‫ و الصلوة و السالم على س ّيد املرسلني‬.

‫الحمد هلل رب العاملني‬

‫ بسم اهلل الرحمن الرحيم‬.‫أما بعد فأعوذ باهلل من الشيطان الرجيم‬

‫و على آلك و أصحابك يا حبيب اهلل‬ ‫الصلوة و السالم عليك يا رسول اهلل‬

‫و على آلك و أصحابك يا نور اهلل‬ ‫الصلوة و السالم عليك يا نبي اهلل‬

Barelwī

Question

Is it correct to use the term Barelwī as the identity for a true sunni?
Some sunni public including some sunni ulama are hesitant or even
against using the term Barelwī. Should we avoid using the word Barelwī
or is it vital to use?

Students of Jāmia tul Madīnah, Birmingham, U.K.

Answer

The term ‘Barelwī’, in this day and age, explains the true Sunnī identity.
In different eras, the noble, wise and respected ‘Ulamā have set different
signs for the true identity of Sunnīs, which have helped Muslims to
separate true and false Sunnīs; all these signs were the
nisbats (relationships) of great scholars of Islam.

When the Fitnah of the Mu’tazilite, Khawārij, Jabriyah and Qadriyah (not
Qādiriyah) sects started, at that time the Khawārij pretended to be
Sunnīs and were misleading the true Sunnīs. When their mischief
became prevalent, Allāh Almighty adorned Ḥaḍrat Abul Ḥasan ‘Alī bin
Ismā’īl Ash’arī ‫ رحمة اهلل تعالى عليه‬with knowledge of the Deen and ma’rifah
of Allah, and appoint him to help the Muslims during this difficult time of
confusion. He destroyed all the deceiving tricks of the Khawārij and
Mu’tazila and informed the Muslims that these sects are not on the right
path, but only pretending to be Sunnīs. Besides this, he also taught the
correct beliefs of Islām to the Muslims. At that time, Sunnīs were
recognised by the word ‘Ash’arī’, because of the relationship with this
great Imām of the Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamā’ah. Also, in this era, only
such a person would be regarded as a true Sunnī who is identified as an
Ash’arī, and the one who is not an Ash’arī, would not be considered to
be a Sunnī, rather he would be regarded as amongst the Khawārij and a
false person in Islām. Then, in another period of time, people appeared
with corrupt beliefs, who again, started deceiving Muslims in the disguise
of being Sunnīs. Subsequently, Imām-e-Ahlus-Sunnah Ḥaḍrat Sheikh
Abū Mansoor Mātureedī Samarqandī gathered all Sunnīs together; he
destroyed the Fitnah of the fake Sunnīs. Due to his teachings, once
again, Sunniyyat became alive and strong. At that time, the identity of
true or false Sunnīs was his nisbat, in other words, Ṣaḥeeḥ ul ‘Aqeedah
Sunnīs were called ‘Maatureedī.’ Any Muslim, who would use the nisbat
of ‘Maatureedī’ as his religious identity, would be regarded as a true
Sunnī, and the one who hated the word Maatureedī or would shy away
from this nisbat would be regarded as Bad-Mazhab and Gumrah
(misguided).

We learn from the above that whenever there was a conspiracy to

destroy the ‘Aqāid (beliefs) of Islām, someone from amongst the
bondsmen of Allāh Almighty helped the Muslim Ummah and
safeguarded their Īmān, and nisbat towards their names or where they
came from (city, village, etc) became the identity of true Sunnī Muslims.

In the sub-continent, Wahhābism with all its branches (Deobandism,

Ghair-Muqallids, Jamāte-Islāmī, Ahle-Ḥadīth, Ahle-Qurān, Salafīs, etc.)
started attacking the pure and noble status of the Beloved Nabī ‫ ﷺ‬and
the beautiful garden of Islām started to become polluted with their filthy
attacks and beliefs, yet they themselves still claimed that they are Ahlus-
Sunnah wal Jamā’ah!

At that difficult moment, Allāh Almighty lit the light in Bareli Shareef, and
this light suppressed the darkness of Wahhābism and guided those
Muslims who went astray. This light of Bareli Shareef illuminated the
entire world of Sunniyyat with the light of love and respect of Beloved
Musṭafā ‫ﷺ‬.

Truly speaking, we, the small ones in the Ahlus-Sunnah have received
every bit of knowledge or Ma`rifah from that Door, and thus, our hearts
are filled with the love of the Beloved Nabī ‫ ﷺ‬due to this king of Bareli
Shareef, otherwise, the ignoramuses of Deobandism and the fools of
Wahhābism almost took us dreadfully close to the eternal fire of Hell.
What an immense favour this great personality has done upon us,
therefore, why should we not thank him and sing his praise?

All praise is to Allah ‫ﷻ‬, the Nisbat of this revered personality of Bareli
Shareef, Sayyidī Imām-e-Ahlus Sunnat A’lā Ḥaḍrat Imām Aḥmad Razā
Khān Muḥaddithe Barelwī became our identity! To regard yourself as a
Barelwī with regards to the matters of ‘Aqeedah is not Farḍ, Wājib or
Sunnah, however, just as in the past, in order to differentiate between
the true and false Sunnīs, via the Nisbat of Ash’arī and Māturīdī was
necessary, similarly in this day and age, the nisbat of Barelwī is
essential for the true Sunnī Muslims, since, nowadays many false
people have kept their names as Sunnīs and Sūfīs. Wahhābis
Deobandīs, Salafīs and the brothers of Shias are all claiming to be
Sunnis. If we remove the ‘Bareilwī’ nisbat, how would we recognise who
is true and who is false? Thus, in this era, there is no other term except
‘Barelwī’ which can be used to separate false Sunnī Sūfīs from the true
Sunnī Sūfīs. If there is any other term to make a clear distinction
between the deceptive, false Sunnīs and the authentic Sunnīs (Ahlus-
Sunnah wal Jamaa’ah), then it must be presented. I look forward to it;
this is yet to be seen.

The expression ‘Barelwī’ is not the name as a Silsilah (a spiritual order),

neither is it a branch of the Qādiriyyah Silsilah but it is synonymous with
the term ‘Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jamā’ah.’ Therefore, all Qādirīs, Chishtīs,
Naqshbandīs, Suharwardīs, etc. who are proper Sunnīs, are known as
Barelwīs in this day and age.

Note

One does not necessarily have to be called a Barelwī to be a true

Sunnī, but simply requires to possess the same beliefs. We would
consider a person who lives, for example, in the Middle East (who
doesn’t know the difference between Deobandīs and Barelwīs), a
Barelwī; only if he has the same belief system and has not gone against
Ḍurooriyāt-e-Deen (essentials of the religion) or Ḍurooriyāt-e-Ahlus-
Sunnah (essentials of the Ahlus-Sunnah). Even if this person doesn’t
know where Barelī is or what the term ‘Barelwī’ represents. Therefore,
this is for such a person who doesn’t know anything regarding the word
Barelwī, however, for the one who understands and knows very well
what Barelwī means yet still says with disgust that, I am not a Barelwī,
he will be condemned and his ‘Aqīdah will be questioned.

We may be Qādirī, Chishtī, Shāfi`ee or Ḥanafī, but we will always be

Barelwī first, because this pertains to the matter of ‘Aqeedah (belief),
whilst the others deal with Fiqh and Taṣawwuf which are actually
dependent upon Īmān (‘Aqāid).

Allāh ‫ ﷻ‬and His Beloved Rasool ‫ ﷺ‬know best.

Tālib-e-Maghfirah and Baqee’

Abdun Nabī Hamīdī Attārī