Hadhrat Maulāna Shāh Abdul Qādir Rāipūrī rahmatullāh ῾alayh was a student of Hadhrat ῾Allāmah Shāh Kashmīrī rahmatullāh ῾alayh. He mentions himself that he studied “Mulla Hasan” (1) and part of “Sunan Tirmidhī Sharīf” from Shāh Sāheb rahmatullāh ῾alayh. “While teaching he would jump from one topic to another, and I would have become gher muqallid if I had not taken benefit from Hadhrat Shāh Sāheb rahmatullāh ῾alayh. When I attended his “Sunan Tirmidhī Sharīf” class he was discussing Fātiha Khalf al-Imām(2). When I heard Shāh Sāheb rahmatullāh ῾alayh’s talk my heart became satisfied that we (Ahnāf) have proofs (dalā’il) as well.
“Once, at Sunehrī Mosque of Delhi, I saw that Shāh Sāheb rahmatullāh ῾alayh is making dhikr of the name “Allah” in a mediocre voice. He was seated inside a room and there was a curtain on the doorway. It was at that time I realized that Shāh Sāheb rahmatullāh ῾alayh is a Sūfī as well. He used to frequent Hadhrat Maulāna Gangohī rahmatullāh ῾alayh.”
The incident occurred in 1942. I came to Hadhrat Maulāna ShāhAbdul Qādir Rāipūrī rahmatullāh ῾alayh while he was engaged in a debate with Maulāna Karīm Bakhsh rahmatullāh ῾alayh, professor of Arabic at Govt. College Lahore. Maulāna Karīm Bakhsh rahmatullāh ῾alayh insisted that the method of dhikr practiced by Hadhrat Rāipūrī rahmatullāh ῾alayh was a bid῾ah since dhikr of term “Allah” is bid῾ah. Hadhrat Rāipūrī rahmatullāh ῾alayh looked at me(3) (so that I may answer).
I said that there is a hadīth in Muslim Sharīf that until there is a single soul on earth saying “Allah, Allah”, Qiyāmah will not take place.(4) Would Rasūlullah salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam have taught a bid῾ah? This hadīth is also in Sunan Tirmidhī sharīf as well. (5)
Hadhrāt ῾Allāmah Kashmīrī rahmatullāh ῾alayh mentioned in Dars of Tirmidhī Sharīf that the name “Allah” alone is also a dhikr and mentioned that according to the research of the ῾ulamā’, the soul of the world is Lā ilāha ilallāh. When this soul will not remain, the world would also end. Similar is mentioned in the Qur’ān “(قُلِ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِي خَوْضِهِمْ” (6
(Malfūzāt Muhaddith Kashmīrī Pg. 367)
(1) Mullah Hasan is a textbook on Logic from the prominent scholar Mullah Hasan (d.1209H / 1794-95) of Farangi Mahal. This book has been a part of Dars e Nizāmī for past 200 years.
(2) Fātiha Khalf al-Imām is a well known academic discussion about whether a muqtadī (one who follows an Imām is liable to recite anything from the Qur’ān. Ahnāf (followers of Imām Abu Hanīfah) hold the opinion that a muqtadī is not required to recite from Qur’ān. In classical texts this discussion is a point of difference between the Ahnāf and Shawāfi῾, while in contemporary times the gher muqallids have made it their aim to target the Ahnāf opinion as an incorrect view. ῾Allāmah Shāh Kashmīrī rahmatullāh ῾alayh has given an extensive summary on this classical difference in this issue in his well known exegesis on Sunan Tirmidhī titled Al ῾Arf al-Shadhī (العرف الشذي شرح سنن الترمذي)
(3) Referring to Maulāna Sayyid Ahmed Ridā Sāheb Bijnorī rahmatullāh ῾alayh who compiled the Malfūzāt Muhaddith Kashmīrī.
(4)
(صحيح مسلم 1/ 131 – دار إحياء التراث العربي )
– (148) حَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا ثَابِتٌ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: ” لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى لَا يُقَالَ فِي الْأَرْضِ: اللهُ، اللهُ “
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ عَلَى أَحَدٍ يَقُولُ: اللهُ، اللهُ “
(5)
(سنن الترمذي ت شاكر 4/ 492 – شركة مكتبة ومطبعة مصطفى البابي الحلبي – مصر)
2207 – حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي عَدِيٍّ، عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” لَا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى لَا يُقَالَ فِي الأَرْضِ: اللَّهُ اللَّهُ “: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ المُثَنَّى قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ الحَارِثِ، عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، نَحْوَهُ وَلَمْ يَرْفَعْهُ وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ مِنَ الحَدِيثِ الأَوَّلِ
(6)
(العرف الشذي شرح سنن الترمذي 3/ 413 – دار التراث العربي -بيروت، لبنان)
(الله الله إلخ) قال العلماء: إن روح الدنيا لا إله إلا الله، فإذا خرج الروح تفسد الدنيا، وأقول: هذا يدل على أن الله الله مفرد أيضاً ذكر، وكذلك في القرآن العزيز {قُلِ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ} [الأنعام: 91] الآية