Imám Ahmad Raza, The Shi'ar of Ahl-us-Sunna-wal-Jamma

According to the Sunni scholars of South Asian, Imam Raza is the Shi'ar (sign)  and recognition of the Ahl-us-Sunna-wal Jamma. To show hatred towards him, is seen as a sign if hypocrisy. It is said that a famous scholar Hazrat Maulana Qádir Baksh Sesarrámí was once called by the people of Bihár for a lecture, after the session, while sitting in the dinning area, someone asked him how can a Sunni be identified from a Wahhabi in a simple manner?', upon which Maulana Sesarrámí replied, 'I will tell you s simple formula and to get one better than this will be difficult. When ever you want to enquire if someone is a Sunni or a Wahhabi, then yo should mention the name of Imam Ahmad Raza Bareilwi and then look at his facial expressions, if he is happy and overjoyed then he is a Sunni and if his facial expressions are one of hate and regret, then surely he will be a Wahhabi, and if he is not one then he will definitely have some problem with his faith.

Because the Imám Ahmad Raza was the embodiment the love of the Prophet and fought against all false sects and movements which would have otherwise shaken the foundations of the religion of Islam. Imam Raza dealt with the enemies of Islam, whether they were so-called Muslim sects or otherwise with harshness and never did he ever mingle with people belonging to these deviated sects and movements nor would he be pleased to see them.

It is related that Hazrat Nané Mian Maulana Muhammad Raza once came to Imam Raza after the asr prayer and said, 'a Shi'í had come to see him from Hydrabad Dakkan, and that he would be arriving shortly to whom the Imam should give guidance towards the truth. During the gathering, the shi'í had also arrived. It is reported from the people who had been present at that time that Á'la Hazrat did not pay any attention towards him to the point that Nané Mian gestured to him to take a seat. As the Imám did not speak to him, he did not say anything and after sitting a while he went away. After he had gone Nané Mian said th Á'la Hazrat, 'He (the shi'í) had come all this way to meet you, there was nothing wrong if you would have spoken to him and seen to him as a visitor', upon hearing this, Imám Raza became furious and said, 'These are the manners given to me by my leaders', and then he said, 'upon leaving the Masjid Nabawí, the leader of the believers, Umr Farúq was met by a traveller who says that he is hungry upon which Hazrat Umr gestured to him that he should follow him. When they reach the house of Hazrat Umr, he orders that the food should be served, when the servant serves the food for the guest, while eating he says some un-orthodox words upon which Hazrat Umr orders the servant to remove the food from him immediately and to remove him from his house. The Holy Prophet (Upon whom be the peace and blessings of Allah) personally removed the hypocrites individually by calling out their names saying, 'Ukhruj ya fulánu fa-innaka munáfiq' (Oh so and so leave the mosque for you are an hypocrite).'

The above incident is evident of the fact that Imam Ahmad Raza Khan was following the Sunna to the straight and narrow and he was totally against pluralism (sullá kullís) and to giving ground to deviant sects to breed their ideologies amongst the lay people and cause confusion and division amongst the Muslims of South-Asia. It is possible to see the insight of Imam Raza in the above incident where he totally ignore the person who he sees as misguided and away from the truth. Firstly is was possible that the Shi'í was not there to meet Imam with sincerity as he only sat for a little while and went away without saying anything, which is evident that he was not there for guidance or religious counselling, secondly Imam Raza so no benefit in conversing with him for there was nothing common with Sunni and Shi'í concepts and thirdly it coud've been that Imam Raza thought of it as wasteful to speak to him in the first instance and instead saw fit to attend those who were sunni's and could benefit from his presence mentally, physically and spiritually. This practise of Imam Raza is typical of the Ahl-us-Sunna scholars and that of th companions of the Prophet (the Sahaba) towards those who they saw are misguided and astray and this is evident from the following example:

It is related in Sunan Dármi that two astray persons were sitting in the gathering of the Tábí (a tábí is singular of Tabiún meaning the second generation away from the prophet, successors of the Sahába) Imam Muhammad bin Sírín and they said if they could present a hadith before him upon which Imam Ibn Sírín said, I am not willing to listen anything from you'. If you permit may we present a verse from the Holy Qur'an?', they asked. Imam Ibn Sírín replied, 'no! can you both leave from here or shall I leave this place?' Only then did they leave, but those present were dazzled at the Imam's reaction and said, 'what was wrong of them even presenting a verse of the Holy Qur'an?', Imam Ibn Sírín replied saying, 'I was afraid that if they recited a verse and they would mis-interpret  it and that it may misguide me.' This is why Imam Raza saw it vital to expose the deviant sects and movements of his time, which included: Deobandis, Ahlé-Hadíth, Qádiání's, Shi'ísm, the pluralists (sulla kullis) amongst the many others.

It is reported that once Hazrat Sadr-al-Fázil, Maulana Syed Naeem ul-Dín Murád Abádí said to Imam Ahmad Raza, 'your holiness! the language which you have used to expose the beliefs of the deviant Deobandi's, Wahhabi's and Ghair-Muqalids is very strong and harsh according to the civilised folk of today who after reading a few lines of your work then throw it away saying that these books a filled with abuse and they do not bother Reading the whole arguments and evidence presented by yourself and thus become deprived from the truth. If your holiness does not use such language and instead engages with them in a more friendly approach, then possibly more newly civilised persons would read your books and gain guidance from them'. Upon hearing these words of Hazrat Sadr-al-Fázil, Imam Ahmad Raza began to weep and  said, 'Maulána! I had wished that there was a sword in the hands of Ahmad Raza and I would use this sword to cut the throats of those who insult the Prophet and in this manner I would have ended the insults against the Holy Prophet. But we do not have the right to use the sword but indeed Allah has granted me a pen. And the reason why I use hard and harsh words towards those who insult the beloved Prophet is so when they see this extreme exposure of themselves, they become angry and then they would begin to insult me and forget of insulting the Holy Prophet, and in this approach of mine, may my honour and that of my forefathers become a shield in defence of the Prophets honour and dignity.'

It is impossible to find such love in which one is willing to sacrifice his own honour and respect which he has earned in society. Imam Raza was not a materialistic person so he did not have anything to lose, nor did have have any personal reasons to attack deviated sects which were spawned by the British, he was but a sincere servant of the Prophet who worked tirelessly to unify the ummah under the banner of the Qur'an and Sunnah,unified in the four sunni madhab's under the name of Ahl-al-Sunna-wal-Jamma.

Ustad-al-Muhadithún, Hazrat, Maulána Wasí Ahmad also known as Muhadith Súrti was once asked by his student Hazrat, Maulána Syed Muhammad, who was known as Muhadith Kachúchavi, who asked, 'while you are báyah from Maulána, Sháh Fadl-al-Rahmán of Ghanj Abád but the love and respect towards Imam Ahmed Raza Khan is next to no other, why is this?', Hazrat Muhadith Súrti said, 'the greatest gift for me is not the knowledge that I had gained from Maulana Isháq Mahshí, Bukhári, not is the Báyah which I received from Sháh Fadl-al-Rahmán but it is for me the essence of faith (creedal matters) which I only found from Imam Ahmad Raza who taught me how to love the Prophet of Islam. This is why remembering him brings new life into my soul and his every word is guidance for me.'