Praying Salah behind the Wahabiyah

Question:

Assalamualaikum Hazrath, I have got a job in Saudi. My question is all masjids in Saudi are Bad Aqeedah and Wahabis, so how can we perform our Salaah, especially the Jummah Salah?

Q 2 Agar maloon nahi k imaam sunni hai aur jamaat shuru hone wali to aise halaat kya karen (Translation – If one does not know if the Imaam is Sunni and the Jama’ah is about to start, what should one do in this situation?)

Answer

Wa Alaykum Al-Salam

Al-Jawaab:

The Saudi Government rules under the ‘Wahabiyah’ sect in Islam. This is a sect which has caused havoc amongst the Muslims since their existence and continues to do so. Many laymen from amongst the Muslims have been misled, misguided and radicalised to violent and non-violent extremism through their false banner of Tawheed (monotheism). Their heretical beliefs are a disgrace to the Islam that our Saviour and Master Muhammad ﷺ brought to us from Allah.

This sect came into existence in the year 1209 Hijri under the leadership of its founder Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab Najdi. He spread many misguidances throughout the whole of the Arab world, especially throughout Haramayn Shareefayn. Under his command and leadership, they heartlessly slaughtered and butchered the rightly guided Ulemaa’ (Scholars), as though the whole of the Arab world was a slaughter house. Anyone who disagreed with them, whether a scholar, layman, male, female, young or old, was labelled as a kafir and mushrik and then was killed. Streams of blood were flowing in the streets. They destroyed the graves and shrines of the blessed pious predecessors which included the great companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. They named the shrine of our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ the ‘Sanam Akbar’ which means the biggest idol. They strongly desired to destroy the holy shrine of our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and they still do which becomes apparent once a year when one of their clerics decides to spill his rage in a public speech or through an article or edict but they have failed to do so because Allah has protected it and may Allah continue to protect it for it is the centre of our faith.

In Radd Al-Muhtaar, Imaam Ibn Abideen Al-Shaami has written a chapter regarding the followers of Muahmmad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab Najdi and has regarded them as traitors of Islam and also called them Khawaarij. He then writes,

“The followers of Abd Al-Wahhab have appeared in our time who have come from Najd. They have taken both the Haram (Makkah Mukarramah and Madeenah Munawwarah) and they impersonate the Hanbali School. However, they believe that only they are Muslims and whosoever opposes their beliefs is a Mushrik. With this, they legalised the killing of the Ahl Al-Sunnah and their Scholars.”

Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab Najdi, himself said,

“The holy and eminent grave is an idol and a false god in all meanings of idolatry, only if the people realised.”

This can be found in the footnotes of Sharh Al-Sudoor Bi-Tahreemi Raf’ Al-Quboor written by himself. On one hand he regards it as Holy and eminent and, on the other hand, he calls it an idol and false god, only if he realised. It is a well established and known fact that none from amongst the Muslims besides these ‘Wahaabiyah’ regard the Holy Shrine of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as an idol or false god.

From amongst the heretic beliefs of the ‘Wahaabiyah’ are, Allah can lie, Muhammad is just a normal human like us, he does not know what will happen to him, he is dead, he cannot hear us, he cannot see us, he has no authority in any matter, he can not be used as a means to reach Allah, all Prophets and Messengers and Awliya are worse than dirt in the court of Allah, thinking of the Prophet during salah is worse than thinking of a donkey, voting in a non-Muslim country for a non-Muslim government is shirk (polytheism), following a man-made law, is shirk, Allah has body parts like we do, Allah moves from one place to another and Allah sits and stands on and from His throne etc. May Allah forbid and may Allah protect us from these kufriyah beliefs.

These are only some of the beliefs of the ‘Wahaabiyah’ sect and it is from this sect that the ‘Deobandiyah’ sect appeared in the Sub-Continent. One can see the similarities in the beliefs by studying the ‘Deobandiyah’ books of Fataawa like the Fataawaa Rasheediyah of Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi.

Imam Bukhari has recorded several traditions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in his Saheeh from Sayyiduna Ali Ibn Abi Taalib and Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri, Allah is pleased with them both, regarding a people that will come in this nation from the East who will perform Salah in a manner that we will find our Salah to be inferior, they will fast in a manner that we will find our fast to be inferior and their actions will be such that we will find ours inferior. They will recite the Qur’aan (beautifully) but it will not pass below their throats. They will leave Islam (instantaneously) like the arrow leaves its game or target and they will not return to Islam unless the arrow returns to its bow (by itself which is never). These people will kill the Muslims and leave the idolators. In a narration, one of their signs that are mentioned in Bukhari is that their beards will be thick and their heads shaven. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also said that if I were to find the time of these people then I would kill them like the killing of the people of Thamood.

It is clear that Salah is invalid behind an Imam who follows such a sect whether it is the five times daily Salah or the Friday afternoon Salah. The rightly guided Scholars of the Ahl Al-Sunnah have said and written in various edicts that performing prayer behind Imams of these sects who hold such heretic beliefs is the same as performing prayer behind a Hindu or Sikh Imam, may Allah forbid, for reference please see Al-Ataaya Al-Nabawiyah Fi Al-Fataawa Al-Ridwiyah. This is simply because these nominal Muslims have left the boundaries of Islam and are wondering lost in the realms of kufr. Anyone who has faith in his heart and genuinely cares about his worship will never compromise to perform his prayer behind such individuals who follow the ‘Wahaabiyah’ or ‘Deobandiyah’ sects.

If there is no other Imam then one must pray individually and instead of the Friday afternoon prayer, one should perform the Zuhr Salah.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said regarding the people of innovation (those who innovate a new path that is against the path of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and the path of his companions, Allah is pleased with them),

“Do not sit with them, do not eat with them, do not drink with them, do not say salam to them, do not visit them when they are sick, do not perform salah with them and do not perform their Janazah salah when they die.”

In Fataawa Mustafawiyah, it clearly says that it is impermissible to perform prayer behind those who openly sin. If that is the case regarding those who openly sin then what must be the case of those who openly hold heretic beliefs as mentioned above? Imam Mufti Al-A’zam Mustafa Rida Al-Hanafi Al-Qadiri, Allah is pleased with him quotes a Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,

“When a faasiq is honored, the Lord becomes angry and the arsh trembles due to it.”

The great Mufti of his era writes that what more honor can be given to a person than making him the leader in the religious affairs (Salah).

Therefore, it is clear that prayer behind such heretics causes the anger of Allah and is not only impermissible but invalid.

We are ordered to judge people according to that which is apparent upon us and not according to our guesses and assumptions. If there is a person who is apparently a Muslim then we must accept the person as a Muslim and not make assumptions unless there are signs that have otherwise become apparent. If there is a person who is a Muslim and apparently fulfills the conditions of Imaamah (leadership in prayer) then one may perform his prayer behind him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

“The order/law is according to that which is apparent and I have not been ordered to look into the people’s hearts and to rip open their chests (to see what is inside).”

However, if this apparently fit for Imaamah person is leading the prayer in a Qaadiyani, Shi’ah or Wahaabi Masjid then it is apparent and clear who he is and Allah knows best.

Faqeer Zahid Hussain Al-Qadiri
(Beggar at the doorstep of Scholars)
1st Rabi al Thani 1437 AH