The ‘Ulamaa of Deoband and the ‘Wahhabis’

In answer to one person’s question Hazrat Hakimul-Ummah (rahmatullahi alaihi) replied:

“I don’t know how these innovators link us to the Wahhabi’s? First of all, the one whose name they are slandering is not even Abdul Wahab. For no reason they have slandered the poor guy. The actual person is Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab who took to extremes in certain matters, but not to the extent that these people slander him for.

Moreover, our aqaa’id are not even similar to his. If they argue that some of our beliefs are similar to his, then the answer to that is: your beliefs are similar to his also.  For example, ‘Muhammd ibn Abdul Wahab believes that Islam is the truth, and so do you. He believes in the prophet hood of Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and so do you.’ So what is so bad about that?

And in so many masaa’il we have major differences with him.  So how can we be considered his followers? For example, he considers traveling for the visitation of Rasulullah (salallahu alaihi wa sallam’s) blessed grave to be forbidden, whereas we say that it is mustahab, rather emphasized to do so. Even some of our scholars go to the extent of having the opinion that it is wajib. How then are we Wahhabis?

If they consider us Wahhabis due to the fact that we also don’t send curses on him like they do, then it should be known that Hazrat Rabi’ah Basriah would not even like to send curses upon shaytan.  In actuality, this type of cursing and absolving oneself from others is the practice of the rawaafidh, and has no basis according to Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah. So how is it then that we are labeled as Wahhabis?”

(Malfuzat-e-Hakimul Ummah; 8/253)

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