“VI: Mu’âwiya[36] (radiy-Allâhu ’anh) was one of Rasûlullah’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) clerks who wrote down the Qur’ân. He acquired his prayers which asked blessings on him. He had a strong reason and intellect, much clemency, generosity and administrative power. He was mild, majestic and brave. He looked as if he had been created to be a sultân. He conquered Sudan, Afghanistan, many parts of India, Cyprus, going to the last one in person. He sent troops to Constantinople. His caliphate was rightful.
“The lâ-madhhabî slander Mu’âwiya on account of his combat against ’Alî (radiy-Allâhu ’anhumâ) and grievously exaggerate the sad situations which might take place in any combat. When the Ahl as-Sunna scholars give them answers based on the Qur’ân, the Sunna and reason, they lose their head. They cannot find anything to say. They begin to tell about the evils of his son, Yazîd. They say, ‘He paved the way for a bad tradition wherein caliphate was a patrimonial institution. He turned caliphate into sultanate.’ On the subject about public prayers, Ibn ’Âbidîn says, ‘A Muslim candidate for the caliphate must be elected by the notables of scholars and administrators or designated by the former Khalîfa as his successor. Also, a Muslim who has seized power by using force is the rightful Khalîfa. Abû Bakr (radiy-Allâhu ’anh), when he was about to die, designated ’Umar (radiy-Allâhu ’anh) Khalîfa. All the Prophet’s companions accepted it.’ It is seen that it was a rightful act compatible with Islam for Mu’âwiya (radiy-Allâhu ’anh) and for all other Khalîfas to designate their sons, whom they themselves brought up and trained, or others whom they could confide in, for their place. A preceding Khalîfa can not be blamed on account of the cruel acts perpetrated by his successor(s). (19-60)
These written attacks which Mawdûdî so wantonly spearheads against Muslims’ Khalîfas and the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna are not only devoid any scientific value but also in glaring contradiction with historical and religious facts. The following passages from a Persian work of Shâh Walî-Allah, whom Mawdûdî praises very much, is an evident proof for the pure youth:
“Mu’âwiya ibn Abû Sufyân (radiy-Allâhu ’anhumâ) was one of Rasûlullah’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) companions. Among as-Sahâba, he was wellknown for his beautiful virtues. Avoid injuring him even in your thoughts, nonetheless for the danger of speaking ill of him! Or else you will be committing harâm. It is declared in a hadîth reported by Abû Dâwûd, ‘Do not speak ill of my companions! Even if you give gold as huge as Mount Uhud in the name of alms, you will not attain blessings equal to those which they attain for having given a handful of barley as alms!’ Again in a hadîth reported by him, Rasûlullah (sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam) pointed to Hadrat Hasan (radiy-Allâhu ’anh), ‘This son of mine is mature. Through him, I expect, Allâhu ta’âlâ will reconcile two armies of my umma.’ A hadîth reported by at-Tirmidhî declares about Mu’âwiya (radiy-Allâhu ’anh), ‘O my Rabb! Make him hâdî and muhdî!’ that is, “Keep him in the right path and make him a means for guiding others to the right path.’ A hadîth reported by Ibn Sa’d and Ibn ’Asâkir declares about Mu’âwiya (radiy-Allâhu ’anh), ‘O my Rabb! Teach Him the Book and make him own countries and protect him against punishment.’Rasûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm) knew he would become Khalîfa. It is obvious that because he pitied his umma very much it was necessary for him to pray so that the person who would take the lead would be in the right path so that he could guide them to the right path. It is declared in a hadîth reported by Hasan (radiy-Allâhu ’anh) and conveyed by Ad-Dailamî,‘Someday Mu’âwiya will be the head of the State.’ Hadrat Mu’âwiya (radiy-Allâhu ’anh) said that since the day when Rasûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm) had said to him, ‘O Mu’âwiya! When you become head of the State, do favours!’ he had been awaiting the time when he would become Khalîfa. A hadîth reported by Umm Hirâm (radiy-Allâhu ’anhâ), a Sahâbî, declares, ‘Of my umma, those who will fight in the first naval battle of Islam will certainly enter Paradise.’ Mu’âwiya (radiy-Allâhu ’anh) fought in the first naval battle of Islam during the caliphate of Hadrat ’Uthmân (radiy-Allâhu ’anh). And Umm Hirâm (radiy-Allâhu anhâ), because she had heard the hadîth herself, joined his troops and was martyred when she landed [on Cyprus]. With the blessing of these prayers by Rasûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm), he became a just, trustworthy Khalîfa He kept a few of Rasûlullâh’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) hairs, which, in order to be blessed with them, he requested in his will to be put into his nose.
“Rasûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm) prophesied the Battle of Siffîn between ’Alî and Mu’âwiya (radiy-Allâhu ’anhumâ), too. The scholars al-Bukhârî and Muslim reported the hadîth: ‘Unless two great armies fight each other, the end of the world will not come. Both of them will fight for the cause.’ In a hadîth reported in the Sahîh of al-Bukhârî, the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) said to Ammâr ibn Yâsar, ‘You will be killed by some disobedient people.’ He was killed by Mu’âwiya’s (radiy-Allâhu ’anh) soldiers....[37]
“There are some hadîths castigating the Umayyad Khalîfas, but some other hadîths praise them. A hadîth declares, ‘Caliphate will be in Medina, and sultanate will be in Damascus.’
“It is declared in a hadîth, ‘Up to the twelfth Khalîfa, Islam will be held in high esteem. They all will belong to the Quraish.’ More than half of these twelve Khalîfa, who were praised in this hadîth, were the Umayyad Khalîfa. It is declared in a hadîth reported by Ibn Mâja, ‘People with a black flag will come from the east, and they will fight the Arabs. Obey their Khalîfas! They are the Khalîfas guiding to the right path!’ This hadîth and the like praise the Abbâsid Khalîfas...[38]
“A Khalîfa who carried on Rasûlullah’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) task of guidance as he had done was called khalîfat râshida. These were perfect, real Khalîfas. A Khalîfa who did not carry out this task precisely and who did not obey Islam was called khalîfat jâbira...[39]
“Rasûlullah’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) task of guidance contained three levels. The first level was to have Allâhu ta’âlâ’s commands and prohibitions obeyed by using power and force. This is called ‘sultanate’. His second task was to teach His commands and prohibitions. His third task called ‘ihsân’ was to purify the heart. Al-Khulafâ’ ar-râshidîn were successful in all these three levels. Those who succeeded them managed only the task of sultanate. The task of teaching was given to the imâms of madhhabs, and the task of ihsân was given to the great men of Tasawwuf.”[40]
“VII: Yazîd ibn Mu’âwiya became Khalîfa in 60 and died four years later in Hawwârin, which is located between Damascus and Tadmur. He was buried there. (23-64)
“VII: Mu’âwiya II ibn Yazîd was very intelligent, very pious and very just. He resigned from caliphate after forty days. (44-64)
“IX: Marwan ibn Hakam was a fiqh scholar. He was very clever and very intelligent. He read the Qur’ân very beautifully. He abstained from sins and feared Allâhu ta’âlâ very much. He was the beloved son-in-law of Hadrat ’Uthmân (radiy-Allâhu ’anh). It was written on his seal, ‘I trust in Allâhu ta’âlâ. I ask from Him.’ (2-65)
“X: ’Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was a scholar of hadîth and fiqh. He was famous for having much zuhd and ’ibâdât . Imâm an-Nâfi’, a prominent one among the Tâbi’ûn, said, ‘In Medina, I have not seen a person who was learned in fiqh more profoundly, worshipped more, knew the knowledge and manners of hajj more or read the Qur’ân more beatifully than ’Abd al-Malik.’ According to many scholars, ’Abd al-Malik was one of the seven fiqh scholars of Medina. Imâm ash-Shâ’bî, another prominent one among the Tâbi’ûn, said, ‘I found myself superior to every scholar whom I interviewed. I found only ’Abd al-Malik superior to me.’ He fought Mukhtâr, the chief of the Râfidîs[41] who shed much blood, and slew him. His caliphate was religiously rightful. He repaired the Ka’ba, a construction which survived to the present day. Before him, Byzantine gold coins and Persian silvers had been in circulation, and he was the Khalîfa who coined the first Islamic money. He is the conqueror of Adana and Sicily. He sent his son Maslama to conquer Constantinople. Maslama (rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih) performed salât in the big church of St. Sophia and built the Arab Mosque. (26-86)
“XI: Walîd ibn ’Abd al-Malik was very pious and charitable and worshipped much. He read through the Qur’ân in every three days. His good deeds and favours were countless. As soon as he became Khalîfa, he appointed his cousin, ’Umar ibn ’Abd al-’Azîz, the governor of Medina. He had the Umayya Mosque built in Damascus, spending four hundred chests of gold coins. It was Walîd who built the first hospital and soup kitchen for the poor in Muslim history. He himself paid the debts of religious men. His commandant, Kutaibiya, took Bukhâra peacefully from the Turks. He was the conqueror of Andalusia (Spain), Ankara, Samarkand and India. It was written on his seal: ‘O Walîd! You will die and be called to account!’ (46-96)
“XII: Sulaimân ibn ’Abd al-Malik was learned, zealous, literary, eloquent, charitable and just. He abstained much from tormenting others. One day, a person told him that his farm had been taken from him cruelly. Because he feared Allâhu ta’âlâ much, he got down from his throne, removed the rug and put his cheek on the ground. He took an oath that he would not withdraw his cheek from the ground until an order would be written to that cruel official. The order was written immediately and given to the farmer. (60-99)[42]
“XIII: ’Umar ibn ’Abd al-Azîz ibn Marwan (rahmatullâhu ta’âlâ ’alaih) was a good, just Muslim. (61-101)[43]
“XIV: Yazîd ibn ’Abd al-Malik had been formerly addicted to dissipation. But when he became Khalîfa, he became pious and just. (71-105)
“XV: Hishâm ibn ’Abd al-Malik was very intelligent, efficient in governing and benevolent. Everybody liked him. His goodness and justice were known far and wide. When some goods were brought to the Bayt al-mâl, he would not accept them unless forty persons bore witness to that they were taken in a halâl way. (71-125)
“XVI: Walîd ibn Yazîd was literary, eloquent. Because he was seen to be mentally deficient, a year later he was slain as he was reading the Qur’ân. (92-126)
“XVII: Yazîd ibn Walîd ibn ’Abd al-Malik was intelligent, clever and devoted to Islam. He prohibited alcoholic drinks. (90-126)
“XVIII: Ibrâhîm ibn Walîd ibn ’Abd al-Malik was Khalîfa for seventy days which elapsed fighting Marwan. (?-126)
“XIX: Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan was brave, intelligent and efficient in administration. He conquered many lands. He fought the Khawârij and killed their chief Dahhâk. He was overcome and killed by the ’Abbâsids. (72-132)
“XX: ’Abdullah Saffâh ibn Muhammad ibn ’Alî ibn ’Abdullah ibn ’Abbâs was learned, intelligent, provident, eloquent and generous. He died of smallpox. He is the first Khalîfa of the ’Abbâsids. (104-135)
“XXI: Mansûr ibn Muhammad had much knowledge and decency. He did not care for amusement. He was brave and
patient. He worshipped much. (95-158)
“XXII: Mahdî ibn Mansûr was learned, brave, intelligent and very generous. Everybody liked him. His i’tiqâd was very pure. He slew (a number of irreligious people called) zindiqs. (126-169)
“XXIII: Hadî ibn Mahdî was learned, intelligent, eloquent and generous. It was written on his seal, ‘I believe and trust in Allâhu ta’âlâ.’ (147-170)
“XXVI: Hârûn ar-Rashîd ibn Mahdî performed a hundred rak’as of salât every day and every night. He went on hajj one year and on ghazâ the following year. He observed Islam in everything he did. He had in himself all the beautiful habits. (148-193)”
Al-Imâm al-a’zam Abû Hanîfa, Imâm al-Ghazâlî, Imâm an-Nawawî, Ibn Hajar, al-Imâm ar-Rabbânî and Khâlid al-Baghdâdî and many other great scholars were identical with these people. It is obvious that people like Mawdûdî, Sayyid Qutb and Hamidullah are quite outside this circle. Nothing can be so credulous as associating Islamic scholarship with such people who are quite unaware of Islamic knowledge and Islamic scholars and who cannot penetrate into the inner essence of Islam but observe it from without like non-Muslim orientalist writers. The branches of knowledge taught in madrasas which Mawdûdî calls “scholastic knowledge” are ’ulûm an-naqliyya (religious knowledge). And what he calls “rational knowledge” is ’ulûm al-’aqliyya (scientific, experimental knowledge). These two branches make up the Islamic knowledge. It does not befit a Muslim to say that fiqh and hadîth scholars have known one of these branches of knowledge without knowing the other. Islamic scholars have been the very exalted people praised in the Qur’ân and Hadîth. They are the heirs of prophets. They have organized the division of labour among themselves, each undertaking the job of disseminating a separate branch of knowledge. This division of labour confuses the ignorant, and they suppose that Islamic scholars have not been exalted in other branches of knowledge. Hadrat ’Abd al-Wahhâb ash-Sha’rânî wrote at the beginning of his book Al-mîzân al-kubrâ: “Hadrat Abû Hanîfa, the founder of and expert in the knowledge of fiqh, was a great Walî like Hadrat ’Abd al-Qâdir al-Jîlânî. He was a man of karâmât like him. But he did not undertake to spread the knowledge pertaining to the heart or to purify the souls. He undertook the task of spreading all kinds of physically practised worship, that is, the knowledge of fiqh. The mujtahids whom he educated were like him.” It is seen that the insidious enemies, who want to demolish Islam from within, try to blemish Islamic scholars in this respect also in order to deceive young Muslims. They may praise Islamic scholars through false, roundabout words exaggerating them greatly in order to conceal their destructive plans. We should not believe them. One who reads, for example, Imâm Muhammad al-Ghazâlî’s Persian book Kîmyâ’ as-Sa’âda will easily realize his profundity in medical knowledge. He tells that blood is cleaned as the bile and other harmful substances are separated from the blood in the liver, that the spleen, kidneys and the gall bladder play roles in this procedure and that the health will derange when the quantities of substances in blood change, in a manner quite coincidental with the information given in today’s physiology books. Since Islamic scholars were so superior not only in scholastic knowledge but also in rational knowledge, they were successful in everything they did in every century, and Islamic countries were the homes of civilization. Their thousands of books, which spread their superiority over the world, are in the open. They fill the world’s libraries. Many of them have been translated into foreign languages. Everybody except insidious enemies sees and expresses this fact. It is sufficient to see the book Kashf az-zunûn to know about their works. The mischief-makers, who bore Muslim names and who belonged to the seventy-two groups, the members of which, according to the hadîth, will go to Hell, introduced into Islam some superstitions long before, like contemporary religion reformers do now. But the Ahl as-Sunna scholars investigated and cleaned them off one by one. Today there is no superstition or mawdû’ hadîth in the basic books of Ahl as-Sunna. Shams ad-dîn as-Sahâwî, ash-Shawkânî, Ibn Taimiyya, ’Abduh, ’Alî al-Qârî and Ismail Hakkı said that there were mawdû’ hadîths in the basic books of Ahl as-Sunna, especially in al-Baidâwî’s tafsîr book and in al-Ghazâlî’s Ihyâ’. They are not right; it is a calumniation against these great scholars[44].
The phrases “declared for luxury, ambition and avarice”, which Mawdûdî uses about jihâd, which is one of Islam’s five basic ’Ibâdât, reveal his own personality. Since the âyats and hadîths commanding jihâd have become tawâtur, it is not necessary to quote them here in addition. He himself admits them in his book Holy War in Islam. Our ancestors performed jihâd not for pleasure or ambition but for spreading Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Word. Jihâd is carried out by the State, by its army. People perform jihâd by serving the army.
Mawdûdî confuses mistakes the rightful madhhabs with the heretical groups. In none of the Ahl as-Sunna madhhabs, either of i’tiqâd or ’amal, is there a mawdû’ hadîth or anything incompatible with Islam. There are mawdû’ and un-Islamic aspects in the seventy-two heretical groups. All Islamic shcolars, especially Hadrat Imâm al-Ghazâlî, criticized these heretical groups. Mawdûdî does not like the Islamic education, which has spread its arts and established its universities over three continents from Philippines and India to Portugal and from Bukhâra to Morocco. This is like attempting to plaster the sun with sticky mud to hide the truth. One is surprised not at such a writer but at those who suppose him to be a Muslim scholar.
He says on the seventy-ninth page:
“Shâh Walî-Allah ad-Dahlawî removed the old doubts concerning i’tiqâd. He illuminated the brains with a new spirit.”
He means that Shâh Walî-Allah ad-Dahlawî (rahmatullâhi ’alaih), too, was a religion reformer. Walî-Allah ad-Dahlawî’s works bear witness for the fact that he was Sunnî; this fact is also declared by Hadrat ’Abdullah ad-Dahlawî. That Muslims’ imân has been doubtful for centuries is a lie made up by the lâ-madhhabî. Mawdûdî could not be too ignorant to know that doubtful îmân is not îmân. But it is a heresy worse than ignorance to say that Muslims’ îmân has been doubtful for centuries. The îmân of the Ahl as-Sunna who make up ninety percent of Muslims on the earth, has been true in every century, and they did not doubt anything in which they believed. Besides, the members of the heretical groups were not so numerous as to represent Islam.
Mawdûdî says on the eighty-first page of his book:
“The difference between the idea and doctrine of caliphate and sovereignty was explained by Shâh Walî-Allah, and the pictures from the Hadîth, which were not known before him, were drawn by him. He wrote in his book Musaffâ: ‘The idiots of our century have abandoned ijtihâd. They do not know where they are going, with their rings put on their noses like camels. Each has chosen a different path. It is a shame that they do not have a common understanding.’ ”
Hadrat Shâh Walî-Allah ad-Dahlawî did not say “idiots” about the Ahl as-Sunna scholars in any of his books, but he complained about the heretical groups who dissented from the four madhhabs. The following passage from him is very descriptive of his reverence towards the Ahl as-Sunna scholars:
“Rasûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm) said, ‘Great scholars will come in Iran.’ Besides great hadîth scholars such as al-Bukhârî, Muslim, at-Tirmidhî, Abû Dâwûd, an-Nasâ’î, Ibn Mâja, ad-Dârimî, ad-Dâra-Qutnî, Hâkim, al-Baihakî and many others who were educated in Iran, there are the great fiqh scholars such as Abû ’t-Tayyib [Qâdî Tâhir at-Tabarî], Shaikh Abû Hâmid [al-Isfarâ’inî], Shaikh Abû Ishaq ash-Shîrâzî, and al-Juwainî [’Abdullah ibn Yûsuf and his son], Imâm al-Haramain ’Abd al-Malik ibn ’Abdullâh al-Juwainî and Imâm Muhammad al-Ghazâlî and many many others, who were also educated in Iran. Even Imâm Abû Hanîfa and his disciples in Mâwara an-nahr[45] and Khurasan are the scholars of Iran and are within the circle blessed with the good news in the hadîth. A hadîth declares, ‘There will come a mujaddid in every hundred years.’ As he declared, a mujaddid came in each century and strengthened the religion. In the first century of the Hegira, ’Umar ibn ’Abd al-’Azîz removed the cruelty of the rulers and established the principles of justice. In the second century, al-Imâm ash-Shâfi’î explained the knowledge of îmân and separated the knowledge of fiqh. In the third century, Abû ’l-Hasan al-Ash’arî formulated the Ahl-as-Sunna knowledge and rebutted the people of bid’a. In the fourth century, Hâkim and al-Baihakî and the like established the fundamentals of the knowledge of the Hadîth, and Abû Hâmid and the like spread the knowledge of fiqh. In the fifth century, Imâm al-Ghazâlî opened a new way and said fiqh, tasawwuf and kalâm were not different from one another. In the sixth century, Imâm Fakhr ad-dîn ar-Râzî spread the knowledge of Kalâm; and Imâm an-Nawawî spread the knowledge of Fiqh. Thus, a mujaddid, coming in each century up to our time, strengthened the religion. We should not dismiss the matter by saying that the above-quoted hadîth and the like are the miracles predicting future happenings. We should also realize the importance and the value of the predicted happenings.”[46]
Shâh Walî-Allâh ad-Dahlawî wrote in another book:
“One of the wâjibs of Islam is to learn the Divine Rules (al-Ahkâm al-Ilâhî), which can be learned from the Qur’ân, the Hadîth, the works of as-Sahâba and of the Tâbi’ûn and from the teachings deduced from the Qur’ân and the Hadîth. Fiqh is the branch of knowledge that deals with the Divine Rules, and fuqahâ’ are the scholars of fiqh. Fuqahâ’ had different madhhabs, and the scholars who came later differed from one another in choosing and following these madhhabs. Many of them said that one of the famous madhhabs should be chosen and be followed in one’s every business. For those who cannot understand the Qur’ân, the Hadîth and the books of scholars, this manner of following (taqlîd) is a great blessing on condition that their taqlîd be intended to follow the Qur’ân and the Hadîth. If you strongly believe that the ijtihâd[47] of the mujtahid (you have been following) disagrees with (a certain rule clearly stated in) an âyat or hadîth with an open meaning, you should follow, concerning the matter in question, another mujtahid whose ijtihâd appears to be in closer agreement with the Book or the Hadîth. In this case, you should not be prohibited from following another madhhab. Scholars of later generations who have perfectly learned the Sunna and the Works (of early Islamic scholars), who have thoroughly studied the words of (at least) one of the scholars of Islamic fiqh, who know the hadîth, -and also the names of the blessed and trustworthy people who transmitted the hadîth-, which a faqîh (scholar of fiqh) has utilized as a document, and who are therefore authorized to serve their madhhab by comparing the seemingly contradictory hadîths and deducing new rules and, (if necessary,) to deduce new rules by studying within the methods and principles established by their madhhab, are called Mujtahid-i-fi-l-madhhad) (Mujtahid within a madhhab.) This way of following is very blessed, too. Most Muslims follow the madhhab which has spread in their country or which they learn from their fathers or masters. This way of following is suitable for those who can read the books of only one madhhab and cannot study the sources utilized by the madhhab. Islamic teachings are composed of three parts, namely, zâhir, nawâdir and takhrîj teachings, the last one being the teachings deduced by scholars. All three of them exist in the sciences of fiqh, tasawwuf and ’aqâ’id. A scholar who is able to distinguish the three kinds of Islamic teachings from one another in all of these three sciences and to deduce rules for each kind of these teachings is called an ’âlim of Islam or mujtahid. Only such an ’âlim can understand the Qur’ân and the Sunna. In the books Tahzîb by al-Baghawî,Hidâya by Imâm al-Haramain, Sharh al-wajîz by ar-Râfi’î, Ghâya by ’Izzad-dîn ibn ’Abd-as Salâm, Sharh al-muhadhdhab by an-Nawawî, Adab al-futyâ by Abû ’Amr ibn Salâh and in Kitâb al-bahr by Badr ad-dîn az-Zarkashî, knowledge is divided into two, one of which must be learned by everybody. Learning the other is a fard kifâya, and, therefore, an ’âlim who has become a mujtahid learns it; if there is such an ’âlim in a town, others need not learn it and, if there is no such ’âlim, all Muslims are sinful. If such an ’âlim can deduce rules from the Qur’ân, Hadîth, ijmâ’ and qiyâs without depending upon a madhhab, he is called a mustaqil (independent) mujtahid. There has not been such a mujtahid for a long time.
“There are four groups of non-mustaqil mujtahids. A mujtahid in the first group does not follow the imâm of his madhhab in searching for documents and deducing rules. Because he is on the way of an imâm, he is said to belong to an imâm’s madhhab and is called a mujtahid muntasib. He is a mujtahid mutlaq, and there must always be such a mujtahid. The as’hâb at-tarjîh, i.e. the second group, depend on the methods and documents of the imâm of the madhhab, and each is called a mujtahid muqayyad.