16 - The religion reformer says:

"Concerning any matter on which there has been no ijma', everybody should follow a documentary evidence that satisfies him. As a matter of fact, to follow a mujtahid means to follow his proofs."

Yes, the taqlid of a mujtahid means to follow his documentary proofs, namely the Qur'an al-karim and the Hadith ash-Sharif. But it was the mujtahid who found out the proofs for the matter. As a matter of fact, the madhhabs differed from one another in finding out the proofs. Finding out a proof for any matter required being an alim in the grade of ijtihad, a mujtahid. Indeed, such an alim could not imitate another person; he had to act in accord with his own ijtihad.

17 - Rashid Rida writes that the preacher believes the kashf of the awliya' concerning the time of Doomsday. Whereas, the aimmat al-madhahib said that it was not made known when Doomsday would come, that no one but Allahu ta'ala knew it, and that the kashfs of the awliya' could not be proofs or documents for anybody. Those who follow these 'alims will certainly say so. It would be a mendacity, an abominable slander to impute any words other than these to the preacher.

18 - The religion reformer is right to say that there are made-up hadiths in tafsir books like the tafsir book Kalbi, yet his statement, "So is the tafsir book by al-Baidawi," is absolutely wrong. The great scholar Hadrat 'Abdulhakim-I Arwasi (d. 1362/1943) said, "Qadi al-Baidawi (Bayyad-Allahu wajhah, May Allahu ta'ala make his face luminous) was as suitably high as his name and the prayer said on him. He was loved and honored above all by the mufassirs (alim authors of tafsir books). He reached the highest grade in the knowledge of tafsir. He was a sanad (authority) in every branch of knowledge. He was prominent in all madhhabs and a guide in every thought. He has been known as an expert in every branch of science, as a guide in every kind of usul, and as dependable, powerful and distinguished by early and late 'ulama'. It is a great dare to say that there are made-up hadiths in the book of such a profound alim. It is to make a deep precipice in Islam. The tongue of the person who utters such words, the heart of the one who believes them, and the ears of the one who listens to them deserve to catch fire. Could not this great man of knowledge distinguish made-up hadiths from the true ones? What should be said to those who say that he could not? Or, did he lack religious strength and fear of Allahu ta'ala so far as to write made-up hadiths and to take no notice of the heavy punishments which our Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) had told about those who would do so? It would be so wicked, so loathsome to say that he did. Because the meanings of these hadiths are too much for the narrow mind and the thick head of the person who would say so, he finds no other way than saying that they are mawdu'."

19 - The religion reformer says:

"We have not seen the next world; then how can we connect ash-Sharani's words about the geographical position of the place named 'Mawqif' and his map of the Sirat, the Mizan, Hell and Paradise with the next world? We have not seen any proof in the Book, the Sunnat, 'Aql (reason) or Hikma (wisdom) about such things. It is strange that your shaikhs (masters) turn away from the world's most famous and useful geography and draw maps of the next world which cannot be seen."

With these words, he attacks the great awliya' (the elect loved and protected by Allahu ta'ala) and their karamat (miracles worked by Allahu ta'ala through awliya') and tries to destroy Muslims' belief in them. Whereas, he has no right to behave so, for, Allahu ta'ala declares in the Qur'an al-karim, "Perform the dhikr (remembrance of Allahu ta'ala) very constantly! Through the dhikr the heart attains itminan (tranquillity)." A hadith ash-Sharif declares, "The symptom of loving Allahu ta'ala is to remember Him very much." The 'ulama' of hadith said, "Rasulullah ('alaihi 's-salam) performed the dhikr every moment." It is for this reason that the great ones of this umma performed the dhikr so much, and thus strived to carry out this command of Islam, too. By performing the dhikr constantly, their blessed hearts attained tranquillity, and, as it is stated in the hadiths, "There is a cure for every disease. The cure for the heart is the dhikr of Allah," and "The sources of taqwa (piety, abstention from harams) are the 'arifs' hearts," they were saved from the disease of the heart, from sins. They attained Allahu ta'ala's love. And these very scholars, who had taqwa and whose hearts were pure, said that while performing the dhikr constantly they forgot about the world, about everything, that their hearts became like mirrors, and that, like a dream when everything has been forgotten in sleep, something was manifested in their hearts. They gave these manifestations such names as "kashf," "mukashafa" or "shuhud." Thousands of awliya' in every century said so. It is an 'ibada to perform the dhikr very much. Allahu ta'ala loves those who do it very much, and their hearts become the sources of taqwa. The Book and the Sunnat reveal these facts. These facts are called the "umur at-tashri'iyya" (Islamic affairs). He who disbelieves them will have disbelieved the Book and the Sunnat. It has been revealed by true Muslims, whom Allahu ta'ala loves, that there occurs kashf and shuhud in the heart. A hadith ash-Sharif declares, "No discord remains in one's heart who perform the dhikr very much." Those who revealed these facts were not munafiqs, but Muslims true in though and in words. Kashf and karama have been reported by such people as tawatur (the state of being wide-spread, which is a proof of authenticity and against denial). Moreover, though these are the umur al-wijdaniyya or umur ad-dhawqiyya (affairs not shown in Islam but done upon one's own judging with his conscience) and they cannot be documents for others, Muslims have been neither commanded nor prohibited to believe them. It is better to believe than disbelieve what the pious Muslims, whom Allahu ta'ala loves, have reported as tawatur. One should have a good opinion of a Muslim and trust his conduct, even his words concerning 'ibadat (Islamic rites). The proverb, "He who denies will be deprived," has always shown inevitability.

Hadrat 'Abd al-Wahhab ash-Sharani was a profound alim and a great wali. He is one of the archstones of the Shafi'i madhhab. He is the apple of the eyes of Ahl as-Sunnat. The books he read and memorized are beyond count. Some of them are mentioned in the preface of his Al-mizan al-kubra. Hundreds of his works are listed in Kashf az-zunun. Each of his books is a monument exhibiting his greatness. Hanafi scholars, too, have been admirers of his deep knowledge, his kashfs and shuhuds. They have reported that he is one of the "stars on the earth." It was declared in a hadith ash-Sharif, "On the Day of Resurrection, first the prophets and then the 'ulama' and martyrs will intercede." Holding fast to this hadith ash-Sharif, we expect his intercession. It is obvious that those who attack such eye-apples of Ahl as-Sunnat are zindiqs. Zindiqs and disbelievers attacked also Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam), the guide of Muslims. Voltaire, the famous disbeliever hostile to Islam, stooped to making the Master of Mankind, Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam), a topic for his repulsive plays. So will such base attacks be certainly made upon the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat, who are the inheritors of the exalted Prophet ('alaihi 's-salam). These great people will certainly not be blemished by being a subject for the filthy mouths and cracked pens of the enemies. Falling down on the ground does not decrease the value of a jewel.

Abd al-Wahhab ash-Sharani and similar great people, who were loved by Allahu ta'ala very much, said not that they saw the Mawqif, Sirat, Paradise or Hell with their eyes, but that they could not be seen in this world and that they were shown like a dream and were revealed to their hearts in a manner that could not be known or understood or explained. They revealed this secret to those whom they loved, to their intimate friends. They said, "Man lam yadhuq lam yadri," (He who has not tasted cannot understand). It is ignorance or stupidity to deny something which cannot be understood, and the comment "impossible, can never be" about something which one cannot understand is an expression of reaction, stubbornness and fanaticism. That is why we call the religion reformer "a bigot of science." What else could it be, if not being a zindiq or enemy against Islam, to make fun of Muslim 'ulama's subtle knowledge which is beyond the limits of reason and science, by saying that they drew maps?

20 - Rashid Rida quotes the ahadith ash-Sharif about Doomsday in his book. But he has the preacher always utter those words concocted by zindiqs in the name of hadith. And, having the religion reformer prove that those words are not hadiths, he has him tell the facts that are written in the books of the 'ulama' of Ahl as-Sunnat. Through this trick which he plays, he endeavors to belittle preachers and Muslims, who are the followers of the madhhabs, to misrepresent them as ignorant, while introducing himself and other religion reformers as intelligent, learned men of Islam. No doubt, those Muslims who have read and understood Islamic books well will not believe these abominable slanders. But we are writing these lines lest those who do not know the fact should be deceived by thinking that these writings of the religion reformer are true. We would suggest, with emphasis, that our young brothers read the books of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat so that they shall not be tricked by the religion reformer's lies.