunnah. They would spread fitnah, not realising that when they sat on their mimbars, effectively sitting as deputies of Allah's Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, they were entrusted by Allah to talk about the Sunnah. Our Master sallallahu alayhi wa sallam asked Hadhrat Jibraeel alayhi salaam who these people were. The reply was that they were people from his Ummah who spent all their time saying, "We are Deobandis, our aqeedah is true. We are Barelewis, our aqeedah is true. We are such-and-such, our aqeedah is true." They spent all their lives disputing. How very foolish. There is only one way that was left by Allah's Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and that is the one that comes from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Rasool sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Who told us to make all these groups? If you ask them why they don't grow a beard, or wear a cap on their heads when they pray, they will reply, "We are Ahl-e-Hadith, we don't grow beards" and so on. Do you follow the 'Ahl-e-Hadith' or the one who brought Ahadeeth? I have no argument with any group. I love anyone who I see obeying the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Sometimes people ask why, when I sit on the mimbar, is all I talk about the Sunnah! Should I talk about your dad? It is the mimbar of the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and thus the words that come out are about him. Insha'Allah, if what I find myself saying here is about him, then I have complete confidence in Allah that he will grant me a meeting with His Habeeb sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

There is a true event I will relate about imitation. Some Hindus were playing hooley and a Muslim decided that he would do the same, to make fun of their culture and to annoy them. He took a spray and squirted some paint at a donkey and said, "Celebrate hooley! Celebrate hooley!" He was perfectly happy about what he had done, not realising that something else had happened. Sometime after he died, a pious person from his community was shown his state in the grave. He had been turned into a Hindu priest and was to be thrown into Hell with the Hindus. The pious person objected that he was a Muslim, but the reply was that while he may have been a Muslim, the Hadith says: "Whoever imitates a people will be raised with them." Although he may have been joking when playing hooley, how could he be raised as a Muslim, when he was imitating Hindus? That was what happened to someone who imitated Hindus in jest, but we imitate the kuffaar deliberately. We claim that we are forced to look like them due to circumstances, and yet we admire ourselves in the mirror and ask other people how we look. Are we also forced to go to Hell?